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Welcome to the 2015-2016 School Year

Dear Parents and Students,

Hi! My name is Adriana Porcari and I am SO excited to be part of the St. Bernard team! More importantly, I am THRILLED to be your child's teacher!  It's going to be a fun year filled with lots of learning and new adventures and I can't wait to see what the year has in store for us!

I was born and raised here in Ottawa and I am a sister to two brothers. Ironically, I attended St. Bernard school during my elementary years. This brings back very fond memories. If you look closely, you may see my picture up in the hall of past graduates...hehehe you REALLY have to look! I have taught at various schools in the Ottawa area. I am proud to call St. Bernard School my new home this year! I have a love for photography and during my free time I enjoy spoiling my niece and nephew.

I am very passionate about ALL subjects, but I have a particular enjoyment in using technology and I am a supporter of 21st century tools. As a certified Google Educator, I am always looking for innovative ways to leverage technology in the classroom. During the course of the year, we will be involved in many global projects that will bring the use of technology to the forefront of our learning. This year we will be using many online tools to capture our learning. Technology serves as a major function in our Grade 5 classroom to collaborate and connect with students across the globe. Safety and proper usage of the chosen technology is therefore vital for our classrooms to be successful in its implementation.

I encourage you follow us on that journey by subscribing (follow by email)  to our blog and following our twitter feed. You will be absolutely AMAZED at the things your child will accomplish!

I also think it is very important to work together as a classroom family. We will be spending a lot of time together so it is important to treat each other with respect, kindness and compassion. I know that each of you has a different brain which means you think and learn differently. It is my job, as your teacher, to help you grow as a learner and as person of good character and faith.

A Quick Glimpse into our Classroom and First Day!

As your classroom teacher, one of the most exciting aspects of going back to school for me was organizing the classroom learning space. As I was placing desks, moving tables, and ensuring that every seat was a GREAT spot, I was well aware that all these things contribute to an engaging and positive learning environment


Our design is not finished, students will have input that will help make this space easily accessible to ALL their learning style preferences. I have created a "TinkerSpace" which is a space where everyone, creative and not creative, will come and explore their passions using raw materials, tools, technology, repurposed items and imagination. Students can work individually or collaboratively, using technology and/or drawing on the collective wisdom of those in the room.


Our walls are pretty bare right, but NOT for long, as we will collectively discuss what work we will showcase. Our first day includes some engineering challenges that will allow students to understand the importance of teamwork as well as give us a jumping off point for what makes a good team player. Check out our Twitter feed to see our challenges. Today, students also participated in a photo booth to kick off their first day of Grade 5 (pictures coming soon!)

To wrap up, I look forward to working with you and your child this year. I look forward to meeting many of you at Meet the Teacher Night (TBD) and for those of you I met today, it was a pleasure to meet you!

Your partner in education,
Adriana Porcari