Introducing

Ms. L.

Jean Macleod le Cheminant, B.A., C.E.L.T.A., B.Ed.

Recipient of the BCTF Maxwell A. Cameron Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement

Grade 3,4,5 teacher at Cortes Island School, Feb. 1 June 30, 2013

Hello, students and families of Division 2, Grades 3,4,5 (a.k.a. Ms. Ls Class)! J
Joy is as essential to study as breathing is to running. Simone Weil

I am delighted to be starting my time this week as classroom teacher, replacing Ms. Duketow in the Grade 3,4,5 class at Cortes School. I know many of you from the 2011-2012 academic year, when I taught Core French to all grades at the school. Since then, I earned my Bachelor of Education at Vancouver Island University, went to Korea for field experience and taught as Associate Faculty at Royal Roads University. It has been a busy 18 months!! Here is a little introduction to who I am and where I come from. I hope you will also return the attached form so I can get to know you all a little bit as I begin teaching. It is such a delight to return to teach these students who have grown so much while I was away. It is great to see what a positive classroom atmosphere we already have. My passion is supporting student success at all levels and Im looking forward enormously to our time together.

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About me
I was born in Saskatchewan and have lived in Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia. I have travelled to every province and territory except the NWT and Nunavut in Canada as well as to Europe, the South Pacific and Latin America. This past spring I was fortunate enough to visit Asia (Korea and China) for the first time. My home is on Cortes Island, where my husband and I have lived since 1994. I speak English, French and Spanish and can say "hello", yes, no and "thank you" in Korean and Mandarin, as well as understanding a little more Italian than the few expressions I can speak. I LOVE learning languages. In fact, I love learning itself. For my B.A. I studied Latin, Greek and Ancient History as well as contemporary linguistics, psychology and sociology, earning an Honours degree in Classics from McGill University. In 2008 I earned the Cambridge University certificate in teaching English as a Second Language. I have worked as a writer and editor and am passionate about the natural world, gardening, dancing, West African music and endless learning. I also love to teach. I taught French and music for many years at Linnaea School, as well as ESL in Mexico for two years and in Vancouver to students from all over the world. After a year of teaching French at Cortes School, I was inspired to return to school to earn my B.Ed. at Vancouver Island University. It has been a demanding and very satisfying time of professional development, which included a sixweek practicum in an English Immersion Grade 5 class in a BC Curriculum School in Seongnam, S. Korea. This summer, I also had the inspiring experience of working as Associate Faculty at Royal Roads University teaching Western Teaching Methodologies to teachers from China. I am very excited to have the opportunity now to work with the wonderful team at the Cortes School. I am passionate about the great privilege it is to work with you to find the best road to success for each student. My philosophy of teaching is summed up in the quote, Joy is as essential in study as breathing is in running. (Simone Weil) I use a variety of approaches, including active learning, collaborative activities and feedback that helps students learn how to learn. I am committed to a safe and caring classroom that encourages children to contribute their individual gifts to enrich our learning community. I am also committed to working with families and caregivers to build a team of support for our children. I will be sending home regular updates on our activities and ways you can support your childs success in school. Please feel free to make an appointment to have a chat about your child, any concerns or questions you might have, and to let me know about any special issues. If you leave a message with the school office, I will return your call as soon as I can. You can also reach me at: Jean.MacleodleCheminant@sd72.bc.ca

About you and your child

1. What are your childs greatest strengths as a learner? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 2. What helps your child shine? __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ 3. What are your childs greatest talents? What are his or her hidden gifts? _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ 4. What is your childs biggest challenge? _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ 5. What would you most like me to know about your child? _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ 6. What languages does your family speak? _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ ________________________________________ 7. What is your hope for your child for the rest of this school year? _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ 3

Please tell me about your childs strengths, talents, and interests.

I believe strongly in working in partnership with families and caregivers for student success and look forward to learning from you, the expert, about your child. Please use the other side of this page to add any information you think it is important for me to know.