November 28, 2019

Today we . . .

"We went to gym and played 'Fruit Salad' and tried to play the new game, ' Bamba'." - AZ

"We did story workshop.  We are working settings." - MW

"We watched a movie in the art room for lunch recess." - UT

"It was an indoor recess and lunch recess." - CP

"In the gym you made comics or board games." - RG

"The movie was 'Kung Foo Panda'." - AA

"We learned about the shape and it was a circle." - RA

"We learned about mindfulness and we practiced." - OV

Tomorrow is 'Fresh Air Friday'.  If it is warmer than -20 with a windchill we will be going outside!  Please dress warmly!

Grade 1s - Counting Backwards

In mathematics, your child is learning how to count backwards. Many children find counting backwards much more difficult than counting forwards.

Here are some things you can do to help your child learn and practice this skill.

Keep score … backwards!

Count backwards every time you make a catch or hit a ball when you play games such as catch or table tennis. Start at 5, 10, or 20 and play until you reach 0. Did someone drop or miss the ball? Don’t start counting back from the last number—count forwards two numbers first! For example, if someone misses the ball at 11, start counting back again from 13. (Your child knows how to count forwards two numbers, so let him/her do it!)

Count down the time

Next time you use a timer around the house (for example, the microwave), tell your child how you know when the time is almost up. Watch and chant the last 10 or 20 seconds of the countdown together.

Play After or Before

This game can be played individually or as a team. You will need a deck of cards. Start by removing all the face cards (King, Queen, Jack) from the deck.

Goal:  To place all 40 cards into one of five piles.

To play:

1. Put the deck face down and place the top five cards face up on the table. These cards start the five piles.
2. Turn over the next card. What number is it? If it is the number after or the number before the top card in any pile, add it to that pile. Otherwise, put it in a discard pile.
3. Keep turning cards over and putting them in the appropriate piles until the deck runs out. Then repeat with the cards in the discard pile (and start a new discard pile).
4. Keep playing with the cards in the discard pile. Eventually, you will have placed all the cards into one of the five piles or you will have some cards left over. The goal is to finish with as few cards as possible.

Wait or go?

Some pedestrian traffic signals include a countdown. If you see such a signal, point out to your child when the countdown starts. Have your child watch the countdown and count backwards with it. Discuss how the countdown helps pedestrians cross the street safely. How do the lights change when the number reaches zero? How does knowing that nine is far from zero but two is close to zero help you decide if you have enough time to cross the street or if you should wait?

November 27, 2019

Today we . . .

"We were trying to make containers that would hold water.  We used tin foil, popsicle sticks, wax paper, tape, pipe cleaners, mesh, and clay." - AA

"We did centers for inside recess." - AC

"Today is Sasha's birthday!" - AK

"We learned that rectangles have long and short sides" - AA

"We also learned about triangles and squares." - AZ

"We learned about rectangles." - UT

Student Council Drop In Center Collections

Hello Families!

Just a reminder that the student council is collecting items for the Drop In Center - please see below for what they are hoping to get:

Items to donate:

• Travel size band aids, Tylenol or Advil
• Cough drops
• New mitts, gloves or socks
• Tooth brushes  
• Dental floss
• Tooth paste
• Razors
• Deodorant
• Small tissue packs  
• Small shaving cream
• $2.00-5.00 gift cards for McDonalds or Tim Hortons

November 26

Yesterday students worked on creating a piece of art using oil pastel and watercolors.  These will be on display at our winter celebration of learning.

In math, grade 1 students worked on developing an understanding that adding 'one more' means that you can use what you already know about a set of objects and go up by one number.

Grade 2 students worked on understanding vertices and sides in shapes.


Today in math all students worked on developing an understanding of what attributes define a square.


We also had a design challenge where students were asked to consolidate all that they have learned about liquids and design a cup or container that will hold a liquid.

November 20, 2019

This week we . . .

"We did an experiment with water.  We had things that were made out of paper.  We made a prediction and then next we used eye droppers dipped in water and we did a test to see if the paper absorbed the water." - RG

"Some of the materials we used for the science experiment were coffee filters, cardboard, wrapping paper, napkins, paper plate, wax paper, tin foil, and paper towel." - SW

"Me and K.N. at recess built this cool house with snow." - WB

"In math (the grade 2s and a couple grade 1s) have been doing geometry.  We were working on sorting shapes.  We we were sorting them by curved and straight lines." - KR

"We talked about responsibilities like cleaning up, doing your work, going to school, and walk the dog."  - NS

"A responsibility is a job you do."  - MW

Over the last few weeks, students have been working on firming up their benchmarks of 5 and 10 in math (1+4 =5, 2+3=5, 5+0=5 . . . and 1+9=10, 2+8=10, et.).  Developing an understanding of these number relationships are very important as kids start to compute with numbers and develop efficient strategies.  This skill can be easily supported at home in your everyday activities.  Next time your shopping, ask questions like, "I have seven oranges, how many more do I need to get to ten?".

Grade 1 students have also been working on counting forwards and backwards within 20.  Counting backwards is a critical skill that children often find difficult.

Grade 2 students have been working on ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, etc.) and counting on when solving addition equations within 20.

In writing we have been working on developing a concept setting.  The place and/or time when a story takes place.  Students have been asked to imagine themselves in their stories as they build it.  What can they see (colors, animals, plants, objects, etc.)?  What can they hear?  What strikes you as unusual about this place?  We will be using our visualizations to help us add juicier, more descriptive explanations of setting in our writing.  

In addition to developing our recognition of RED words (words that can't be sounded out) we have also been working on retelling stories by talking about the beginning, middle, and end.