It is hard to believe that next week is our last week together in Grade 1!
Next week, we will be doing a number of fun, hands-on learning activities. On Monday, we will go on a community walk with Mrs. Burch's class either to the Pirate Park or to the playground near the splash park.
Thursday afternoon from 1:00-2:15 we will be participating in Sports Day. Please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for being active outside. The students are encouraged to wear red and white clothing to celebrate our Canadian spirit during this day. :)
Next week, we will be researching our animals, creating the animals out of plasticine, and building our dioramas. If you haven't yet sent in a shoebox with your child, please do so by Monday. Each student chose their focus animal this week. Please ask your child which animal they have chosen. They may wish to bring materials from home, such as pebbles, sand, twigs, pinecones, etc. to add to their dioramas.
All library books are due back. Your support in returning these books is appreciated.
I will be sending home the students' notebooks, pencil boxes, and other school-related items during the week. You may want to send your child with an extra bag for all of these things. Indoor shoes will be sent home on Friday. Please let me know if your child will not be attending on Friday so that materials can be sent home on Thursday.
On Friday, we will be having an all-school assembly to celebrate the end of this school year. This is our last day of school for the year!
This week our phonics focus was on words that contain the short u sound made by double Os. The words we used each day for Shared Reading were look, cook, book, good, and foot.
We had a special visit by Constable Mike Kruger from the Calgary Police on Wednesday. He spoke to the students about his role as a police officer and explained some of the tools that help him do his job. He also had the students do an activity about filling people's "buckets". The students brainstormed many ways they could bring some happiness to others each day. Examples were: smiling, giving compliments, lending a hand, inviting others to play, etc.
Next week, the students will begin researching a zoo animal of their choice. They will share their learning by making their animal out of plastiscine and creating a diorama to depict their animal's habitat. Please have your child bring a shoebox to school by next Friday. Please put your child's name on the box. They will work on making the diorama the following week. Shoe stores often have extra boxes that they will give out for free. Once your child chooses their animal, they may want to bring in some materials to enhance their habitat, such as rocks, grasses, toy plants, trees, etc. I will supply paper, paints, pie cleaners, etc.
Here is an example of a diorama:
Please send all library books back to school as soon as possible. Mrs. McLean is beginning to reshelve the books and getting the library organized for next year.
We celebrated the beginning of the World Cup yesterday by learning about the countries that are participating and seeing their flags. The students designed their own World Cup soccer ball.
Mrs. Burch and I may take the classes on a Community Walk next week. We will decide on the day based on the weather forecast.
Upcoming Dates
June 17 Fun Lunch - Coco Brooks
June 19 Grade 4 Farewell Assembly - 11:00am
June 24 Kindergarten Graduation - Morning Classes/9:45am, Afternoon Classes/1:45pm
June 24 Pizza Lunch for Grade 4 Students
June 25 Sports Day - Wear your Red & White for Team Canada!!
June 26 Last Day of School
In Math this week, we focused on Measurement and the terms "longer than " and "shorter than". The students traced their shoe and had to identify objects in the room that were longer than and shorter than their foot. We also learned how to use a non-standard unit of measurement (a paper line of ants!) to measure different pictures of picnic items. We discussed the importance of accuracy when measuring and the reasons why we might need to measure items.
Using a picture prompt and a word bank, the students wrote a simple story that included a beginning, middle, and end. We continue to work with the 5Ws (who, what, where, when, and why) when writing to ensure that we are providing details and descriptions of the characters, setting, and problem. We will continue to work on writing and sharing stories in partner groups next week.
We focused on words ending in "le" this week during Shared Reading and Word Work. Our five words were: table, uncle, bubble, puzzle, and apple.
In Social Studies, we began learning about maps and how they provide information about communities - big and small. The students learned the names and positions of the four directions on a compass rose. We also looked at a pictorial map's legend and identified the icons. We will continue this learning next week.
Our classroom garden box is beginning to sprout. The students enjoy checking on it each day to observe the different stems and leaves of the vegetables. We'll be excited to note its growth on Monday!
We were to have two sessions with Knowledge Keeper, Hal Eagletail this week. Unfortunately, he was sick and could not visit the school. We will have to wait until next Fall to see him again.
Today, we did a ripped-paper art project with our Grade 4 buddies. Both of our classes have been learning about plants. We have been learning about the plant's parts and its needs. Today, the students created flowers, soil, and roots through mixed media.
We will begin an animal research project next week. Each student will choose a zoo animal they would like to learn about. As a final piece of our learning, we will be making dioramas (a representation of the animal and its habitat), using shoeboxes. Please send in a shoebox with your child by next Friday. If you have more than one shoebox at home, I would love to receive them! Shoe stores are usually happy to give you a shoebox for free! :)
Gym will be outside all of next week. Please ensure your child wears appropriate outside footwear and has a hat and jacket, if necessary.
There will be no more book exchange times at the library. Please send back all library books as soon as possible.
SUNDAY MTS Bottle Drive 1:00pm - 4:00pm
June 8-15 Grade 3 and 4 - Alien In-Line Skating
June 17 Fun Lunch - Coco Brooks
June 19 Grade 4 Farewell Assembly - 11:00am
June 24 Kindergarten Graduation
June 24 Pizza Lunch for Grade 4 Students
June 25 Sports Day - Wear your Red & White for Team Canada!!
June 26 Last Day of School
We enjoyed a great day at the Zoo on Wednesday! Our Zoo interpreter, Emily, provided a very informative one-hour program on penguins. The students had an opportunity to do five different hands-on activity stations where they could look at and touch bio-facts (a penguin's skull, seal's pelt, penguins feathers...), do a sorting activity about positive and negative human impacts on penguins habitats, and build a penguin habitat. Thank you once again to the parent volunteers who joined us for the day. These field trips would not be possible without you! :)
June 3 Grade 4 Field Trip to Calgary Zoo
June 5 Volunteer Tea (More Information to Come)
June 8-15 Grade 3 and 4 - Alien In-Line Skating
June 17 Fun Lunch - Coco Brooks
June 19 Grade 4 Farewell Assembly - 11:00am
June 24 Kindergarten Graduation
June 24 Pizza Lunch for Grade 4 Students
June 25 Sports Day - Wear your Red & White for Canada Day!!
June 26 Last Day of School
This week, we started to learn about 3D shapes. We are learning how to identify these shapes in everyday objects. Thanks to everyone who helped your child complete the small "homework" about these shapes. If you did not get a chance to do a Shape Hunt at home yet, you can still do it this weekend and send the sheet back on Monday. :)
I sent home another little homework note today. Please feel free to send me a baby photo of your child - from when they were one year old or less - to jllarmer@cbe.ab.ca. I can't wait to see all the pictures! The kids love this guessing game as well. :)
We learned about "Tricky Y" this week. We practiced reading one and two syllable words ending in "Y" and learned that a one-syllable word ends with the "i" sound and a two-syllable word end with the long"e" sound.
In Science, we started a booklet on different animal movements. We brainstormed a list of words to describe the movements, such as waddle, slither, climb, swing, etc. We will complete these books next week.
Our bean plants continue to grow and produce more leaves. We are still waiting for some plants to break through the soil. It seems we have a few late bloomers!
Zoo Field Trip Reminder
Please remember to pack your child a lunch, two healthy snacks, a waterbottle, sunscreen, and a sunhat for our trip to the Zoo on Wednesday. Good walking shoes are also a must! :) In the case of rain, please do not send umbrellas but do make sure your child has a rain jacket with a hood. We are looking forward to a great field trip!
Upcoming Dates:May 27 Grade 1 Field Trip to Calgary Zoo - Carter/Larmer/Burch May 28 Grade 1 Field Trip to Calgary Zoo - Watson/Fell May 29 PM Kindergarten Field Trip to Calgary Farmyard June 3 Grade 4 Field Trip to Calgary Zoo June 5 Volunteer Tea (More Information to Come) June 8-15 Grade 3 and 4 - Alien In-Line Skating June 17 Fun Lunch - Coco Brooks June 19 Grade 4 Farewell Assembly - 11:00am June 24 Kindergarten Graduation June 25 Sports Day - Wear your Red & White for Canada Day!! June 26 Last Day of School
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Fingers crossed the weather forecast is wrong and we get to enjoy a beautiful long weekend! And if the forecast is right, I hope you can cozy up inside and take time to unwind. :)
This week, the students were very excited to watch their bean plants grow. Some beans are a bit slower than others to push through the soil. I have no doubt, however, that by Tuesday everyone's plant will have sprouted! We are keeping track of our plant's development in a little Bean Observation book. The students are sketching their plant, writing observations, and making predictions as to how tall their plant will grow. I will be sending these plants home for continued growth in the next week or so.
Next week, we will plant our class garden box. We will plant six different vegetables. It is always fun to observe how each different plant presents as it pushes up through the soil and develops!
Next week in Math, we are moving into a new unit. The students will learn about 3D objects and their different properties. I will be sending home a small homework assignment on Tuesday asking the children to go on a 3D shape hunt in their house. Please look for this teal-coloured paper in your child's backpack.
We focused on words with "oi" and "oy" this week. I sent home a Roll and Read page for your child to practice. They had an opportunity to read these words on Thursday when they played the game with a partner in class.
We have been enjoying hearing about the students' grandparents' or other older relatives' favourite toys and memories from when they were in Grade 1. We will continue to share these pages next week.
Zoo Field Trip forms were sent home this week. Please return these as soon as possible. Thank you. :)
From the Office:
If you have moved or are planning to move over the summer months, please notify the school as soon as possible with your new address.
For students attending a new CBE school for the fall please ensure the school knows and Transfer Forms have been completed.
We have had an increased number of late arrivals in the mornings.
When students are late, it disrupts their class and the learning that is underway. Coming late to school is also a difficult transition for the late student - it can be stressful for them.
When students arrive late at the front door, in the office, we do our best to greet students with a smile and an adult to walk them to class when we have administration available. In the event that your child needs to arrive late to school, we would ask that only the student enters the building. Adults do not need to come into the office to check their child in. This is especially important first thing in the morning when there is a high volume of traffic in the office.
For your convenience, we have relaxed/soft entry every morning at 7:50 am. We recommend trying to arrive anytime between 7:50 - 8:00 am so that your child has time to settle in class before starting their day of learning. Grade team teachers will always be at designated grade entry/exit doors at this time to welcome students into the school. Please remember that there is no teacher supervision on the playground during soft entry or after school at dismissal time.
The next Fun Lunch will be held on Wednesday May 27.
Fun Lunch is only for grades 1-4 and our EES students.
Please make sure to send a morning snack with your child on Fun Lunch Days. Orders must be placed by the Friday before the day.
Did you know that the Breakfast Club of Canada has shared research demonstrating that 40% of Alberta’s children experience food insecurity? This means that 4 out of 10 children do not have access to food when they are hungry.
If your family is experiencing challenges with providing food for your children you can find help at Brown Bagging Calgary.
Complete this form for support and they can deliver lunches to McKenzie Towne School for your children. https://go.bb4ck.org/l/858913/2024-01-15/38fdbw You can also find out more information on their website https://bb4ck.org/
Brown Bagging for Calgary's Kids
To order go to: https://ybpay.lifetouch.ca/
Use Yearbook ID code: 10614126
Regular Pricing: $34
Last day to order: May 18, 2025
If you have any pictures from any school events (ie, first day of school, Terry Fox Run, Halloween) that you would like to share with the Yearbook Committee, please click on the link below.
Once you log in, please enter this code. ADD-PICTURES-TO-YEARBOOK-26
May 18 Victoria Day - NO SCHOOL
May 27 Fun Lunch - Subway
May 27 Grade 1 Field Trip to Calgary Zoo - Carter/Larmer/Burch
May 28 Grade 1 Field Trip to Calgary Zoo - Watson/Fell
June 17 Fun Lunch - Coco Brooks
June 25 Sports Day - Wear your Red & White for Canada Day!!
June 26 Last Day of School
Happy Summer Everyone! It was a pleasure to teach your child this year and to witness the growth they made in these past ten months. Attache...
