Monthly Archives: May 2018

Sunday Funday!

Leave a reply

Hello Everyone!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! I’m sure the beautiful weather got many of you outdoors! It’s hard to believe that it has been so hot already and it’s still only May!

Here’s a little recap of last week at school

-Outdoor Classroom Day! We spent day outside doing mostly what we do inside, with the exception of technology! Some of the kids loved it, some liked it and some would rather spend a shorter time outside (like we are doing for our 30 for 30). It. Was. Hot! Which was part of the reason some kids didn’t love it (and why some did)! It’s important for us to get outside regardless of the weather. We can’t spend 5 months inside because it’s too cold…or 3 months in br sure it’s too hot! We just need to adjust to the weather! On Tuesday we moved around to find shade, took a break inside for lunch and choir and made sure to drink plenty of fluids. The community clean up and seed planting seemed to be on the list of favourite activities. Thank you to the 3/4 team for taking on this outdoor adventure. A big thank you to the students who are self proclaimed “not outdoorsy people” for not only participating, but making the most of their day

-Our seeds are starting to sprout! Stay tuned via Seesaw to watch the growth process! As the kids notice changes they will snap a photo and label it with any important information and add it to their Seesaw portfolio. This is a great way to talk about this experiment at home!

-We have another growing experiment happening at school! This is also your Ask Me question for the weekend! Together we brainstormed different places to  grow plants in the room where the amount of sunlight would vary and provide different watering options for our pumpkin seeds. We have settled on 6 different ideas and now you need to make a prediction and comment what seeds you think will have the best growth (via the Seesaw post). We have charts up around the room to track the watering schedule and growth. This should be fun!!

-Our Book Clubs are almost over!! We will finish reading/making this week and then share our experiences and recommendations with the other groups. Groups that are making iMovie trailers will have their video posted to Seesaw as they are finished. What a fantastic app! The kids are doing a great job creating the trailers and making the connection that it’s actually the technology version of writing a book recommendation!

-Divide and Conquer! We are working through division, fractions and decimals right now! These are often the concepts that students “fear” the most…until we get going. Then they realize that we use these skills in our everyday lives and that knowing how to add/subtract/multiply and understanding place value all really help! However, some students are realizing that not having recall for the multiplication facts is affecting their speed for learning the basic facts for division. By now we should be able to recall the facts for 2 to 20, 5 to 50, 10 to 100, 3 to 30 and 4 to 40. The students may still be developing the answers for the remaining facts, but they should be able to determine them using a strategy they know. Take a few minutes each day to listen to your child skip count or do flashcards. It’s will help with their confidence 😊

What’s happening this week?!

-Family Life is starting! You all should have received a note to give you the heads up. Helen is working with the grade 4s and I will be working with the grade 3s. In grade 3 we will talk about personal safety and families. The grade 4s will learn about growth and development in changing bodies.

-We Belong Vertical Groups #3! Our final session will happen on Tuesday! The students will rotate to whichever activity they haven’t done yet. I believe our cluster will be going to the treaty activity.

-We will continue our daily edits, listen to Wishtree and post our May reading and writing samples. It will also be days 23-27 of our 30 for 30 challenge!!

-The 30 day environmental pledges should be completed by now. We will be checking in with the school and community to ask if they’ve completed their pledge and then take our posters down. We generated a lot of interest and many important conversations. Well done 123!!

That covers it for this week! I’m sad not to be ending this post with a #GoJetsGo but our team has a great season and we will be ready for a new run to the cup for 2019!

Until next time,

Danielle

May Long Weekend!!

Leave a reply

Good Morning Everyone!

Let’s make this short and sweet so we can all enjoy this beautiful Saturday!!!

As you know, our Outdoor Classroom day has been postponed until Tuesday, May 22. We all agreed that it would be much more enjoyable to be outdoors when the weather cooperated AND we really did need that rain!

Here is the ‘plan’ for Tuesday (Note: plans are subject to change 😉 )

9:00-9:30:Planting with 126

*IF you have not brought in your seeds and Ziploc bag please do so on Tuesday or  you will not have much of a choice of what you plant. I have soil (and some extra seeds and bags if needed)

9:30-10:00: Math with 122. We have a list of things to find and measure!

10:00-10:30: Observation station with 122 & 126

10:30-10:45: Recess

10:45-12:00: Community clean up/walk and choice time with 122 & 126

1:00-1:15: Mediation with 122 & 126

1:15-1:45: French with 122 & 126

1:45-2:15: Music

2:15-2:30: Recess

2:30-3:00: Learning Buddies with 124

3:00-3:30: Choir with 122&126

Please be dressed for the weather, bring a water bottle and if you are able… try to bike or walk to school today!!

I’m really looking forward to this exciting day of outdoor learning 🙂

Also this week…

-We will continue with our plant/soil/environmental inquiry research

I found a Tweet about waste reduction/recycling/compost that put a smile on my face! I can only hope we follow suit!

-We will continue to read Wishtree. This week we had to take a bit of a break from reading when I lost my voice! We will make up for it next week for sure!

-We will continue our focus of editing, printing, handwriting and typing! We are really working on these skills that we use regularly in our lives!

-Book clubs are coming to an end! It is our second last week! Some groups are creating movie trailers to promote their book, some are ready to start the ‘maker’ project, some are finishing their books and some have a few more chapters to read. Once we are ready, we will do a group share and be ready to start some Drama!!

-We will do Genius Hour on Thursday! Please be ready to create/make/present 🙂

*This weekend’s Ask Me question is to comment about something you have done outside this weekend! Leave me an oral or written comment through Seesaw!! BONUS-post something you did that was kind!

*Let’s keep Conscious Kindness going! This includes being kind to yourself! We found these great ideas to try when you are feeling stress in your life. We know these things work, but sometimes we just need a little reminder 🙂

https://twitter.com/TopDogTeaching/status/996519724044480512

Have a great weekend. See you Tuesday!!

Until next time,

Danielle

#GoJetsGo (hopefully not for the last time)

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

1 Reply

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms, grandmas, aunts, sisters, close friends and anyone who fills a motherly role in your life. I am so lucky to have some of these people around me since my own mom lives in another province. The ladies at work take care of me by giving advice, bringing me homemade treats and even helping take out pesky stains in my clothes. It takes a village to raise a child…even one who is grown up already! We honour, respect and love you…not only today, but EVERYDAY! I hope you all enjoy your homemade gift and can see the thought and care your child has put into making it for you. Enjoy your day! I’m also lucky to be a puppy mama to my fur baby who is so loyal that she lays beside me as I type this blog post!

 

We have a very busy week ahead of us and I hope everyone takes the time to read this and make sure you are “in the know”!

Let’s get started:)

-Monday: I am away in the morning and Ms V will be in. In the afternoon it is our “Rooftop Photo”. An email was sent home asking students to wear Jets clothing or white or blue. We encourage everyone to join in on the theme! It is also game day, so I’ll be wearing a jersey! If you are enjoying wearing Jets gear/white/blue on game days please continue to do so!

-Tuesday: It’s Bike Rodeo day. A pink note was sent home last week giving you details about a bike safety presentation from MPI (see below)

On Tuesday the Destination Imagination (DI) group is presenting their challenge project to the school! We will be going with 122 to see their incredible display of the 4Cs first thing in the morning (9:10). This is also a last effort for fundraising. Students are asked to bring in a donation if possible. Thanks!

-Wednesday: It’s Conscious Kindness Day! On this day the United Way is asking people to pay it forward through random acts of kindness to show how compassion for each other in an effort to make healthy communities.

What will you do today?

-Greet people with a good morning or a kind gesture?

-Do something extra (chore, classroom clean up, community clean up, etc.)

-Make someone a card, write a letter, draw a picture?

-Talk or play with someone new or someone you haven’t connected with for awhile?

There are countless ways to be kind. Kindness is free, so everyone can do it! Need some inspiration? Check out this amazing Superhero!

-Thursday: This is our second round of “We Belong Vertical Groups”. On this day the kids from our group (123,124,125 and Nursery) will rotate to another activity and we (the teachers) will do our dance activity with a different group of students.

-Friday: We are becoming an OUTDOOR CLASSROOM today! The students wrote me a letter trying to persuade me to do the all day outdoor class event/plant day combination and they won! Well actually we all win! We did a full day outside last year to celebrate the 30 day challenge and it was great. I am excited to be doing this year’s full day outside with Room 122 and 126!!

Here are some of the planned activities (based on the ideas from the letters)

-Math (we have a scavenger hunt type activity planned)

-Planting (two different stations)

  1. Pumpkins: Each student will take a pumpkin seed home after we plant them at school!
  2. You will plant a seed of your choice! We have talked about this in class and here is what you need to know: Instead of us all planting the same type of seed and watching them grow at school we want the students to each choose something that they are interested in! We will go through the Scientific Method as the seeds grow and learn more about many types of plants instead of just one. *This means that each student will need to bring in the following items BEFORE Friday: a ‘seed’ of their choice. This can be from a package, from a fruit or vegetable (could be part of the vegetable if you want) or from a flower. Please do some research before choosing your seed so you will know if it needs direct sunlight, less sunlight, little water, lots of water, how long it is expected to take to grow, etc. Write down some of these important details (including the name of your plant in your home reading folder) so we can transfer that to our tracking sheets. You will also need to bring in a small Ziploc bag to plant your seed in. We prefer that the bag has been previously used and washed out (but that is not required). We will provide the soil (unless there is something very specific you need!). Students who do not bring in a seed will be given seeds at school, they will just not have as much choice as I will only have a few different types for them to choose from.

-Read to Self/Read to Someone

-Phys Ed (just need to confirm that with Mr Strachan)

-Meditation

-French (just need to confirm that with Madame)

-Community Clean Up (walk through the neighbourhood to pick up trash/recycling). I notice so many straws when I go for my lunchtime walk with Helen….AHHHHH

-Observation Station with your team from 122 and 126

-and…FREE EXPLORATION TIME

How is that for a Friday?! If the forecast looks undesirable we will let families know if our outdoor classroom day will be postponed via Seesaw.

***If you want to spend the day with us please do so! Just let me know, we’d love to have you!!!

 

I think that covers it! I’m looking forward to a really great week!

P.S. Happy Birthday Manitoba!

Until next time,

Danielle

#GoJetsG

 

Cinco De Mayo!!!!!

Leave a reply

Happy Weekend Everyone!

I hope that you find time to enjoy the sunshine and the beautiful spring weather this weekend! Let us know what you’ve been up to via the Ask Me question on Seesaw or the Home Reading folder!

We have completed the first ten days of our 30 outdoor challenge at school!! We’ve been lucky to have had some gorgeous weather but let’s be honest…I think we need some rain to help get the dusty streets and sidewalks under control! Reminder: there is no school on Monday so Day 11 of our outdoor learning will not take place until Tuesday!

Tuesday is also our 3rd running club meeting. As you know, we’ve decided to change things up and have run club in the mornings this year (8:10 on Tuesdays and Thursdays). We have had about 40 kids join us so far but would love even more! This run club is about developing/maintaining a healthy lifestyle and getting some fresh air. Being outside before school has actually helped those of us involved get a great start to the day! It’s not too late to join! Students in the run club in grades 4-6 do not have to participate in the Fit Run in June. So if that’s holding you back…don’t worry. You can be new to running to join or you can also walk and work your way up to running. Parents: Thank you for joining us! You don’t need to commit to coming each session or even each week. You can choose to help supervise, you can walk or you can run. We’ve had at least 5 parents out to each session so far and we really love the community feel that it creates having students, parents, daycare and teachers out together. We hope to see you soon!!!

Here’s a recap of last week at school!

-We finished A Boy Called Bat and have started a new book called The Wishtree. On Friday we actually sat outside our window near a tree which might just become our very own Wishtree! I also finished pre-reading The Wild Robot Escapes and have decided (by request) that it will become our next (and possibly final) read aloud choice. Some students have already chosen to purchase and read their own copy of the book and are aware that there was a chance I’d be reading it to the class. Those students are welcome to bring in their copy and read along with me when the time comes!

-The grade 4 book club was a success. We had 20 kids join us!! I think we have time for one more book… then it’ll be summer book club time! We will let the grades 4-6 kids know ASAP about the book choice and the meet/eat/treat time. Grade 3s you will get your chance at a book club in the summer. That one will be open to all students (tell your friends in the other classrooms) 🙂

-Book Clubs with 122 and 126 are going well too! We will finish our books by the end of the month and present a maker piece to the other groups. After that…we will keep this time slot to do some drama!!

-We have been doing a daily edit to help develop editing skills. Each morning the students are greeted by a message on the board. It’s a letter that outlines what is taking place on that day. They get a chance to fix an error before the announcements begin. After the announcements we finish up any corrections as a class until the letter makes sense. The kids love being detectives! Give it a try at home! We are looking for: uppercase letters in the correct spots, punctuation, homophones, contractions and spelling of commonly used words.

Looking for a weekend edit?! Copy this out (be mindful of proper letter formation) and bring it to school on Tuesday. Good luck finding all the errors!

-Multiplication is going pretty well. Some students would benefit from at home practice of skip counting and basic facts. This can be done anywhere and anytime! Out for a walk or in the car or during the intermission of the Jets game…just ask some questions! Example: skip count by 4s to 40, name the doubles facts to 20+20, explain how any factor multiplied by 4 is related to doubles, use flashcards, etc. Throw in some addition/subtraction/compatible numbers too!! This will all help to develop recall and 5 minutes if regular practice can go a long way 🙂

-Our first We Belong Day with our vertical teams was great! We (123,124,125 and PM Nursery) listened to a great story, did some dancing with Mrs. Silk and then wrote down a word that described how dancing made us feel! Next time the kids will change stations and the teachers will repeat the same activity with a new group of students! Great job on remembering to wear clothing that reflected who you are. We loved hearing all the stories about why you chose your outfit 🙂

What’s happening this week/month?!

-May 17 is Outdoor Classroom Day and May 18 is Planting Day so we are thinking of combining these two themes and spending the day outside (Friday, May 18). Any ideas?! We have some ideas but would love to hear what you’re thinking!

-This week we will choose our plant/soil/environment inquiry topic. I will be asking the students to write down their top 5 wonderings and we will go from there!

-We will also continue our research on provinces and territories

-Monday is Day 2 and because there is no school there is also no Genius Hour. I’m thinking about giving the kids time on Friday instead. There are a number of students/groups ready to present their work. So we will make time for that and for a work period as well

-Don’t forget to get your book order in if you plan on making an order this month. I’ll be sending that in this week. After that you’ll have one more chance to order before summer!

-As many of you already know, Murray is taking a team of Grade 6 students to the Global Finals for Destination Imagination!! If you are interested in supporting this exciting opportunity please visit the GoFundMe page below!

I think that’s all for today! Enjoy your weekend!

#GoJetsGo

Until next time,

Danielle