At the end of the day yesterday, I told the class that they had five minutes left of grade one and that they should pat themselves on the back for a great year. One of the students said, "aww, I wish grade one would last forever!".
It wasn't perfect (nothing is!), but it really has been an amazing year. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching your children - it truly has been a pleasure watching them grow this year, and I am looking forward to seeing them out on the yard and in the hallways and watching them get so big and tall in Grade 2!
Thank you for the gifts, the cards, the warm wishes in person and in writing, and the support that you have given all year long.
Mme Tessmann and I are lucky teachers, that's for sure!
We both thank you.
P.S.
Grade 1s: Don't forget to read and write as much as possible (without skipping too much summer fun of course)! Use your dictionaries, journals, and materials to keep practicing your skills! Bonnes vacances et bonne chance en deuxième année!
Parents: I hope you get a chance to look at your child's time capsule so they can show you how far they have come since the beginning of grade 1! Also, I have uploaded some more pictures on photobucket so make sure you check them out!
Have a fantastic summer!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Pictures of Kinsmen Park
We made it to Kinsmen Park afterall! Luckily, the weather held out and we were able to enjoy the day at the park without any rain. Many thanks to the parents for their flexibility and willingness to help out today.
I took some pictures of our trip which I have uploaded to my photobucket album. If you have forgotten the password, send me an email and I will pass it along to you. I have a few other pictures left to upload from the year so check back again on the weekend if you would like to see them.
It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day of school! We have already sent a lot of work and supplies home but we aren't quite finished yet, so you may want to send a plastic bag with your child just in case they need it. I have a special day planned tomorrow with the class where we will look back on and celebrate how much the students have grown since they had their first day of Grade 1. It will be a blast!
I took some pictures of our trip which I have uploaded to my photobucket album. If you have forgotten the password, send me an email and I will pass it along to you. I have a few other pictures left to upload from the year so check back again on the weekend if you would like to see them.
It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the last day of school! We have already sent a lot of work and supplies home but we aren't quite finished yet, so you may want to send a plastic bag with your child just in case they need it. I have a special day planned tomorrow with the class where we will look back on and celebrate how much the students have grown since they had their first day of Grade 1. It will be a blast!
Monday, June 24, 2013
Kinsmen park
Tomorrow, we are supposed to be going to Kinsmen park for the afternoon. The weatherman is predicting rain and thundershowers for this day so it is looking fairly likely that it will be cancelled. We will make the final call tomorrow morning.
If it goes ahead (fingers crossed!), the plan is as follows:
We will begin walking to the park at 11:00am. Once we arrive there, we will eat our lunch and then play at the park. We will be taking the bus back to the school at 2:45pm.
Your child should bring:
- comfortable footwear
- a sun hat
- sunscreen and bug spray, if desired (apply to your child before school starts)
- an extra water bottle if desired
- a nutritious lunch
- a swimsuit and towel
Parents who are volunteering tomorrow should call the school in the morning to find out whether the trip will be going ahead or not.
If it goes ahead (fingers crossed!), the plan is as follows:
We will begin walking to the park at 11:00am. Once we arrive there, we will eat our lunch and then play at the park. We will be taking the bus back to the school at 2:45pm.
Your child should bring:
- comfortable footwear
- a sun hat
- sunscreen and bug spray, if desired (apply to your child before school starts)
- an extra water bottle if desired
- a nutritious lunch
- a swimsuit and towel
Parents who are volunteering tomorrow should call the school in the morning to find out whether the trip will be going ahead or not.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Last full week - events
I can't believe that it's already the last full week of school. This
last month as flown by!
Here are this week's events:
Play day tomorrow
Last week's play day was rained out and has been rescheduled for tomorrow from 12:45 until 2:25pm. All primary students will be outside doing various activities during this time. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately to be outside during this time.
Cosmo's visit on Tuesday
We will be joining Mme Hada's class at the Cosmo's Senior Centre at 1pm to sing We All Belong to the Earth for our final visit of the year.
School Swim this Friday
We will be enjoying a full day of swimming on Friday. Make sure your child arrives to school on time Friday morning, as we will be boarding the buses as soon as attendance is taken. Thank you to the many parents who have volunteered to join us on this day. It should be a great day!
We will begin to send your child's workbooks, duotangs, etc home gradually so that it isn't so overwhelming on the last day.
Here are this week's events:
Play day tomorrow
Last week's play day was rained out and has been rescheduled for tomorrow from 12:45 until 2:25pm. All primary students will be outside doing various activities during this time. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately to be outside during this time.
Cosmo's visit on Tuesday
We will be joining Mme Hada's class at the Cosmo's Senior Centre at 1pm to sing We All Belong to the Earth for our final visit of the year.
School Swim this Friday
We will be enjoying a full day of swimming on Friday. Make sure your child arrives to school on time Friday morning, as we will be boarding the buses as soon as attendance is taken. Thank you to the many parents who have volunteered to join us on this day. It should be a great day!
We will begin to send your child's workbooks, duotangs, etc home gradually so that it isn't so overwhelming on the last day.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Pike Lake, Raise-a-Reader Picnic, Pooh Corner, and waste-free lunch
What a busy, but wonderful week we've had! We had a great fun-filled day at Pike Lake on Wednesday, and today we heard Victoria School's amazing grades 5, 6, and 7/8 bands perform and read with care partners and parents and enjoyed a subway picnic lunch. It was great to see so many parents come out to read with their children today! Also, a big thank you to the parents who came with us to Pike Lake - your contribution to the successful day was greatly appreciated.
On Monday, the students will be heading to the Public Library Pooh Corner with Mme Tessmann and Mme Ollerhead's grade 2 class. We have collected some of the students' library cards for this event, but if you have not sent your child's card in already, make sure that you do so on Monday.
Next Thursday, June 13th is our Boomerang Waste-free lunch day, where students will be asked to use as little waste in their lunches as possible (and whatever waste they have, they will keep in their lunch kits to be thrown out at home). Here is a catchy music video that the school watched during our last assembly in order to help inspire us to use less waste on a daily basis. It is called Plastic Ocean, and it is sung by students in a school in Hong Kong:
On Monday, the students will be heading to the Public Library Pooh Corner with Mme Tessmann and Mme Ollerhead's grade 2 class. We have collected some of the students' library cards for this event, but if you have not sent your child's card in already, make sure that you do so on Monday.
Next Thursday, June 13th is our Boomerang Waste-free lunch day, where students will be asked to use as little waste in their lunches as possible (and whatever waste they have, they will keep in their lunch kits to be thrown out at home). Here is a catchy music video that the school watched during our last assembly in order to help inspire us to use less waste on a daily basis. It is called Plastic Ocean, and it is sung by students in a school in Hong Kong:
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Pike Lake - Rice Krispie Square Bakers needed
We now have enough parent volunteers for Pike Lake - thank you to all the parents who have offered!
We still need a few parents to volunteer to make rice krispie squares for the students to enjoy at Pike Lake, so if you are able to help us out with this, please send us a note in the agenda or by email to let us know.
Thank you for all of your support over the year. We are very lucky to have such generous and helpful parents!
We still need a few parents to volunteer to make rice krispie squares for the students to enjoy at Pike Lake, so if you are able to help us out with this, please send us a note in the agenda or by email to let us know.
Thank you for all of your support over the year. We are very lucky to have such generous and helpful parents!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Home reading support
After speaking with a parent this morning about the home reading program, it occurred to me that it would be helpful for parents if I blogged about all the letter and sound blends and rules that we have been learning so that you can better support your child's reading at home. So here it is:
Since my last update on this subject, we have learned that:
- ou makes a oo sound like in souris (which is not the same as the French u sound like in musique)
- on and om the same sound, which is a nasalized English long o vowel, like in maison *
- eau/au/ô all make the English long o (oh) sound like in bâteau
- oi makes a 'wa' sound, like in oiseau
- en/an and em/am all make the same sound which the students associate with a grandmaman ou grandpapa who is hard of hearing and saying "en?" when someone is speaking*
- in/ain/ein and im/aim/eim are all the same sound which the students associate to the sound of a buzzer in a game show, it is a nasalized English long a sound like in cousin *
- on and om the same sound, which is a nasalized English long o vowel sound like in maison *
* It should be noted that with the nasal sounds, if there is another syllable afterwards, the letters that make that nasal sound break apart. For example: cou/sin (2 syllables), cou/si/ne (3 syllables - notice how in is broken apart now due to the new vowel). It's a bit tricky to get used to that rule, but it will come!
We have also been looking at word endings more closely in class, since there are so many word endings in French. For example:
-ent is not pronounced if it is at the end of a verb (action word). For example, marchent sounds like marche when it is read aloud
- er and ez at the end of the word are both pronounced as a long a vowel sound (ay)
- there are many silent letters at the end of words in French: t, p, d, z, s, x
- sometimes words will end with -te or -de, which is not silent (for example, petit sounds like "peti" BUT petite sounds like "petit".
This week we are talking about ai and ei which is the same as è and ê which make the e sound like in the English word wet. We will talk about a few exceptions to this rule (there are always exceptions in French!) next week.
I hope that this blog post will help you help your child with his/her reading at home! If you have any questions about this or anything else, please let us know.
In closing, here is a video of the song we will present to the seniors at the Cosmo's Senior Centre tomorrow after lunch: Frère Jacques, rock'n roll style!
Since my last update on this subject, we have learned that:
- ou makes a oo sound like in souris (which is not the same as the French u sound like in musique)
- on and om the same sound, which is a nasalized English long o vowel, like in maison *
- eau/au/ô all make the English long o (oh) sound like in bâteau
- oi makes a 'wa' sound, like in oiseau
- en/an and em/am all make the same sound which the students associate with a grandmaman ou grandpapa who is hard of hearing and saying "en?" when someone is speaking*
- in/ain/ein and im/aim/eim are all the same sound which the students associate to the sound of a buzzer in a game show, it is a nasalized English long a sound like in cousin *
- on and om the same sound, which is a nasalized English long o vowel sound like in maison *
* It should be noted that with the nasal sounds, if there is another syllable afterwards, the letters that make that nasal sound break apart. For example: cou/sin (2 syllables), cou/si/ne (3 syllables - notice how in is broken apart now due to the new vowel). It's a bit tricky to get used to that rule, but it will come!
We have also been looking at word endings more closely in class, since there are so many word endings in French. For example:
-ent is not pronounced if it is at the end of a verb (action word). For example, marchent sounds like marche when it is read aloud
- er and ez at the end of the word are both pronounced as a long a vowel sound (ay)
- there are many silent letters at the end of words in French: t, p, d, z, s, x
- sometimes words will end with -te or -de, which is not silent (for example, petit sounds like "peti" BUT petite sounds like "petit".
This week we are talking about ai and ei which is the same as è and ê which make the e sound like in the English word wet. We will talk about a few exceptions to this rule (there are always exceptions in French!) next week.
I hope that this blog post will help you help your child with his/her reading at home! If you have any questions about this or anything else, please let us know.
In closing, here is a video of the song we will present to the seniors at the Cosmo's Senior Centre tomorrow after lunch: Frère Jacques, rock'n roll style!
Yoga 4 Classrooms Family Letter - week 1 (Intro. to yoga and mindfulness)
Tell me about...yoga and mindfulness. Research shows that children who regularly practice yoga and mindfulness are better able to regulate their emotions, manage stress and calm themselves. All of these factors contribute to successful learning and improved health and well-being throughout their lifetime. Have your child tell you what the class learned about yoga and mindfulness.
Let’s Breathe...Balloon Breath Using Balloon Breathing can help calm and focus bodies and minds. Imagine your belly is like a balloon. Slowly inhale through your nose and allow your belly to inflate like a balloon. Now then deflate the balloon by exhaling through your nose. Notice how you feel and share your experience.
Show me... Tree Pose Tree Pose helps with balance and concentration. Begin in Mountain with hands together at your chest. Find your "focus point". When you are ready, shift your weight to one foot and bring the opposite foot to your ankle or the side of your calf. Grow your arm branches up to the sky. Balance as you inhale and exhale deeply in and out three times. Slowly and mindfully return to Mountain before switching sides.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Au terrain de jeux: a photostory!
I just completed our class' photostory of all the sentences for the word study unit Au terrain de jeux. I am very excited to present it to you! The students haven't seen the finished product so if you happen to check this blog you will get to show it to your child for the first time. Here it is:
If you can't get the video to work on this page, try going to this webpage instead: http://video.spsd.sk.ca/uploads/HegartyK2013516182844.wmv
Have a wonderful long weekend!
If you can't get the video to work on this page, try going to this webpage instead: http://video.spsd.sk.ca/uploads/HegartyK2013516182844.wmv
Have a wonderful long weekend!
Yoga 4 classrooms
A note from our principal, Mr. Shmon:
Dear Parents/Caregivers:
Family letters will be sent home each week and are designed to engage the entire family in the yoga and mindfulness activities shared in the classroom. The Family letters will include simple, family friendly activities related to the lesson shared each week. Handouts consist of three parts: “Tell me about…”, “Let’s Breath” and “Show Me” and serve as a guide for you and your child to discuss what he/she is learning in the program.
The focus is on stretching and other motor breaks, breathing, relaxing, and developing focus skills...all essential elements for success in school and overall health. Student participation is optional.
We are confident your child will be excited to share with you what they have been learning during their sessions. Just ask!
Sincerely,
Dear Parents/Caregivers:
We
are happy to report that "Yoga 4 Classrooms" will be starting in our
classroom next week. We will have a 30
minute class once a week until the end of the school year. We would like to thank instructor Shelly McGrath
for volunteering her time and giving our students this opportunity. The
mission of Yoga 4 Classrooms is to empower students and educators to create
positive, peaceful, productive classrooms that encourage exceptional
learning and a lifetime of health and wellness. The
program promotes self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-confidence in
school age children.
Yoga
strategies can be used anywhere and at anytime to help increase focus, relieve
stress, and maintain self-control. Our hope is that by integrating these
strategies within the school day and beyond, student attention and achievement
will increase, which will help students experience greater success in school.Family letters will be sent home each week and are designed to engage the entire family in the yoga and mindfulness activities shared in the classroom. The Family letters will include simple, family friendly activities related to the lesson shared each week. Handouts consist of three parts: “Tell me about…”, “Let’s Breath” and “Show Me” and serve as a guide for you and your child to discuss what he/she is learning in the program.
The focus is on stretching and other motor breaks, breathing, relaxing, and developing focus skills...all essential elements for success in school and overall health. Student participation is optional.
We are confident your child will be excited to share with you what they have been learning during their sessions. Just ask!
Mr. R. Shmon
Principal
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Notre continuum d'écriture
 |
| Our checklist of good writing. |
Looking at our Progress
Last month, I had the students redo a writing activity that I had them do back in September. They were to write about the perfect pet. In both cases, I did not help the students at all in order to see what they could do on their own. It was a great activity to do because all the students (not surprisingly!) improved immensely. We used the writing continuum to evaluate our writing from September as well as April and to make a goal for the rest of the year. Now, students are working on taking their writing to the next level using the checklist we created as a class.
Professional Learning
The primary French Immersion team at École Victoria had made it our goal this year to use a writing continuum in each of our classrooms in order to improve our students' writing and we all found it was a useful tool for our students. You will probably hear talk of writing continua throughout your child's schooling, as they are used in most of our classrooms.
 |
| Two examples of our students' work from september, april, and their evaluations of both pieces. |
The majority of our students are working on always remembering a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence and a period at the end. We are also working on getting a feel for when we pause in our thinking to start a new thought (ie. when to put a period and start a new sentence). Students are also encouraged to add details, details, details! So when your child is writing at home (in English or French), these are some things you can encourage your child to practice.
Something To Look Forward To
Your child will be sharing his or her work and self-assessment with you soon!
If you have any questions regarding our writing continuum, please let me (Mme H) know.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Canadian Mental Health Week May 6-12
I just learned that it's Mental Health Awareness Week, and as such, thought I would post a few children's mental health links, which I will also add to the links on the side bar. Here they are:
http://saskatoon.cmha.ca/
http://www.kidshelpphone.ca/Kids/Home.aspx
http://www.kidsmentalhealth.ca/
http://www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca/your_health/ps_mhas_child_and_youth_children.htm
If your child is ever exhibiting symptoms or stress or anxiety for one reason or another, please be sure to let the school know so that we can be more aware and sensitive to his or her needs and feelings and we will do what we can to help.
Have a wonderful weekend, and happy mother's day to all the great moms out there!
http://saskatoon.cmha.ca/
http://www.kidshelpphone.ca/Kids/Home.aspx
http://www.kidsmentalhealth.ca/
http://www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca/your_health/ps_mhas_child_and_youth_children.htm
If your child is ever exhibiting symptoms or stress or anxiety for one reason or another, please be sure to let the school know so that we can be more aware and sensitive to his or her needs and feelings and we will do what we can to help.
Have a wonderful weekend, and happy mother's day to all the great moms out there!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Scholastic Book Orders
Scholastic Book orders will be sent home today. Please send your payment by cheque (cash will not be accepted). Orders will be due Wednesday, May 15th.
We are adding the sentences from our word study poster to the students' Home Reading duotang for practice. I am also working on a photostory of our sentences, so stay tuned for that!
We are adding the sentences from our word study poster to the students' Home Reading duotang for practice. I am also working on a photostory of our sentences, so stay tuned for that!
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Seed sale this week
Destination: conservation is selling wildflower seeds tomorrow and Friday during the 10:40-10:55am recess in front of the gym. The cost is $1.00 and the proceeds will go towards adopting an animal at the zoo and other future projects. Please send $1.00 with your child tomorrow or Friday if your family is interested in planting some wildflowers this season for Mother's Day or just for no reason at all!
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
"Les poussins" and other news
 |
| Egg #10 is ready to hatch. |
 | |||
| Le petit poussin est fatigué! |
Other news
We are sad to have to say goodbye to one of our students who is moving away. Aurevoir, Bella!! We wish her and her family all the best in their travels.
We will be resuming our visit to Cosmo Senior Centre this Friday, May 3rd at 12:45-1:15 now that the warmer weather is upon us (fingers crossed that the snow is finally gone for good!).
This Thursday is Sparkle and Shine day, which is a school spirit day where students can wear their most sparkly and shiny outfit. The junior choir will also be performing two songs at the morning assembly as their final activity for the year on this day.
A new song
Today we learned a new song about le printemps (spring). You and your child can view the video and sing along by clicking here.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Cycle 4 Au Terrain du jeu
Here is our latest word study poster. The students were really excited to "shake out" the words for this one! We will be sending home the words for home reading tomorrow.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Star Pheonix Fundraiser
Last Thursday, your child was sent home a StarPheonix newspaper along with a subscription form. This is because Mme Hamilton and Mme Ollerhead are spearheading a fundraising initiative for our school through newspaper subscriptions. This fundraiser is completely voluntary, although any efforts made to raise money for our school is always greatly appreciated. Here is some more information on this subject.
Every subscription that is received through this fundraiser will mean 20 dollars for our school, and every student who brings in a subscription will be entered into a draw for prizes as well. One lucky class could also win an iPad mini!
More paper subscription forms are available at the office (just send a note if you would like more). Also, if a potential subscriber is interested in a digital subscription, he or she should subscribe online and print their confirmation of registration for your child to bring into school as proof of a subscription. If you do not have access to a printer, you may email the confirmation to myself or Mme Tessmann and we will print it on your behalf.
Please refer to the cardstock page that was sent home for more information. If you have any questions about this initiative, please let us know and we will do our best to find the answer.
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!
Every subscription that is received through this fundraiser will mean 20 dollars for our school, and every student who brings in a subscription will be entered into a draw for prizes as well. One lucky class could also win an iPad mini!
More paper subscription forms are available at the office (just send a note if you would like more). Also, if a potential subscriber is interested in a digital subscription, he or she should subscribe online and print their confirmation of registration for your child to bring into school as proof of a subscription. If you do not have access to a printer, you may email the confirmation to myself or Mme Tessmann and we will print it on your behalf.
Please refer to the cardstock page that was sent home for more information. If you have any questions about this initiative, please let us know and we will do our best to find the answer.
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
News for this week
Bonjour tout le monde,
Here is some news about what's happening this week at École Victoria:
Wednesday (Tomorrow) is the International Day of Pink. Many students and teachers will be wearing pink to celebrate diversity and raise awareness to stop bullying.
Thursday, April 11th is a school spirit day where all the students will be wearing a colour depending on their grade. Grade 1 students are supposed to wear red on this day. We will also be opening up our class store where students will be able to purchase items with their pretend money that they have been earning for speaking French and working hard.
On Friday, April 12th we will be watching a performance by the Persephone Theatre at 9:10am in the gym. There will also be a dance in the afternoon from 12:45-1:30 for our students in the gym. Please bring $1.00 and a non-perishable food item on this day.
That's all for now. Have a wonderful week!
Here is some news about what's happening this week at École Victoria:
Wednesday (Tomorrow) is the International Day of Pink. Many students and teachers will be wearing pink to celebrate diversity and raise awareness to stop bullying.
Thursday, April 11th is a school spirit day where all the students will be wearing a colour depending on their grade. Grade 1 students are supposed to wear red on this day. We will also be opening up our class store where students will be able to purchase items with their pretend money that they have been earning for speaking French and working hard.
On Friday, April 12th we will be watching a performance by the Persephone Theatre at 9:10am in the gym. There will also be a dance in the afternoon from 12:45-1:30 for our students in the gym. Please bring $1.00 and a non-perishable food item on this day.
That's all for now. Have a wonderful week!
Friday, March 29, 2013
Happy Easter!
It was wonderful to see parents and caregivers for the three-way conferences this week. Here is the latest news in Grade 1 French Immersion:
Les Sciences Naturelles - Les cinq sens
I hope you all had a chance to take a look at your child's poster of the five senses which were displayed in the hallway. Here is what we learned for each sens and how we incorporated our learning for final project on Les 5 sens:
1)La
vue (Sight)
We looked at our pupils in the mirror after closing our eyes and after looking at the light from the window and noticed how our pupils change size depending on the lighting in the room. We added a mirror (using tinfoil) to our poster to represent sight.
2) L’ouïe (Hearing)
We did experiments to test our listening skills and then we added a bell to our poster to represent hearing.
3) L'odorat (Smell)
We did experiments to test our sense of smell and then I added a drop of orange essential oil to everyone's posters to represent smell.
4) Le goût (Taste)
We learned about tastebuds on our tongue. Then we ate some chewing gum and timed how long it took for the flavour to disappear. We added our chewing gum to our poster to represent taste.
5) Le toucher (Touch)
We learned about different textures (mou, dur, doux, rugueux, lisse) and added an object to each finger to represent something floppy, hard, soft, rough, and smooth.
Les Sciences Naturelles - Les cinq sens
I hope you all had a chance to take a look at your child's poster of the five senses which were displayed in the hallway. Here is what we learned for each sens and how we incorporated our learning for final project on Les 5 sens:
1)La
vue (Sight)We looked at our pupils in the mirror after closing our eyes and after looking at the light from the window and noticed how our pupils change size depending on the lighting in the room. We added a mirror (using tinfoil) to our poster to represent sight.
2) L’ouïe (Hearing)
We did experiments to test our listening skills and then we added a bell to our poster to represent hearing.
3) L'odorat (Smell)We did experiments to test our sense of smell and then I added a drop of orange essential oil to everyone's posters to represent smell.
4) Le goût (Taste)
We learned about tastebuds on our tongue. Then we ate some chewing gum and timed how long it took for the flavour to disappear. We added our chewing gum to our poster to represent taste.
5) Le toucher (Touch)
We learned about different textures (mou, dur, doux, rugueux, lisse) and added an object to each finger to represent something floppy, hard, soft, rough, and smooth.
I think that the students really enjoyed this project - and so did I! I borrowed this wonderful idea from another teacher's blog who is a great resource for French Immersion primary teachers. If you are interested, you can find her blog here.
Awnya's skiing video
On Tuesday, Awnya presented a video to the class that she made while on holiday in Golden, B.C. We really enjoyed watching her daringly ski in between trees and over a few jumps and speak to us in French. Her mother has given me permission to share it with you, so if your child would like to watch it again, you can see her amazing skills here.
Home reading
On Wednesday, I sent home the Alphabet 213 Phrases for home reading (we have read as a class up to the letter L, but feel free to read further if your child is motivated to!). I also added a copy of a play we have been learning (La Poule Maboule) to the home reading duotangs, which your child may wish to read over the break. For a really cute video of a bunch of students in Ontario presenting the play, click here.
School supplies
We are also running low on a few items at school, so the break may be the perfect time to pick up some of these items so that your child will continue to be well-prepared for learning for the last 3 months of school. I had the class take a look at their supplies and write down what they were missing if it was something essential for the remainder of the year (ie. dried up markers are not a big concern, as long as he or she has something to colour with). We are also down to the last few kleenex boxes so if you could send a box with your child after the break, that would be greatly appreciated!
Joyeuses Pâques!
To celebrate Easter, I have found a youtube video of Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit told in French here. And here is a song about Easter en français that your child might enjoy:
I hope everyone has a wonderful break! We will see your child back at school on Monday, April 8th.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Term 2 Progress Reports
Progress Reports are coming home today. For some tips on how to approach reviewing and discussing this document with your child, please see my blog entry on the subject from term 1.
When looking at your child's marks, please keep in mind that as the school days increase, so do the expectations. Though a student may have received a B in term one, and a second B in term two, it does not mean that there has been no progress. It simply means that the student is beginning to meet the expectations for this point in the year.
A few of your child's teachers have sent their program summaries for term 2. Here they are:
1)From Mr. Schneider, our Physical Education Teacher:
Movement Perspective
In physical education we are working on, and will continue to work on, basic movement skills through developmental games and rhythmic activities. The basic movement patterns include sending, receiving, accompanying, evading and locomotion skills. The skills are performed at different levels (high, medium, low) and along different pathways (straight, curved, and zigzag).
Personal and Social Perspective
Physical education is an excellent opportunity to evaluate how students interact with classmates. Do they; include and accept all class-mates, support and help class-mates who are struggling with a skill, take responsibility for their actions, listens attentively/stays on task, stay within the rules of an activity, and display positive leadership skills. The list of personal and social skills addressed in physical education is almost endless.
Active Living Perspective
Hopefully, as students gain skills and knowledge they will come to value and embrace physical activity as an extreme important aspect of their lives.
Research has shown the importance of physical activity to the physical health and wellness of children. Research is now showing one of the best ways to maximize the brain, and therefore academic performance, is through movement.
-pursuit and proper angling techniques
-agility
-cooperative movement
-body/space awareness
-flexibility
-hand-eye coordination
-dribbling
-throwing
-catching
-strength and fitness techniques
2)From Mme Denomy:
This term, students learned about some First Nations traditions, celebrations and aspects of worldview. To better understand these concepts, students listened to a variety of stories and legends, and have recently completed a “Circle Book” which explores and explains some of the traditional teachings of the Medicine Wheel.
3) A paper copy of Mrs. Graham's Arts Education Program Summary was sent home with the progress reports.
We are looking forward to meeting with you and your child for three-way conferences next week. Please contact the office to book an appointment if you have not already done so.
If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us.
Have a wonderful weekend!
When looking at your child's marks, please keep in mind that as the school days increase, so do the expectations. Though a student may have received a B in term one, and a second B in term two, it does not mean that there has been no progress. It simply means that the student is beginning to meet the expectations for this point in the year.
A few of your child's teachers have sent their program summaries for term 2. Here they are:
1)From Mr. Schneider, our Physical Education Teacher:
Movement Perspective
In physical education we are working on, and will continue to work on, basic movement skills through developmental games and rhythmic activities. The basic movement patterns include sending, receiving, accompanying, evading and locomotion skills. The skills are performed at different levels (high, medium, low) and along different pathways (straight, curved, and zigzag).
Personal and Social Perspective
Physical education is an excellent opportunity to evaluate how students interact with classmates. Do they; include and accept all class-mates, support and help class-mates who are struggling with a skill, take responsibility for their actions, listens attentively/stays on task, stay within the rules of an activity, and display positive leadership skills. The list of personal and social skills addressed in physical education is almost endless.
Active Living Perspective
Hopefully, as students gain skills and knowledge they will come to value and embrace physical activity as an extreme important aspect of their lives.
Research has shown the importance of physical activity to the physical health and wellness of children. Research is now showing one of the best ways to maximize the brain, and therefore academic performance, is through movement.
The following skills have been stressed this term:
-bilateral coordination-pursuit and proper angling techniques
-agility
-cooperative movement
-body/space awareness
-flexibility
-hand-eye coordination
-dribbling
-throwing
-catching
-strength and fitness techniques
2)From Mme Denomy:
This term, students learned about some First Nations traditions, celebrations and aspects of worldview. To better understand these concepts, students listened to a variety of stories and legends, and have recently completed a “Circle Book” which explores and explains some of the traditional teachings of the Medicine Wheel.
3) A paper copy of Mrs. Graham's Arts Education Program Summary was sent home with the progress reports.
We are looking forward to meeting with you and your child for three-way conferences next week. Please contact the office to book an appointment if you have not already done so.
If you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Update
Hello parents,
Here are some updates about this month:
Me to We Penny Collection
Each class was given a bag in which to collect pennies. This is part of the Free the Children/Me to We initiative (same as Water Rafiki Friend Chains). The class that collects the most pennies wins an ice cream party. We discussed that the reason we are collecting pennies is to help others, not to win a party (but it would be a cool bonus). So please send any pennies that you may have lying around and help us to help others.
Report cards and Three-way Conferences
Progress reports will be sent home on Friday, March 22nd. Three-way conferences will be held on Tuesday, March 26th from 4-8pm and on Wednesday, March 27th from 4-7pm. Please call the office to schedule a time.
Perimeter Lockdown Drill Tomorrow
We will be having a perimeter lockdown drill on Thursday, March 14th at around 2:15pm
That's it for now. Looking forward to seeing you at the end of the month!
Here are some updates about this month:
Me to We Penny Collection
Each class was given a bag in which to collect pennies. This is part of the Free the Children/Me to We initiative (same as Water Rafiki Friend Chains). The class that collects the most pennies wins an ice cream party. We discussed that the reason we are collecting pennies is to help others, not to win a party (but it would be a cool bonus). So please send any pennies that you may have lying around and help us to help others.
Report cards and Three-way Conferences
Progress reports will be sent home on Friday, March 22nd. Three-way conferences will be held on Tuesday, March 26th from 4-8pm and on Wednesday, March 27th from 4-7pm. Please call the office to schedule a time.
Perimeter Lockdown Drill Tomorrow
We will be having a perimeter lockdown drill on Thursday, March 14th at around 2:15pm
That's it for now. Looking forward to seeing you at the end of the month!
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
An update
I hope everyone had a wonderful break. Here is some news about our learning over the last little while and where we're headed.
This month, we have been learning about the following sounds:
- é makes the sound ay
- è, and ê both make the e sound like in the English word wet
- the hard c (c dur), which makes a /k/ sound when it is found before an a, o, and u (ca, co, cu) as well as l or r (cl, cr)
- the soft c (c doux), which makes a /s/ sound when it is found before an e, i, or y (ce, ci, cy) as well as when it has a cédille (ç)
- the hard g (g dur), which makes a /g/ sound when it is found before an a, o, and u (just like the hard c rule)
- and the soft g (g doux), which makes a french j sound like in the words we borrow from French like déja vu or mirage
Soon we will be sorting all of the c words from the last 3 word study cycles (there are many!) to find all the soft and hard c as a way to help reinforce the rules we are learning and explore the words in a new way using a Venn Diagram. We will also be exploring and reviewing the sound ch which makes the English /sh/.
The extra attention to these sounds may help your child in sounding out words at home, especially if they get a reminder here and there from you when needed! :)
Speaking of reading, I should also mention that we have been learning various reading strategies at school. So far we have learned:
1) when we come to a tricky word, say the first sound of the word and then start again (if the word pops into our head when we do it again, we should double check the letters in the word and the picture to see if it makes sense)
2) if that doesn't work, we should try to sound out the word (keeping in mind of letters that stick together to make new sounds like ou, or on, etc.)
I tell my students to always always always ask the question: est-ce que ça fait du sens? (Does it make sense?) while reading and to look at it again if it doesn't. Good readers look at the pictures, the letters, and the other words around the tricky word when decoding.
I hope that helps you in encouraging your child when reading at home.
Today, we also learned a new song called Bonjour l'hiver which ties in very nicely to our poster's theme. Here is the video for those students who would like to practice it at home.
As always, if you have any questions, please let us know. Have a great rest of the week!
This month, we have been learning about the following sounds:
- é makes the sound ay
- è, and ê both make the e sound like in the English word wet
- the hard c (c dur), which makes a /k/ sound when it is found before an a, o, and u (ca, co, cu) as well as l or r (cl, cr)
- the soft c (c doux), which makes a /s/ sound when it is found before an e, i, or y (ce, ci, cy) as well as when it has a cédille (ç)
- the hard g (g dur), which makes a /g/ sound when it is found before an a, o, and u (just like the hard c rule)
- and the soft g (g doux), which makes a french j sound like in the words we borrow from French like déja vu or mirage
Soon we will be sorting all of the c words from the last 3 word study cycles (there are many!) to find all the soft and hard c as a way to help reinforce the rules we are learning and explore the words in a new way using a Venn Diagram. We will also be exploring and reviewing the sound ch which makes the English /sh/.
The extra attention to these sounds may help your child in sounding out words at home, especially if they get a reminder here and there from you when needed! :)
Speaking of reading, I should also mention that we have been learning various reading strategies at school. So far we have learned:
1) when we come to a tricky word, say the first sound of the word and then start again (if the word pops into our head when we do it again, we should double check the letters in the word and the picture to see if it makes sense)
2) if that doesn't work, we should try to sound out the word (keeping in mind of letters that stick together to make new sounds like ou, or on, etc.)
I tell my students to always always always ask the question: est-ce que ça fait du sens? (Does it make sense?) while reading and to look at it again if it doesn't. Good readers look at the pictures, the letters, and the other words around the tricky word when decoding.
I hope that helps you in encouraging your child when reading at home.
Today, we also learned a new song called Bonjour l'hiver which ties in very nicely to our poster's theme. Here is the video for those students who would like to practice it at home.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Concours d'art oratoire
Our students have been presented three easy French poems and were asked to choose one to memorize and present to our class, after which we will choose a few volunteers to present their poem to the French immersion classes during an assembly. Students will be presenting their poem to the class next Wednesday and Thursday. The school will be holding the French speaking Oral Presentation assembly on March 11th or 12th (the exact date and time is still being finalized), and we will have three students from our class volunteer to present their poems on this day.
Please have your child practice to memorize his or her poem by reading it nightly as part of the home reading program in order to be well-prepared and feel confident in presenting to the class next week. During the presentation we will be looking for:
- a clear and loud speaking voice
- enthusiasm
- audience eye contact
- a relaxed and natural body
- a memorized poem.
You will find your child's chosen poem in the Home Reading duotang tonight. Thanks for your help with this activity. We think it will be great practice and a lot of fun!
Please have your child practice to memorize his or her poem by reading it nightly as part of the home reading program in order to be well-prepared and feel confident in presenting to the class next week. During the presentation we will be looking for:
- a clear and loud speaking voice
- enthusiasm
- audience eye contact
- a relaxed and natural body
- a memorized poem.
You will find your child's chosen poem in the Home Reading duotang tonight. Thanks for your help with this activity. We think it will be great practice and a lot of fun!
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Embrasse quatre fois
Happy Valentine's Day!
Joyeuse Saint Valentin!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
A Quick Update
Just a few quick notes, as I am at home sick today and should be in bed resting:
- Students went on a walking trip with their care partners in Mme De Tilly's Grade 4/5 class today in order to deliver some class-made valentines to members of the community to show kindness for others.
- Students will be visiting the Seniors at the Cosmo's Seniors Centre this Friday to sing a song together with Mme Hada's class and share a book or two with the seniors in attendance. We will be there from 12:45-1:30 and, although volunteers are not required, parents are welcome to join us. Madame Hada and I are trying to make this a biweekly event.
- A parent shared an "app" for iPhone that came in handy while working on the home reading and I wanted to share it with you. It's called iTranslate and there is a free version available on iTunes. You can type in a word in French and see the translation in English and hear it said in French. I hope that some of you will benefit from this resource.
- There is no school for students next week. School will resume on Monday, February 25th.
- I hope to blog some more soon as I have many other things to share with you so stay tuned for more information!
- Students went on a walking trip with their care partners in Mme De Tilly's Grade 4/5 class today in order to deliver some class-made valentines to members of the community to show kindness for others.
- Students will be visiting the Seniors at the Cosmo's Seniors Centre this Friday to sing a song together with Mme Hada's class and share a book or two with the seniors in attendance. We will be there from 12:45-1:30 and, although volunteers are not required, parents are welcome to join us. Madame Hada and I are trying to make this a biweekly event.
- A parent shared an "app" for iPhone that came in handy while working on the home reading and I wanted to share it with you. It's called iTranslate and there is a free version available on iTunes. You can type in a word in French and see the translation in English and hear it said in French. I hope that some of you will benefit from this resource.
- There is no school for students next week. School will resume on Monday, February 25th.
- I hope to blog some more soon as I have many other things to share with you so stay tuned for more information!
Friday, February 8, 2013
Word Study Unit 3 - On patine
We have just finished pulling the words out of our poster this morning, and I am sending home a page in the Home Reading duotangs as homework for the weekend. I have also posted youtube videos of myself reading the words in order to help students along in reading them. Here they are:
You will notice that there is one word missing from the page sent home (l'écorce). That is because a student was absent yesterday and we had to add hers in just this morning. You or your child can add the word to the page yourself. Merci!
Here is our completed word study poster for your reference:
We spent the last part of the day today celebrating Chinese New Year as an extension to our last word study unit. This involved reading a few stories, making a dragon puppet, trying to eat a marshmallow using chopsticks, colouring pages, making red fans, and receiving a fortune cookie and a red candy for good luck. I think the students had a great day.
Don't forget to hand in your 100 day projects this Monday, February 11th.
Happy Chinese New Year on Sunday!
Here is our completed word study poster for your reference:
We spent the last part of the day today celebrating Chinese New Year as an extension to our last word study unit. This involved reading a few stories, making a dragon puppet, trying to eat a marshmallow using chopsticks, colouring pages, making red fans, and receiving a fortune cookie and a red candy for good luck. I think the students had a great day.
Don't forget to hand in your 100 day projects this Monday, February 11th.
Happy Chinese New Year on Sunday!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Cosmo's Senior Centre
Bonjour les parents,
I just wanted to let you know that tomorrow we will be going to visit the senior's across the street at Cosmo's Senior Centre from 1-1:30. The plan is to come in after lunch, take attendance, and then walk over with Mme Hada's Grade 1 class. We will be singing an alphabet song that we have been singing since the beginning of the year and then the students will be paired up with a senior to read their class story Le Repas Spécial de la famille Chinoise. If this booklet is at home, please make sure it is returned to school tomorrow. As was the case before, parents are free to join us, although we do not require any volunteers for this activity.
Bonne fin de semaine!
Have a wonderful weekend!
I just wanted to let you know that tomorrow we will be going to visit the senior's across the street at Cosmo's Senior Centre from 1-1:30. The plan is to come in after lunch, take attendance, and then walk over with Mme Hada's Grade 1 class. We will be singing an alphabet song that we have been singing since the beginning of the year and then the students will be paired up with a senior to read their class story Le Repas Spécial de la famille Chinoise. If this booklet is at home, please make sure it is returned to school tomorrow. As was the case before, parents are free to join us, although we do not require any volunteers for this activity.
Bonne fin de semaine!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Thursday, January 24, 2013
100th Day of School Project
The 100th day of school is almost upon us! The 100th day of school is an important and very special day for us because this marks the day the students are able to count well to 100 in French! We count by 1, 2, 5 and 10, forwards and backwards. On Monday February 11th, we will celebrate this special day at school but we need your help. We are asking each student to collect 100 small items (these should all be the same type of item). With those 100 items, and with the help of family members, each student is asked to create a type of collage, design or sculpture at home using all 100 items. On Monday February 11th, the students will then bring their 100th day project to school and show it to the other students in the class. This will be shared as a “Temps de Partage - Show & Tell” activity. Each student will be given the opportunity at school to show their project to the class and explain in French what they made as well as how and with what they made it. The projects will then be displayed in the class or perhaps in another location of the school for others to see and enjoy. Here are some ideas of items the students may use:
· Cheerios
· Pennies
· Balloons
· Jellybeans
· Toothpicks
· Buttons
· Autographs
· Puzzle pieces
· Pretzels
· Stickers
· Golf tees
· Beans
· Elastic bands
· Mini Erasers
· Beads
· Noodles
· Pictures (magazine cut-outs)
· Etc. (Let your imaginations run wild!)
We encourage you to be as creative as you like and would like to thank you in advance for your help with this assignment. If you have any questions, please call either one of us at the school and we’ll be happy to help you. (683-7470)
Sincerely,
Mme Tessmann & Mme Hegarty
New Classroom Management System starting on Monday
Thursday January 24, 2013
Starting on Monday, we are going to begin using a new classroom management system starting to try and encourage students to use more French while speaking in class as well as focusing on positive individual behavior.
Once a week, the students will have a chance to exchange their money for alternate bills. For example, once a student has collected 10 one dollar bills they can exchange it for a $10 dollar bill, etc. Once students have earned a pre-determined amount of money, they will have the opportunity to spend their hard earned money on prizes at our class store. They may also choose to save up their money to buy a larger prize later on if they wish.
This system will be great for encouraging positive behavior while teaching the students’ to take more responsibility for their own learning. Students will learn about and practice essential math and practical life skills by learning how to earn and use their own money in a real life type situation. If you are ever cleaning out toy boxes, book shelves, jewelry boxes, arts & crafts drawers at home and come across gently used items that you would be willing to donate to our class store, we would greatly appreciate these items to include in our class store.
Merci!
À la prochaine,
Friday, January 18, 2013
Me to We Campaign
Today, members of our school's SLC came by our classroom to let us know about a new initiative at our school, which is to sell beaded necklaces in order to raise money to help those without access to clean drinking water.These necklaces are called Water Rafiki Friend Chains and they are $10.00 each. A blue order form was sent home today and are due back to the school by Thursday, January 31st. Below is a Youtube video on the subject:
For more information about this initiative, visit http://www.weday.com/. If you are interested and able to, please consider helping the SLC with this worthy cause by purchasing Water Rafiki Necklaces for friends, family, and yourself.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Cosmo Senior's Centre Visits
Our class and Mme Hada’s grade one French immersion class have been approved for a grant, our project being : organized visits across 11th St. to the Cosmo Seniors Centre to sing songs for the seniors in attendance, to read both English and French books with the seniors, to do arts and crafts activities with the seniors, and to occasionally prepare, serve and share nutritious snacks with the seniors. This fits in nicely with our school's theme this month, which is Kindness, and we are hoping to foster a friendship with and kindness towards Seniors in the community throughout the year through these visits.
Our first visit will be this Friday afternoon from 1:00 – 1:30 p.m. Our class will present a short song, and we will bring some French and English books to share with the seniors in attendance. Cosmo Senior's Centre is not a residence but a recreation centre for seniors with planned activities. Parents are welcome to join us, but parent volunteers are not required.
Our first visit will be this Friday afternoon from 1:00 – 1:30 p.m. Our class will present a short song, and we will bring some French and English books to share with the seniors in attendance. Cosmo Senior's Centre is not a residence but a recreation centre for seniors with planned activities. Parents are welcome to join us, but parent volunteers are not required.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Bonne Année!
Happy New Year!
Well as you see, I'm finally updating the blog, so that means that we are finally getting back into the swing of things in 2013!
First of all, I wanted to let you know that I had quite a bit of trouble uploading all the audio files to the Glogster poster (as you probably noticed), so I apologize for that. It wasn't for a lack of trying, I promise you! Unfortunately there seem to be some glitches with that site and I just wasn't able to make it fully functional. I hope it was still a useful tool for at home learning.
Over the past week, we have been creating and learning to read sentences for our word study poster and are now moving to the next phase of the process: paragraph writing. Tomorrow I will be modeling a paragraph I wrote using some of the sentences that the students created and they will continue to work on paragraph with Madame Tessmann as well next week. I have created an online book on Flipsnack that contains the paragraph we will be learning tomorrow as well as all of our sentences and words from this cycle. They are three different books all on the same link (you just have to click "Next" on the bottom of the page to see each book). These can all be downloaded (in pdf format) if you would like a copy for your home use. Here is the link for the Flipsnack online books. We will not be sending home the sentences in card format this cycle (in an effort to save paper), but if you would like a hard copy sent home, please let us know.
A few other things to mention:
- Mme Tessmann sent home information today about this month's Temps de Partage.
- We will be starting our Home Reading Program next week.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Well as you see, I'm finally updating the blog, so that means that we are finally getting back into the swing of things in 2013!
First of all, I wanted to let you know that I had quite a bit of trouble uploading all the audio files to the Glogster poster (as you probably noticed), so I apologize for that. It wasn't for a lack of trying, I promise you! Unfortunately there seem to be some glitches with that site and I just wasn't able to make it fully functional. I hope it was still a useful tool for at home learning.
Over the past week, we have been creating and learning to read sentences for our word study poster and are now moving to the next phase of the process: paragraph writing. Tomorrow I will be modeling a paragraph I wrote using some of the sentences that the students created and they will continue to work on paragraph with Madame Tessmann as well next week. I have created an online book on Flipsnack that contains the paragraph we will be learning tomorrow as well as all of our sentences and words from this cycle. They are three different books all on the same link (you just have to click "Next" on the bottom of the page to see each book). These can all be downloaded (in pdf format) if you would like a copy for your home use. Here is the link for the Flipsnack online books. We will not be sending home the sentences in card format this cycle (in an effort to save paper), but if you would like a hard copy sent home, please let us know.
A few other things to mention:
- Mme Tessmann sent home information today about this month's Temps de Partage.
- We will be starting our Home Reading Program next week.
Have a wonderful weekend!
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