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.