Portfolios, Roots of Empathy

Hi everyone!
Just wondering if anyone is missing a Brantford Public Library book called Touch and Feel Dinosaur? It was accidentally returned in our library bin. I don't want anyone to have extra fines. Send me a quick note in the agenda if this belongs to you. Thanks.:)

I also wanted to fill you in on some other news from our classroom.

Roots of Empathy:
We will be starting a program called "Roots of Empathy" whereby children learn all about the development of an infant through the first few months of their lives. Mrs. Metcalfe, who is off on maternity leave, has kindly agreed to bring her sweet bundle of joy in each month so that our class can learn all about the baby. Roots of Empathy is a wonderful program that has been proven to be effective in reducing levels of aggression among schoolchildren by raising social/emotional competence and increasing empathy. I had the pleasure and privilege of being a part of the program with my old class when I was off with my son Alex, and I can certainly say that it was an extraordinary experience that I will never forget.
 To learn more about this program,  you can visit the link below:
http://www.rootsofempathy.org/en/where-we-are/north-america/canada/ontario.html

Portfolios:
Our class will begin using portfolios as a means to store and keep track of our work. We will be using these portfolios so that children can look at their work from the beginning of a unit and then see first hand how much they have learned at the end by noticing the changes and improvement in their learning. Part of the goal is to make students reflective learners who can see their strengths and areas of need and then work, with my support, to set goals and improve their overall learning. We will also be using these portfolios as a tool to share our learning with you during the interviews this year. As you may have already heard, we will be doing student led conferences this year, and your child will have the wonderful opportunity of guiding you through collections of their work, different assessments etc. Soooo..... this does mean that you will see a little less coming home, as I have been storing it in each child's portfolio. Thanks for your patience with this!