Hello Parents and Guardians,

Welcome to ELD at St. FX. I am your child's homeroom and ELD teacher. I am excited to work with you and your child this year. I have been working with the OCSB for 22 years. I am a specialist in English Language Learning as well as Reading. When I am not at school supporting my students, I spend most of my time caring for my 3 teenagers and dog. I also enjoy reading, running and doing yoga. Please see below for some details about the start of the year.

Communication

Communication is very important. Please know that I am always happy to speak with you about your child's progress.

You can reach me by email anytime. lisa.akl@ocsb.ca  I have a voicemail but it does not get checked as frequently.

I will update this blog monthly and will share our learning goals here. Please check it at the beginning of each month.

You can follow me on Twitter. @LisaAkl1

Classwork/Homework

All work can be found on Hapara. Ask your child to show you where this is. They can access their work at home as well as school. Daily reading at home is recommend.

Materials

• grade 9-11 students: a combination lock for your locker (key locks are NOT permitted) 

• At this time, grade 12s will not have access to a locker. We are working to have more lockers available.

• Pencil Case: Pencils, Eraser, Pencil Sharpener, Highlighter

• Markers, coloured pencils, and scissors are optional 

• Binder with lined paper or notebooks

• Water Bottle (please fill at home before school)

• Chromebook (not necessary but permitted) 

• A lunch and snacks from home or money to buy food: the school has a cafeteria and restaurants nearby

• Indoor shoes (running shoes are typically worn by Canadian students as indoor shoes and slippers are not a good option)

What NOT to Bring: 

●  valuable personal items

I am looking forward to having a wonderful year supporting your child's learning.

Ms. Akl

Hello Everyone,

I am so thrilled to be at St. Francis Xavier high school this year.  After more than 20 years with the OCSB in Elementary, I have moved to the High School panel. I look forward to serving all my ML learners. Please continue to follow this Blog for updates and monthly Curriculum Goals.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I hope this message finds you well. I just wanted to thank you all for all your support this year. As you have heard, I am moving to a board position as of Monday. It is bitter sweet as I am embarking on a new opportunity which is fun and exciting,  but also sad as I will miss all of my students. I take comfort though in knowing that I am leaving them in the very capable hands of Mrs. Farrell. We have been working together over the past week to ensure that the transition is smooth. I wish you all a wonderful end of the year to all of you. 

Sincerely,

Ms. Akl

 Hello Parents,

• I hope this message finds you all well. Please see below for a few updates.
• February was a fun month. The students had a blast in February with lots of fun activities. They really enjoyed all the learning around Black History Month. 
• Yesterday we had an assembly in the gym about expectations in the yard. Can you please ask your child to talk to you about some of the school rules?
• Keep up the hard work with supporting your children at home. The nightly reading is very important.
• With March Break around the corner, have a great break and be safe!

Thank you for all your continued support,

Ms. Akl

Hello Everyone,

I hope this message finds you all well. The new year is off to a good start. Everyone came back after the Christmas break happy to be back. We all settled nicely back into routines. Please see below for a few updates.

Thank you

Thank you for keeping up with homework and nightly reading. It really does make a difference. Thank you for checking your Classdojo App. and thank you for donating kleenex and spoons.

Labelling

Thank you for labelling all your child's items. It helps if things go missing. Also, please have an extra pair of socks and mittens in their bags, they come in handy in the cold weather.

Busy Month

We have a lot going on this month. Please see the calendar here for what is coming up. It should be a lot of fun!

Report Cards

Your child's report card will be available on the 9th. This term, interviews are scheduled by request. If you would like to meet with me after  seeing the report card, please let me know. I will do the same if I feel it is necessary at this time. 

Valentine's Day

I will send a class list home next week so that your child can prepare Valentine's to their classmates on the 14th, if you wish to do so.

Thanks for your continued support!

Ms. Akl

 Hello Everyone!

Here we are with Christmas just around the corner. It hard to believe how quickly the time is passing. Please see below for a few Updates.

15 Days of Giving

Thank you for supporting our Advent Project by donating items for the Shepherds of Good Hope! Please see Ms. Bissonnette's email to know what to send in.

Christmas Play

Our class is partnering with Ms. Eaton's class to do the Nativity Play. We will present it to the Grade 1 classes the last week of school on the 20th. We will also attempt to record it for your viewing pleasure.

Craft Day

We will have a schoolwide Craft Day. All the children  of St. Bernard will make a Christmas Craft!

Secret Card Exchange

Grade 2's will have a Friendship Celebration where we are making special cards for each other. It will be a Secret Santa of sorts. This will be all done at school. The exchange will be the 22nd.

Winter Gear

Please make sure all your child's winter gear is well labelled.

Homework

Thank you for completing homework with your child. We will take a break the last week and focus on reviewing Word Wall Words.

Assessment Folders

Assessment Folders will go home next week. Please look at some of the work your child has completed and then return it as soon as possible.

Library

Please make sure to remember that we go to the library each Tuesday. Books need to be returned in order to get a new one.

Word Wall Words

I will send a new Word Wall list next week for you to go over with your child.

Thanks Everyone!

Ms. Akl

Hello Everyone,

Please read below for a few updates.

Goals

Please see the Curriculum Tab to see the Learning Goals for November.

Homework

Thanks to everyone for your support at home with your child's learning. Nightly reading is crucial. Please ensure that you are reading the levelled reader I send home and that you fill out the log.

Headphones

Some students still do not have a headset for their chromebooks. Please send one in as soon as possible.

Library

We go to the library every Tuesday. Please make sure books are returned.

Playdough

If anyone makes playdough, we would love to have some donated to the class. Thanks in advance.

Assessment Folder

On Thursday I will send home an assessment folder with a few work sample. Please have a look, sign and return as soon as possible.

Progress Reports and Interviews

Progress Reports will be going home in a couple of weeks. We will also have Parent/Teacher Interviews. At this time, I would like to meet all of you. I hope you can all make it. If not, we can reschedule to a mutually agreed upon time. More information regarding this will come soon.

Thanks for all your continued support,

Ms. Akl