Friday, October 27

Hello Families!

Important Information:

Communication Folders and Home Reading

Each student will be sent home with a communication folder. Please keep this folder in good condition for the course of this year. Folders should be kept in your child's backpack and returned each day. This folder will be used for any notices that need to go home, home reading or any notes you have for us. Your child will be responsible for returning the folder each day to their teacher. 

Home reading is going to start on Monday.  Your child will be choosing a 'good fit' book to read to you each night. Once they return their book they will choose a new book to bring home. Please feel free to email your teacher if you have any questions or concerns. 

Whole Class Photos

Whole class photos will be taken on Thursday, November 2nd.

Important Dates:

Thursday, Nov. 2 - Class photos and Retake Day

Thursday, Nov. 9 - System Indigenous Education Professional Learning - No School

Friday, Nov. 10 - Tuesday, Nov. 14 Fall Break - No School

Wednesday - Nov. 15 Classes Resume

*If your child is registered for choir, please click the following link to be added to the choir Google Classroom https://classroom.google.com/c/NjI5MTE0OTUwNTA0?cjc=2dt3ivw

Our Learning:

We had an amazing week of learning this week.

Literacy:

• In writing, we read a story called "When Things Aren't Going Right, Go Left". We wrote about our connections to the story. 
• We talked about our special places, made a plan, and wrote about our special place in our journals. 
• We continued our targeted literacy groups where the students are working on specific phonic skills (ex. letter sounds, digraphs, vowel teams, etc.)
• Along with those groups, we are continued working on our printing as well as read to self and work on writing stamina. We did an amazing job reading and writing quietly for longer periods of time this week! \

Here is a link from Mrs. Coulson for a literacy game:

https://wordwall.net/resource/16074276/reading/digraphs-ai-and-ay-1-syllable

Math:

•  In math, we looked at patterns found in 100s charts and used this knowledge to solve mystery pictures. Ask your child what their mystery picture was. 
• We are continuing to build our number sense and representing numbers in a variety of ways
• The grade 1s and 2s completed an assessment on representing numbers using base ten blocks.

Inquiry:

• We learned about comparison words this week. We learned about length, weight, and surface area. We used this knowledge to compare objects found in nature on our Coulee Walk. We used a string to compare length and unifix cubes to measure surface area. 
• Next week we are going to use our visual journals to create charts about comparing length, weight, and surface area. 

Thanks for reading!

Friday, October 20th

Hello Families!

Important Information:

Thursday, Nov. 2 - Class photos and Retake Day

Thursday, Nov. 9 - System Indigenous Education Professional Learning - No School

Friday, Nov. 10 - Tuesday, Nov. 14 Fall Break - No School

Wednesday - Nov. 15 Classes Resume

* We are going on a Coulee walk next Friday the 27th.  Please dress for the weather (looks like snow) and ensure your child has a pocket snack to bring with them on the walk. 

*If your child is registered for choir, please click the following link to be added to the choir Google Classroom https://classroom.google.com/c/NjI5MTE0OTUwNTA0?cjc=2dt3ivw

*The Growing Smiles fundraiser information form was sent home with your child yesterday

Our Learning:

We continued with our E-Motion residency this week which provides a fun and safe opportunity for children to build emotional literacy, empathy and regulation skills through dance - movement activities. Ask your child what they have learned so far. 

Literacy:

• This week we have begun our targeted literacy groups where the students are working with Ms. Tait, Mrs. Coulson, Ms. Cristea, Ms. Lloyd or Mrs. Day within a small group
• These targeted literacy groups are working on specific phonic skills (ex. letter sounds, digraphs, vowel teams, etc.)
• Ask your child what their group learned this week
• Along with those groups, we are continued working on our printing as well as read to self and work on writing stamina
• In writing, we talked about the two goals for writing (interesting and clear) 
• This week we focused on how to make our writing more interesting by adding 'triple scoop words'
• Ask your child what a 'triple scoop word' is and an example

Math:

• We are continuing to build our number sense and representing numbers in a variety of ways
• This week we used our knowledge of base ten blocks and place value to create 'place value monsters' 
• We also used manipulatives to demonstrate our understanding of place values
• We will continue we ensure our understanding of representing different numbers in the coming weeks

Inquiry:

• We introduced the Medicine Wheel and will be beginning in the East with Spirit: To Be
• As we work within our Matter unit in science, we used our five senses to describe, compare and sort objects
• Next week we are going to learn how to compare objects using length, weight and flat space

Thanks for reading!

Friday, October 13th

Hello Families! 

Important Dates:

Monday, Oct. 9 - Thanksgiving - No School

Friday, Oct. 20 - Non- Instructional Day - No School 

Thursday, Oct. 26 - Healthy Hunger - Papa Johns (Lunch)

Our learning:

We had a wonderful week in grade 1/2 this week! We started a program called E-Motion this week. E-Motion is a program that provides a fun and safe opportunity for children to build emotional literacy, empathy, and regulation skills through tangible dance-movement activities. 

Literacy:

• We are continuing to build our skills and stamina during read to self as well as learning how to work on writing during Daily 5
• In writing, we learned about how to make a plan and created a chart on how to make our writing interesting and clear. We read the story "The Best Part of me" and made a plan with four big ideas to help support our writing.
• We talked about how to give helpful feedback to each other. Some of us shared our writing with the class. 

Math:

• We are continuing to build our understanding of representing numbers in a variety of ways and introduced base ten blocks. We played a fun game called Base Ten Fun to practice this skill. Here is the link if you would like to try it at home: https://www.abcya.com/games/base_ten_fun 
• We practiced number recognition and subitizing by playing a variety of math games. 
• We talked about estimation and how is it important to make guesses that are as accurate as possible.

Inquiry:

• We talked about the phases of the moon and in our visual journals we drew all the phases of the moon and labelled them. 
• We created moon art by using a washable black marker on a coffee filter and then spraying it with water. The next day, we learned about the word landscape and drew a landscape to go with our moon. Look at all of our amazing pictures below!

Friday, October 6th

Hello Families!

Important Dates:

Monday, Oct. 9 - Thanksgiving - No School

Friday, Oct. 20 - Non- Instructional Day - No School 

What a great way to finish the week with a beautiful Coulee walk!  Thank you to our parent volunteers who came with us.  We would not be able to go without you!  

Our learning:

Literacy:

• We are continuing to build our skills and stamina during read to self as well as learning how to work on writing during Daily 5
• Strengthening our knowledge of the letters and their sounds and practicing our printing (ssk you child the letters that we printed this week)
• We added ideas into our Fact and Imagination Pockets for when we are working on writing
• In our journals we wrote about Autumn and made personal connections to a story we read

Math:

• We are building our understanding of representing numbers in a variety of ways and have specifically focused on using ten frames to show different numbers
• We also practiced our subitizing skills (ask your child what these means)
• As we still continue to discuss patterns in the environment, we learned that the Moon cycle is a pattern and are going to draw and label the Moon cycle

Inquiry:

• As the Autumnal Equinox was on September 3rd, we brainstormed and created a visual journal page of the various sings of Autumn (ask your child what seasonal changes they are noticing)
• We use oil pastels and water to create Autumn tree pictures
• On our walk today, we found a sit spot and used our senses to be mindful and investigate the land (we will be revisiting this sport during each season to observe any changes)