Jan. 23- Jan. 27

Leader: Kayln
day 5. Mon. Jan. 23- physed
day 1. Tues. Jan. 24- library, reading with a parent
day 2. Wed. Jan. 25- health, reading with a parent
day 3. Thus. Jan. 26- FIELD TRIP (Harbourfront Centre)
day 4. Fri. Jan. 27- computers, music



News/Reminders:
- Due to the wet and muddy playground, please send slush pants/extra pants with your child. We had a lot of muddy pants last week. Please make sure your child has outdoor and indoor shoes.

- Thank you for all the beautiful photos and items from the holiday break. The students did a wonderful job presenting their special items and sharing their stories.

- Our field trip to Harbourfront is on Thursday. We will be leaving the school around 9 a.m. so please ensure that your child comes to school at bell time. We will be taking a school bus and arriving back around 3:00 p.m. All grade one classes will be attending the trip.
What to bring?
 - lunch and a water bottle
- empty shoe box with their name on it
- appropriate footwear for hip hop dancing

- There will be another day available for parents interested in reading one-on-one with the students. Reading takes place from 9:30 until 9:55 right outside of the classroom (day 1 and day 2 of the cycle). Samantha, our grade parent will adding more slots on signupgenius so please feel free to sign up. You do not need to bring any books from home. The children absolutely love reading with our parent volunteers. Thank you so much for your time and willingness to read with the children.

- Please return your child's red poetry book and green work book to school every week. On Fridays, I place a worksheet for your child to complete if they wish. This is not homework and is not mandatory.

- Please continue to read with your child every night. We have been busy practising various reading strategies in class. Although "sounding out" might be the first strategy that comes to mind, please encourage your child to use other strategies when they are stuck on a word. Some words can be quite tricky and sounding them out unfortunately does not work. After you have finished reading with your child, please ask them comprehension questions. It is important for your child to make meaning of the text. Monitor your child's ability to retell what they have read. Are they using details or characters' names from the book? Are they making connections?
You may ask your child the following questions:

- Tell me about the story. What happened at the beginning, in the middle and at the end.
- What did this story make you think of and why?
- What was your favourite part of the book and why?

All about our week:

Literacy Centres- All activities are available to the students, however they are grouped based on their abilities and the skills that they need to work on. So far, students have been working on different groups of sight words, printing and practising spelling. While working in small groups, it is amazing to observe the children as they problem solve, help each other, solve conflicts and clean up as a team.


Math- We have been learning to use different strategies when we are adding or subtracting. The children have been explaining their thinking and sharing their strategies with each other. Some children are counting up using their fingers, others are beginning to use their double facts knowledge to solve problems.


Science- We have been discussing ways to conserve energy at home and school.
Here is a video that we watched at school. The children really enjoyed it.
How to save energy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycdke8MTSCI


In order to prepare for our Inquiry Fair in April, the children and I discussed the following topics:
- What does it mean to be curious?
- Why do we ask questions? Why is is important to ask questions?
- How can we find out answers to our questions?



I showed this photo to the students and simply told them to look at it. They came up a lot of interesting questions and wonderings. The children began with what they saw and then moved onto what they thought and wondered. This is a classroom in Vietnam.
Here are examples of their thinking:
- "I see a teacher teaching"
- "I see bars on the window"
- "I see that the door is open so they can leave"
- "I see kids"

- "I think this is jail for kids"
- "I think it looks scary"
- "I think the kids are learning"

- "I wonder why there aren't a lot of kids there"
- "I wonder why the teacher has a stick"
- "I wonder why there are bars on the window"
- "I wonder why it looks so dark"

The children have been making forts during free time so I decided to help them out a little. Doesn't that look cozy? I would love to read a book in there.

Jan. 16-20

Leader: Justin

Mon. Jan. 16- library

Tues. Jan. 17- health, parent volunteer for reading

Wed. Jan. 18- physed

Thurs. Jan. 19- computers, music
Fri. Jan. 20- physed

News:
The first week back to school was a success! The students enjoyed sharing stories, photos and items from their holiday break. It was truly a pleasure listening to every child as they presented their special object. If your child has not brought in a photo or an item, please ensure that they bring it next week. Thank you so much!

* Please ensure that your child comes to school with waterproof boots and extra socks, pants and mittens. Also, please ensure that they have a pair of comfy shoes that can be worn to gym class. Boots are not acceptable for gym class.

We have started word work centres which consist of various literacy activities. The children have been rotating daily and practising their skills through hands on activities.


bubble gum sight word game


I have____, who has_____? sight word game
 
- using clay and dry erase markers to make words
- creating three letter words and writing sentences

In Math, we have been working on composing and decomposing numbers which had led into subtraction and addition. The students worked in small groups and came up with different ways to make number 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. They have been learning to use various strategies to subtract numbers. Some children use their fingers, their number line or hands on manipulatives. I have also taught them the counting up strategy. Example: 12- 9= ? (start with the number after 9 and count up to 12).







We learned the Doubles Rap and came up with some fun actions to go along with the song. Adding doubles is an important strategy for learning addition facts. Learning these doubles will eventually help students add numbers like 22+ 22 with no problem. Knowing the doubles will also help students learn the "doubles neighbour" facts such as 3+ 4 or 7+ 6 which will help them add much faster.

In Science, we are continuing our unit on energy. We have been discussing various ways to conserve energy at school and at home. We will be creating posters and educating others about this important topic.



We love writer's workshop!
- We created stories with our friends.
- We made board games with instructions.
- We made literacy games.



Thank you to Victoria for bringing in her Twister game for her holiday sharing. I may have to purchase one for the class! :)

Happy New Year!!

 Leader: Amelia
day 1. Mon. Jan. 9- library
day 2. Tues. Jan. 10- health
day 3. Wed. Jan. 11- physed
day 4. Thurs. Jan 12- computers, music
day 5. Fri. Jan 13- physed







Happy 2017! I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday break. I would like to thank everyone for the incredible gift given to me right before the break. I have been busy shopping with my gift card and I cannot wait to use my Tassimo at school on Monday. The coffee will be much needed after the break.....You are all so generous and I am so grateful to be teaching in such a supportive community.

Please have your child bring in a photo taken during the holidays or a special object from the break. Example: a photo from a family trip, a photo with friends or family, seashells from the beach, special rocks, new hat, Christmas card, etc. Although your child may wish to bring in their favourite toy from Santa, please remind them that it is best to bring in something that is small and less likely to get broken or lost. We certainly don't want any tears! Every child will have an opportunity to share their item throughout the week. Please practise with your child as I will be taking notes on their oral presentation skills.

1) Introduction: Hi. My name is.....
2) What item did you bring?
3) Why did you bring this item?
4) Why is it special? (make sure it is from the holiday break)
5) End: Thank you

Dec. 19-23

Leader: Hudson
Day 1. Mon- Library
Day 2.Tues- Holiday party in the AM, Movie (PM )for the entire school
Day 3. Wed- Physed
Day 4. Thurs- Computers, Caroling in the PM,  Music
Day 5. Fri- Physed, Movie in the PM with Mrs. Olson's Grade 1 class


Everyone loved the snow!!!

Welcome to the last week of school before the winter holidays. Wow...time flies! I hope that everyone is staying healthy and keeping warm. I am currently spending my weekend in bed with barely any voice left...I hope to feel better by Monday. Fingers crossed! I apologize but I will be keep this post quite short.



It was heartwarming to come back to school to this jar on my desk....
The students wrote Christmas wishes with Mrs. Champagne on Thursday. We read several of them on Friday. Here are some examples:
Justin: "I hope that you can get a new dress for Christmas."
Dean: "I wish there were two of you."

News:
Thank you to everyone for coming out to our winter concert. The children did a fantastic job singing and acting like pirates! THANK YOU SO MUCH for donating items for our Stonegate family. The students and I looked through all the wonderful things that everyone donated over the last couple of weeks.

There will be no extra practice worksheets going home until January. Please enjoy your weekends with your family and friends. Also, please take 20 minutes to read with your child every day :)

Our Holiday party is on Tuesday morning. If you have signed up to volunteer, you are welcome to come to school around 8:30 to set up for your activity. Please sign in at the office and obtain a volunteer tag. We have 19 children and we will be rotating through four different activities (approx. 15 minutes each). 

If you are sending treats/small gifts for the class, please ensure that all food items are peanut and nut free. The children decorated their holiday bags so everyone will be going home with their bag on Dec. 23rd. Please let me know if your child will be going on holidays earlier so that I may get their bag ready.


Writing to Elfonzo, our mysterious little elf....


Making board games with our friends.


More board games and posters....




 
Learning about letter writing.


Writing a letter to Santa.


Adding and subtracting with lego.


Ten Frame game and addition sentences up to 10.

Dec. 12- 16

Leader: Dean
Day 1. Mon- Library
Day 2.Tues- Concert Rehearsal in the PM
Day 3. Wed- Concert Rehearsal in the AM, Reading Buddies, Physed, Holiday Concert at 6 PM
Day 4. Thurs- Computers, Music
Day 5. Fri- Physed



The students decided to decorate our little tree. Look at all the beautiful ornaments that they made! They have also been learning to wrap presents. Everyday, a student chooses a book, unwraps it and we read the story together.

CONCERT- Note from Ms. McGee and Ms. Barry

- All classes gr 1-5 will come dressed only to the evening performance (Wednesday 5:30)
- We are asking parents to deliver their child to their classroom at 5:30 in costume. You will pick up your child AFTER the concert in their classroom.
- We will be lining up the grade 1 and 4 classes (maybe the 2's as well) in the hallway at 5:50ish to enter the gym and go sit on the risers.  The play will begin at 6.- After the finale, all students will return to their classes and will be picked up by their parents there. Sign your child in and out.
- We also need your help with costumes - no weapons or hooks for pirates and patches, should they have one, should be on their foreheads.  And people of Pinataville should be in a colourful, single colour top with black bottoms.  Sun glasses are also good.  See msbarrymusic.wordpress.com for photos and a more detailed description of costumes that the parents recieved a couple of weeks ago.

News/Reminders:
- Please provide your child with an adequate amount of time to practice getting dressed and undressed in their winter clothing. I typically provide children with extra time before recess but some children need a lot more time. We will get faster as we practice. 
- Please ensure that your child's clothing is labelled (even mittens and hats)
- A huge thank you goes out to all our wonderful volunteers :) Thank you for reading with the children, helping out during pizza lunches and joining us for our class parties.
- Please make sure to return your child's field trip form and pay online for the trip. You may pay until December 12th. Several parents checked off that they would like to volunteer on the trip. Each grade one class only needs one parent volunteer, therefore I will put parents' names into a hat and we will pull out a name in class. Thank you for your interest and dedication.
- Thank you to Samantha, our grade parent for creating our online sign up events and helping us set up for our Stonegate donations. Stonegate Family: Please consider donating to the basket for the family our class has been assigned. Please send items with your child or bring directly to the classroom as the basket will stand there. Thank you!


Math: We are finishing our measurement unit with various hands on activities. Next, we will work on composing and decomposing numbers up to 20 with some addition and subtraction problems. Please continue to practise skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s with your child as this will help with our upcoming activities.

Language: We finished our unit on procedural writing (how to writing). Students' work will be sent home before the holiday break. We have been discussing levels/marks based on the following rubric:


Science: We have discussed various energy sources and began to discuss ways to conserve energy at home. A take home activity will be sent home on Monday. Please make sure to return it by Friday, December 16th.
Social Studies: We are finishing up our unit on rules, roles and responsibilities. We will began a new unit on Community after the holiday break.

Media Literacy: We have been discussing different media forms and the importance of questioning what we see or hear on television. Here is a video that we watched in class:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89-LuFkQ3t8

Sneak Peak into the classroom:

We decorated our holiday bags. We ordered strips of paper from longest to shortest.

We learned to estimate and measure enough paper to wrap our holiday books.


We loved learning how to wrap presents!


We worked together to decorate our class tree.

The students have been talking about Christmas which led to wonderful discussions about different holidays that people celebrate at this time of the year. Ms. Nisker (an ECE who works in a Kindergarten class with Mrs. Burn) visited us last week. She shared stories about Hanukkah and taught us how to play with dreidels. We read a story about Hanukkah and learned about the Menorah. Ask your child what they have learned about Hanukkah.
 
We estimated and measured the area of our chairs and tables.

We have been writing to our mysterious visitor....he has been leaving us bells and notes. We found out that his name is Elfonzo and he is an elf. We asked him many questions and found out that his birthday is coming up. Elfonzo has been talking to us about the importance of being kind and respectful all year round, not just during the month of December.


Writing stories together.



Playing our cheese and crackers sight word game.
Literacy Centres.

Dec. 5- Dec. 9

Leader: Barbara
Day 1. Mon- Library
Day 2.Tues- Health
Day 3. Wed- Reading Buddies, Physed
Day 4. Thurs- Computers, Music
Day 5. Fri- Physed

News/Reminders:
Happy December! This is an extremely busy month at LKS so please continue to check the class blog and Ms. Caddel's blog at lksprincipal.blogspot.ca. Our grade parent, Samantha will be distributing information regarding our Stonegate baskets. Each year, LKS collects gifts for those less fortunate. Every class will be assigned to a family and we work together to provide necessities and small gifts for adults and the children in the family. All donations will be collected in our classroom. Thank you in advance.

Our trip to Harbour Centre has been entered into the cashless system. You may pay from Dec. 5th to Jan. 18th. Every student needs to bring in a shoe box for the trip. They may bring it to school at any time with their name on it. We will store the shoe boxes in our classroom.

Dec. 20- Class Holiday Party (an invite will be sent out if anyone is interested in volunteering)
Math:
We are continuing our unit on measurement. The students have been estimating, measuring, comparing and describing length using non- standard units such as paper clips and cubes. They had an opportunity to complete a hands on measurement activity with their grade four reading buddies. They estimated the length of their feet, arms, lips and hands and measured the length with snap cubes.

Ways to help at home:
- measure different objects around the home using paper clips, blocks, string, straws, etc.
- compare shoe sizes or height of family members

Science:
Students completed their first STEM activity and it was a big hit!
STEM- science, technology, engineering, math
They worked in small groups to develop wind powered cars as part of our energy unit. They worked together and brainstormed ways to make their car move as far as possible across the floor. The students tested their cars, marked the distance, and continued to change their models. Some studies created sails, others used a lot of paper and straws to make their cars move. They loved racing and comparing the distance between each group. We began discussing the importance of renewable resources such as wind and solar energy.






Language
We began our week with journal writing. The students always have such wonderful stories to share! We will continue to work on procedural writing (how to writing). Some transitional words include: first, next, then, after, finally. We will also begin learning about letter writing and get ready to write our letters to Santa!

The students have shown interest in various holidays and celebrations around the world. We will begin reading books and poems about different holidays celebrated in December such as Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa.

Reading at home:
Please make sure to read with your child for at least 20 minutes every night. As your child reads, listen for fluency and ask comprehension questions at the end of the book. It is extremely important for your child to make meaning of the text that they are reading. To enhance fluency, have your child read the same book several times. Fluent readers sound natural and read smoothly. If your child is reading word by word and sounding choppy, ask them to make it sound like they are talking. You may also want to record your child reading and play it for them so that they may hear what they sound like. They will be able to monitor their reading, work on fluency and their expression.