Merry Christmas

Thank-you for the heartwarming Christmas cards and generous gifts. My family will enjoy dinner out and we have opened the chocolates and put cute ornaments on our tree. I will spoil myself with some new reading material, a latte and some luxurious bath products. Your kindness and gifts are appreciated.

If you happen to follow the Santa tracker tonight, what a great opportunity for your children to keep learning about Canadian communities and world geography! Merry Christmas.

We read this book in class, and located many Canadian communities on a map as we read.

Canadian Communities that we learned about through Show and Tell.

December 20 Happy Holidays!

We have had yet another jam-packed week at school!

  • Congratulations to all the students for their wonderful singing at our Christmas concert!
  • Today, Luv to Groove led us in a fun and energetic dance workshop!
  • Students have been finishing their art- trees in the style of stained glass, their story writing and their work with holiday words.
  • We have continued to learn about many communities across Canada.
  • Students had their second coding experience in the computer lab
  • Students reflected on their learning in 2018, and set a goal for 2019!

Please be reminded:

  • Extra containers, found clothing and excess papers from their lockers have been brought home. Remember to empty the backpacks please so that these items don’t return to school!
  • Water bottles have been sent home to be washed. Bring only one to drink from tomorrow.
  • Over-the-door hooks are a great investment for your child’s locker for January should snow pants be coming to school.
  • Tomorrow students may wear pyjamas to school if they wish, and a stuffie may come if desired.

Parent volunteers needed.

  • We have purchased new books for both the classroom and for home reading. I would appreciate the help of any parent who would be able to take some books home and some macktack, and who could cover these books for protection so avid readers can enjoy them for years to come!
  • We will be skating January 18 and February 15 and will be looking for volunteers to skate and to help tie laces.

January Show and Tell

  • Students will be sharing something about their holiday with the class in January

Happy Winter Break! Students are more than welcome to read and keep accumulating reading program points throughout the holidays.

Christmas Concert Info

We are excited for our concert on Monday!

For the evening performance:

  • Arrive at the Sagebrush lobby at 6:15pm.
  • You must have a ticket to the show- it is general seating.
  • Keep your child’s coat and boots with you.
  • Bring your child to the stage via the theatre; a helper will bring him/her to our backstage room.
    • Do NOT drop off or pick up your child at the side stage door that leads to outside.
  • Students should wear nice clothes , for example dress clothes/ fancy clothes.
  • Students should not wear any large headwear such as antlers or Santa hats, especially since they will be in the FIRST ROW during our songs!!! Students will be standing on the stage for our finale song if you are trying to spot them!
  • Students will be released a group at a time after the final finale song; meet your child in the lobby
    • Please note that when grade 3 students are dismissed, our class will be part of that group as we are singing with the other grade 3 classes. Please let me know when you have your child to help me keep track of everyone please.
  • Enjoy the show! The show starts at 6:30.

December 10

This week:

  • Our focus is the sound eau in bateau which makes a long o sound as in nose
  • We are reviewing Christmas words in French and learning to spell them like in a book
  • We learned about Hanakah with a focus on the menorah and the dreidel
  • We are continuing learning about how wind, water, and humans change the shape of Earth in Science
  • We will explore the App Chatterkids to express our learning in science
  • We will continue to focus on subtraction, including working with 2-digit numbers
  • We will be introduced to coding in the computer lab, and use a web site called www.code.org
  • Leadership students will lead a social responsibility activity with the students
  • We will be continuing Christmas tree art
  • Report Cards will go home on Friday

Applied Design, Skills and Technologies – ADST

ADST is a curriculum area that students explore throughout the year. In ADST, students:

  • Generate and share ideas
  • Use tools and a variety of materials
  • Use trial and error
  • Problem solve to develop a product
  • Share their process
  • Develop skills through play

We often think of computers when we think of technology, but basic tools such as scissors or a needle and thread are also technologies! During the first term, students had two challenges where they needed to work together and use their collective creativity to solve a problem.

Problem one: Make the longest paper you can using only one sheet of newsprint, a pipecleaner and scissors. One group achieved a length of 10 metres!

Problem two: Using one piece of 8/5 x 11 paper and scissors, create a hole in the paper that a student and even a teacher can pass through!

Soon, we will be using both tablets and desktop computers and be developing coding skills. We will also have a chance to program spherical robots called Spheros in mid- January.

Your child will need a labelled set of headphones for school. They need to have a narrow end in order to plug into our tablets in cases. The headphones need to be in a container or ziplock bag. The headphones will remain at school for the duration of the school year and brought home at the end of June. The dollar store sells inexpensive headphones. Or you may invest in a pair that your child can continue to use for years to come. Maybe a great stocking stuffer?!

Using coding skills to program Spheros, spherical robots.