Weekly Update - May 22

We’ve enjoyed the signs of “third” spring this week.  

Highlights of the Week: 

• ELAL – Students reviewed the different types of non-fiction and narrative writing we have done this year. They had the opportunity to practice different elements of each genre. Grade 6’s also had the opportunity to get familiar with the online PAT platform and do a practice written test on the topic of cooperation. 
• Math – Students were introduced to input-output machines, where they explored patterns by identifying rules and using given rules to generate patterns. Students then represented these patterns by graphing them on a coordinate grid.   
• Science –  
• Grade 6 – Students compared their ecosystems with a partner to learn about one of the other systems. If their brochure is not complete, it is now homework. Using a map, grade 6 also explored what factors are considered when choosing an energy source.  
• Grade 5 – Students started building their body systems with their groups using recycled materials. They will continue building next week.  

How you can support at home: 

• Homework –  
• Grade 5 – input/output tables 
• Grade 6 – math review package for PATs 
• Math – Work on basic facts of all operations to support algebra. 
• ELAL – Work on using clues in a text to make an inference.  

Important Dates:  

• School Council – May 27 
• Healthy Hunger (Jelly Modern) – May 28 
• Volunteer Tea – May 28 
• Patrol Field Trip – June 8  
• Communi-I-Tea – June 8 
• Healthy Hunger (Tim’s) – June 11 
• School Council – June 11  
• TB Riley Student Open House (walking field trip) – June 11  
• Healthy Hunger – (Jelly Modern) - June 18 
• Grade 6 Farewell – June 24 
• Sports Day – June 25 
• Last Day of School – June 26 

Grade 6 PAT Dates: 

• ELAL Part A (Writing) – May 25 **updated date 
• ELAL Part B (Reading) – June 4 
• Science – June 12 
• Math Part A (Computations) – June 15 
• Math Part B (All Stems) – June 18 

Reminders: 

• Patrol Field Trip Forms – If you’d like to volunteer – sign up on the volunteer sheet or let your child’s teacher know. 
• PAT Review – Math review packages went home this week. You can access practice tests here: https://abed.vretta.com/#/en/public-practice 
• Students will have plenty of opportunity to work on their reading and writing at school, however, here are some suggestions to support at home: 
• Have your child plan a story in 10 minutes with a prompt/theme 
• Give your child 20 minutes to write as much as they can towards a story 
• Practice a preferred style of non-fiction writing when given a prompt and practice planning under time constraints (persuasive, comparative, instructional, friendly letter, etc.) 
• What to focus on – grammar, punctuation, paragraphing, complete sentences 
• Students are given 2 hours to write both a fiction and non-fiction piece of writing during the PAT. They will be given an overarching topic, such as Friendship to write both pieces on. Typically, students will take 5-10 minutes to plan and organize their writing topic for each piece and then spend the remaining time typing their pieces. 

Learning Intention of the Week – Financial Literacy 

Grade 5 students explored the different expenses and financial responsibilities adults may face, including bills, unexpected costs, and life choices, through gameplay in The Game of Life or Payday. Students examined how decisions related to careers, spending, saving, and budgeting can impact a person’s financial situation, while tracking and recording expenses to share with the class. Students discussed what unexpected expenses occurred and then compared it to real life.