Zentangles, Math and Leaves of Belonging

Reminders: I am only missing 2 student's field trip forms. Please send them in ASAP. Please make sure to pay the field trip fees online or send in EXACT cash or a cheque. 

 I am asking parents if you are able to send in one pair of earbuds that can be used to plug into the iPads or computers at our school. Please send in a labelled ziploc with your child's name. This will be their headphone set to use all year when we are doing projects with technology. It helps to focus and when we are recording to not have all the background noise that happens without headphones. Soon we will be recording ourselves reading and the headphones/earbuds make a big difference to how we sound. 


This week we practiced making Zentangles. What are Zentangles? Good Question! 

The Zentangle Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. All you need is paper and some different sized sharpies. 
By Zentangling one can:

• relax
• explore creatively
• focus
• expand imagination
• practice lines, shading and patterns
• HAVE FUN!

Here are just a few examples of Zentangle creations:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8PpYI3cPbE

Taking what we have learned about sketching and shading techniques really helped us to come up with a structured pattern. We practiced and then we created a good copy to use as a cover page for our Visual Sketchbooks. 

Leaves of Belonging
Today we celebrated Orange Shirt Day. We created multi-coloured leaves to decorate our hallways explaining what Belonging means to us. As a class we talked about how important our differences are and that we should celebrate our differences instead of all trying to be the same. Ask me what Belonging means to me? 

We also read the sequel to the book Shi-shi-etko. It is called Shin-chi's Canoe

Field Trip Forms and Volunteers

Reminder: If you have not sent back yet your field trip consent forms for our quickly approaching field trip next week to Heritage Park can you please do so ASAP. 

Also currently I have 3 volunteers confirmed but could use one more. If you are interested and have a valid CBE security clearance please email me at imlagrana@cbe.ab.ca

Volunteering in the Classroom

I am looking for a parent to come in for a few hours one morning mainly to put up bulletin board strings and start prepping the student scrapbooks. If you are able to give me a few hours tomorrow, Friday or early next week please email me. 

Reading to Someone, Stretching out a Sentence, Math and Orange Shirt Day!

Reminder: Please bring back field trip forms for our upcoming Heritage Park Field Trip. If you would like to volunteer for the trip and have a valid CBE security clearance please email me at imlagrana@cbe.ab.ca


Literacy
Today we switched from practicing Reading to Self to Reading to Someone. We made a class chart of expectations for when we are doing this special job. It is fun to read with someone but also harder to stay on track and not get distracted. I have to look for good partners and people to read with who help me read better! 

When I read to Someone I need to sit in the EEKK position:

This helps us both to see and to be able to share our books. Today we practiced for 5 minutes. Tomorrow we will practice for 8. Ask me how I feel that I did?

We are practicing the Accuracy Strategy of Blending Sounds and Stretching out the Sounds to make sure we can hear all the sounds in order to be more successful in sounding out tricky words. You can practice this strategy at home when you read too:

Math

In math we have been looking at ten frames and looking for groups of 5 or 10 within them. Yesterday we looked at some different ten frames and had to see what number we saw using a 5 or a 10 to help us:

 5: a ten-frame with 5 dots

 10: a ten-frame with 10 dots

 9: a ten-frame with 9 dots

 11: a ten-frame with 10 dots and a ten-frame with 1 dot

6: a ten-frame with 6 dots (5 + 1)

Here is a link to practice becoming familiar with using ten-frames:

https://www.nctm.org/Classroom-Resources/Illuminations/Interactives/Ten-Frame/

Writing

In writing we have been looking at the conventions of a simple sentence and writing our own.

 We looked at how we can stretch out our sentences by adding the who, what, when, where and why. 

We also looked at Star Sentence Sam as a reminder to use appropriate capital letters, punctuation, and finger spaces so that others can understand what we are writing. 

We will be practicing this all next week and we will be looking at expanding our sentences and adding more descriptive detail. 

Orange Shirt Day

Royal Oak Students are invited to wear an orange shirt on Friday, September 28th in recognition of Orange Shirt Day.  

“Orange Shirt Day is also an opportunity for First Nations,local governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come.”

Orange Shirt Day Website

To learn more about why we are wearing an orange shirt, we have provided a link that explains Phyllis’ story below:

Phyllis’ Story

We also read the story Shi-shi-etko by Nicola I. Campbell.

Shi-shi-etko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha6vMDGmzYo

We also read Stolen Words by Melanie Florence. We have been discussing all week what happened in the past with Residential Schools in Canada. Orange Shirt Day is about Reconciliation and Belonging. We will be creating leaves to display all around the school showing how we can show belonging and what belonging means to us. 

Scientific Method, Beakerhead Assembly and The Scientific Method

Reminder: There is NO SCHOOL tomorrow due to Student-Centered Conferences. 


Terry Fox Run UPDATE:

Congratulations to Royal Oak students on a successful Terry Fox run! As a school we raised $729 and ran 1029 kms!!! We would also like to send out a MASSIVE THANK YOU to Royal Oak Sobeys for their generous donation of bananas. Our students were able to enjoy a healthy snack after their run.

You can also add a link to my PE blog if you would like. There are a few pictures of the run. Thanks!

https://hennickpe.blogspot.com/

LITERACY

Comprehension Strategies 

After reviewing many of the familiar sounding out strategies we have been looking at the importance of having comprehension strategies

This is just as important as sounding out the words because if I can't understand, talk about, or answer questions about my reading I am not really reading. 

Today we practiced 2 comprehension strategies that can help us to make sure we understand and are remembering what we have read:

We practiced our reading stamina today by reading to self for 18 minutes! Tomorrow we will practice for 20 minutes and use our Check for Understanding Bookmarks to help us practice this comprehension strategy. You can also practice this at home with your child when you are reading.

The Scientific Method

Today we started learning about the scientific method. We watched a video and made a mind map in our visual sketchbooks in order to help us remember the different parts of the Scientific Method.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sKX20WhKS4

We will be practicing using the scientific method next week as we begin to investigate and participate in scientific questioning. 

Beakerhead

Today we were so lucky to have an assembly at our school offered to us by Beakerhead. We got to learn about force, optical illusions and the science of juggling!

Beakerhead starts in Calgary today and runs until September 23rd. It is a spectacular display of science, technology, art and engineering. All around the city you can view amazing installations and interactive hands on displays. 

To learn more about it and about events around the city please visit:

https://beakerhead.com/attend/how-to-beakerhead

Our class will be participating in the Beakerhead School Ingenuity Program in November and we can't wait to put our Science, Technology, Engineering and Art hats on and build some creations!!

Ingenuity Challenge

Receiving a secret package in the mail with a classroom challenge is a great way to get students thinking as a team! The materials and theme remain a secret until the package arrives. This design thinking challenge will have your students engaged and collaborating with their peers. You will receive the packages mid-November to start your challenge!

Masloppy Math, Artifact Sharing and Safety Week!

Reminder

Student Centered Conferences

On Thursday, September 20^th and Friday, September 21^st we will have our first Student Centered Conferences. A reminder to parents that:

·      Thursday, September 20^th is a regular school day for Grades 1 – 3.  9:10am entry, 3:50pm dismissal.

·      There will be no school for Kindergarten students only on Thursday, September 20^th.

·      There will be no school for Kindergarten – Grade 3 on Friday, September 21^st. 

Additionally, the School Conference booking system will close TONIGHT, Tuesday, September 18^th at 11:59pm.

The following instructions will help you find the My CBE/PowerSchool Parent Account link to book conferences:

Booking School Conferences

• On the Calgary Board of Education website, scroll to the middle of the page
• Click on “My CBE/PowerSchool Parent Account” link
• Sign into your PowerSchool Parent Account
• Click on myCBE Apps (left hand side of screen)
• Click on my School Conferences (right hand side of screen)
• Select the conference day/time and submit to book your child’s conference

***NOTE: You will receive an email confirmation only if your booking was successful***

If you have not created a "My CBE/PowerSchool Account", the instructions to do so can be found here Create MyCBE/PowerSchool Parent Account

MATH
Yesterday we read a book called The Masloppy Family:

We then had to try to take inventory of some of the materials in our classroom. We had to think of different ways that we could organize the materials in order to figure out a total. Ask me how I organized my materials?

Today we continued working with organizing but looked at ways we could do so more efficiently. We used ziploc bads, elastic bands and sticky notes to help us organize our materials in order to count them more efficiently and accurately. 



Some people organized by 1's

Some people organized by colour or size

Some people organized by 2's

Some groups organized by groups of 5's, 10's, 14's, or even 20's...

Tomorrow we will share our methods in partners and with the class and then be challenged to see if our way of organizing made counting a total easier and more efficient or not? 

Efficiency=the quickest way to do something without wasting time or energy. 


Artifact Sharing-Thinking Like a Historian


Yesterday 3 people shared their Artifacts. They had to share the story of their artifact. We will be taking pictures of each of these artifacts and sharing them on our Canada and World map. If you know where your artifact originates from please share that information in your explanation so we can add you to our maps.We will have time everyday this week and some of next week to ensure all students get a chance to share their artifact and practice some public speaking. 


Safety Week! 

Yesterday we had our first Fire Drill of the year. We managed to exit the building as a whole school in 94 seconds. We practiced being Silent, Safe and Secure. Ask me how I think that I did during this drill?

Today we practiced a Lockdown. We sat quietly in our lockdown area and waited for Constable Will and Ms. Sparks to come around and tell us how we did! Ask me how we did and what I personally am going to work on improving for our next Lockdown practice?

Tomorrow is our Practice Evacuation to PRATT. We will walk as a school to practice being safe in the event of a real evacuation. 

Terry Fox Run and Reading Programs!

The Terry Fox Run was amazing. Our class ran 84 laps! Ms. Hennick will let us know on Monday our grand total for the school for laps and money raised. 

Hello teachers – please add the following message onto your blogs today, or early next week:

We are a  Calgary Reads School and we are looking for VOLUNTEERS!

Calgary Reads offers several school-based reading and tutoring programs for young children. And we need your help. Each program relies on volunteers to make them successful. Visit www.CalgaryReads.com for more information about how to get involved.