Friday, September 29 

Unfortunately, I was not in the classroom this week due to illness. The students, however, had two wonderful substitute teachers working with them - Ms. Massey (Mon. and Tues.) and Mr. Shipley (Wed. and Thurs.). I will do my best to give you a synopsis of what was covered based on the plans I gave these teachers.

This week the focus letters were: G, J, E, and O. We have been reviewing the terms "consonants" and 'vowels" and are learning that all the vowels have both a short and a long sound.

The high-frequency words we have covered so far this year are: I, is, for, see, and, this, the.

On Monday, the students attended a whole-school assembly to honour Orange Shirt Day and Truth and Reconciliation Day. A story was read to them during the assembly titled, I Hope by Monique Gray Smith. If you are interested, you can watch/listen to this book read by the author at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyT9OTH5yfc

At the assembly, the students were asked to take some time to consider a hope they have for school. This is something that they are willing to take action towards. Examples might be: I hope for great friends or I hope to learn how to read. Both hopes require effort on their part.

The students also watched two videos about Orange Shirt Day produced by CBC Kids and had discussions about each afterward. Please see the links below, if you are interested in viewing these short videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE1F5nBQmME

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Zk5qHqD82Q

Our dance residency began on Wednesday with Alara from the dance company Three Left Feet. We will have 3 more sessions with her next week and the children will perform on Friday from 9:30am - 10:15am. All parents are welcome. The students will be so excited to perform for you!

In Math, we continue to work on developing our understanding of patterns and work daily with numbers during our Calendar time. We count by 1s, 2s, and are starting to count by 5s. We are also learning how to represent numbers in different ways such as with tally marks and ten frames.

As Fall is now upon us, we are talking about the changes we notice in the environment and how we need to adapt. The students are also learning how to make keen observations of trees and did a sketch of a tree outside the school.

Please remember to return library books on Monday so that they can be checked in prior to our book exchange time on Tuesday.

If your child did not return their Home Reading books on Thursday, please have them do so on Monday so that I can exchange them. Thank you for your support with this program.

Friday, September 22

I really enjoyed meeting and speaking with so many of you about your child at today's and last night's Parent-Teacher Conferences. If you were not able to make these conferences but would like to speak with me, please send me an email at jllarmer@cbe.ab.ca and we can arrange an alternate time to talk.

This week our focus letters were: I, C, and D. The students practice printing both uppercase and lowercase letters daily in their printing notebook. Extra practice at home is always encouraged for those children who are still working on correct letter formation and size. To make this practice a bit more fun, a lined whiteboard from the dollar store can be used, or a wipeable printing practice book. 

We continued to focus on reading the words I, is, see, the, and in sentences as well as using these words when creating sentences. 

In Math, we began to review the definition of a pattern. The students were given opportunities to work on their own or in small groups to create as many different patterns as they could. We learned that every pattern has a "core". This is the part that repeats two or more times. We will continue to work at identifying, creating,  and extending more complex patterns next week. In the meantime, here is the link for a fun song all about patterns that we sang and danced to this week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ9q4U2P3ig.

Much work was done this week to carefully create the multi-media self-portraits you saw on the bulletin boards outside our classroom. I hope you were able to quickly identify your child in their artwork! :)

The Terry Fox Run was a great success, not only for the money raised for the Cancer Foundation but also for the pride demonstrated by the students as they showed determination to meet the goal they set for themselves.  We had many discussions about who Terry was and how his determination, courage, and care for others has made, and continues to make, positive contributions to all members of society.

We will acknowledge Orange Shirt Day with a whole-school assembly on Monday morning. We will be doing learning activities focused on this day throughout the week. The students are encouraged to wear an orange shirt if possible on Monday.

Our dance residency with the company Three Left Feet will begin next Tuesday. Please ensure your child is dressed in clothes appropriate for all sorts of movement! It will be a fun and very active time.

Library day is Tuesday. Please ensure your child returns their book on Monday. 

There will be no school this Friday, September 29  as we honour Truth and Reconciliation Day.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Jennifer Larmer 

Friday, September 15

This week we continued to review letter names and sounds. Our focus letters were: N, M, R, and L. We have also been reading a shared morning message each day and identifying high-frequency words in the message such as;  is, the, I, for, and see. In addition, we have been learning about compound words as well as practicing how to identify rhyming words.

We read the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes and the students compared the length of their name to that of Chrysanthemum and two of their classmates. The students also had to determine who had the longest name, the shortest name, and which names had equal letters.

In Math, the students worked in groups to sort a variety of objects based on the attributes of colour, shape, and size. Next week, we will work on creating patterns and extending patterns.

We practiced drawing a self-portrait this week in our Visual Journals. Next week, the students will be making a "good copy" self-portrait using paints, pencil crayons, and ripped paper. You will be able to see your child's "masterpiece" when you come for Parent - Teacher Conferences next Thursday evening or on Friday. Please remember to book an appointment. I look forward to meeting you. :)

In Gym, the students have been playing running games and doing a bit of "training" for next Tuesday's Terry Fox Run. Thank you to everyone who has sent in a toonie for the Cancer Foundation. Toonies can still be sent in on Monday and Tuesday. We are hoping to raise $1200 for the Foundation.

A friendly reminder that your child can bring in their All About Me bag starting Monday. I will have 6 children present their items to their classmates each day next week. Thank you for your support with this activity. 

Lastly, our regular Library day will be Tuesday. The students went today as this was our only available time this week. Please have your child return their book on Monday so that they may take out a new one on Tuesday.

The weather forecast looks great for the weekend. I hope you all get a chance to spend some time outside enjoying the sunshine.

Take care,

Jennifer Larmer

 Friday, September 8

Hello Everyone and welcome to my blog! I hope this will provide some insight into your child's week and be able to answer some of your "What did you do at school?" questions when your child's memory for such things is not quite there. :)

These past four days have been spent getting to know one another through word and number games, story/discussions, and work tasks in our table groups.

This week we focused on reviewing the letters B, A, T, and H. The children printed both the uppercase and lowercase letters in their printing books and brainstormed words beginning with each sound.

In Math, we have started to do Math Talks. This is an activity where we look at a picture that has 4 objects and discuss which of the objects does not belong. The children need to justify their choices by discussing attributes that are alike and different. We also started to work with estimation through an activity called Esti-Mysteries.

I sent Scholastic book order forms today. If you would like to place an order, the class account number is RC231356.

Please keep an eye out for an All About Me bag that I'll be sending home with your child next Monday. This is an activity that allows us to get to know one another better.

Our library day for the year will be Tuesday. Your child brought a book home yesterday. Please return the library book by Monday each week.

Our Terry Fox run will take place Tuesday, September 19th. We will begin collecting Toonies for Terry starting next Monday. Our school's goal is to raise $1200 for the Cancer Foundation. 

I hope you all enjoy a great weekend!

Jennifer Larmer :)