December Raffle!

I almost forgot to add this....the December raffle will be for two tickets to the January 18th Ice Dogs game.  Tickets are $1.00 each and will be sold up until the last Friday before the holiday break (December 21st).  Try your luck!

December....Already?!

 

It is hard to believe that we are already into the month of December.  Movember was a huge success here at Power Glen and we were able to donate a large sum of money from our school to the Rankin Cancer Run.  Way to go Panthers!

With December comes the spirit of giving.  Our school is fortunate to be involved in a project called Adopt A Family, which allows us to help people who may not be as fortunate.  We are participating in the "Twelve Days of Giving".  As soon as I have more information, I will let you know the details about our family.  Until then, please feel free to send in non perishable food items for Community Care.

Along with everything else that is going on at school, we have also been hard at work in our class. Last week we completed a procedural writing activity on How to Blow a Bubble. Have a look at the great pictures!

 

 

 

 

And to start this week off on a  fun note, we tried our hand at writing instructions for eating a pudding cup without a spoon!

Please remember to have your child work on their Bitstrips and Reflex Math each week! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social Studies Project

Just a quick note to let you know that I have posted the Social Studies project in the "Notes Home" folder on our class website.

Bitstrips and Reflex Math

Just a quick reminder that each week students do have a Bitstrip comic to complete and should be on the Reflex Math site at least one time at home.  In reviewing the data today, several students have not completed their Bitstrip from last week.  I am also seeing many students who are averaging less than 3 sessions a week on the math site.  If the site is not used three or more times per week, we will really not see the results and growth in fluency that we are hoping for.
If you have any questions about the programs, please email me.  I am also happy to show you how the programs both work if you want to come in for a few minutes before or after school one day.

Junglesport Fun!!

I am sure that the parents have heard lots of wonderful things about our experiences in Junglesport last week! Everyone had a lot of fun and tried new things! Have a look at some of our pictures!

Let's Fundraise!

Hello Parents! 

Mrs. Ethier and I have come up with a new, inexpensive idea to help raise some funds for our Medieval Times trip at the end of the year.  On the last Friday of every month we will be having a raffle for a kid friendly item!  Tickets will only be $1.00 each and the raffle will be open to the two grade 4 classes only.  This month the students can win a free movie pass!  Please send the ticket money along with your child any time during the month.  We will put all tickets into the raffle jar and eagerly anticipate the last Friday of the month!

If any parents have an idea for the raffle, or work in a place that may be willing to donate an item one month, we would appreciate hearing from you!  Email me any time!

Remember to check back to see what next month's raffle prize will be!!

Headphones

It would be very helpful if students could please bring in their own set of headphones (or ear buds) to use on the computers.  We have limited headphones at school and they are not always in the greatest condition from being shared around from class to class.  It is also a little more sanitary to have your own!  Sending them in a Ziploc bag with your child's  name on the bag will help to keep them sorted!  Thanks!

Interviews

I wanted to take a minute to thank all of the parents who have come in for an interview.  It was a pleasure to meet some of you for the first time, and to see many familiar faces.  If you have any further questions or concerns, please email me at any time and we can set up a time to meet if needed.

Stay tuned for some Junglesport pictures later this week!  Students have had a fantastic time trying all of the new challenges in the gym!!

November ~ Movember

Welcome to November, or Movember as we like to call it! The Movember activities are underway and we will be sure to see lots of new facial hair on our male staff this month! A newsletter came home today with the Movember events and spirit days all listed.

Reflex Math! Hooray! I was very fortunate to apply for (and get!) a grant for the Reflex Math program. This is a program aimed at increasing fluency of basic math facts. The entire class has been signed up, and so far everyone seems to really enjoy it! The goal is to get on to the program a minimum of 3 times per week. Each visit to the site should last approximately 15 minutes for optimal results. I am aiming to get each student on twice per week at school, and would appreciate your support for at least one more session per week. More is okay(even great), less is not.

Bitstrips continues......we will continue to use the Bitstrips program for a number of activities. Each weekend I add a new activity for the students to complete. Although the students are having fun, they are also consolidating some of the skills that we work on at school. For example, last week students were able to demonstrate their understanding of our October character traits. The requirements for each activity will be a little different and will help to reinforce different skills. Helping your child find a quiet time and place to work will help them to be successful. I leave each activity open for one full week (weekend to weekend) to provide lots of opportunities for the students to complete the task. After the week, I close the activity to the students and mark it as incomplete.

Halloween fun!

The rain and gloomy days this week could not stop our Halloween fun! 

 

And of course, I have to add one of my little "trick or treater" (in purple) with her best bud....

 

 

October News

The time is going by so quickly in the classroom.  We are so busy working that the day is over before we know it!

This week we have been working on writing short stories.  Mrs. Ethier's class and our class have had fun creating a short story from the beginning sentence they were given.  We are introducing the idea of using quotations in our writing.  We are still at the editing stage and hope to have these up on a bulletin board soon!

In math, we are beginning a unit on geometry.  Tests will be handed back in the next day or two.  I am sorry for the delay, but I have had a hectic week with moving my mom.  She was in a house for 28 years ~ boy, can you ever accumulate a lot of "stuff". 

Progress reports and parent interviews are just around the corner.  Please take a moment to let me know when you are available if you have not already sent the form in.  I look forward to meeting with parents and discussing your child's progress.

Buckets, Bitstrips and Frisbees

We had a busy week at school this week. We read a story about being a "bucket filler" and not a "bucket dipper". It was a great activity - be sure to ask your child(ren) about it! Below is a picture of our wonderful buckets!

 

 

Bitstrips seems to be a big hit in the class!  Most students have logged in and completed the "Introduce Yourself" activity.  If you need instructions, please see Blog post #2 for how to access bitstrips.  A new assignments awaits you.....

Last week we were also very fortunate to have a special guest come to Power Glen and teach our class how to play Ultimate (also known as Ultimate Frisbee).  It is a fast moving, fun game.  We are all learning to play, throw and catch together.  I planned to add some great pictures, however, everyone was moving so quickly that they came out in a blur.  I have one that turned out only...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

St John's Outdoor Education Centre

At the end of September the grade 4 classes had a wonderful day at the Outdoor Education Centre.  We had the chance to put our mapping skills to use when we went searching the property with our maps in hand to find hidden symbols.  Later in the day we went on a nice hike through the Shorthills.  Mrs. Stewart, our guide, had a "nature bag" full of all kinds of interesting things!  Be sure to ask your child about it!  Below are some pictures of our adventures!

On our way to look for the hiddden treasures!

 

Happy to be out in nature!

"I think we should go this way!"

Maybe we should stop working and pose for a picture?

Teamwork!

                                                         Listening for instructions.

Still listening.....

                                                            Is it a frog or a toad??
                                                                   

                                                                 Off on our hike!                                                  

Our little salamander friend.

Bitstrips for 4K

We are now signed up for Bitstrips!  Take a few minutes to go into the site and create your own Avatar!  Hope to see you there!

Bitstrips for Schools Student Login Instructions

Step 1

Go to http://www.bitstripsforschools.com/login/

Step 2

Under Student Login on the left, enter the following classroom code: 4Ker and click on the Go button

Step 3

Select your name from the name box. If this is the first time you are logging in, create your password and click Set Password.
If you have logged in before, enter the password you made on your first login and click Login

Welcome!

I am starting a blog for parents and students to see what is happening in our classroom.  Come back and check often!