A Friend Far Away

My name is Jesse and today is my last day at Drummondville Elementary. This school has taught me a lot over the past year. It has given me more confidence and gave me chances I may have never been able to do in the United States. I have made new friends that I will stay with me for a long time. I was able to learn a lot about Canada. I learned who discovered it and who lived there. I was able to use computers at school , improve and harden my math abilities. I will miss my amazing teachers Mme. Lucie, Ms. Napier, Martin, Mr. Robinson and of course Ms. Hodak. They all helped me in different ways. When i move back to the United States i hope to stay in touch with this school and to also bring a little bit of Canada to the United States

Firefighter for Day Contest

Our class is very proud that two of our students won the Drummondville "Firefighter for a Day" Contest.

Here is the winning entry from Elisee, our runner-up.

Fire Fighter

Hello my name is Elisee, and I would like to won the contest so this is my piece of writing. It is not a story but it is a little piece of what I already know about you, I hope you understand English. So here it is.
When there is a fire the fire-fighter risks their lives for us. Even if many risks are in that job we should respect them. It is not a 9 to 5 job it is a 24-hour a day, seven days a week public service that involves working weekends and holidays. They work about 42 hours per week over a four week period. They are very courageous to do all of this for us, if they weren’t there, many people would have lost their lives but because they are there they save lives from burning fires.

When they don’t put out fires they respond to medical emergencies and motor vehicle accidents, they educate the public about fire prevention and fire safety practices. They even get the cats that are in the trees. They always work none stop. So this is a job that requires courage, strength and intelligent people. Thank you and see you maybe on the week of October 6th.
The End

Elisee won a telephone for her room and her text was printed on a certificate presented to her by two members of the local Emergency Response team. Congratulations, Elisee!

Bullying and What to Do About It

Image taken from http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/adults/tip-sheets/tip-sheet-27.aspx

Hello Families,
A very disturbing and disappointing situation has been brought to my attention, and I am asking for your help. Students in the class have come to me to let me know about a situation that has gone from teasing to bullying.
The student being targeted has not come to me.
I have spent some time looking for resources and strategies to deal with this in class, and we will discuss it to sensitize the student to the different types of bullying and what it looks like. We will talk about how to stand up for ourselves, and how to stand up for others (which is what research says really works). And we will be vigilant, and make an effort to look out for and care for each other.
The situation is remarkably complex. Confronting the bully and sidekicks isn't recommended, as it generally backfires. General work about bullying is easy to disregard. Parents will need to be contacted, and discussions will be long.
I need your help. Please review the information at the link below, and speak with your child about what they see and hear at school. Please talk with them about the difference between teasing and taunting, and how they can help make the school safe for all the students.
As always, I am available if you hear something I should know.
Thank you so very much for your help,
Kathy Napier

http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/adults/tip-sheets/tip-sheet-21.aspx