100th Day of School ~ February 11th

February 11th is our 100th day of school and we are planning a celebration!

We would like to continue the tradition of dressing up as 100 year old people.  We would also like you to send 100 things for snack on that day. Things that work best are cereal pieces, cut up fruit, or a combination of items (50 cereal pieces, 25 grapes, 25 crackers).

Important Days in February

Monday, February 9th
Early dismissal at 2:20pm

Wednesday, February 11th
100th Day of School Celebration

Friday, February 13th
SRC Potato Lunch

Monday, February 16th
Family Day
No school

Tuesday, February 17th
No school

Wednesday, February 18th
No school

Week of February 23rd-27th
Show and Tell Week

Wednesday, February 25th
Telemiracle Lunch

RCMP

Yesterday we took advantage of the beautiful weather and took a walk to the RCMP office in Coronach.  This was part of Jordan's show and tell and we were grateful for all the information that her Mom shared with us.

Here are a few pictures of our visit:

Hanging out in the holding cell.

Squished into the cell.

Doing time in "jail".

The interview room and video equipment

Jordan going for a "drive" in the RCMP car. Watch out!

Friday Blog Posts

Today the students had a free blogging period and they could blog about anything they wanted.  Please have a look at what they posted, and as always, feel free to comment.

Thank you in advance!
http://kidblog.org/MrsEldersClass2014/

Next Week

Next week is turning out to be a busy week within our classroom.

Monday is early dismissal and students will be done at 2:20pm.

Tuesday afternoon the students will be going skating with the Grade 5/6 class.  Students can play shinny during this time but they MUST bring a stick, hockey gloves, and a helmet if they want to play.

Wednesday is Family Literacy Day in our school.  We are asking students to wear pajamas that day, as we will be reading "bedtime" stories.

Thursday will be the last day of the school week for students, as they don't have school Friday.

Catching Snowflakes!

This morning was absolutely fantastic, and it was completely accidental!

We were discussing snow, snowflakes, and how to catch a snowflake.  Grade Two students remembered how we caught snowflakes last year, and also that we had to wait over a week for it to snow.  We decided that as soon as it snowed again, we would head outside to catch (and study) snowflakes.  And then it happened...

It started snowing! Big, heavy, wet, snowflakes fell from the sky today AND they fell straight down because there was no wind!!! It felt like a miracle!

We headed outside with our black paper and magnifying glasses and caught snowflakes. We caught, we looked, we caught them on our tongue.  We had a fantastic day!

The Cup Song

As many of you already know, we have been learning the cup song.  This came about somewhat accidentally...

Last week we studied sounds and discussed things we like to, and don't like to, hear.  Many students said they liked listening to music and one student shared that her favorite song was "The Cup Song".  She also shared that she loved to watch the video for it, so we viewed the video.  Students not only sang the song but also tapped their desks along with the song, as we were without cups.  I decided that the cup song would be our next project as it fits perfectly into Math patterns, music components of Art, and cooperation skills.

Here are the two songs we have been working with.  The Irish version is slower and tends to be easier to follow, as it is in a different language and therefore the kids don't sing, they just concentrate on the cup pattern.  I have linked both versions below for easy access, as it sounds like the students are practicing at home quite a bit.  Sorry... haha.

Cup Song ~ Irish/Gaelic version

The Cup Song

Kid President's 20 Things We Should Say More Often

This was our viewing activity today.  We have been studying the 5 senses and  this is a great video about things that all of us like to hear.  Enjoy!

Sensory Blog Posts

Today the students posted about their five senses.  They wrote about their favorite smells, tastes and sounds.  Please have a read, pass along the link, and feel free to comment.  Thanks!

http://kidblog.org/MrsEldersClass2014/

Home Reading, Setting, and the Book Challenge

Today a new set of home reading books and assignments are heading to your house.  Thank you to everyone for returning the books and homework pages!

Our reading focus for the next few weeks will be the setting of the story.  We are asking the students to tell us WHERE and WHEN the story takes place.  They know that it quite often does not say in the book, however we can find out using clues in the story and pictures.

The homework sheet, which is double sided, is directed at finding the setting of one of their stories.  Students are asked to draw the setting AND then write words or sentences to describe the setting.  Please remember to ask about both where the story is happening and when it is happening, as we are trying to become confident in both.

Your child will also have a coloured piece of paper with book spines on it within their home reading.  This is part of the SCC challenge to read as many books as possible.  For each book your child reads they are to fill out a book spine and an adult needs to sign it.  Send the page back to school (we will cut them out here) and we will submit them to the library.  I only sent one sheet this week however if you would like more there are some at school that your child can grab.

Thank you in advance for your help and hard work!

Don't Let the pigeon drive the bus! By Klay

Remind

On Friday your child brought home a note asking you to subscribe to the Remind app.  I have created an account for our classroom which allows me to send out short reminders in a group format.

The instructions on the note are easy to follow and give our classroom code to subscribe.  Your phone number is kept confidential, as is my phone number.

This does not replace the blog, but rather allows me to send quick reminders out about upcoming events and routines.  For example: "Don't forget it's early dismissal tomorrow" or "Home Reading should be handed in today or tomorrow."

If you have not already subscribed, please do.  If you have questions or concerns, please contact me at the school.

January Book Orders

January catalogs have been sent home.  If you are interested in ordering reading material, please return the order form and cheque by Wednesday, January 14th.

Thank you in advance for your order, and happy reading!

Today's wether by Jordan

Home Reading

Today the remainder of the students will be starting their home reading program. Here are a few reminders about what home reading involves:

1) It is a Wednesday routine.  Students will bring ALL books and papers back on Tuesday or Wednesday morning.  They will then exchange old books for new ones, take a new homework sheet, and books will go home home that afternoon.

2) Books are to be read many times (with the exception of chapter books).  These books are meant to help with fluency and confidence, so repeated readings of the book is essential.  Do you have to listen to the book 15 times? No.  I have explained to students that when they need to practice reading it can be with anyone, or anything.  Siblings, stuffed animals, reflections in the mirror, pets, and plants are all great listeners.

3) The homework sheet is an important part of the reading.  It is meant to give purpose to what they read, and they have to remember and/or retell parts of what they read.  Please encourage your child to do detailed drawings, neat printing and colouring on each sheet that is sent home. 

Finally, I want to thank everyone for their dedication and support in our classroom work.  I know that  we overload you with word rings, reading, and other classroom assignments.  We all lead busy lives and I truly appreciate the time and effort that parents put in to help with our classroom work. 

Blog Post

This morning we did a blog post about how we spend Christmas holidays.  Please click on the link below to have a look.  Feel free to comment and/or share the link with others, and thanks for looking!

http://kidblog.org/MrsEldersClass2014/

Important Days in January

Monday, January 5th
Classes resume

Monday, January 12th
Early dismissal @ 2:20pm

Week of January 19th - 23rd
Show and Tell Week

Monday, January 26th
Early dismissal @ 2:20pm

Wednesday, January 28th
Family Literacy Day
Pajama Day and Bedtime Stories

Friday, January 30th
No School
Teacher Prep Day