Happy Holidays!!

Hopefully you had a chance to see the concert, either last night or yesterday afternoon. It was a wonderful performance that seemed to get better every time. As soon as it is over, you start thinking about next year. Notes home: 1) Chicken wrap orders went home today 2) Information on the Extended French program at Admiral Collingwood (Grade 4s only) 3) The latest edition of the KIDSCOOP NEWS. There could only be one website to post for the holidays. My little ones and I spent a lot of time on this one last year. You can track Santa as he makes his way around the globe. How does he do it all in one night?? Santa I wish all of you a merry holiday and a happy New Year. 2011 is going to be an exciting time! All the best!

So far, so good

Well, I'm posting in between performances tonight. The afternoon show went very well, and we're looking forward to the evening show. Students were asked to be at the school around 6:15. As for dress, red and green (and fun) are the themes for our song. Reminder - we have been asked to make sure that the shelves in the hallway are clean. Students are asked to take home their shoes, extra mitts, hats, etc. tomorrow before they leave. Friday - speaking of red and green, that is the theme of our spirit day tomorrow. Wear red and green and score points for your house! As well, we have a character education assembly first thing in the morning after carol singing. We hope to see you tonight!!

Holiday Concert Rescheduled

The concert originally scheduled for tonight (Wed.) has been changed to tomorrow (Thurs.). The times remain the same, 1:45 and 6:30. Our class needs to be on stage at the beginning of the show, so if students could arrive around 6:15, that would leave us time to get ready. Students were given addition and subtraction sheets to work on today, to prepare for tomorrow's math test. The subtraction sheet has some different strategies to use as well. Students may use a calculator at home to check their answers. Please see Monday's post for some helpful websites. Deadline: - published copies of narratives are due Friday. Friday - grade fours are invited to a dance during the last 100 min. Grade 3s are welcome to bring games or activities to do during this time, provided they are appropriate for school. Have a good night. Believe it or not, the snow has to end sometime (this is not a written guarantee!).

Tuesday - Old Man Winter is up to his tricks again. Tomorrow, the entire school is participating in the Holiday Tag-stravaganza outdoor activity from 1:45 - 3:15. Based on what I see out my window today, and the weather reports for tomorrow, please ensure students are dressed warmly and ready for the wind. Scarves, and layers of shirts and sweaters are always a good idea. It is much better to take something off, then to wish you'd brought more. Concert Reminder (Oops!) - The concert on Wednesday has two performances, 1:45 and 6:30. I think I've been saying 7pm, so my bad on that one. If students are here by 6:15, that should give us plenty of time to get settled and be ready to go. As far as dress goes, our song is fun and I think red and green fits the bill nicely. Some students are also singing in the French choir and have been asked to wear white and black. That's fine too! Deadlines/Tests - We are scheduled to have a test on adding and subtracting on Thursday. Narratives are due on Friday. We are working hard to ensure our units of study are complete this week so that we can start fresh in January. Plus, no homework!!!! For a little spelling practice - http://www.kidsspell.com/ This is a soccer game that uses math to score points. There are a lot of options as to difficulty of questions and number sense concepts. http://www.funbrain.com/fractop/index.html Here's another that uses baseball http://www.funbrain.com/math/index.html For the grade 4s, and a little extra challenge for the 3s, 4 digit subtraction. http://www.aaamath.com/B/sub38gx1.htm I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier, but here are the words for the song we are performing at the concert on Wednesday: Nuttin' For Christmas :(S. Tepper, R. Bennett, 1955) I broke my bat on Johnny's head; Somebody snitched on me. I hid a frog in sister's bed; Somebody snitched on me. I spilled some ink on Mommy's rug; I made Tommy eat a bug; Bought some gum with a penny slug; Somebody snitched on me. Oh, I'm gettin' nuttin' for Christmas Mommy and Daddy are mad. I'm getting nuttin' for Christmas'Cause I ain't been nuttin' but bad. I put a tack on teacher's chair Somebody snitched on me. I tied a knot in Susie's hair Somebody snitched on me. I did a dance on Mommy's plants Climbed a tree and tore my pants Filled the sugar bowl with ants Somebody snitched on me. So, I'm gettin' nuttin' for Christmas Mommy and Daddy are mad. I'm gettin' nuttin' for Christmas' Cause I ain't been nuttin' but bad. I won't be seeing Santa Claus; Somebody snitched on me. He won't come visit me because Somebody snitched on me. Next year I'll be going straight; Next year I'll be good, just wait I'd start now, but it's too late; Somebody snitched on me. Have a good night, and stay warm!

Five more days to go!!!!

But who's counting? In our classroom, I think it is everyone. Reminder - Monday is pizza day. Reminder - Wednesday is the Holiday Celebration concert, 1:40 in the afternoon, and 7pm in the evening. Speaking of counting, we are doing quite a lot of it these days. Today, we explored a few mental math strategies to use when subtracting. Students copied down two useful ones today in their notebooks. Here are some sites for practice: This one demonstrates a few strategies at the top. http://www.aaamath.com/sub28c-submm.html http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/subtractiontest.html http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_155_g_2_t_1.html Here's one we had before, this time choose "Inverse Operations" http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/online/bricks2.swf This one looks familiar, it is the one where you repair the slide - only this time with subtraction. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/maths/number/subtraction/play.shtml Finally, here are a couple of quizzes: Grade Four http://www.nelson.com/nelson/school/elementary/mathK8/math4/quizzes/math4quizzes/m4ch4l5.htm Grade Three http://www.nelson.com/nelson/school/elementary/mathK8/math3/quizzes/math3quizzes/m3ch4l5.htm Hmmm, that should keep us busy for the weekend. Speaking of which, have a good one!

I can't believe it, the sun is shining!. It is hard to fathom that my lawn had no snow on it this time last week. The ski hills will definitely be the place to be this weekend. We had a special visitor today, who helped your child make a handcrafted Christmas card. This parent provided the materials, her time, and her skills. Hopefully, you saw the results when your little Martha Stewart came home. Special thanks to Mrs. G. for donating her time and talents! The next week and a half, provided mother nature cooperates, will look a little like this. We will write a narrative. We will also finish our unit on inferencing. Plus, there will be a math test next week on adding and subtracting. Finally, we hope to finish the portrait we have been working on. Somehow, this will all fit around the concert we are practicing for and putting on next week. This will mean, we can start fresh in January on new topics. Please note, no extra work will be given over the two week break, and hopefully students will have no outstanding projects to finish. As usual, everyone should read for 15 min. a day and enter it in their log. We have worked hard for four months, and it is time for everyone to have some time off to enjoy family, friends, and the snow. Today in math we continued the adding and subtracting unit. The websites I posted on Tuesday should be great for practice. Reminder - tomorrow we have a spirit assembly, so house colours are a must!! Reminder - read for 15 min. every night and enter it in your log. Have a relaxing and shovel-free night!

This may be the last post I do before the snow is over my head. If I suddenly stop, you will know why. I know the sun is out there somewhere. In literacy, we have started another narrative. First attempts were returned to the students today, please ask how they did. For the story they began today, the main character must demonstrate courage at some point. In math, we have moved on from mental calculations, to strategies for addition of numbers that we can't do in our heads. Here are some websites. Please note, the expectation for grade 3 is 2-digit addition, while for grade 4, it is 4-digit. Two Digit http://www.aaamath.com/B/add27cx1.htm Addition Machine http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/additiontest.html Addition using base ten blocks http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_154_g_2_t_1.html Millenium Bug Race http://www.mathsonline.co.uk/nonmembers/gamesroom/bugs/bugrace3.html In Health, we began a discussion on Canada's Food Guide and multicultural foods. Here is a link to Health Canada's Food Guide site, which has a ton of information. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index-eng.php Have a good night!

It is hard not to be in the holiday mood when you see those big flakes falling to the ground. Thank goodness I already have my lights up. Reminder - Monday is pizza day. Reminder - Monday is the last day for contributing to the coffee lovers basket. Thanks to everyone who has donated already! In math, we continue to work on mental math strategies, with an eye towards addition. Today, we worked on using rounding numbers to make them easier to work with in our head. Here are a couple of sites to practice with, and a quiz. http://www.aplusmath.com/Flashcards/rounding.html There are some decimal numbers on this game, which we have not covered yet. http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/mathsfile/shockwave/games/roundoff.html http://www.math4.nelson.com/quizzes/math4quizzes/m4ch4l2.htm We continue to work on inferencing during English. Here is a great site with a few activities to help practice at home. Each activity starts with an explanation of what we are looking for, and continues with a practice activity. A great site for those still not quite sure what all this is about. http://www.gamequarium.com/readquarium/skillsi-p.html Have a good weekend!

Note home: - the December newsletter went home today with the youngest/only student at the school. Some families receive these via email. Deadline - final drafts of narratives are due Friday. Most students are well on their way to finishing. Reminder - we are still collecting items for our coffee lovers basket. Thanks to everyone who has donated so far. Here is a website to follow up on a lesson we had the other day on adding 10s. http://www.math3.nelson.com/quizzes/math3quizzes/m3ch4l2.htm We started our Holiday Celebration Concert song today. You should be hearing "I'm Getting Nuttin' for Christmas" around your house for the next few weeks. The concert is scheduled for Wednesday, December 16th. Afternoon and evening performances are planned. Here is a fun website that lets students use their reading skills to help catch spies! It is very engaging, but it will take a few visits to get through everything. http://www.discip.ac-caen.fr/anglais/documents/cottenceau/Spywatch/Spywatch3.htm Have a good night.

Reminder - book orders are due Wednesday, Dec. 1st Reminder - students are to read for 15 min. each night and make a record in their log. Reminder - tomorrow is Phys. Ed. Today in math, we continued to work on mental addition strategies. No calculators allowed for a little while!!!!! Here are some fun sites to practice with: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/maths/number/addition/play.shtml This link is a little funny, if the game does not pop up immediately, make sure you have the entire address. For some reason the "online/brcks2.swf" does not always come up. http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/online/bricks2.swf A neat site that lists a couple of mental math strategies, then below them is a place to practice. Finally, below that are some follow up games. http://www.aaamath.com/B/add27cx1.htm Today was our character education assembly, with Courage being the focus for November. Our class sang a couple of songs as part of a choir - "You Can Do It If You Try", and "Start All Over Again" They were in fine form. We'll be starting soon on our Holiday concert song, but we're keeping that a surprise! Have a good night.

Reminder/Note Home - Chicken wrap orders went home today and are due Tues. Nov. 30th Reminders - students are to read 15 min. every day and make an entry in their reading log -book orders are due Wednesday December 1st - some students have not had they their math test signed by a parent and returned - our class is helping to put together a gift basket for coffee lovers Have a good weekend.

Reminder - we have started our holiday basket. Our class is putting together a basket for coffee lovers for the Parent Council silent auction. Please remember that it is your choice to give, and it is for a good cause. Reminder - the deadline for bringing parent signatures on math tests is tomorrow (Friday). Reminder - book orders are due Dec. 1st. Grade three are working on Forces in Science. We have discussed pushes, pulls, twists, and explored the concept of friction. Here are a couple of fun sites to play around with the ideas. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/science/physical_processes/friction/play.shtml http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/6_7/forces_movement.shtml In math, we continued to work on mental math strategies for adding and subtracting. Here is a fun game, using simple numbers, to mentally add. Note: use the mouse to grab the grey ball at the left of the screen. Click on it and pull it down to change the number to add on. http://www.ictgames.com/catapultCountOn/index.html Finally, we have been working on nouns and adjectives lately. Here is a site to help students know the difference between nouns and verbs. http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/adventure/grammar1.htm# In art today, we started working on a portrait. The exercise is based on a painting by Rembrandt van Rijn. Take a look: http://www.artofeurope.com/rembrandt/rem7.htm Have a good night!

Reminder -students have been asked to have a parent sign their most recent math test Note home - a note went home today regarding our Holiday Baskets - Our class is putting together a basket for coffee lovers. My favourite for sure. Today in math we continued working on our mental math skills by playing a game called Ten Ten Ten. Ask your child to describe what they did, and what strategy they used to win. Grade three had Social Studies today where they continue to study Urban and Rural communities. Here is a great game from TVO kids to help them explore Canada. http://www.tvokids.com/games/canadastreasuretrek Today, we had Phys. Ed. Friday will be our next visit to the gym. Reminder - tomorrow is pizza day. Reminder - book orders are due next Wednesday, the 1st of (yikes) December. Here is one of the best sites I've ever come across for all curriculum areas from grades K-8. Mr. Chapman is a teacher in the Ottawa Carleton Board and has done a LOT of work, as you will see when you hit this link. http://www.magma.ca/~mrchapman/index.html#Grade3 Have a good night.

I hope everyone had a good long weekend. Judging by how it looks outside of our classroom window, winter is only about 5 or 10 minutes away. Note home: Book orders, the last for 2010, went home tonight and are due next Wednesday, Dec. 1st. I can't make guarantees, however the turnaround time from ordering to delivery is usually 3-4 days, so getting things in time for Christmas should not be a problem. We are going to start practicing for our Winter Celebration song over the next few days. You should hear your child singing away to themselves soon. Today we started a new unit on Addition and Subtraction in Math. We will focus on mental math strategies for awhile, then move on to more difficult calculations. I don't have a website for you, but giving simple addition problems to do without paper or a calculator is a good thing to do. Here is a website I posted last week that should have some ideas for extra practice. http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmm/ Speaking of websites, I have made a new friend in the past week or so. His name is Howard B. Wigglebottom. I introduced him to the class today. The book I purchased is called Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen. Howard has some other books that centre around self-esteem and self-acceptance. There are animated versions of some of Howard's books, as well as funky songs to sing. There are also some games and puzzles good for the younger set. Take a peek, its a great site. http://www.wedolisten.com/ We are getting closer and closer to finishing our first narratives. Tomorrow we will talk about what to look for when editing. We finished off the first round of Reader's Theatre presentations today. Ask how your child did. Have a good night.

Thanks to everyone who joined in the Student Led Conferences over the past few days. It is wonderful to watch the students' excitement as they shared what they have been up to. If you would like to schedule another, please contact me here at the school and give a day's notice so I can ensure I am available. Reminder - Monday is a PD day, so there are no classes for the students. Note Home - a note went home with the youngest/only students regarding the grade 8's cheese fundraiser for their graduation trip. Grade 3 have started a new unit in Science. They are studying forces. Here is a nice introduction to what we will be talking about. http://www.engineeringinteract.org/resources/parkworldplot/flash/concepts/allaboutforces.htm Grade 3 have also started a unit on Urban and Rural communities. Here is a quick primer on what we've discussed so far. http://www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/books/applications/imaps/maps/g3_u1/index.html Grade 4 are working on the Provinces and Territories in Social Studies. Here is a fun site about a province we are very familiar with. http://www.onzone.ca/english/ Here is a site from the BBC to help practice spelling. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/spellits/ad_menu_flash.shtml Today was the math test on Patterning. It will go home next week for parent signature. Next week, back into the Number Sense and Numeration. Have a good weekend

Reminder - tomorrow is Tie Day. Wear your funniest tie to show your spirit. Reminder - tomorrow (Friday) is the math test. Review questions were attempted and taken up today. Students were asked to take home the sheet to study from it. Reminder - Monday is a Professional Development day - no school for students, just the teachers (insert sad music here). Note home - an information sheet on Medic Alert went home tonight. Student led conferences continue this evening. Have a good night.

Birds and Wolves Make Friends!!

A fun event took place today at our school, as we were visited by none other than Oscar, the Peregrine Falcon. Students from grades 3-8 had an excellent opportunity to see wildlife up close. It definitely was the hilight of the day. Reminder - tomorrow is pizza day. Reminder - Friday is our Tie Day, to help show our spirit here at school. Reminder - student led conferences continue this week. If you are unsure of when your appointment is, please contact the school to find out. Reminder - tomorrow is our review day on patterning, with the test taking place on Friday. Have a good night.

Reminder- student led conferences take place this week. A note outlining when your appointment is went home yesterday. Reminder - about half of the class has completed their first reading log of the year and have moved on from Powder Monkey to Cabin Kid. Test Date - we will be reviewing our patterning unit tomorrow, and having a test on Thursday. I found a neat website today from Houghton-Mifflin, a textbook maker in the U.S. If you are looking for extra practice in math, this looks like a great place to start. http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hmm/ In literacy, we continued to work on inferencing and our narratives. We are getting a lot better at "reading between the lines". By the way, a little bird told me we are in for a special treat tomorrow. Seems like the feathers will really be flying. Have a good night.

Today was the first day of student-led conferences. Every student has been booked for an appointment today, Wednesday, or Thursday. If you are unsure of when your appointment is, please check the note that went home today. Reminder - please bring page 2 of the Progress Report to the interview. At the bottom is a section for your child to set a goal. I will photocopy and return it. The Character Trait for November is courage. Today we started talking about what it means to have courage, and some situations where it is a strong trait to have. Brainstorm some people that you think demonstrate courage. Have a good night.

Reminder - Monday is pizza day, also remember your milk money. Sent home- progress reports went home today Sent home - a flyer on our Scholastic book fair that takes place next week. Today we finished up an assignment in math called "Spiney and Other Creatures". Students were asked to create a shape using pattern blocks, then continue it as a pattern. Using the first three parts of the pattern, they were then to predict the 7th part. In literacy, we did a shared reading of "In Flander's Field" and discussed the meaning of the poem. It is still a powerful piece of writing after almost 100 years. We also had our Friday Free Writes, where students could write about any topic they wished. What did your child write about? Finally, we had a spirit assembly to finish the day. Have a good weekend.

I hope everyone had a chance to come to our Remembrance Day ceremony today, it was a fine tribute to members of the service, both past and present. Reminder - tomorrow (Friday) progress reports go home. Please take time to work with your child on setting goals for next term. Some new patterning games to practice skills: http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/webisode_1/web_3game.html http://www.learner.org/teacherslab/math/patterns/buttons/ And a repeat from the other day: http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/data/data.html Have a good night.

A quick note today. Reminder - tomorrow at 9:30 we will be having our Remembrance Day ceremony. We hope to see all of our parents there. Reminder - November book orders are due tomorrow. Reminder - tomorrow is pizza day. We started presenting our Reader's Theatre plays today. We are about half way through, and so far the results are excellent! Have a good night.

Note home - Please look for a pamphlet from the Board regarding changes to reporting (report card) procedures effective this year. It was distributed to the youngest/only students in the school. Reminder - Thursday is Remembrance Day. We hope you can come and hear our song. The ceremony starts at 9:30 am. See you there! Reminder - each student is expected to read for 15 min. each night, and to enter that in their reading log. Reminder - book orders are due this Thursday the 11th. Reminder - student led conferences are next week (15th - 19th). Please sign up in the front foyer to ensure you get the spot you would like. Today in literacy we worked on a Storyboard planner for our own narratives and looked at the results from our last recount. We also did a shared activity on inferencing. In math, we continued to work on patterning with an activity called "Building Rectangles". Please see yesterday's post for some websites to practice on, and a couple of quizzes too. Here is another, and I think the best, website for practice on 100 charts and skip counting http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_337_g_1_t_1.html?from=grade_g_1.html Have a good night!

Reminder - book orders are due this Thursday. Reminder - our Remembrance Day ceremony will be Thursday at 9:30, we hope to see you there. Reminder - read for 15 minutes. Math - today we worked on patterns in 100 charts, as well as t-charts. Here are LOTS of websites for you to check out, including a couple of quizzes. This link does pretty much exactly what we did in class today, using a calculator to figure out values based on a pattern rule, then graphing them on a 100 chart. http://standards.nctm.org/document/eexamples/chap4/4.5/index.htm This is a 100 chart with 3 different types of counters, so you can show 3 different skip count patterns at once. Cool! - http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/countersquare.html Here is a quiz: http://www.nelson.com/nelson/school/elementary/mathK8/math3/quizzes/math3quizzes/m3ch1l3.htm And another: http://www.nelson.com/nelson/school/elementary/mathK8/math3/quizzes/math3quizzes/m3ch1l4.htm Have a good night.

Oh no, not again!!!

This snow thing is really starting to become a habit. Hopefully the sun shines on the weekend and melts it away. Reminder - Monday is pizza day, and book orders are due Thurs. the 11th. Today in math we continued to use the cuisinaire rods (fraction rods) to help us identify a pattern. Here is a quiz on the concepts covered so far: http://www.nelson.com/nelson/school/elementary/mathK8/math3/quizzes/math3quizzes/m3ch1l1.htm and another review quiz http://www.nelson.com/nelson/school/elementary/mathK8/math3/quizzes/math3quizzes/m3ch1l2.htm Remember Mastermind? Here is a fun(er) version to play: http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/data/data.html This is a patterning game that uses music to have make a pattern. http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/patterns/patterns.html In literacy, we started writing a story together on Timmy Jones, who just happens to live on Saturn and has an unfortunate paper cut. Ask your child for more on this!! You may have heard your child talk about doing Reader's Theatre in class. These are plays that students read together and will put on next week. Fun! Progress reports, which have taken the place of the first report card, will go home next Friday, the 12th. The week after will bring student led conferences, so make sure you sign up. The list is in the front hall of the school. Many more reading logs are coming in, we now have 5 Cabin Kids in our class. We are hoping for 15 more! Have a great weekend!

Reminder - Scholastic book orders are due Thurs. Nov. 11th. Today we continued working on narratives and inferencing. We have been reading "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" in class the past couple of weeks. If anyone is watching the movie at home, ask them to make comparisons between the movie and novel version. In math we worked on patterning using cuisinaire rods, also known as fraction rods. The name sounds complicated, but check out this link to see they are really not. http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_203_g_1_t_1.html?from=topic_t_1.html For a little more practice on identifying and extending patterns, check out: http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/frames_asid_184_g_2_t_1.html Tomorrow is Friday!! Have a good night.

It's Hump Day!

We're halfway through the week already, time is flying by when you think that we are two months into the school year, and about 7 or 8 weeks away from Christmas holidays. The lyrics for the song your child is learning for the Remembrance Day ceremony will probably go home tomorrow. Please help you child rehearse and practice by lending and a round of applause or two. Today we worked on a patterning assignment where we created and extended a pattern. We then took our pattern and represented it on a hundreds chart. In literacy, we continue to work on inferencing, and writing complete answers to open response questions. We use a "4-pen" method, which has the students use four different colour pens to answer some questions so they can check to ensure they have everything they need. We also worked on planning a narrative and should be ready to write our own very soon. In the arts, we worked on Reader's Theatre presentations and made poppies for our Remembrance Day ceremony. Remember, tomorrow is pizza day. We have had our first reading logs handed in, so two students have graduated to Cabin Kid. Each student is to read for 15 min. a night and record it in their log. Have a good night!

Tuesday Nov. 2

Note home - poinsettia order forms went home tonight with the youngest and only students in the school. Can we be planning for Christmas already? Today in math we started our unit on patterning. When you stop to look around, it is hard to believe all of the patterns you can pick out of everyday life. In Writing, we looked at a graphic organizer for writing a narrative, and filled one out based on the three little pigs. The practicing for the Remembrance Day ceremony continues today, and will up until the 11th. I am hopeful that many parents can join us that day. Have a good night. Oh, and tonight, Go Sens Go!!!

All Saint's Day

Well, once again, the big day has come and gone. Sugar lows have kicked in, but brown bag lunches are filled with sweet treats. All Hallow's Eve 2010 is in the books again, and today is traditionally known as All Saint's Day. Today we started our unit on narratives by discussing what exactly the chartacteristics of a narrative are. As well, we began talking about making inferences while we are reading. Inferences are those details that are not explicitly in the text, but can be assumed by reading. In math, we began the final graphing activity, graphing the results of our TV logs. Today was another starter, as we began practicing for our song in the Remembrance Day assembly. Reminder - the sign up list for student led conferences is in the hall ready to go. Sign up quickly to make sure there is a time that is right for you. Have a good night.

Happy Halloween!

Reminder- Monday is pizza day. Notice: The sign up sheet for student led conferences is now up. Conferences will be held Nov. 15-18 after school. I will be unavailable the 16th (Tuesday). On Monday, students will be putting their logs on TV hours watched to use as we analyze the data and organize it into a graph. Our graphing unit is coming to an end, and a unit on Patterning will be beginning next week. We also start our unit on Narratives in writing, and making inferences in reading. Of course, nothing else really matters except the big night on Sunday. Have a safe and happy Halloween!

It's Gettting Spooky Around Here!

Reminder - there are still a few TV logs that need to be completed and returned to class. Reminder - Friday is orange and black day Due Date - final drafts of recounts are due tomorrow (Friday). Notes home - wrap order forms and paper copies of the newsletter went home today, also some student photos. Today, students heard the sotry "Maybe a Bear Ate It" and made three predictions during various points in the text. Also, we did a shared reading exercise on Medieval Construction Zones. Finally in literacy, we worked diligently to finish our recounts for tomorrow. Many students are finished and worked on a Free Write. In math we talked about how much sleep we get at night and looked at a different type of graph, called a line plot. For grade threes, we are coming to the end of our unit on mapping skills in Social Studies. Tomorrow, during the last 100 min. of the day, grade four will get to go to a dance. Grade threes will not, but will be offered a game time/free time. Feel free to let your child bring a board game in to play. Have a good night.

Back at it!

I hope everyone had a good long weekend, and is getting ready for Halloween this Sunday. Hard to know what the weather will be like based on the last week. DEADLINE: - final drafts of recount writing are due this Friday. Most students are finished their first draft and ready to publish. OVERDUE - many students handed in their TV watching log, but some are still at home. Please remind your child to bring theirs in REMINDER - read for 15 min. each night Today in math, we practiced our skills with bar graphs. Here is a nice website for review 3s - http://www.nelson.com/nelson/school/elementary/mathK8/math3/quizzes/math3quizzes/m3ch3l4.htm 4's -http://www.nelson.com/nelson/school/elementary/mathK8/math4/quizzes/math4quizzes/m4ch3l2.htm . Today was our Character Recognition assembly. October's character trait was Respect, next month's is Courage. The grade twos entertained us with a very nice song. Have a good night.

What????????!!!!!!?????

Well, I think by now I've recovered from the shock on my front lawn this morning. Snow??? I guess it will save me from raking leaves. Reminders - Monday is a PA day, and therefore a day off for the students. Enjoy! - read for 15 minutes Due Date - the TV hours watched log sheet is due Tuesday. - the final draft of the recount letter is due next Friday We are working on bar graphs in math, here are a couple of links for practice. http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/ http://www.amblesideprimary.com/ambleweb/mentalmaths/grapher.html Have a good weekend.

Pumpkin Mania!!!

No doubt, the big event of the day in Grade 3/4 was definitely the pumpkin carving. Mushy hands and funny faces make for a fun time. The pumpkins were donated by a local market, and are being used for a grand pumpkin tower there. Soon you should be able to go and view your child's handiwork. Reminders - any student still completing the writing planner for their recount needs to finish it for tomorrow - grade threes are on a field trip to Sharon and Bram tomorrow, the grade 4s will have a regular day, but spend the first two blocks in another classroom. - grade 3 will not be able to order pizza or milk tomorrow, but grade 4s will -continue to record hours of TV watched, hopefully students have recorded 3 or 4 days by now -read for 15 mn., students should be well on their way to completing their first reading log by now Today, grade three worked on questions from the a previous EQAO math assessment. All grade 3s and 6s in Ontario will write the EQAO assessment in Language and Mathematics in late May or early June of next year. For those interested in finding out more, seeing assessments from previous years (that you can practice at home), or looking at how the assessments are marked, with examples, check out this link: http://www.eqao.com/Parents/Elementary/036/036.aspx?Lang=E&gr=036 Have a good night!

Tuesday

It is one of those days when you can't quite figure out if the sun is going to shine, or its going to rain buckets. During visual arts today, we worked on finishing our "Apples and Oranges" project, and started a project on a Peace Dove. Halloween is around the corner, and so is Remembrance Day. A short post today. Have a good night.

Farm Trip Fun

By all accounts, the trip to the Edencrest farm was very good today, even with a few drops of rain. Ask your child to tell you about it, or recount it. Today in math, the 3s and 4s discussed analyzing data to find the mode. Check out this website, which also works on the concept of median which we will learn soon. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/maths/data/mode_median_mean/play.shtml NOTICE: - due to the Sharon and Bram trip on Thursday, there will be no pizza or milk orders for the grade 3's. Students should plan to bring a lunch on Thursday. The bus is schedled to be back at the school around 1:15, so the 3s should have time to eat what they have packed. For the grade fours, they will order pizza or milk in the classes they are in. Reminders: - record hours of TV watched - read for 15 min. Have a good night.

Fabulous Friday

The weekend is here! Looks like nice weather too. Enjoy it while you can, I felt some winter winds whipping through the yard this morning while on duty. Monday morning is a trip for grades 3 and 4 to the Edencrest Farm. Students will be asked to enter the school a little early to receive their trip tags, give their pizza order, etc. Next Thursday is a trip to Sharon and Bram for the grade threes only. Remember the $6.00 fee. On Wednesday of next week, we will be carving pumpkins for the local pumpkin tower. That should be fun! Tonight, look for an order form for chicken wraps. The wraps are delivered Fridays, but need to be ordered on Wednesdays. No extras will be ordered. Your child has been asked to record the number of hours they watch TV each day during the next week. The data we collect will be used for a graphing assignment. Look for that sheet, and a letter for parents, in your child's backpack. Have a nice weekend!

Yikes, a fire drill!

We had a little excitement here today as a fire drill took place just before lunch time. Students were surprised, but of course, everyone made it out. Please check with your child to ensure they have indoor shoes, some were caught without. Ask your child about a shared reading piece we are doing called "Desert Run". Grade 3/4 are being asked to retell it tomorrow. See how much they remember, it is a neat story. In math we created surveys, collected data, and are now getting ready to graph our results. Here is a website for some extra practice with tally charts and graphs: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/mathsfile/shockwave/games/datapick.html Also, some have asked for some extra materials for reading at home. Remember that each student is asked to read for at least 15 min. a night. Asking your child to retell what they have read, or to make a prediction about what happens next, are great conversation starters. Have a good night. Remember that there is a PD day on Mon. Oct. 25th, so no school that day (except for the teachers).

Wet Wednesday

The rain clouds are gathering as I post today, looks like a wet walk home. A reminder that permission forms for the Farm Trip (3s and 4s) and Sharon and Bram (3s only) have gone home and are due ASAP. Also, your child has come home with their math test to be signed by a parent tonight. It is Thursday tomorrow, which means pizza day already. Today, we worked on a new recount. Students are to pretend it is 30 years in their future, and are then to write a letter to their current selves detailing how life has been. Grade 3/4 seems excited about this. In math, we continued on with our unit on Data Management, focusing on Venn Diagrams (3s) and critiquing various kinds of graphs for errors (4s). Here are a couple of websites to try tonight: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks1bitesize/numeracy/data/index.shtml http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/maths/data/interpreting_data/play.shtml Kudos to our Cross Country team who represented our school so well today. Have a good night

Happy Thanksgiving!

A happy turkey day to you all. Enjoy what is supposed to be a beautiful long weekend. A reminder that the Allegory of Clearview art project is due Tuesday, as well as book orders and QSP magazine orders. Grade 3/4 were asked to do some thinking this weekend as well. Next week, they will begin a new recount writing piece. Students will pretend it is roughly 30 years in the future and write a letter to their current self, recounting what life has been like. Ideas of what lies in store were flying fast and furious today. See you Tuesday.

The long weekend is coming

A reminder that the "I Can't Believe it Happened to Me" recount is due tomorrow (Friday), and the Allegory of Clearview is due on Tuesday. As well, remind your child to read for 15 min. each night AND to record it in their logs. QSP orders are also due on Tuesday, and tomorrow is the last day of our Thanksgiving food drive. Finally, book orders are also due on Tuesday. Please see the newsletter that went home today with youngest or only students here. Today, we started a new unit in math on Data Management. Students will be spending the next three weeks or so collecting, organzing, displaying, and interpreting data. Students have been receving feedback on recounts they have already written. Look for strengths and a next step at the bottom of the checklist. These should be in your child's writing folders. Next week, you will be asked to review and sign your child's math test from the past two days. Have a good night.

Home Reading Program

Before we get to the Home Reading Program, a couple of due dates first: The "I Can't Believe It Happened to Me" recount is due Friday, October 8th. The Allegory of Clearview Meadows art assignment is due Tuesday, October 12th. All students are asked to read for 15 min. each night. As you probably have noticed, your child has been bringing home a blue folder lately to log their home reading. Students have been asked to read for 15 min. each night, even on weekends, with parents being asked to initial when this has been completed. Students record 15 min. per day. For example, if a student read for 15 min tonight, they would complete one entry in their log. If a student read for 1 hour tonight, they would still only complete one entry. Entries are for each day. Once thirty entries are completed, hopefully in thirty days, your child will receive a promotion in our ranking system. The nautically themed ranks are: Powder Monkey - start Cabin Kid - 30 days Mate - 60 days Lieutenant - 90 days Commander - 120 days Captain - 150 days Commodore - 180 days Admiral - 210 days Admiral of the Fleet - 240 days Rear Admiral of the Fleet - 270 days Even with our late start, students should still be able to become Rear Admirals. Good luck to all. Thanks for checking in.

A late welcome

Hello, welcome to the blog for the Grade Three/Four classroom! This blog will be a replacement for the monthly newsletters I had originally planned on using. Hopefully, you will find this a little more current than the printed page. We are almost at Thanksgiving, and the first term Progress Reports will be going home in a little over a month. This blog will (try to) keep you updated on events in our classroom and the school. Any homework assignments will be posted here, as well as other items of interest like Spirit Days, pizza days, websites we have used in the classroom, and day to day life here in Grade Three Four. Please note, any homework listed on the blog will not be in addition to that written in the agenda. Homework listed here will be written on the board in class as well. In other words, it is not necessary I hope to post at least three days a week, but please check in often. You just never know what you will find! Thanks for visiting! http://mrbabcock.blogspot.com/ Here is the web address for the blog, we hope to have it linked up to the Clearview Meadows website soon. For any parents who are unable to access this page, or wish to have hard copies, please let me know and I will print them out each week for you. Thanks again, T. Babcock