I would like to thank the students of 71FI and 81FI for a great first day at school this year. I am pleased with the start that we have made.  Both classes did their base-line writing assignment and started an informal oral presenation today.  I am excited about spending the year learning with them.

The grade seven class was particularly impressive:  arrivng early, speaking only French, participating actively, being focused and staying on-task.  Bravo, les enfants!  Je suis très fier de vous...
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I would like to say "Hello" to all the new grade seven students in class 71FI for the 2012-2013 school year and "Welcome Back" to the students of class 81FI.

I am looking forward to an excellent year with both classes.  I was so impressed with the growth that I saw throughout the year among the grade sevens last year.  I am sure that we will keep moving in the right direction this year as we prepare for grade nine!

Grade seven will be an exciting year for our new students.  Students really enj...
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Congratulations to the students of class 71FI and 81FI for successfully completing their year!  I have enjoyed working with you.  We have learned much together.

A sincere thank you for the generous and thoughtful gifts that I received.  The gifts and gift cards will be gratefully used this summer and into the fall as well!

To the new grade eights:  see you in September!  We will pick up where we left of and carry on!

To the new high school students:  best wishes for many future successes.  Come ...
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On Monday and Tuesday this week, I discussed report card marks with each student.  I do this to make sure that I have not made any mistakes.  Because of the large number of assignments handed in late, it is relatively easy to forget to record a mark for a student.  Also, some students have re-done a few assignments and sometimes I don't record the new mark in my markbook. So, to avoid mistakes, I prefer to discuss the marks with each student to make sure that my markbook is as up-to-date as p...
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Please ask your child for the monthly report card and cover letter for the month of May.  As I explained in the letter, this is the last progress report that I will send.  The next report that you will receive will be the official report card for semester two, the last week of school.

Two important things to remember:

1. The LAST DATE to hand in incomplete assignments from February to May is June 7.  I am not able to accept late or re-done assignments after that date.
2. I am not able to accept ...

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Students in both classes have been working on mastering new grammatical structure recently.  The grade seven students are working on the passé composé; the grade eights are learning about direct and indirect objects.   We will be doing several quizzes on each of these topics.  I will use the three highest marks for the report card.  

Some students have shown a lot of growth in the area of study for their grade.  Others have quite a bit of work to do to gain a stronger understanding of these...
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It has been great to welcome two volunteers into our classroom lately.  Two young ladies, previous students of mine from about 7 or 8 years ago, have asked if they can come and spend one day a week volunteering in our classroom.  
 
Kelly comes on Mondays and has been coming for a few weeks now.  Caitlyn will be coming on Wednesdays starting this week.  It is a very rare thing to have French-speaking volunteers in a French Immersion grade 7 and 8 classroom, so this extra support is a real trea...
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So, one of my students in grade eight announces almost every day now how many days left in the school year...and the number is getting lower and lower! 

Students are excited about many activities that happen at this time of the year:  Blue Jays game, assemblies, sports and aarts events.  Things like homework, quizzes, tests and projects often don't seem quite as "exciting" as they used to, in comparison with the craziness of May and June at school.  I know it's hard to stay focused to the end...
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I have noticed that a large number of students are arriving to class each day without the necessary materials. Many students need to take a few moments each period to borrow a pen or a pencil from a friend.  Others go rummaging in my cupboards to find paper each day.  Some students regularly forget textbooks or notebooks or homework in their locker.  As you can imagine, this takes quite a bit of time and causes numerous delays in getting started.

Please check to see if your son or daughter nee...

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You may have noticed that I don't teach a lot of new grammar in my classes.  I find that it takes students a long time to fully understand a new structure.  Even if it is an idea that they have been taught in the past, it takes a considerable period of time to fully understand the nuances of the idea and begin to change the way they speak and write, incoporating the new structure.  In many cases, students have developed incorrect ways of speaking in earlier years.  The mistakes that they made...
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First period today Mr. Morrassut had an assembly for all elementary students to remind us of some school routines and rules. These routines and expectations have been posted in all classrooms. With the exception of hall passes, these are not new rules.  We are simply restating them and encouraging students to make wise choices.  (1) Arrive to class on time prepared.  Other people are waiting.  Bring what you need for two periods.  (2) Head phones, i-pods and other electronic devices should no...
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Congratulations to the following students in class 71FI who received honour roll for first semester:  Julila BJ, Sydney, Rebecca, Jessica, Julia H, Jack, Jared.  Students in 81FI receiving honours are:  Kendra, Matthew, Adrien, Iori, Bailey, Rebecca, Gabrielle, Kate and Jarret. These students were recognized during our Talent Show and Recgnition Assembly on the Friday before March Break.  Bravo, les enfants!  Vous devrez être fiers de vous-mêmes! Vous avez très fort travaillé pour atteind...
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Thank you to all the students who worked hard to organize and perform in the elementary talent show this afternoon.  Special congratulations to Magical Magician Steven J, his helper Sam N, amazing dancer Julia H and Sydney F, an excellent MC.  It was a great show with lots of fun and talented acts!  Bravo, tout le monde!  Encore!  Encore!

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Congratulations to both 71FI and 81FI for their work during the last several months of school.  Both classes have shown lots of growth in many ways.  Bravo, les enfants.

Have an excellent March Break.  For those who are travelling, I wish you "Bon Voyage".  For those who are staying close to home, have a relaxing and refreshing March Break.

There is NO HOMEWORK for both classes during the break.  Amusez-vous bien, tout le monde!
Monsieur
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Here is something new on the website.  I thought that I would try including a blog so that I can provide observations and hints for parents of the students in classes 71FI and 81FI. 
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