September 3, 2015
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Welcome to Grade 5-4! My name is Erin MacPherson and I am looking forward to a great
year with your child as we build our classroom community.
Entering grade 5 at a new school means lots of changes for your child. It can
be overwhelming (for us all)! I will try to help make this transition as easy and
enjoyable as possible. Grade 5 is new for me too and I ask for your patience as
I navigate through this new grade level and curriculum for the first time. New
routines and expectations take some getting used to and we will work together
to figure out what is best for our classroom.
Our class will have a variety of specialist teachers: Mr. Anthony MacPherson for Music,
Mr. Jerome Stewart for Phys. Ed. and Ms. Andrea Grant for French. We all have similar
expectations of our students…we feel these behaviors are essential for success: Work hard.
Ask questions. Respect others. Behave appropriately. Be prepared to learn when coming to
class. Bring your materials. Arrive on time.
Language Arts Program
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Our Language Arts program consists of 3 strands – Reading & Viewing, Writing & Responding
and Speaking & Listening. Students will focus on learning and applying different reading
strategies and will work to develop their writing through a variety of experiences and using The
6 Write Traits. The best way to support your child in the Language Arts program is to
encourage reading at home. The way to becoming a better reader is by reading!
Math Program
 We use the Math Makes Sense 5 text in our math program where we will focus on areas
including number sense, patterns, multiplication, division geometry, and fractions. Mental math
strategies will be applied throughout. IXL is a great online resource that I hope to use with our
class this year to support our math concepts.
Science Program
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The aim in our science program is to provide a variety of learning experiences to engage
students in developing content knowledge, problem solving skills and hands-on activities in the
content areas of weather, simple machines, the human body and changes in matter.
Social Studies Program
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In grade 5, students will learn about past and ancient societies and compare/contrast with our
current society. The upcoming Federal election will also provide a great learning opportunity.
School/Home Communication
There are a variety of methods we can use to communicate throughout the year including our
SAJS Newsletter and Parent-Teacher conferences, but also through e-mail and
by phone for more specific communication.
Also, the SRSB is encouraging all teachers and parents to use the updated
Strait-Up for Parents & Students site as a communication tool. I will be updating a calendar
with events/activities as well as homework and other information. Please check out the site:
http://sharepoint.srsb.ca/straitup/SitePages/SAJS.aspx
For ease of communication, I would like to establish
a parent e-mail list (I will keep email addresses private).
If you use e-mail, it please take a minute to email me at
erin.macpherson@srsb.ca
(Please put your child’s name in the message line) Thank You!
Routines and Plans for the Year
We will spend a fair bit of time at the beginning of the year going over routines – for both the
school and classroom. Below are a few that may require your help.
 AGENDAS: I will be using student agendas on a daily basis – this is a key communication
tool! It is a great organizational habit and will help support your child this school year – so
please value the agenda as much as we do. It will be my attempt to sign your child’s
agenda at the end of each day. Please make it a habit at home to check your child’s
agenda each night and sign/initial that all homework has been completed.

HOMEWORK: Students will receive homework when appropriate. Homework
will be assigned as needed and will be communicated in your child’s agenda.
Students are responsible to catch up on any work they miss due to absence.

PHYS ED CLOTHES: Please ensure that your child has proper clothing for
Phys Ed classes. Most students like to keep a small drawstring bag in their locker with
shorts, t-shirt, sneakers and deodorant in it. This makes for easy transporting to the gym
without losing any items.

WATER BOTTLES: The students are encouraged to bring a water bottle with them to
school. It should be labelled with their name on it.
I look forward to meeting you in person on Meet the Teacher night (Thursday, Sept. 17th). I
welcome any feedback or input you may have. If you should have any comments, questions
or concerns regarding your child or the grade 5 program, please feel free to contact me at the
school at 863-3046 or by email at erin.macpherson@srsb.ca
Has your child told you?
The first homework assignment is for the parents!
Please write me a letter to tell me about your most prized possession… your
child! (Please feel free to write or e-mail this to me, either way is fine)
Tell me a little bit about your child…
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Tell me about your child’s strong points as a learner.
Tell me about your child’s interests and hobbies.
Offer any tips or suggestions that might help me to help your child learn.
Is there anything else I should know about your child?
What are your goals for your child’s grade 5 year?
I look forward to hearing from you and to getting to know and work with
your child this year!