Tag Archives: summer book club

First Week of the 2018-2019 School Year!

Hello Families of Room 123!

If you have been part of the Summer Book Club and are not in Room 123 you may want to unsubscribe from the blog now! You are more than welcome to stay part of our community, just know that most of what is posted will be about what is happening in 123! I will be in communication with families of students who have read the book about an upcoming celebration:)

Well we made it through the first few days of school! It’s hard to believe that I’m back to blogging for a new school year! As I type I have my sidekick sitting with me…I’m thinking about changing my name to Blog With My Dog! I guess she just wants in on the action!

Here is a little overview of our first week!

-We got used to our new classroom community, including welcoming 3 new friends to our school

-We started our first read aloud book!

-We learned a new word ‘friluftsliv’…it’s a Norwegian term for “open air living”. More to come about friluftsliv…it’s going to be great! We are going to see how many days we can spend time outside throughout the school year and track that! Any predictions?!

-The Communication Folders were sent home. Please send the folders back each day. If there is a note for me, students will place their folder in the “Hand In Bin” and if not, they will put the folders straight in their personal mailbox. If there are notes to go home we will put them in the mailbox and the students will add them to the communication folder before they go home. It is an attempt to keep everything a little more organized! Also-due to a lack in full class participation of book logging we are asking students/families to let us know if you want the logging sheets. Students are asked to write a book recommendation each time they finish reading a book. We will add the recommendations to our classroom book recommendation binder for the kids to use when they are stuck on what they should read next. Need an example of a recommendation? Let me know!

-The Number Puzzle Helper books have been sent home. We have similar books at school that we will work on, so these books are just for at home practice as you see fit. Try to do one per week. These puzzles may be new to your child. The grade 3s did an example with me on Friday and we will do another one together this upcoming week. The new grade 4s worked with a buddy on Friday and can do this again or see me with their next puzzle

-We have completed our first 3 writing assessments and our spelling inventory! The students were troopers during this assessment time!

-The September book order has been sent home. Orders are due by September 20. Ordering online is the easiest method for me, but I am more than willing to submit your order for you as well

-Ask Me question is up on Seesaw! The question is: “Ask me to comment about the first week of school!” You can have your child comment using your parent account. He/she can type a comment or record a comment. I love reading/hearing the comments. Great job! Aren’t on Seesaw yet? Please see me for your personalized QR code and an overview of how it works! Please note that the QR code works for more than one family member.

 

What’s Happening Next Week?

-More reading, more writing, more math, more friluftsliv, more fun!

-Information about an upcoming field trip will be sent home

-I will be away on Friday to attend the MB Nature Summit (Friday and Saturday)

-Sunday is the Terry Fox run! Hudson and I will be there! Let me know if you and your family plan on attending. It would be awesome to get a group picture taken before the walk/run!

Terry Fox Run Assiniboine Park

I hope you all are ready for a really great year in Room 123!

Until next time,

Danielle

The Ending: Part 5 “The Beginning Ends”

Hello Readers!

We are in the home stretch! I’m so interested to hear how the Summer Book Club went for you! I’d like to know who liked reading to a schedule as a group, who couldn’t wait to finish, who still needs more time to finish and who realized this book just wasn’t for them! We will have a meeting one day in September for all students who participated in reading The Endling. I will let you know once I have chosen a date and we are all settled into a new school year.

Here is your final task…finish the book!

Read Part Five: The Beginning Ends (Pages 321-381) by Monday, September 3

Comment once you are done reading.

Topic: The book cover says Book One…what do you think Book Two will be about? Is this a series that interests you (and do you plan on continuing the series as new books are completed?)

Once again I’ve really enjoyed reading what you have to say about the book. Even if you haven’t commented since the beginning of the book (or ever even) please try to offer your thoughts as you finish reading 🙂 There is no worrying about ruining it for anyone anymore, so say what you want to say!

I’ll be seeing you very soon!

PS-this was from my birthday…do you think Hudson was hoping I’d share my ice cream?! Sorry girl-it was all for me! She got her own treat instead!

Until next time,

Danielle & Hudson (of course!)

The Endling: Part 4 “Allies and Enemies”

Hello Endling Book Club Members!

Here is your next post which is now available to post comments on!

Keep up the great reading!!

Reminder:

Read Part Four: Allies and Enemies (Pages 225-317) by Monday, August 20 (one of the best days of the year ;))

Comment once you are done reading.

Topic: What would you do/how would you feel if you were Byx?

Happy Reading Everyone!!

Until next time,

Danielle & Hudson (and Frankie!)

The Endling: Part 3 “My Funeral”

Hello my fellow “book clubbers”!!

I’m here to tell you once again  that you’ve done a great job with the blog comments! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts about some of the characters!! It’s seems like many of you are enjoying The Endling so far! It also seems like Tobble is who most of you consider to be your favourite character….and for good reasons! Many people also like Byx and a few are interested in Khara. I wonder if these choices will change as you read more of the book!!

I also want to remind you that if you haven’t been keeping up to our reading schedule not to give up. Read at your own pace if you need to 🙂

Your next task is to:

Read Part Three: My Funeral (Pages 141-221) by Monday, August 6

Comment once you are done reading.

Topic: What do you think will happen next? What are some of your predictions?

Reminder: The topic for comments is just a suggestion. You may comment on anything else that comes to mind (unless it will spoil something for the rest of our readers)!

I hope you are all enjoying your summer thus far. Can you believe that August is just around the corner?!! I’ve been thinking about read aloud choices, mindfulness activities, Genius Hour and outdoor education opportunities for Room 123. Teachers never take a full summer off!!

Happy Reading…I look forward to hearing from each of you!

Until next time,

Danielle & Hudson

 

The Endling: Part Two “Captives”

Hi Everyone!

Congratulations! You did a great job reading and commenting on Part One of The Endling. Thank you for your participation 🙂

Our next goal is to: Read Part Two: Captives (Pages 51-137) by Monday, July 23.

Suggested Comment Topic: Which character(s) do you like/dislike/relate to/want to know more about, etc.

*You can make comments about other things…this is just a suggestion if you need an idea!

Dont worry if you’re a little behind and haven’t finished reading Part One. Don’t give up! Read at your own pace if that works best for you.

I found this tweet from the author Katherine Applegate this morning…so naturally I needed to reply!

Here is where Hudson and I have been spending our time reading and journaling. I have finished a book and already have a few more books ‘on the go’!

Enjoy reading Part Two: Captives. Feel free to make comments as you finish reading. As always, I look forward to hearing from you!

Happy Reading my Summer Book Club kids and parents 😉

Until next time,

Danielle

The Endling Reading Schedule

Hello Fellow Book Club Members!

As of now we have 21 confirmed members and a handful of maybes! That’s amazing! Last year we had about 10 kids. I’m so happy to see our summer book club grow!

Here is the plan:

-I’ll set out a reading schedule and comment prompts (you may comment about other things if you want!)

-You read whenever you want, but try to finish the assigned reading by the date given if you can

-Make a post on the blog (you can subscribe if you want, or just check in each week/every few weeks to read what others have posted)

-Please don’t give anything about the book away (if you’re not sticking to our schedule)

-Feel free to connect with each other over the blog comments. Share where you’re reading…it’s akways so fun to know where you are and what you’re up to! I’m going to reread the book (since I read it pretty quickly during my pre-read), and I’ll guarantee that most of the time I’ll be on the dock or in the hammock!

-If the book gets too difficult for you please ask your parents to read it to you. Don’t worry about the “made up” words…I struggle with those too!

Still need the book?

-McNally Robinson has some on back order

-audiobook and e-reader versions are available through iTunes

-as of today (June 28) here is what’s available at Chapters/Indigo

So here is our reading schedule!

-Start reading now or as soon as you get the book!

Read Part One: The End Begins (Pages 3-47) by Monday, July 9

Comment once you are done reading.

Topic: What are your initial thoughts/impressions about the book?

 

Read Part Two: Captives (Pages 51-137) by Monday, July 23

Comment once you are done reading.

Topic: Which characters do you like/dislike/relate to/want to know more about, etc.

 

Read Part Three: My Funeral (Pages 141-221) by Monday, August 6

Comment once you are done reading.

Topic: What do you think will happen next? What are some of your predictions?

 

Read Part Four: Allies and Enemies (Pages 225-317) by Monday, August 20

Comment once you are done reading.

Topic: What would you do/how would you feel if you were Byx?

 

Read Part Five: The Beginning Ends (Pages 321-381) by Monday, September 3

Comment once you are done reading.

Topic: The book cover says Book One…what do you think Book Two will be about?

 

Thanks again for your interest in reading! I look forward to hearing from you throughout the summer! Enjoy reading…THE ENDLING By Katherine Applegate.

Until next time,

Danielle

 

 

Final Post of the Year?!

Happy Weekend Everyone!

How is it possible that this is the final blog post of the school year?!

Next Friday will be a tough one! Teaching the same kids for two years is amazing, but it honestly makes it tougher to see them go! It’s been an honour and a privilege to teach your children. I wish nothing but the best for the families that will no longer be part of room 123. Please continue to stop by and say hello 😊! To the families of my grade 3 students, I look forward to working with you again next year 😊!

I hope you’ve had a chance to look over the email about the Summer Book Club! Many students are excited and eager to join. The email outlines what the book is about and how we will connect with each other this summer. Before the end of the school year I will have a schedule posted for the readers to follow. Grab a copy of the book now…but hold off on reading for a bit longer 😉!

This week we will be sending ‘stuff’ home starting on Monday so there isn’t an overwhelming amount to bring on Friday! We are in finish up mode and once our checklists have been completed it’s Genius Hour time!

Here are just a few reminders of what’s happening at school this week:

-Tuesday: Grade 6 Farewell (1:30)

-Wednesday: Grade 4-6 Book Club lunch (where we will return each other’s books)

-Friday: 10:45 Canada Day community walk (with entire school) & 11:30 dismissal!!

And…that’s a wrap!

I hope to hear from many of you saying your son/daughter is joining the book club this summer!

Have a wonderful, safe, happy summer. Rest, relax and enjoy time with the family.

Take care!

Until next time,

Danielle & Hudson

Sunday Funday!

Hi Everyone!

Happy Father’s Day to the dads reading this post AND Happy Marathon Day to all of our runners! I hope you’ve all had a happy weekend, regardless of what you’ve been up to!

Me?! I’m at the lake…still! Ms V will be holding down the fort tomorrow and I’ll see you all on Tuesday 😊

Here’s a glimpse of the week that has just passed and what’s in store for the week ahead!

-Family Life/Health is now over for the year! The kids did a great job, whether they were with Helen (grade 4) or with me (grade 3). The grade 3s did their final ‘project’ by using drama to perform a skit about one of the safety topics we’ve talked about!

-We are getting close to being half way through The Wild Robot Escapes! Don’t worry…we’ll finish with time to spare!

-The book orders are on their way! Any books that have been ordered should arrive by Friday!

-Thanks for all the great fraction comments from the Ask Me question last weekend! You have no assigned Ask Me question this weekend and with only 10 days of school left you actually will have just one last Ask Me question! Stay tuned for your final question next weekend!!!

-We have been on a roll with the Seesaw posts! The outdoor observation photos and reflections are done, the plant reflections are done (and plants have been sent home), safety skits are done and many students have also finished their post about Field Day! I love that you get a peek at what we do at school and in an instant can be connected with us!! We adore getting comments from parents 😊

-You’ve received your field trip notice so this is just a reminder about our visit to Assiniboine Park taking place Wednesday, June 20. Please make sure your child is prepared to be outdoors for the day…the forecast is looking to be in our favour! I have one parent who can come for part of the day. Anyone else interested?! Let me know ASAP!!

-Friday is Fun Lunch. I can’t remember the cut off date for orders, but it must be coming soon. Have you handed yours in?!

-All library books are now due. If you have not returned  your books yet…please “due” so now (sorry, I couldn’t help myself! 😉)

-I’m still reading the Endling, but it’s looking good as our Summer Book Club choice! Next weekend I’ll post instructions about how to join!

Have a great week!

Until next time,

Danielle

We Belong at Montrose!

Good Morning Everyone!

I hope the students have been able to share about their experiences from the We Belong Vertical Group sessions we’ve had this year. Yesterday was the wrap up assembly and unveiling of our new Montrose Treaty!  Even though I wasn’t there to experience everything, I was able to get a feel for the morning thanks to a parent who has sent photos and videos of the assembly 🙂 Room 123, you did a great job leading the Round Dance.

Montrose Belonging Tree

Montrose Treaty

-It was presentation day for Book Clubs! Ms V sent me a few pictures, but I can’t wait to hear all about it!

-Ms V also told me that our art display is up! That’ll be a beautiful surprise when I walk into the room on Monday morning! Ms V has been a super substitute for us this week and this whole year <3

-We are about 60 pages into our final read aloud of the year: The Wild Robot Escapes! 4 students who recently purchased the book have been bringing their copies in and following along as we read. If anyone else is interested in doing that, please do!

-I’ve picked up two selections for our Summer Book Clubs! I am almost finished previewing the first one called Family of Spies: Paris by Jodi Carmichael. It’s a great story and since the author is from Winnipeg there are many details that are Winnipeg related! The only problem is…the rating I found online was for ages 8-13 (which is a pretty big range). I’d say this book is more Grade 5+. There are some pretty challenging words, a lot of French words and names of buildings and the topic of World War II is more detailed than I think most of the students are ready for. That being said, I think a few of the students would be ready for the content and would really love it. If you’d like to borrow it from me then please ask! It will NOT be our Summer Book Club choice!

-Our other option is called Endling: The Last by Katherine Applegate. She has written some of our favourite read aloud books over the past few years (The One and Only Ivan, Crenshaw and Wishtree to name a few). I will preview this book to make sure it’s age appropriate. Once a decision has been made I’ll let you know and students can decide if they’d like to join!

In case you are new to our Sunmer Book Club here’s what you need to know!

-We use the blog as a tool to communicate about the book

-I’ll post a reading schedule for us to follow and some ideas for talking points

-The kids will post their thoughts each week (as often as they can)

-In September we will do a wrap up event at school!

All students in the school are welcome to read with us. Parents may also choose to do this as a read aloud if they feel like the book is too challenging for their child to read independently. The beauty of the blog is that we can read and communicate from anywhere! Last year I posted from the lake and Mr. Stefaniuk posted from Australia! Stay tuned for more details!

Our plants are growing…for the most part! There are still a few that haven’t sprouted, but don’t give up hope! Maybe rethink what your plant needs. Are you giving it too much water? Not enough? Too much sunlight? Not enough? Do a little research and see what you can find! I’m thinking that plants will be sent home this week. The kids want them to stay BUT the reality is that we need to start finishing projects and getting organized for summer! We only have 3 weeks left of school!

-Speaking of which: We are headed to Assiniboine Park on Wednesday, June 20! Our plan is similar to our Gimli trip last year. Things will not be over scheduled. The kids will have choice of what they want to do and how much time they want to spend doing it. Options may include-organized games, kites, guided meditation, walk/exploration, drawing, reading, drama, etc. If you are interested in joining us for the day (or part of the day) please let me know. We can accommodate many volunteers since we will be at the park. We just ask that you can take your own mode of transportation so we don’t have to worry about space on the bus!

-It’s also Field Fay this week on Thursday! Please be ready to spend the morning (I believe) outside! Mr. Strachan has been planning some fun events for you to enjoy!

-I’m sending the book order in this week (on Monday). If you’re thinking about making one last order please do so sooner than later!! We want to make sure the orders come in before school is out!

-The Ask Me question this week is posted on Seesaw and is about fractions! Post a comment or send me a picture of a ‘real life fraction’ you’ve encountered over the weekend!

We used these measuring spoons when making pancakes! These are all fractions of tablespoons and teaspoons that can be used for cooking! Need to double a recipe? Can you use a differed measuring spoon to accommodate the new fraction?!

-Don’t forget about our June Kindness Calendar! Have a great weekend practicing mindfulness and playing outside!

Have a great weekend:)

Until Next Time,

Danielle

Spring Break!!

Well…we’ve made it to Spring Break!!!

I hope you all have an excellent break. I know some of you are going on vacation and others are staying close to home. Whatever your plans are…please enjoy them to the fullest! I’m looking forward to visiting with my family for a few days while I bring my fur baby to my mom’s. After that I’m headed to Toronto to visit a friend and catch a few Blue Jays games AND was lucky enough to get tickets to see the Jets play the Leafs. We will meet up on April 2nd and share stories 😉

Spirit Week was a pretty big success this week at Montrose! I think my favourite part was seeing everyone dressed up on Tuesday for the Masquerade Ball! Although I do love that we had some “Fancy” PJs today (since our kids usually do Fancy Friday and didn’t want to change their tradition)! What are your favourite Spirit Week moments?!

We finished Magic Misfits this week! We talked about doing the sequel (Magic Misfits 2) for our summer book club, but unfortunately I found out that it isn’t released until September 25th. I’ll find another book for us to read over the summer! Speaking of book clubs…you were sent an email invitation for Grade 4 students to join a book club with Mrs Ko Heinrichs and myself. If you are interested in joining please let me know. We are reading Flora and Ulysses by Kate Di Camillo.

You can start reading anytime and we are meeting to discuss on April 30. Sorry Grade 3s. We can only take one grade at a time. Maybe next time 🙂 Our next read  aloud selection is called…The Wild Robot

I hope you enjoyed some of the Seesaw posts this week. I LOVED the post about what makes you happy that the kids did on International Day of Happiness. My goal is to do more posts like that where it is a selfie video reflection. They are really powerful messages. The environmental maker we did with 122 was also really fun. The inventions were well thought out and so much fun to see come to life! I showed the following videos to the kids (and posted one on Seesaw for you to see). They were excellent conversation starters and helped serve as inspiration for some of our inventions!

https://twitter.com/amazlngnature/status/974595678058856448?s=21

https://twitter.com/bbc/status/974978692177911809?s=21

When we make positive changes to the environment…we make life better for everyone (including plants and animals)!

Looking to make a change over Spring Break? You might want to take part in Earth Hour!

Also…please remember to make choices that impact the environment in a positive way when you are on vacation. I think sometimes we forget the routines we have in place at home and do things that we wouldn’t normally do just because it’s “easier”. What can you do? Say no thank you to straws, bring and use reusable water bottles and coffee cups, reuse towels in the hotel, recycle, etc. Be mindful of other people’s communities. Take care of them like you would your own 🙂

That’s it for this week! Enjoy the break. Don’t forget to do  the Ask Me question…read, play outside and make sustainable choices!

Until next time,

Danielle

#GoJetsGo

#LetsGoBlueJays