Thursday, March 30

 Hi parents,

We had a good day today, once again largely centred around art.

Our Giving Tree artwork is coming along really nicely - as I mentioned in yesterday's post, this artwork is being created as part of an Art Cards by Kids fundraiser, and each child's artwork will be used to create beautiful multi-purpose cards that families can purchase to raise money for our school. We are also learning about the Metis peoples of Canada throughout the process. 

Students also did some awesome work with Haiku writing today. Mrs. Fernandez led the class through a discussion about syllables and descriptive words, and then challenged the students to write down words that described a flower. The students went above and beyond our expectations, and decided to write complete poems about the flower instead - many of these poems even followed the Haiku format perfectly, despite having only learned about it very briefly!

Tomorrow is our spelling quiz!

Have a nice night

Zac

Wednesday, March 30

 Hi parents,

We had another good day today!

In the morning, the students worked on math problems that involved filling in blanks to make 10, 100, 1000, and even 10,000! 

For example,

4 + __ = 10

40 + __ = 100

400 + __ = 1000

'Making Ten' is a great mental math strategy that can help students solve 2-digit addition problems in their heads.

We went outside for gym and the class learned how to play Hopscotch and Four Square. I'm hoping that having a stronger understanding of these games will help students make the most of our school's compound, which has plenty of games painted on it. Recess will be more fun than ever.

The students read about the natural resources found in Meteghan, and some of the good and services there as well. They answered comprehension questions while working in buddies.

Our afternoon was once again dedicated to art. This time the students both sketched and began painting their Giving Tree inspired artwork, which we are doing as part of an Art Card fundraiser. They're looking great so far!

Thank you once again to everyone who has volunteered for our Zoo trip, I am in the process of double checking everyone's volunteer status with the office and I apologize for not emailing you back sooner! We are also working hard to get the field trip forms completed so they can be sent home ASAP.

Have a nice night,

Zac

Tuesday, March 29

 Hi parents,

Today was a really busy and art-filled day!

In the morning, Mrs. Fernandez read the story "The Giving Tree". This version was an indigenous take on Shel Silverstein's classic. It taught the students about the Metis peoples, and their connection to nature. The book features some amazing artwork too - artwork that we will be attempting to recreate in the coming days!

We talked more about 'syllables', and this time, the students were challenged to write sentences with specific numbers of syllables. They wrote 4, 6, and 8 syllable sentences. I was actually really impressed by how well the class did with this task - definitely a good sign for the Haiku writing we'll be doing in the near future!

Our afternoon was dedicated mostly to creating artwork submissions for the LBS Yearbook Cover Art contest. The students did an amazing job with this. I know there will only be one submission selected, but it could easily go to someone in Room 4. The artwork really captured what our school is all about! I'll be sure to post it on the Blog later so everyone can enjoy it regardless of who wins.

We ended our day with Music.

Thank you so much to everyone who has already volunteered for our Zoo field trip, which is currently scheduled for April 20! If you are interested in volunteering for this, or future field trips, please make sure the office has an up-to-date police check. I know a lot of people's volunteer clearance unfortunately expired over our Covid years.

Have a nice night!

Zac

PS: The April Guest Reader schedule has been sent home!

Monday, March 28

 Hi parents,

We had a great first day back after what was clearly a wonderful Spring Break. :)

We spent time talking about our breaks and getting back into the routine of things, and the students got reacquainted with an old friend -THE CARPET!!!

I am incredibly happy that we are once again able to gather on the carpet and have soft surfaces in the classroom. The room feels more welcoming than it has for the last 2 years.

The students wrote 'Spring Break Story Maps', in which they connected short paragraphs about their breaks with arrows and illustrations. 

Mrs. Fernandez led the class through a lesson on counting syllables, in preparation for our upcoming unit on Haiku poetry. The students made graphs to sort their classmates names by syllables.

We are so happy announce that we're in the process of planning our first field trip of the year! This message was sent out a few minutes ago:

Hello families,

 

We are excited to announce rooms 2,3, 4 and 5 are organizing a field trip to the Calgary Zoo for the tentative date of April 20^th, 2022. This field trip will require 4-5 parent-volunteers for each class. If you are able to volunteer with our class for this day please ensure you have an up to date police check on file with our school. To initiate this process please contact our office for further information. If you are up to date with this and would like to volunteer please email myself at magreenhall@cbe.ab.ca.

 

More information to come,

 

Melissa Greenhall 

Have a nice night!

Zac

Spelling Words! (Week of March 27)

 Spelling List A

Rest	Cost	Must	Past	Mist
They	But	Just	With	All

 

Spelling List B

Crust	Ghost	Exist	Boost	Worst
Made	Gave	Us	Buy	Those

 

Spelling List C

Guest	Almost	Honest	Compost	Tourist
Request	Against	Interest	Scientist	Specialist

Your Spring Break plans just got a whole lot better! 

(please do not actually feel obligated to practice spelling over the break)

Friday, March 18

 Happy Spring Break!

We had a great day today. The students did an awesome job on their spelling quizzes, and Mrs. Fernandez led a discussion about the early days of Meteghan. We learned how the Acadian people were forced to leave their homes, and many of them settled in Nova Scotia, where they began a new life.

We did a fun shamrock art activity but we didn't quite get to finish. Once the paint dries the students will be outlining their shamrocks so they really pop out.

We went outside for gym, did some Spring Cleaning, and said our goodbyes. I hope everyone has a wonderful Spring Break!

Zac

Thursday, March 17

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today was full of unexpected behaviours - in the best way!

In spite of it being Fun Lunch, St. Patrick's Day, and the second last day of school, the students were calm, respectful, hardworking, and exceptionally kind throughout the entire day. Many students did their best work of the whole year - if conferences had been this week instead, I would be so excited to send it home.

In the morning, we did more math work around the similarities and differences between math equations. 

Then, the students got to choose between four St. Patrick's themed writing prompts:

-Write a Limerick (from scratch!)

-If I had a Lucky Pencil (this is an Arthur reference)

-How to Catch a Leprechaun 

-At the end of the rainbow, I found...

Students who finished early worked on word searches and thematically appropriate math problems. There was even a "Finish the Limerick" section.

Fun lunch lived up to its name, without getting too wild.

We worked on Social Studies through learning about Meteghan, and listened to our Guest Reader.

We ended the day with Gym and Music.

Since today was such a good day, and since tomorrow is our last day of school before spring break, we are going to have a Pajama / Stuffy Day! Students are encouraged to wear pajamas and bring one reasonably-sized stuffed animal to school. We will still be doing plenty of schoolwork, including the spelling quiz, but hopefully the stuffed animals will provide some moral support.

Have a nice night,

Zac

Wednesday, March 16

 Hi parents,

We had a pretty good day today! Our morning work period was a lot calmer and more productive than yesterday, and we explored a new style of math problem in which the students had to examine a series of numbers and equations and identify what each one had in common with the others, and what made it different. These problems are all the rage right now.

We read some limericks aloud as a class, and then the students were faced with the difficult challenge of writing a new ending to this partial limerick:

"There once was a man with a beard,

Who said "It's just as I feared!"

so, for example, an ending could be:

"A dove and a wren,

  A lark and a hen,

  Have all made a nest in made beard!"

Limericks are a lot trickier than you would expect.

We spent a bit of time reading about the early days of Meteghan, and the history of the Acadians. The students also got to go to gym with Ms. Brown.

If you haven't had a chance to watch Ms. Brown's Grade 2/3 Conference Video, please do! It's awesome to see all the work she's done with the Grade 2/3's over the last few months.

Ms. Brown's Video

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day! Please wear green. As a Montessori school focused on peace education, pinching is forbidden regardless of shirt colour (even if it's really not green). 

Have a nice night,

Zac

 

Tuesday, March 15

 Hi parents,

We had a mostly good day today (our morning work period was a bit unfocused but the rest of the day was great).

We finally finished our second Secrets of Droon book, and the students wrote some awesome book reviews! We discussed the meaning of the word 'prefer', and the students wrote about what (if anything) they would have changed about Droon.

Mrs. Fernandez read the book "There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Clover", and we discussed the rhyme scheme, patterns, and diets found in the text. 

We did Guest reader, Daily LA, gym, and music in the afternoon.

Have a nice night!

Zac

Monday, March 14

 Hi parents,

We had a great day today! 

In the morning, we welcomed our new student teacher, Mrs. Fernandez, to the classroom. She prepared a fun presentation to help the students get to know her. They had lots of great questions and were excited to share!

Aside from that, it was a pretty typical Montessori Monday. We did journal writing, practiced spelling words,  and worked with Montessori math materials. Our Montessori 'big idea' of the week is "Peace Talks".

A peace talk is a conflict resolution strategy that students can use independently to solve problems peacefully and respectfully. I'm sure you've all seen arguments before in which neither party will stop arguing long enough for the other party to share - it can be frustrating and often even make the conflict worse! 

The Peace Talk formula is designed to address this issue. Students will go to the peace corner to talk in a quiet environment free from interruptions. They will use a rock, flower, or pinecone to indicate whose turn it is to speak. Each student will share how they are feeling before passing the turn to the next student. They will then use this same approach to find a solution. Hopefully having this skill will help students resolve more problems on their own at school, and maybe even at home!

Tomorrow is Class Picture Day! Due to covid we have not been able to take class pictures inside for the last couple of years - if you are still feeling uncomfortable about this, please send me an email to let me know! For students who feel more comfortable wearing masks, the current plan is for them to take their masks down for the picture, and then put them back up afterwards. Please let me know if you'd like your child to wear their mask for the picture too.

Have a nice night,

Zac

Spelling Words! (Week of March 13)

Spelling List A

Bump	Stamp	Camp	Chomp	Imp
He	Was	That	She	On

 

Spelling List B

Lumpy	Shrimp	Grumpy	Empty	Swamp
First	Does	Goes	Write	Always

 

Spelling List C

Empire	Temple	Simple	Trample	Vampire
Empress	Complain	Impossible	Sympathy	Attempt

Thursday, March 10

 Hi parents,

We had a pretty good day today - Class Dojo Store, Spelling Quiz, preparing for conferences, and basketball in gym were a few of the highlights!

Conferences start in about an hour. Please send me an email if you are having trouble booking. I'll make sure to get in touch with anyone who is unable to book and we'll find an alternate time next week. 

Please remember to send back your child's math, writing, and drawing books on Monday, March 14.

Talk to you all soon!

Zac

Wednesday, March 9

 Hi parents,

Sorry about the lack of blog posts yesterday, we were having some internet issues at LBS but it's all resolved now. :)

Today, we continued our discussion on 'conversation skills', and brainstormed some simple questions we can use to keep conversations going. Basically I am teaching the class how to make small talk. We did some conversation exercises, and then, sticking with the theme of dialogue, the students did a fun writing activity which we called "Droon Dialogue".

For this activity, the students each rolled two dice. The number on each die corresponded with a different character from the Secrets of Droon. They then had to write dialogue for a conversation between the two characters. It was a lot of fun to read the responses - the class did a great job of getting 'in character' and making each character say things that reflected their qualities and roles in the novel.

We practiced spelling in the afternoon, did Guest Reader, and Daily LA.

We also read another chapter of Droon.

Tomorrow is our spelling quiz as there is no school on Friday.

Student-Led Conferences: March 10-11

Tomorrow marks our first day of student-led conferences, and unfortunately they have to be virtual once again, which makes the sharing process a bit more challenging. But here's more or less how it will look.

Tomorrow,  each student will take home a folder containing their writing, math, and drawing books, as well as a few other work tasks we've completed recently in class. Please wait until our conference meeting begins to open these folders, as this will give your child a chance to lead the sharing process and show off some of their favourite work.

Each folder will also contain the first Secrets of Droon Novel Study that we completed, along with a self-reflection checklist that I hope will give you an idea of some of the things we're working on in writing.

Please send the folders and the writing, math, and drawing books back to school for Monday, March 14. We're still using those books for schoolwork! 

Finally on an unrelated note, tomorrow is Inside-Out Day at Lake Bonavista School! 

I guess nobody got the memo

Have a nice night,

Zac

Book Fair!

 Our Book Fair has started. The link below is active.  

 

We are pleased to be hosting a hybrid (In-School and Virtual) Scholastic Book Fair from Friday, March 4, 2022 until Friday, March 11, 2022.  

 

Each class will get an opportunity to visit the Book Fair on Monday, March 7^th or Tuesday, March 8^th. 

 

Your child will receive a Book Fair Wish List that they can fill in while visiting the book fair. This form will be sent home for you to view, if you would like to purchase anything from your child’s wish list you can choose to use the virtual book fair link (below) or initial next to the item you would like to purchase and send in exact cash in an attached envelope or baggy. Please note, that in-school purchases already include GST.  

 

Cash orders need to be sent in by Thursday, March 10^th.  

Online orders will be shipped to the school and sent home with your child when they arrive.  

 

Virtual Book Fair Link: https://virtualbookfairs.scholastic.ca/pages/5163641

Monday, March 7

 Hi parents,

We had a great Monday today!

It was "Montessori Monday", round two, which means we had no screen time at all and spend extra time working with Montessori materials. 

Last week, our focus was on taking care of the places in which we learn and live. We addressed that topic explicitly on Monday and then revisited it throughout the week. With the exception of one day, the classroom has looked noticeably more organized and well-cared for.

This week, our focus is on Grace & Courtesy, which is a broad and important aspect of the Montessori philosophy that addresses how students should interact with others, and carry themselves in general. It emphasizes being kind, calm, thoughtful, and compassionate. This week we are especially focusing on social skills. We talked about shaking hands, saying hello and goodbye, and treating each other as equals. Later in the week we'll talk about how to hold a conversation by asking questions, listening attentively, and making comments.

Aside from Montessori Monday, it was a pretty typical day. The students worked on their journal writing, practiced spelling, and did math work that challenged them to place numbers appropriately on a blank number line. 

We also got to visit the Scholastic Book Fair, and the students created 'wish lists'. It was reminiscent of our Shopping Spree project! I hope I am not accidentally creating a class of shopaholics. At least they will be good at decimal addition. 

We read another chapter of Droon at the end of the day.

Ms. Brown has put together a video for Student Led Conferences that talks about all the awesome work she's done with the students over the past few months - check it out below!

Grade 2/3 Health & Phys. Ed with Ms. Brown

Have a nice night,

Zac

Spelling Words (Week of March 6)

 Spelling List A

Or	For	Cork	Fort	Horn
Play	Run	Find	Three	Funny

 

Spelling List B

Organ	World	Record	Unicorn	North
Been	Off	Cold	Tell	Work

 

Spelling List C

Victory	Comfortable	Warrior	Horizon	Morning
History	Forest	Majority	Horseback	Notorious

Good luck!