Weekly Update - January 9

Happy New Year everyone! It’s been a wonderful week back at TRS. We hope everyone enjoyed their breaks and are excited to be back at school. 

Highlights of the Week: 

• ELAL – We spent time this week working on a new short story. Students tried a new technique to plan and write the first draft of their stories. They had the choice of 3 inspiration photo prompts to take information for their stories and used story mapping boxes to flesh out the details. From there they wrote their stories in 5 chunks to ensure they were including all necessary story elements. 
• Math – Students had a refresher on factors and GCF before moving into prime factorization. We also started multiplication this week and students filled out a multiplication chart and learned a math game called Multiplication Squares. Students were then introduced to the Lattice Method for multiplication. 
• Science –  
• Grade 5 – students started their new unit this week, Energy 1, which focuses on forces of flight. They were introduced to the 4 forces: thrust, drag, lift, and weight through various demonstrations and a short video. 
• Grade 6 – we started our Energy 1 unit this week, which looks at internal forces: compression, tension, shear and torsion. Students helped to demonstrate each force and also watched a video to reinforce the concepts. 
• Social –  
• Grade 5 – each student chose an innovation and worked on researching how it started in an ancient civilization, what it looks like now, and created an idea of what it could look like in the future.  
• Grade 6 – students made a visual journal page and watched a video to learn about the Haudenosaunee people.   

How can you support at home:

• Homework – we sent home a factorization and lattice method worksheet  
• Please note that we are only sending home 1 piece of homework a week. Due to rising printing costs, we are unable to provide extra worksheets this year. However, your child is welcome to bring home their in-class work for reference to practice at home. 
• Math – Work on multiplication facts. 
• ELAL – Reading out loud with your child and having them make connections to themselves, different texts they’ve read, and world events. 

Important Dates: 

• Alien In-Line – January 12-16 
• Healthy Hunger (Papa Johns) – January 15 
• Elder Visit – January 21 
• Healthy Hunger (Jelly Modern) – January 29 
• Non-instruction Day (No school) – January 30 
• Teachers’ Convention (No school) - February 12/13 
• Family Day (No school) - February 16 

Reminders: 

• Alien In-line – We will not need any volunteers this year.  
• Monday, Wednesday, Friday @ 8:50am 
• Polar Tiger Club – forms went home today. Please send back if you would like your child to be able to go outside when it’s colder than –20. 
• Homework Club – Mr. B and Ms. Hassen will be starting a homework club after school once a week. Stay tuned for more info! 

Learning Intention of the Week –   

Word of the Year 

Instead of making resolutions, students chose a word they wanted to live their year by. They chose words that were meaningful to them and that they could embody through activities and mindset. They wrote short paragraphs about the importance of their chosen words and what that might look like throughout the year. To represent their Word of the Year and keep it in the forefront of their minds, students created keychains to keep with them as reminders. 

Art – Watercolour Birch Trees 

We created a birch tree winter scene using a few techniques. Students started by using masking tape to create the outline of tree trunks. They ripped the tape in half to create an uneven, natural looking edge. Once their trees were taped, they used a white crayon to create the horizon and ground. From there, students used watercolours to create a sunset background behind the trees. They painted watercolour over top of the crayon to create a resist resulting in a reflective and lighter foreground. The final step was to remove the tape and add the birch tree pattern using a piece of card stock. Students dipped the strip of card stock in paint and used a dragging motion to create the tree pattern from the thin edge.