Staring Down November...

Hi all!

Just a quick update from the classroom! Time is marching on as we are staring down November already! It has been an emotional month here at Linden Meadows, but we have perservered and are excited about our learning projects. There is much to discuss and to do! In a quick snapshot:

1. Thanksgiving

I hope you and your family enjoyed a wonderful day celebrating each other and all the wonderful blessings you have in your lives. I was extremely grateful this year for family and friends - especially for my two-year old daughter Lauren who continues to bring smiles and joy into our lives each day. Hopefully the students won't be too full of turkey to get their 'learn on' this week!

2. Tri-Conferences

Our first round of Tri-Conferences take place this Thursday evening (17th) and all day Friday (18th). Please make sure you have secured a Tri-Conference appointment time. If you need any assistance, please call the front office as they will be glad to help you out!

3. S.A.G.E

Each year, teaching professionals gather for a day of development and learning in special area groups across the province. This year, our S.A.G.E conferences will be held on Friday, Oct. 25th. This means there will be no classes on this day.

4. Halloween

As Halloween lands on a Thursday this year, we will be having a small Halloween celebration on that day. Students are encouraged to dress-up for the afternoon if they choose, but please be reminded of our costume policy. Further information on the party (and policy) will soon be forwarded home via student agendas.

5. Remembrance Day

This year's open assembly will take place on Thursday, Nov. 7th at 11a.m. Parents and members of the community are always welcome to join us as we remember those who gave their lives so we could have ours.



Interesting bits from the classroom...

ELA: After much ground work on content, design and expectations, students have formally begun their first digital blog post. Students have been provided their own blog space and are learning how to comment, reflect and provide positive feedback within a digital medium. While our 'blogs' can only be viewed/accessed by our class at this point, we hope to open up our digital work and share (and have parents comment/share) in the near future!

So far, the kids seems quite invested in the process and are excited to write! As well, our home reading program ("Read Around the World") appears to be off to a great start! Thank-you to parents for supporting this valuable home reading program and reading with your kids each week.

MATH: Students in 5A have been involved in a variety of math activities this month. Our main unit focus has been on 'Data Management." Students have been 'making sense of data' by constructing a variety of charts and graphs in hope to glean new information, draw conclusions, and make predictions. Students will soon undertake a small graphing assignment independently. Please watch your child's agenda for details.

SCIENCE: Our investigation on nutrients and healthy food choices this year took a new, but very interesting turn. Students have been using the iPads/iMovie app to create a short video on the 7 key nutrients and how they help the body function, including key sources and examples for each. Our initial research in this project laid the foundation for this media project which I feel (despite a few hic-coughs) went very well!

SOCIAL STUDIES: Although not as exciting as using iPads, students have been learning how to read a reference text. This requires a much different set of skills than reading fiction texts! This is often a very challenging task for middle-years students. Despite the urge to "...just Google it", I am hopeful that students will begin to feel more comfortable using academically sound/proven texts, search engines and other internet sources when answering 'the big questions'. As we move forward, students will begin to weigh 'theories' vs. 'stories' when learning about the long ago past! A fun unit!

That's it for now! I am looking forward to seeing you all (and answering any of your questions) this Thursday and Friday!


Mr. A