Brrr its cold out there! We all stayed toasty and warm inside the school today and started to get ready for our winter holiday. We had a chance to do some more festive centers, sang carols in the learning commons, cleaned out our desks, and finished up our secret projects. The projects are now drying and will be ready to bring home tomorrow!
After our morning recess we had a special guest visit us in the learning commons. Her name was Kelsey and she works at the Mustard Seed. She came to tell us all about the great work that happens at the Mustard Seed and told us how much our cards would be appreciated by their guests. Before she left she gave us some tips for things we can do to help prevent people from becoming homeless and to help people who are already homeless. Here are her tips:
- Be a friend to someone who is alone at lunch or recess. Make sure people know they are not alone.
- Help your parents write a letter to your MLA to ask them to support affordable housing.
- Smile when you see a homeless person to show them kindness and respect.
- Use kind words to everyone, especially people who are homeless or who are having a tough time.
Tomorrow was supposed to be Winter Sports Day, but the weather is looking very cold and Mrs. Polski has decided to postpone Winter Sports Day until January when hopefully we will have a Friday that is still wintery but not quite so cold. Instead of Sports Day we will do some fun last day activities in the classroom including some games, a short movie, and even a special indoor snowball fight!!
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Wintery Wednesday
This morning we worked on our festive centers when we arrived. Then we went to sing Christmas Carols. We sang Ms. Boyer's favourite one: Six White Boomers.
After caroling and a little more center time we worked on our Whispering Woods painting. Some of us are finished our paintings.
Then it was warm enough to have recess outside. Some of us are building snow forts!
After recess we made cards with out big buddies. The cards will be given to people who are homeless and will be having Christmas Dinner at the Mustard Seed.
This afternoon we continued the third step of our secret project. In the third step we used a type of glue called Mod Podge. We tried to be very careful but some of us have a little bit on our clothes.
After that we had library. At library today we didn't sign out any new books because of the holidays but Mrs. Kidd read a story to us. The story was about a girl named Irene who had to walk through a snowstorm to deliver a dress to a castle. She got lost in the snowstorm but finally arrived at the castle.
Today in gym we played a game of ringette. Then we finished with a game of wax museum.
If you still haven't returned your library books please bring them tomorrow.
Our helper tomorrow is: Peter
After caroling and a little more center time we worked on our Whispering Woods painting. Some of us are finished our paintings.
Then it was warm enough to have recess outside. Some of us are building snow forts!
After recess we made cards with out big buddies. The cards will be given to people who are homeless and will be having Christmas Dinner at the Mustard Seed.
This afternoon we continued the third step of our secret project. In the third step we used a type of glue called Mod Podge. We tried to be very careful but some of us have a little bit on our clothes.
After that we had library. At library today we didn't sign out any new books because of the holidays but Mrs. Kidd read a story to us. The story was about a girl named Irene who had to walk through a snowstorm to deliver a dress to a castle. She got lost in the snowstorm but finally arrived at the castle.
Today in gym we played a game of ringette. Then we finished with a game of wax museum.
If you still haven't returned your library books please bring them tomorrow.
Our helper tomorrow is: Peter
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Tinsel Tuesday
Today was our first day of caroling in the learning commons. Today we sang:
Jingle Bells
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
Up on the House Top
Silent Night
We Wish you a Merry Christmas
Before and after caroling we had a bit of time to work on our festive centers. Then we got to work on our Whispering Woods paintings. Even though this is a very exciting week we all did a great job staying focused and doing careful work on our paintings.
After recess we tried to finish up our counting by 2's game cards. When we were finished we got to try racing our friends or the timer to see how fast we could put the cards in order. Once we are finished using the cards at school we will bring them home to use as extra practice with our families. Right before lunch we cleaned up our math and did the first step of a new secret project.
After lunch we got back to work on the second step of our secret project. Sorry we can't tell you anymore....it's a secret! Also, we apologize if the secret means that some of our clothes have a bit of glue on them. Sometimes secret projects can get a little messy!
Our helper tomorrow is: Jessica
Tomorrow is our library day. We will not be signing out new books but Mrs. Kidd would like to make sure that all the books are returned for the holiday. I know she would appreciate it if we remembered our books.
Jingle Bells
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
Up on the House Top
Silent Night
We Wish you a Merry Christmas
Before and after caroling we had a bit of time to work on our festive centers. Then we got to work on our Whispering Woods paintings. Even though this is a very exciting week we all did a great job staying focused and doing careful work on our paintings.
After recess we tried to finish up our counting by 2's game cards. When we were finished we got to try racing our friends or the timer to see how fast we could put the cards in order. Once we are finished using the cards at school we will bring them home to use as extra practice with our families. Right before lunch we cleaned up our math and did the first step of a new secret project.
After lunch we got back to work on the second step of our secret project. Sorry we can't tell you anymore....it's a secret! Also, we apologize if the secret means that some of our clothes have a bit of glue on them. Sometimes secret projects can get a little messy!
Our helper tomorrow is: Jessica
Tomorrow is our library day. We will not be signing out new books but Mrs. Kidd would like to make sure that all the books are returned for the holiday. I know she would appreciate it if we remembered our books.
Monday, December 12, 2016
Merry Monday!
This morning we started with journals. We needed to try to do our best work because this was our last journal of 2016! Then it was recess. Luckily it was just warm enough today that we got to go outside for recess!
After recess we read a story and did computers. We did Mathletics and then had a chance to do the christmas games for the last 15 minutes.
This afternoon, we read a story called Christmas Magic. Then, instead of doing our arctic research we did some festive centers. Tomorrow morning when we arrive at school we will be able to work on these centers until 9:00 when it is time for carol singing in the learning commons.
In gym today we started playing ringette. Then we came back to the class and did journal sharing.
Tomorrow we will start our annual Christmas Caroling in the learning commons. It starts at 9:00 and parents are welcome to attend.
Tomorrow our helper is: Tessa
After recess we read a story and did computers. We did Mathletics and then had a chance to do the christmas games for the last 15 minutes.
This afternoon, we read a story called Christmas Magic. Then, instead of doing our arctic research we did some festive centers. Tomorrow morning when we arrive at school we will be able to work on these centers until 9:00 when it is time for carol singing in the learning commons.
In gym today we started playing ringette. Then we came back to the class and did journal sharing.
Tomorrow we will start our annual Christmas Caroling in the learning commons. It starts at 9:00 and parents are welcome to attend.
Tomorrow our helper is: Tessa
Friday, December 9, 2016
An Indoor Friday
First thing this morning we had big buddies. They taught us how the earth rotates on an axis that is tilted and causes the winter solstice where there is no daylight in the far north, and the summer solstice where there is no nighttime in the far north. Ask me to explain this idea to you. Then we showed our buddies our Arctic folders and read a story. After big buddies we finished a story called Arctic Son. Then we worked on our Inuit history books. We were working on the first three pages about transportation, shelter, and clothing.
Today we had an indoor day instead of Fresh Air Friday because it was too cold to learn outside. Even though we didn't go outside we still got hot chocolate as a special treat. After our hot chocolate we had to rinse out our mugs so that they are ready for next time.
Because we couldn't go outside we had a special gym time today. We played dodgeball for the first time this year! In Dodgeball you have to try to hit the other team with the ball and try not to get hit when they throw the ball. If you get hit you have to go to the side and do jumping jacks while you count by 2's. The grade 1's had to count to 20, the grade 2's had to count to 50.
At the end of the day the people who had their first three pages in their Inuit history books finished had a chance to play Mathletics and christmas games on the computers. Next week we will be working on learning about Inuit tools, food, and games.
Today we had an indoor day instead of Fresh Air Friday because it was too cold to learn outside. Even though we didn't go outside we still got hot chocolate as a special treat. After our hot chocolate we had to rinse out our mugs so that they are ready for next time.
Because we couldn't go outside we had a special gym time today. We played dodgeball for the first time this year! In Dodgeball you have to try to hit the other team with the ball and try not to get hit when they throw the ball. If you get hit you have to go to the side and do jumping jacks while you count by 2's. The grade 1's had to count to 20, the grade 2's had to count to 50.
At the end of the day the people who had their first three pages in their Inuit history books finished had a chance to play Mathletics and christmas games on the computers. Next week we will be working on learning about Inuit tools, food, and games.
Home Challenge: Please find one tool used by the Inuit. Learn about the materials it is made of and how it is used.
Our helper on Monday is: Isla
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Another Indoor Day
This morning the grade 2's didn't have guided reading. After the grade 1's finished guided reading we worked on our Whispering Woods paintings. Some of us finished our first painting and will start the second one tomorrow. If we finished early we got to start planning our second painting.
After recess we had word work. The grade 1's practiced the -ice family and the -ike family. In math we finished our pattern check. Now we are finished with our study of patterns and are moving on to our study of counting and counting patterns.
In the afternoon we started researching arctic clothing. We learned about the types of clothing the Inuit wore and even learned some of the Inuktitut words for the clothes. Did you know that a parka is called a qulittaujaq and snowpants are called silapaak in Inuktitut? One that a few us knew was Kamik which means boots. We didn't have time to start the work in our books because we had to do all the research about the clothing so we spent the last 15 minutes trying to finish the transportation and shelter pages.
Then we had library. Please remember to bring your books back if you forgot today. In gym we did more 3-on-3 hockey games. Today we had new teams.
Please remember tomorrow night is the Festive Evening!
Our helper tomorrow is: Reid
After recess we had word work. The grade 1's practiced the -ice family and the -ike family. In math we finished our pattern check. Now we are finished with our study of patterns and are moving on to our study of counting and counting patterns.
In the afternoon we started researching arctic clothing. We learned about the types of clothing the Inuit wore and even learned some of the Inuktitut words for the clothes. Did you know that a parka is called a qulittaujaq and snowpants are called silapaak in Inuktitut? One that a few us knew was Kamik which means boots. We didn't have time to start the work in our books because we had to do all the research about the clothing so we spent the last 15 minutes trying to finish the transportation and shelter pages.
Then we had library. Please remember to bring your books back if you forgot today. In gym we did more 3-on-3 hockey games. Today we had new teams.
Please remember tomorrow night is the Festive Evening!
Our helper tomorrow is: Reid
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Brrr its Cold!
This morning was so cold that it was a Blue Day at Dr. Coffin. A Blue Day is when we invite everyone to come inside before the bell rings because it is too cold to wait outside. When we have a Blue Day we are supposed to meet the supervisors at our regular door and they will let us inside. Once we are inside we can take off our outside clothes and come down the hallway to our classroom. If the classroom is open we can come in and look at books until the bell rings. If the classroom is closed we can sit and have a visit with our friends in the hallway.
During our writing time today we started working on the watercolour paintings for our Whispering Woods books. Our learning intention is to make our writing even more powerful by adding illustrations that match our ideas and really help our audience imagine what it is like in the Whispering Woods. We will each be making 5 pictures to go with the 5 senses we wrote about. If we wrote more than one idea for each sense we are picking our favourite ideas to use for the pictures.
After our indoor recess (it was still too cold to go outside) we had word work. The grade 1's practiced words in the -ike family. This is part of our focus on word families that have a 'magic e' at the end. The grade 2's went with Ms. Stephure to finish the long and short vowel secret pictures they are making. Then we had math. Today we started talking about counting by 2's. This is sometimes also called skip counting, or counting by multiples of 2. For the grade 2's there was an extra challenge. The grade 2's had to show the even number counting by 2's pattern and also the odd number counting by 2's pattern. On Thursday we will start making a speed game to help us get really good at counting by 2's.
This afternoon we started by watching a 10 minute video of two Inuit men building an Igloo. The video was quite old but it had a lot of really great information about the way an Igloo is built. Because the video was quite old, the narrator called the men Eskimos. We talked about how this was a name that people from the south used to call the Inuit but that it isn't really what the Inuit like to be called. The Inuit men in the video were amazing builders and built a whole igloo in less than two hours! After we finished the video we worked to finish the shelter page in our Inuit history books.
** Thank you to our students who found out the answer to yesterday's challenge question. We found out that the Inuit made houses that they can move or rebuild because they are nomadic. That means that they move and don't just live in one place. The Inuit are nomadic because they need to hunt animals to survive. This means that if the animals move, they need to move.
In gym we played floor hockey. We played 3-on-3 hockey just like yesterday. Lots of us are really starting to get the hang of it and the games went really well. Sidney Crosby better watch out!!
Our helper tomorrow is: Sarah
During our writing time today we started working on the watercolour paintings for our Whispering Woods books. Our learning intention is to make our writing even more powerful by adding illustrations that match our ideas and really help our audience imagine what it is like in the Whispering Woods. We will each be making 5 pictures to go with the 5 senses we wrote about. If we wrote more than one idea for each sense we are picking our favourite ideas to use for the pictures.
After our indoor recess (it was still too cold to go outside) we had word work. The grade 1's practiced words in the -ike family. This is part of our focus on word families that have a 'magic e' at the end. The grade 2's went with Ms. Stephure to finish the long and short vowel secret pictures they are making. Then we had math. Today we started talking about counting by 2's. This is sometimes also called skip counting, or counting by multiples of 2. For the grade 2's there was an extra challenge. The grade 2's had to show the even number counting by 2's pattern and also the odd number counting by 2's pattern. On Thursday we will start making a speed game to help us get really good at counting by 2's.
This afternoon we started by watching a 10 minute video of two Inuit men building an Igloo. The video was quite old but it had a lot of really great information about the way an Igloo is built. Because the video was quite old, the narrator called the men Eskimos. We talked about how this was a name that people from the south used to call the Inuit but that it isn't really what the Inuit like to be called. The Inuit men in the video were amazing builders and built a whole igloo in less than two hours! After we finished the video we worked to finish the shelter page in our Inuit history books.
** Thank you to our students who found out the answer to yesterday's challenge question. We found out that the Inuit made houses that they can move or rebuild because they are nomadic. That means that they move and don't just live in one place. The Inuit are nomadic because they need to hunt animals to survive. This means that if the animals move, they need to move.
In gym we played floor hockey. We played 3-on-3 hockey just like yesterday. Lots of us are really starting to get the hang of it and the games went really well. Sidney Crosby better watch out!!
 |
| Very Serious Hockey Players! |
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| Very Excited Hockey Players! |
Our helper tomorrow is: Sarah
Monday, December 5, 2016
A chilly start to the week!
This morning we worked on our journals. Lots of us wrote about getting ready for Christmas. Lily was excited about making a gingerbread house. Then, after recess we did some computer time. We worked on the number section of Mathletics. At the end we got 15 minutes to try out some Christmas computer games.
Due to the cold weather we had to have our lunch recess inside. We could choose to play chess, do colouring, computers, or play games in the gym. This week is going to be very cold but we will still be going outside for recess if the temperature (with windchill) is above -20. Please make sure you are dress properly for this cold weather. This means snowpants, boots, warm jacket, mittens, tuque, scarf.
After lunch we talked about Inuit shelters for our Inuit history books. We read a little bit of a story to help give us ideas. We learned that they used igloos and hide tents.
In gym we played hockey games. We played 3-on-3 games. Some of us have lots of experinence playing hockey and some of us are brand new. We talked about trying to make sure everyone had a chance to learn new skills and to not be too worried about the score. Then we came back to the classroom to do journal sharing. Some of us had to stay at our desks to finish our writing during the sharing time.
Thank you to those people who have already brought in donations for the "Fill as Sock, Fill a Need" campaign. We will be collecting donations until Friday. Here is a reminder of the items requested by the Drop-in Centre:
Gloves, mitts and hats
Lip balm and travel size toiletries
Cough drops
Travel mugs
Deodorant (non-alcohol based)
Brush and combs
Socks and underwear
Gift certificates (i.e. Tim Horton’s or McDonalds)
Chocolates and candy
Our helper tomorrow is: Tessa
Due to the cold weather we had to have our lunch recess inside. We could choose to play chess, do colouring, computers, or play games in the gym. This week is going to be very cold but we will still be going outside for recess if the temperature (with windchill) is above -20. Please make sure you are dress properly for this cold weather. This means snowpants, boots, warm jacket, mittens, tuque, scarf.
After lunch we talked about Inuit shelters for our Inuit history books. We read a little bit of a story to help give us ideas. We learned that they used igloos and hide tents.
Home Challenge: Why did the Inuit make homes that they could move or remake in a new place? Why didn't they make permanent homes like us?
In gym we played hockey games. We played 3-on-3 games. Some of us have lots of experinence playing hockey and some of us are brand new. We talked about trying to make sure everyone had a chance to learn new skills and to not be too worried about the score. Then we came back to the classroom to do journal sharing. Some of us had to stay at our desks to finish our writing during the sharing time.
Thank you to those people who have already brought in donations for the "Fill as Sock, Fill a Need" campaign. We will be collecting donations until Friday. Here is a reminder of the items requested by the Drop-in Centre:
Gloves, mitts and hats
Lip balm and travel size toiletries
Cough drops
Travel mugs
Deodorant (non-alcohol based)
Brush and combs
Socks and underwear
Gift certificates (i.e. Tim Horton’s or McDonalds)
Chocolates and candy
Our helper tomorrow is: Tessa
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Looks like Winter!
Today things really started to feel like winter. Snow to play with and very rosy cheeks after recess! Please remember to start bringing mitts, hats, scarves etc. to school each day. We will be going outside for recess unless it is colder than -20C.
This afternoon our grade 5-6 friends from the Me to We club came to tell us about a new campaign they are running in preparation for the holiday season. The campaign is called Fill a Sock, Fill a Need and supports clients at the Calgary Drop-in Centre. More information about the campaign can be found here: http://www.thedi.ca/fill-a-sock-fill-a-need/
We are hoping to collect the following new items for the campaign:
- Gloves, mitts and hats
- Lip balm and travel size toiletries
- Cough drops
- Travel mugs
- Deodorant (non-alcohol based)
- Brush and combs
- Socks and underwear
- Gift certificates (i.e. Tim Horton’s or McDonalds)
- Chocolates and candy
Please remember that there is no school for students tomorrow. Have a great long weekend!
Our helper on Monday is: Anjalika
Our helper on Monday is: Anjalika
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