Dear Families,

I hope you've had a wonderful week with your family and found ways to enjoy the fresh air all bundled up cozily as it's been chilly.  Thank you parents for providing warm, winter gear for your child to wear, it gets very windy on our yard during recesses, so bundling up helps your child endure the frigid temperatures without feeling discomfort from the cold. 

On Monday, I was absent from school due to the weather as I drive from Collingwood each day.  The busses in that area were cancelled as the roads were treacherous, so I opted to stay home.  I would like to share with you the positive comments I received from the supply teacher that was in for me.  She wrote, “Miss Gill your students know and implemented your rules, routines, and expectations flawlessly!  It was s joy to witness!”  I am extremely proud of my students, they made my heart soar!  In class, we consistently work on displaying Character “even when no one is watching!”  Way to go boys and girls, you have demonstrated Charger manners, keep up the positive efforts!  At times, the winter driving conditions can be challenging.  I hope your commutes to work and to extra-curricular activities with your child has been a safe one.  As you're aware, today (Fri.) is a snow day here in Alliston.  The forecast is calling for freezing rain later, so please be safe if you're having to be on the roads.  Have a wonderful weekend!     

Measurement Learning:

This week, the students continued having fun measuring objects in the classroom using non-standard and standard units of measure such as their hand widths, cm rulers, and a metre stick.  We are learning to use the terms length, width, perimeter, area, longer, shorter, and equal to when comparing various objects.  We always record our findings in a chart and consolidate (share) our discoveries as a whole class or with a peer.  

Check us out measuring!

Mati hard at work

Madison measuring the length of the legs of a table

Archie recording his measurements

Reanna choosing her coat to measure

Our Math Wall with Learning Goals & Success Criteria

Hannah & Kaylie working together to get the job done!

Thomas M. measuring  our Character wall

Owen testing the width of 10 hand prints

Yes, I think I got it!

Mati & Thomas M. working together to measure the length of their penny flicks

Evelyn, Reanna, and Archie measuring penny flicks using centimetre rulers and a metre stick

Kaylie & Ethan F. flicked the penny more than 50 cm, wow!

Cameron & Thomas B. striving to measure their flick with accuracy

Amy & Hannah also working well together who have flicked more than 1m as you can see!

The thrill, the excitement, the enthusiasm with measuring in groups!

Collaboration at its finest :)

Recording measurements using a table

Ask your child what their longest and shortest flick was from this math task

Writing:

Last weekend, your child brought home his/her writing notebook which contains a variety of Recount writing pieces.  Thank you families for taking the time to sit and actively listen to your child’s thinking J Their sense of pride is evident as they share, and it’s a joy to see!  Our focus has been on Recounts for several months and I am pleased to say, students are consolidating their learning from my lessons and are writing to their potential.  As always, we will continue to build upon and grow as the school year progresses! 

We have been spending time learning about the Writing Process which includes - brainstorming, using graphic organizers, editing, revising, receiving teacher/peer feedback, publishing, and finally sharing with the class.  It has been wonderful to be to see their progress from August.  If you wish to have your child bring home their writing notebook for you to see this week’s writing piece, please let me know in the agenda.

Procedural Writing:

Over the Break, Amy took initiative to write a Procedure on her own J I was delighted when she shared this with me.  Writing a procedure is another writing form that we have focused on for several weeks. 

Thank you Amy for taking the time out of your holiday to reinforce learned concepts at home!  You have inspired your peers to continue learning where ever you are!  Evidence of this is when Vasiliki wrote a procedure at the "We Write" literacy workstation about "How to Make Air Bubbles.  Please check out Amy’s procedure on “How to Make a Smoothie.”  Yummy!!  Simply click on the pictures to enlarge them for your viewing pleasure :) 

Amy's Procedure: "How to Make Smoothies"

Vasiliki's Procedure: "How to Make Air Bubbles"

Learning Buddies:

Your child may have mentioned to you that each week we have learning buddies with Mr. Twine’s grade 7/8 students!  Ask your child the name of his/her buddy.  So far, we have worked with them on letter writing, decorating gingerbread men, sharing our recounts/social studies Venn diagrams, measuring objects in the class using metre sticks, and reading for the love of it!  The older students have served as caring, compassionate, and cooperative mentors for us and we are grateful to learn and grow from them! 

Here we are with our buddies!! 

Kaylie's learning buddies

Danica's learning buddy

Amy's learning buddy

Thomas B.'s learning buddy

Ethan W.'s learning buddy

Owen's learning buddy

Cameron & Archie's buddies

Ethan F.'s & Alexis' learning buddies

Brandon attentively listening to his learning buddy read to him

Evelyn & Thomas M.'s learning buddies

Reanna & Vasiliki's learning buddies

Learning and growing from OUR grade 7/8's

Website:

I’m encouraging you to put the app for RazKids and www.spellingcity.com (the latter is a word study program where your child can type in their list words and complete a variety of fun, and engaging games.  It is known to be an award-winning game-based learning tool for vocabulary, spelling, writing and language arts.  Give it a try, I know your child enjoys using this program when they are at “Tech Time” when we do our Literacy Workstations! 

Quote:

“The purpose of human life is to serve …to show compassion and the will to help others.”

Namaste,

Miss Gill