Happy Hallowe'en!

Games, yummy treats (thank you parents), and fun!  Thank you to the photographers Roya and Jodh.

Hallowe'en Safety

Our buddy class (Mr. Karr's Grades 1/2 class) and Mrs. Nykorforuk's Grades 2/3 class were entertained and reminded to be safe by the Grade 5 students who presented skits and then gave out Hallowe'en safety certificates.  The actors were very professional!

Should Cell Phones Be Allowed In Schools?

The students prepared arguments for and against the use of cell phones in school and then presented debates in small groups.  The consensus was that they should be allowed but only for educational purposes.

Which Lubricant Reduces Friction the Most?

Ask your child what he/she learned about lubricants when we compared how fast a penny slides on oil, dish soap, and shampoo?

Art in the Classroom

Pumpkin Art:  The students enjoyed learning about how shading and shadows can be used to show light on 3D shapes.

And they had fun creating personalized emojis.

They also made Thanksgiving turkeys out of pinecones with Miss Beleski.

Nut Allergies in Our Class

In our class there are students with severe nut allergies (peanuts and other nuts).  Exposure to products containing nuts for these children can lead to anaphlaxis which can be life threatening.  The children affected are very careful, but we do not want to take any chances.  Please be sensitive to their needs when packing your child's lunches and snacks.

Thank you for your support with this.

What Should My Child be Reading?.

A parent asked me what was appropriate for her son to be reading?  After years of teaching and reading about the subject, this is how I responded.  I hope this helps others with the same question.

Basically, your child should be reading what he enjoys.  Eventually what usually happens is that he will get bored of what he is reading and choose something else; the level of difficulty will increase in time.

Sometimes children choose the first book they recognize.  The book may be too easy or too difficult.
If your child makes more than 5 mistakes while reading a page, it is probably too difficult.

If you are reading with your child, choose something more challenging.  Reading can take the form of you reading to him, taking turns reading, him reading to a younger sister, etc.  Magazines, newspapers, graphic novels, chapter books, etc. are all good.  Discussing what is being read is important too.  

I have the students talk about what they're reading with friends.  This way they get other ideas for books from friends with similar interests. The public librarians and Vicky Milner, the school librarian, are good sources for ideas.  I'll pick up brochures for Grades 4 to 6 next time I'm at the public library.  You can as well.

The school library is open at recess and lunch most days for book exchange.

Miss Beleski suggests the following website: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/18012.Best_10_year_old_boy_books

Reading should be something we all look forward to!

Letter Writing Assignment

After reading letters from their teachers, the students wrote letters in reply.  Criteria for the letters included writing 5 paragraphs (introductory, 3 paragraphs about topics of their choice, and a closing paragraph).   I have had a chance to read most of the letters and I will read the rest this coming week.   They did a good job choosing topics and writing 4 - 5 sentences related to the topics.  With partners they began the editing process.

The students are excited to type the letters on computers.  Many began typing their letters before I even assigned this step!  Please help your child with the editing and typing of the letter.  Some children will need more support than others.  Spread the work out if that is what is required.  The typed letter is not due until Monday October 16th.  The finished product should be in your child's voice, and he/she should feel it is his/her own work, with a little adult help to clean it up.  

If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.  Thank you in advance for your support with this.

Miss Beleski and I look forward to reading the final letters.

Happy Thanksgiving

Ask your students to teach you the thank you song they learned in sign language.  Thank you London and Imran for correcting me on a couple of the signs.  The students also created skits using phrases and words the Pilgrims might have.  Our favourites included Huzzah and arsy varsy.

Using Our Marbles to Create Roller Coasters

The students were challenged to build roller coasters out of paper strips with a rise part way along the course. The goal was to have a marble travel the full course.  I was impressed with the problem solving (creating sides to the track, raising the height of the sides in key places, adding a roof in key places and even a hole for the marble to drop to a new level).  The students worked  cooperatively and were pleased with their results even though the marbles did not always cooperate.