HOMEWORK FOR MONDAY OCTOBER 19

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The students did not bring home their homework last night because I did not send it.  I am sending home the homework tonight, and they are expected to complete the language activities #1-2 as well as the reading activities.  However, although I am sending home the math homework that was for last night (Monday) it is not mandatory and may be completed if you wish.  I am sorry for any confusion this may have caused.

CARP FAIR MEMORIES!!

On Friday September 25th, we went to the Carp Fair!!  It was a great day filled with fun and learning! The students learned a lot about the agri-food industry, tasted some maple syrup and made some new four-legged friends along the way.  A special thanks to Mr. Keith Bean of Bean Cars in Carleton Place who generously paid for our buses and to our parent volunteers who accompanied us.

HOMEWORK FOR SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 4, 2015

Grade 4/5 Homework Program

Dear Parents,

A red “Homework Duotang”  will begin to come home on Monday September 28, 2015 which will contain homework activities for the week for your child.  There are activities assigned for each night of the week, however, if your child would like to complete most or all activities in one night, that is fine.  The “Homework Duotang” is sent home each Monday and is to be returned the following Monday, giving your child the weekend to complete any unfinished tasks.  Additional subject duotangs will be sent home on the nights they are needed to complete certain activities.  They are to be returned the next day to school as they are used in class.  Homework being sent home is not mandatory and is not marked unless it is a task which has been brought home to finish as a result of it not being completed within allotted class time.  All activities provided in the “Homework Duotang” are for practice and are always current to what is being learned in the class.

Please note:  Homework should only be approximately 10 minutes x the grade (10x Grade 4, 10x Grade 5) minutes per night.  This includes reading activities.  If your child is having difficulty with a homework activity or was unable to complete the task due to a commitment etc., please write me a little note in the agenda to inform me.

The Agenda and the Mailbag should continue to come to school daily as it will be used to list special events, reminders, newsletters etc.  The Agenda is also an excellent parent-teacher communication media.  I would ask that the Agenda be signed nightly and I will “OK” stamp it daily show you that I have seen it.

Thank you very much for your cooperation and support!  Maintaining a homework routine with your child will surely benefit him or her academically and also prepare them for future grades.

As a result of our work together, your child will continue to develop as a lifelong learner.

Sincerely,

Your Partner in Catholic Education,

Jennifer Quinn

Grade 4 for September 28-October 4, 2015:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxNJYTjucyNENlpZLWc0SW4ySVk


Grade 5 HW for September 28-October 4, 2015:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxNJYTjucyNEazlkckdBMDdqNWs

HOUSEKEEPING!!!

I have received some notes with questions about some housekeeping items, so I hope to clarify them here.

Homework:
I have not officially assigned homework yet.  From time to time the odd item may come home for completion because your child was unable to finish it in class.  I will begin to send home weekly homework as of Monday September 28, 2015.  I don't like to send it home until I've had a chance to meet all of you which will be at the Teacher Meet & Greet on September 24, 2015 from 4:30-6:00.  I will provide you with a handout which will explain the weekly homework routine at that time.  IN THE MEANTIME....nightly reading and multiplication facts practice are strongly encouraged!!  The Grade 4 students should be practising up to the 9s tables and the Grade 5 students should be practising up to the 12s tables.

Google, RAZ Kids, Dreambox:
Some of you have let me know if your child's Google account is not working, and I thank you.  I will send their names off to tech support to have it fixed.  We have not yet begun to use technology in the classroom, but all accounts should be fixed by then.  For those students who had a RAZ Kids account and or a Dreambox account in the past year, I am working on transferring them to my class so that they won't lose their progress.  If your child did not have one or both of these accounts before, they will be receiving them this year.  RAZ Kids is a Reading program and Dreambox is a Math program, both designed for the students to work at their own pace and level while earning points on each mission.  Lots of fun!!!

Extra Clothes:
I had a conversation with the students on Tuesday about the idea of bringing in an extra set of clothes.  Many of them thought this was a good idea in case they fell outside in mud and got dirty, spilled their lunch on their clothing, or in the Fall, Winter and Spring especially, they got wet while outside.  You are welcome to send in an extra set of clothing (especially socks) in a Ziploc bag and we are able to store them in the students' desks in case they need them in the future.

On a final note, I just wanted to thank all of you for sending in the requested classroom supplies.  I truly appreciate it.  As always, please feel free to contact me at the school by note or by phone should you have any questions or concerns.  I hope to see you on Thursday September 24 from 4:30-6:00!

GETTING TO KNOW YOU!!

Today we played "Me Too," a game to get to know one another!  As we passed the yarn around, we created a web connecting ourselves to each other by common interests and we also learned some interesting things about each other!!  We all played a part of creating the web - how different it would look if one of us was missing!

Welcome Back!!!

It is my pleasure to be teaching your child this year! The next few weeks in 4/5Q will be spent learning about each other and establishing routines for our classroom community. I am excited to get started and I look forward to meeting you during our Meet The Teacher Evening on Thursday, Sept. 24th from 4:30 - 6pm.

Please check our Blog often to find out about our day, upcoming events and to download any newsletters.

SAD NEWS :(

Some sad news was given to us Friday that Mrs. McFarland will be leaving our class and our school for next year.  She is an amazing Educational Assistant and she will be dearly missed.  On Thursday June 25 (the last day of school), we will be holding a small celebration to honour her in our class. Good Luck Mrs. McFarland!  Please keep in touch!

TEACHER / EA FOR A DAY!!

Our class participated in a writing contest to win my job and Mrs. McFarland's job for a day.  The persuasive letters they wrote were extremely well written and the decision was very difficult!  So, the judges (Mrs. McFarland and I) decided that we would split the day into 4 (4 blocks) so that 4 students could share our jobs.  The "Teacher for a Day" will happen tomorrow, Tuesday June 23, 2015.  The winners are:

Ms. Quinn's Job:

Block 1:  Ryan
Block 2:  Isabelle
Block 3:  Carter
Block 4:  Lola

Mrs. McFarland's Job:

Block 1:  Marco
Block 2:  Emily
Block 3:  Daniel
Block 4:  Sam

Well done Grade 4!!  Mrs. McFarland and I can't wait to be your students!!

FISH ARE FRIENDS, NOT FOOD!

On Wednesday, our class will be having a draw.  The winner will be the new guardian of Bubbles, our class fish!  Bubbles will be sent to his new home on Thursday - the last day of school.  He will travel home in a small plastic container.  If you do not wish your child to participate in the draw for a new pet, please drop me a note in your child's agenda.

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME!!

We are going to be learning how to play Softball during our gym blocks for the remainder of the year, which will include rules of the game, batting, fielding, throwing and catching.  Students will be required to wear a helmet when batting which will be provided here at school.  Students are asked to bring a softball glove to school, labelled with their name, for use during recess and gym.  If you happen to have any extra gloves at home and are willing to share with those who do not have one, it would be appreciated.  Please remember to label those as well.  Please bring in your gloves for Wednesday!!  Thanks!

REMINDER!

Hi Everyone!  Just a reminder....tomorrow is our Gumball Reward day.  Please have students come to school in PJs and have their tech device charged up and ready to go!!  Students may bring their chargers too.  We will be watching Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day as well.  Thanks.

GUMBALL REWARD DAY!!

Our class has filled the gumball jar once again!!  They have asked for a PJ, Tech and Movie Day. This special day will occur next Tuesday June 16.  The movie we will be watching is Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day to go along with a narrative writing assignment we have been working on.  Students are asked to come to school in PJs and to bring a device to use in class.  Congratulations Grade 4!

SCIENCE EXPLORATIONS!!

GEARED UP FOR PULLEY POWER!!

Last Wednesday, we had Simon and Gabriel of the Science Adventure Team from the University of Ottawa work with us on Pulleys and Gears.  It was a great afternoon of hands-on inquiry!!

ASTRONOMY - SOLAR VIEWING

Last Wednesday June 3rd, we were fortunate to have Bojan Scepanovic , an engineer and astronomy enthusiast bring his telescope to allow us to look at the sun!  He also gave us some special glasses from the Charlie Bates Solar Astronomy Project supplied through the solarastronomy.org which were safe to wear for direct solar viewing.  It was amazing!

Castle Pick Up

Students are asked to take home their French Castle Project.  In some cases, the castles are quite large and may require parent assistance.  If you are able, you may pick up your child's project before or after school in the Computer Lab.


Tomorrow is Junior Track and Field Day!!  

Each student has signed up for 2 track events and 1 field event. Please send your child to school prepared to spend the day outdoors:  running shoes, shorts, t-shirt, water bottle, sunscreen and a hat.

By popular demand, here is the Grade 4 Dance Showcase routine to "You Make My Dreams Come True" by Hall and Oates!

WE ARE NOW LIVE!!!

Welcome to my new class blog!!  I know June is upon us, but better late than never!!  It has been a journey putting this together so I hope you enjoy it.  I have been on the learning curve and continue to be so please bear with me :)  I have created links to monthly newsletters, homework and classroom goings-on in the navigation bar, so please check them frequently.  Here we go!!