Drive Away Hunger

Coronach School will once again be participating in the Drive Away Hunger program through Farm Credit Corporation.  Your child will bring home a paper bag tonight, with a note attached that explains the program in more detail.

We ask that you fill the bag with a few of the items suggested, and return it to school before October 11th.  Last year Coronach School donated 907lbs of food, and we would like to donate even more this year!  Sherritt Coal will once again be matching the number of pounds collected with a cash donation!

Thank you all for your support and participation!

Photo of the Day ~ Jordan

this is us wrking on
the ltr C
by Jordan

Spelling Words and Tests

This Monday we will begin having weekly spelling words and tests.  Each Monday I will introduce words for each grade that will be a focus for the week.  We practice these words each day, but additional help and practice at home is always beneficial.  Spelling tests will be each Friday, and their test will be sent home in their Spelling duotang.  Please look over the test, sign it, and return the duotang to school the following Monday.

The focus of these tests from my perspective is to see the progress of the students and to focus on a small group of words at a time to work on.  I don't want the students to stress over a test, getting words wrong, or making mistakes.  I will do a practice test with them a few times this week so that they know what to expect.

These words build the foundation for future reading skills so please help your child at home with learning these words. These will be the spelling words for the week of September 30th to October 4th:

Grade One
I
a
we
and
one
two

Grade Two
think
thank
them
then
give
giving

6th Annual Pumpkin Partners

This year we will once again be carving pumpkins with Miss Rachul and the Grade 10 class.  This has become a yearly tradition and is a wonderful experience for everyone.  I will give more details in a few weeks, but please  keep on the lookout for a pumpkin that your child can use on that day.  I hope with enough notice that everyone has a chance to find a pumpkin but if not, please let me know.

Photo of the Day ~ Spencer

A little help to keep our shoes
on the right feet

Picture of the Day ~ Sierra

Working on the letter Pp in our
alphabet books

Our Substitute teacher

Today our class had Mr. Stirling as our teacher for Gym.  When class was over, Mr. Stirling played his trumpet for us! It was so exciting, and so loud!

As I watched the students and listened to their reactions, I was most proud of hearing this...

"That reminds me of..." 

We have been working on this concept since the first day of school, and they have it! A big thank you to Mr. Stirling for playing for us today and for taking us outside for gym!

Photo of the Day ~ Ayden

We are practicing our colour words and
learning to point to words when we read

Photo of the Day ~ Langston

Langston's favourite hockey team is...

Photo of the Day ~ Dayton

Kaden's Show and Tell ~ this pumpkin came
from the seeds we planted last spring
while in Grade 1

Terry Fox Walk

Wednesday, September 25th we are again hosting the Annual Terry Fox Walk. This walk is a collaboration of town and school. There will NOT be a separate community walk. 

There will be a Penny Parade in the gym from noon to 2:00 and tickets will be 15 for $5. Anyone wishing to send additional donations can send them to school with your child.

Terry Fox Tshirts and bunnyhugs will be for sale at the school at 12:00 noon on. Sizes are XXL, XL, L, M, S, for $20.00 and Youth Meduim for $15.00. Bunnyhugs are $55.00 

The Grade 1 and 2 class will not walk the full distance ~ we have tried in the past, and although many can make it, the majority of the class ends up too far behind to make it back in time for dismissal/busses.  We will walk the beginning of the walk, then detour back to the school once we walk down Main Street.

Thanks for your help and support!

Grade 2 Blog Posts

Today the Grade 2 class starting blogging and posted about their weekend.  Please have a look at them here:

http://kidblog.org/MrsEldersClass2013/

I encourage you to share this link with family and friends, and to also comment on the posts.  We are already quite excited as we watch our number of views grow!

Thank you in advance for you support!

Heard Around the Room

After a few days of working with our classroom dictionaries...

Student - "Mrs. Elder, I have been looking for love and I can't find it."

Mrs. Elder - "Pardon me?  What is it you are looking for?"

Student - "I have been looking for love and I keep looking and looking but I can't find it anywhere!"

Student then hands me his dictionary...

Mrs. Elder - "OH! You are looking for love in your dictionary. That makes WAY more sense!"

Photo of the Day ~ Hayden

Working on colour words after listening to
"Pete the Cat Loves his White Shoes"

Book Orders ~ Missing Book

The Scholastic Book Orders came in today and are being sent home with your child if you placed an order.  Thank you to everyone who ordered ~ I saw many great books heading home!

I have one Lego Ninjago Character Encyclopedia that is still at school ~ I have a corresponding order form for the book, but no name was put on the form.  If you have ordered this book but did not receive it, please let me know.  Sorry for the confusion and mix-up.

Star of the Week

Next week we will begin our "Star of the Week" within our classroom.  This allows us to learn a little more about each student in the room.  When your child is scheduled to be the "star", they will have small bulletin board display to fill with answers to a variety of questions.  A few days before your child is scheduled to be "star", a bag will come home that contains a list of the questions to be answered, cards to write the answers on, and enough room in the bag to send any other items of interest to school for display.

Some of the questions are things like favourite toys, favourite food, pets, etc.  Please answer most of the questions, and try to send a picture or two for the display.  Your child will present their bulletin board to the class, and then we write a book about your child with the information we have learned.

In the past, some students have brought snacks or a special pet at some point during their week.  Please be aware that this is not necessary and in no way are you obligated to do these things.  We can make arrangements though if this is something you would like to do.

The schedule for "Star of the Week" is as follows:

Sept 30 Savannah
Oct 7 Cheyanne
Oct 15 Braden
Oct 21 Kade
Oct 28 Kaden
Nov 4 Cody N
Nov 12 Maia
Nov 18 Dashiel
Nov 25 Autumn
Dec 2 Hayden
Dec 9 Jordan
Dec 16 Langston
Jan 13 Cody M
Jan 20 Kyler
Jan 27 Dayton
Feb 3 Shelby
Feb 10 Blake
Feb 24 Sierra
Mar 3 Johnathan
Mar 10 Spencer
Mar 17 Alera
Mar 24 Nathan
Mar 31 Teagan
Apr 7 Macie-Rae
Apr 28 Ayden
May 5 Jonathyn
May 12 Mrs. Dyck
May 19 Mrs. Elder

Comments on a Blog

Yesterday the Grade 1 class posted on their blog for the first time, and the Grade 2 class will be starting shortly.  We encourage you to read and comment on student posts, as they are very excited to hear what others have to say.  They love the encouragement, the questions, and it also makes them realize that they have an audience for their writing.

If you decide to comment, please keep a few things in mind.  A comment must be seen, and approved, by me before it is visible on their blog.  This is a safety precaution, and a necessary step, so please understand that there may be a delay in you commenting and it actually appearing.  When commenting please be aware that we are using these comments as tools for learning ~ be aware of your language, spelling, punctuation, etc as it helps to show the students good examples of writing from everyone in their lives.  Also remember that to mention names is okay, but we want to eliminate any first name/last name associations.  To say "Way to go John!" is excellent, but to add "Love, Grandma Smith" creates a name attachment, which we want to eliminate while online.  Again, the comments have to be approved by me but please just be aware of the safety concerns within our room while visiting our blogs.

Thank you SO MUCH already for looking and commenting!  We have over 300 views in just 2 days from all across Canada and we are VERY excited!

Grade 1 Blogging

Well today was a pretty exciting day for the Grade 1 class ~ we started blogging! We posted a picture of how we can translate a pattern (change from a colour pattern into a shape pattern for example).  You can find the blog posts here: http://kidblog.org/MrsEldersClass2013/

I encourage you to comment on the posts, and pass the link along to family and friends.  The kids are very excited to read what people have to say! Thank you in advance for your support!

School Pictures

Your child should have brought home the package of school picture yesterday.  If you are interested in ordering, please return the package to school by Tuesday, September 24th.

**If you are not interested in ordering pictures, or you would like re-takes, you must also return the package to school**

Thank you!

Photo of the day ~ by Maia

Tes are our frogs named Salt and Pepper.

Alphabet Bingo

This site is a great resource to help learn the letters of the alphabet AND their sound.  You have the choice before the game begins as to whether you want to practice letters (uppercase or lowercase) or letter sounds.  There is also an option to change the size of the board you play on.

Enjoy!

Alphabet Bingo

Alphabetical Order

The Grade Two class has been working very hard on alphabetical order over the last week.  Mrs. Dyck has worked with them and has seen lots of improvement!  She has found these games to help with practice of alphabetical order, and they look like lots of fun!

P.S. Even though the Grade Two class has been working on this, it is also GREAT practice for the Grade Ones too!

Alphabet and Alphabetical Order

Alphabetical Order

Photo of the Day ~ Braden

We rot abwot awor weekend.

Learning Our Colour Words

Today we worked on writing our colour words and recognizing them in print.  We listened to a story called "Pete the Cat ~ I Love My White Shoes" and worked on printing our colour words.  If you would like to watch the story again with your child, they should be able to recognize the repeated words of the song in print.

Thank you for your support!

Pete the Cat ~ I Love My White Shoes

Coronach by Grade 1 and 2

Photo of the day ~ Cheyanne

This is aowr white bord tabl.

Our Brain Breaks

During the day we take "Brain Breaks" ~ short activities that get our hearts beating, get our energy up, and wake up our brains so they are ready to work.

Many of these activities include dancing, which is shown in the video below.  So, if your child comes home and says "all we did today was dance", you don't have to worry.

Our Brain Break

Fluoride Mouthrinse

Our school provides a fluoride mouthrinse program which started in the classroom today.  Grade 1 students are coming home with a consent form (and information sheet) that needs to be filled out and returned to school as soon as possible.

Thank you!

Terry Fox Walk

Wednesday, September 25^th we are again hosting the Annual Terry Fox Walk.   This walk is a collaboration of town and school. There will NOT be a separate community walk.

There will be a Penny Parade in the gym from noon to 2:00 and tickets will be 15 for $5. We will also have pledge sheets available at the office for anyone who wishes to do some additional fundraising on their own. 

Terry Fox Tshirts and bunnyhugs will be for sale at the school at 12:00 noon on. Sizes are XXL, XL, L, M, S, for $20.00 and Youth Medium for $15.00. Bunnyhugs are $55.00 Thanks!!

Thanks for your help and support,

Ashley Rachul

Giselle Wilson

Amanda Gent

Brenda Obrigewitsch

School Forms and Fees

This is just a reminder to please return the school forms and send the $15 SRC fee as soon as possible.  There are 3 forms ~ Registration, Health, and Responsible Use.  Please ensure that all of those forms are returned as soon as possible so we can update student information.

Thank you!

Scholastic Book Orders

Your child is bringing home a few (okay, about 6!) Scholastic Book Order catalogs today.  If you are interested in ordering from any of these catalogs, please return all the order forms and payment by Thursday, September 12th.

A reminder that I can't accept cash for these orders, so please send a cheque for the correct amount.

I know the catalogs may be overwhelming BUT I do love books, I will constantly encourage reading, AND the classroom earns FREE books when you place orders ~ so thank you in advance!

Happy Reading!

5K Walk

Heard around the room...

Mrs. Elder: What's the matter? Is everything ok?
Student: No, everything is not ok.
Mrs. Elder: What's the matter? What can we do to fix it?
Student: Well to be honest, I have been working VERY hard. I am just not used to working this hard all day.  I am used to relaxing and playing with my Lego.
Mrs. Elder: I completely understand sweetheart. I feel exactly the same way...

Elmer the Patchwork Elephant

Today we worked on our listening skills.  We listened to a story called "Elmer the Patchwork Elephant" and the link for it is below.

Elmer the Patchwork Elephant

We then coloured our very own Elmer, and matched the numbers with the appropriate colours.  We also learned where to look around the classroom for hints to colour words.

Please ask your child about the Elmer story or watch it again with them. Thanks!

The People in our Classroom

Although I am considered the "Homeroom Teacher", the students and I have help during the day.  Donna Dyck will be a regular in our classroom ~ she will team teach Grade 1 and 2 Language Arts with me, will teach a Phys.Ed. period, AND will teach the Grade 2s their Math this year.  Deb Karpinski will also teach a Phys.Ed. class to the Grade 1s and 2s this year.  We also have 2 Educational Assistants that will visit our classroom on occassion ~ Nicole Zopf and Jodie Langford.  These are names that your child will likely refer to, and people that you will see when you are visiting the classroom.

My Classroom Tools

As the school year begins and we get settled in, your child may be given some tools to assist in their learning.  The picture shows a few of the items we have in our classroom ~ things such as rocking chairs, weighted items, squishy balls, pencil grips, seat cushions, etc.  Not every child will need these, and not every child may need them every day, but we have them as an option. I explain to the students that these are tools to help them, but not everyone needs them ~ just like glasses, not everyone needs to wear glasses.

So, if your child comes home saying they are wearing a snake around their neck and sitting in a rocking chair, don't panic.

First Day Reminders

Just a few reminders now that we are officially back at school:

1) SRC fees are due as soon as possible.  A cheque (payable to Coronach School) for $15 should be sent for each student K-12.  This amount covers our Christmas Dinner in December, and any other presentations or events throughout the year.

2) Please send indoor/gym runners to school.  We have the students change shoes when coming in from outside, so a change is needed.  Also, if your child is wearing sandals/flip flops while outside, please send a pair of socks to school for their inside shoes.  Thanks!

3) Please send any remaining supplies to school as soon as possible ~ kleenex, ziploc bags, scrapbooks, etc.

4) Registration forms have been sent home with your child today.  Please return them as soon as possible.

It was hot. It was busy BUT we survived...

Important Days in September

**I will add to this post as more information becomes available.  Please check back for any additions and/or changes**

Tuesday, Sept 3
First Day of School

Thursday, Sept 5
5K Challenge and Open House
Information available in previous posts

Friday, Sept 6
School Pictures

Week of Sept 23-27
Show and Tell

5K Challenge and Open House

On Thursday, September 5th Coronach School will host their 5K Challenge and Open House.  A schedule of events is listed in the previous post.

The 5K challenge tends to look a bit different for the Grade 1 and 2 class because many of the students are not comfortable running/walking that distance.  If your child will want to run/walk the entire 5K, please email me so that I can arrange accordingly.  I will run with those students that want to go the entire way but will have to arrange for supervision/leaders of the remaining students.  If you are able to walk with us on that day we would love to have your help!  Please email me if this is something that you are willing to do.

The Grade 1 and 2 class is not required to wear costumes but I encourage you to wear your Saskatchewan Roughrider gear instead.  We can be the "Green Team".  The weather forecast looks like it will be a warm day so dress accordingly ~ hats, sunscreen, and comfortable walking shoes.

My email is elder.christa@prairiesouth.ca if you are able to help, or if you have any questions/concerns about the 5K Challenge and Open House.

Coronach School 5K Challenge and Open House

CORONACH SCHOOL 5KM CHALLENGE AND OPEN HOUSE

EVERYONE IS WELCOME AND BURGERS ARE FREE!!

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2013

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

1:30pm – 5km Challenge begins – meet in the gym!
1:30-3:20pm – Games – SRC and CELLC organized!
3:30-5:30 – Open House, Stone Painting and Scavenger Hunt
4:30-5:30 – Barbecue – Everyone Welcome!!

TEAMS:
Grade ½ – running/walking as a class or in groups with parents/community members.
Grades 3 and up – teams of 4 – please try to include one adult. Homeroom teachers will keep lists of students/teams.

STEPPING STONES TO PAINT FOR FRONT YARD ARE $20/EACH

All community members are welcome to join the walk – with or without a team!

All community members are welcome to stay for our BBQ!!!!!

Prizes for teams for 5Km Challenge include: oldest combined ages, best costumes and much more!!!