Weekly Update - Sept 12

It was so nice to see so many families at the corn roast last night! What a lovely way to celebrate the beginning of the school year.  

Highlights of the Week: 

• ELAL – This week we focused on sentence writing and how to stretch our sentences using the various parts of speech coupled with the five W’s and H. Students also practiced this skill by completing some silly Mad Libs. We continued our reading Fish in a Tree this week and were able to do a hands-on activity from the novel where students had to guess what was in various mystery boxes. 
• Math – Students created a mandala that used rotational symmetry, learned about congruent shapes, and completed a first mini check-in about symmetry.  
• Science – both grade 5 and 6 students were introduced to our first unit, Matter. They participated in a simulation representing the particles of matter and learned about the steps of the Scientific Method. We did an experiment using hot and cold water mixed with food colouring to see how temperature affects the movement of particles. 
• Social - 
• 5: We created a visual journal page about different types of government and who makes decisions. (one person, few, or many) 
• 6: Learned about the three different levels of government in Canada and what they are responsible for.  
• Art – Most students have finished their self-portraits and we have now moved on to a new project for Art Cards.  

How you can support at home: 

• Math – work on basic math facts (addition/subtraction -- skip counting by 2's, 3's, 5's and 10's from various starting points) 
• ELAL – Practice adding details and stretching sentences using the 5 W’s and H. Continue reading at home.  

Important Dates:

• Apple Order Pick-up – Sept 23 
• School Council Meeting – Sept 25 
• Orange Shirt Day – Sept 26 
• No School – Sept 29/30 
• Terry Fox – Oct 3 

Reminders: 

• Snack/Lunch – We are encouraging students to bring grab and go snacks to avoid eating their lunches during snack time if possible.   
• Indoor/Outdoor Shoes – Please send your child with indoor & outdoor shoes to keep the school clean. We encourage students to wear shoes that can be worn during physical activities both in and outdoors. 
• Weather – We will continue to have learning opportunities outside, please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather. 
• Online Forms – Please complete the demographic, citizenship and authorization forms. 

Learning Intention of Week: Journalling – Up Down All Around 

We are learning to develop our observational journaling skills by recording detailed sensory information. We practiced this by dividing our visual journal page into four sections and documenting what we saw, heard, felt, and noticed in all directions — in front, above, below, to the left, and to the right. 

We will continue to add different journalling techniques to our repertoire throughout the school year. This will prepare us for our Open Minds field trip and other land-based learning in our community.