February 2025

February 28th, 2025

As we wrap up the final week of February, it's clear that our students have been working hard and staying focused! With March break just a week away, everyone is pushing through to finish the month strong. It's been a busy and productive time, and the hard work is paying off. Here's what we have been up to:

Language

The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian is heating up! This week, the Explorers Troop ventured to a new planet. Before they set off to explore, Finn’s mother assured him that Planet Saphrite was safe and free from alien activity. However, the explorers soon discovered that Planet Saphrite was far from ordinary—it was one giant alien! To their shock, they learned that Olivia's and Alivia's parents were trapped inside the alien's belly. As Voltronix Zu begins to awaken the planet, things quickly take a terrifying turn for the Explorers Troop.

In class, students were tasked with justifying whether Finn should have told his mother about the twins before embarking on this risky adventure. 

Next week, we hope to wrap up the podcast before March Break. After the break, we’ll kick off Book Talks again—voting for the next books is happening next week! 

Students have also been diligently working on completing their biographies, and their dedication is truly impressive! They’ve spent time researching, organizing their ideas, and crafting detailed narratives about a person of their choice. It’s been a great opportunity for them to practice their writing skills while learning about the impact of these people. I’ve seen some thoughtful and creative work come together, and the students are excited to share their finished pieces soon. 

Math

This week, our students kicked off their financial literacy unit in math, diving into some important real-world concepts. They’ve learned how to calculate taxes, distinguishing between items taxed at 13% versus those taxed at 5%. We also spent time discussing how to create a budget for a charity, considering how best to allocate funds for purchasing items. To wrap up the week, students applied their knowledge by solving problems involving money. Next week, we’ll be exploring topics like credit, debt, transfers, unit rates, and further developing their budgeting skills. It’s been a great start so far!

Social Studies

In Social Studies this week, students began learning about government and the election process. They explored the provincial election and participated in Student Vote, giving them a hands-on experience of the voting process. Click here to find the results of the Student Vote at Dublin Heights. Next week, we will compare these results with those of the provincial election that took place yesterday. It’s been an engaging way for students to understand the importance of elections and how they impact our community.

French

In French, students dove into new reading strategies to boost their vocabulary and comprehension. We focused on effective ways to recognize new words, decode meanings through context, and build stronger language skills. To make learning even more engaging, our class is working on various online activities that make vocabulary-building fun and interactive!

These online exercises offer a variety of games and challenges, helping students practice word recognition, spelling, and understanding the meanings of French words in different contexts. Whether it's matching words to images or filling in blanks in sentences, students are getting hands-on experience that makes language learning exciting.

Physical Education

We were lucky to hit the gym again this week, and it was full of energy as students played several rounds of soccer! This time, we mixed things up by adding a second soccer ball into the game. With two balls in play, everyone had to be fully engaged, paying close attention to both defense and offense. It was a great opportunity for students to sharpen their teamwork and communication skills, as they had to stay focused and alert on both ends of the field. The extra challenge made the game even more exciting and helped everyone get involved! It’s always great to see the students working together and having fun while staying active. Can’t wait to keep up the momentum next week!

The Arts

We kicked off our dance unit with a focus on creativity and expression! Students explored how dance can be used to respond to visual art and texts, bringing their ideas to life through movement. The students dove into the five key elements of dance: body, space, time, energy, and relationship. By experimenting with these elements, students began to understand how movement can convey emotions and ideas, just like art and words. During this unit, I hope to see everyone step out of their comfort zones, using dance as a unique way to express themselves and connect with different forms of art. I can’t wait to see how their skills continue to grow throughout this unit!

The Wrap-Up

What an eventful week we’ve had! We started off by participating in Pink Shirt Day, a day dedicated to spreading kindness and standing up against bullying. It was amazing to see the students show their support by wearing pink and discussing ways to create a more inclusive and respectful school environment. In addition, students had the opportunity to work on designing Buddy Benches for Dublin SAC's Contest. They’ve come up with some creative and thoughtful designs that promote friendship and kindness, providing a welcoming place for students who may need someone to talk to or a friend to play with.

We also had the privilege of having a special presentation from Ms. Adam about Ramadan, where students learned about the significance of this month and the customs associated with it. It was a wonderful opportunity to deepen our understanding of different cultures and traditions.

It’s been a week filled with learning, kindness, and creativity. I'm looking forward to another great week ahead! Have a great weekend.

February 21st, 2025

As winter weather blanketed the playground with snow, our students stayed cozy and focused indoors, making the most of their time in the classroom. From engaging lessons to exciting activities, here's a look at what we were up to this week:

Language

In Language, we tuned in to another exciting episode of The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian. This time, the students discovered the name of the robot Finn thought he'd receive for his birthday: Voltronix Zu. Unfortunately, Voltronix is far from kind to Foggy, leaving us relieved that Finn ultimately got a robot who knows how to treat others with kindness. In this episode, we also learned a surprising twist—Olivia and Alivia are aliens, revealed when members of Explore Troop 301 use an alien detection device created by Elias' mom!

We're now transitioning to the final drafts of our biography projects! The students have put in a lot of effort researching a person of their choice, writing short paragraphs about key moments in their lives, and even creating a storyboard of significant events as if their subject's life were turned into a movie. I was so impressed with the rough drafts and am really looking forward to seeing the finished versions!

Math

This week, we focused on nets of 3D shapes and drawing views (Orthographic Projections). After discovering that nets are simply unfolded or flattened 3D shapes, we learned that there are 11 different nets for a cube and had fun hunting them down! We used an online activity to explore this concept before moving on to orthographic projections. Using linking cubes, students drew the front, top, left, and right views of the shapes they created. We also tried an online activity, which was added to this week's additional practice. Next week, we’ll be diving into a new unit on Financial Literacy!

Science

We’re making great progress on our infographics about the life cycle of various products! Students have selected their products and started their research, with some already beginning to create rough drafts of their infographics. Stay tuned to see the fascinating processes behind the manufacturing of some popular household items!

Physical Education

Fortunately, we had access to the gym on Friday and enjoyed some exciting soccer games. The action was fast-paced, and the students were full of energy. Next week will be our final week of soccer!

The Arts

Our Kandinsky-inspired artwork is up, and I couldn't be more proud of how the students applied their understanding of the elements of art and geometric concepts from our Math unit. Be sure to check out their amazing creations below!

February 12th, 2025

It’s been a short week with the PA Day and a surprise snow day, but don’t worry—we kept ourselves busy in 5A! Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to.

Language

The podcast is heating up as Explorer Troop 301 is on the run are on the run and it isn't until they're in a secret underground lair with a very important stone that they're able to see a way out of the mess. Luckily, Abigail had a trick up her sleeve. Next week we'll find the crew back on the Marlowe and exploring their own home as they would another planet and they just might be surprised at what they discover. Along the way, we've been visualizing, drawing, discussing and answering questions.

Students have selected the individuals for their biographies, and research is already underway. This week, we focused on the importance of citing sources and putting our learning into our own words. Some students are making great progress and may begin drafting their final copies next week.  

Math

This week, we dove into polygons, sorting them by their properties and learning how to name them based on the number of sides. We also discovered that polygons have the same number of sides as vertices! In addition, students had the chance to explore tangrams, and it was impressive to see how many excelled at solving them. I often find it tricky to figure out where the pieces go, so it was great to get some help from the class! Next week, we’ll be learning how to draw views of 3D shapes, and we’ll also create 3D nets both online and with paper.

Science

We continued exploring the manufacturing process of various products this week, and students began selecting the product they’d like to create an infographic about, focusing on its life cycle. Next week, we’ll start the planning phase, and students will be reminded of the key components that make an infographic informative and engaging for readers.

Physical Education

In Physical Education this week, students had a great time playing soccer while focusing on improving their passing, foot handling skills, and defending the net as goalies. It was exciting to see their progress as they worked on teamwork and strategy, with each player taking turns to hone their skills both on offence and defence.

The Arts

If you stopped by for an interview, you might have noticed the vibrant Kandinsky-inspired artwork on display. They're almost finished, with some students adding the final touches through painting this week. Those who completed their pieces explored a range of activities on Google Arts & Culture. Next week, we’ll be shifting gears and diving into Dance!

The Wrap-Up

What a week! A big thank you to all families for quickly adjusting to the interview schedule after the snow day. It was wonderful discussing your child’s progress. Just a reminder that extra practice is posted in Google Classroom every Wednesday, and students are encouraged to explore it to support their continued learning. 

Next week is another short week with the Family Day holiday on Monday. I hope you have a fantastic long weekend and I look forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday!

February 7th, 2025

Welcome to February! Here's what we were up to in 5A:

Language

This week, we continued our podcast journey. Students had the chance to follow Finn and his friends from Explorer Troop 301 on their first adventure, where they encountered the Patiens—large, blue monkeys from another planet with eyes on their tails. The students also discovered why the Patiens were "going bananas" upon landing: they were trying to escape the menacing Dwellers. As part of the activity, students were tasked with drawing both creatures and answering questions to assess their understanding. They also had the opportunity to share their predictions about what might happen next in the story. Next week, the journey continues.

We have also continued to explore nonfiction text features. Students took part in scavenger hunts, identifying and analyzing text features in various texts. As part of our exploration, we examined two articles from Kayak Magazine: one focused on Black History Month and the other on Chinese Heritage Month. Next, students will have the opportunity to create their own nonfiction texts when they create biographies.  

Math

In Math, we continued creating triangles with two given side lengths and an interior angle. Students were also challenged to construct various triangles based on specific parameters, such as a right-angled triangle with no equal sides or a triangle with a 40-degree angle and 2 cm side lengths. We also explored the properties of polygons and will delve deeper into this topic next week.

Science

This week, we explored chemical reactions through the lens of how everyday items are manufactured. When asked how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it was interesting to see who thought of the process of harvesting wheat and who thought of bread just being already accessible in the home. 

Students examined the processes many of the items we use daily go through. Next week, we'll continue investigating various products, from plastic containers and cell phones to bread and paper. Students will be tasked with assessing the social and environmental impacts of the processes and materials involved in manufacturing these products, as well as identifying ways to mitigate their negative effects.

Physical Education

This week was all about soccer, with students playing a few team games. The fun continues next week as they work on improving their footwork and ball control.

The Arts

The students are nearly finished with their Kandinsky artwork, and many are already displayed on the board outside our classroom. We can’t wait for you to see them next week!

The Wrap-Up

Important dates:

• Report Cards: Will be sent home on Wednesday, February 12th.

• Caregiver-Teacher Interviews: Thursday evening and Friday morning, February 13th and 14th.

• PA Day: There is no school for students on Friday, February 14th.

If you'd like to schedule an interview, please use the appointment book link to choose either an in-person or phone interview. I look forward to connecting with you! 

Have a wonderful weekend.