Hi Families,
I wanted to post this information as many students have questions about gum, fidgets and other items being brought to the classroom.
Yes, I allow gum in our classroom. Other teachers in our school prefer not to have gum in their classrooms, so this permission to have gum is for our classroom only. For safety reasons, I have the clear expectation that gum not be chewed in gym, or outside while playing. To respect other classrooms and the school environment, we do not chew gum in the Music room or library. If we are visiting another classroom and the teacher asks us not to, we respect that. If I see or hear gum, it gets spit out.
Students are more than welcome to bring tools into our classroom, including Finger Spinners, stress balls, massage rocks or small stuffies to help with their learning needs.
We have a rule in our classroom, “Tools not toys”. Any tool has the ability to become a toy depending on how it’s used. If a student is using a fidget tool, I expect their eyes and ears to still be active, their attention to be on the activity,and their actions not distracting others.
Any tool being used as a toy, will be taken from the student, and sent home at the end of the day. Before sending any tools for learning to school, please have a conversation with your child about expected behaviours. Gum included. I would recommend a conversation of how much and when (i.e. after snack for morning learning, and after lunch for afternoon learning).
As an additional reminder, the Student/Parent Handbook (available through the Lake Bonavista website) states: Toys, digital technology & other personal items that are not requested by the teacher for educational purposes should not be brought to school.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I am happy to clarify any of this information. Your support from home is appreciated!
Thank you everyone!
Ms. Thomas
