The weather's beginning to change, and the leaves are turning my favorite shades of red and gold! Please make sure that your child has indoor shoes, as they will be required to take off wet and muddy shoes when they come in from recess. It's hard to believe that a whole month has passed already. Check out the video below for some of our highlights in September:
Please see below for our academic focuses in October:
Writing:
This month, we are spending a great deal of time on writing Realistic Fiction narrative stories. Students will learn how to develop complex, believable characters, with struggles and motivations, and how to build a story around those characters. In the second half of the month, we'll begin working on Opinion/Persuasive writing, with a focus on how to structure this style of writing and the kinds of information that should be included.
Reading:
Students will continue to spend time reading good-fit books. We'll begin looking at a few comprehension strategies as well, including re-telling, summarizing, and inferencing.
Math:
In October students will finish our first topic, Decimals and Place Value, to our first Operations topic, Expressions, Equations, and Order of Operations. We'll have our first couple math assessments, so please look out for information on those, and feel free to check in with your children to see if they are chosing to do the Check Your Understanding pages
Science:
This month we will be working on our first project, our Dr. Plaxton Waste Report as well as going on a couple field trips! For the project, students will be learning about types of waste and methods of waste management/disposal, reflecting on the practices and opportunities our school has, and ultimately giving Dr. Plaxton a grade! Our first field trip is this week, Thursday Oct 3rd, to the Waste and Recycling Center. Our second one will be to Helen Schuler on Oct 22nd, so look out for more information on that soon.
Social:
Near the end of the month we will transition back into social studies, looking at the diverse regions of Alberta and beginning a fun research-based project.
Wellness:
In the physical education portion of our Wellness time, we will continue to utilize shared centers with Mrs. Murray's class, though the content of the centers will shift, allowing us to begin teaching some skills to small groups each day. In class, we will finish up our beginning-of-year Goal Setting, and begin our Kids in the Know health lessons
French:
Students will begin to learn some simple French phrases, focusing on basic communication, including manners and common items and actions.
Art:
In art, students will do a Gratitude-based craft for Thanskgiving, then begin learning about colour-mixing and colour-schemes, culminating in a fun Autumn-influenced project.
Important Notes for the next month:
Sept 30th - NO SCHOOL for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Oct 3rd - Hot Lunch (A&W) order deadline AND Class Field Trip to Lethbridge's Waste and Recycling Center
Oct 9th & 10th - School Picture Days (more info to come shortly)
Oct 14th - NO SCHOOL for Thanksgiving
Oct 21st-24th - Scholastic Book Fair
Oct 23rd - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS (Assessment Day in AM, then Parent Teacher Conferences in PM)
Oct 24th - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS (Parent Teacher Conferences in AM and Professional Learning for staff in PM)
Oct 25th - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS (Professional Learning for Staff)
