I am Jared Bremner and I will be your child’s Grade 6 homeroom teacher this year. This is my second year at FBCS and I look forward to working with your family this year. My goal is to ensure that learning is fun and challenging while guiding your child to become more independent. All I expect from your child is for them to give their best at all times.
My Background:
I was born in Cape Town, South Africa. I attended a prestigious Boys’ High School in Cape Town and after school I took a gap year doing community work around my country. A year later, I was employed by my local church to be a Children’s Pastor for children aged 1 to 13 years old. After 3 years, I decided to study to be a teacher and continued to be a part-time Children’s Pastor. My first teaching post was at my childhood elementary school. My wife and I decided to move to the Cayman Islands last year so that we could travel the world and meet new people.
If you would like to know more about me as a teacher:
(This was created for a project in our last year of university.)
Communication:
We are a team and communication is very important for us to be successful together! If you ever need to contact me, please don’t hesitate. Below is a list of the teachers that will teach your child.
Grade 6 Homeroom teacher, Numeracy, Science, Social Studies, Art, Bible and Character Education
Mr. J Bremner
Email: jbremner@fbcs.edu.ky
Literacy
Ms. T Suckoo
Email: tsuckoo@fbcs.edu.ky
Music
Ms. J Tibbetts
Email: janelle@sparkcayman.com
Spanish
Ms. D Monroe
Email: dmonroe@fbcs.edu.ky
Physical Education
Coach Kring
Email: rkring@fbcs.edu.ky
Technology
Ms. K Anthony
Email: kirstenanthony0@gmail.com
School Office
Email: fbcs@fbcs.edu.ky
Phone: 945-7906
School Hours and Absences:
School begins each day at 8:00am. Students may begin to arrive from 7:30am every morning and must go to the gym. I know that the mornings can get very busy at times. Please make sure to try your best to get your child to school on time so that they can get settled for the day.
School ends each day at 2:45pm. If you are picking your child up from school at the end of the day, you will be able to pick them up from the breezeway closest to the elevator. A teacher will be on duty to wait with your child until 3:00pm. If they are not in After School Care (ASC) and you are running late, they will be sent there to wait for you. A schedule for ASC can be seen in front of the school office.
Throughout the year, there will be times that your child may get sick, need to go to the doctor, etc. If your child is absent from school, please make sure to contact the office or please send a note with your child the following day regarding their absence.
After School Clubs
Our school offers a wide range of clubs throughout the year. The list of clubs will be sent out via email. There is an extra fee for each club and spaces are normally limited.
Schedule
Please see your child’s schedule below. If there are any changes to it, I will email you about it. Your child will be taking different specials each day of the week. These specials include Music, Library, Technology, Spanish and Physical Education (P.E.).
Snack, Recess, Lunch, and Specials:
Please remember that we are a nut-free school.
Snack
Grade 6 has snack time at 9:10-9:25 every Monday and Wednesday; 9:25-9:40 Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. This time is for your child to eat a HEALTHY snack and have a bit of time to run around and unwind. Please ensure that you pack a nutritious snack for your child to enjoy before lunch.
Recess
Recess is given every day at 11:40 – 12:20. Please remind your child to bring his or her FBCS hat to school every day. Outside can get extremely hot most days, so your child is required to wear an FBCS hat whenever outside. No FBCS hat means no outside recess and they will have to sit inside the gym or in the breezeway.
Lunch
Each day, we will be eating lunch at 12:00-12:20 in the gym. Your child can have lunch provided by Jump Start Cafe for $5.50 per lunch (see the school office or check your email for the monthly menu) or you can pack a lunch for your child to eat that does not require the use of a microwave.
Academics:
Your child will receive a report after each quarter (4 in total). It will be a hybrid of grades and comments. There are two official parent/teacher meetings but I am happy to meet at any time during the year. The first meeting is compulsory for all parents to attend.
Assessment Dates
We will communicate assessment dates on the blog, via email or in student agendas.
Student Portfolios
All your child’s assessments will be stored in their portfolio. When it is sent home, please look through their assessments and sign them. The folder has to be returned to school the next day. Their portfolio is proof of their achievements.
D.E.A.R
Drop everything and read will happen everyday for 15 minutes after recess. We will rotate between whole class reading and individual reading. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that they have an appropriate book to read during this time.
Bible
Students will be required to learn and memorize scripture throughout the year. We will practice in class and learn actions in order to help them memorize it but they will need to spend time doing this at home as well.
Classroom Management:
Learning should be fun and enjoyable. Our classroom and school is a safe place for all students. In order for this to happen, I use a few systems to help achieve this.
‘How Am I Doing Today?’
Each day, your child starts off with his or her name on ‘Ready to Learn’ and. Each student has the ability to move up to ‘Way to go’ and ‘Superhero’ where they will earn a small classroom reward.
If a student does not do what is expected, I will give them a warning by moving their name down to ‘Make Better Choices’. If the behavior continues, your child will move their name down to ‘Mr.B’s Choice’ where your child will receive a consequence (this can range from losing free time in the classroom, classroom computer privileges or missing some time from recess). If the behavior still continues, they will move their name down to ‘Parent Contact’ and I will call or email to let you know about your child’s behavior for the day.
However, I don’t expect perfect students and they can always improve when they might not make the best decision.
We will also be working hard to earn classroom parties throughout the year to celebrate our classroom successes!
Classroom Jobs
Each student will have a role to perform in our classroom. These roles will be displayed in the classroom and will be rotated throughout the year. However, some jobs will be a yearlong commitment. They will need to show responsibility and carry out their individual tasks. All students are responsible for the tidiness of our class.
Classroom Rules
As a class, we will create our own classroom rules next week. However, respect will be the number 1 rule in my class.Respect for God, respect for oneself, respect for others, respect for their belongings, respect for their environment and the list can go on forever.
Book Points
I believe neatness and creativity is very important in the classroom. Not all children are strong academically but are very creative and I want to reward those that put in the extra effort or try their best to make their work presentable. In their books, by my signature, I will put the following (+5). The amount of points will range and the points chart will be displayed in the class. At the end of each term, they will count all their points and receive a reward for their hard work.
Homework and Agendas:
Everyday your child will bring home their agenda with homework and/or reminders written inside.
Please try to sign this agenda daily! It is one of the ways for us to communicate.
It is the responsibility of your child to make sure that you sign it for them.
The agenda will be your child’s to keep all year. The most important thing to remember about this agenda is to make sure your child brings it to school EVERYDAY. This agenda is very special and important and needs to be taken good care of because your child will have their homework written in it. Your child will also have a homework folder to help keep him or her organized with any homework papers that need to be completed and also papers and letters throughout the school year to communicate with you.
Homework serves a very positive purpose in that it helps to reinforce topics learned during the school day. Please ensure that your child completes the homework assigned to them on time. Any child that does not complete the homework will have to complete it during their recess playtime in my class. Exceptions to this rule are only made with an email or note from you explaining the circumstances behind the incomplete work.
Reading will also be a part of nightly homework. Please ensure that your child is reading at least every week night for 20-30 minutes. This can range from them reading alone, being read to by you or another family member, or to even listening to an audio book. Reading is fun and we want to help foster that love for reading. They will have library every week with Ms.Suckoo and she will guide them on which books to take out.
We only assign work that has been taught in class and in fitting with our school policy, homework should be able to be completed in at least 60 minutes.
Field Trips:
I will email you about field trip dates and details. Our biggest field trip is our trip to Cayman Brac. The cost of the air ticket will need to be covered by you. In the past, return tickets have cost +-130 USD so please plan accordingly. This field trip normally takes place in the 3rd term. Parents are welcome to join us for the day.
I look forward to a prosperous and fun academic year ahead!