Pumpkin Book Reports and a visit from a SURPRISE Guest!

This wonderful idea to turn a pumpkin into a book character is not mine.  It comes from a lovely lady named Hope King.  I sure appreciate her willingness to share this great project.  It gave the students the opportunity to shine as they worked through the elements needed to tell a story.

Look who came to visit with signed certificates!  It was our principal!

Such a wide variety of stories and such imagination in turning the pumpkins into characters!

There were lots of 'ohhs' and 'aahs' as each one was revealed,

along with questions on how the work was done!

This project allows the students to also learn how to speak in front of others, using a loud, clear voice.

Thank you for helping parents!  I hope you enjoyed this work too!

Our pumpkins now take 'pride of place' in the front glass cabinet and in the library.

Come and see all the wonderful work these students did,

the next time you are in the school.

Now is your chance to volunteer!

What a busy four days!  We have tried to keep up with all of our subjects while testing and starting our swimming lessons!  SO BUSY!  In science our unit is called "Testing Materials".  It was the students' first attempt at going through the scientific procedure, writing hypotheses and making note of their observations.

Sometimes, our results are a bit 'off' because of the materials that we need to use, but

nothing beats opportunities for 'hands-on' learning.

Swimming lessons were very well received.  They enjoyed the water,

loved the instructors,

and learned a little more about how to swim.

Halloween is getting closer and closer.  It's time to start thinking about what our day will look like.

It has been decided, as a school, that the students will come dressed in their costumes for the entire day. This means that the costumes should be appropriate for working in during the morning lessons, and can be worn under the child's coat, as they will be going outside for recess in the morning and play time before eating lunch.  As always, 'accessories' to the costume also must be appropriate.  We ask that all 'weapons' be kept at home.  If the costume has a mask, the child must understand that it will have to be taken off during morning lessons to ensure that learning can continue.

After eating lunch, the students will be participating in a 'parade' to share their wonderful and imaginative costumes with their friends throughout the school.  Grade One and Grade Two students will spend about 45 minutes in the gymnasium participating in a variety of games that will set up there.

During this time, Grade Three and Four students will be in their classrooms participating in the activities that their classroom teacher will organize.  After approximately 45 minutes, the two groups will switch, so that the Grade Three and Grade Four students have an opportunity to play the games in the gymnasium.

I would love to have two or three moms volunteer to work on creating some healthy, spooky snacks for the students in my classroom.  I have some tried and true ghoulish but delicious ideas.  Please let me know through a note in the agenda, if you are interested in helping out.

As well, I will need about three or four moms/dads to volunteer for the afternoon in the gym.  These volunteers would work with both groups that rotate through the gym stations.  Again, notes in the agenda work best.

The volunteering won't stop there!  Grade Three students in both Mrs. Lampka's and my classroom have two fun opportunities organized for the following week and we both would love to have parents in to help!

On Tuesday, November 5th, to compliment our science program, Hands On Science will be presenting Awesome Bridges which is a hands on opportunity to build four different types of bridges, work co-operatively and problem solve the way a civil engineer might have to.  Our class is scheduled from 1:10 to 3:10 p.m. and the program requires four parents to man the stations.  Please let me know if you can come and build with us! (Just to let you know, this presentation will cost $13 per child which will come out of our field trip budget that you paid into when you paid your school fees).

On Friday, November 8th, Clay For Kids will be coming to the school and the students will be creating a beautiful little Christmas gift for their parents.  If you can stand knowing what will be under the tree, you are very welcome to come and be part of the hands on opportunity to work with clay. I will confirm the correct time and have the students write it into their agenda, so please check there.  Since there are three classes doing projects that day, I just don't know which time slot is ours!

Again, a note in the agenda will let me know if you are planning to come in and help! (This project cost is $10.50 per child, which is a lot less than when the students have to be bussed to a clay studio).

Just letting you know that there will be two more opportunities to volunteer later in November and then again in December, so if these don't work for you, there are other times we will welcome your smiling face into our class!

Recap:

October 31  Volunteers needed for snacks and games

November 5 Four volunteers needed for Awesome Bridges

November 8 Volunteers needed for clay projects

November 11 Remembrance Day (no school)

November 12, 13, 14, 14   Fall break (no school)

Brain Breaks during CCATs

In our school division, Grade 3 students write CCAT assessments in October.  These assessments measure the potential for learning and when paired with the CTBS assessments that Grade 2 students write in the spring, give educational professionals information to ensure that individual strengths and weaknesses are recognized and taken into account when curriculum plans are made.  In the winter we will get individual student profiles that show the correlation between the two assessments.  When you visit for Three Way Conferences in March, please ask to see your child's profile and we can discuss what information can be gleaned from them. 

THANK YOU for assisting your child in feeling empowered through your letters of encouragement to them.  They were so surprised to get them!

You can see that we set up our little 'offices' to allow each student a private area to be able to focus on doing their best during these assessments.  I am not allowed to read any words for them or explain the meaning of the words.  I can only read what is written in my guide book.  Each little sub test is timed.  The students really did a fine job of 'going with the flow.'  One little one even said "Yeah! Tests!" this morning, which did my heart good.

In between the tests, I give the students a brain break.  They get up from their chairs, watch a recorded dance video with children demonstrating the moves.  They have a blast!

I think this one was about acting like monkeys, elephants and tigers.

It gives them a chance to release some energy before getting back to work!

It's nearing the season of goblins and ghouls.  During their math time for the next few weeks, the students will be reviewing a variety of concepts using some great games.  They don't even know they are learning!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We love working with other classes!  On Friday, we teamed up with another class to think of ideas for being great 'Bucket Fillers."

There were smiles all around!

It's taking a little while, but the school is starting to look like it is a primary school.  One of the areas that needed change was this display case at the front that used to house all the Jr. High trophies.

Now it will showcase the seasons...

and welcome our visitors to our building.

Thank you to all the families who took up the 'turkey challenge'!  There were so many creative ways to disguise these birds.  

The smiles on the students' faces as they presented their projects were only matched by the stories of which parent helped them with the ideas and the execution of those ideas.

Meet "Pinkalicious'....

Santa...

a princess....

and "Thing Two"

Not a turkey in the bunch!

O.R.E.O. Challenge

The students were more than a little surprised when I told them that they were going to be challenged on Wednesday.  They tried to guess what the challenge was and were not able to guess that their day was going to revolve around Oreo cookies.

I registered the class for the cookie stacking challenge being offered by a teacher's website.  This challenge is open to classes around the world and once we were done, we visited, through the means of technology, a classroom in Shanghai, where a class learning to speak English, also stacked cookies.

First, we all made a prediction as to how many cookies we thought we could stack....

..and then, ever so carefully, each student tried twice to make the biggest stack of Oreo cookies they could!  It was both nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time!

Just when a student thought they were doing well, the cookies would take a tumble!

Don't you love the look of concentration?

Even the smile of defeat tells a story!

Don't worry!  The cookies from the challenge were all thrown away.  I had some fresh cookies stashed away, both original and golden, so that the students could use their five senses and decide which one they liked better.  They then wrote their first opinion piece, supporting their stand using three ideas that they had learned through their taste test!  The day was a sweet success!

Thanksgiving Mass this Friday

Please join us at our parish for mass on Friday morning.  The students will be transported by bus where we will join another school to give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

Please write a note in your child's agenda indicating the following:

a) has (or has not) received the Sacrament of Baptism

b) has (or has not) received the Sacrament of Reconciliation

c) has (or has not) received the Sacrament of Communion

This information will make it so much easier to prepare the students when they reach the altar, to either receive the Sacrament of Communion or to be blessed as a child of God.  I had asked for this information when we had our Parent Open House a few weeks ago, but as many, many families could not attend, I will need to rely on you to send this information to me by Friday morning.

As well, during our weekly assembly, Mr. Harmata reminded us all that swimming fees and swimming levels for all students must be in by Friday a.m. as the staff at the pool has a big job ahead of them, getting our groups organized for lessons this coming Thursday.  Thanks for ensuring that they will not be hampered by a delay in getting the fees and levels to them on time.

Fire Prevention Week

We take great care in ensuring that the students are safe.  We have fire drills, lock down drills, evacuation drills, policies that ensure safe play with others, we ask parents to sign in before entering the school proper and to wear Visitor tags to assist us in knowing that they belong in the building.  

Please take the time to practise a fire drill in your own home.  Where will your safe meeting place be?  What is your special code word that indicates that the person meeting your child is known to the family?  Does your child always wear proper seat belts when in your vehicle?

The Grade Three students took in the 'Hazard House' a Community Safety Education program offered through our local fire department.  This unique teaching aide provides captivating presentations on home fire hazards, early detection of smoke/fire and proper fire emergency responses.

The kids loved it!