Christmas festivities

We spent the day celebrating the coming of Jesus with Advent skits, cookie decorating, a gift exchange and a movie. Have a peek at my Twitter account (see yesterday's post) for pictures of our day. I wish all of our school families a blessed Christmas.

Twitter

Follow our class affected on Twitter!

https://twitter.com/MrsJone92338480?s=03

Preparing and rehearsing for Advent skit presentations

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

Our class created a tessellated Christmas tree to help make our room a bit more festive.

We also enjoyed a delicious Christmas lunch together as a school community.

Grade five homework

Numbers 1-4

Spelling City

I have assigned some spelling work for students to practice when they have time.  They can go to the following website and choose the appropriate list for them to work on and they games that go with them.  I will also include the link on the side of the page that is visible on the Desktop Version of this blog.

https://www.spellingcity.com/users/MrsJonesSTM

Grade 6 Homework

Concert Rehearsal

Students worked hard this morning to prepare for tonight's concert.

Christmas Concert

Students should arrive at SAB at 5:30  on Monday evening wearing their Sunday best. I am looking forward to celebrating the spirit of Christmas as a school community.

Math Test

Due to there being a lot of activity within the school tomorrow we will have to push the math test to Friday.  Please share this news with your child as I was away today.  I hope students won't be too saddened by this news 😀.

Grade 5 and 6 Test Review

Our math test will be on Thursday.  Below is work that will help students prepare.  They had time to work on it in class today and ask questions.  They are encouraged to star work that they found challenging and ask for help tomorrow.

Students should make a bar graph with intervals for the data above.

Here is are a couple of links to help with intervals:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2V-6kjd-No

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

Christmas Concert Preparation

Students should be practicing this song for the Christmas concert on December 16th at SAB.

Lung Capacity

Measuring lung capacity before and after exercising.

Rice Donations

For the school food drive our class has been asked to donate rice.  If you are able to contribute please send items with your child.

Data Management

Exploring mean, median and mode with snap cubes.

Data Management Key Terms

Below you will find a list of the big ideas and terms we will be working on is this unit.

Math Quiz

A quick update on the math quizzes.  I am going to hold on to them until after parent-teacher interviews.  If you are not able to meet I will send home the tests for you to look at after that time.

Wrapping up the week

We had a great day today.  Thank you to everyone who discussed yesterday's writing assignment with their child.
This weekend please discuss traditions and symbols of your cultural background with your child.  They will be drawing out their ideas on a square that will be quilted together with their classmates' to make a cultural quilt display in our classroom.

This afternoon we had a wonderful time playing math games to reinforce the ideas of place value and adding and multiplying by tens, hundreds, thousands and ten thousands.  Students were very engaged and come up with great strategies!

Homework tonight

This morning we had a guest teacher in our classroom while I attended an in-school meeting.  It is with disappointment that I report to you that the students had a difficult time treating our guest teacher with respect.  Students have been assigned a writing task of a detailed paragraph explaining why it is important to treat our guests with respect and to have a caregiver read and sign their work at home tonight.

Our class has reviewed and acknowledged what respect looks like at school and I encourage you to discuss this topic with your child.

Classroom Donations

Our class is beginning to run low on tissues and paper towels.  Tissues are the currently the greatest need.  If you are able to donate a box or roll to the classroom it would be truly appreciated.

The grade sixes were so engaged and asked AMAZING questions to PC Golder in our first VIP session.

Mentor book of the week

This week in language arts we are reading a book called, “Playing War” by Kathy Beckwith. In this story, Luke and his friends liked playing war. But their new friend Sameer didn’t think it was so fun. When Luke asked why, he learned that Sameer had lived through and lost his family in a real war. Luke and his friends learned to think differently about the game they thought was fun.

To support our conversations in class, the following are a list of at-home suggestions for extension activities that will support this weeks learning:
• Read a newspaper article about a conflict in the world, or refugees.
• Learn more about International Aid Organizations such as Free the Children, or Doctors Without Borders.
• Discuss how the quote of the week relates to what you have read at home or what your child has learned in class.

Spelling quiz

We will be having a Halloween spelling quiz on November 1st.
The list is:
*orange
*night
*mask
*witch
*treat
*candy
*dark
*bat
*broom
*party
*shadow
*October
*trick
*Halloween

Enjoying the fall weather and playing 3-ball kick baseball.

Today we are using dice to create and extend growing and shrinking patterns.

Today we were working on creating patterns and then having partners extend them.

Second Step program

A copy of the following letter will be sent home tomorrow regarding the Second Step program that our grade 5/6 class will be participating in.  While the program is titled as a grade five program, it is still very applicable to our grade six students.

Dear Family,

We want your child to be as successful as possible at school. Success in school is not just about reading and math. It is also about knowing how to learn and how to get along with others. Ms. Hiedi Britton-deJeu, LDCSB Social Worker will be vising our class this fall, beginning October 17, 2019 to help us learn some of these critical skills using the Grade 5 Second Step program. 

The Second Step program teaches skills in the following four areas:

1. Skills for Learning: Students gain skills to help themselves learn, including how
    to focus their attention, listen carefully, use self-talk to stay on task, and be
    assertive when asking for help with schoolwork.

2. Empathy: Students learn to identify and understand their own and others’
    feelings. Students also learn how to take another’s perspective and how to
    show compassion.

3. Emotion Management: Students learn specific skills for calming down when  
    experiencing strong feelings, such as anxiety or anger.

4. Problem Solving: Students learn a process for solving problems with others in
    a positive way. Your child will be learning a lot this year—and he or she will    
    need your help!

Ms. Hiedi will be focusing on the first three areas: Skills for Learning, Empathy, and Emotion Management.  At times your child will be bringing home “Home Links” that go with the Second Step lessons.  Home Links are simple, fun activities for you and your child to complete together. They are a great way for you to understand what your child is learning and for your child to show you what he or she knows.

If you have any questions about the Second Step program, please do not hesitate to contact me for more information. Thank you for supporting your child in learning the skills that lead to success in school and in life.

Novel study

We are reading the novel Front Desk.  Students were to complete the following questions about the reading in class today. Students are reminded to use the A and P from the A.P.E format for answering questions.

Tell about a time you have been in a bad situation.What did you do and how did it get resolved?

Come up with two more ideas to add to Mia's list to make the motel safer.  Can you develop at least one that is budget friendly?
Tell about a time you have been in a bad situation. What did you do and how did it get resolved?
Tell about a time you have been in a bad situation. What did you do and how did it get resolved?ave been in a bad situation. What did you do and how did it get resolved?

Pop Art Thanksgiving Turkeys

Here are some examples of the beautiful artwork that students created to celebrate Thanksgiving!  I wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Grade 6 math homework

Students should finish questions 3-6 from class today

Agendas

Agendas have arrived and students have already started using them. Please ensure that you are checking them each evening.

The cost for agendas is $7 and can only be paid through Cash Online.

Friday

Two reminders for this upcoming Friday:
1- There is a science test on the parts of a cell, the respiratory system, and the digestive system.

2- Friday is hat and gum day.  The cost to participate is $1 per student (gum will not be  provided).

Math to talk about at home:

 We have been spending a lot of time talking about place value and rounding.  One area that is still quite challenging for students is rounding decimal numbers.  I find this graphic very helpful.

                                                                        from https://www.onlinemathlearning.com/rounding-decimals.html

You can help by talking to your children about rounding the cost of items in the store or as seen in advertisements, rounding them to the nearest tenth (or ten cents).

Grade 5 Homework

Grade 5s are to do #s A-6 if they did not finish their work in class.

Homework Tonight is cancelled 😁

I had to rush out after school and didn't get a chance to grab photos of the math texts. Students are not expected to finish tonight and will be given time tomorrow.

Alternatively, students can work on Mathletics as instructed in yesterday's post.

Have a great night!

Work to be signed

Students should be bringing home their religion assignments and multiplication quiz to be signed and returned to school tomorrow. 

Mathletics

Grade six students have been assigned tasks in Mathletics to complete, grade five students will have their tasks assigned by Monday evening.  The due date is tentatively October 11th, but that will likely change.

To sign-in students should go to myldcsb.ca and login using their student number followed by @ldcsb.org and the passwords used to login at school. 

Once signed in then students should click on the orange Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

Once logged into the VLE the student should scroll down and click on the blue Mathletics Project tile.

Students should choose Number Sense and Numeration 1 and do the activities that have been assigned under that tab.

Orange Shirt Day

A reminder that Monday is Orange Shirt Day.  Students are encouraged to wear an orange shirt to honor the children who were sent away to the residential school system and the impact that this had on Indigenous communities.

Religion Assignment

Students are completing a written assignment at school where they are to choose a symbol of our faith and explain why it is symbolic.  The second part of the assignment is to present the symbol to the class, explaining their three reasons why this item is symbolic for them. They are encouraged to practice their speaking at home in front of family in order to help prepare them to present to the class.

Science Homework

Students are expected to answer the following questions based on the text information in the pictures below.
1- What is the digestive system?
2- How do muscles and bones work with the digestive system?
3- How does blood work with the digestive system?
4- What do enzymes do?

Grade 6 Math Homework

Students are expected to finish the work and questions in the images below for Wednesday morning.  This is work that they had time to work on in class, but may not have completed.

Grade 5 Math homework

Students are expected to finish the work and questions in the images below for Wednesday morning.  This is work that they had time to work on in class, but may not have completed.

School Social

I look forward to meeting families on Tuesday evening!  The social begins at 5:00, announcements in the gym at 5:30, and classrooms opening from 5:45-6:30.  I hope to meet as many of you as possible.

Terry Fox Run

The Terry Fox Run is this coming Friday.  Students are encouraged to donate $2 each so help us reach our school goal of $500. 

Multiplication facts

This note will be going home tonight. Students should be practicing their multiplication facts each evening.

Second Week...

We had a wonderful first week together!  I look forward to continue building upon the sense of community in our classroom as the days and months pass.  I have started my calls home to introduce myself and will continue my attempt to reach all of you. 

Have a wonderful and blessed week!

French Website

Mlle. Benfeito would like students to regularly check her website for homework and class notes.  The link to her site is:

mllebenfeito.weebly.com

We've had a great couple of days to start off the new school year. I will be starting to make phone calls home to chat with as many parents or caregivers as possible. I look forward to continue getting know know everyone.

School Messenger

I post here regularly, but on occasion I will send out a quick blast through School Messenger.
If you don't have School Messenger then I would recommend signing up with the email address on file with the school.  This will also allow you to report and see absences without having to make any calls.  You can sign up through this link:  https://go.schoolmessenger.ca/#/account/signup

Once your account is set up, join our class group using the following code:

Agendas

Agendas have not yet arrived at the school.  Once they are delivered we will begin using them on a daily basis.  Parent/guardian support and involvement with this tool is really important.  Please check and sign your child's agenda each evening.  Thank you!!

Welcome, we've been waiting for you!

I am very excited to be joining the St. Thomas More community and to have the opportunity to get to know each of the students in my class.  The staff at St. Thomas More have been very welcoming and together we have been working hard to prepare for the upcoming school year.

Check in regularly for information and updates about what is happening in our classroom.  If you are using a mobile device please scroll to the bottom of the page and choose "view web version" to make sure you are seeing all of the information on this blog.  You can also subscribe using the "Follow by Email" feature on the side of the page to get notified when I publish a new post.

Stay tuned for more information regarding the 2019-2020 school year!