Thursday

We had a good day today. We had a lot of fun with our buddies making Halloween activities. Homework tonight: - home reading - study spelling - recorder testing tomorrow - PJ and movie day tomorrow - please no more than 2 pieces of candy brought to school tomorrow Have a safe night!

Wednesday

Today we had DARE. We talked to the students about signs of stress and how to handle yourself when you are in a stressful situation. Please ask your child to tell you three signs of stress and three ways to handle the stress. Homework tonight: - home reading - study spelling (sheet due tomorrow) - gym tomorrow - library tomorrow - picture proofs home today - the year 6's had their shots today. Please make sure if your child had shots that they give you a copy of the paperwork - Avoir poster due tomorrow Have a good night.

Mathematics Expo

MATHEMATICS EXPO      25th year Dear Parents/Guardians Our class will be starting a Math Expo project. This project is a yearly even in which students submit presentations on poster boards which demonstrate “MATHEMATICS IN THE REAL WORLD”. There are two parts to the Math Expo (preliminary round and the Math Expo Day. The preliminary round will be completed at school. The Math Expo Day will take place at the Henry Grube on November 29th (8:45-12:00) . During this day, the students will share their projects and will participate in Math related activities. As the timeline for this project is quite short, it will be important that students use the class time provided. Some follow-up work will likely also be needed at home. Please make note of the following dates: 1. Planning Page Part A ......................................................November 1, 2013 2. Planning Page Part B ......................................................November 8, 2013 3. Preliminary Round(Completed projects at school).........November 14, 2013 4. Math Expo Day (Completed projects to HGEC)............November 29, 2013 Much time will be spent at school discussing good topic ideas. I encourage you to talk with your son/daughter about their topic. Help them choose an idea that is realistic given the timeline we have.  The students will do a project on one of the following: 1. graph or chart representing an opinion or preference (survey) 2. photo display of mathematics in architecture 3. photo display of mathematics in landscape 4. photo display of mathematics in nature 5. demonstration of mathematics in art 6. graph and charts to represent product performance 7. display of use of geometry in advertising (ads or logos) 8. display of product sales, product use, or product popularity 9. graphs or presentations which give us information about our society 10. computer programs or graphics. Projects may be part of the regular course of study in the mathematics or science classes.   Possible Sources of Information: Canada Year Book, City of Kamloops, Kamloops Real Estate Board, Thompson Rivers University, Inland Hospital, Kamloops School District, City of Kamloops, Law Offices, Vancouver or Toronto Stock Exchange, business which use a large amount of data - grocery stores, building supply stores, equipment suppliers, car rental agencies, or other businesses in the community.   Projects should represent mathematics in the real world using one of these frameworks: a) Measurement    b) Data Analysis    c) Geometry   d) Algebra e) Functions and Patterns   f) Problem Solving  g) Mathematical Connections    h) Communication of Mathematics Ideas  i)  Technology and Mathematics Projects should be mounted on the cardboard and could have the following components:   a) Project Title   b) Project Description   c) Objectives    d) Data Collection Methods    e) Materials used     f) Observations    g) Diagram or Pictures    h) How Information is Beneficial   i) Conclusions Free standing cardboard backings are usually used for the projects, however, students may opt to make their own backgrounds using plywood and hinges.  Students are encouraged to make free standing presentations as there is limited wall space at the H.G.E.C.  I am including a list of topic ideas from the past. Comparison of a shopping list from two grocery stores Comparison of popping percentages from 5 types of popcorn Mathematics used in traffic studies Mathematics used by restaurants Caloric content of foods Number of crimes in each day of the week Real estate prices in Kamloops Slopes used in waterslides Busiest ski hills in British Columbia Most popular shoes Car sales in Kamloops Emergency room visits by days of the week Speeding tickets in Kamloops Comparison of average lifespan of pets What happens if all cats were allowed to reproduce (graphic outcome) Forest fire costs in Kamloops area A scale model of our house Which is cheaper: bag of peanuts or a jar of peanuts (weight/cost) Bowling scores and different combinations Fibonacci sequences in nature Average heights for 12 year old boys versus 12 year old girls Number of pets per family in my neighbourhood Ratio of penalty minutes to goals in NHL teams Spruce Bud worm infestation Infant mortality rates in 10 countries Births in Kamloops by month over the past 5 years Popular names for babies born in Kamloops Most popular drink – taste test Reaction time for boys versus girls How many vehicles use the Coquilhalla highway? Thank you for your support with this project. I look forward to seeing the creative juices flow as the students work on this project. Each student has been given a planning outline for this project as well.

Tuesday

Today we started to work on our Math Expo projects. I will be posting a more detailed explanation of this later tonight on the blog. Right now the children have 3 larger projects on the go in the classroom: Math Expo, Novel Study Lap Book and Time Line of People. Much of our work day will be devoted to working on these projects so please make sure that your child is coming to school prepared to work with all of the information they may have gathered during homework the night before. Homework tonight: - home reading - study spelling - spelling sheet due Thursday - Avoir poster due Thursday - math packages due Friday - Write Traits due Friday - Math Expo Part A signed by Friday Have a good night.

Spelling Unit 7

Year 4 mean money reached asleep ready spread easy least remember empty forest agree result company athlete enemy repeat evening electricity estimate Year 5 apart mirror history forward afford scored sharp boring farther support major ordered horrid exploring ignored inform partner therefore predator motorcycle Year 6 easiest loudest cleanest nearest lightest prettiest rougher cheaper closer thinner weaker safer greediest busiest toughest warmer sleepier tighter simplest healthiest

Monday

We had a great day at YPC today for the first time. We got to watch a great music group that was able to have us singing the songs they played for the rest of the day. Many have asked about Halloween this week. I have asked that the children not wear costumes this year because in the afternoon when they would normally dress up we will be in the library and then gym. Instead we will celebrate on Friday with a PJ day and a movie in the afternoon. Homework tonight: - home reading (novels should almost be finished at this point) - study spelling - WITW was due today - 5/6 French poster Avoir due Thursday - fine arts tomorrow - don't forget your instruments - gym tomorrow Have a good night!

Thursday

Today we created a decoration for our door as Monday is Drop Everything And Read day. A reminder that there is no school tomorrow it is a Pro D day. YPC is on Monday. If your child has not returned their permission slip they will not be able to attend. Homework this weekend: - home reading (out loud at least once) - WITW due Monday Have a great weekend!

Wednesday

We finished painting our pumpkins today, but the paint is still wet so I will send them home tomorrow. A reminder that tomorrow is also a half day with dismissal at 12:30. Homework tonight: - home reading - map due tomorrow - library tomorrow - YPC consent form - French quiz for 5/6 tomorrow on parts of the body Have a good night.

Tuesday

A busy day of painting our pumpkins today. We got all the oceans painted along with Antarctica. The rest of the continents will get painted on tomorrow. A reminder that there are interviews tomorrow and school is dismissed at 12:30. Homework tonight: - home reading - French quiz (5/6) on Thursday Have a good night!

Monday

We had a wonderful day at the pumpkin patch this morning. The children have washed their pumpkins and are ready to paint them tomorrow. This will kick off a closer look at mapping for all grades and continent studies for the year 4's. We will be using acrylic paint tomorrow so please make sure that your child is dressed for painting! As this is a shorter week there will be no spelling this week. If you have not already done so please sign up for an interview. Sign up sheets are outside the classroom door. If these times do not work for you please let me know and we can schedule another time. Homework tonight: - home reading - reading response - WITW/Can. Read. maps due Thursday - Scholastic orders for October due Wednesday - fine arts/band tomorrow - please bring your recorders! - gym tomorrow Have a good night.

Friday

Today was a busy day. We watched some of the live feed from We Day in Vancouver today. A reminder that we are off to the pumpkin patch on Monday morning. We will go rain or shine so please dress for the weather! We will be gone for the morning on the bus, but should be back during the lunch hour. Homework tonight: - home reading - any unfinished work Have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday

Today we worked on looking at the traits of writing we use while editing. We used this to help us edit a piece of writing they the children worked on yesterday. There is a sign up sheet outside the classroom to sign up for an interview. Please let me know if these times to not work for you and we can set up another appointment. Homework tonight: - home reading (read novel) - study spelling - good copy of writing Have a good night.

Spelling Unit 6

Year 4 fact break danger animal add afraid paid half safe yesterday main holiday available amazing tomato claim escape remain behave chocolate Year 5 include unusual avenue refuse ruin truth prove value drew movie improve beautiful amuse view accuse fuel fluid volume human unique Year 6 drank caught taught stood wore spent held spoke stole paid rode drove struck flew dealt spilt spoilt crept sprang brought

Tuesday

I hope that everyone had a wonderful long weekend. Today was a busy day here. The children will be bringing home spelling words tonight, but they do not have a worksheet this week. They are just writing 10 sentences in their journals and these are due on Thursday morning. Homework tonight: - home reading (should be reading their novel study) - study spelling - spelling sentences due Thursday - try to have novel read by October 30 - year 4 math package due Friday - year 4 handwriting booklets to Jj - DARE tomorrow Have a great night!

Friday

We had a great day today. All of the fine arts students that tested this morning are going home with their white belt! We also did our first practical life cooking. The recipe is already posted on the blog. We did make a few alterations to the original recipe that I posted. We did not use nuts and we used a gluten free flour so that all of the students, even those with allergies, were able to enjoy the baking! Homework this weekend: - home reading (out loud at least one day) - reading response if not complete - cenozoic book if not complete - habitat assignment if not complete - no school Monday Have a wonderful weekend!

Pumpkin Pie Bars

What You Need 1-1/3 cups flour 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 3/4 cup cold butter 1 cup quick-cooking oats, uncooked 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1 pkg. (250 g) Philadelphia Brick Cream Cheese, softened 3 eggs 1 can (19 fl oz/540 mL) pumpkin 1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice Make It HEAT oven to 350°F. LINE 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides; spray foil with cooking spay. Mix flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar in medium bowl until blended; cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in oats and nuts. RESERVE 1 cup oat mixture; press remaining onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 min. Beat cream cheese, remaining sugar, eggs, pumpkin and spice with mixer until blended. Pour over crust; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. BAKE 25 min.; cool 10 min. Use foil handles to remove dessert from pan. Place on wire rack; cool completely.

Thursday

Today was a busy and exciting day. We had buddies, we took part in the school harvest lunch and our pill bugs arrived! We will be using them in our habitat study. Homework tonight: - home reading - spelling dictation - cooking tomorrow - Cenozoic books due tomorrow Have a good night!

Wednesday

We had a wonderful work block today. The children all received their novels that they will be using for their first novel study. They are welcome (and encouraged) to take these home to read. We will also be cooking for the first time on Friday making pumpkin pie squares. Certain children have volunteered to help bring some of the ingredients in, I will bring in the other required ingredients. Homework tonight: - home reading - study spelling - spelling sheet due tomorrow - 2 items for food bank - library day - gym tomorrow - hot dog orders due tomorrow Have a good night!

Spelling Unit 5 (sorry these didn't get posted yesterday)

Year 4 chance since courage control giant garbage once science practice guide magnet charge recognize voyage message surface decorate general language recently Canada Year 5 details deal goal realize real wheel steal feel mild pile bowl style squeal heal jewel cereal wealthy healthy yield trial foul Year 6 laughed wrecked owned climbing studied hurrying lying included promising decided planning surprising causing controlling canceled complaining satisfied argued ignored regretted deserved

Tuesday

Today all of the student's got to play their instruments for the first time in band/fine arts class! We also started our Write Traits today. The children will be working through these independently so if they are having trouble can you please let me know. Homework tonight: - home reading - study spelling - DARE tomorrow - picture day tomorrow - year 6 band at 7:55am - hot dog order forms went home today Have a good night!

Monday

Wow!!! Today was a busy day! We had a great musical presentation in the gym this morning. We also got into our clan groups today. On Thursday we are having a "Harvest Lunch" we ask on this day that each student brings in an item of food for the food bank. Homework tonight: - home reading - study spelling - recorders required for tomorrow - photo day is Wednesday - food donation for Thursday - gym tomorrow - permission slip due by Friday - if you will be away Friday please let me know Have a good night!

Friday

We had a great afternoon today. We got an extra outside recess for reaching our Terry Fox fundraising goal. It was fun to go out to play with all the other students and staff in the school this afternoon. Homework this weekend: - home reading - field trip form - recorders for Tuesday Have a great weekend!

Thursday

Today we reviewed common and proper nouns as well as the rule to make nouns plural. Please ask your child to name a few common and proper nouns and tell you the rules to make nouns plural. There has been a change to our practical life cooking tomorrow. I had planned on using the plums that were left from healthy schools and unfortunately the plums have gone moldy and we are no longer able to use them. We will do a cooking project next week but the plans for tomorrow will be cancelled. Sorry! A few of the children said that they have plum trees at home. If you are looking to get rid of some plums I would love to take some so that we could still make our plum butter next week. Homework tonight: - home reading - spelling test tomorrow - fine arts test tomorrow - unfinished work due - constellation assignment due for year 4's tomorrow Have a good night!

Wednesday

We had our second DARE lesson today. The children have each been asked to tell two things that they learned in today's lesson. I am going to try and cook with the children on Friday. I normally ask that each child brings ingredients but I will provide this weeks, but each child will need a jam sized jar and a lid. Homework tonight: - home reading - study spelling - 4/5 music quiz on Friday - Spelling sheet due tomorrow morning - reading response if not complete - science if not complete - library day tomorrow Have a good night!

Tuesday

Today in Fine Arts we started a study of the recorder. Today we looked at the history of the recorder, care of the recorder and started to understand how to read notes. Homework tonight: - home reading - study spelling - Gr. 6 immunization forms - reading response if not complete - DARE tomorrow - painting tomorrow so don't wear your best clothes Have a good night!