December 19, 2014

Bird's Eye View Snowman Project
This week our class started a new art project to display during the Fireside Festival Scavenger Hunt. Students were eager to learn how to use their metal compass from within their geometry sets in order to create perfect circles with the correct measurements. Students worked with concepts such as measurement, patterning, and perspective to create their snowman masterpiece using pastels!

Our Fireside Scavenger Hunt Clue: Find a snowman with a familiar face! Can you find him?

Fireside Festival
One of the highlights of our week in Learning Centre 4 was the Fireside Festival. The school and community gathered in the gymnasium to sing and celebrate the upcoming holidays. Our class, accompanied by Mr. Sinclair's Grade 5/6 class, sang Jingle Bell Rock, Deck the Halls and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. At the evening performance, families took part in a scavenger hunt around the school. It was a great night with friends and family in our community.

Congratulations to Kate who won a Fireside Festival food hamper!

Holiday Light Art by Khadija A.

GMS Holiday Reading Logs: Read to Succeed! 
School reading logs were sent home on the last day of school to encourage home reading during the holidays. Read with your child for a minimum of 20 minutes every day. Each student that completes the holiday reading log can return it to school after the break. They will have their name entered into a draw to win a prize!

Important Dates and Reminders:
Monday, January 5: First Day Back to School. December Class Reading Logs are Due (GMS Holiday Reading Log is also due this week if participating in the draw!)


Happy Holidays to You and Your Family!
Ms. Cameron

December 12, 2014

Reading Strategy: Determining Importance 
This week we have been practicing the reading strategy called "Determining Importance". We determine importance not only in reading but in everyday activities such as packing your school bag, lunch kit or purse. To introduce the concept, students were asked to determine importance by deciding what items Ms. Cameron MUST keep in her purse (wallet, keys, phone), what items she MIGHT keep in her purse (kleenex, sunglasses, water, pen...), and items Ms. Cameron DOES NOT NEED in her purse (candy, make-up, jewelery). Students then reflected on using this same process as they read. Good readers sort information they must remember, might need to remember, and do not need to remember. This strategy helps students identify the key understandings of a text. Our class will continue to develop this reading strategy throughout the year.

Pajama Party!
On Friday we celebrated achieving our November reading goal with a reading party! We started the party with a Christmas Tree decorating relay race and played a few rounds of the game "Headbandz" as a class with our special guest - Mrs. McPherson! The students then split up to play their own board games together with their friends while enjoying some yummy treats. Help us work towards our next reading party by reminding your child to read each night and fill in their reading logs! I'm so pleased with amount of success many of our students have had in such a short period of time because they are putting in the extra time in reading at home while working towards their home reading goal! In order to reach our December reading goal, students need to read 16 minutes (or more) each day in the month of December.

Important Dates and Reminders:
Thursday, December 18: Fireside Festival - Daytime - 10:30 - 11:45 AM and Night - 6:30-7:30 PM
Friday, December 19: Winter Caroling Assembly 11:00 - 11:40 AM
                                       Boston Pizza Special Lunch
                                       Last Day of School Early Dismissal at 2:30
December 15-19: SRC Candy Cane Sales - .50 cents per candy cane
                             *All proceeds from the sale go towards buying new school crazy carpets.

Upcoming December Spirit Days:
Monday, December 15: Candy Cane Day
Tuesday, December 16: Blue and Silver Day
Wednesday, December 17: Snowflake Day
Thursday, December 18: Red and Green Day
Friday, December 19: Glitter/Sparkle Day

December 5, 2014

Pajama Party - Here We Come!
The results are in! Our class has met their reading goal for the month of November! Hard work pays off and the students are excited to have a Pajama Day to celebrate next Friday, December 12. Since the students have more time at home during the holidays, we have increased our reading goal slightly so in December every student is expected to read 16 minutes every night (496 minutes in the month of December). December reading logs will be due when the students return to school on January 5th.

Fireside Festival
Fireside Festival notes were sent home this week with the youngest or only children in the school. Please check off whether or not you will be attending the night performance on Thursday, December 18th from 6:30-7:30, along with the number of tickets you would like and return the form to school with your child. Families are asked to bring a blanket to sit on and a small tray of baking to share with our school community at the event. Tickets are not needed for the afternoon performance. Please see the Fireside Festival note for more details.

A New Focus in Science
This week we have officially wrapped up our Rocks and Minerals unit and started our next science unit on Human Body Systems. Our "I Can" statement this month is "I can investigate major organs, and their functions within one (or more) human body systems."

Birthday Shout Outs!
There has been lots of birthday excitement in our classroom this week. Happy Birthday Khadija J, Kate, Micaela and Abiha!

Important Dates and Reminders:
Friday, December 5: Boston Pizza Order Forms are Due and Hat Day
Friday, December 12: Pajama Day Reading Party
Thursday, December 18: Fireside Festival - Daytime - 10:30 - 11:45 AM and Night - 6:30-7:30 PM
Friday, December 19: Winter Caroling Assembly 11:00 - 11:40 AM
                                       Boston Pizza Special Lunch
                                       Last Day of School Early Dismissal at 2:30
December 15-19: SRC Candy Cane Sales - .50 cents per candy cane
                             *All proceeds from the sale go towards buying new school crazy carpets.

Upcoming December Spirit Days:
Monday, December 15: Candy Cane Day
Tuesday, December 16: Blue and Silver Day
Wednesday, December 17: Snowflake Day
Thursday, December 18: Red and Green Day
Friday, December 19: Glitter/Sparkle Day