March 2025

March 28th, 2025

I wanted to take a moment to update you on the fantastic work our students have been doing this week. Though I missed being in the classroom with them, I’m so proud of how hard working they’ve been in my absence. Here's a glimpse into what they've been up to:

This week, students continued their novel studies in Language and participated in engaging Book Talks. They’ve been working hard on their reading responses, expanding their vocabulary, and even designed their own book covers! It's been exciting to see them diving deeper into their stories and thinking creatively about how to share their learning. 

In Math, students wrapped up The Party Challenge. They reflected on the costs of throwing a party of this scale and compared it to the average wage for Toronto residents. It was a wonderful exercise in real-world math! Next week, we’ll be diving into multiplication, so students can look forward to some hands-on learning and practice. 

For Social Studies, students learned more about the federal government, discussing how it works and what roles it plays in our daily lives. They also began exploring social issues, with the goal of choosing one to research and create an action plan for change. This is an exciting opportunity for students to think critically and feel empowered to make a difference in their communities.

In Science, students continued their work on the life-sized body systems project. They've been busy creating models of different body systems and learning about the organs associated with each. It’s been incredible to see their teamwork and creativity as they bring the human body to life.

For Physical Education, the students played a fun and competitive game of Bench Ball, which helped them develop teamwork and communication skills, all while staying active.

While I’ve been away, students have continued to engage with activities posted in Google Classroom. Additionally, remember that Additional Practice has been posted weekly to further support the learning happening in the classroom.

I hope to be back at school shortly, but in the meantime, I know our amazing students will continue making great progress. Thank you for your ongoing support, and I look forward to seeing everyone soon.

Please take care!

March 21st, 2025

Welcome back, everyone! I hope you had a restful and enjoyable break. This week, we hit the ground running as we dove into exciting new topics. In class, we explored new novels, learned about Nowruz, and got started planning a party and on our life-sized human body models. It’s been a great week of learning, and I’m so excited to see everyone back and ready to tackle the rest of the term! Here's what we were up to this week:

Language

Book Talks have officially begun! This time, student assignments will be completed virtually and submitted for review every Friday. Each week, students are responsible for reading sections of their novels, analyzing key events and themes, expanding their vocabulary, demonstrating comprehension through writing, and exploring character development. It was a joy to read with each group this week and witness students’ growth in fluency. To keep building on their progress, students are encouraged to read aloud for at least 20 minutes each night and discuss their reading with a family member.

Math

This week, we kicked off our Party Challenge! As part of our unit on Financial Literacy and Mathematical Modelling, students will: plan the seating for a party of 40, create a grocery list for the meal (including drinks and unit rates), budget for decorations, design an invitation using Adobe Express with key elements, and reflect on the cost of living and wages. We’ve made a fantastic start, and the work continues next week!

French 

We are continuing to practice reading strategies for French texts. Students explored short, simple readings focused on meals. As they read, they are encouraged to identify familiar words and look for cognates—words that are similar in both English and French. This helps build confidence and expand their vocabulary.

This week in Manie Musicale (French music madness), we had a blast watching the reveal videos and casting our votes! The competition is heating up as students continue to explore and enjoy different French songs. The fun doesn’t stop here – next week, we’ll keep the momentum going by voting through the brackets to see which song will come out on top. Stay tuned for more musical excitement!

Physical Education

This week in Physical Education, students focused on learning to send and receive a ball using a racket, practicing skills in both pickleball and badminton. They worked on their hand-eye coordination and control while having fun with these racket sports. Additionally, we played rounds of bench ball, a fast-paced game that encouraged teamwork and strategy. Great effort all around, and we’re excited to build on these skills next week!

Science

In Science this week, students began exploring the fascinating world of the human body. They’ve been researching various organs and body systems, learning how each one works together to keep us healthy. To bring their learning to life, students have started creating a life-sized model of the human body on paper, adding details of organs and systems. It’s been a hands-on and engaging way to deepen our understanding of human anatomy, and we’re excited to continue building on these models in the coming weeks!

The Wrap-Up

As we wrap up this week, I’m excited to announce that we will have a recognition assembly next week to celebrate the hard work and achievements of Dublin Heights students. Additionally, all Buddy Bunch designs have been submitted to SAC, showcasing the creativity and effort put into the project. Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend—rest up and come back ready for another great week ahead!

March 7th, 2025

March has arrived, and with it came the excitement of wrapping up tasks and activities before the break. It’s hard to believe how quickly the time has flown! Here's what we were up to this week:

Language

This week in Language, we’ve had a great mix of listening, writing, and we’re getting ready to dive back into our reading adventures with Book Talks.

We continued our journey through The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian, and in Episodes 10 and 11, Finn and his crew faced even more exciting challenges! In Episode 10, they encounter a mysterious alien species that puts their teamwork and quick thinking to the test. In Episode 11, things take an intriguing turn when they meet a mysterious man wearing a spacesuit and helmet that belong to the Marlowe, deepening the mystery even further. While we’ve had a range of reactions to this podcast, we’ve decided to put it on hold for classroom listening for now. However, interested students can tune in here to see what happens next with the mysterious man! Please remember to scroll down to find the next episode. 

The biographies are nearly finished! I know it may feel like I've been saying this for a couple of weeks, but I promise all the hard work is finally coming together. It’s been amazing to watch everyone piece together the fascinating details of their chosen person’s life, and we can’t wait to share these impressive projects with each other soon!

Finally, we’ve been selecting books for our upcoming Book Talks after March Break. After exploring the covers and reading the blurbs, students used a Google Form to choose their first and second book selections. On Monday, March 17th, they’ll receive their assigned books, groups, and tasks, and be all set to dive into their discussions!

Math

This week in Math, we’ve been sharpening our problem-solving skills. Students have been tackling word problems that involve money and tax, helping them apply math to real-life situations. We also explored unit rates and practiced determining the best deal at the grocery store—skills that are useful not only in the classroom but also in everyday life.

We also touched on budgets this week, which will set the stage for our upcoming party planning project after the break. In this project, students will use mathematical modelling to plan out a party within a set budget, making sure to account for costs like food and decorations. It’s going to be a fun and practical way to apply everything we’ve learned thus far!

Social Studies

This week in Social Studies, we’ve been exploring the fascinating world of Canadian government! We kicked things off by reflecting on the recent provincial elections, comparing the results of the Student Vote at Dublin, in Ontario, with the actual election outcomes. Many students pointed out the importance of healthcare, with several mentioning that they felt the promises of the Liberal party focused more heavily on addressing healthcare issues. It sparked some great discussions about how different political parties prioritize various issues!

We explored the different types of government that exist around the world. We compared democracies, like Canada, where citizens have the power to choose their leaders through free elections, with monarchies, dictatorships, and oligarchies. We learned that Canada’s government is a constitutional monarchy, where we have a monarch (currently Queen Elizabeth II), but the real power lies with the elected officials who represent the people.

One of the most important concepts we learned this week was the structure of Canada’s three levels of government: federal, provincial, and municipal. Each level has its own set of responsibilities, and understanding these helps us see how decisions are made on a local, provincial, and national scale.

Federal Government: This is the highest level of government in Canada and is responsible for national and international matters. The Prime Minister leads the federal government, and its responsibilities include things like national defense, immigration, and foreign policy. Federal government decisions impact the entire country.

Provincial Government: Each of Canada’s provinces has its own government that handles matters specific to that region. In Ontario, for example, the Premier leads the provincial government, and its responsibilities include education, healthcare, and transportation. Provincial governments make decisions that directly affect the daily lives of people within that province.

Municipal Government: The municipal government is the local level of government that deals with the needs of specific cities or towns. Led by a mayor and city council, municipal governments are responsible for things like local roads, parks, public transportation, and community services. These decisions directly affect our neighbourhood and community life.

We have a short quiz after the break so hopefully this information will come in handy. For additional practice, students can click on the images below which are 2 activities we worked on this week.

French

We’ve kicked off Manie Musicale – the French version of the classic "March Madness"! Students have been exploring French culture through music, and a little competition. They have completed their brackets, choosing their favourite French songs and artists in different match ups.

The first 5 match ups were officially voted on by the class. Everyone shared their thoughts, comparing songs and artists, with some unexpected upsets and close calls. Voting continues after the break!

Arts

This week in the classroom, students had the exciting opportunity to learn how to draw in the style of author and illustrator Jarrett Lerner! We explored some of his fun drawing activities, where students learned to bring characters and scenes to life using simple shapes and lines, just like Jarrett does in his books. It was a fantastic way to unlock our creativity and practice drawing everything from characters to everyday objects. The class enjoyed discovering how easy it can be to create simple illustrations.

The Wrap-Up

As we head into March Break, there is no school next week. 

On Friday, a flyer went home with a digital copy of our classroom photo. Interested families can use the code to download their own copy and/or order physical copies online. 

The Scholastic Digital Flyer is now available. Physical copies were also sent home on Thursday. Online orders for interested students and families are due on March 28th. Please remember to use RC186231 as the class code. 

As usual, I’ve uploaded Additional Practice in Google Classroom for students who may wish to explore it over the break. There is a Financial Literacy booklet, a text related to our next Science unit - the human body, and more.

I hope that students and families can take some time next week to relax and recharge. I will see you back in class on March 17th. 

Have a wonderful break, everyone!