Welcome to my Site!

     My name is Cynthia Gallinger and I have the pleasure of teaching your children English and Math this year. Since we do not get the chance to meet in person for Curriculum Night this year, I will share a bit of information with you here.

     You can read the two documents (use the pink links directly below this paragraph) which give a general outline of the Math and English Curriculum for the year and then read on below for additional information that I typically share on Curriculum Night.

Math Curriculum

English Curriculum

My PBworks Site:

• As you can probably tell from this site, I am not a fancy technology person. I have a fairly basic looking homework site (no pictures or flashy effects) but it is (I hope) very thorough and informative.
• I update my site each time that I have a class with your child (unless I have been too busy, then it may come later that day or the next).
• I try to include what we did in class, what is for homework, if they need to get a test/assignment signed and upcoming important dates for assignment submission, quizzes or tests.
• You will notice that there are some gaps between entries in some classes, this is because we do not have Math and English every day of the cycle (I see them for 6 out of 9 for each).
• In the Pages & Files section I will put important reference documents that students and parents can download and use as a reference (the mid-year review slide show for Math for example, or the Literary Terms handout which we will refer to all year in English).
• I am a bit of a stickler when it comes to wasting paper, so when I copy handouts for the class, I only make one copy per student. This means that kids have to look after their own papers - part of their responsibilities as a student.

Homework:

• Math
• Mostly every class they will have some homework, usually finishing up the questions that we started in class. It is always due for the next Math class.
• Sometimes they will have a longer assignment (like the Calendar Math or creating their own word problems) or short quizzes on Microsoft FORMS. When this happens the due date will be shared in class as well as on this site.
• Most quizzes are not a surprise, so they can prepare for them at home by reading their notes and reviewing the kinds of questions we practiced in class.
• Note: When students fail a quiz, they can usually write a retest at lunch hour to try to bring their mark up to a 60%. Ideally they will have seen me for extra help and/or completed some extra work prior to writing a retest. My hope is that they will learn from their errors before the big Chapter Test which cannot be rewritten
• Creating a Memory Aid for a Chapter Test. Students are allowed a standard letter size “cheat sheet” for our end of unit tests. They must be hand written by the child and can include any notes, hints or sample questions that they feel they may need to help them remember the content for the test.
• Note: If you are looking for extra practice for your child, there are two place in the Nelson Math textbook.
• Orange Pages - Q & A style review mid-way through each chapter and at the end. Also extra practice and chapter "tests".
• In each lesson, there are yellow boxes which show sample solutions for the style of question covered in the lesson
• I have also shared several useful Math webpages at the bottom of the Math link on this site. 

• English
• Writing:
• Your child may have to finish up a rough draft or prepare the good copy of an assignment at home. Good copies can be typed or neatly hand written in pen. If you do not have a printer at home, students can email me their work or bring it on a USB for me to print here at school. 
• Reading:
• Novels will be assigned to be read at home. When we begin the novel, we will read the first chapter together in class, then I will give them a schedule of how much to read for when. Then they will be quizzed to see if they have done the reading and to see what they understood from their reading.
• Note: Any child can make notes/chapter summaries as they read and then use these notes on their quizzes. 
• When I have not assigned them a class novel, it is a good idea for them to be reading an independently selected novel on a daily basis.
• We will also read short stories, articles and plays together in class. 
• Vocabulary:
• As we read, I try to pull words from the texts that I think they will be unfamiliar with but that are important for them to know. They then study the spelling and definitions of these words. In addition, they should be preparing sentences that show the meanings of these words. In this way, I hope to help them grow their vocabulary.

Absences:

• This year, students may miss a lot of school as they stay home waiting for COVID testing or if they are symptomatic.
• As much as possible, they should try their best to stay caught up with the school work that they are missing. Using this site is the best way to do so. I can also email handouts and notes that are not on the site.
• Upon their return to school, it is the responsibility of each student to get caught up on the work they missed or to see me if they had problems with the work that they did at home.  

Contacting Me:

• You can reach me at any time via email (cmorrison@nfsb.qc.ca) and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
• That being said, I do not usually check my work emails at night or on weekends. I have a family of my own, including three school aged children who need me to be present as a mother. So, please respect the fact that, in general, I will respond during school hours, as soon as my schedule permits.
• You can also call the school at 450-829-2381 and the secretary will get the message to me (usually in my mailbox at the end of the day) so I can get back to you ASAP.