Dear Parents,
We hope your child had an amazing first day of school. We were excited to meet everyone and look forward to an amazing year of learning. We will send an email out weekly that provides updates. Survey and Forms To facilitate us getting to know your child, please complete this survey. It helps us get to know the students faster and makes us aware of their strengths and areas for growth. In addition, look for information coming home about logging into Powerschool (this sheet was yellow and has a passcode that is individual for each student). We will be using Powerschool for field trip forms and additional student information management. The blue demographic form needs to be signed and returned to the school. Meet the Teacher Night Please join us Thursday, August 22 for the meet the teacher night. We will be offering 2 sessions; one at 4:00PM and one at 5:30PM. Both sessions will cover the same content, and you need only attend one. Information shared at the sessions will also be sent home digitally. There will also be Fall Camp sessions held at 4:00PM, 5:30PM and 7:00PM that will provide information about Camp Chief Hector. Grade 5s go to camp Sept.9-11. If you are able to volunteers please email Mr. Sonico or Mrs. Stevenson. Sincerely, Gail Stevenson, Ranee Drader, and Kevin Sonico
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Monday, June 17th - Heritage Park
Tuesday, June 18th-All Humanities work and Amazing Race Finished Monday, June 24th- Track Day AM Monday, June 24th- Family BBQ 4pm-6pm Wednesday, June 26 - Cribbage Tournament (9:30-11:00am) Wednesday, June 26th Year End Potluck and cribbage sign-up Thursday, June 27th- Last Day of School and Report Cards Dear Parents, The students are working hard as year end approaches. A lot was accomplished this week, but we are still in learning mode and expect the students to remain focused as we finish the year. Ipads will not be coming home after Tuesday, June 18th. Please back them up before Tuesday, as they will be wiped out and reset before the year ends. We will be having a year end celebration with a cribbage tournament and potluck lunch on Wednesday, June 26th. You can sign up to play crib and bring an item here, or email us and we can add you to the document. Heritage Park On Monday, we are heading to Heritage Park with all Grade 5 students and teachers. Students need to bring a bagged lunch and snack, sunscreen, water bottle, and hat. Please do NOT send spending money with your child as we will not be permitting students to purchase items at the park. Lastly, there are several students whose forms have not been signed digitally. Please have these signed ASAP. Thank you. Humanities: The students have worked hard this week to complete their ABC Books. Most are done, or are in a good position to finish on Tuesday. Many have been taking their iPads home this week to work on them for homework. If the ABC book was submitted ahead of Tuesday’s due date, you will be able to see it on Seesaw. If the book isn’t on Seesaw then it wasn’t turned in. The assignment is due Tuesday. We also spent time working on the last Amazing Race Tasks. Students completed a reading reflection and counted up the books they read in class this year. In the upcoming weeks we will explore Arctic Art and learn some cursive writing. Math: This week we explored simple (one-step) algebraic expressions and patterns. We will continue with this next week and students can expect a check-in on Wednesday of next week. We will be wrapping up our math year with a cribbage tournament on the morning of June 26 before the potluck. If you would like to come in (grandparents are welcome too!) and play in our tournament, please drop me an email so we have an idea of numbers. The tournament will go from 9:30-11:00am with a break for recess from 10:20-10:35am. Science: This week we continued our investigation of mixtures with some videos and did a quick project where the students were tasked with designing tools to separate mixtures. We began to look at the properties of water today with a lab. Next week we will continue this, examining cohesion and surface tension. We will also perform a lab with acids, bases, and a pH indicator. Monday, June 17th - Heritage Park
Tuesday, June 18th-All Humanities work and Amazing Race Finished Monday, June 24th- Family Bar B Que 4pm-6pm Monday, June 24th- Track Day AM Thursday, June 27th- Last Day of School and Report Cards Math: We will have wrapped up our decimals topics (adding/subtracting/comparing) by early next week. Students can expect a check-in on Tuesday or Wednesday next week. We will spend the last few weeks of school exploring patterns and relations (pre-algebra). We have already done regular work this year in the area of algebra (simple expressions) so this will be a celebration of our learning and some time to explore these topics in a more indepth manner. Please refer to my email earlier this week regarding Khan Academy decimal assignments and due dates. Humanities: Our Humanities time this week was spent working on Amazing Race Tasks and Novel Reading. Most students have finished, “The Girl Who Drank the Moon.” Students started their final task that will demonstrate their understanding of the novel. Many of the students are on the 5th or starting the 6th region of the Amazing Race. All work with Amazing Race and the novel study will wrap up June 18th. After June 18th, we will engage in a short inquiry that examines Inuit art work and focuses on how the regions we live in impacts the art we create. Science: Our focus in science this week was on mixtures and solutions. The students completed a lab where they tested different substances to see if they were soluble in water. An assignment has been posted to Seesaw where students are asked to create 6 different mixtures, identify what is in each mixture, and then upload their neatly formatted results (due Thursday June 13). This task will need to be done at home as there will be no class time for the students to work on this. Please assist your child in whatever way possible as they complete this mini-project. We will move in to separating mixtures and examining the distinct properties of water next week. Health: In health, we have covered the first 3 lessons of the human sexuality unit. We reviewed the changes that occur during puberty and learned about the female and male reproductive system. Our final lesson will occur on Wednesday, June 12th, followed by a class for answering questions from the question box. June Procedures: During the final month of school there are a few things to keep in mind for a successful closing to the grade 5 year.
May 27-May 31
June 6- instrument rental night Friday, June 7th - No School Monday, June 17th - Heritage Park Monday, June 24- Family Bar B Que 4pm-6pm Monday, June 24- Track Day AM This week in class students completed a google form to make their band instrument choices. On Wednesday, we enjoyed a trip to Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. In health, we have covered the first 2 lessons of the human sexuality unit. We reviewed the changes that occur during puberty and learned about the female reproductive system. Humanities: Our Humanities time this week was spent working on Amazing Race Tasks and Novel Reading. We are ⅔ through, “The Girl Who Drank the Moon.” Students started their final task that will demonstrate their understanding of the novel. All work with Amazing Race and novel study will wrap up June 18th. Math: In math this week we worked in decimals up to the thousandths place. Students visually represented decimals using grid paper as well as recognizing how fractions and decimals are related. Next week we will work on comparing and ordering decimals as well as adding and subtracting decimals. Today students wrote a check-in for equivalent fractions. Keep and eye out on SeeSaw early next week for the feedback from this check-in. Science: The students continued to work on their Amazing Race science challenges this week. We started classroom chemistry today with an experiment involving oobleck. We will continue this unit over the next few weeks with more experiments in the lab. The students are very excited about this unit. We are working hard in grade 5! The field experiences photo highlights have been updated with recent trips and camp photos. Please enjoy the look into our learning.
Coming up: Wednesday, May 29th- Inglewood Bird Sanctuary - Seeking Volunteers Thursday, June 6- instrument rental night Friday, June 7th - No School Monday, June 17th - Heritage Park Band instrument choice On Thursday of this week, students had the opportunity to try out all the instruments that they can choose from for the grade 6 band next year. They have been asked to have a discussion about their choices at home. Please have this conversation, as they will be the making their top 3 choices next week. Every effort will be made to match students with an instrument that is of interest to them and suited to them. Efforts will be made to ensure their first choice. However, students must understand they may end up playing the second or third choice as approved by the band teacher. We must ensure the proper instrumentation to provide success to each student and the band program as a whole. June Procedures: As the final month of school approaches there are a few things to keep in mind for a successful closing to the grade 5 year.
Math: this week we had a close look at comparing and ordering fractions. Students have taken these understandings and complete the “sub sandwich problem”. Recordings of your child explaining how their group solved the problem can be found on Seesaw. Today we moved on to a problem called “the unusual baker” which brings together the relationship between fractions and decimals. Science: our science focus this week revolved around students working through the science detours that are part of the Amazing Race. Ask your child to show you which detour they have recently completed. They are all found on google docs/slides. Humanities: Our Humanities time this week was spent working on Amazing Race Tasks and Novel Reading. We are halfway through, “The Girl Who Drank the Moon.” Students completed a task that demonstrates their understanding of the novel so far. We also wrote in the opinion journals this week. Please check Seesaw for their latest opinion. Next week students will start their final novel study project. All work with Amazing Race and novel study will wrap up June 18th. Looking Forward:
Monday, May 20th- No School Thursday May 23th- Band Petting Zoo (PM in school) Friday, May 24th- Walk to Wetland AM Wednesday, May 29th- Inglewood Bird Sanctuary - Seeking Volunteers Friday, June 7th - No School Monday, June 17th - Heritage Park - Seeking Volunteers Band instrument choice On Thursday of next week students will have the opportunity to try out all the instruments that they can choose from for the grade 6 band next year. They will be asked to have a discussion about their choices at home. Please have this conversation, as they will be the making their top 3 choices the following week. Every effort will be made to match students with an instrument that is of interest to them and suited to them. Efforts will be made to ensure their first choice. However, students must understand they may end up playing the second or third choice as approved by the band teacher. We must ensure the proper instrumentation to provide success to each student and the band program as a whole. June Procedures: As the final month of school approaches there are a few things to keep in mind for a successful closing to the grade 5 year.
Science: Students have been spending time working on the science detours for the Amazing Race. While these have direct curriculum connections to topics we have studied this year, they are also a way for students to demonstrate their understanding of the scientific method and conducting fair tests. We have also been visiting our local wetland for amphibian monitoring purposes. The last time we were there we heard evidence of amphibian life and saw many of the species who call the wetland home including muskrat, red winged blackbirds and a few species of waterfowl. The last 6 weeks of the year will be dedicated to an exciting look at classroom chemistry, finishing up Amazing Race detours and one last visit to the wetland on May 24. Humanities: Most of our Humanities time this week was spent working on Amazing Race Tasks and Novel Reading. We enjoyed a day on a Humanities focused field trip to Fort Calgary. The students learned about the impact of Treaty 7 and made connections to our Fort Steele trip through a program about the North West Mounted Police. Next week we will continue with our novel study and learning about the regions through our Amazing Race. Thursday, May 9th: Morning trip to the North Glenmore Park Constructed Wetland. We will leave at 10:20am and return early afternoon - we still need a few volunteers for this trip. (*Note time change for this trip to accommodate PE/PVA classes that morning)
Tuesday, May 14th - Fort Calgary Trip - Seeking Volunteers Wednesday, May 15th- PVA trip AM only Field Trip and Camp Permission- please log into the family zone and sign the Fort Steele permission form and the Fort Calgary permission form. Fort Steele Reminders 5.3 leaves Thursday, May 2nd (no school Monday, May 6th) 5.4 leaves Sunday, May 5th Buses depart at 7:30 AM. Students should arrive around 7:00 AM, but not earlier. Please consult the packing list in the attached booklet. Students are asked to bring 2 dozen nut free snacks to share with the group. These can be put in the large snack bins before loading the buses. If your child has medications please label them and place them in a ziplock with the medical administration form filled out (also in the attached booklet). These can be sent to school the day before, or given to the teacher before departure. If you follow @connectcharter, and @GailStevenson on twitter you will be able to view our camp activities while we are away. We regularly post photos and video of our time at camp. Clicking on the above links will take you right to the twitter pages and you can view the feeds, even if you are not signed up with twitter. Humanities: This week students completed their poetry projects. These are available for viewing on Seesaw. If your child doesn't have one to view it is because it wasn’t submitted. Students are finishing up their region roadblock and will be working on detours and pit stops next week. A new novel was introduced, students will be reading, “The Girl Who Drank the Moon.” This is a fantasy novel with in a dystopian world. It is an independent read, and not a read aloud, like the previous books. An audiobook is available for students who wish to listen and read along. Students who wish to do this are encouraged to keep a set of headphones at school. Booksnaps were introduced on Friday and will be used throughout the novel study. Booksnaps use technology to help students make connections with the book and show their understanding of what they are reading. Your child may ask you for permission to install an app called, “Bitmoji.” This is an app that allows them to create a cartoon avatar of themselves, which they can use with google slides in their booksnaps. It is commonly used by those with snapchat, but we aren’t using the snapchat app. Bitmoji has no messaging or chat capabilities on its own. This app has a 12+ rating and is an app that requires a parent conversation and permission. Please refer to the link to help with your decision. It is not a requirement, as we have a lot of other emoji options to help us express ourselves. https://www.saferkid.com/app-reviews-for-parents/bitmoji-keyboard-your-avatar-emoji . Please let me know if you do not wish for your child to use this app, as most students will want to install it Monday. Math: In math this week we had an introductory look at fractions and how they fit on a number line in between whole numbers. Students also looked at how fractions represent parts of a whole by undertaking an exercise called Area Tiles. Science: This week we studied series and parallel circuits. Students completed a number of circuit challenges in small groups and began to look at the benefits of using one type of circuit over the other. These skills will come in useful during the Interior Plains Detour where they will build an electrical device that would have been useful for the settlers of that region. The detours for the other regions (with the exception of the Great Lakes Region) are all project based and cover science outcomes from our Electricity and Weather topics. Coming Up
Friday April 26th - CANCELLED Afternoon trip to the North Glenmore Park Constructed Wetland. We will leave at 12:40pm and return for 3:15pm. Forecast looks bleak, we will reschedule May 2-5: 5.3 Fort Steele arrive at school @7AM depart 7:30AM May 6: No school for 5.3 in lieu of Fort Steele over the weekend. May 5-8: 5.4 Fort Steele arrive at school @7AM depart 7:30AM Thursday, May 9th: Morning trip to the North Glenmore Park Constructed Wetland. We will leave at 9:00am and return at 11:50am - need a few volunteers Tuesday, May 14th -Fort Calgary Trip- Seeking Volunteers Wednesday, May 15th- PVA trip AM only Field Trip and Camp Permission- please log into the family zone and sign the Fort Steele permission form and the Fort Calgary permission form. Humanities: Students selected their next Amazing Race Region and began learning about the land, people and history of that place. We also began our poetry projects. Students will include a minimum of 7 poems in a book they will publish digitally. This week students will complete the region roadblock, finish their poetry, and start our next class novel study. Students who wish to read this book using the audiobook should plan on keeping a set of headphones at school. Math: Last week we worked on rotational geometry by creating tessellations which demonstrated transformations (translations, rotations and reflections). Check SeeSaw for a finished view of this artwork. This week we will begin to look at fractions by comparing and ordering them. Science: We continue to build our knowledge of simple circuits by constructing parallel and series circuits. These will be important knowledge and skills to have as one of the Amazing Race detours will be to invent and build an electrical device that makes life easier for a settler on the Interior Plains. A Message from Me to We The Me to We elective is hosting a donation drive for Inn From the Cold. We are asking for donations of new child care supplies, such as baby bottles, baby wipes, baby lotion, baby oil, baby body wash, baby shampoo, baby Vaseline, sip cups, baby burping cloths, baby towels, baby wash clothes, crib bedding sets, Diaper Genie refills and diapers. Our donation drive will run from April 15 - May 3. We will also be hosting a bake sale at noon on Wednesday, April 24, with all proceeds going to Inn From the Cold. Thanks for your support. Monday, April 16th: All Arctic Amazing Race work should be submitted to the logbook. Anything not finished in class today will be homework over the weekend.
Wednesday, April 17th: Afternoon trip to the North Glenmore Park Constructed Wetland. Friday, April 19th: No School - Good Friday Friday April 26th - Afternoon trip to the North Glenmore Park Constructed Wetland. May 2-5: 5.3 Fort Steele Monday, May 6: No school for 5.3 in lieu of Fort Steele over the weekend. May 5-8: 5.4 Fort Steele Thursday, May 9th: Morning trip to the North Glenmore Park Constructed Wetland. Humanities: Before the break we wrapped up the work on the Arctic region roadblock and detours. This week, students worked on the Pitstop for this region in humanities class. We will also started a short unit on poetry and continue learning about figurative language and how authors use it to enhance their writing. We also enjoyed a field trip to the Glenbow Museum that reinforced our classroom learning about regions and their impact on everyday life. Math: In math this week we learned about geometrical transformations such as translations, reflections and rotations. We also took a bit of a side tangent and reviewed how to tell time on an analog clock. This will help us out when we get to our work on fractions. If you have an analog clock at home, feel free to quiz your child! We will continue with geometry next week exploring tessellations and then will be moving on to fractions the following week. Science: In science this week we continued to look electricity and electrical circuits. We learned how electrons flow in a circuit as well as how to draw circuit diagrams using the correct symbols. Next week we will explore series and parallel circuits. As always, let us know if you have any questions or concerns! Have a great weekend, Important Dates
March 1-No School March 11- Term 2 Report Cards March 12- Snowshoeing/hiking Field Trip March 14&15- Student Led Conferences March 22 No School March 25 -April 7- Spring Break Spirit Week- Next Week Feb. 25 - PJ/Bedhead Day Feb. 26 - Match Day Feb. 27 - Pink Shirt Day Feb. 28 - Character Day Humanities- Students completed their first Amazing Race Roadblock activity. They learned about the Appalachian/Atlantic region of Canada through readings, videos and discussions. Next week they will begin working on their Pitstop activity. Students will be provided with 6 assignment choices for each pitstop. Over the course of the unit they will complete all six assignments. Please check Seesaw next week to view the choices, and check in with your child to see what task they chose. Math- This week we reviewed our box method check-ins and corrected any mistakes. Those are available for viewing on SeeSaw. Students also took a problem they completed last week and provided a verbal explanation of how they solved it. That is available to view on SeeSaw as well. I have not yet provided comments on that problem. Students also began to investigate how to build a double bar graph using the Numbers App. Some of these have been submitted to SeeSaw. Science: This was a math intensive week in grade 5. Students have a few tasks to complete and submit to SeeSaw (including a cloud chart and extreme weather summary). Students will be beginning their Science Detour for the Amazing Race Canada today and continue working on it next week. |
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