Weekly Update

Wow! What a busy week we've had. It's been fabulous to relax with your students today & just enjoy their accomplishments (with some cupcakes too!) After all the hours of work that went into the Moosical, we are certainly ready to take a break.

Check out this link of our students, featured by World Vision for their work with Natasha last week:
http://instagram.com/p/wwZL_WLn0u/?modal=true

I hope you have a safe & happy holiday! Enjoy your time with friends & family!

See you in 2015!

Random Acts of Kindness Feature

Throughout December, the Random Acts of Kindness Trust Fund's Facebook page is featuring profiles of positive role models throughout the community. Check out this link for the feature on Mr. MacKenzie himself!

The Weekly Recap

I'm sure you've heard what a busy week we've had getting ready for the Moosical next week! We've been practicing a lot lately and working hard behind the scenes on costumes too. Thank you to those parents who helped to prepare our forest which has certainly added a little holiday cheer to our room.

In the classroom, we have started a new unit in Grade 5 math focusing on measurement. We have used geoboards, square tiles and other manipulatives to examine how the properties of rectangles change when either area or perimeter are kept constant. Next week we will look at designing a gingerbread village with given area and perimeter constraints. I've updated the 'Links for Home' page and encourage the Grade 5s to keep practicing topics related to area & perimeter.









 With the holiday approaching, we've been able to fit in a few themed crafts thus far. Look for some personalized 'snow globes' coming home next week and for  beautiful analogous colour ornament pictures! Last week, we helped our buddies make 3-D snowflakes. It was quite .... interesting.

We were also very thankful to be able to meet with Natasha from World Vision today. She helped to explain where the monies from the Grade 2/3 bake sale were going. She also helped us to understand the words 'resource' and 'community' so that we could construct 3-D models of ideal communities for Lucy.

Next week, please note the following:

• December 17 Christmas Program dress rehearsal
• December 18 Christmas Program presentation 1:15 & 7 pm (please return ticket requests by Monday)
• December 19 Swimming 1-2 pm
• December 19 PJs Day

Mid-Week Notes

Important updates:

• Senior Choir students are to wear concert dress (black pants, white shirt) for tomorrow's carolling
• Any Candy Canes or Toy Soldiers need to bring in their white or red shirt, respectively, tomorrow
• Letters about Christmas concert tickets are going home tomorrow. Please note that tickets are limited. Return your request Friday morning to ensure you will get your tickets for the evening concert performance.

This Week's Spelling Words

Focus: Presenting Prefixes!

substance

transfer

transplant

transcript

transport

subway

submarine

subsoil

substitute

Subway

submerge

transaction

subtraction

translate

Transformers

 

This Week's Recap

What a busy week we have had! On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we were joined in class by local artist Josh Goff for our CREATE artist sessions. Students created art works that reflected a piece of their identity. I certainly found it informative to see how to break down drawings into shapes. Students produced some amazing pieces!

To continue our exploration into Saskatchewan artists, we visited the MacKenzie Art Gallery on Thursday. Students created two watercolour pieces that showed the same landscape in different seasons. It was very interesting and I really appreciated the different opportunities students had to create works in different media. I've posted a private online gallery of photos from the sessions. For security reasons, I've sent the link to you via email. Please send a quick email if you did not receive this and would like to take a look.

On Wednesday and Thursday we began practicing with the Grade 4 classes for the holiday 'moosical'. Students are doing a wonderful job! I am happy to see so many taking responsibility for their roles and ensuring they are running lines at home. We are emphasizing the importance of pace (slowing down) and expression during our practices at school. A letter was sent home last Monday detailing costume expectations. A reminder that candy canes will need to bring in their white shirts by December 15th. We will be looking for volunteers to help put finishing touches (ribbon) on their costumes.

In Math, the Grade 5s have started their measurement unit. I am very excited as this unit affords so many opportunities for hands-on learning. Thus far we have estimated the distance to the stairwell using our stride length and held a scavenger hunt in our classroom for objects that are 12 cm long using the width of our fingers. While it may seem basic, you can support your student at home by emphasizing how to use a ruler. Some students still require reminders to line up the '0' on their ruler with the end of the object being measured.

On Friday we began unit conversions. These can be challenging, but this interactive (Universcale) does help to emphasize the importance of the skill!

Coming up this week:

• Red, white & green day on Monday 
• Special lunch hosted by the SCC on Tuesday
• Grade 2/3 Bake Sale in support of World Vision on Thursday/Friday
• Presentation on sustainable agriculture by World Vision representative on Friday
• Christmas hamper items due December 12

This Week's Spelling Words & Upcoming Events

Pattern: 'ou' making an 'ow' or 'o' sound

ouch

bought

pouch

fought

count

thought

shout

court

found

your

couch

round

crouch

bounds

cloud

outlaw

ewe

Important Upcoming Dates: 

• Candy Cane Sales ($1 each), December 1-5
• CREATE Art Sessions, December 1-3
• Author Visit, December 3 7 pm (John Wilson, Richard Scrimger & Sigmund Brouwer)
• MacKenzie Art Gallery Tour, December 4 (am only)
• Pictures with Santa, December 5

This Week's Spelling Words

... well, technically the final test will be on Monday due to Agribition and Three-Way Conferences.

Spelling pattern: Silent letters

comb

sign

hour

wrong

knife

island

walk

whole

hole

write

right

knew

know

new

no 

pneumonia

This Week's Recap

 This week we worked hard....










....Really, we did! We had our very first  non-Mathematics test and I was quite happy with your students' work! Most had clearly prepared and I was happy to hear that the graphic organizer helped some students to see the 'big picture' of the unit.

As we wrapped up our Science units for the term, it was time to consider what we might like to do for Social Studies. There are 3 outcomes (goals) for Grade 4s associated with the next unit on economy and wealth and 2 outcomes for Grade 5s. Each outcome has a series of indicators which can be used to show student knowledge. Students below are starring the indicators which sound the most interesting to them to help guide my planning.

In Daily 5 news, we have instituted more formal groupings to ensure that students are experiencing writing, reading and spelling opportunities. Here students are working on Friday with Bananagrams (like Scrabble but more free-from). The groups seem to be working fantastically and I am quite happy most students are getting started right away and working the whole time.

I thought I might share the picture below which shows our class' 'Wall of Excellence'. Each student's collection is growing steadily ....

Upcoming events:
-Report cards home today (November 21)!
-Special Lunch orders due November 21 (if returned by Monday, I should be able to squeeze them in!)
-Live auction of Mr. MacKenzie's items at McDougall's Auction November 25 at 6pm
-Agribition November 27
-Three-way conferences November 28*
-Silent Auction November 28 (in the gym)

* Conference times were sent home in a letter with report cards. If your time does not suit, please email me as soon as possible to arrange another time.

Poems About Report Cards

OH YAY! OH YAY! OH YAY!

Miss Foell finished report cards yesterday

She doesn't have to mark one more thing

Hip hip hooray, let's play outside today!

Now that she gave some marks, 

Let's go to the store and buy an ark.

-Ilhan

I am so excited for reports today

I scream hip hip hooray!

I am so excited to see the look on kids' faces

but I look down and tie my shoe laces. 

I am so happy to say

Hip hip hooray, report cards are coming today!

-Nabeel

I am excited that report cards are over

I never thought I would live

There was so much paper

I could not find the paper shredder

And, worst of all, I lost my cheddar. 

-Tim

I know Miss Foell

Wants to write four pages about me

Because I'm great and I'm kind and I'm a bit silly.

She is excited because it involves little ol' me.

-Ava

This Week's Spelling Words

Pattern this week: Plurals (also looking at how to predict when to add 's' vs. 'es')

pencils

trucks

flowers

prizes

bridges

matches

patches

blotches

foxes

boxes

sizes

babies

cooties**

soothers

**student-selected, just to clarify

Weekly Recap

Sorry for the delay in posting - I have been busy with additional training and reports this weekend!

We had a short, but lovely week for the most part. We have had to introduce 'The Recess Club' which 'meets' at morning recess. This particular group is for students who have outstanding assignments or worksheets. It does seem to be helping and I do plan to continue the club as missing marks are becoming more of a problem.

In Math, the Grade 5s & I were all impressed with how much more flexibly we can think about numbers as compared to September. As a warm-up, I listed a number on the board. Students thought of as many different questions that would yield the answer listed. The results were fantastic!

We have also begun division. On Friday, students used the app EduCreations to describe three ways to solve a division question. The results were interesting and very helpful. From my perspective, the student-created lessons yielded much more data than the traditional homework sheet. Students have practiced using the following methods for division:

1. Repeated subtraction
2. Estimation
3. Long division
4. Modelling with place value blocks

In Science, we have discussed how to study. This can be an overlooked skill. I have decided to try different study suggestions so students have a chance to see what works best for them. This term, we created concept maps linked to 'Human Body' or 'Habitats'. I asked students to hang these study sheets on their walls & read them over at least once per day. I've suggested to some that perhaps reading aloud might help them remember.

 On an unrelated note, some students may require more Post-Its....

In Grade 5, we had a brief overview of the musculoskeletal system. We learned that muscles work in pairs to move our bodies.

Notices for this upcoming week:

• Writing assignments due by Tuesday
• Science test on Tuesday (both grades)
• The Used Clothing & Book Drive runs until Wednesday
• If not yet done, please return the MacKenzie Art Gallery & Agribition permission forms and payments as soon as possible
• Progress Reports issued Friday (Three-way conference dates will be sent home as well at this time)

This Week's Recap

Quote from the bus to swimming on Friday:

"Miss Foell, do you have any special plans for this weekend?

Wait. Let me guess: report cards."

What astute students you have! It is that magical time once again as we prepare for progress reports to be issued. Although the upcoming week is short, there are still many things that students will need to be focused on. Please keep an eye on agendas this week to ensure that any work sent home gets completed.

This week, Grade 4s began designing their habitat dioramas. These dioramas will showcase their knowledge of shades and tones and, as an added bonus, will contain a student-created creature with at least 3 structural adaptations and 2 behavioural adaptations.

Grade 5s this week looked at the art of collage as used in Pop Art. Students will finish their art work next week. As an example, I created the following with Christmas adverts collected November 5....

In Grade 5 Math, we began looking at dividends, divisors and quotients! We began by using concrete materials to model division questions and then introduced the idea of repeated subtraction of groups. There is a great explanatory video in Unit 3 of the eText that you & your student may chose to watch to review.

We had a very busy Friday this week. We began the morning by making symbols of peace: the paper crane. Thank you so much to our student-teacher Isaac! Our Remembrance Day ceremony was a beautiful tribute and your students were marvellous. They showed respect, responsibility and patience. After examining In Flanders Fields in class, it certainly was wonderful to see Mrs. Riou's class' shadow play version. I feel that it helped my understanding and was quite happy to sign our class card thanking her for her efforts.

After the ceremony, we ventured to swimming ... in the protection of our timely buses! Our bus driver commented after the students got off that he has never been thanked that many times. He was quite pleased with the thoughtfulness of your students!

And after all that activity (and a French lesson), we made our way down to reading buddies. Our Kindergarten buddies helped us to glue tissue paper petals to pre-prepared painted backgrounds to create some beautiful poppies. Your students should keep an eye on the bulletin boards downstairs for their work!

I hope you enjoy your time together & look forward to seeing everyone again on Wednesday. Finally, welcome to our newest student! We are excited to have your ideas, talents and skills in our classroom to share!

This Week's Spelling Words

Featuring the prefixes 're' and 'un'!

repaint

unhappy

unclear

recall

replace

uncertain

uneven

reclaim

reinstate

untouched

uncool

remarry

redo

undo

refill

reincarnate

Your Weekly Recap

Happy Hallowe'en!!

What a lovely week we have had! In E.L.A., we have begun planning our recounts/biographies about courage/respect. I hope that we can finish these within the next week - or thereabouts - so that we can move on to the next unit, Me(dia) Smart! 

I have really enjoyed my time in Science this week and hope that your student has as well! In Grade 5, we discussed the respiratory system. We built a working model of the lungs and used ourselves as test subjects to determine how exercise or stress affects breathing rate. 

Today we were introduced to the digestive system by my favourite Science teacher Ms. Frizzle and then built models out of ...... candy! 

We even found some prepared slides & microscopes to look at different types of cells!

In Grade 4 we discussed how absolutely amazing plant & animal life can be! We built a food web using ourselves as well as many, many pieces of string. Later in the week, we played a game outside to learn about the importance of balance between the number of producers, herbivores and carnivores in a habitat.

Today we discussed 'special features' of animals and plants - more commonly known as structural adaptations. We tried moving different bird foods (.... some represented by candy) with different instruments including chopsticks and tweezers to represent different beak shapes. We learned that not all instruments worked well for all food types - and then matched different beak shapes to different food types! 

In art, we continue to study shade and tone with our Grade 4s. This week we introduced perspective into the mix! We learned that mountains 'fade into the distance'. We applied this - in addition to some creativity - to create paper-cut landscapes. The students seemed quite interested in creating habitats and then designing animals/plants with special adaptations to live in them - so I think we will start on this shortly!

In Grade 5, I was happy to have the opportunity to work with students to create an Andy Warhol-inspired pop art piece. Most students are showing a great dedication to learning more about the 1960s to better understand the roots of this art movement. I hope next week to be able to balance the WebQuest with more hands-on practice again!

My goodness! How is there more? I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat waiting to know the results of our plants vs. sunlight experiment. I will have to keep you in suspense as our observations continue.... but I must say that Plant B who has been sequestered in the cupboard does not look as sprightly as Plant A.






Finally, a big thank you to all those you helped to make the Hallowe'en Spooktacular Dance such a success! The students & I had a wonderful time and greatly enjoyed all your efforts!

Have a safe & happy weekend!

Upcoming Events

It's snowing as I write this short update. I must say, I am not quite as excited about this news as your students were early this afternoon!

I wanted to touch base about a few items sent home today:

1. (Grade 4s only) Your student should have a Ziploc bag with a Popsicle stick, magnifying glass and worksheet. The worksheet explains that your student is to examine three different habitats and record their observations about what they see, hear, smell and feel. There is a chart on the back to record this information. This study is due on Friday, October 31.
2. (Grade 5s only) Your student should have a Ziploc bag with a workbook. This workbook, as the front sheet explains, is to record what the student eats & drinks for five days in a row. They also need to record how much they exercise and sleep (and whether they do anything else to improve their health). They also need to record what food categories food & drink choices fall into and may need some support with serving sizes (We have yet to do fractions in Math....). This study is due on Monday, November 3.Your help is greatly appreciated!
3. A green letter went home today outlining the pumpkin carving contest guidelines. If your student would like to participate, their carved pumpkin should be brought into school on the morning of Thursday, October 30.
4. A yellow letter will go home tomorrow. This outlines that we will be attending the MacKenzie Art Gallery on the morning of December 4th. The cost is $3.50 per student to cover busing and a gallery workshop. We will need three parent volunteers to attend so that students are able to work in smaller groups.
5. The K-5 Halloween Dance will be held on Friday afternoon from 12.45-2 pm. Students may choose to wear costumes in the afternoon only. If your student would prefer not to wear a costume, I might suggest wearing black & orange clothing as an easy alternative!

Have a lovely week!

This Week's Spelling Words

This week's theme? Halloween!

bat

vampire

pumpkin

zombie

werewolf

eye

costume

veins

blood

candy

brain

Frankenstein

ghost

mummies

haunted

trick-or-treating

This Week's Recap

Can you believe it's almost November? 

This week we again started Science! It was an interesting week - and has inspired us to next week start some new experiments to determine whether plants get their energy from the Sun and whether plants can grow without soil. Thanks to those students who asked questions and inspired us to try something new! Next week we may try some small changes to the rotation schedule to allow me another chance to visit with students for more hands-on activities.

In Art, Grade 5 students showing responsibility as learners on a WebQuest exploring Pop Art. I know that learning about cultures - and decades - is a different approach to Visual Arts, but I appreciate your students' dedication in exploring the influence of society on artists. In Grade 4 we made ombre ice-cream cones which demonstrated shade and tint. We will demonstrate these again while learning more about perspective next week.

I was not feeling well this week and have appreciated the kind words - and cards - that your thoughtful students have given. However, it has inspired a real-world based lesson sequence for the Grade 5s to explore hand washing and germs which ties in fantastically to our Science unit on the Human Body. Today we looked at how clean our hands get after washing ..... and learned that five seconds is just not enough time!











Grade 4s continued to explore techniques for anger management - and today were introduced to the importance of taking ownership of your mistakes. I look forward to the lessons to come!


Reminders for next week include:

• Pumpkin carving contest, Monday October 27th
• Picture retakes, Wednesday October 29th
• Hallowe'en dance, Friday October 31st (Costumes in the afternoon only)

This Week's Spelling Words

The pattern for this week is 'ph' which makes an 'f' sound. Students have selected 10 words from their high frequency sight words in addition to:

alphabet

photography

paragraph

telephone

graph

This Week's Recap

Happy Friday!

We have just enjoyed a Friday full of new foods, interesting artifacts and thoughtful interviews. Thank you for your support in making this happen!

As we wrap up Social Studies we will move into Science (and hopefully - fingers crossed - a trip to the Science Centre). Keep an eye out for food journals (Grade 5) and habitat studies (Grade 4) in the weeks to come.

We have finished our portraits in Visual Arts - Painting was certainly interesting! I plan to display these at school so check the blog for pictures next week (A sneak peak of what will shortly be in your home).

We will begin next week studying perspective in Grade 4 while the Grade 5s move onto a inquiry-based project on pop art.

While Hallowe'en is a few weeks away still, I've already heard excited chatter (and read some interesting stories). I just wanted to review that there will be a Hallowe'en bake sale October 23-24 (items $0.50 or $1.00). On October 31, there will be a Hallowe'en dance from 12.45-2 for Grades K-5. Costumes will be welcomed in the afternoon only. 

Finally, students will soon start the rough draft of their biography or recount in E.L.A. This week we discussed the difference between editing & proofreading. This helpful poster outlines many questions that we often forget to ask ourselves when editing. It's a great resource to make sure we've achieved our purpose! We also discussed the 'secret language' of proofreading. Some common signs & symbols can be found here.

Next week's highlights include:

• Grade 5 Math test Monday (Focus: Numbers up to 1 000 000 & estimation) 
• Spelling is back on! Test on Friday (Hint: Pattern focus is 'ph')
• Hallowe'en Bake Sale October 23
• Miss Foell's planning day October 24 (a guest teacher will be with our class)

Have a lovely weekend!

Upcoming Events for This Week

• FCC's 'Drive Away Hunger' food drive runs this week from October 14 - October 16
• No spelling test this week (more time for Social Studies!)
• Social Studies project due Friday
• Presentations will be made from 9.10-9.40 (Grade 5s) and 9.40-10.10 (Grade 4s)

This Week's Recap

I won't keep you too long this week as the weather forecast looks wonderful for our first long weekend of the school year! And won't it look even lovelier accompanied by our 'Thankful Pumpkins'....?

In E.L.A., I wrote three paragraphs in ten minutes. How? By planning well using a sequencing chart and then three five-finger organizers. Students had an opportunity to try and I must say that many of us are quite good at recognizing when to start a new paragraph! It can be hard to understand ('It just feels like it should be a new paragraph') but there's a wonderful resource here with a few key points for starting new paragraphs in narratives (as well as recounts and biographies). Next week, we'll begin looking at how to improve my writing!

In Grade 5 Math, we are practicing different ways of estimating sums and differences. To reinforce these (and show their relevance in daily life), you might take your student along to the grocery store and have them keep a running estimate of five items as you shop ... or estimate how much change you might get back after a purchase. In class, we've been looking at fliers and estimating how much different combinations of items will cost (as well as reviewing place value).





Social Studies has continued along rather smoothly. There is certainly a lot of information to cover, but students are working hard at stations and I've again been impressed with their diligence in finishing work. On Friday, October 17 we will be holding our presentation day for the class. Students should have brought their duotangs home this weekend to work on their interview/cultural festival contribution. Please email me with any questions related to their projects.

Lastly, I was away Monday morning and would like to share below the note I received when I got back. What a lovely welcome....

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tis the Season...

... for Social Studies projects! Our class will be wrapping up our Social Studies units on Friday, October 17. Your students will be bringing home some information in their duotangs this evening. Please take a look through it and contact me with any specific questions tomorrow.

While we may have bits of time here & there in class, I've encouraged students to work on their project at home. For Grade 4s, this should take about an hour (or perhaps more should they decide to get fancy with video recording & editing). For Grade 5s, it may take about two to three hours as a little more thinking/research is involved. I've encouraged the Grade 5s to ensure they bring in something to display their thinking such as a poster, pamphlet or PowerPoint.

Thank you for your support!

This Week's Spelling Words

Good afternoon! Please note that your student has the words below to study plus an additional 7 words from their Fry's High Frequency Sight Words inventory. If your student missed their Spelling test today, please help them to study the words below plus select an additional 7 high frequency words to learn this week :)

moist

noise

joyful

voice

annoy

choice

enjoy

A reminder again that this week's test will be Thursday due to the P.D. on Friday.

This Week's Recap

Cupcakes, magazines & paragraphs! This week has been marked by some big events - including learning about 1 000 000 in Math (It's a big number).

On Wednesday we attended the QSP launch party where we met Mr. Bear and a rather large Mr. Chicken. Thank you for those that have already started handing in magazine orders! I believe that little bears will start appearing in your homes shortly. You can learn more about the charity Save the Children through which chicks will be donated here.

If you have any specific questions about using the online ordering system, etc. please contact QSP directly at the number listed on the front envelope.

Yesterday, we got to participate in a very special event - Mr. MacKenzie's 87th birthday! I very much enjoyed the 'Step Back Jack!' performance by the Grade 2/3s (although I like to think the staff song was also just as memorable). A personal highlight was hearing Mr. MacKenzie speak, learning he'd been featured in an Air Canada video, and listening to him sing us a special song on the ukulele.

In class, we continue to get closer to our goals of writing a Recount in paragraphs (Grade 4) and a Biography (Grade 5). Please keep an eye out for more information in the next few weeks with regards to these projects. Social Studies will begin to wrap up shortly. Please check the assignment tab on Monday for information regarding the projects & expectations for Grade 4s and 5s. In short:

• Grade 4s will be interviewing someone who has lived in Saskatchewan for awhile to learn more about their relationship with the land (how geography & climate influenced where and how they lived). Students will then be comparing this to their personal relationship with the land. This is a big task and students have started chunking the assignment and thinking of interview questions. 
• Grade 5s will be bringing in & presenting an artifact that tells us more about Canada's multicultural identity. There will be some in-class work time for research (and thinking).

A thank you again to our parent volunteer who came in on Thursday to help with Social Studies rotations. At times, this can certainly be a seemingly chaotic time as students settle into different activities (and links don't work ...). I certainly appreciated the help getting students organized to do their best work!

In art this week, we continued to talk of Hanoch Piven. Students have brainstormed the characteristics of a particular person they respect/feel has demonstrated courage. They are collecting images that might be used to represent these characteristics and next week begin to assemble their portraits! Students are welcome to bring in magazines from home to cut up if available.

Please remember the following for next week:

• Picture orders are due October 8
• Our Spelling test will be Thursday
• October 10 is a Staff Development Day (no school for students)
• October 13 is the Thanksgiving holiday
• Continue to bring in your QSP orders!

This Week's Spelling Words

Hello! Could you please make sure that the High Frequency Sight Words I handed out last week find a home in your student's agenda? We wanted to use them this week but unfortunately there were quite a few absences. This week's words are:

animal

principal

act

compact

fact

equal

capital

also

distract

subtract

always

attract

pact

cereal

Labrador

The spelling pattern? This week is the letter combinations 'la' and 'act'.

Week 4 Recap

We've certainly had a week filled with excitement! Some highlights include:

• Track & Field on Tuesday - We certainly lucked out with a sunny day (although perhaps a bit hot). It was fantastic to see everyone working so hard and sharing in the 'joy of effort'. I was pleased to hear that our class enjoyed their day and tried their best at each event. Thank you again to our parent volunteer. Your help was greatly appreciated!
• Swimming on Thursday - This was my first experience at the Sandra Schmirler Leisure Centre and I must say I was quite impressed by not only the quality of the facility but the staff. The lifeguards were superb with the students and, despite a few minor mishaps, I saw smiles all around (Although we will have to work on changing faster after swimming as we were the last class to leave almost 20 minutes late...)
• Standardized reading assessment (RAD) on Thursday/Friday- Perhaps including this as a 'highlight' is a bit generous, but it is quite helpful nevertheless from a teaching perspective for future planning so that I can target specific reading skills that may benefit each student.
• Terry Fox Run on Friday - What luck we have had with weather! Another beautiful day to take a walk (or for some a run) around the lake. We eagerly await the final fundraising count for the school!

Notices for next week include: 

• Grade 4 Math test on Monday
• Jack MacKenzie's birthday celebration on Thursday
• Spelling test on Friday

Please continue to check PowerSchool in order to track your student's progress. Contact me with any questions or concerns. Have a great weekend!

This Week's Spelling Words

Good morning! To add some student choice into our spelling words, each student was given a list of the 100 most common sight words. Students were asked to choose five words to add to their list in addition to the 7 spelling words below:

• cage
• giant
• giraffe
• gym
• games
• gallery
• gypsy

Spelling pattern focus: Hard and soft 'g' sounds

Track & Field Preparation

Good afternoon! A quick reminder that our Track & Field event will be held tomorrow. It seems like it will be a hot day, so please remember:

• Pack sunscreen
• Bring lots of water (there is no place to buy water on-site)
• Wear appropriate clothing for the weather
• Pack a picnic lunch (ie. no microwaves)

 Hopefully the weather holds and we can enjoy a beautiful day outside!

Week 3 Recap

Happy Friday! 

Are you able to help at Track & Field on Tuesday September 23? Please let us know! We are short several volunteers!

Hmm...I guess I should add a little more! I have had a lovely week and hope that your students have as well. I feel that we are really starting to settle into routines to make our classroom a more efficient place to learn. This week, I wanted to highlight a change to our schedule. We are 'putting a pin in Science' for the moment to focus on Social Studies. This means that we can really focus on rotations to improve different skills - from describing Saskatchewan to interpreting artefacts - and then do the same for Science in a few weeks' time. I wanted to let you know how wonderfully all your students have been working during Social Studies rotations. Sometimes it can be difficult to transition from teacher-led instruction to a more student-centred approach, but your students have all worked hard to complete their work and meet learning goals.

Here is a sample of what we have done:

We have started to read more stories related to our two writing genres for E.L.A. (biography (Gr. 5) and recount (Gr. 4)) as well as our two unit themes (respect (Gr. 5) and courage (Gr. 4). We will continue to immerse ourselves in these genres and practice our writing (particularly complete sentences and then hopefully paragraphs!).

Additionally this week, we met 'Stranger T. Danger' and 'Francois' (pictured below). If you have any succulents looking for a good home, they are more than welcome to join our terrarium!

Lastly, we said goodbye (and good luck) to one of our students. We hope that she enjoys her new adventure and new school!

Reminders for next week:

• Grade 5 Math test Monday
• Track & Field is Tuesday
• Our first swimming time is Thursday
• Terry Fox Run is Friday (Thanks for all your Twoonies for Terry! We have raised $18 dollars so far. Our school goal is $1,000 so let's keep working!)

Also, please remember that marks are published to PowerSchool so that parents can view. If you dont have a password, please contact Mr. Clarke. Have a great weekend!

Spelling Words for Week of September 15

It's that time again! Our spelling program will begin this week. We have eased in with only 10 words this week, but will increase shortly with some high frequency sight words. We will have our spelling post-tests on Fridays. If you could remind your student to review their words nightly (or at least a few times) that would be much appreciated! We will also work on them in class. This week's words are:

1. knife
2. knee
3. knew
4. knead
5. gnaw
6. known
7. who
8. write
9. written
10. wrap

Spelling pattern: Silent first consonants

Weekly Recap

Good afternoon! It feels like the week has flown by! We are starting to settle into routines here as programs at the school get up & running. This term we will be studying:

• Habitats (Grade 4 Science)
• The Human Body (Grade 5 Science)
• Our Relationship with the Land (Grade 4 Social Studies)
• The Canadian Identity (Grade 5 Social Studies)
• Courage (Grade 4 E.L.A.)
• Respect (Grade 5 E.L.A.)

in addition to on-going units in Health, Art and Mathematics. This week, we continued to discuss the elements of a fair test in Science by examining the effects of different liquids on a penny. Unfortunately, the best example fell down the drain, but I assure you the penny soaked for four days in vinegar was sparkling!

We also looked at sentence construction by making Silly Sentences.

We analyzed our sentences for processes (verb groups), participants (noun groups) and circumstances (when, where, how). We will continue to focus on sentence construction, introducing types of sentences and sentence variation shortly.

We continue to focus on growing our literacy skills with the Daily 5 program. This week we worked on the 'Check for Understanding' strategy, particularly when Reading with Someone. More information on this strategy can be found here. 

A few reminders about next week:

• The Milk Program will begin Monday (blue notices were sent home Thursday)
• School Directory (yellow notice) is due September 15
• Track & Field permission form is due September 16
• Picture Day is September 17
• Home Room Parents note (white notice) is due September 19

Additionally, we will be doing some standardized testing to determine benchmarks for the end of the year. Have a lovely weekend & feel free to contact me with any questions!