Friday, March 23rd, 2018

Hi Families,

Thank you to everyone who came to Student-Led conferences yesterday and today. It was so exciting to see how your children became leaders in their own learning, from teaching you about visualization of numbers through a Number Talk, to "juicy words" in their "Sometimes I Feel Like a..." writing. Proud students, proud teacher!

Two of the math games students demonstrated are excellent ways to support your child's number sense to 100 at home: Hundreds Board Connect 4 and Shut the Box. If you would like to try these at home, but forget the instructions, or how to support your child with efficient strategies, I've linked them here:

Shut the Box: https://nrich.maths.org/6074 (we do all variations in one game - face values, sums and differences)

Hundreds Board Connect 4: http://wrb.scdsb.on.ca/Documents/Connect%204.pdf (we don't switch colours like the instructions list)

As always, if you have any questions after you've sat and digested your child's conference, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Looking ahead to April, I wondered if anyone was available Wednesday, April 4th (morning or afternoon) to support the recording of our folktales. I promise all the techie, green-screen stuff will happen on my end, it will just be straight recording. 

There will be field-trip opportunities this month for volunteering, please watch your emails for more information.

Have a restful and rejuvenating break everyone! See you on Tuesdsay, April 3rd!

Ms. Thomas

Community Education Service (CES)

Hi Families, 

Did you know...the Community Education Service (CES) provides parents/caregivers and other community members with opportunities to access FREE, public education sessions on child and youth emotional wellness and health topics? 

In April, there are some incredibly interesting sessions listed: http://community.hmhc.ca/sessions/?p=in-person

You can also sign up for their newsletter if you're interested in receiving future seminars. 

              

Friday, March 16th, 2018

Hi Families,

With the introduction of composting to our school, we took some time this week to analyze our lunch bags and collect data on what kind of waste we had: garbage, refundable, recycling or compost. It was a great way to practice and reinforce which bin each kind of waste goes, and also to recognize that we are already doing a great job at NOT creating waste...our lunches were FILLED with reusable containers! Way to go! One goal we have as a classroom, and school, is to remember to put our papertowels in the compost.

In class, students were given the Spring Scholastic book orders, and a budget of either $25 or $100 to make a wish list of items. This was a great activity to see how students approach a problem like this: some did running addition working up to their total budget, while others did running subtraction working towards $0. It was also insightful to see what materials students used to add or subtract, and which strategies they applied to those materials. Overall, a very insightful activity into where each child is at with their computation skills.

We were treated to another fantastic presentation by Kananaskis in the Classroom about wetlands. As always, the lively production kept students thoroughly entertained. Our class also received a follow-up in-class session where we learned more about beavers:

"Beavers have two eyelids - one like ours and one for swimming underwater" T.H.
"Beavers have orange teeth because of iron" Q.F.
"Beavers have two kinds of fur - one layer to keep them warm, one layer to keep them dry" H.R.M
"Beavers chew trees because their teeth will just keep growing and growing, going through their skull" A.L.
"Beavers have molars for chewing" V.P.
"Beavers store food in summer so that they can survive winter" N.K.
"Beavers have webbed feet to swim faster" E.L.
"Beavers use their tails for slapping mud onto the wood to make walls" A.N.
"Beavers use their tails for slapping to act as an alarm" M.K.
"Beavers use bark for food" W.N
"Muskrats have a rat tail, but the beaver has a flat tail, shaped like the end of a paddle" C.R.
"Beavers have an oil they shoot to mark their territory" G.Z.
"Beavers use their tails for swimming, to steer themselves" K.M.
"Beavers don't eat coniferous trees, they eat deciduous trees like willow" T.S.

With our buddies, we took advantage of what we hoped was our last snowfall, by getting outside to do "snow painting". Students used powdered tempera in salt shakers to sprinkle on their watercolour paper, and wait for snowflakes to hit. The results are so beautiful, and so unique!

We started planning our Canadian Animal Folktales! In the past weeks, we have:

• Explored the difference between folktales and fairytales
• Identified the unique features of our chosen Canadian animal
• Watched and listened to, a variety of folktales from different cultures
• Developed three folktales title ideas  

How did the Peregrine Falcon get its hooked beak?

How did the Blue Whale get its blowhole?

How did the Grey Wolf get its colour?

This week, we started to plan our folktale writing by discussing setting, characters, beginning, middle and end. We developed co-created examples using Tinga Tinga Tales "Why the Hummingbird Hums" and Spirit Animals "How the Owl Got it's Big Eyes" which we were already familiar with. 

Using a story map, we worked step-by-step, to identify these different components of our story, each day adding an additional step. We did something silly and planned the beginning and end of our story first, with the intention to develop the middle next week. Then, we can get writing, and share the process with you at conferences next Thursday and Friday!

If you have not already done so, please book a conference time using My CBE Account. Please note that these are Student-Led Conferences. Please come to the conferences with your child, as they will be leading you through the conference, and together you will be exploring their work and learning progress. There will be no formal meeting time set aside at Student-led Conferences as there will be more than one family in the room at a time. Teachers are available to work alongside you and your child during your conference time. If you feel the need to talk to your child’s teacher about specific concerns please contact the teacher directly and book an additional appointment time.  *Due to the active role parents take during a conference we ask that younger and/or older siblings not accompany you*

Please see the additional blog notes regarding our Love of Literacy Week, Pajama Day, Family Literacy Morning and Book Exchange! 

A reminder that this upcoming Thursday, March 22nd is an early dismissal at 11:38am. 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Ms. Thomas

Yearbook Orders

Lake Bonavista School

ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK TODAY

DON’T MISS OUT!

Help us keep our yearbook going as we only have 66 yearbooks ordered and we are

contracted to sell 176. The yearbook is created by parent volunteers and there are no

additional funds raised. It is created for your children to enjoy.

If you have already ordered please disregard.

Only $20.00

PAY ONLINE @ www.YBPay.lifetouch.ca

Yearbook ID code is 11352718

Thank you for supporting our school!!!

Knitting Club Links

Hi Knitting Club Members, 

Here are some online videos to help you if you are wanting to keep practicing at home:

Casting on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd0BPAtQpNQ

Basic knit stitch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esEtUaa-Pwg

Purl stitch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbtnjHrb_Hg

Casting off: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTAO80lAQOs

Happy Knitting!

Book Drive/Exchange

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Did you know… over 15 million Canadian adults will have low literacy by 2031? We at LBS know the importance of learning to love reading and all kinds of books! We also want to share that passion with others!

Literacy week is coming and the Students in Action are organizing a BOOK DRIVE/EXCHANGE!

Please donate any books you don’t want anymore to our book drive. For every 2 books donated, your child will receive one book ticket.

YES that means that if you donate 40 books, your child will receive 20 tickets and be able to choose 20 books to take home from all our collected books!

We will be collecting and organizing all the donated books in the gym for selection on Thursday March 22^nd from 10:30 to 11:30.

So, what will happen to all the extra books collected and not chosen? We are so glad you asked that! The extra books will be donated to a school or organization in need. Students in Action are very excited to be able to give back to our community as well as offer a book exchange for the students of LBS.

Please help us to make a difference by sending in your gently used children’s books for the book drive. We kindly ask that the books are in good condition and do not have any significant damage. The books donated need to be appropriate for children aged 2 to 14. This would include: fiction, non-fiction, comic books, graphic novels, chapter books and picture books.

Thank your your support!

Kind Regards,

Students in Action

Love of Literacy Week - Family Literacy Day - PJ Day - Book Exchange

From Monday, March 19th to Thursday, March 22nd, Lake Bonavista School will be celebrating literacy!

Throughout the week, students from the grade 6 Students In Action Club will be coordinating the Book Drive and Exchange to promote love of reading. They

 will also be treating us to daily read aloud of their favourite books

In addition, there are some school-wide activities happening:

Monday - Community Member Read-Aloud

Tuesday - Author Visit

Wednesday - Teacher Swap

Thursday - Family Literacy Morning, Pyjama Day and Book Exchange

On Thursday, March 22nd, we invite you to join us from 10:30am - 11:30am for a Family Literacy Morning! Snuggle up with your child and a book in various

 locations around the school. You can also take this time to visit the Book Exchange in the gymnasium, and help your child decide how to spend their book tickets.

Because of the numbers of people we expect, please find alternate care for siblings that do not attend Lake Bonavista School.

A reminder that Thursday, March 22nd is an early-dismissal.

Book Drive/Exchange

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Did you know… over 15 million Canadian adults will have low literacy by 2031? We at LBS know the importance of learning to love reading and all kinds of books! We also want to share that passion with others!

Literacy week is coming and the Students in Action are organizing a BOOK DRIVE/EXCHANGE!

Please donate any books you don’t want anymore to our book drive. For every 2 books donated, your child will receive one book ticket.

YES that means that if you donate 40 books, your child will receive 20 tickets and be able to choose 20 books to take home from all our collected books!

We will be collecting and organizing all the donated books in the gym for selection on Thursday March 22^nd from 10:30 to 11:30.

So, what will happen to all the extra books collected and not chosen? We are so glad you asked that! The extra books will be donated to a school or organization in need. Students in Action are very excited to be able to give back to our community as well as offer a book exchange for the students of LBS.

Please help us to make a difference by sending in your gently used children’s books for the book drive. We kindly ask that the books are in good condition and do not have any significant damage. The books donated need to be appropriate for children aged 2 to 14. This would include: fiction, non-fiction, comic books, graphic novels, chapter books and picture books.

Thank your your support!

Kind Regards,

Students in Action.

Friday, March 9th, 2018

Hi Families,

Thanks to the Lake Bonavista Green Team for their assembly on composting today! We are going to try our best to cut our waste, and use the recycling bin, refundables bin and composting container to become a greener school!

This week in Phys. Ed. students had the opportunity to explore the sport of curling through our visiting Rocks and Rings program. Everyone was excited to learn some new skills, and even develop some strategies for scoring points. Thank you to our Active Living Committee, and School Council, for organizing and sponsoring this program.

As a class, we were inspired by the book "Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox" by Danielle Daniel to explore how we could write about the animals of our own masks. You can watch the story here with your child: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8TgzzX9ZhI Students contributed to brainstorm webs of adjectives and verbs, later using them to create a short, descriptive piece of writing that reflected their understanding of the animal they chose, in the style of the story.

We used our texture paper from the time with Mrs. Stables to create a background for our writing and folktale. Students learned about background and foreground in order to create a layered piece of art, maximizing the use of their paper.

We look forward to sharing our work with you at conferences on March 22nd and 23rd. Conference bookings open Wednesday, March 14th.

As we make room for our own masks, masks from home were returned today. Thank you to all the families who sent examples in for us to explore!

March Scholastic book orders went home this week. They are due Wednesday, March 14th if you would like to order. Cheques or online payment only please.

Have a wonderful warm weekend everyone!
Ms. Thomas

MAPSS Movie Night

Movie Night at Landmark Cinemas!

This special event is to connect  with families of the Montessori schools and bring awareness to the communities about Montessori Alternative Public School Society (MAPSS) – who we are, what we do, and how we support the Montessori program in Calgary’s public schools and its teachers.

Click on link of the theater below to choose your movie!

2 Locations:    
Landmark Cinemas – Shawnessy
Landmark Cinemas – County Hills

April 7, 2018
Movie:    Sherlock Gnomes
Doors Open:    9:00am
Movie begins:    10:00am
Admission:  it’s FREE !!!           *Immediate Families only please