I would like to extend to you and your child my warmest welcome into my classroom. My name is Mr. Melhem and I look forward to being your child’s Grade 3 teacher this year. I started my career teaching at the Islamic Academy in the elementary and junior high program before leaving to work as a math and science teacher at a local high school. I am excited to be back at the Academy for my second straight year and with 10 years of teaching experience behind me, I look forward to bringing much enthusiasm and a variety of teaching methods to the classroom.
In my spare time, I enjoy training and cooking. I’m a chef at heart and often find myself helplessly being inspired with the latest cook book or watching the latest episode of Iron Chef. I’m also an avid hockey fan. My philosophy for learning is that each child is unique, and each child learns in a different way. One of my jobs as a teacher is to help your child discover his or her individuality and work alongside with them to maximize it. I believe in hands-on experiences, learning creatively and learning though play. I am really looking forward to another fun–filled and educational year! In regards to assigning homework, I am of the belief that there is more than an adequate amount of time to learn during school hours. Thus, I rarely assign any homework. Based on my experience, young children benefit more from spending their after school time in leisure. Working jointly with me will be Mrs. Ayesha and Mrs. Mahfouz. I am excited to be working along side these two outstanding educators. As a grade 3 team, we will be re-evaluating our progress regularly throughout the school year in order to enhance the quality of learning of your child. Assessment has been a topic of focus among the grade 3 team. Our assessment strategies will consist of a variety of methods such as portfolio assignments, tests and projects. It is not realistic to expect all assigned work to be graded, but rather a sampling of the students’ best work over a period of time. In fact, most student work will "NOT" be formally graded. That is because I believe that students need to practice a skill many times before they can be formally tested. However, I am constantly circulating the room and providing positive reinforcement and correcting errors and we will focus on correcting specific assignments together as a class in order for students be assigned immediate feedback on work. This is a very special year since it will be the first time your child will have to write a “provincial achievement exam”. As such, I have taken the initiative to video record online math lessons, complete with tutorials and practice questions to be used as a supplement to the classroom. My videos can be found on www.youtube.com/ramymelhem. All links will also be provided in the "Math Tutorial" section of my website. This is an ongoing pilot project that I have taken on and so I would appreciate any feedback regarding how effective you find the videos. If you’d like to contact me, feel free to either call the school to set up an appointment or email me at melhemr@islamicschool.ca. In emergency circumstances, feel free to text me at 780-886-7547. I look forward to a great year! Sincerely, Ramy Melhem
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I welcome you all to my personal blog page. Here you will find updates as to what is happening in grade 3A. Each week, I will post relevant news, information as well as pictures from the classroom. I invite you to post any of your questions, comments or suggestions in the "comment" section. I look forward to a great year!
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