Changes Coming After the Break
Hello again, CRS Community!
Effective November 18th, following the Fall Break, we will be making adjustments to our Grade 3 class configurations that will require changes to the daily schedule for all classes. Additionally, some teachers will see minor changes to their assignments, resulting in some classes having new teachers for some of their courses. All homeroom teachers will stay the same and for many classes, there will be no changes at all to who is teaching their courses. Some classes, however, will have a new teacher for non-core courses such as Art, Health and Wellness, Digital Literacy, etc.
Please continue reading for more details about the changes and the rationale for this decision...
As many of you know, our Grade 3 classes had the largest classroom numbers at the start of the year and they have only grown since then. Currently, there are 58 Grade 3 students in two homerooms, in a building with classrooms designed for only 25 student desks. In addition to very full rooms, these numbers make it more difficult for the teachers to give every student the attention we would like them to receive and focus on unique learning needs in their classes. Consequently, we have redeployed our staff to create an additional part-time Gr. 3 classroom for Language Arts and Mathematics.
The teaching time needed for this reconfiguration comes from collaborative support time that had been assigned to several teachers at the start of the year. This time was very helpful in completing the many provincial and jurisdictional assessments that take place early in the year and, although we had great ideas for how this time might benefit all teachers and students throughout the year, we have determined that additional support for our Gr. 3 students must be prioritized. These support periods have been consolidated so that Mr. Pederson will become the Language Arts teacher and Mrs. Olson will become the Mathematics teacher for the additional Gr. 3 class, which will work out of the classroom area in the Learning Commons (library). This aligns with our focus on learning in Literacy and Numeracy and will allow Gr. 3 teachers to work with groups of less than 20 students in these crucial subject areas. Gr. 3 students will remain in their current homerooms and will continue to learn in their larger groups for all other subjects.
During our Staff Collaboration Day on November 1, teachers worked together to decide how to redistribute students in 3H and 3P for L.A. and Math and planned for changes to teaching assignments and schedules. By November 8, Gr. 3 parents/guardians can expect to receive additional communications about who will be teaching their child's Language Arts and Math after the break.
We know that changes to class configurations and/or teachers raise uncertainty and questions but we appreciate our community's understanding and support since we feel strongly that this decision will improve learning outcomes for our Gr. 3 students. Of course, if you have questions, please do connect with your child's homeroom teacher to find out if your child will have any new teachers following the break or call the office if you have other questions that administrators can support you with.
Best Regards,
Reid Lansing
CRS Principal