Monthly Archives: June 2018

Part One: The End Begins

Happy Summer Holidays!!!

I’m writing today so we have a place to write your comments about your first impressions of The Endling!

Do NOT worry if you haven’t read the first section, started reading the first section OR even picked up your copy of the book yet! No need to rush. You have until July 9 (or longer if you need it). I know that some kids had started reading right away, so I just wanted to have a comment page ready!

Once you’re done reading…comment away! You may want to check in on other people’s comments too. It’d be great to reply to someone if you have a connected or even opposing thought with!

Look forward to hearing from you!

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

And Just Like That…It’s June!

Hello Everyone & Happy Saturday!

Last week seemed to go by impossibly quick! Sadly, I think that is going to be the norm for the remainder of the school year 🙁

Here is what happened lsat week at school and what will be happening this week!

Book Clubs: The end is near! We have a work period on Monday, a rehearsal for our presentations on Wednesday and then our final presentations on Friday! We will be making some final decisions about how to proceed with our Drama sessions and then let the kids know what to expect!

Math Groups: We are working on fractions and how we use fractions in our everyday lives! We are counting by 1/2s, 1/3s, 1/4s and 1/10s and also doing compatible fractions. For example: If I ate 1/2 of a pie, what fraction did I not eat? (In other words what fraction do you need to get to one whole). Or 4/10 of the kids in the class were away today, what fraction of the kids were at school? The progression of compatible numbers continues! First we needed to learn compatible numbers (number pairs) to 10, then 20, then 50, then 100 and now fractions!

Mathantics Fractions are Parts

IF you are still challenged by recalling or determining compatible numbers to the whole numbers I listed above…please practice! It is so helpful with addition and subtraction in mental math if you know those number pairs.

1+9=10        9+1=10

2+8=10       8+2=10

3+7=10      7+3=10

4+6=10     6+4=10

5+5=10

*Use those facts to help you with 20! 50! 100!

If you know that 2+8=10, then 12+8=20 and 22+28=50 and 32+68=100

Use the number pairs for 10 to get you to the next group of 10 (22+8=30 and then think about what you need to get from 30 to 50 which is 20 so 22+28=50).

Practice for a few minutes each day!

“Let’s do compatible numbers to 50” “I have X, you have?” and your child will determine the fact that is missing. Example: If you have “34” and you are looking for the missing added to 50. On paper this would look like 34+?=50.

We are still asking that families practice skip counting at home if your child isn’t able to skip count fluently. If they are having to stop and think by counting on, then they need more practice. Students should be able to fluently count by 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s and 10s. 6s, 7s, 8s and 9s may still be developing.

Once your child is able to count then they are ready for multiplication fact practice. If you have flashcards then pull those out and practice for a few minutes each day. You can split them into piles of “mastered” and “still working on” or see how many they can get in a given time and compare each day, etc. Turn it into a game!

You can do the same things with division facts. We’ve made the connection that division facts are the commutative property for multiplication facts! If you know 3×4=12 you also know that 4×3=12, 12/3=4 and 12/4=3 🙂

Uptown Funk Multiplication Song

Multiplication Rap (x2 or x3)

3 Times Table Song

4 Times Table Song

5 Times Table Song

6 Times Table Song

7 Times Table Song

8 Times Table Song

Read Aloud: We finished Wishtree! It was a lovely story about friendship and belonging. I hope the kids have talked about the story at home. It got a “slow clap” from the kids when I finished reading, so I think that means they liked it! We will be starting our final read aloud book for the year…The Wild Robot Escapes! If you already own the book  you are welcome to bring it in and follow along as I read!

Compost Presentation! Ms Mary came to school on Friday to teach us about composting and soil. She was very enthusiastic and passionate about the subject. Compost is something that I’ve been thinking about lately and she definitely provided us with great information.

I am hoping that next year we take on composting at school!

Plants: Our plants are growing! We will let them grow for another week at school and then think about sending them home! Some of the plants will need to leave their Ziploc bag home and be planted in a container that will give them more room to grow! I love it when the kids come racing in to the window to see if their plant has grown overnight! We worked with a partner and compared two plants using a Venn Diagram. This way we could see how the plants were similar and different. Our “classroom pets” are growing too! Well…some of them! We are learning about which of the growing environments we created are best suited for pumpkin seeds 🙂

We will wrap up our Observation Station with 122 & 126 this week. We’ve observed and documented the same spot outside since there was still snow on the ground! It will be super neat to pull all our pictures and notes together to see how our nature spots have changed with the change of season.

Volunteer Tea: Thanks to all of our wonderful volunteers for making helping out in so many ways. It means a lot to have connections between home and school 🙂

*Due to the performers at the Volunteer Tea we will have to change Genius Hour to this week. I’ll do some planning and let the kids know on Monday when a good time will be. I’m thinking about Thursday as of now.

Family Life/Health: We have met twice and will have two more lessons this upcoming week and two more after that.

*Book order is due on June 11so we have enough time to get those final orders in!

This week will we also do more learning about provinces (hint-there will be a connection to our upcoming Drama activities!), do an art project about provincial flowers, get back to our outdoor education (I regrettably let the weather dictate a few days of not going outside) and create a giant kindness calendar for the whole school! This is part of your Ask Me question for the weekend: Through Seesaw send me an idea of what we can add to our calendar to inspire our school community to show kindness to themselves, others and the earth. This idea came from the calendar below that we found in the copy room at school. Now we want to make a kid/family friendly one instead!

Have a nice weekend 🙂

Until next time,

Danielle