Ski Forms

Junior Ski Day is February 15, 2017. A reminder to please return the permission form. It would be greatly appreciated if all forms could be returned by this Friday, January 27, 2017 to allow us time to send Mt. Pakenham all of the information!

Please, pay using Cash Online.

We are excited for a fun filled day of skiing!

Heritage Fair Invitation

Yesterday your grade 6 child brought home an invitation to our Heritage Fair.  Students have been conducting research projects on a heritage, an event or a famous person who contributed to the Canadian identity.

The Heritage Fair will take place in the Learning Commons at school on February 8, between 2:30-3:30.  

All are welcome! We look forward to seeing you there!

Hello

Bonjour!

Hello!

I hope everyone is as excited as I am for school to start up again!

With a new year comes many new changes and a lot of excitement. This year you can add a new teacher into the mix! I know many of you (both students and parents) are likely a little nervous and/or anxious about this change. I am hoping with this introduction to ease some of your worries.

Firstly, here are a few things you should know about me.  I have a Bachelor of Arts in Honours French Literature with an Emphasis in Teacher Education, which I obtained from Trent University.  I then completed my Bachelor of Education with an Emphasis in working with youth at risk from Queen’s University.  I am certified to teach from kindergarten to grade 12 in Ontario schools.  I come to St. Gemma with previous experience in Ottawa at St. Thomas More. I have experience teaching intermediate and senior French, and understand the next steps of your child’s French second language education. I am excited and passionate about making French relatable and useful through authentic learning experiences. I have worked with a variety of organisations that work to build up resiliency skills in junior and intermediate age children to allow them to better address stressors such as self-esteem, body image, relationships, media literacy and mental health. I hope to bring this experience with me into the classroom to create a positive and safe learning environment. I am enthusiastic about building up students to encourage them to take pride in themselves and their accomplishments.  I have coached an array of teams including boys and girls soccer, wrestling, track and field, swimming, and cheerleading. During my undergraduate degree at Trent University, I played soccer on the Women’s Varsity soccer team.  On a personal level, I love outdoor activities, enjoy reading and cooking in my spare time, and love my two Australian Shepherds. 

If you have any questions or concerns I encourage you to contact me at my OCSB email (Jessica.longchamps@ocsb.ca) or to stop in and see me at the school during the week.  I will be continuing Mrs. Oliver’s blog and padlet.  I would also encourage you to “follow” me on Twitter (@MissLongchamps).  I will tweet out news updates, class reminders, and photos of activities we will be doing throughout the day. 

This week in grade 6 we will be continuing to work on the Heritage Fair!

I am looking forward to meeting all of you!

Merci et Bienvenue!

This week is bittersweet for me because though we as a school prepare for the excitement of Christmas and holidays (and baby's arrival) it is sadly my last week with the students. I want to take this time to thank the parents and the St-Gemma community for a wonderful 2016. To the grade 6 students in particular I must say a huge thank you because they have been taking very good care of me (not letting me carry anything, offering me chairs, making sure I eat and drink enough). They are an incredibly kind group and I know they will have a successful rest of their year.

Conversely, I am very happy and excited to announce that Mme Longchamps will be taking over for me after Christmas break. Mme Longchamps is currently completing an LTO at nearby St-Thomas Moore in Kindergarten. Though K to 6 is going to be a big change, Mme Longchamps has taught high school before so she knows quite a bit about where are grade 6s are headed and how to prepare them best. She is very excited to meet the students and get started in the New year!

Foire des héritages

With electricity finished we are moving on to our first social studies unit; Canadian identity and heritage. For this unit, students will study a group or person who has made a significant contribution to Canada's heritage and/or identity. Students will present their projects in a heritage fair in a similar format to a science fair. We will invite parents and the rest of the school to come and visit our fair (most likely at the end of January date TBD).

Unmaker fair

We had a blast yesterday! We took apart computers, old cell phones, keyboards, remote control cars, a stereo and a hair dryer. We learned a lot about how electronics work...particularly how systems are closed or opened with buttons or other devices and how this makes the device perform different actions. We learned how heat is produced in a hair dryer. We even got to learn about the components of computers like the fan, the hard drive etc. A huge thank you to everyone who sent in their broken electronics, gloves and tools. Additionaly a big thank you to A.M.'s Dad who supported us in our tinkering.

Unmaker fair postponed

Due to possible inclement weather we will postpone our Unmaker fair till next Tuesday.