Mathematics

Homework Help

Critical Thinking

PAGE 2

Northeastern Catholic District School Board

ISSUE NO. 4

FEBRUARY, 2013 Reporting to Parents: Ensuring Success for your Child

The Elementary Provincial Report Card tells how well your child has reached the expected level of achievement at two points: February and in June. It uses letter grades for Grades 1 to 6 and percentage marks for Grades 7 - 12, for each subject and strand of the curriculum where instruction has been given.

Like the Elementary Progress Report, both Report Cards will report on your child's Learning Skills and Work Habits. Teacher comments will focus on your child's strengths, and next steps for improvement for learning.

The Learning Skills and Work Habits that teachers

will report on in the Provincial Report Card, Grades

1 –12 are:

Responsibility

Organization

Independent Work

Collaboration

Initiative

Self Regulation Report Cards will be sent home on February 12 (Secondary) February 20 (Elementary) Upon receipt of the Report Card;

Read and make notes about your questions and concerns.

Talk to your child about their progress.

List any items that you would like to discuss with your child’s

teacher.

Set up a time to meet with your child’s teachers.

Sign and return the last page of the Report Card.

Consult the “Supporting your Child’s Learning through Assessment, Evaluation and

Reporting” document available in PDF format online.

GETTING INVOLVED! Parent Involvement Makes a Difference

Thank you to all families who completed the

Tell Them From Me Survey. This important

feedback provides schools with vital

information needed to improve the school

environment.

Whether it is attending a school concert,

prayer service, or parents’ nights, parent

involvement in school activities can foster a

sense of community within the school. It

can build stronger relationships between

teachers and parents, and provide an

opportunity for parents to connect with and

support each other.

Let your children know that doing well in

school is important. High parental

expectations have the greatest impact on

student achievement. When parents

express belief in their children’s potential

students do better.

Parent

Health, Physical Education

and Daily Physical Activity Regular physical activity is essential for the healthy growth of children and youth.The curriculum for elementary

students teaches fundamental movement skills, healthy living, and active participation. Healthy living includes healthy

eating, growth and development, sexual health, personal safety, injury prevention, and substance use and abuse.

Fundamental movement skills include locomotion/traveling, manipulation, and stability. Active participation includes physical

activity, physical fitness, living skills, and safety. In high school, the program continues to build these skills, with a greater

emphasis on the living skills component to help address the unique physical and emotional challenges that adolescents face. The

Health and Physical Education courses in Grades 9 and 10 are made up of four strands: physical activity, active living,

healthy living, and living skills.

Embracing the

Winter

Season

WHAT’S INSIDE:

Daily Physical Activity “DPA” requires all

elementary schools to provide 20 minutes of

sustained physical activity every day.

Instead of avoiding the cold and the snow, look for the best that the season has to offer! Take up a winter sport like snowshoeing, cross country skiing, sledding or hockey. Enjoy these opportunities while they last. Staying active as a family will boost your energy. Seeing winter in a positive light , with all of the fun activities that it has to offer, will keep your spirits high.

Be a Snow Artist Try Snow Painting: fill spray bottles with water and food colouring

and have your children add colour to the white landscape.

Go Skating Find an outside skating rink or go public skating and develop your

skating skills. Don’t forget to bring hot chocolate drink after.

Build a Bird Feeder Give the birds a treat using recycled materials. Use an empty pop bottle to

build a bird feeder, fill with seeds and hang it close to your house. Keep a birding log of all the birds that visit your feeder.

Bundle Up

Get to your favourite hill and go sliding!

Build an Indoor Fort Use blankets, table cloths, pillows and chairs to build an indoor

retreat. Snuggle in your fort and read a book together.

Family Activities to Beat Cabin Fever

Mathematics

Collaborative

Inquiry

Lenten Season

SEAC

PAGE 3

Physical

Education

Cabin Fever

PAGE 4

Newsletter

Critical Thinking

Preparing Students for a 21st Century World

Collaborative Inquiry Learning Model

NCDSB

As we reach the midpoint of the school year, many parents are looking for ways to increase or maintain their student’s achievement in the area of Mathematics. For many students, the cumulative process of math is not something that comes easily. As a result of a partnership with the Ministry of Education and the Independent Learning Centre we are pleased to once again bring the Homework Help program to students. This program offers free math help for any student enrolled in Grades 7, 8, 9 and 10 math courses. Key features of the site include: Ask a Teacher interactive tutorial rooms with Ontario Certified Teachers.

Listen and Learn Lessons, Interactive Tutorials.

Students will have access to both guided and independent learning in a unique environment that combines technology and personal interaction. The integration of technology into teaching and learning enables students to have access to a wide range of educational tools and learning resources for increased student achievement. Students can log in from Sunday to Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. for individualized confidential math tutoring with Ontario Certified Math teachers. There are discussion rooms for each grade where students can join in and see what questions other students are asking, watch the tutors draw on the whiteboard and ask their own question for on-the-spot help.

Special Education Advisory Council

Videos of best tutorials and commonly asked questions are also available on the site 24/7. Other online math resources include math games and a virtual locker, where students can save their work.

A direct link to the Homework Help site is located on the home page of our website at www.ncdsb.on.ca.

Kay Gaffney, Chair

North Eastern Ontario Family and Children’s

Services

Joel McCartney, Vice-Chair

Cochrane Temiskaming Resource Centre

Kim Bordignon, Children’s Treatment Centre

Mark Lionello, Canadian Mental Health Association

Elizabeth King, NCDSB Trustee

Colleen Landers, NCDSB Trustee

Tricia Stefanic Weltz, Superintendent of Education

Judy Piché, Administrative Assistant / Recorder

Tammie Molenaar, Community Living Timmins

William Russell, The Lord’s Kitchen

Lisa Innes, NCDSB Aboriginal Liaison Worker

Dan Loreto, Special Assignment Teacher

Through the Collaborative Inquiry Learning Model for Mathematics, and the Middle Years Collaborative Inquiry teachers, along with their principals, are working together to build capacity and to improve student learning, engagement and critical thinking in terms of mathematics instruction. Throughout this academic year, school based and cross –panel teams have been working together to deconstruct curriculum expectations and in turn, effectively co-plan and co-teach mathematics lessons based on their students’ needs centered around problem solving. This collaborative process has been instrumental in transforming mathematics teaching among its participants and it is also supporting the diverse needs of our learners. As a part of our Middle Years Collaborative Inquiry, we have focused on ensuring that students have a voice in their learning through the MYCI student project. This exciting learning community of students representing Grades 4 to 10 is working as partners with their teachers to develop a sense of shared responsibility for teaching and learning. Acting as class reporters our MYCI students are practicing interview skills and video recording and editing techniques. Our ultimate goal is to collect a wealth of student thinking, ideas and opinions to share with teachers to better understand students’ mathematical learning needs.

In our ever-changing world, it is important for us to provide children with the skills needed to be successful 21st Century learners.

The focus in our schools has been on instruction that promotes the development of critical thinking skills. This approach moves away from students memorizing course content or subject matter, rather students are encouraged to think outside the box about a topic through rich discussions and exploration.

Below are tips on how to promote critical thinking at home:

Ask open-ended questions: these are questions that cannot be answered with a one word response. Open-ended questions usually begin with “Why” or “How” and encourage one to extend on their own knowledge. Example, “Why do we wear boots in the winter?

Encourage outdoor activities and field trips: expose your child to other environments and experiences that will broaden their understanding of the world. These are good opportunities to ask open-ended questions.

Keep an open mind: when asking questions, encourage your child to think of other perspectives and share different ideas.

What is SEAC? Every Ontario board of education must have a SEAC composed of school board staff, trustees and representatives from community advocacy groups (often parents) that represent exceptional children. This committee advises the trustees and school board administration about special education programs and services. The SEAC can make recommendations to the board with respect to any matter affecting the establishment, development and delivery of special education programs and services to exceptional pupils of the board. The SEAC can participate in the board’s annual review of its special education plan and in the board’s annual budget process as it relates to special education, as well as review financial statements of the board as they relate to special education. The SEAC can also provide information to parents, as requested. The meetings are open to the public. Comprehensive information is available at Ontario Ministry of Education’s SEAC Learning website: http://seac-learning.ca. NCDSB SEAC are:

SEAC

Mathematics Homework Help How to Help your Child be Successful

2013 Lenten Season Lent, A Time to Re-evaluate! As life so easily carries us away with busy days, it is easy to get distracted from our relationship with Jesus. Our priority during Lent is to strengthen our relationship with God. Lent is also a time when we try to turn back to God. Turning back refers to repentance (turning again). Repentance and penance are two important aspects of Lent. Lent is not an unhappy time, but a serious time. It is an opportunity to think about how much God means to us and how we are living up to God’s law of love. We choose actions that help us become more prayerful and live more simply.

Ten Tips for Making the Lenten Season More Meaningful!