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
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...
