This was a busy week but having been under the weather and trying to still get loads done, some things fell to the side, like my regular blog updates. Working hard to get things back on track, but in the meantime, here is a long overdue update on our super cold week.
As usual, we started and ended our week with a sharing circle where we get to share what we did over the weekend and what we liked during the school week. It is also an opportunity to speak in French and to practice our listening skills when others are talking. This is also how I learn about some of the exciting things the students do with subs as well. I always love learning new things and I love how students are such amazing sponges when it comes to learning new games and new material.
This week in
Math we continued hammering away at our multiplications while also starting to look at division. We started looking at using arrays to do both operations and have begun discovering the commutative properties of multiplication (i.e. 4x3 = 3x4).
There are many great activities that the students can do in
Mathletics to keep practicing these skills further. I also learned this week that as students earn points on Mathletics, they help students and children from across the world in Zimbabwe have access to clean water, health care and education through
UNICEF. Click on the image below to learn a little bit more about this initiative. Furthermore, as the students get certain number of points weekly, they also get certificates showing how they are contributing to both their own learning and that of others around the world. Congrats to Addison, Kaitlyn and Isabella who received certificates for this week and in some cases past weeks.
In French we did our regular journal entries on Monday, practiced our spelling words and Raz-kids books on Tuesday, learned about the present tense of the verbe aller, read a variety of french books with a buddy and had our usual spelling test. We will be focusing on a new verb every week moving forward and will also be starting a new book study shortly.
In English, we continued reading and answering questions about Wonder, continued working on our science and health connection through Planet Protectors academy (game shows, talking about food waste, etc.) and continued with our spelling practice and test. Although there will not be homework next week, we will continue working on our grammar again the following week as we continue exploring a variety of writing activities.
In Health we started talking about Healthy eating and what that means on day to day basis. We will continue exploring this area and will also start looking at the new Canada Food Guide. We often have Mme Annie also come in and do Mindfulness with us. In Religion we talked about Reconciliation and what that means and we will start preparing our hearts for Easter.
In Music we continued to learn new songs and we will start revisiting rhythm and beat as the songs become more and more complex. We will also continue composing as exploring and working through our own songs is one of the best ways to learn about notes, beat and rhythm.
What else did we do? We watched a wonderful presentation by Xavier, Addison and Myla on their favourite pets. They have demonstrated a good mastery of using Google Slides. We also had some free choice time this week where the majority of students were working on their own google slides. We will find time to present these to the class as well. I think we have Google Slides fever in our classroom :).
I also brought into the classroom a chess set to allow students to not only learn how to play chess but also use their time strategizing with friends. It has been a great success so I am planning on bringing in a few more sets as many wanted to learn or try.
Finally, on Friday afternoon we had a beautiful concert hosted by a
String Quartet from the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. The students simply soaked up the music and the presenters were just amazing. I loved how enthusiastic my students were about talking about instruments and especially when they played a piece by Mozart, whom we used to inspire us to write our own music. We certainly are a lucky school to have had such performance in our gym.
2019 Orange Shirt Day Logo Contests:
Orange Shirt day will be coming up again in the fall of 2019, and there is a logo design contest that is now open to all students. If anyone would like to participate in this contest, please check out the link below.
Submissions due: Friday May 17
Homework:
- Raz-kids French books (Assignment Feb 4 - Feb 8) - due Feb. 11
- Math homework - semaine 18 - all due Feb. 11 (WILL REVIEW ANSWERS ON MONDAY)
NO SPELLING TESTS THIS WEEK!
Upcoming Important Dates:
Monday, February 11 (Jour 2)
- Hymn Sing
- FNMI mini lesson
- Gym
Tuesday, February 12 (Jour 3)
Wednesday, February 13 (Jour 4)
- Library (Learning Commons)
- Sport Club
- Math Quiz
Thursday, February 14
- PD DAY - VALENTINE'S DAY
Friday, February 15
- PD DAY
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Monday, February 18
- FAMILY DAY
Tuesday, February 19 (Jour 5)
Wednesday, February 20 (Jour 6)
- Gym
- Popcorn Day
Thursday, February 21 (Jour 1)
- Math Quiz
Friday, February 22 (Jour 2)
- Hymn Sing
- Gym
- Spelling Tests
LOOKING AHEAD:
- February 25-27 - Netball (Grades 3-6)
- February 27 - Pink Shirt Day
- March 5 - Shrove Tuesday
- March 6 - Ash Wednesday Celebration @ 1:30 PM (hosted by Grade 4)
- March 8 - Report Cards go home
- March 14, 15 - Parent/Teacher Interviews
Have a warm and wonderful weekend!
