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!