November 17, 2017

Hello everyone!

Thank you to all those who filled out the name questionnaires for their child - we loved hearing how the kids were given their names. They were all so interesting and fun to read! The kids have been sharing the stories of their names with each other and they were all so excited.

On the topic of learning more about who we are, the kids have also been working with our story of the week, Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox by Danielle Daniel. With this book we have been learning about the Anishinaabe tradition of totem animals and what each animal totem stands for. After having the kids come up with characteristic words for each totem animal, they chose two words they would use to best describe themselves. There were lots of great choices among the kids - they picked words such as playful, kind, wise, leader, and curious. Next week we will talk more about what belonging to an animal clan means for the Anishinaabe people.

 
Girls show off their visual journals - they picked words like playful, peaceful, and curious to describe themselves. We couldn't agree more!

We love puzzles in grade 1! They are great for our brains and excellent for learning about collaborative work. Here are some of the puzzles the kids were proud to show off:





The children are also getting ready for our upcoming building things science unit. Although we won't be exploring this unit in depth until the new year, lots of the kids love to use our building materials during center time. We especially love when they are so proud of their work they ask for a picture - that's when we know it's something really special.



On a final note, we have been working hard at our reading comprehension. Everybody loves to listen to stories, and now to further our learning we have been working on how we can retell stories we have heard. The children have been learning to make storyboards of stories. This week we read an African-American tale called Why Rabbit Has Long Ears and a Short Tail. The kids drew the most important parts of the book while they listened, and they finished with visual reminders they could use to retell the story.



A beautiful storyboard made by one of the kids of Why Rabbit Has Long Ears and a Short Tail. Ask your kids if they can remember the story and retell it to you! Hint: the rabbit started out with short ears and a long tail, there was a tricky fox, and a helpful owl.

We hope you have a lovely weekend. See you Monday!

November 10, 2017

Dear Parents,
You have homework this weekend! Please look in your child's folder for a questionnaire about how your child received their name. We would like to have them back on Monday as we will be doing a project with the information.

This week in math we have been working on adding doubles. We have looked into adding doubles up to 10: 1+1, 2+2, 3+3, etc. We have also been talking about near doubles (1+2, 2+3, 3+4, etc). Feel free to ask your child about adding doubles. Next week we are going to begin working on subtraction.

We had a conversation with all the kids about items that are good to bring to school for sharing. Although we know that all children have toys and items that are very special to them, we would like the kids to bring items that are meaningful and related to our learning. We love to see kids practicing their learning at home! When they share this with us at school it is enriching for all students.

During art this week we worked with tints and shades of red to make poppies for Remembrance Day. We made small poppies for our wreaths, and big poppies to make a poppy field with. We used chalk pastels to make beautiful skies and grass. All of them turned out beautiful!

We read an Indigenous story from the Papago Nation this week titled "How Butterflies Came to Be". Ask your child what they remember about the story - we read it many times and made our own story boards with pictures and words to retell the story.

Reminder: there is no school on Friday, November 13th. It is a PD day.

November 3, 2017

Hello parents!

This week was a very exciting week with book fair, interviews, Halloween and snow! We missed Ms. Cvach this week but were thankful for Ms. Peters helping out.

On Halloween day we explored learning centers and listened to stories. It was great to see everyone dressed up and Ms. Tuff and Mr. Scout came by to take pictures as well.


Mrs. Kenna, Ms. Pipo and Ms.Peters were characters from the Piggy and Gerald books!




One of our centers was observing our class pumpkin and writing descriptive sentences about it. Children also created a simile describing how slimy the pulp was. Students explored the seeds and had fun counting.


MATH CHALLENGE: HOW MANY SEEDS DO YOU THINK ARE IN THIS PILE?
Record your thinking in the comments below.




We talked about names and how they are important to us. Next week we will explore more about names and how the children's names came to be.

Enjoy your weekend and play in the snow :)

Mrs. Kenna

October 27, 2017

Dear Parents,

This week in Rooms 1 and 2 we have begun learning about the Acknowledgement of the Land as we begin of our journey into Indigenous Education.

Acknowledgement of the Land

We would like to acknowledge the traditional territories and oral practices of the Blackfoot Nations.  This includes the Siksika, the Piikani and the Kainai.  We also acknowledge the Tsuut'ina and Stoney Nakoda First Nations and the Metis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.  

We began to interpret some of the language for the children.  We have talked about how the Blackfoot people were the original inhabitants of Southern Alberta.  We looked at a map of North America in order to find our region.  We also talked about the meaning of "oral traditions" i.e. story telling. We are beginning to share Indigenous stories about how and why things came to be as they are today.

In order to show a respect for our natural environment, we walked back to the pond in order to return the cat tails we borrowed earlier in the year.  We released their seeds and offered a gift of wood that we brought from our school to say, "Thank you" to Mother Nature.  We shared our learning in a video clip where some of our students talked about what the Acknowledgement of the Land meant to them. 

Have a lovely weekend

Ms. Cvach and Mrs. Kenna

October 20

Dear Parents,

In literacy this week we continued our journal work.  Students were asked to write for a variety of purposes, such as reflecting on their weekends, writing silly sentences using rhyming words and writing about something they learned after a visit from a couple of geckos.  We continue to focus on spelling words phonetically, leaving spaces between words and using end punctuation. 


Students are asked to participate in self-selected reading on a daily basis.  We have spent a lot of time talking about how this looks.  These are a few of our "rules" for reading to self:

• I need to find a space where I can read by myself
• I should not be talking to my friends
• I need to choose a book I find interesting
• I should be looking at the book and trying to read the story using pictures and looking for familiar words on the page

Our home reading program has been running for a few weeks.  Students should be actively engaged in reading at home on a daily basis, and books should be exchanged every couple of days.  Please send a note if you would like your child to try choosing a book at the next level.  We go to the library every Friday.  Please ensure that your child is returning library books so that new ones can be brought home each week.

In math this week, we have continued with our day count (We have reached 30 days of school!) and representing numbers in various ways:

• printing the number
• printing the word
• showing the number using ten frames
• deciding whether the number is even or odd
• showing the number using using tally marks
• showing the number using coins
• using ten-sticks and ones
• using roman numerals
• using equations

In art, we have completed our colour wheel work and used oil pastels to create abstract "cool art" using cool colours. Ask your child to explain how colour mixing on the colour wheel is the same as a rainbow. Who knew? Interesting things happen when we use our powers of observation!

October 13, 2017

Dear Parents,

We had a short but busy week in Grade 1.  We have been reading Pete the Cat books all week to remind us that staying in the "green" zone most of the time is the best place to be.  It's not unusual for all of us to slip into the "blue" or "yellow" zone from time to time.  We are learning to use strategies to help us get back to feeling good, such as asking for help, taking a body break or using deep breathing techniques.  We focused on the "at" rhyme.  We brainstormed words and wrote silly sentences using these words.

In the area of literacy, we are now writing in our journals at least three times a week.  Students are being encouraged to use their knowledge of letters and sounds, along with an alphabet strip to sound out words and record their ideas.  We are learning to form letters correctly and print on the line.  We talk about how some letters are tall, some are small and some go into the basement.  We model how to leave finger spaces between the words and to end sentences with punctuation.  Students are being asked to write more than just one sentence.

New math centers are being introduced.  We are using dice and dominoes to help us write and solve addition equations.  Students are being introduced to the number line strategy to help solve addition and subtraction equations.  They are collecting data by using asking people around the school questions and recording their answers using tally marks.  They are also going on a number hunt to find and record numbers to 20.

In science we have been focusing on primary colours and how two can be mixed to make a secondary colour.  Students have been making colour wheels to demonstrate their understanding.

Today we had our first "Club Friday".  Ask your child to tell you which club he/she belongs to and what they did there today.

Have wonderful weekend!

Ms. Cvach and Mrs. Kenna

October 6, 2017

Hello Parents!

This week we went for our Fall walk. Thanks to the many parents that could join us! We examined changes occurring in our community and will use these ideas for both reading, writing and speaking about nature.






We planted some of our cat tail seeds as well. We are ready to watch them grow. How many days do you think it will take to germinate? You may add your comments below.

Home reading went home this week. Feel free to send the book when you are ready for a new one.

Library books- Our book exchange day is Friday. Please remind your child to bring back their books on time so they can get a new book for the weekend.



Math- Graphing and our "getting to know you" study is almost finished. We are moving into understanding how to create numbers to 20 in a variety of ways. The students "rolled their own equations" using dice and white boards. Ask them to show you how!
We continue to work with the day count to represent numbers in many ways.


HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

We were very thankful this week. We have been discussing the Circle of Courage and the 4 values that help us to be our best. Ask your child to give an example of one way they can show independence at school.

Belonging- I am wanted and appreciated. I belong.
Mastery- I can learn new things and work hard each day. That makes me more masterful. We all have things we are good at.
Independence- I can solve small problems on my own. I can ask for help when stuck. I know how to take care of my things.
Generosity- I can help others feel welcome. I am kind.


CLUBS!! Thanks to everyone who has returned their club choice forms. We will register students into club classes, keeping favourite choices in mind. If you have not returned your form or did not get one, we can interview students on Monday to ensure they get into the proper clubs.

More pics from last week:



Reminder : No school on Monday Oct. 9 and no school for students on Oct 16 as it is a PD day.
Mrs. Kenna and Ms. Cvach