Friday, October 29th, 2020

Hi Families, 

What a great way to end the week! This morning, we participated in a grade 1/2 outdoor pumpkin scavenger hunt. Each grade 1/2 teacher decorated a mini pumpkin and hid it somewhere in the play zones. Working in a small group, students used pictures to locate each pumpkin, recording the 7 different faces on their recording sheet. See if your child can retell you each of the locations, using the same picture clues: 

Pumpkin 1 clue

Pumpkin 2 clue

Pumpkin 3 clue

Pumpkin 4 clue

Pumpkin 5 clue

Pumpkin 6 clue

Pumpkin 7 clue

In addition this week, ask your child about:

- learning our new poem, "Candy Corn" in anticipation of Halloween treats!*

- journal writing at our just right literacy level using the sentence stems:

               - On the weekend... 

               - On Halloween, Ms. Thomas should be...

- reading the story "The Tease Monster" to learn about positive teasing, negative teasing and bullying*

- interpreting data on a pictograph to answer questions*

- practicing skip counting by 2s, 5s and 10s based on a pictographs key*

- listening to the story "Pattern Fish" and identifying each page's pattern core, and the different attributes *

- creating our own "Pattern Fish" illustrations, using a co-created example and checklist for self-monitoring of expectations* 

- applying repeating patterns to solve a problem: Fish Pattern Problem*

- identifying symbols that represent our different levels of community: neighbourhood, local, provincial and national

- completing our final 5 Sense collage: smell*

- developing our understanding of beats versus rhythms in Music with Mrs. Proctor

- comparing stories about being unique: Spookley the Square Pumpkin and the Little Ghost Who Was a Quilt 

*Materials/visuals or templates for these activities re available on Google Classroom to support home learning routines, or in the case of a prolonged absence from school*

Some upcoming reminders:

- Sunday, November 1st: Time Change! Don't forget to change your clocks!
- Tuesday, November 3rd: Photo retakes. 
- Wednesday, November 11th: Remembrance Day. School closed. 
- Thursday, November 19th and Friday, November 20th: Virtual Learning Conferences

Hope you all have a wonderful Halloween in whatever way you choose to celebrate!

Ms. Thomas

Allergy-Aware School

Lake Bonavista School is an Allergy-Aware School. 

Nut allergies are present in our school and classroom population, as are other food allergies. 

We ask that nuts or food containing nuts are not brought to our school. 

We ask that students do not share food during lunch or snack time. 

For more informaiton, please see the Health and Wellness section on the Lake Bonavista School website: https://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/lakebonavista/culture-environment/health-wellness/lunchtime/pages/default.aspx

Sharing Items from Home

Hi Families, 

One of our COVID protocols involves reducing touch points between home and school. If your child has something to share with the class, please consider taking a photo to email me, in lieu of sending the actual item. 

Thank you for your understanding.
Ms. Thomas

Masks

 Hi Families, 

Just a reminder that students must be wearing a mask to enter the school. 

With cold weather on us, it is very challenging for students to navigate their backpack and try to put on a mask with mittens on.

Could I please ask that your child is putting on their mask before exiting your vehicle in the morning? This would ensure their success with putting it on, as well as ensuring they have a personal mask for the day. Every child was provided with two reusable masks in September for use. 

Thank you! 

Friday, October 16th, 2020

 Hi Families, 

We had our first experience with cooler weather and snow this week. Everyday, your child will spend time outside, for instruction and/or recreation, and need to be dressed so they are safe and comfortable.

This week, ask your child about:

- identifying responsibilities at home using our poem, "This is the Way I Help at Home" as a springboard*
- created a detailed illustration to accompany our poem, demonstrating at least two responsibilities we have at home
- reviewing/learning our last Animated Literacy characters: Yy, Qq, Zz and Ee*
- journal writing at our just right literacy level using the sentence frames:
                - "On the weekend..."                 
                - "School is a safe place because..."

School is a safe place because the teachers will put a bandaid on your owie.
They also pay attention to you. 

School is a safe place because it is clean and there is supervisors. 

School is a safe place because my teacher keeps me safe and my friends stand up for me.

School is a safe place because I feel like a family here.
Oh, my heart 💕

- creating t-charts for sorting 3D objects into two groups
- sorting 3D shapes based on their different physical attributes and characteristics*:

                - Roll/Can't Roll
                - Apex/No Apex
                - All Faces the Same/Faces Different

- generated clues with math specific vocabulary to help students identify a mystery 2D or 3D shape*
- demonstrated different ways of recording numbers through a Roll it, Write it, Tally it, Show it activity (grade 1s numbers to 20, grade 2s numbers to 100 and drawing a place value model for tens and ones)*
- discussing different family structures using the book "A Family is a Family is a Family"*
- illustrating our own family focusing on details that identify each person and makes them unique
- brainstorming different ways families are unique: language/culture, celebrations/traditions, sports/hobbies, etc.
- developing symbols to represent the different ways our families are special (i.e. if Halloween is a big celebration in our family, what symbol can we use to represent this?)
- recalling a ladybug's body parts, and listening to non-fiction texts to determine the purpose of each body part
- participating in a Design Thinking activity with Mrs. Proctor and Ms. Durnford based on the book "Stuck"*
- practicing COVID adapted procedures for lockdowns

*Materials/visuals or templates for these activities re available on Google Classroom to support home learning routines, or in the case of a prolonged absence from school*

To end the week, students completed a Guided Drawing, where they follow step-by-step instructions and develop visual perceptual and visual motor skills. Using a checklist, they then completed the additional criteria, self-monitoring for completion. 

To finish the work period, students participated in a Gallery Walk, viewing other student's work, and looking at the unique details each person added. In a Sharing Circle, students volunteered compliments on the work they saw.

Happy crab in a fish tank.

Crabby crab under the sea.

Swimming with the octopuses. 

Hanging out on the beach.

Self-monitoring using a checklist. 

Please see the additional blog notes regarding:

- Headphones
- Waste Reduction Week
- Upcoming Walking Field Trips
- Halloween at Lake Bonavista School

Some Important Upcoming Dates:

- Thursday, October 29th: LBS Halloween Celebrations (details to follow)
- Friday, October 30th: Professional Development Day, no school for students
- Tuesday, November 3rd: Photo Retakes

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Ms. Thomas

Halloween at Lake Bonavista School

LBS is planning low-key Halloween activities on Thursday October 29. 

 

If children are planning to dress up at school, please discuss plans with them for:

• a costume that is comfortable to wear all day: able to sit down, move around easily and complete school tasks throughout the day,
• regular sanitizing and hand-washing, as usual,
• using an AHS face mask, costumes with attached masks or other “Halloween masks” are not to be worn and are not suitable for preventing the spread of airborne droplets,
• school-appropriate themes (no gore, weapons and so on),
• no shared food to be brought to school.

 

Children are not required to wear costumes and may choose to wear orange and black. If your family does not participate in Halloween, there will be alternate tasks and activities provided.

 

Students will be looking at examples/non-examples of costumes in their classrooms.  Based on the weather, we may hold a costume parade outside. Students are asked to maintain physical distancing during this outdoor event. We will send an invitation via text to families if an outdoor parade will occur. Families will be invited to view the parade from outside the edges of our school field.

October 30 is a CBE system-wide non-instructional day. Please mark your calendars, as this is a ‘No School’ day. 

Waste Reduction Week

Hi Families, 

Next week is Waste Reduction Week: wrwcanada.com 

School lunches can generate a lot of waste, making an impact on our environment. The CBE School Re-Entry Plan asks staff and students to pack-in and pack-out all food each day.  

Students are provided with a paper towel when eating to define their eating space and keep the tables clean. However, next week, we would like to encourage students to start bringing a fabric napkin/placemat from home instead, and see how much of a difference we can make with our classroom waste. The napkin/placemat would travel in the child's lunchkit for daily use, washing or replacing as needed. 

As a reminder, plastic spoons are available on a very limited basis and not a preferred option. Please continue to pack a reusable fork or spoon as needed for your child lunch. In some cases, if your child is working towards independent opening of packages (fruit snacks, yogurt tubes, granola bars, etc.) including a small pair of scissors for food-only use would be appreciated. 

Thank you! 

Walking Field Trips - Next Week

Hi Families, 

 

Next week, the buddy classes of Rooms 7 (Ms. Bouchard) and 8 (Ms. Thomas) will be going on two walking field trips to a park in our local community. 

 

The dates of our walking field trips are:

 

Tuesday, October 20^th in the afternoon

Thursday, October 22^nd in the afternoon

 

The location and route of our walk is:

 

Our walking field trip will be weather dependent; however, we do enjoy being outside in a variety of temperatures and weather. Please ensure your child is dressed comfortably, including layered clothing and boots that are warm and waterproof. Snow pants/splash pants may be a good idea so your child is comfortable sitting/kneeling or crouching on the ground for short periods of time. 

 

Thank you!

Ms. Bouchard and Ms. Thomas 

Headphones

Hi Families, 

We are starting to add technology work into our classroom routines. 

Please send a pair of headphones for your child to keep at school for when they use technology. A simple pair of earbuds will do.

Thank you!
Ms. Thomas

Thursday, October 8th, 2020

Hi Families, 

A reminder that tomorrow is a P.D. Day - no school for students. 
Monday is Thanksgiving - school is closed to staff and students. 

See you Tuesday, October 13th!

This week, ask your child about:

- learning, practicing and making real world connections with our new poem about 3D Shapes*

- reviewing/learning new Animated Literacy characters: Nn, Ii, Ww, Vv*

- journal writing at our just right literacy level using the sentence frames:

                - "On the weekend..." 

                - "On Thanksgiving, my family..."

- identifying and labeling a vertice/apex, edge and face on 3D shape models: cone, cylinder and sphere*

- developing our October calendar to practice the number sequence to 31, and identify important events*

- reviewing expectations for Buddy Reading within our Reading Jobs rotating schedule*

- discussing , identifying and recording the different groups we belong to*

- using Google Maps to zoom in and out to see our different communities: world, North America, Canada, Alberta, Calgary, local community

- discussing "What things did the artist use to make this artwork", "If you could touch it, how would the different parts feel?" when viewing a piece of mixed media art

- creating a feeling collage that includes items with different textures*

- completing Montessori nomenclature on the parts of a ladybug 

*Materials/visuals or templates for these activities re available on Google Classroom to support home learning routines, or in the case of a prolonged absence from school*

We continued with our buddy inquiry on ladybugs this week, consolidating our data to see what information we could gather. 

In September, each student observed and recorded the number of spots on 10 ladybugs:

This week, each student shared their observations, and we recorded them in a very rough bar graph. Ms. Thomas did not take into account many factors when she initially planned the graph:

Finally, we discussed how data needs to be organized when you are sharing it with an audience. So, we used an online program to create a published bar graph:

Student conclusions from our data:

"The most common number of spots on a ladybug is 6 or 7"
"Ladybugs must have at least one spot"
"Ladybugs seem to have spots where the numbers are in the middle - not too high and not too low"

Students generated some personal questions for inquiry about ladybugs that we hope to answer in the upcoming week, including whether or not "The number of spots is the age of the ladybug in years" is true. 

Today, students shared their family traditions for Thanksgiving and it sounds like you all have a wonderful weekend ahead of you! Enjoy your time with family! See you on Tuesday!

Ms. Thomas

Halloween at Lake Bonavista School

This message also came through a School Messenger from Mrs. Jones on October 3rd:

Everyone is keenly aware of the changes we have all had to make in our lives due to COVID-19. At school, we have been discussing how celebrations and events can continue in ways that fit within our current protocols. We recognize that many children and families love to share their creative talents through costumes and make up for Halloween. This year, we will include time to recognize Halloween in a low-key way:

• simple costumes that can be comfortably worn all day,
• no accessories,
• no shared food,
• adapted ways to share/parade.

Children are not required to wear costumes or may choose to wear orange and black. If your family does not participate in Halloween, there will be alternate tasks and activities provided.

Watch for more details in classroom blogs over the next few weeks.

Friday, October 2nd, 2020

Hi Families, 

What a gorgeous week of Fall weather! Students are enjoying being outside at various time of the day, participating in guided Phys. Ed. activities, free play and explorations of nature during lunch and recess. Please ensure your child is coming prepared for being outside at different times of the day, as our mornings are becoming quite cool and usually require a light sweater or jacket in addition to a t-shirt. 

Ask your child about:

- learning, practicing and counting down with our new poem about ladybugs*

- exploring the parachute during outside Phys.Ed. 

- generating a vocabulary list for talking about 2D shapes vs 3D objects*

- listening to the book "Shhh!" to springboard our discussion on our sense of hearing*

- identifying mystery sounds in a "Guess the Sound?" activity*

- brainstorming words that come to mind when viewing an image, as part of a shared writing Found Poetry

Our completed Found Poetry shared writing.
Ask your child about the process.

- reviewing/learning new Animated Literacy characters: Ff, Cc, Bb, Ll, Gg*

- completing Word Work to support these letters, at our just-right literacy level

- honouring the Indigenous children who were sent away to residential schools in Canada on Orange Shirt Day*

- discussing "Which place looks quiet?", "Which place looks noisy?" and "What would you hear in each picture?" when viewing "Looking Over Broadway" by Red Grooms and "Rooms by the Sea" by Edward Hopper*

- exploring what is means to be indigenous*

- recognizing Orange Shirt Days by finishing the writing prompts:

                    - I matter because...

                    - School should feel...

- sorting 2D shapes and 3D objects*

- creating a hearing collage that includes items with different sounds*

- identifying and labeling vertices, faces and edges on models of 3D shapes: cube and pyramid*

- developing our awareness of school citizenship through a shared reading of "Rights and Responsibilities" 

*Materials/visuals or templates for these activities re available on Google Classroom to support home learning routines, or in the case of a prolonged absence from school*

Some reminders for the upcoming weeks:

Friday, October 9th is a Professional Development Day - No school for students
Monday, October 13th is the Thanksgiving holiday - No school

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Ms. Thomas

October Scholastic

 Hi Families, 

Scholastic Digital Flyers for October are now available online! 

Please see the information below for viewing and ordering information.

Thank you!
Ms. Thomas