Bill Mason - Tomorrow!

Tomorrow (Wednesday), the grade 6 students are headed to Bill Mason Centre to investigate biodiversity in the forest. It looks like it is going to be a rainy day tomorrow so students are strongly encouraged to dress appropriately. We will be putting our belongings in a covered area but will be trekking into the woods to complete our activities. Boots and rain gear should be worn (maybe a dry pair of socks too!). We will not let  Super Storm Sandy get in the way of our learning. :) A reminder to those who have not brought their permission form to bring a note stating parental permission that they can attend the trip. Thanks.

Mystery Morning (am)

This morning, the am students participated in the mystery "The Alien Attack of the Quarterback". Possum Valley's star quarterback was supposedly abducted by aliens. He was found wandering down the county road seemingly hypnotized. Students had to take on one of the characters and record clues that were revealed throughout the activity in order to solve the crime. The students did a fantastic job asking questions and trying to use their deductive reasoning skills to solve the crime. The solution will be revealed tomorrow in class.

Job Applications - DUE Wednesday

The second round of job contracts are coming up and students are asked to apply for jobs for the period of November and December. The job list and salaries have changed slightly since the beginning of the year. Check out the updated list HERE. Students are asked to fill in their job applications electronically in order to save paper. They are encouraged to type out their response in a word document first and ensure there are no grammatical or spelling errors and then paste it into the form. Job applications are due on Wednesday and the new jobs will be posted on Thursday, November 1.
Math Economics Information INFO 2012 UpdatedOnline Job Application

Chatting with Kansas (am)

Today, as part of our Global Read Aloud (GRA), we hooked up (via Skype) with a class from Kansas to discuss the book and differences between Canadians and Americans. We taught them all about poutine, maple syrup, and hockey.... oh, and snow! They talked about experiences with tornadoes, what Kansas City was like, and all about baseball. The student moderators, who were responsible for facilitating the questions and answers, were amazing! We will continue our connections next week through Edmodo, our KidBlogs, and through Skype chats with our friends in North Carolina. Ain't technology great?!

LEGO Scientists (pm)

Today, the grade 5s continued their exploration of energy by building solar-power cars. Students were to follow instructions to construct one of two car models. Then, they were to test their cars and make improvements (e.g. adding a second solar panel, changing the wheels or gears, reducing the weight, etc...) to make their car go faster. We will be continuing with testing variables on our cars next week.

Gourmet Lollipop Fundraiser!

Are you ready for a real treat? Gourmet Lollipops are on their way!

The Grade 6 class will be selling Gourmet Lollipops on Friday, October 26th as one of their fundraisers for the St. Brigid's trip in June.  
The lollipops are nut-free, gluten free, and delicious! 

Students may purchase a gourmet lollipop for $1.00. Money will be collected all week in homeroom.  Thank you very much for your support!

PS: I am aware of the irony of this post and the previous "healthy eating" post being sent on the same day :)

SMART Nutrition/Fitness Goals (pm)

As part of our health and phys ed program, students have been investigating SMART goals surrounding healthy eating and exercise. Student are to think of ONE goal in which they plan to work towards for the remainder of the term (end of January). Some students may be focusing on endurance, while others may focus on eating habits. Some students are focusing on increasing flexibility (in yoga) and others are working towards gaining strength. Each student is to develop a goal which will help them lead a more healthy and active life. I have asked that NO student sets a goal of losing weight but rather to focus on increasing activity or making better choices when it comes to food.

The goal needs to be "SMART". A general goal, such as, "I will run longer" or "I will eat healthier" doesn't mean much since these are not specific and lack a deadline for reaching the goal. Students are to identify an aspect of health, nutrition, and/or fitness in their life that they feel they can improve. In class, we will be setting up our goals and tracking our progress (via Google docs) throughout the term. Parents are strongly encouraged to discuss these goals with their child and ensure that the home environment is supportive of these goals (e.g. if your child is trying to eat healthy, don't pack chips or hot dogs for lunch please!). Thanks in advance for your support of this project.

Click HERE to view an online article about fitness goals.

Bill Mason Trip (Gr. 6)

On October 31st, the grade sixes will be travelling to the Bill Mason Centre to conduct experiments related to the biodiversity of living things. We will be trekking into the woods so students need to come dress prepared to be outside for the day. Please complete the permission form (will be sent home in hard copy in addition to being posted here). We are looking for a few parent volunteers (6-7) who might be willing to help supervise on this day. Those wishing to help out are asked to fill in the bottom of the form and send it back into school with their child.
Bill Mason Permission Form (2012)

Bloggin' Away

We have started to use an online program called Kid Blogs to post our thoughts about books we are reading, reflections to questions posed in class, and links to favourite videos and practice sites. We will initially be using it to post our thoughts about “The One and Only Ivan” as part of the Global Read Aloud. Students are encouraged to write in complete sentences and to check their posts for spelling and grammar before publishing!

Remember the tips for making a good blog comment (download the complete list HERE):

•  Start with a greeting
• Compliment in a specific way
• Add new facts, make a connection, or ask a question to continue the conversation
• Proofread your comment

We have already starting collaborating with a class in Kansas and will be joining up with other classes soon! Students should be checking their blog regularly to answer any comments they may have received. They are also encouraged to read and comment on the thoughts of other students, both in our class and the classes in Kansas and North Carolina!

Autobiography Drafts DUE - Monday (am)

We have been working on our autobiography assignment for a while now. Students "should" have completed a section on their birth as well as three additional sections on topics of their choice. On Thursday, we discussed what is required for the introduction and conclusion of the paper and we assessed our own work using the Autobiography Success Criteria that we generated together as a class. For Monday, all students should have a completed draft of their autobiography (typed on Google Docs is preferred but it can be hand written). Students are encouraged to use the Success Criteria while typing their work. Download the Success Criteria HERE.

Waste-Free lunch week!

In an effort to engage students in small environmental initiatives that can have a big impact, our school is participating in the week-long Waste-Free Lunch Challenge (WFLC) beginning on Thursday, October 18.  

The WFLC is a province-wide initiative sponsored by the Recycling Council of Ontario.  School lunches are a major source of waste in Ontario – the average student’s lunch generates a total of 30 kilograms of waste per school year, or an average of 8500 kilograms of waste per school per year.

Please help your child pack waste-free lunches for our event.  The goal of the week is to:

• Celebrate and learn about Waste Reduction Week by reducing the amount of waste we create from school lunches
• Reduce the cost of waste disposal so the school’s resources can be put to better use.
• Encourage healthy and nutritious lunches (many pre-packaged lunch items contain significant amounts of sodium, preservatives and fat)
• Create awareness around recycling and encourage and promote recycling of containers such as juice boxes, milk cartons, bottles and cans at schools
• Help you as a parent reduce the cost of lunches (a waste-free lunch can cost as little as $2.50 per day, whereas a regular lunch containing pre-packaged items can cost $4.50 or more per day)

Need Pics of your Military Relatives!

In preparation for Remembrance Day, we are asking all families to consider sending in a photo of a family member (Uncle, Parent, Grandparent, Cousin: past or present) who has served in the military. We ask that with the photo you include the name of the student as well as the name and rank or position (i.e: nurse or Corporal) of the family member.

You can either: 

• email a digital or scanned photo to redslideshow@gmail.com OR
• send in an actual photo to school where it will be scanned and returned. 

Deadline for entry is Friday, October 26th. 

Photos will be displayed in a slideshow in our foyer the week leading up to Remembrance Day.

A Spirited Success! (am)

WOW - the grade six class blew me away with their costumes, cheers, and overall spirit at today's walk-a-thon! Our cops and robbers theme was a hit... I loved how everyone came together and did the whole circuit TWO times! Our success was topped off with receiving the spirit award for the junior panel. The students will be enjoying their movie prize a little later in the year. Thanks to everyone for supporting the day both with pledges and helping with costumes. The walk-a-thon is a great day for class and school spirit and I was proud of all the classes!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that everyone has a safe, relaxing, and HAPPY thanksgiving weekend. I am planning on spending it with my family at our cottage - hiking, playing games, and reading student autobiographies :). Students have not been assigned any "formal" homework over the weekend as I hope they will use the time to spend doing things with their family; however, if they have time, students are encouraged to log onto Math Reflex a few times and read daily (remember to complete the book review form once a book is completed). See you next week at the Walk-a-thon!

Walk-a-thon next week! (am)

Just a reminder that the Walk-a-thon (our big school fundraiser) is coming up next Wednesday, October 10. Our class has decided on a police and prisoners theme. Students have already signed up for which role they plan to be. We will work on our cheer next week but students should ensure they have what they need for their costume. For those that didn't check their mailbox (or lost the form), they can download another copy of the walk-a-thon information sheet HERE and the pledge sheet HERE.

Sing, Sing, Sing (Grade 6)

The grade six students are in charge of the music for the upcoming mass (Friday, October 12). Mrs. Hurley (parent-volunteer) has been working with us on most of the music for mass. We will be having our final practice with Mrs. Hurley next Tuesday. We are also working on "You've Got a Friend" for our final song. This song was chosen to represent both our current grade six unit on friendships and relationships and October being Bullying Prevention month. I am asking the students to practice this song over the weekend. The YouTube link to the instrumental version can be found HERE and the lyrics that we are using can be found HERE.

Alice in Wonderland (pm)

As many parents have already heard, our afternoon class (drama) will be performing the play "Alice in Wonderland". So far, we have completed a read through of the script as well as a mini audition. Students are asked to use the character selection form (found at the bottom of this post) to select which role they would like to be in the play. Based on their read through and audition, I will be selecting people for roles next week. Our goal is to present the play at the end of November, but we will have to see how rehearsals are going before confirming a date :).

Click HERE to go to the form.

Classifying and Extending Patterns (am)

We have started our patterning unit, first with a patterning competition and then by learning about the three main types of patterns: repeating, extending, and recursive. Students were to complete the "exit card" before leaving but as we didn't have a lot of time left at the end of class, they were allowed to take home this work to complete at home. Just in case students left their sheet at school, a second copy can be downloaded HERE. This sheet is due tomorrow as we will be taking it up and continuing our pattern investigations.

Math Test - sent home (am)

Today in class, we took up our first math test (Multiples, Factors, and Divisibility). Students prepared their assessment duotang and completed an analysis of their answers. Overall, the test was well done. Multiple choice was a new concept for many students and we will continue working on strategies throughout the year for these, and other, types of questions.

Parents are asked to review the test and analysis with their child. Each student was asked to make goals on how to improve for future tests (e.g. attend help sessions, asks more questions, highlight important information in a question, etc...). We will be starting our second unit - Patterning - tomorrow.