School Council Updates: T-Shirt Orders and Halloween Candy

A message from Lake Bonavista School Council...

• T-Shirt Sales have been EXTENDED to December 5! Order your T-shirt on the order form sent home or linked here: https://tinyurl.com/yd5o5vve Look on the bottom right under ‘Resources’

• School Council request: Donations of Halloween Candy! Send to school office or bring to Winter Concert.

Walking Field Trip to Nickle - Volunteers Needed!

Hi Families,

Next Monday, December 3rd, students in Rooms 8 and 11 will be doing a walking field trip to Nickle School as part of a collaborative learning project.

Students will need to dress for the weather, as we will be spending an extended period of time outdoors.

We require two additional adults to join us for this walking field trip. If you are available Monday morning, please send me an email. A current police clearance is required.

Thank you!
Ms Thomas

Northern Reflections - Winter Window Exhibition

Hi Families,

An artist friend of mine is a part of the Northern Reflections Winter Window Exhibition for the second year in a row.

If you'd like to do something new this holiday season, and take advantage of the warmer weather, you may want to check it out. Download the Augle app and take the kids downtown to see that magic that happens when you use Augmented Reality (AR) to view original art:

Northern Reflection Winter Window Exhibition

Friday, November 23rd, 2018

Hi Families,

Thank you to all the families who were able to come to Conferences. It was wonderful spending time with each of you, sharing your child's learning so far this year.

Our poem this week is a silly one from Shel Silverstein. It is long, so I've included a link to a video version to watch with your child: Sick by Shel Silverstein

We continued developing our learning about the needs of living things through our pumpkin and corn experiment. Students documented what they learned from the experiment through deduction, inferencing and materials in the classroom such as nomenclature.

The wondering continues as students proceeded to ask MORE questions. We now have three student driven experiments happening in our classroom:

1. Will the corn and pumpkin continue to grow if we give them all their basic needs: food, water, shelter, space and air? Each student repotted a seedling in a cup with soil to observe over time.

2. What will happen to the pumpkin and seeds that we did not harvest for repotting? The pumpkin is currently in a bucket covered with window screen in our classroom, rotting and sprouting away!

3. Do all corn kernals pop when heated? Students are harvesting the kernals from a calico corn cob with then intention of developing this experiment.

Continuing with our understanding of the brain, behaviour and learning, we started examining how we respond to problems. We watched a great video that made connections to our prior learning, and allowed for opportunities to scaffold our next steps:

Why Do We Lose Control Of Our Emotions?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bKuoH8CkFc

We brainstormed and documented big, medium and small problems on our Problem Thermometer, matching appropriate responses to each of the problems.

Finally, we did individual writing giving personal examples.

At home, you can chat with your child about the examples below - are they small, medium or big problems? How do you know? What should be the size of your reaction? What would that look like?

Next week, we will share our problem solving strategies, as well as learn new ones that are classroom friendly, and create a personal problem solving menu for when we need help.

Finally, we gathered and analyzed data from our Landforms Survey to determine which landforms are going to make up our constructed community. I was very impressed by the organization and interpretation of data, as well as their calm communication of ideas and solutions when the data wasn't what they hoped for.

Our original data.

Our adjusted data based on solutions proposed and voted on by the students.

So, we can finally announce that our community will have plains, a river and an ocean. Sounds like a nice holiday spot :) We look forward to constructing the land and bodies of water in the next week.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Ms Thomas

Monday, November 19th, 2018

Hi Families,

This morning, we started our week with some excitement! Look what happened to our pumpkin and corn over the weekend...

Students immediately started making connections to their previous learning about the needs of living things, and their original hypothesis, concluding that the pumpkin and corn must be getting all their basic needs as they are GROWING! Students then started generating new hypotheses for where the pumpkin got water from, and where the corn was getting nutrients from. We started documenting our observations and learning later in the morning.

We are also excited that we have received some deliveries of Story Spoons from generous parents who donated their time and talents to creating new literacy materials for the classroom. Look at our wonderful, growing collection so far:

Some reminders for the rest of the week:

Library exchange on Wednesday.

Growing Smiles Fundraiser Orders due Thursday, November 22nd.

Spirit Wear Orders are due this Friday, November 23rd.

Learning Conferences, Thursday, November 22nd: 4:00pm onwards

Learning Conferences, Friday, November 23rd: 8:00 - 1:00pm.

Scholastic Book Fair running in conjunction with Learning Conferences on Thursday and Friday.

No School for students, Friday, November 23rd.

Thank you everyone!
Ms. Thomas

Friday, November 16th, 2018

Hi Families,

Many of our classroom friends were sick this week :( I hope everyone has a restful weekend and feels better by Monday!

Landforms - This week, we continued exploring landforms, reviewing the names of common landforms, their characteristics (or attributes!) and the pros and cons to having each in our community. Students generated quite a list, reflecting on basic needs for survival as well as quality of life:

Attributes - We started some art to demonstrate our understanding of attributes. We hope to have these displayed during conferences to explain the criteria.

Number Sense Game - Students learned/reviewed/practiced the card game "Shut the Box" this week, and approached it from differentiated levels. Some students are learning about recognizing dot patterns at a glance (subitizing), counting on, counting back, and using tools and strategies for score keeping with addition of multiple addends. Phew!

To play "Shut the Box", you need 2 dice, and cards 1-12 (they do not need to be the same suit).

Start by laying out the cards in order, face up.
First player rolls both dice.
First player can turn over the card that matches either the sum (+) or difference (-) of the dice.

We are working towards automaticity of basic facts, but our entry strategy for developing these skills is being able to count on (start with the largest number and count on the other dice amount) and count back (start with the largest number and count back the other dice amount).

For example: if 4 and 5 are rolled, the player can turn over 9 (5...6,7,8,9) or 1 (5...4,3,2,1).

The first player continues to roll the dice, turning over cards until they can't turn over any more cards.

The cards that are left showing are the added together and that is the first players score.

The cards are turned back to face up, the dice are now passed to the second player for their turn, following the same process.

The winner is the person with the LOWEST score.

Current strategies we are using for adding scores:

1. Using a Hundred's Board, students start with the largest number and count on the other numbers until a total is reached.

2. Students work to group numbers to make 10 to develop mental math strategies, including deconstructing numbers (12 is 10 and 2).

Colour Groups - We had our second Colour Group activity today. Ask your child what they made in Colour Group, and what fun events happened during the assembly.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Ms. Thomas

November/December Scholastic - Due Date Extended

Hi Families,

With many students being away ill this week, I am extending the due date for the November/December Scholastic orders to Monday, November 19th.

If you would like to do an secret order for Christmas, please include follow up with an email or note in your child's mail folder, and I will keep your order tucked away for you to pick up at your convenience.

Cheques or online payment only.

Ms. Thomas

Gum, Fidgets and Other Learning Tools

Hi Families, 

I wanted to post this information as many students have questions about gum, fidgets and other items being brought to the classroom. 

Yes, I allow gum in our classroom. Other teachers in our school prefer not to have gum in their classrooms, so this permission to have gum is for our classroom only. For safety reasons, I have the clear expectation that gum not be chewed in gym, or outside while playing. To respect other classrooms and the school environment, we do not chew gum in the Music room or library. If we are visiting another classroom and the teacher asks us not to, we respect that. If I see or hear gum, it gets spit out. 

Students are more than welcome to bring tools into our classroom, including Finger Spinners, stress balls, massage rocks or small stuffies to help with their learning needs. 

We have a rule in our classroom, “Tools not toys”. Any tool has the ability to become a toy depending on how it’s used. If a student is using a fidget tool, I expect their eyes and ears to still be active, their attention to be on the activity,and their actions not distracting others. 

Any tool being used as a toy, will be taken from the student, and sent home at the end of the day. Before sending any tools for learning to school, please have a conversation with your child about expected behaviours. Gum included. I would recommend a conversation of how much and when (i.e. after snack for morning learning, and after lunch for afternoon learning). 

As an additional reminder, the Student/Parent Handbook (available through the Lake Bonavista website) states: Toys, digital technology & other personal items that are not requested by the teacher for educational purposes should not be brought to school. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. I am happy to clarify any of this information. Your support from home is appreciated! 

Thank you everyone!

Ms. Thomas

School Spirit Wear!

In your child's mail folder this evening, please find an order form for SCHOOL SPIRIT WEAR!

Orders due by Friday, November 23rd, 2018.

Growing Smiles Fundraiser

Dear Parents,

Growing Smiles is the Lake Bonavista Improvement Society's current fundraiser and the order deadline is approaching quickly. You can order a variety of Poinsettias, Holiday Planters, a beautiful Wreath and an Outdoor Planter.

To order visit: https://lakebonavistaschool.growingsmilesfundraising.com or return the paper order form to the school by November 22nd. Orders will be ready for pickup on December 3^rd between 2:45 and 6:00 pm.

The funds raised by LBIS in previous years have gone to items such as Robotic Kits, Gym Equipment and Field Trips that enrich all our students’ experiences. Thank you for supporting our school.

LBIS

November/December Scholastic

Hi Families,

In your child's mail folder this evening, please find a combined November/December Scholastic order.

If you would like to do an secret order for Christmas, please include follow up with an email or note in your child's mail folder, and I will keep your order tucked away for you to pick up at your convenience.

Cheques or online payment only.

Orders are due by this Friday, November 16th.

Thank you!
Ms Thomas

Sunday, November 11th, 2018

Hi Families,

My apologies for the Sunday post, and also the long post! We are transitioning into some new, exciting areas of focus...

MAPSS Movie Event - It was wonderful to see many of you at the MAPSS Movie Event! It was a great opportunity to connect with families from the three different Montessori schools and bring awareness to the Society - who they are, what they do and how they support the Montessori program in Calgary's public schools. Consider following them on Facebook to receive updates on future events! Thank you to MAPSS for the wonderful movie experience! 

Remembrance Day - Thank you to the grade 5 and 6 students for a lovely Remembrance ceremony on Friday. In the classroom, we had thoughtful discussions, not only about the sacrifices made by others, but also about the general nature of conflict and peace. We used the video "Poppies" as a springboard to talk about the feelings of war, as well as the books, "A Bear in War" and "A Poppy is to Remember" to develop our perspective of families influenced by the war, and to understand why the poppy is a symbol associated with Remembrance Day. 

Letters Home Folder - This week, students will have brought home their "Letters Home" folder (navy blue) which contains their first letter sharing their October learning. Please read the information at the front of the folder to understand the purpose of the writing, what to look for while reading, and how to follow up with your child. As well, look for some anecdotal notes in the top corner of your child's letter, explaining what individual supports and strategies your child used in the writing process. Your child's folder needs to be returned after you have had time to enjoy it with your child, preferably Monday or Tuesday of the following week.

Math: Attributes - We continue to develop our understanding of attributes in math. In mathematics, the word attribute is used to describe a characteristic or feature of an object, that allows for grouping of it with similar objects and is typically used to describe size, shape or colour of objects. Developing their ability to analyze attributes supports understanding of attributes at the quality level )shape, size, weight, length, width, height, etc.) and quantity level (many, few, more, less, none, etc.) and later, more specific number values (e.g., sets of 2, sets of 10, sets of values greater than 2).

Sound Study: Syllables and Digraphs - In the last couple of weeks, we have completed our review of letters, sounds and actions within the Animated Literacy program. For students who are still developing their understanding of letters and sounds, they are being supported through targeted small group or 1:1 practice. As a class, we have started to look at two big ideas in our sound study: that words have pieces (syllables), and that some letters don't always make their original sound (currently look at the digraph /ch/).

Syllables are sometimes described as the beats in words, as we often clap them out to determine how many syllables are in each word. Syllables play a vital role in reading and writing for young learners but also for advanced readers and writers. Being aware of syllables in words (syllable awareness) develops before the awareness of sounds in words (phonemic awareness). This is because the chunks are more obvious. Syllables are used in reading and writing through:

1) Syllable Segmentation: this involves saying the word in its syllable chunks. Later, this is important for spelling long words. We have been developing our understanding of syllable spelling this week with great success!

    

2) Syllable Blending. This involves listening to syllable chunks and pulling them together to make a word. Later, this is important for reading long words.

Community: Landforms - Together with Ms Brown's class, we began to explore different landforms and bodies of water. By identifying key words in a given definition, students were able to match and sort terms and illustrations. I wonder which landforms and bodies of water students will choose for our constructed community?

Mixed Media Art: Monsters - We self-assessed our monsters this week and noticed that aside from eyes and teeth, many of us did not add any additional details to make our monster stand out from the others. Using various loose parts donated from families (thank you families!), they students enthusiastically added details that created unique art pieces with character! In the upcoming week, we'll use our monsters as writing prompts inspired by the book, "Glad Monster, Sad Monster"

Needs of Livings Things: Pumpkin and Corn - Finally, we set up an experiment to observe over the next couple of weeks exploring what our pumpkin and calico corn need to survive. Students made predictions about what would happen when we added dirt to the pumpkin, and water to the corn, based on their understanding of the needs of living things. They demonstrated excellent reasoning skill based on their knowledge!

Arts Commons Field Trip - Postponed

Hi Families, 

We are sad to inform you that our field trip to the Arts Commons has been postponed. We had submitted the Arts Commons fees for approval, and unfortunately they were not approved by the date we expected. We sincerely apologize to all of our wonderful volunteers who had offered to join us on this trip and to all of our students who were very excited about this learning opportunity. We are all very disappointed. Our trip has been rescheduled for May. Additional details to follow in the new year.

Thank you so much for your understanding. 

Grade 1/2 Teachers

Photo Retakes

Photo retakes are this Monday, November 12th!

Volunteer Request

Hi Families,

I was wondering if anyone might be available to come in next week to help me with some odd jobs around the classroom that includes material preparation, painting and glueing?

Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday morning would be preferred, but I can be flexible :)

Please email me if you're available: krthomas@cbe.ab.ca

Thank you!
Ms Thomas

Library Exchange

Hi Families,

Mrs. Podgurny is back! We have been able to set a consistent, school-wide schedule.

Our library exchange days are Wednesday.

Students must return their books on or before Wednesday, in order to sign out a new book.

Thank you!
Ms. Thomas

Wednesday, November 8th, 2018

Hi Families,

In your child's mail folder this evening, please find:

- Growing Smiles Fundraiser Winter Order Form. Orders for poinsettias, planters and wreaths due by November 22nd, 2018. Orders will be available on December 3rd, 2018.

- A copy of "Giraffe and Bird" by Rebecca Bender, for grade 1 students only, as part of the TD Grade One Book Giveaway, a program of The Canadian Children's Book Centre.

Ms. Thomas

Remebrance Day

Remembrance Day

Dear LBS Families,

This Friday, November 9th, students in grades 5 and 6 are hosting 

a Remembrance Day assembly.

We invite you to join us at 10:45 am. 

At approximately 11:00 am we will stop for a minute of silence.

If you don’t have a poppy, we will have poppies available and are happy to accept donations that we will pass along to the Legion.

Hope we see you there!

Scholastic Book Fair - Coming Soon!

Dear Families,

We are pleased to be hosting another Scholastic book fair this year during Parent Teacher Conferences. The book fair will be open for purchasing from 4:00 pm-7:45 pm Thursday Nov. 22 and 8:00 -12:45 Friday November 23.

Your child will have an opportunity to view the book fair on Wed. Nov. 21 and Thursday Nov.22 in the morning. They will not be purchasing any books on the previewing days.

We are looking for parent volunteers who would be interested in helping set up the book fair, as well as some parents to help with the book fair while it is running.

If you are able to volunteer during any of the time slots below we would greatly appreciate it! Please email Pam Green with the time and day you are available to help at pngreen@cbe.ab.ca. You will receive a confirmation email from Mrs. Green with more information.

Tuesday, November 20th – Set up time to be determined

Wednesday, November 21st  - All day previewing for students

8:00am - 11:35am (2 volunteers needed)

12:25 pm - 2:35pm (2 volunteers needed)

Thursday, November 22nd 

8:16-11:30am (3 volunteers needed) Previewing for students

3:45- 8:00 pm (4 volunteers needed) Purchasing for families

Friday, December 2nd 

8:00-1:00 (3 volunteers needed) Purchasing for families

Letters Home Folder

Hi Families,

Over the next couple of days, please watch for a navy "Letters Home" folder coming home with your child, as they complete the work.

There is a note at the front of the folder explaining the purpose of the writing, what to look for while reading, and how to follow up with your child.

Please look for some anecdotal notes in the top corner of your child's letter, explaining what individual supports and strategies your child used in the writing process.

Your child's folder needs to be returned after you have had time to enjoy it with your child, preferably Monday or Tuesday of the following week.

Enjoy!
Ms Thomas