December is shaping up to be a jam packed month!!!

This week, we joined Mrs. Eddy's grade 6 class for our first advent liturgy. We lit a purple candle and discussed it's meeting - hope.  My afternoon group, participated in their first teaching mass presided over by Father Steve.

In language, the grade 6's continue to explore how to write efficient reading responses using APES. Students created a bump it up wall and are now using it to help them improve their responses. Moving forward this week, students will develop their skills on how to give effective feedback to each other that they can use to improve their work.  

In Math, we have been learning all about input/output patterns. Students know how it identify recursive and linear patterns and our focus next week will be on solving patterning word problems (sample EQAO questions).

In grade 5 our focus in science this week, surrounded renewable and no renewable resources. In grade 6, our space unit had us exploring the various components of our vast solar system. 

Our focus in health and physical education this past week surrounded pedestrian skills (special presentation) and cooperative games. 

In visual arts, students have been learning all about Wassily Kandinsky. His unique abstract art is our inspiration for our most recent 2-D art work... Stay tuned to see a picture of our finished projects. 

Both groups have had a chance to activate and become familiar with edmodo. It is going to act as a great online tool towards meaningful talk.  Students have been familiarized with what is considered acceptable participation and understand that being a member of our edmodo account is a privilege not a right. Please ask your child to log onto edmodo (www.edmodo.com) and show you the discourse our class is developing.

Happy Snow Day everyone!  We definitely had some empty seats in our class today!   Hopefully everyone had a chance to get out and enjoy the white stuff!
This week, we continue to work on patterning and creating pattern rules.  I am impressed at how everyone works collaboratively on all inquiry tasks in math.
In language, our focus continues to be on using 'APES' to create strong and concise reading responses. Hopefully our 'bump it up' wall will take shape before the week is out.  Please take a minute to explain to your parents how our 'bump it up' wall works.
In Science, we continues to explore forms of energy (grade 5) as well as planets (grade 6). I will be encouraging students to bring their own electronic devices on occasions where further inquiry is needed.

This week was anti-bullying awareness week and our class completed a number of activities around being an upstander rather than a bystander. We assembled in the gym and became honorary W.I.T.S. constables.  A big congratulations to Wipada and her grade three buddy who won the anti-bullying poster contest. They will get to be principal and vice principal for the day.... Stay tuned to find out when.

In Science, the grade fives have begun exploring how they use energy everyday (energy devices, how forms of evergy are used and where they come from).  The grade sixes have begun learning some interesting facts about planets in our solar system.

In math, we have been exploring division and will be jumping into our new unit on patterning hopefully later this week.  There will be no test on division at this time.  In language, our focus is on reading responses. Our goal for this week is to create a bump it up wall that we can use to improve our reading responses, using a protocol called 'APES'.
Our class is also working through a series of lessons on digital citizenship and learning about our digital footprint and how to use social media in a positive way.
This is also anti-bullying week.  We will be completing an activity each day focusing on anti-bullying.  Please ask your child about 'WITS.'

Today we activated our gmail accounts.  These accounts are to be used for school purposes only.

I hope everyone is having a great day with Mrs. Leblanc.  I am learning ALOT of new ideas to bring back to our classroom including how to create our very own Edmodo accounts (both groups).  Stay tuned!!!

Our Order of Operations quiz has been rescheduled for Wednesday, November 13... one extra day to clearly solidify your understanding of this new concept..

Please review and sign your child’s agenda every night and return it with them each day as it will serve as an excellent means of home and school communication. If you want to get a message to me feel free to use the agenda for this purpose and I will do the same for you. 
Each day, your child will write down everything that they are required to accomplish during their time in our class.  Should students complete a particular task prior to leaving school, they will place a check mark beside that task, in their agenda.  All incomplete tasks are homework.   

Welcome to our class blog!!!  It will be updated regularly to keep you informed about what is happening in our classroom.