Winter has arrived...

Hi all! Just a few items for your consideration!


Winter Wear

Well, we did pretty well, but the snow has finally found its way here (sorry to all those cross-country skiers and snowmobilers out there). As we do each year at this time, we ask parents to PLEASE make sure their children are coming to school prepared for the winter weather. This means proper 'outside' boots, hats, and mittens. For some reason, there are students who think it is 'cool' to try and slip outside at these times only wearing their sneakers and a sweatshirt. Please talk to your child to make sure they are doing their part in getting ready for the cold months ahead.

University of Manitoba - Student Candidates - Teaching Block 1

Ms. Acquisto's first teaching block is off to a great start! She will be with us from Nov. 12th till Dec. 13th. She will be leading the kids in a novel study using literature circles. Ms. Acquisto will also be spear-heading an interesting First Nations group project that focuses on early lifestyles and cultures of our first inhabitants. Good luck Ms. Acquisto!

Winter Concert

This year's winter celebration has been scheduled for Thursday, December 19th. There will be a show at 1:30pm and 7:00 pm. Our theme this year is a "Linden Meadows Olympic Tribute." Stay tuned for more information in the upcoming weeks.


At-Home Supports - XtraMath and ReadTheory.Org

Thanks to all the parents that have supported our new at-home supports. As mentioned, these two sites can be accessed at any time, and both work very well to further develop key math and literacy skills. If you haven't yet seen these sites, please ask your child to show you!

In the classroom..

ELA.

Our Words Their Way work is off to a terrific start! This is a specialized (and proven) word study program for phonics, vocabulary and spelling instruction. Currently, I am in a PLC (Professional Learning Community) that meets each month with other teaching professionals with the unique focus of developing, implementing and evaluating this exciting new process. Although we are still 'early' in its implementation, I can tell you that I am very pleased with what I've seen so far, especially the student engagement! Our Word Work activities occur 4x/cycle and are individualized to the student. Progress is charted often and students are moved through a series of stages based on what they already know! How cool is that? Makes me wish this was around when I was learning these skills....





Literature Circles
As mentioned in a previous agenda message, our R.A.W (Read Around the World) program is temporarily on hold due to our literature circle novel study with Ms. Acquisto. Students have been given a new novel to read/respond on for the next 4 weeks (including some home reading). Once completed, we will return to our R.A.W. program formally.


MATH

Our "Vacation Destination" assignment is wrapping up. Students have been planning/budgeting a trip to Florida for a family of five including flights, accommodation, attractions, food and fun. To be successful, students have to use (and explain) different methods of estimation to complete each step of their booking and budgeting process. Don't be alarmed if your child comes home excited that they could actually get you there and back with the best deals!

Automaticity

Our work to achieve automaticity with our math facts to 81 continues to pay good dividends. Several students in 5A have reached this goal, with many 'on the doorstep." Remember, I have provided several resources on this blog (including Xtramath) which students can visit each night to help further develop these skills.

That's it for now! Thanks again to all parents for your support in making this year so successful so far!

Mr. A

At-Home Supports Now In Play

XtraMath

All students in 5A now have their own XtraMath account and password. This is a terrific site that focuses directly on building basic math facts. Through this site, I (the teacher) am able to track individual student progress (and accomplishments)!

XtraMath can be accessed from HOME at any time. Please take a moment to find the XtraMath link on this blog. Ask your child HOW they are to access the site with their individual codes! Remember, my email address is maalcock@pembinatrails.ca when logging in!

ReadTheory.Org

This is another great site that students can access at home, at any time to help build their reading and critical thinking skills. All students have been provided with a user account and password. We will be spending some time during class to get 'up and running' with this powerful learning tool, but it is my hope that parents also participate at home and use ReadTheory as part of their child's learning development.