A couple of quick updates:

• Showing the Setting assignments in LA are due Friday (along with Spelling assignment #2). Please check in with your child about their progress towards completion.  
• Friday we will be having a Terry Fox run!  This is great news and we are very excited that we have found a way to still make this important event happen during our Friday morning.  Students are asked to bring a toonie for Terry to help support Cancer research.

Finally - we spent some time in class Tuesday discussing why we wear a mask and the importance of doing this.  As we've all adjusted to what school is like after some initial questions, we're noticed that some students have become relaxed in their attitude towards wearing their masks near others while at play or even when turning to talk to someone in the classroom.  Please take some time soon to talk again with your child and remind them of the importance of this - for their classmates and our staff at the school, as well as for family and community members.  We're all in this together. Let's work together so we all stay healthy!

Thank you for all that you do!

Tina

 Week of Sept 28

Monday:  This week's homework assignment is Spelling.  List #2 and assignment #2.  Please help your child to study any words from their pre-test that they may need to practice and help them to remember they have an assignment too.  This week they start by writing all 10 words.  Then use each word correctly in it's own sentence (including capital letters and punctuation please :)

Tuesday:  Picture day!  Picture time for our class is after morning recess.  

Wednesday: Orange shirt day - please help your child to participate in this important day with an orange item.  We will be talking a little bit in class about Orange shirt day, the history and beginning of it as well as an introduction to what reconciliation means and its importance for all Canadians.  If you feel comfortable also talking about these topics at home I would encourage you to do so. 

Thursday:

Friday (Half day):  Terry Fox Run  - it's going to look different this year but we're working to find a way to still make it work.  I'll let you know more when we know too :)  

Spelling test and assignments are due. 

                                                        --------------------

Currently in LA we are working on a project called Showing the Setting  to find quotes from our novel that show information about the initial setting.  Once students have collected their quotes and have explained what they mean in terms of the "looks" of the setting they will be moving on to creating the setting.  This project is open to any style for showcasing the setting as long as it includes the main components from the story.  In class we brainstormed ways like: a 3D sketch, diorama, Lego creation, papermache or plasticine, online creation... 

As long as students can source the materials they needs, and can work on it in class, they are welcome to choose a style that appeals to them or uses something they consider a strength.  (I have paper or course available as well as our chromebooks but other specialized items would need to come from home).  Most students will be ready to start Tuesday (Wednesday at the latest) with their creation. 

 Week of Sept.22

Monday: Math weekly homework assignment should have come home.  To be completed by Friday morning.  Students can use any strategy to help them find the answer, and parents are encouraged to be involved.  This should help you to also understand your child's comfort level with the basic math concepts that we practice in this assignment.

Tuesday:  LGMS Virtual Open House coming to you from our office.  Please take a few minutes with your child to look through the slides and watch the video for our class.

Wednesday:

Thursday: Reading records are due. Though we complete the work in class after sustained reading times, please take a moment to look through and discuss with your child their responses before you sign this homework.  I will be looking for detailed answers that help to show their understanding of chapter books that they have chosen.  

Friday: Math weekly is due

Here's a peak at our shady, wifi compatible outdoor learning classroom yesterday as we worked in groups on a pre-reading assignment for the novel "The Nose from Jupiter".

 Week of Sept.14

Monday: 

• Spelling pre-test #1 completed in class today.  Your child should have their spelling duotang in their agendas tonight.  They have 10 words to study and one short assignment to complete in their duotang by Friday morning.  Please help them to spot their errors in their pre-test so they can work to master these for the test Friday.   (Spelling words are also available on our blog under LA, then scroll down to find spelling lists)
• Please collect science supplies in a labelled ziploc for our class Wednesday (only a few of each item are needed for us to build wind vanes).  Supplies: wood skewer, straws, string, pen lid, cardboard, plastic/styrofoam/paper cup

Tuesday:

• We are nearing the end of our practice with reading and writing math numbers.  Please ask your child to explain to you how to show a number in these 4 ways - In words: fifty two thousand, four hundred sixteen and three tenths  In standard form: 52 416.3  Model (this is putting dots to show each digit) Expanded form: 50 000+ 2 000+ 400+ 10+ 6+ 0.3

Wednesday:

• Science supplies needed

Thursday: 

• Complete spelling assignment if it's not done yet, make sure spelling duotangs come back to class for Friday morning please

Friday:  Half day

• Spelling test and assignments are due

Here are a couple of pictures from our lab today.  We are using spirals to try and detect the hot air rising off a candle (this works even better if you place a few candles in a tin can to get a nice hot stream of air rising so it's worth trying again at home too :)

 Take a look at our great Getting to Know you Cookies.  (if the powerpoint of pictures don't play for you automatically, please go take a look at them on our blog  https://mrsbsmartcookies.blogspot.com/

 Dear parents,

The school is still working on setting up Chromebook carts for classes. As we cannot share material, we will be assigning one device per student. Since we can no longer share carts between classes, we currently do not have enough devices to assign one per student. The school has ordered more Chromebooks but the order has not yet come and we are expecting it to be delayed.

The school is asking any students that are capable of bringing their own device to do so. This is not mandatory and we understand that this added responsibility may be challenging for students. We've been asked for now to survey who could bring their own devices (it would need to be here daily). The school will provide devices to older grades first and then work down the grades.

I love the tools that come built into having technology in our classroom and I would of course like to get students started sooner rather than later, as this would facilitate continuing a project started in class should a student need to isolate at home.

Please let us know if your child would be able to bring their own device to school. 

Thank you,

Tina Blackwell

tina.blackwell@crps.ca

 Week of Sept.8-11

Normally on my weekly update I will let you know about upcoming due dates or activities.  Right now we are still working on developing routines and there will not be a weekly homework assignment (we will begin next week) but here is an overview about what we'll be learning in each subject.

Math - place value and reading numbers up to millions and down to Thousandths  (did you know that when reading math numbers correctly the only time you should say AND is where the decimal is?  So many of us do this ourselves, but to help your child, try to be mindful with how you read numbers too).  Ex: 14 800.3 you read as fourteen thousand, eight hundred and three tenths

LA - reading comprehension and responding to different styles of writing - we will be beginning a class novel together this week called The Nose from Jupiter.  This silly and fun story has a really great message about making positive choices (but if you hear your child talking about an alien in a boys nose... that's the main story line in this book :)  

      * Also we will be starting Reading Records next week.  Each child needs a chapter book at their reading level to complete this assignment in school.  It can be a reread of a favorite or a new book.  Though I do have an extensive class library because of the need to quarantine books between users having students choose a new book in class is a little more difficult this year so if you have a collection of books at home, please send your child with a couple to keep at school. 

Science - our first unit this year is about weather.  There will be some supplies to collect for items we will be building to measure weather (starting to collect them now might be helpful :)   Wooden skewers, plastic straws, string, cardboard and a clean tin can - We don't need many of any of this things just a few of each but if you could start a pile at home I will let everyone know when we need them.

Social - Canada and mapping skills.  We'll be doing a little grid work, using legends and compass roses as well as checking in on general facts about Canada.

Finally - thank you to everyone that has been able to find a clipboard for your child - the weather looks pretty good this week so I'm hopeful we'll be able to do some classes outside and a clipboard really helps to keep pages from flying around in the wind!

Any questions or comments - please send them my way at Tina.Blackwell@crps.ca  (please don't hit reply to this email because it is being forwarded from the blog update software so won't get to me)

  Woo Hoo!  On Thursday, based on numbers of home school and on site students at LGMS we expected to need to make changes to classrooms -  but I am very happy to say that Tuesday morning we will be back in our homeroom all together.  No grade 5 students are being moved in or out so we will all still be together in our grade 5 classroom Tuesday just like we were last week! 

A big thank you goes out to our admins and head office staff for finding a way to help us to all stay together to continue our learning journey that we just got started on for this year.  

Since we talked about possible changes in our classroom Thursday morning to help prepare students if class looked different this coming week, please pass along this great news to your child and let them know that I am very much looking forward to seeing them again Tuesday morning.

Have a great weekend!