Finishing up before the holidays with PJs and Home Alone! 

Merry Christmas everyone!

Tonight is our Christmas concert.  Please have students join me in the classroom at about 6:30.
Concert starts at 7:00.

Dress in Christmas colours, with a scarf and a Santa hat or reindeer antlers if possible.

The holidays are almost here and I recognize that this will be a busy week for families as many of you get ready to travel or host others so there will be no homework assignments this week.

Some students, have some catch up assignments and reading records to complete, but there will be no new assigned reading record or spelling words until January.  Please check in with your child to see if they have work to get caught up on, keep reading and enjoy the bustle of the holidays!

LGMS Christmas concert is next Tuesday, Dec.20th at 7:00.

Grade five students are asked to arrive by 6:30 and be dressed in a red,white or green shirt with a scarf and a Santa hat or antlers if possible.

Concert from 7:00-8:00

Separation Challenge Lab  - do you think you could have separated these mixtures?

Paper and paperclips

Lemon juice and glue

Coloured water, sugar and styrofoam

Pennies and flour

Rubbing alcohol and water

Cereal and plastic beads

Lemon juice and styrofoam

Toothpicks and chia seeds

Lemon juice and toothpicks

Rice and iron filings

Please watch for a gymnastics field trip form and waiver coming home tonight.  I would like both pages to be returned to me before Christmas break.

Tuesday afternoon - we will be walking to CCHS to watch a dress rehearsal of Shrek the Musical.  Please make sure to have appropriate outdoor clothing for the walk.

Friday - Math weekly #3 is due

Also please remember that there is a weekly reading record that needs to be all the way filled in before handing it in each Monday.  Many students did not turn in their reading records this morning. Please check in with your child about this work.   Each reading record has 5 sections to be completed either daily, or at any time that a book has been read for over ten minutes at a time.

We're invited!

We have been invited, along with three other classes from our school, to watch the dress rehearsal of Shrek the Musical at CCHS this Tuesday afternoon.

We will leave here to walk to the high school a little after 1:00 and we will be picked up by our buses to return us to school in time for dismissal.  Please make sure that your child comes to school in clothing appropriate for the weather since we will be making our own way to CCHS by foot.

Today we started using Prodigy.  It is a math game that helps to build math skills set in a fun fantasy world.  It also gives me feedback about the amount of practice times and the skills being worked on. For anyone that has not yet joined our class, go to  prodigygame.com/play.  Students need to log in using their first name and last initial then enter our class code: RS5RCW

A login name will be made (it usually is the first name, last initial and some numbers).  Students always use that same login each time along with their password.  Everyone that loged in this afternoon can see their login name by clicking here (passwords are hidden).

Math practice is a great thing to do on a cold weekend :)

This morning we were working to separate mixtures of solids - some worked well with the help of a magnet, some floated apart using water... and others were more difficult!  We found out that most pennies aren't magnetic, and neither is tinfoil.  We also discovered that adding water to powered milk makes it hard to give back the powdered milk because it has changed states.

Thursday we have our We Day bake sale.  

To participate in this fund raising event, send your child with a dollar or two to buy a treat!

Tomorrow grade fives have their next round of inoculations so please check that sleeves are loose or sweaters can easily be taken off to make things easier and quicker.   Students are welcome to bring a comfort stuffy to help bolster their courage if they need it.

Important things happening this week:

Tuesday:  Poetry reviews are due.  Like a book review, poetry reviews show understanding of a poem (students had the choice of 5 different poems) and students are also asked to use the poem to give evidence that supports their answer.

Wednesday: In grade 5 our next round of inoculations will take place in the morning.

Thursday:  Bake sale and December book orders are due (book orders can be paid by check or online with VISA, then send the order form with your payment reference filled in - please remember to also circle the books ordered :)

Friday: Spelling assignment #2 is due in the morning when we complete our test

* reminder that for every week there is a reading record for students to complete to show their understanding of the books they are reading.  These are due Monday morning and they should be signed by parents when they are complete*

Non-Newtonian fluids have properties of both liquids and solids.  Today we tried to classify this unknown substance using a series of tests.  You can make it at home too.  It's easy and non-toxic.  Use a ratio of about 4:1 of corn starch to water.  (Ex: 1c corn starch plus about 1/4c water).
Here are some great pictures, then follow the link to the folder to see some of our videos too!

Just a reminder that this Friday is a half day for students and that there are a few items due to be turned in by Friday as well.
- science "states of matter" posters are now due Friday instead of tomorrow to allow for a little more finishing up before they are turned in.
- also Friday this week's Math Weekly homework assignment is due. Big congrats to all of the Smart Cookies out there that have already turned them in!!

Tonight you should have also seen a mark in agendas /15 for our first, totally online, quiz about the Arctic Region of Canada. Students can access this from their email to show you even more.

Updated on the blog - as well as being able to find this week's spelling words and assignment on the LA resources page I have also added links to the math weekly assignments on the bottom of the math page.  This week students are completing Math Weekly #2.

Just a quick reminder that this week's homework assignment is Math Weekly #2. It is due first thing Friday morning. Please take a few minutes this week to check in with your child and have them explain their answers to you. 

Also a reminder to keep reading!  Reading records are to completed daily and get turned in after each weekend. Thanks!

And some more literacy pictures including a guest reading by Mme.Trottier.

Pictures for you from our PJ literacy afternoon.

Please come by and join me in the classroom tonight at 6:30.  The front doors will be open.  Come by to introduce yourselves and to learn a little more about my teaching background, to see the great resources available on our blog, and to ask any questions you may have.  I look forward to getting the chance to talk with you.

Additionally, tomorrow is our PJ literacy afternoon.  Students are invited to bring things to make their reading space comfy, their PJs to change into a lunch and a few favorite books to enjoy.  Attached is a link to a checklist and goal setting page that we will be using in the afternoon.  

Our first spelling test will also take place tomorrow morning.  This week's dot-to-dot brain activity (assignment #1) is also due at that time.

This Friday is our Pajama Literacy afternoon. It's a time to be comfy and cozy and curl up with a great book or two for a sustained period of time.

Students will be asked to set two specific goals about their reading for the afternoon. A few examples of possible goals:  “I will read one whole book today.”  “ I will read for 20 minutes at a time, and switch between (title of book) and (title of book).” “I will ask myself good questions about my understanding of my book.” “I will make connections to my own life when reading my book.”

Students may change into pajamas in the afternoon, bring teddy bears, pillows, blankets and therma rests to make their reading space more comfortable. Students are also encouraged to bring snacks and their water bottles to stay energized and hydrated throughout the day. As always, student will be encouraged to take body breaks when needed.

What a great day.  I am so proud of everyone in our class!

 This afternoon we attempted some reorganization so that we could create and set up class portfolios.  Even though organization can be a struggle, everyone practiced their patience and stayed positive.

These newly created portfolios can be found at the back of the classroom and will contain summative assignments that go towards report cards in the core subject areas.  They are a great way for students and parents to look for growth, or areas for improvement, as the year progresses.  These are always available in the classroom, and please just ask any time if you would like to borrow your child's over night to see how they are doing.  (as a result of this reorganizing, there are also a lot of practice pages from the beginning of the year coming home tonight :)

Welcome to another wonderful week here at LGMS.  A few important dates this week:

Thursday -  I will be hosting an open house in our classroom from 6:30 - 7:15.  If you are able to come by for a 6:30 start I will talk a little about my teaching background and explain how to access resources on our classroom blog.  I would love a chance to get to meet those of you I haven't already caught up with, and I'm here to answer any questions you might have about changes since the transition.  If you aren't able to come by, please let me know how else we can connect at another time.

Friday - This week's homework assignment is spelling.  Studying 10 words, and completing the brain exercise assignment #1.  Students have the assignments explained and shown in their duotang (page two) and they also have their spelling list.  The assignment list is also posted on this blog on the LA resources page.
           - Book orders (handed out by Miss.K) are also due back with a check made out to Scholastic
           - And finally - this Friday we are having a literacy and Pajama afternoon!  Students can bring their comfy PJs to change into at lunch and we'll be curling up with some great books and literacy activities after lunch.  More info. to come.

Today we also spent some time talking about different learning styles and preferences.  These are called multiple intelligences and they can help students to understand their best ways to learn. Please take a look at the results that should have come home, and maybe even try it yourself!

Have a great weekend. 

As promised - here are the rest of our terrific weather forecaster.  Everyone has now finished and we will be moving on next to our Chemistry unit. 

Congratulations to all of our brave weather forecasters that presented today!