October 28 - 31

Hello Parents/Guardians! 

W.O.W (Words of the Week) Words: 

1. come
2. help
3. run
4. find
5. funny

Bonus words:

1. pumpkin
2. carve
3. halloween

Weekly Highlights:

• Daily 5-practiced read to self. Talked about how to care for books, turn the pages of a book, and how important it is to actually be reading rather than “fake reading.”  Practiced our sightword this week-want students to be able to automatically recognize “sight” words as this makes it easier when reading.  Students don’t need to sound out every word that they read.
• Learned about syllables and practiced counting them.  Learned that every syllable must have a vowel and this is one of mommy e’s jobs (e.g. like in the word apple, ap-ple)
• In Math, our new unit is Number Sense and counting strategies.  We practiced counting on from a variety of numbers (e.g. start at 11 and count forwards).  We used counting on and counting back to figure out one more/one less than a given number.  We practiced drawing more than and less than a given set of objects.  For example, there were 5 triangles.  Draw 3 less circles than triangles (2).  Students were reminded that they were to draw 3 less not 3.  We counted by tens in preparation for our pumpkin seed counting next week when will be counting a large amount of objects by first grouping in 10s.  Here are some videos we watched this week:
• Skip count by 10s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5RG82acJpU
• Jack Hartmann I can count from any number: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW3Fbxib3hU
•  Counting on Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2W0I06Nq5s
• Harry Kindergarten One more song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du6JHupzwVo
• Harry Kindergarten One less song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3b-kcK3Eg8
• We started our study of pumpkins this week.  We sketched them looking carefully at all the details on the outside like a scientist.  Then we added the correct labels for each part (stem, shell, ribs, blossom end).  We also learned all about the life cycle of a pumpkin by reading books and watching a variety of videos.  We created our own life cycle on paper.  

Reminders:

Pumpkinella:

Get your family together and join in the fun for SVS’s Pumpkinella!  Design, carve, or dress up a pumpkin to bring for display.  ONLY ONE DISPLAY PER FAMILY PLEASE!  Bring your pumpkin to the DLC after school on Wednesday October 30th or the morning of Thursday October 31st from 8:20-8:40am.  The pumpkin may have a safer journey if it is not brought to school on the bus.  If you could add a tea-light to the center of your pumpkin, it will add to a special effect when placed in the gym.  Classes will tour the gym throughout the day to enjoy your efforts.  Pumpkins MUST be picked up to go home by Thursday October 31st between 4:00-5:00pm.  Any pumpkins left at school will be composted.  

Pumpkin Activities:

We will be doing activities related to pumpkins over the next few weeks.  Some of the activities we may be doing are: gutting a pumpkin, sorting out the seeds, tasting pumpkin seeds, and baking with the pumpkins.  If your child has an allergy or you would not like them to participate please email your child’s teacher.

Halloween:

If students would like they can bring a costume to school on October 31 and change into it after lunch. This is completely optional. If your child will be bringing a costume please remember:

-       No scary or violent costumes

-       No masks, weapons or blood allowed

-       No treats, due to allergy concerns

-       Your child must be able to get their costume on and off themselves

-       The teachers are unable to guarantee that all costume pieces will be safe so please do not send anything that is special or that your child is not willing to take the chance of losing.

Remembrance Day:

Please see the message below from the grade 6 teachers regarding Remembrance Day.

Dear Parents,

The grade 6 students will be presenting the Remembrance Day Assembly this year on November 8 starting at 10:30 am. We are asking that students wear a white top and black bottoms that day. Also, if you have any family members that were part of a war, were peacekeepers or are currently part of the Canadian Forces, please send a picture either by email or a copy so that we can honour them on this day. Please include their name, rank and war/peacekeeping mission that they participated in. Also, if you could please add your child/children¹s name. Pictures can be sent to lareeve@cbe.ab.ca

Thank you for your support,

 The Grade 6 Team

Pack In-Pack Out Lunches

Starting this year, we have been attempting to reduce our SVS ecological footprint by moving towards a “Pack In and Pack Out” philosophy.  Once a student has eaten their lunch or snack, the packaging of that item will be put back into lunch kits and returned home for recycling. In continuing to support this positive change, please provide a locking baggie for items such as apple cores, yogurt tubes etc. The baggie will be returned home with the student each day for composting at home and then should be added back into the lunch kit for the next day.  Help us make a difference!

Hot Lunch:

If you would like to order hot lunches for your child here is the link to the Hot Lunches System:

https://simonsvalleyelementary.hotlunches.net/admin/

For all orders the latest you can pay will be the week before the lunch/snack date.

Home Reading:

Thank you to those of you who have been consistently participating in the home reading program.  We really appreciate the work that you are doing at home to support your child in becoming a strong reader!  We understand that students are at many different places in their reading and writing journey.  Please work with your child at whatever level they are at.  If they are not yet ready to write a complete sentence you can have them write single words.  If they are still learning letters and letter sounds you can have them practice printing letters or hunting for words that start with a specific letter.  Don’t forget to tell your child what they are doing well (e.g. great job stretching out your sounds, wow look at that you wrote the correct letter sound for the beginning of the word ________, Excellent look at those finger spaces they make it so much easier to read your work!).

Headphones:

Most students have now brought in a pair of headphones to leave at school headphones.  If you have not yet sent in headphones we are kindly requesting that you send in a pair.  Please send them in a plastic bag labeled with your child’s name.  Thank you to those of you who have already sent in headphones.

Communication Books:

Please make sure to check your child’s folder and communication book each day and return it to school. After checking your child’s communication book please leave it open to the current page and clean out any papers.  

Ask Me About:

1. Draw the following sets.

a.             Draw 2 more circles than squares

b.             Draw 1 less circle than squares

c.             Draw 4 more circles than squares

2. Count forwards by 1s from any number up to 50. (e.g. start at 28 and count forwards).
3. Read, read, read!  When approaching unfamiliar words ask your child to look carefully at the word:

 .               Do they see any secret story spelling patterns they know?(play-ay)

a.             What letter does the word start with, what sound does that letter make?

b.             Stretch out the sounds in the word slowly and see if you can figure out what it says

October 21 - 25

Hello Parents/Guardians! 

W.O.W (Words of the Week) Words:

1. little
2. big
3. down
4. here
5. away

Bonus words:

1. pumpkin
2. count
3. orange

Weekly Highlights:

• In literacy, we continued to practice our secret stories and focused on using the classroom visuals to help us read and write new words.  This week we learned a new secret story for letters ar.  “These letters are best friends but when they go out together Super hero A likes to make his friend feel important and will let R use his superhero cape so that R can say his name in words like smart, car and art.”
• In Math, we continued our study of patterns.  We learned how to show patterns with letters and practiced drawing our own patterns using simple shapes.  We also learned what pattern our names make on a hundred’s chart. We also practiced making patterns with our bodies, finding and correcting mistakes in patterns, matching patterns, and identifying patterns in our environment. We ended the week with our math patterns quiz.

• This week we read a story called Leaf Man by Lois Ellert.  All of the pictures in this book are made with leaves and other objects from nature.  The students used the nature objects that they had brought from home to create their own Leaf Man inspired picture.  They then wrote a sentence to go with it.  Some of the things students created were: a leaf man, a bug, a rabbit, a tree. 
• We completed our Fall inchie art project.  We created black scratch paper using oil pastels and black paint and then scratched out the shape of a leaf. We created a Fall tree and add tissue paper leaves.
• We are starting our Story Vine project by investigating our names, what they mean and why they are significant.

Reminders:

Pumpkinella:

Get your family together and join in the fun for SVS’s Pumpkinella!  Design, carve, or dress up a pumpkin to bring for display.  ONLY ONE DISPLAY PER FAMILY PLEASE!  Bring your pumpkin to the DLC after school on Wednesday October 30th or the morning of Thursday October 31st from 8:20-8:40am.  The pumpkin may have a safer journey if it is not brought to school on the bus.  If you could add a tea-light to the center of your pumpkin, it will add to a special effect when placed in the gym.  Classes will tour the gym throughout the day to enjoy your efforts.  Pumpkins MUST be picked up to go home by Thursday October 31st between 4:00-5:00pm.  Any pumpkins left at school will be composted.  

Pumpkin Activities:

We will be doing activities related to pumpkins over the next few weeks.  Some of the activities we may be doing are: gutting a pumpkin, sorting out the seeds, tasting pumpkin seeds, and baking with the pumpkins.  If your child has an allergy or you would not like them to participate please email your child’s teacher.

Remembrance Day:

Please see the message below from the grade 6 teachers regarding Remembrance Day.

Dear Parents,

The grade 6 students will be presenting the Remembrance Day Assembly this year on November 8 starting at 10:30 am. We are asking that students wear a white top and black bottoms that day. Also, if you have any family members that were part of a war, were peacekeepers or are currently part of the Canadian Forces, please send a picture either by email or a copy so that we can honour them on this day. Please include their name, rank and war/peacekeeping mission that they participated in. Also, if you could please add your child/children¹s name. Pictures can be sent to lareeve@cbe.ab.ca

Thank you for your support,

 The Grade 6 Team

Hot Lunch:

We had our first hot lunch this week and it was great!  If you would like to order hot lunches for your child here is the link to the Hot Lunches System:

https://simonsvalleyelementary.hotlunches.net/admin/

For all orders the latest you can pay will be the week before the lunch/snack date.

Home Reading:

Thank you to those of you who have been consistently participating in the home reading program.  We really appreciate the work that you are doing at home to support your child in becoming a strong reader!  We understand that students are at many different places in their reading and writing journey.  Please work with your child at whatever level they are at.  If they are not yet ready to write a complete sentence you can have them write words.  If they are still learning letters and letter sounds you can have them practice printing letters or hunting for words that start with a specific letter.  Don’t forget to tell your child what they are doing well (e.g. great job stretching out your sounds, wow look at that you wrote the correct letter sound for the beginning of the word ________, Excellent look at those finger spaces they make it so much easier to read your work!).

Headphones:

Most students have now brought headphones.  If you have not yet sent in headphones we are kindly requesting that you send in a pair.  Please send them in a plastic bag labeled with your child’s name.  We would like to use these headphones during our Daily 5 stations when doing listen to reading (Raz-Kids).  The headphones will be stored in your child’s individual book box and be kept at school to be used until the end of the year.  Please do not feel obligated to get fancy expensive headphones, dollar store headphones will work fine.  Please ensure that your child is able to independently put on and take off these headphones.  Thank you to those of you who have already sent in headphones.

Communication Books:

Please make sure to check your child’s folder and communication book each day and return it to school. After checking your child’s communication book please leave it open to the current page and clean out any papers.  

Ask Me About:

1. Draw a pattern that has 3-5 elements in the core, circle the core, and show the pattern using letters and numbers.
2. Count forwards by 1s from any number up to 20. (e.g. start at 3 and count forwards to 20, “3, 4, 5, 6, …”)
3. Read, read, read!  When reading with your child have them look for our sight words, identify letters, hunt for punctuation, and discuss the story events.