Two short weeks and a field trip made for a lot of curriculum crammed into 8 days!
Spelling: Your child is coming home with new spelling words today. We will have only 2 more spelling lessons and then be done for the year.
Math: Students have learned 2 ways to multiply multi-digit numbers (the area model and the "stack" model). Some students were introduced to 2-digit by 2-digit multiplying today. Continue practicing those basic multiplication facts at home!
Olympics: Wow! Did we ever enjoy watching the Olympics this month. We were able to watch speed skating, ski jump, and lots of hockey. We also caught the Opening Ceremonies. Students are excited for the Paralympics which start on March 6. The students have been hard at work researching their Canadian Olympic Athlete and will present their slideshow to the class next week.
Science: We have wrapped up biomes for now and your child's diorama and research booklet will be coming home by the end of the week. We moved on to sensing and responding (how organisms interact with their environment) and right before spring break we will talk about the moon/tides. This will prepare us for a fun field trip we have coming up in April!
Gym: PISE has still been with our class once a week teaching us fun games. On the other gym days we enjoy Buddy Gym with Mrs. Shaw's class where we play 4-corner soccer, 4-corner handball, and different dodgeball/strategy games. Thank you for reminding your child to wear proper gym shoes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
Updates: We are excited that our custodian extraordinaire is back part time at the school. We appreciate Mr. Clint so much :) Please continue to remind your child to bring a pair of inside shoes if they are wearing rainboots/winter boots to school. As you know, Mrs. Ko is currently on a leave. We are lucky to have Mrs. O'Leary ( an experienced principal) working with us in the meantime. Mrs. O'Leary came and introduced herself to Division 12 yesterday.
Learning Updates/Report Cards: These will be accessible to you on the week before spring break. If you are still having trouble viewing your child's report, please reach out.
We had an exciting week this week! Yesterday we enjoyed a presentation from the Maple Man. Our French teacher, Mme. Lisik, organized this for the whole school. We learned about maple syrup and got to try some as well. We also celebrated Valentine's Day yesterday and students enjoyed passing out their Valentines.
Here's what's been going on in Division 12:
Spelling: We are taking a 2 week break some spelling. New words will go home on Tuesday, February 24. With the 2 short weeks and our swimming field trip on Tuesday, there isn't quite enough time to get through the work.
Olympics: Students have been really enjoying watching the Winter Olympics every day. I try to have a live sport on in the background while we work, in the morning when the students come in, and during lunch. We watched the Opening Ceremonies on the 6th and this week watched women's ice hockey, men's ice hockey and ski jumping. This week, students chose a Canadian Olympic athlete to research. They will be createing a Google Slides presentation next week and will present it to the class.
Math: We have been working very hard on our basic multliplication facts. This week we began 2 digit by 1 digit multliplication. I will be teaching the students 2 different ways to do this (and it may be different than how you learned it - bare with me!). My goal is to show them different strategies with the hope that they find one that works for them.
Science: We are wrapping up our biome projects. Students have worked SO hard on their biome dioramas and their research books. We look forward to showing them off to you during our Open House on Wednesday, February 25th between 2pm and 6pm.
It's hard to believe we only have 4 more weeks until Spring Break!
Welcome February!
Science: Students have been hard at work creating their biome diorama. We have painted the backgrounds and will begin putting things together this week. We are excited to share these with you at our Student-Led Conferences on Wednesday, February 25th. We have also been working hard on our big research project. Students have been learning about the climate, location, and plants and animals in their biome. They have also researched an animal and the adaptations it has to live in its environment.
Math: This week we started multiplying by multiples of 10 (x10, x100, x1000). This will lead us into mutliplying 2-digit by 1-digit numbers (and grade 5s will begin 2-digit by 2-digit next week). Any practice you can do at home with your child around basic multiplication facts is helpful.
Novel Study: We are about a third of the way through A Wolf Called Wander. This links nicely with our science unit. Students have enjoyed learning about Swift - a wolf who suddenly finds himself alone and without his pack. What the students don't know is that this is actually losely based on a true story! We'll get to that soon:)
Gym: This term, we have been lucky to have instructors from PISE join us once a week to teach us about physical literacy. It's been fun learning new games. This week we will get a chance to learn about curling from a company called Rocks and Rings! The Olympics start this Friday so this fun experience is coming at the perfect time!
Spelling: Please remember to check your child's backpack on Tuesdays for their spelling sheet. Spelling tests are always on Mondays. Spelling will stop right before Spring Break.
That's all for now! Reach out if you have any questions. I look forward to seeing you at our Student Led Conferences on the 25th.
We have been busy these past 2 weeks. Term 2 is a short term and there is a lot of learning going on.
Please note, that I may be sending work home with your child if they have missed multiple days of school. Depending on the timing and the lesson, it can be difficult to get students caught up on missed work.
Science: Students have chosen their biome to study. We have started making our research booklets and today students read through text to pick out important facts. We will begin making our biome dioramas later next week. Thank you to those who have sent in a shoe box for this final project. Please chat with your child about the biome they chose and begin brainstorming some materials they may need. These should be things they already have at home - do they need a toilet paper tube to make a tree? The bottoms of an egg carton to paint and use as hills/mountains? I have art materials at school for students to use as well. Please do not go out and buy things! Think about what you may have around the house that could be useful:)
Spelling: We had our second spelling test of term 2 today. Spelling will continue until the first week of March. After that there will be many other things we need to finish up for term 3 for reading/writing.
Math: Today your child is bringing home a multiplication "fortune teller" to help them practice their 3 and 4 times tables. Any practice at home is very helpful!
The Olympics: We have learned about the bobsleigh, curling, and freestyle skiing so far. It has been fun to learn these new sports and to watch some videos of professionals. In February your child will choose a Canadian athlete competing at the 2026 Winter Games and create a small presentation for the class.
Report Cards/Learning Updates: I noticed that only 50% of division 12 families have seen the term 1 report cards. If you are needing support to read these online (I get it! It's new and confusing) please reach out to me. It takes a lot of time and effort to write individualized, thoughtful comments for your child so it's important to me that you are able to read about your child's progress and know where they are at academically.
Happy New Year! It was so wonderful to see all the students back in the building this week. We had a full week of learning and I'm looking forward to a fun term 2 together!
Here's some updates for you:
Math: We will be focusing heavily on multiplication this term. We will begin with basic facts (1 digit by 1 digit) and eventually move on to multi digit multiplication. The grade 5s will also learn 2 digit by 2 digit. If we have time before Spring Break, we will loo at division, otherwise we'll save it for April.
Spelling: Spelling has started up again this week. Our first test of the new year will be on Monday, January 12.
Science: This term we are focusing on science. We have started learning about biomes and next week students will begin a research project on one of the biomes of their choice. Ask your child if they have an idea of what biome they're going to study (savanna, desert, aquatic, rainforest etc).
Reading/Writing: We will be doing a lot of reading this term about the upcoming Winter Olympics. We will learn about some of the winter sports as well.
Gym: Our basketball team starts up next week, so this week we introduced some basketball skills during gym class. We learned some passes and proper shooting techniques.
It's a short, but busy term! I'm excited for all the fun learning that will take place.