Week of June 19-23

This is our last full week of school!  It is going to be a busy one, finishing up curriculum and practicing our French plays.

Notes:

• Mrs. Chase has a summer reading challenge for the kids in celebration of Canada 150!
• We have two special guests coming from High Fitness to do our Tone It Up Tuesday with us!  Be sure to dress for working out!
• Mark  your calendars for next week's trip to Westminster pool.  We could use some parent volunteers so if you can join us Wednesday afternoon (June 28, 1-3 p.m.), that would be great!  We need people who can walk to and from the pool with us, people to be in the water, and people there to help monitor change rooms, etc.  Let me know if you can come!

Curriculum:

• Math: We will take a quick look at ways to compare numbers in Venn and Carroll Diagrams, and we will do a mini unit in geometry.  You can help at home by giving your child a set of numbers to sort into categories.  You can give them the categories or they can figure out the categories.  With geometry, the main focus is pyramids and prisms.  Look around, where can you find them?
• L.A.
• We will be finishing our read aloud book, "We All Fall Down" and do some final journal entries and fun writing activities.
• Science: Our building unit will conclude with linkages, air propelled vehicles, stored energy, simple forces (e.g. gravity) and water propelled vehicles.
• Social: We have a little more to learn about Alberta becoming a province and homesteading etc.

This Week's Schedule:
Monday:

• Library books are now past due

Tuesday:

• Hot lunch
• Energy Day Assembly 12:45
• High Fitness workout in the afternoon

Friday:

• "Alice in Wonderland" put on by our very own Drama Club
• Frolicking Friday

Welcome to this rainy Monday!  I hope everyone was able to enjoy the sunshine of the weekend.

Notes:

• A letter about an 1800s school day is coming home today.  This will take place next Tuesday the day after our trip to Fort Macleod.  This is a really fun way to learn about the past and I encourage all students to participate in dressing up - even just a little.
• I would like to remind students to have a water bottle they can bring into class for the hot days that are coming back after the rain (30 by Thursday!).  It disrupts learning to have to go to the water fountain.

Curriculum:

• Math: We will be studying area this week.  You can help at home by having your child cover an object with shapes (e.g. the cover of a book with sticky notes) to see what the area of it is.
• L.A.
• Writing: We will finish our book, "Fatty Legs" this week.  You can help at home by asking your child what the book was about, who the main character was, what the problem in the story was, what was learned by the main character, etc.
• Spelling: As mentioned last week we will be reviewing our lists through this month.
• Science: We will be having an open book test on plants tomorrow.  You can help at home by asking your child about the different parts of a plant and what each one does.
• Social: This week we will finish up our NWMP projects and continue learning about early settlement in Alberta.

This Week's Schedule:

Monday:

• Friday letters, treaties due

Tuesday:

• Library books due

Wednesday-Thursday:

• Regular days! Watch the agenda in case something comes up.

Friday:

• Frolicking Friday

We are heading into the home stretch now!  That being said, we will still be maintaining routines and teaching curriculum.  It is important for kids to come to school well rested and prepared for learning.  I would love to take them outside as much as possible both for PE and for other classes so please make sure your child comes with a hat and water bottle.

Notes:

• If you volunteered this year and did not get an invitation to the Volunteer Tea on Friday, please check with your child.  If it still doesn't turn up, please let me know!

Curriculum:

• Math: We will be reviewing multiplying and dividing bigger numbers and then having the test on that unit.  After that comes our unit on Area.
• L.A.
• Spelling: We are going to stop our formal lessons and instead do some review of the lists we have worked on this year.  This may come in the form of finishing lessons or playing games with the words.
• Writing: We are getting close to finishing our novel, "Fatty Legs."
• Science: This week we will be learning more about the inside of a seed and different types of seeds.
• Social: Our field trip to the cemetery ties in directly to our social studies curriculum.  We will also be learning more about the North West Mounted Police (mounted not mountain as some kids like to say ;) )

This Week's Schedule:
Monday:

• Friday Letters and library books due
• Energy Day Assembly 12:45

Tuesday:

• Yo-yo Empire assembly 9:00 a.m.
• Hot lunch
• Family Fun Night in the gym 6:00-7:15 p.m.

Wednesday:

• Cemetery Tour (we will have our lunch when we get back)

Friday:

• Volunteer Tea 10:15 a.m.

Week of May 22 - 26

My apologies for missing last week!  I hope you all had a restful, warm long weekend! 

Curriculum:

• Math: We are continuing to work on division.  Please help at home by continuing to practice basic multiplication and division.
• L.A.
• Writing: Our Fatty Legs novel study is about halfway complete.  We are learning some great skills when it comes to reading for information.
• Spelling: Lesson 16 assessment on Thursday.
• Science: We talked today about what plants need and we will also learn about seeds.
• Social: This week is learning about how Canada became a country, how the government convinced people to come out west and what they did to keep the settlers safe.

This Week's Schedule:
This is a very calm week!  Just the regular routines going on.  Please make sure your child has proper shoes for PE and a water bottle to bring in to class.  It is very disruptive when kids keep asking to go get a drink from the fountain. 

Week of May 8-12

It's sure looking green out there after all that rain!  I hope everyone was able to take in some "Vitamin N" over the weekend when the sun was shining.

Notes:

• This is our last week of gymnastics. Please be sure your child has proper clothing or they are not able to participate.

Curriculum:

• Math: We will continue multiplying 2-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers and then we will apply those skills to multiplying 3-digit by 1-digit.  Keep practicing those basic facts at home!!
• L.A.
• Spelling: Lesson 15 assessment this Thursday
• Writing: Our pun unit will finish off this week.
• Reading: We have just finished a book called, "Get Real!" which helps the kids learn to take care of their mental health.  On Wednesday we will start a novel study called, "Fatty Legs" that describes one girl's experience in a residential school.  You can help at home by talking to your child about what they have read.
• Science: Our bean plants are sprouting!  This week we will learn about roots and stems.  At home, ask your child what veggies they eat that are roots and stems!  The field trip to Helen Schuler will be a great supplement to our learning.
• Social: We will finish up our fur trade chapter by learning about the forts themselves and by the end of the week we will start learning about early settlement in Alberta.  You can get involved at home by discussing how your family came to Alberta.  Were they original settlers?  Recent immigrants?  Moved from another province like me? 
• Health: This week we will have our next lesson in the Kids in the Know program (see the letter that went home a while ago).

This Week's Schedule:
Monday:

• Friday Letters due
• Field trip to Helen Schuler

Tuesday:

• School Council meeting 6:30 p.m.
• Library books due

Friday:

• Enrichment
• Frolicking Friday

Week of May 1-5

It is really hard to believe that is it already MAY!!  I can't believe how fast the time is passing!

NOTES:

• Spring picture day is tomorrow.  All kids will get a picture taken and then you can choose if you would like to order them.
• Hats On for Mental Health this week, Wednesday May 3.
• Gymnastics continues this week and next, please have your child bring their change of clothes.
• T-shirts are needed this week. 
• NEW homework booklets are coming home.  Please read over the note that came with it.

CURRICULUM:

• Math: continuing on multiplication.  Please practice the basic facts at home.
• LA: exploring and learning about PUNS.  Ask your child what the three types of puns are.
• Social: learning about the voyageurs and David Thompson and the importance they had in charting the course for the Fur Trade and Canada.
• Science: we planted seeds today and we are learning about the products that plants make.

WEEK AT A GLANCE:
Monday

• Friday Letters due
• Fundraiser due for Booster Juice

Tuesday

• Library books due
• Spring Picture Day

Wednesday

• Hats ON for mental health

Thursday

• Patroller Training for the Grade 4's.  Ask your child about the information given to them

Friday

• Frolicking Friday
• Enrichment (day two of four)

April 10-14

A short week this week and then the break!  It's hard to believe that when we come back there will only be one week left of April and then it's just May and June!  Where did the time go?!

Notes:

• There is no school April 14 for Good Friday. 
• Easter break is from April 17-21 - no school
• April 24 is a learning day for staff - no school for students
• Gymnastics starts April 25 - please send proper gymnastics clothes (see note that went home)

Curriculum:

• Math - Finishing up decimals and then we will have an assessment on fractions and decimals on Thursday.  The patterns booklet that went home last week is for practice.  I recommend the kids work on it bit by bit rather than all at once.  These are important skills to build moving forward in math.
• L.A.
• Spelling: Lesson 14 begins today and new words are being sent home.
• Writing: We didn't get to typing our essays last week but we will this week!  We will also begin a unit on puns.
• Science: We will build our robots today and the Waste in Our World test is on Wednesday.  A study guide is coming home today and the answers are here on the blog.
• Social: We are taking a break from social this week as we have interruptions and other things we need to catch up on.

This Week's Schedule:
Monday:

• Friday Letters due
• Gymnastics note coming home
• Science study guide coming home

Tuesday:

• Library Books Due
• Learning Clicks careers presentation
• School Council meeting 6:30 p.m.

Thursday:

• Energy Day Assembly 12:45

Friday:

• No school - Happy Easter!  See you back on April 25!