Two New Initiatives!

Hello parents!

Just wanted to let you know that the kids received two new projects this week. Both will be completed in class (mostly), but they may need your support at times at night.

Math: Vacation Destination!

 

 

Students in 5A will be using their newly minted estimation skills to plan and budget a trip to Florida! The assignment will require researching online costs including flights, hotel and attractions. Students will be required to use a variety of estimation strategies taught in class to complete the assignment. Class time will be provided to complete all elements of this assignment, but many of the kids will want to work on this at home as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ELA: Personal Narrative

Our hard work building proper sentences and strong paragraphs has now moved us to the point where we are ready to write our first personal narratives! Strong authors always write about what they know best -- so our students will be writing about--- THEMSELVES! I have broken down the assignment into manageable steps with a concrete plan to complete. I will also be giving students class time to work on the project, but some student may need additional time/support at home with re-writes or edits. I am hoping to have the kids share their narratives on their blogs as well! A fun writing activity!

The Big Push!

Hi everyone!

 

Winter Weather Warning

It appears that winter has finally settled in. With cooler temperatures and the arrival of snow, I must ask all parents to PLEASE ensure they are sending their kids with proper outdoor gear! This includes a hat, mitts, a warm jacket and winter boots. While most parents do send their kids to school with the proper gear, many students often choose not to wear it at recess times. While staff does the best it can to remind and re-direct, parent re-enforcement of this policy will go a long way to keeping everyone warm each time! Thank-you!

Holiday Windows!

 

Preparation for our K-5 Holiday concert entitled "Holiday Windows" is in full swing. Students from across these grades have been hard at work practicing and preparing for what looks to be an exceptional day of entertainment! Please mark your calendars for Thursday, Dec. 4th. There will be a show at 1:30pm and again at 7pm. Each year, our gym is quickly filled for these types of events. I would like to ask parents to please attend only one of the shows to allow all parents an opportunity to see their child perform! Thank-you!

Hour of Code

5A and several other classes at LM will be participating in this year's Hour of Code! How exciting! For those of you unfamiliar with this event, you can click HERE to see a short video that introduces and explains this growing phenomenon. With Mrs. Eby's help, we were able to introduce computer coding to our staff recently, and it was a huge success. People completely unfamiliar and unaware of computer coding were quickly invested and having fun! If you want to learn more about the Hour of Code itself, click HERE.





At-Home Supports - XtraMath, Sumdog, Readtheory.Org

Thanks to all the parents that have supported our new at-home supports. As mentioned, these three sites can be accessed at any time (see the links on this blog), and both work very well to further develop key math and literacy skills. If you (or your child) is having difficulty accessing these (or any other sites listed on the 5A blog), please let me know! Thanks!

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. This past spring, I completed a 2-year PLC (Professional Learning Community) that focused on developing, implementing and evaluating this exciting program.
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....






Math

Students are learning to read, write, order and compare numbers to 100 000. Within this unit, students have also started using various estimation strategies and are learning to round whole numbers in different ways (for different purposes). Our mental math work continues as well each week focusing on our automaticity with math facts to 81, as well as those strategies that help us add and subtract larger numbers.

Social Studies

Our 'intro' to learning about the long ago past has formally segued in a large unit on First Nations Peoples. Here, students will be working in groups to answer the 'big question' --"How did WHERE they live influence HOW they lived?"

Science

Similarly, our work on nutrition and healthy bodies is coming to close. Students will be writing a small quiz on this content on Tuesday, Nov. 25th. Study preparation and support  will be provided in part in class.

Final Thoughts

• There will be no school on Friday, Nov. 29th as this day all teachers in P.T.S.D will be using this time to write report cards.
• some parental help with costumes may be required for our upcoming holiday concert, so please watch your child's agenda

That's it for now!
Mr. A

Heading into November!

Hi folks!

Just a quick update on all things 5A! October has flown by as expected! Students in 5A are really getting into the swing of things! Routines and expectations have been established and students are starting to find their 'voice' in all areas of their learning!

Tri-Conferences

Thank-you to all parents who supported our recent Tri-Conference meetings. I really enjoy meeting (and hearing) from parents at these times and discussing their child's learning. I appreciate all the feedback and questions and hopefully I was able to provide you with a snapshot of how things are going for your child so far this year. Our next formal assessment will be our first report cards of the year which students will receive just before holiday break.

Fort Whyte Field Trip (Oct. 31st)

Students in 5A and 5S/F will be visiting Fort Whyte Alive this Friday for our first formal field-trip of the year. While the weather is still manageable, students will be getting an early peek at the people of the prairies (a unit we will be taking on later this year).

Students will be leaving after morning bell and returning to school for regular lunch time. Students (and parents) are highly encouraged to check the weather before-hand to ensure proper outdoor gear is worn (or accessible).

Halloween (Oct. 31st - afternoon)

Students in 5A will have a small, Halloween 'celebration' this Friday afternoon. Students have signed up for class treats to bring in. Parents, please continue your diligence in sending peanut-free snacks at all times. Students are also allowed to dress-up for the afternoon on Friday as long as the costume is considered appropriate; i.e. no scary, bloody or violent themes please!

Students in 5A now have accounts to the on-line math practice site Xtramath. If you are looking for additional ways for your child to solidify their adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing skills, please encourage them to access this site. Progress and scores are forwarded to me directly!

Read Around the World_(Take 2)

Hopefully we have ironed out some of the 'kinks' present in our first RAW entries due last month. We have spent additional time walking through the program and its expectations so that all students are clear on what they need to do to be successful in this program. Parents, please make sure to keep your kids accountable for their reading (have them read to you, ask questions, etc., ) on a regular basis.

Science iMovie Production

Our first 'media project' has been completed! Students worked in groups using iPads to film, narrate, edit and present a short film on "Nutrients". Overall, a successful foray with some key areas to reconsider next time. Our goal is to see if we can embed our projects somehow into our personal blogs! Stay tuned!

Kids in the Know Safety Program

Thank-you to parents for the prompt return of the "Kids in the Know" acknowledgement letter. As part of Manitoba's Physical and Healthy Living provincial curricula, students will begin discussing and further their learning on how to be safe in both the real and on-line worlds. At times, content and discussions can become powerful so please do not hesitate to reach-out to me if you feel any concerns regarding the program or its delivery.


Remembrance Day Assembly

As we turn into November, parents and members of the community are welcome to join us as we remember those who sacrificed their lives so that we may enjoy ours! Our annual Remembrance Day assembly will take place this year on Friday, Nov. 7th.

Ignition Digital Citizenship On-line Course

Students in 5A will be part of a pilot project for our school with this on-line program that focuses on developing digital skills, ethics and awareness in virtual worlds. Topics include protecting personal safety, secure social networking, evaluating on-line sources, viruses, plagiarism, cyber-bullying and others. 5A will be working with Mrs. Eby throughout this test project with hopes of introducing the series to other grades! An exciting and fun way to learn!

...and the rest

Our data management unit has come to a close for now with our new focus on Place Value in math. Student will be learning how to read, write and represent numbers to 1 000 000. In language arts, we are learning to build proper sentences and paragraphs in hopes to start constructing our own personal narratives. Our science work on nutrition continues to hum along as well. Students are learning to read Canada's Food Guide in order to make more informed food choices. And finally in social studies, students have been comparing "Oral Tradition" and "Theories" that try to answer the big question of "How do we learn about the long ago past?"

That's it for now. As always, please don't hesitate to reach-out if you have any questions regarding the teaching and learning occurring in your child's classroom!

Happy November!

Welcome October!

Wow! What a great start to our learning year! Thank-you to all the parents and families that came to our "Open House" this past month. It was great having a chance to meet you, and to put a 'face to the name'! I look forward to seeing you again at our upcoming Tri-Conferences on Oct 16th (eve) and Oct. 17th (a.m.). Booking information will be coming out soon. With our larger numbers in grade 5 this year, we will be altering our normal tri-conference periods to accommodate everyone.




Strong Beginnings

Thank-you to all parents for supporting us again this year with Strong Beginnings. As a teacher, this is an extremely important (and valuable) time to spend 1:1 with your child. The assessment from this will greatly help programming and planning decisions as we move forward. As well, I have received good feedback regarding the new on-line booking system process - hopefully you felt this worked well for you as well.

Read Around the World (Home Reading Program)

Our R.A.W is in full swing! Student's first entries were due today (Mon. Oct. 6th). Remember, for this valuable program to be successful, parents need to be reading with their children often, and signing off on their entries!

Student Calendar

Parents/students who would like a copy of the daily schedule can now access it via this blog. Please check under the right-hand side of the blog for the link!

Upcoming Events

Along with our upcoming Tri-Conferences (no school Oct. 17th full day), there will no school on Monday Oct. 13th (Thanksgiving) and then again on Friday Oct. 24th (S.A.G.E). Teachers will be spending this day involved in a variety of workshops and professional development opportunities around Winnipeg and the periphery. I will be learning how to 'code'. Coding is a burgeoning area of student skill development that I know is becoming more important (and valuable) each day. Perhaps as a result of this training, I will be able to discuss instruction possibilities in this area for L.M students as we move forward. Certainly an interesting area of investigation!

Inquiry Work

5A has begun its work learning how to approach new challenges by learning how to ask better questions. I've always interpreted Inquiry-Based learning as "driving the bus from the back". Students are learning to take greater ownership of what they want to learn, how they want to learn it, and importantly, how to assess what they've done. Students will also learn to reflect, implement changes and re-assess! Our first formal inquiry project will be a student's choice - an area of passion or interest! How exciting!

That's it for now! Looking forward to seeing everyone at Tri-Conferences!

Our Social Contract

These are the room expectations as created by the students themselves. We have all 'signed' the contract and agree to follow these expectations together to make sure each day we feel safe, have fun and learn the best we can!

...and we're back!

Hello everyone! Firstly, welcome all new students and parents to 5A! I am very excited for our upcoming year together! There have been some significant changes to our school since June. Our leader Mrs. Zimmerman has moved into the next phase of her life (retirement), while Mr. Scott has accepted the principal position at Laidlaw school. Congratulations to them both! While we will miss them, we are excited for them as they take on these new challenges and opportunities. Our warmest welcome to Mrs. Teresa Rogers (Principal) and Mrs. Andrea Loepp (Vice-Principal) who will be leading our school as we move forward.

Our front office has also seen some change. Mrs. Judy Kent has also chosen to retire (miss you Judy!). New to our office this year we warmly welcome Mrs. Brenda Phipps (Office Secretary) and Mrs. Brenda Boychuk (Assistant Secretary). My teacher partner, Mrs. Lowdon is expecting her first child any minute now, and will be on maternity leave for the upcoming year. Welcome to my new grade five partners Mrs. Stewart and Mrs. Finlay. Both are familiar names and faces to LM and I am sure they will love their transition into the middle-years!

LM (and the middle-years staff) welcomes our new grade six team, Mrs. Kim Corneillee and Mrs. Kate Elliot. We are excited to have you with us! We also send our best wishes to Mrs. Judy Doyle as she enters her retirement years. Looking at her pictures of Rome and Italy, I see that she is off to a pretty good start! And finally, best of luck to Mr. Volk, who has accepted a Vice-Principal position in the Western School Division.

Phew! I know there are a few more 'additions', but we will get to those soon enough. As for 5A, our classroom is almost ready for the upcoming year. Typically, teachers begin to 'come back' into their rooms to clean, plan and prepare a few weeks ahead of time. As well, our custodial staff has been working overtime waxing, painting and cleaning and our school looks fantastic!

Typically as a new year begins, I often receive questions from parents or inquiries regarding their children's learning and development. To best respond, I encourage parents to email me first at maalcock@pembinatrails.ca (notice the extra 'a' in the name). This is simply the fastest, most efficient way. You are more than welcome to leave a voicemail if you choose, either on my service or with the front office. I will return your call(s) as soon as possible.

To keep abreast of what is going on in the classroom, there are a few key ways to stay updated as a parent. Firstly, reading this blog is a good start. Secondly, students in 5A will be writing an agenda message EACH DAY. I expect parents to read and SIGN their child's agenda each night. This helps ensure that parents are aware of the 'day-to-day' work we are doing as well as any expectations (e.g. mental math due tomorrow!). Lastly, as a technology guy, I will be posting periodically the on-goings of 5A to our class Twitter account @5ANews. This is a relatively new endeavor (started last year), that I hope to continue building on.

Once the school year begins, 5A will be spending some time building relationships and getting to know one another. As well, parents can expect many hand-outs/info/forms sent home via students the first week or so. Please take the time to make sure all necessary forms are completed and sent back in due time - this will help all of us here to get off to a good start.

Before I wrap-up, I am thoughtful of a certain commercial that tends to air on the television this time of year for Staples (I believe). The scene depicts two parents singing "It's the most, wonderful time of the year" while shopping for new school supplies, while their kids stand arms-folded and long-faced- clearly they do not share their parents sentiment or joy! A terrific scene! Well, I am convinced that we are going to have a wonderful year together and am looking forward to the challenge.




I have included a Prezi Media presentation that I have created to help introduce everyone to their new teacher which I will walk through with the students on their first day. Take a look if it's something that interests you!


That's it for now. See everyone soon!
Mr. A

...and that's a wrap!

Starting out each new learning year is always an exciting challenge. Finishing a successful learning year always calls for celebration. It has been a wonderful year. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the parents for your support this year. I have really enjoyed teaching your children. As well, thank-you to 5A's wonderful volunteers - Hot Lunch, field-trips, Empty Bowls. These events could not happen without you!

From my family to yours, I wish everyone a wonderful, relaxing (and hopefully warm) summer. I look forward to seeing most of you in the fall!

And that's a wrap!

Mr. A