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Thursday, December 19, 2013

Thursday December 19, 2013

YAY!  We made it!

Today's learning tasks:
- Carol Singing
- spelling quiz
- Student of the Week sharing, DOJO review and next student
- Learning Commons: chapter book selection
- 'Wall Ball'
- Seasonal skit performances
- PIZZA lunch
- Pajama movie afternoon

Reminders:
- no school tomorrow (PD Day for teachers)


Join your neighbours for some SKATING and hot chocolate!
When: Saturday, January 4th between 1:30pm and 3:30pm
Where: The skating rink in Vista Heights just North of Valleyview Road
Who: Anyone who likes to skate, or who likes hot chocolate, marshmallows and
visiting with neighbours.
For more information, please call the Crossroads
Community Association at (403) 277‐6201

 


Ask your child:
- which movie they enjoyed this afternoon
- how they think they did on their spelling quiz today
- which book they have chosen to write a book review on

Homework:
- finish reading your chapter book (novel) in preparation for the Book Review (due the first Thursday we return from the break)
- work on completing all 6 Alberta Region paragraphs (checklist and rubric in green Social Studies duo tang)


ENJOY the holiday with your family and we'll see you in the New Year.  First day back to school is Monday January 6th!

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Wednesday December 19, 2013

PHEW!!! Just ONE MORE DAY!

Today's Learning Tasks: 
- designing props and costumes for Winter Skits
- Holiday Bingo
- Fitness Centers + Wall Ball
- Grade 1 Buddy interviews - ipod recordings

Reminders:
- PAJAMA, PIZZA + MOVIE Day tomorrow *ALL students will receive a FREE (anonymously sponsored) pizza lunch - so DO NOT bring your lunch and stay to eat
- spelling quiz tomorrow
- Winter skit performance tomorrow morning

Ask your child:
- how they earned DOJO points today
- how they recorded their voice on the iPods
- a strategy they use during 'wall ball'
- what chapter book they have chosen for their book review

Homework:
- all students should be finishing up their "Alberta Regions" paragraphs (due during the first week back)
- all students should be reading a chapter book (novel) *at their level* during the break
           - good copies of book reviews will be due on the first Thursday back from the break



Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Tuesday, December 17, 2013



Today's learning tasks:
- Holiday caroling in the gym
- Phys Ed (fitness centers)
- Math (addition / subtraction review, test)
- Winter skits rehearsal

Ask your child:
- what props they hope to make tomorrow for their winter skit
- how they earned DOJO points today

Reminders:
- no school on Friday (PD Day)
- PJ Day (Thursday) – wear appropriate pyjamas to school (clean and covered PJ’s please)
           - you MUST wear snow pants if you wear PJ’s (or pants to put overtop for                                   outdoors
                                -you can bring a stuffie (not too big)
-Pizza lunch (Thursday) –everyone gets a free pizza, juice and a bag of chips and you can stay at school for lunch

- winter skit performances on Thursday morning
- bring all props and costumes for rehearsing

Homework:
- nightly reading, math facts practice and spelling (quiz on Thursday)
- script practice, prop making
- S.S. - Alberta Regions paragraphs.  These will be due the first week when we return, so please encourage your child to be working on them each night to avoid a heavy homework load.  Criteria checklist and rubric in the green duotang to guide work.
-  "Seasonal Book Reviews" due Thursday January 9th (please READ your chapter book/novel this week and over the holiday, so you are ready to complete the assignment during the first week.  Please check your child's blue duotang for the criteria checklist.  If your child would like to complete the assignment over the holiday break, this is fine too.

Monday, December 16, 2013

Monday December 16, 2013

Today's learning tasks:
- Gr. 6 Outdoor School sharing - campfire songs
- Word work: alphabetizing winter words
- spelling: new words
- Wake n Shake movement + breathing and stretching
- Buddy work: completing our Comic pages on hibernation
- Alberta regions: paragraph writing
- Winter skits

Ask your child:
- to sing a campfire song they learned from the Gr. 6 students
- about the role they play in our Winter skit
- how they earned DOJO points today

Reminders:
- no school on Friday (PD Day)
- PJ Day (Thursday) – wear appropriate pyjamas to school (clean and covered PJ’s please)
                                - you MUST wear snow pants if you wear PJ’s (or pants to put overtop for                                            outdoors
                                -you can bring a stuffie (not too big)
-Pizza lunch (Thursday) –everyone gets a free pizza, juice and a bag of chips and you can stay at school for lunch

- winter skit performances on Thursday morning
- bring all props and costumes for rehearsing

Homework:
- nightly reading, math facts practice and spelling (quiz on Thursday)
- script practice, prop making
- S.S. - Alberta Regions paragraphs.  These will be due the first week when we return, so please encourage your child to be working on them each night to avoid a heavy homework load.  Criteria checklist and rubric in the green duotang to guide work.
-  "Seasonal Book Reviews" due Thursday January 9th (please READ your chapter book/novel this week and over the holiday, so you are ready to complete the assignment during the first week.  Please check your child's blue duotang for the criteria checklist.  If your child would like to complete the assignment over the holiday break, this is fine too.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Thursday December 12, 2013

We are looking forward to tomorrow!!

Today's learning tasks:
- Student of the Week sharing
- 'Wake n Shake' movement- Quest Rehearsal -polishing our movement and voice
- Music - continued work with recorders
- Winter Art: tissue paper landscape
- more Quest rehearsing
- continued work on art

Ask your child:
- if they brought home any "wait list" tickets for a show
- to recite some lines from our classes' piece
- *we are in need of 10 Nintendo/Play station (pretend) props for one of our scenes.  if your child could make some out of cardboard and colour black, we would greatly appreciate it!*
- how they earned DOJO points today

Homework:

- nightly reading and math facts practice
- Spelling practice (quiz tomorrow)

Reminders:

- Gr. 2/3 Digital Champions Club is CANCELLED tomorrow due to the QUEST Theatre performances.  Students will have the opportunity to share the Read + Write Gold program with classes next week.  Watch for new Digital Champion clubs beginning in January.

- Math test coming up on Tuesday, December 17th.
Purdy’s Chocolate Orders have arrived!
                -you can pick up your order from your child’s classroom
                -after the Quest performance on Friday, December 13th – is an ideal time!
-  Quest Theatre Performances Schedule (Friday, December 13th):


1:30
Performance of
Virtues

6:10
Students Return to School - Classrooms (with parent/guardian)

6:30
Performance of 
 
Virtues

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Wednesday, December 11, 2013


Today's learning tasks:


Quest Rehearsal - Our practice for the Friday performances is coming along very well. Great ideas from our students and collaboration with Quest professionals!

Math - Grade 3 (Addition with multiple digits - Intro.), Grade 4 (Subtraction with 4-digit numbers)

Science - light & materials (Opaque vs. Transparent vs. Translucent). Refraction of light Intro - we experimented with water and made some excellent observations.

Ask your child:
- are they getting excited for this Friday's Quest performance?- how does a liquid such as water affect how objects appear to us?
- are they going to bring in one of the following props tomorrow or Friday to help make our performance great ? (i.e. kitchen apron, red or green hat/toque)

Homework:

- nightly reading and math facts practice
- select students have math "exit ticket" to complete at home

Reminders:

- Gr. 2/3 Digital Champions Club is CANCELLED this Friday due to the QUEST Theatre performances.  Students will have the opportunity to share the Read + Write Gold program with classes next week.  Watch for new Digital Champion clubs beginning in January.

- Math test coming up on Tuesday, December 17th.
Purdy’s Chocolate Orders have arrived!
                -you can pick up your order from your child’s classroom
                -after the Quest performance on Friday, December 13th – is an ideal time!
-  Quest Theatre Performances Schedule (Friday, December 13th):

1:30
Performance of
Virtues

6:10
Students Return to School - Classrooms (with parent/guardian)

6:30
Performance of
Virtues

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

Today's learning tasks:


Wake & Shake - although our gym is occupied by Quest Theatre this week, we had a good movement workout in the classroom.
Quest Theatre - we had fun working toward our performance on Friday!
Math - Grade 3 (Estimating), Grade 4 (Addition with 4-digit numbers)
Science - Testing light transfer with different materials

Ask your child:

- what types of materials they tested with light? what happened?
- what have they been working on during our Quest rehearsal time?

Homework:

- nightly reading and math facts practice

Reminders:

- Quest theatre forms must be signed and returned (with ticket requests for Friday shows) by tomorrow morning!
- Math test coming up on Tuesday, December 17th.
Purdy’s Chocolate Orders have arrived!
                -you can pick up your order from your child’s classroom
                -after the Quest performance on Friday, December 13th – is an ideal time!



Monday, December 9, 2013

Thursday December 5, 2013

Today's learning tasks:
- Student of the Week sharing, S.S. - paragraph writing about the "Canadian Shield", spelling quiz, "Wake + Shake", recorder fun in music, French oral quiz, Gr. 1/2 buddy interviews, fun games in the gym with our special guest
Ask your child:
- to share his/her "Canadian Shield" paragraph (green duotang)
- how they think they did on their French and spelling quizzes
-  about Wake n Shake
- about the cool games they learned with Mr. Bennett
Homework:
 - complete the paragraph on "The Canadian Shield" (green duotang) refer to the paragraph checklist for criteria
- nightly reading and math facts practice
Reminders:
"CP Holiday Train"Anderson Station this  Saturday December 7, 5pm. Admission is a $ donation or non-perishable food item(s)for the Calgary Food Bank.
- December Newsletter: online version: http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b239/news.html 
- There are several families who have not booked a conference.  Please visit our school website to make an online booking for a student-led conference for tonight or Friday morning. A laptop is in the staffroom for your convenience.  Should you require assistance in booking  conference, please visit the office.

- no school tomorrow, due to conferences
Bonne weekend!

Monday Dec 8, 2013

WOW!  A winter wonderland!

Today's learning tasks:
Wake n Shake Movement
Introduction to QUEST Theatre (virtue assignment: patience + name game)
Gr 1 buddies - creation of HibernationComic Life comic pages
Independent reading
Spelling - new words
QUEST - movement in the gym
Picture Book Reviews

Ask your child:
- what their QUEST name and action was
- what hibernating animal they are studying
- if you were unable to attend conferences last week, please call the school to book a time

Reminders:
QUEST Theatre is here all week. *NOTICE in zippie* We are rehearsing in preparation of our final performances on Friday morning and evening.  Each student is obligated and expected to perform in both shows, although each family will only be able to view one of the two shows.  Families are encouraged to attend the Friday afternoon performance, as it is anticipated that attendance will be less than the evening performance.

Homework:
- nightly reading, math facts and spelling practice (quiz on Friday, this week)


Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Wed December 4, 2013


Today's learning tasks:  problem solving strategies in math, handball match, exploring websites, S.S. paragraph writing - rubric, exemplar, checklists "Boreal Forest"

More specifically,
Math - working on strategies for solving word problems with Grade 3's and 4's ("4- Steps"), and group sharing. Introduction to Math Centers (yesterday) - everyone really enjoyed this and had the chance to work on multiple math skills. 

Science - explored Light, Shadows, How We See, and the Earth, Sun, and Moon on an interactive website using computers. Everyone has something new to share that they learned!


Homework:
- nightly reading, math facts practice and spelling (quiz on Thurs)
- oral French quiz on Thursday (days of the week, months, greetings, #1-20, colours)

Ask your child:
- what the difference is between 'handball' and 'volleyball'
- to recite the numbers 1-20, colors, greetings and days/months in French
- about our class novel "The One and Only Ivan" - who is the main character and where does it take place?
- about our new virtue of the month "FAIRNESS".  How do they plan to model fairness?  What is the difference between fairness and equality.   Can they give you an example or 'fairness'?  'equality'?

Reminders:
"CP Holiday Train"Anderson Station on Saturday December 7, 5pm. Admission is a $ donation or non-perishable food item(s)for the Calgary Food Bank.
- December Newsletter: online version: http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b239/news.html 
- There are several families who have not booked a conference.  Please visit our school website to make an online booking for a student-led conference on Thurs evening or Friday morning appointment.  A laptop is in the staffroom for your convenience.  Should you require assistance in booking  conference, please visit the office.

- no school on Friday, due to conferences




Monday, December 2, 2013

Monday December 2, 2013




BRRRRRRRRR!!!!
 
Today's learning tasks:
- personal dictionaries, spelling lists, volleyball match, hibernation sentences for comic, Boreal Forest study (table), silent soccer match
Ask your child:
- to tell you about the Boreal Forest

- how they plan to study for this week's spelling quiz? (on Thurs)

Homework:
- nightly reading, math facts practice and spelling (quiz on Thurs)
- oral French quiz on Thursday (days of the week, months, greetings, #1-20, colours)

Reminders:
- no school on Friday, due to conferences
- tomorrow is the last day to order pictures - send form and $ with your child
"CP Holiday Train"Don’t miss Grammy award winning singer Sarah McLachlan performing at the annual CP Holiday Train at Anderson Station on Saturday December 7, 2013. This free concert will also feature The Tenors and Matt Dusk.  In support of the Calgary Food Bank and hosted by Peter Mansbridge, the event begins with the opening of the North Pole Station at 4:00 p.m. followed by the concert, which begins at 5:00 p.m.
Explore the North Pole Station and its family-oriented activities including Santa, ice carving and hot chocolate before the show begins.  Attendees are encouraged to take Calgary Transit to this event as parking is limited. The event is free, however attendees are asked to make a donation or bring non-perishable food items for the Calgary Food Bank.
- December Newsletter: online version: http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b239/news.htm
- Please visit our school website to make an online booking for a student-led conference on Thurs evening or Friday morning appointment.  A laptop is in the staffroom for your convenience.  Should you require assistance in booking  conference, please visit the office.



Stay warm!
 

Friday, November 29, 2013

Friday November 29, 2013

Yet another busy day in Room 4!

Today's learning tasks:
- spelling quiz
- French - review of calendar months (oral quiz next THURSDAY on: numbers 1-20, days of the week, months, and greetings)
- volleyball match
- Buddies with Gr. 1 students - composing hibernation sentences
- S.S. - completing "Foothills Region" in our table (using "Zooming In on Alberta's Regions")
- Music - recorder fun on the iPods
- DOJO points review - congratulations to the new "student of the week"
- Reward time: educational games

Homework:
- nightly reading and math facts
- study French for quiz next week

Ask your child:
- how they think they did on their spelling quiz today and how they can achieve 100% accuracy next week
- about our buddy fun
- how they spent their "reward time"
- questions about the novel their are currently enjoying - ask him/her to read a passage to you
- how they earned DOJO points today

Reminders:
- please book an interview online, on the Vista Heights website
OR
- visit the office and book with Mrs. McKie
- earbuds?

Enjoy the weekend with your family - stay warm + dry!

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Thursday November 28, 2013

WOW!  What a COOOOOOOL car!  The University of Calgary was here to share the solar car today.

Today's learning tasks:
- review of STELLAR work habits and "student of the week" checklists
- L.A. - used our "creative journal reflection checklist" to ensure all criteria were met
- volleyball game in gym
- music - recorder fun
- S.S. - completed jot notes for Rocky Mountains region
- Solar car presentation
- buddy interviews
- viewing of solar car on the school compound

Ask your child:
- about the solar car
- if they earned a DOJO point for 'stellar' work habits
- what the important thing about the Rocky Mountain region is
- to share something cool they learned about their buddy

Homework:
- nightly reading, math facts and spelling practice (quiz tomorrow)

Reminders:
- bring earbuds
- pita lunch tomorrow
- there is a computer for parent use in the staffroom (please check in at the office for assistance)
- children who have not completed homework have the choice to stay in during noon-hour recess and complete in 'open commons' time
- if you send us your email, we can EMAIL this blog to you instead

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Wednesday, November 27, 2013


Today's learning tasks:
Goal setting: ClassDojo check-in, and introduction of student checklist for "Student of the Week" recognition (check lists will be sent home at the end of this week)
Math: Grade 3's (place value, skip counting, base-ten review), Grade 4's (3- and 4-digit subtraction)
Physical Education: volleyball
Science: Shadow tag, & partner shadows. We used i-pods to capture images and began to design "My Shadow" tracker charts.

Ask your child:
- what work they intend to share next week for "Student of the Week" recognition
- how they earned DOJO points today
- how can I make change my shadow?
- what object in the playground are we keeping an eye on this week, to see if it's shadow moves?

Homework:
- nightly reading, math facts and spelling practice *new words on the side of the blog (quiz on Friday)

Reminders:
- Friday is Pita Lunch (orders should have been placed already)
- EARBUDS to leave at school?
- The University of Calgary will be presenting the solar car this Thursday (tomorrow) afternoon.  Please sign the release form so your child can be photographed with the car (if you have not already)
- a general use computer is located at Vista Heights school if parents should require access to submit online forms, etc. Please feel free to check-in at the front desk should you need to access this computer. 
- Save the Date! December 5th & 6th we will be hosting parent-teacher conferences. Information about the booking process will be released shortly. 

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Tuesday, November 26, 2013


Today's learning tasks:
Math: Grade 3's (modeling 3-digit numbers using base-ten and place value), Grade 4's (3- and 4-digit addition), 4-steps to solving math word problems
Physical Education: volleyball "bounce" game (Nice to see all our practice and hard work in the gym coming together!)
Music: recorders :)
Science: shadow experimentation

Ask your child:
- how they earned DOJO points today
- how does light travel?
- what objects are out in the playground that cast their own shadows?

Homework:
- nightly reading, math facts and spelling practice *new words on the side of the blog (quiz on Friday)

Reminders:
- Friday is Pita Lunch (orders should have been placed already)
- EARBUDS to leave at school?
- The University of Calgary will be presenting the solar car this Thursday afternoon.  Please sign the release form so your child can be photographed with the car (if you have not already)

Healthy Hunger - Pita Lunch FRIDAY
In our effort to decrease our environmental footprint, we will be using an online ordering process for our next "special lunch" day. Information was sent home today with your child on how to order from www.healthyhunger.ca
Please visit this website for more information and to create a new account for your child.  https://www.healthyhunger.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=65&Itemid=27
On our next "special lunch" day we will be having a Pita lunch - November 29 

*A laptop computer is available for use in the school staffroom.  Please check in at the office to use this service.