January 17th-21st

In Math, we focused on Tens Partner or Friends of Ten Addition Strategy. We think of all the ways that we can make 10. We used the ten frame as a tool to aid in our speed and accuracy.

In Language Arts, we have been focusing on writing more descriptive sentences by using colours, numbers, size and other adjectives to increase the length of our sentences. You can also practice this with your child during homework time.

In Social Studies, we are learning about maps and students will have the opportunity to create a community aerial map at the end of the unit.

We have started our colour unit in Science and will be creating beautiful artwork to demonstrate our skills of mixing colours in future tasks. We also created some snowman "looking up" winter art for the seasonal changes unit.

We created an academic goal and are working hard to make it happen by February. As a result, we have been practicing our song of perseverance for the upcoming assembly. Mrs. Taylor will send a link home soon. 

Book orders are due on Friday, January 28th. Our class code is RC184098.

Please refer to Mrs. Taylor’s email regarding masks and test kits. Please check your child’s backpack on Monday.

Upcoming Events:

Monday, 24^th: Please have all the correct pieces for the formal uniform, as we are filming our song for the assembly.

Wednesday, 26^th: Please return your library book for exchange

Friday, 28^th: Spelling test and homework is due.

Monday, 31^st: No School-Teacher Professional Development

January 10th-14th

It was great to see everyone in class this week. Students have been working hard this week to learn new skills.

In Math, we have started the doubles addition strategy. We had some visuals that helped us with remembering the addition facts to 20. We also continued working on open-ended word problems and creating new Ways to Make a specific number.

We are practicing writing more descriptive sentences in Language Arts.

In Social Studies, we had discussions about some good deeds that we could do for others and the benefits of this as well as belonging to groups.

We created some name Art to decorate our walls and spent time on revisiting our expected classroom behaviours and routines.

We are having a Character Assembly in late January. Our class is singing a song. Please help your child read and maybe sing along to the words on last week’s blog. Please make sure that your child is wearing their formal uniform each Monday, as we are filming parts of the assembly each week.

 

Upcoming Events:

Monday: Wear your formal uniform

Wednesday: Return your library books

Friday: Return your homework folders

         Spelling test

         Intramurals will start

In-class Learning will start on Monday, January 10th.

Be sure to stay home if you are not feeling well.

Please keep your homework folder at home until Friday, January 14^th. You will need it for this week’s homework. We will have a spelling test on Monday for the spelling words that you were learning over the break, and another test on Friday, 14th for this upcoming week’s words.

If you have some time over the next few weeks, can you please help your child with the words to the perseverance song that we will be doing for our character assembly in late January. You can also listen to the music and sing along. I will put a copy of the words in their poetry folders.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz9cpGHisCQ

Words for the song can be found by clicking HERE. Thanks for your support in helping us with the reading of the words. I so appreciate it!

Return to School Postponed

The Government of Alberta announced yesterday that school start up will be postponed until January 10th. There will not be any in-person or online classes from January 4th-7th. I will keep you posted as soon as I know more information.

Please be sure to read on RazKids this week. I changed some levels, so don't be too surprised when you go into your account.

Many Thanks

Thank you so much for your generosity. I received many gifts before the break and I am so grateful for all of you. There were a couple of gifts that did not have a name attached to them so I am very sorry if I missed you when I sent out my thank you emails. Continue to have a fun filled break with your family.

December 13th-17th

I hear that it has been a fun, busy week in room 11. We have reviewed many of the concepts that we have done this term but with a Christmas twist. Students should bring home a “Addition Bearded Santa”, a Polar bear piece of art, Christmas patterns and 2D shapes page, and a 3D decorated Christmas tree. Another time-consuming project is the wreath that is a symbol that can be modified to celebrate many celebrations such as Christmas, Halloween, Seasons, just by adding special symbols from that celebration, etc.

I have been away since Tuesday having a dental surgery. Things are going well and I will definitely be back in January. I even plan on attending tomorrow morning for a little while before the students go home to wish them all a great break!

If you celebrate Christmas, I like to take this opportunity to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. If not, I would like to wish you a great Winter Break! Enjoy your time together and be sure to count your many blessings. See you all on Tuesday, January 4, 2022.

 

Have fun over the Break!!!

I definitely miss you!!!

December 6th-10th

We had an online Earth Rangers presentation on Thursday. My students enjoyed learning about a variety of animals around the world and conservation efforts across Canada. Here is a link for more information: Earth Rangers App information

We are learning to add faster (fluency). Each week, my students will be doing a "Mad Math Minute," which will encourage them to use the strategies and tools I have taught in class to help them do their addition quicker. Practicing addition at home is also a great idea! We also did several open-ended Word Problems as a class. Have your child practice adding at home using a number line, one of the strategies we have learned the past two weeks. 

We learned about the difference between symbols, logos, and landmarks. We did a Visual Journal page about landmarks and I pulled students one at a time to articulate why these landmarks are important to our community. Everyone did a great job!

We made Shape Pizzas! We had to determine what we would want to add for toppings and then cut out and glue a variety of 2D shapes and colours onto our painted pizza dough. Finally, we had to count the shapes and write a recipe. We continued to practice sorting by attributes and explaining our sorting rule.

Future request: Save your wrapping paper rolls, since it is gift-giving season. We will need them in the Spring for Pioneer Day! (Please don’t send them until then.)

Upcoming Events

***Please do not go out and buy special things for the casual week, unless you want to. It is not required to enjoy the casual days.*

 

Monday, Dec 13^th: FANCY/FORMAL Christmas Attire/Formal Uniform if you do not celebrate or have fancy clothes.

Tuesday, Dec 14^th: Casual – Wear colours found in Christmas lights

Wednesday, Dec 15^th: Casual – Wear Santa hat, antlers or Elf hat

                -All library books must be returned before the break starts.

Thursday, Dec 16^th: Casual – Wear Christmas Sweater/Fun Lunch

Friday, Dec 17^th: Casual – PJ day/Last day before Winter Break

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

 

****Tuesday, January 4^th Classes Resume***

November 29th-December 3rd

We focused on the “turnaround” strategy for addition in Math this week. For example, 1+2=3 and 2+1=3 You get the same answer, the addends are just reversed or turned around (communitive property). We continue to work on open-ended word problems and providing at least three solutions with a picture, number sentence or equation, and word sentence. We also reviewed sorting rules this week. We are using buttons and 2D shapes to sort by categories (shape, colour, material, number of holes, and size) and then explain our sorting rules to a partner.

I have also been pulling students one-on-one to complete math assessments required by the government. These assessments will help show any gaps in the students learning and may help provide support (if needed) to the school later in the year.

In Social Studies, we continued to talk about our rights and responsibilities as grade one students and as children. Next week, we will continue to talk about landmarks and logos, and their roles in our community. 

Upcoming Events:

Monday, Dec. 6^th: Formal Uniform

Wednesday, Dec. 8^th: Library book exchange

Friday, Dec. 10^th: Homework is due/Spelling test

***Please do not go out and buy special things for the casual week, unless you want to. It is not required to enjoy the casual days.*

Monday, Dec 13^th: FANCY/FORMAL Christmas Attire/Formal Uniform if you do not celebrate or have fancy clothes.

Tuesday, Dec 14^th: Casual – Wear colours found in Christmas lights

Wednesday, Dec 15^th: Casual – Wear Santa hat, antlers or Elf hat

-All library books must be returned before the break starts.

Thursday, Dec 16^th: Casual – Christmas Sweater/Fun Lunch

Friday, Dec 17^th: Casual – PJ day/Last day before Winter Break

 

November 22nd - 25th

It was great to get the chance to chat with you about your child’s progress during conferences on Thursday and Friday.

In Science, we completed a Taste Test where students got to taste certain food and identify the flavour. We tasted lemon, dill pickle, tea, jelly beans, raisins, unsweetened chocolate, pretzels, popcorn, cheese and soy sauce (All items were nut and gelatin free). We had to decide if the flavour was sweet, sour, salty, bitter or umami. The students were so excited that I was giving them a piece of chocolate until they tasted it. At the beginning, they were wondering why the piece of chocolate was so small, but at the end they decided it was much too big. I love the look on their faces as we do this test.

Our school is collecting donations for the food bank. Please contribute if you are able. Donations can be brought in on any day. Thanks in advance for your generosity.

Upcoming Events:

Monday: Wear your formal uniform

Wednesday: Bring your library books

Friday: Spelling test and homework is due

Book Orders

A book order came home in your child's homework folder. If you wish to order, please complete orders online by December 5th.

Our class code is RC184098 

November 15th-19th

It was so good to have a five-day week!

In Science, we conducted an experiment entitled “What’s That Smell?”. We had 6 unidentified household scents that we took turns smelling and made predictions of what it could be. We also made a list of good and bad smells in our Visual Journals.

We wrote about why we love Canada and created a visual journal page along with the Canadian flag to demonstrate one of the groups that we belong to.

In Math, we have practiced open-ended problems and how to organize our Math books correctly.  We also practiced the Counting On strategy for addition. You count up or on when you are adding small numbers of 1, 2 and 3. We have been using the number line as a tool. We start at the larger number and then make jumps of 1, 2 or 3 to find the correct total.

In Physical Education, students experienced a week of Hip-Hop Dance. Students could be heard saying, “That was amazing!” and “What Fun!” Video links should be coming home on Monday for you to view together.

Please send in a pair of cheap headphones with your child. Place them in a Ziploc bag and label both the bag and headphones with their name. Thanks to those who have already done so.

Please remember to book a Parent-Teacher conference time, if you have not done so already.

 

Upcoming Events:

Monday: Formal Uniform Day

Wednesday: Return Library Books and Fun Lunch

Thursday: Homework is due/Spelling Test

                 Parent-Teacher Interviews 4-8

Friday: No School: Parent-Teacher Interviews 8-12

November 8th-10th

 

We have been learning about Remembrance Day and all the sacrifices that the veterans have made, so that we can live in a safe country with many rights and freedoms. We had the opportunity to have a guest speaker, Captain Tim, who is a pilot in the Canadian Armed Forces. He showed us pictures and videos of some of his training. The kids were very respectful and interested in his presentation.

The Grade Twos created a very touching assembly to honour all who have fought for us or serve to bring peace to many nations. Please check out the video link sent by Mrs. Taylor.

We wrote about what Peace means to us and created the above art. Students used paint and paper to create our own “Flander’s Field”.

Homework is due on Friday, November 19^th. We will be practicing the spelling words and math problems next week in class.

I have been noticing that many students are not reading on RazKids each night. Please make sure that you spend time reading together, as it is so important in your child’s development.

 

Upcoming Events

Monday: Wear your formal uniform

Wednesday: Bring your library books

Friday: Homework is due and we will have our spelling test

   Wear your casual clothes for our Hip Hop Dancing Video

November 1st-5th

Wow, how is it November already?

It has been another super busy week in room 11.

In Science, we focused on our sense of sight. We got to examine braille books that I borrowed from the library and then created our name in Braille with sticky gems. I hoped that you got to see these when your child brought them home this week.

In Social Studies, we talked more about the groups that we belong to and how we can recognize how we belong to those groups, as well as, how we contribute to the group. (Examples include: family, school, country, province, community, friends, sports teams, religions, clubs, cultures, etc.) 

We went out and sat in our "Sit-Spots," a connection to our indigenous studies. Students had to sit quietly and use their senses to observe their surroundings. We came back in and did an incredibly powerful and touching Sharing Circle. We also completed a visual journal page of things that we saw, heard, smelled and touched.

In Math, we continued counting by 1’s, 2’s, and 10’s practice and started addition. We learned the strategy of adding zero. When we add zero to a number, it stays the same.

You should have received your child’s Acorn ART in the homework folder this week. Please see Mrs. Taylor’s email regarding ordering instructions.

We have a short week coming up. Formal Uniforms need to be worn on Monday and Wednesday this week. Homework will be extended until November 19^th.

 

Upcoming Events

Monday: Formal Uniforms

Wednesday: Formal Uniforms and Library Book Exchange

Thursday: No School: Remembrance Day

Friday: No School: Teacher Professional Development Day