Please try the link for the library, to hear our first Podcast! The kids were all given a part of the April newsletter to practice reading, and then Mrs. P. recorded them. She is so very technologically savvy!
Also, check out the Vancouver Sun Math Matters link. There are wonderful articles for parents, as well as links for kids!
Dear Families;
As you know, we’re working with fractions and decimals in math. One of the big concepts for kids to master is that of equivalency. Try some of these sites for practice:
http://www.learningplanet.com/sam/ff/index.asp Speed-based- would be best for those already quite familiar
http://www.funbrain.com/fract/index.html
http://www.theproblemsite.com/games/fraction_concentration.asp Good for 2 players
http://www.freewebs.com/weddell/Equiv%20Fractions%20Contents.html Probably my favourite- make your own equivalent fractions
April is Poetry month! Kids are bringing home an assignment for poetry month- read lots of poems, choose one to share, copy it and read it out loud to the class. Dates for projects are posted on our agenda board in the classroom.
Hello Families;
As I write this- it almost feels like spring outside! The sun is shining, giving us some hope! You have probably heard by now that the PAC is having a Silent Auction in May to raise money for our new playground. Each classroom will create a themed gift basket for auction. Our theme is gardening. We have a box in the classroom to collect items for our basket. Things for the basket may include gift certificates for garden centres, garden tools and gloves, seeds, or garden ornaments. Be creative, and thank you for your contributions.
Also coming up is our Family Dance sponsored by the French department. French Canadian dancers have been hired for the event, and traditional sugar pie will be sold for $2.50 a slice. Tickets are available at the door, and cost only $2.00 per family! The dance will be held Thursday, May 2 from 6:30 to 8:00 in our gym. Other events:
April 10 & 13 Good Friday and Easter Monday
April 15 Cross Country meet at Beaver Lake
April 17 Non-Instructional Day
April 22 Cross Country meet at Centennial Park
April 23 School-wide Jump Rope for Heart event
April 28, 7:00 ROMS meeting for grade 5 parents at CBay
April 30 ROMS visit for grade 5 students
Curricular Highlights:
In Language Arts we are reading Hatchet by Gary Paulsen- a fabulous and favourite adventure book. Lessons will be on various comprehension strategies, but will focus on summarizing. The kids will have a final project to complete and share. Writer’s Workshop continues- with a focus on editing and revising.
In Mathematics we have just begun a fractions and decimals unit, starting with equivalent fractions.
In Science, for the remainder of the year we will continue to learn about designing experiments. Our next units will be Forces and Simple Machines and Renewable and Non-Renewable Resources. With spring arriving shortly we will use it as a good opportunity to learn about biodiversity and keep a field/nature journal. As one of our learning tools, we will be using the ”Ology” section of the American Museum of Natural History’s website. To visit this great site, go to http://www.amnh.org/ology/. It’s fantastic!
Report Cards have just gone home- if you have questions or concerns about your child’s report, please contact us at school.
Mrs. M. and Ms. M
Kids-
If you’re interested in taking part in the Bookmark Design Contest that Mrs. P told us about, the link is under the “Resources for Kids” heading on our blog. The templates are there, as well as information about the contest. Remember, there’s a $50 gift certificate for books as a prize!
Mrs. M
Hello Families;
Welcome to the week before the week before Spring Break! We have begun a new unit in math, working with number patterns. So far, this has been a popular unit, as we all look forward to using patterns to save us a little work! Number patterns may include increasing patterns (6, 9, 12, 15, 18), alternating patterns (4, 13, 11, 20, 18), and decreasing patterns (87, 74, 61, 48, 35). We are also using operations to create patterns (each time, multiply the number by 6).
The kids have been working with a Writer’s Workshop format for the past month, working through the writing process to complete a fictional piece of writing. The students are working relatively independently, to allow me to meet with small groups for guidance and peer support. Their writing is fabulous- this group is particularly talented at beginning stories in a way that grabs the reader’s attention! Our largest challenge (as is usually the case with kids in the intermediate grades) is editing and revising independently.
An evening to familiarize parents with the FRIENDS for Life program is coming up on March 25, 2009. FRIENDS is a program for kids in grades 4, 5, and 7 (all or most of our kids had the program in grade 4) to help them understand and manage their worries. This event will be held at the SJ Willis Auditorium from 6:30-9:30 and refreshments will be served. It doesn’t appear as though people need to RSVP.
Upcoming Events:
Report Cards will come home by the end of March (after Spring Break).
Basketball Jamboree Friday March 6, 12:00
CBay Movie Night Friday March 6
Next Wednesday, March 12 is an Early Dismissal day (dismissal at 1:40).
Hot Lunch Friday March 13
Alberta Opera (The Frog Prince) Wednesday March 25
Maturation Lessons with our nurse, March 26 and 27
Mrs. M. and Ms. M.
Yesterday we were pleased to have Mr. W.(principal), Mrs. H.(vice-principal) and Mr. M.(counselor) from ROMS visit the PAC meeting. The purpose of their visit was threefold: to disspell rumours about substance abuse, talk about support students receive to help them make good choices, and to share the great things going on at the school. Mr. W. will return to CBS after spring break to meet with only grade 5 parents, and will be taking appointments to talk about your child, if you’d like one.
Stay tuned for information about a Camp T. meeting next week!
This year, we are trying something different for Valentine’s Day. We’ve calculated that our school will exchange 6850 Valentines. We want to make a difference by reducing our Valentines from over 400 to just 42 pieces of paper. Each student will receive a piece of scrap paper with sentiments about a classmate, from the rest of the class. They’ll also get a piece of scrapbook paper to make into a special Valentine for that person. To make it special, kids are encouraged to decorate it neatly and return it carefully.
Hello families;
Calendar updates:
As our music teacher has been away sick for some time, the staff has decided to postpone our presentation of Ging Gong the Cat. This also impacts ‘wear red for Chinese New Year’ as we had intended to go for a whole-school walk after our rehearsal. We will however be having a Family Group assembly at 10:00 on February 6. As always, parents are welcome to attend. There will be a Chinese New Year-themed presentation. Also, please note that the Book Fair is coming to our library February 3-5. Make sure to visit!
I’m sure you heard about one of our classmates having an accident while we were skating earlier this week. He and his family and I were so impressed by the response of the other children in the class. He received phone calls and even hand-delivered cards, wishing him well. What a wonderful group of children this is!
Homework Reminders:
Next Tuesday, math bags will be coming home again. Math bags are intended to be used by the child and a parent (and in some cases a sibling as well). Each bag contains an activity based on general number concepts. About this time of year, those who have returned their bags on a regular basis will start getting repeats. No big deal! Try them again! If your child does not bring home a bag on Tuesday, it means they have one at home already. Please help them to find and return the bag. Activities can be done more than once during the week, and should not be returned until the following Tuesday.
As for spelling, the children brought home their first list for 2009 this Monday. The list is written in a grid so that the words can be cut out and physically sorted into categories. This sorting helps children to recognize patterns in the ways words are spelled, and to transfer that knowledge to other words they encounter when reading and writing. The children each have a spelling partner to work with during the week, and the partners test each other on Friday mornings.
Can you believe it’s almost February??
Mrs. M and Ms. M
Mark your calendars!
Monday, January 19 skating at Panorama
Monday, January 26 wear red to celebrate Chinese New Year
Tuesday, January 27 Ging Gong performance 1:30 pm (parents welcome)
Wednesday, January 28 Family Literacy Day- adults invited to read to kids at 9:00 am
Tuesday, February 17 Emily Carr String Quartet to perform for grade 4 and 5 students
Thursday, February 19 Skating at Panorama
Wednesday, February 25 Grade 5′s to UVic for Symphony performance
This has been a great week! Volunteers were here from the Art Gallery on Wednesday, bringing with them many pieces of art for discussion. It was amazing to hear the insightful and creative comments your children had about the subjects, style and mood of the pieces! They also began their own pieces, combining line with shape and colour.
On Thursday, our drumming workshops went very well! I hope your kids have told you about the work they did. Our instructor had over 100 drums, so that everyone had one to play. The grade 4 and 5 students benefited from two sessions, before performing for the school in the afternoon.
You may have seen in the newspaper yesterday an ad for the Art Gallery. The third Sunday of each month is dedicated to families. From 2-4 pm on these days, families can enjoy storytelling, demonstrations and hands-on projects. Sounds like fun!
Mrs. M and Ms. M
