Hello families and friends,
I hope you are all enjoying some time together in our nice snowy weather. Rest up, relax, and enjoy the holiday! We look forward to seeing you all again in the new year on Monday, January 4th.
Sunday 27 December 2015
Wednesday 16 December 2015
December 17, 2015
Hello families and friends,
Today was another busy day in room 3/4. We started our morning continuing our literacy and numeracy work. We have been working on our adding and subtracting strategies. Ask your child what they have been working on in Daily 5. In the afternoon we worked with Mrs. Jones' student teacher on the story "If I Built a House" and then designed a blueprint of their own house that they made together in groups. Then we shared these with the rest of the class. There were some interesting designs! We finished off our day with some Christmas caroling with the whole school in the gym. Tomorrow for our caroling there will be a special surprise for all the students. What will it be?
To help celebrate our last day of school together before the winter break, we will be taking some time in the afternoon to watch a movie and do a craft with holiday themes. Students are welcome to wear their pyjamas if they would like.
We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow before our two week break!
Have a wonderful Wednesday.
Today was another busy day in room 3/4. We started our morning continuing our literacy and numeracy work. We have been working on our adding and subtracting strategies. Ask your child what they have been working on in Daily 5. In the afternoon we worked with Mrs. Jones' student teacher on the story "If I Built a House" and then designed a blueprint of their own house that they made together in groups. Then we shared these with the rest of the class. There were some interesting designs! We finished off our day with some Christmas caroling with the whole school in the gym. Tomorrow for our caroling there will be a special surprise for all the students. What will it be?
To help celebrate our last day of school together before the winter break, we will be taking some time in the afternoon to watch a movie and do a craft with holiday themes. Students are welcome to wear their pyjamas if they would like.
We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow before our two week break!
Have a wonderful Wednesday.
Monday 14 December 2015
December 14, 2015
Hello families and friends,
We got into the holiday mood this morning with some Christmas caroling as a whole school. The students really enjoyed this. We will be continuing to do this each day this week leading up to the beginning of our winter break on Friday. After that, we went back to continue work on our literacy skills. We have also been continuing work on our math adding and subtracting strategies. In the afternoon we introduced our words of the week. They are "tuque", "boots", "mittens", "winter", and "holiday" for all students. What are some other words that are related to our words of the week? Post your words in the comments below.
Have a wonderful evening,
Mr. Soulliere
We got into the holiday mood this morning with some Christmas caroling as a whole school. The students really enjoyed this. We will be continuing to do this each day this week leading up to the beginning of our winter break on Friday. After that, we went back to continue work on our literacy skills. We have also been continuing work on our math adding and subtracting strategies. In the afternoon we introduced our words of the week. They are "tuque", "boots", "mittens", "winter", and "holiday" for all students. What are some other words that are related to our words of the week? Post your words in the comments below.
Have a wonderful evening,
Mr. Soulliere
Saturday 12 December 2015
FUN TEAM Discussion on the Solar System
Hello Families of the Fun Team,
On Friday morning, while student's began sharing their writing from our Daily 5, one student, Angus, wanted to share what he had been reading. He told us about some of the things he had learned about the solar system. This led to more sharing and questions from the rest of the group. We decided to explore the topic a bit further and watched an interesting 12 minute video about our solar system. I asked the students why they thought we have dark and light. We had some really interesting answers so I decided to challenge them. Their homework for the weekend is to find out why we have dark and light and then post their answers here on the blog. Hope you can find some time on Sunday to help your child with this. They are also free to add any other interesting things they discover about our solar system.
Hope you are enjoying your weekend and staying warm.
Ms. Klein
On Friday morning, while student's began sharing their writing from our Daily 5, one student, Angus, wanted to share what he had been reading. He told us about some of the things he had learned about the solar system. This led to more sharing and questions from the rest of the group. We decided to explore the topic a bit further and watched an interesting 12 minute video about our solar system. I asked the students why they thought we have dark and light. We had some really interesting answers so I decided to challenge them. Their homework for the weekend is to find out why we have dark and light and then post their answers here on the blog. Hope you can find some time on Sunday to help your child with this. They are also free to add any other interesting things they discover about our solar system.
Hope you are enjoying your weekend and staying warm.
Ms. Klein
Tuesday 8 December 2015
Good evening parents,
Friday is the final day for contributing to our adopted families in need through the "Families Helping Families" program. Thank you to all families who have generously contributed to fulfill the needs and wishes of these families so they will have a good Christmas.
FUN TEAM (Ms. Klein's Group) PLEASE NOTE: To date we have had only 5-6 families contributing to the cause. The family we are helping consists of a single mother who has a girl age 8, and 2 boys - ages 11 & 14. Please consider helping to make this family's Christmas bright if you have not done so already.
Thank-you,
Ms. Klein
Friday is the final day for contributing to our adopted families in need through the "Families Helping Families" program. Thank you to all families who have generously contributed to fulfill the needs and wishes of these families so they will have a good Christmas.
FUN TEAM (Ms. Klein's Group) PLEASE NOTE: To date we have had only 5-6 families contributing to the cause. The family we are helping consists of a single mother who has a girl age 8, and 2 boys - ages 11 & 14. Please consider helping to make this family's Christmas bright if you have not done so already.
Thank-you,
Ms. Klein
Monday 7 December 2015
Monday - December 7
Good evening friends & family,
Today was an unusual Monday in the classroom. Our morning started with the usual Daily 5. Last week I introduced my "Fun Team" to Daily 5 centers. They include a writing center with writing prompts and pictures to write about, listening to stories on the laptops using Tumblebooks, word work, which currently includes word games and activities such as playing hangman and making letters with pipe cleaners to create word wall words, reading a book to self and reading to someone. The students will rotate once during the Daily 5 and will change to 2 different centers the next day and so on. Students have been quite engaged in these centers. Ask them about the center they were at today.
Last week I brought some of my collection of Christmas books in for the triad to enjoy and added some more today. There are about 40-50 or so holiday books for all to enjoy.
We practiced, in the gym, for the Christmas concert for an hour in the afternoon, after having a great time at "Crafternoon". Each teacher hosted 15 students from K-4 as they each read a special Christmas story to the students and guided them in creating an ornament for their class Christmas tree. Ask your child what they created today for their tree. Also, be sure to pause and take a look at all their wonderful creations, adorning the trees, when you visit the school for the Christmas concert.
Mr. Soulierres' "Neon Team" went on a field trip in the afternoon with another class, singing carols to seniors in Cranston. More to follow.
PARENTS PLEASE NOTE:
When you attend the Christmas concert for our triad, please sit on the right side of the gym/stage, as this is the side that our students will be performing from.
Have a great evening!
Julie Klein
Today was an unusual Monday in the classroom. Our morning started with the usual Daily 5. Last week I introduced my "Fun Team" to Daily 5 centers. They include a writing center with writing prompts and pictures to write about, listening to stories on the laptops using Tumblebooks, word work, which currently includes word games and activities such as playing hangman and making letters with pipe cleaners to create word wall words, reading a book to self and reading to someone. The students will rotate once during the Daily 5 and will change to 2 different centers the next day and so on. Students have been quite engaged in these centers. Ask them about the center they were at today.
Last week I brought some of my collection of Christmas books in for the triad to enjoy and added some more today. There are about 40-50 or so holiday books for all to enjoy.
We practiced, in the gym, for the Christmas concert for an hour in the afternoon, after having a great time at "Crafternoon". Each teacher hosted 15 students from K-4 as they each read a special Christmas story to the students and guided them in creating an ornament for their class Christmas tree. Ask your child what they created today for their tree. Also, be sure to pause and take a look at all their wonderful creations, adorning the trees, when you visit the school for the Christmas concert.
Mr. Soulierres' "Neon Team" went on a field trip in the afternoon with another class, singing carols to seniors in Cranston. More to follow.
PARENTS PLEASE NOTE:
When you attend the Christmas concert for our triad, please sit on the right side of the gym/stage, as this is the side that our students will be performing from.
Have a great evening!
Julie Klein
Wednesday 2 December 2015
December 2, 2015
Hello families and friends,
Today the students had an opportunity to visit the Scholastic Book Fair. This will be on one side of the gym through tomorrow and interviews on Friday. If your child would like to purchase a book and wants to bring the money during the day tomorrow they may do so and we will send them down at an appropriate time. It will also be open for purchasing books during parent teacher interviews tomorrow night and Friday morning. Also, if you have not booked an interview time yet you may do so from the Cranston School website. In the morning we continued working on our literacy and numeracy skills, and Mr. Soulliere's class continued practicing their songs for their field trip on Monday. We worked in our word work groups in the afternoon, and Mrs. Brace introduced herself to the whole group. Then the students did some writing about themselves for her to get to know them. After that we went to music and practiced our songs for the Christmas concert on Wednesday, December 9th. Then we worked with Mrs. Kinsman. Ask your child what they worked on.
There were some people who were having issues getting to the website for ordering tickets for the Christmas concert next week. There were issues with the link, but if you copy and paste the website <https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/gr-1-2-hopeharmony-wing-concert-tickets-19746593593> into the address bar it should work for you. Email me at <gasoulliere@cbe.ab.ca> if you have any issues.
The deadline for bringing in Families Helping Families gifts has been extended to this Friday, December 4th, in an effort to ensure that all families are able to get their contributions in.
Thank you to all of those who have been experimenting with racing different liquids at home! It has been interesting to hear some of the different match ups that people have tried. As our time with Ms. Tarry is winding down, what are some wonders that you still have about liquids? Post your questions in the comments below.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Today the students had an opportunity to visit the Scholastic Book Fair. This will be on one side of the gym through tomorrow and interviews on Friday. If your child would like to purchase a book and wants to bring the money during the day tomorrow they may do so and we will send them down at an appropriate time. It will also be open for purchasing books during parent teacher interviews tomorrow night and Friday morning. Also, if you have not booked an interview time yet you may do so from the Cranston School website. In the morning we continued working on our literacy and numeracy skills, and Mr. Soulliere's class continued practicing their songs for their field trip on Monday. We worked in our word work groups in the afternoon, and Mrs. Brace introduced herself to the whole group. Then the students did some writing about themselves for her to get to know them. After that we went to music and practiced our songs for the Christmas concert on Wednesday, December 9th. Then we worked with Mrs. Kinsman. Ask your child what they worked on.
There were some people who were having issues getting to the website for ordering tickets for the Christmas concert next week. There were issues with the link, but if you copy and paste the website <https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/gr-1-2-hopeharmony-wing-concert-tickets-19746593593> into the address bar it should work for you. Email me at <gasoulliere@cbe.ab.ca> if you have any issues.
The deadline for bringing in Families Helping Families gifts has been extended to this Friday, December 4th, in an effort to ensure that all families are able to get their contributions in.
Thank you to all of those who have been experimenting with racing different liquids at home! It has been interesting to hear some of the different match ups that people have tried. As our time with Ms. Tarry is winding down, what are some wonders that you still have about liquids? Post your questions in the comments below.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Tuesday 1 December 2015
December 1, 2015
Hello families and friends,
We had a very warm welcome to December! It was a beautiful day for the children to get outside for recess. A reminder that, as the weather is getting colder, students need to be dressed appropriately to be outside for recess each day. There is a lot of winter gear that is being worn into the class, and it is very easy to get things mixed up, so help your child out by writing their name in all of their winter clothing.
Today we welcomed Mrs. Brace to our learning community! She will be joining our classroom on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. We have been continuing work on our literacy skills in the morning, and this afternoon we picked out our best pieces of writing. Then we made a video talking about the writing pieces to put onto Iris. You can look at it here. Ask your child how to log on. If your child is not sure, feel free to email me at <gasoulliere@cbe.ab.ca>.
Mr. Soulliere's class is continuing to work on our songs for our field trip on Monday to the retirement home. Please make sure that all field trip forms are returned by this Thursday, December 3rd.
Please help your child to practice our songs for the Christmas concert next Wednesday, December 9th by visiting Mrs. McBride's blog here.
Have a great evening,
Mr. Soulliere
We had a very warm welcome to December! It was a beautiful day for the children to get outside for recess. A reminder that, as the weather is getting colder, students need to be dressed appropriately to be outside for recess each day. There is a lot of winter gear that is being worn into the class, and it is very easy to get things mixed up, so help your child out by writing their name in all of their winter clothing.
Today we welcomed Mrs. Brace to our learning community! She will be joining our classroom on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. We have been continuing work on our literacy skills in the morning, and this afternoon we picked out our best pieces of writing. Then we made a video talking about the writing pieces to put onto Iris. You can look at it here. Ask your child how to log on. If your child is not sure, feel free to email me at <gasoulliere@cbe.ab.ca>.
Mr. Soulliere's class is continuing to work on our songs for our field trip on Monday to the retirement home. Please make sure that all field trip forms are returned by this Thursday, December 3rd.
Please help your child to practice our songs for the Christmas concert next Wednesday, December 9th by visiting Mrs. McBride's blog here.
Have a great evening,
Mr. Soulliere
Monday 30 November 2015
Sing! Sing! Sing!
Mrs. McBride has asked that we post the link to her blog. She is starting to panic that the kids are mumbling through a lot of the words. Please take the time with your child to do some singing at home to prepare them for their Christmas concert.
www.cranstonmusic.weebly.com
You can find the lyrics under the lyric tab.
Thanks so much!
SNOW PANTS STILL MISSING
Parents,
One of our students has lost their snow pants. They are black, no straps, Columbia brand, size 7, and possibly labelled "Caleb" (his cousins name). He lost them last week on Wednesday. He came home with the wrong pair of black snow pants, so I suspect he has switched pairs with another child in the triad. Austin brought the incorrect snow pants back to the school on Thursday, and now has no snow pants at all.
PLEASE check at your home to see if you might have these snow pants.
Thank you,
Ms. Klein
One of our students has lost their snow pants. They are black, no straps, Columbia brand, size 7, and possibly labelled "Caleb" (his cousins name). He lost them last week on Wednesday. He came home with the wrong pair of black snow pants, so I suspect he has switched pairs with another child in the triad. Austin brought the incorrect snow pants back to the school on Thursday, and now has no snow pants at all.
PLEASE check at your home to see if you might have these snow pants.
Thank you,
Ms. Klein
November 30, 2015
Hello families and friends,
In the morning we continued working on our literacy and numeracy skills. Ask your child what they have been working on. In the afternoon we introduced our words of the week. They are "not", "try", "sit", and "up" for grade ones, and "happy", "pretty", "funny", and "very" for grade twos. Write a sentence that uses all of your grade's words of the week. In gym we continued work on "pillow polo" and floor hockey. Then we looked at a few different liquids and raced them to see which were fastest and which were slowest. What is the word that describes how quickly or slowly a liquid flows?
Please continue bringing in your Family Movie Night order forms. Tickets are only available while supplies last.
The Christmas concert for the 1/2s in the Hope and Harmony wing is next Wednesday! Head to Mrs. McBride's blog for lyrics to the songs that they will be singing so you can practice at home.
This morning the students in Mr. Soulliere's class practiced our songs that we will be singing for the seniors at the retirement home next Monday, December 7th. They are Peace in my Fingers, Nothing More, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Thank you to those parents that have volunteered to help us out on the afternoon!
Have a great evening,
Mr. Soulliere
In the morning we continued working on our literacy and numeracy skills. Ask your child what they have been working on. In the afternoon we introduced our words of the week. They are "not", "try", "sit", and "up" for grade ones, and "happy", "pretty", "funny", and "very" for grade twos. Write a sentence that uses all of your grade's words of the week. In gym we continued work on "pillow polo" and floor hockey. Then we looked at a few different liquids and raced them to see which were fastest and which were slowest. What is the word that describes how quickly or slowly a liquid flows?
Please continue bringing in your Family Movie Night order forms. Tickets are only available while supplies last.
The Christmas concert for the 1/2s in the Hope and Harmony wing is next Wednesday! Head to Mrs. McBride's blog for lyrics to the songs that they will be singing so you can practice at home.
This morning the students in Mr. Soulliere's class practiced our songs that we will be singing for the seniors at the retirement home next Monday, December 7th. They are Peace in my Fingers, Nothing More, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Thank you to those parents that have volunteered to help us out on the afternoon!
Have a great evening,
Mr. Soulliere
Friday 27 November 2015
November 27, 2015
Hello families and friends,
Today we did a really exciting experiment; in the spirit of the museo-kit that we had from the Glenbow Museum a couple weeks ago, the students made their own butter! Ask your child the directions for how this was done. After that, Ms. McEvoy led the students in writing the directions into their visual journals. They practiced taking their time to do their best printing and making it neat. We also took a look at the results of the experiment that we started yesterday; the students had looked at how water is absorbed and then they got three cups, two with water and one without, lined up in a row. Then the students placed the ends of twisted up paper towel into each of the two water cups, with the other end of each dipped into the empty cup. Then we added different coloured food colouring into the water, made predictions about what we thought would happen, and left them over night. Ask your child what they observed today and if their prediction was right.
Forms for the Family Christmas Movie Night are going home. The evening for this is Monday, December 14th. Please return the forms as soon as possible if you are interested, tickets are available while supplies last.
On Wednesday, December 9th, the grade 1/2s in the Hope and Harmony wing will be putting on a presentation of Christmas at the OK Corral. This will be at 6 p.m. Information about tickets will be coming soon.
Booking for Parent Teacher Interviews is available through the Cranston School website. They are running from 4:00 - 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, and from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. on Friday morning. Time slots are 15 minutes long. Please sign up for this if you have not done so yet. We look forward to seeing you all!
On the afternoon of Monday, December 7th, the students in Mr. Soulliere's class will be going on a field trip to the Auburn Heights Retirement Residence to test run a new Multi-Generational buddying program. We will be leaving the school at 12:30 and will be returning at 2:30. If you are interested in helping us out that day please email me at <gasoulliere@cbe.ab.ca>.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Today we did a really exciting experiment; in the spirit of the museo-kit that we had from the Glenbow Museum a couple weeks ago, the students made their own butter! Ask your child the directions for how this was done. After that, Ms. McEvoy led the students in writing the directions into their visual journals. They practiced taking their time to do their best printing and making it neat. We also took a look at the results of the experiment that we started yesterday; the students had looked at how water is absorbed and then they got three cups, two with water and one without, lined up in a row. Then the students placed the ends of twisted up paper towel into each of the two water cups, with the other end of each dipped into the empty cup. Then we added different coloured food colouring into the water, made predictions about what we thought would happen, and left them over night. Ask your child what they observed today and if their prediction was right.
Forms for the Family Christmas Movie Night are going home. The evening for this is Monday, December 14th. Please return the forms as soon as possible if you are interested, tickets are available while supplies last.
On Wednesday, December 9th, the grade 1/2s in the Hope and Harmony wing will be putting on a presentation of Christmas at the OK Corral. This will be at 6 p.m. Information about tickets will be coming soon.
Booking for Parent Teacher Interviews is available through the Cranston School website. They are running from 4:00 - 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, and from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. on Friday morning. Time slots are 15 minutes long. Please sign up for this if you have not done so yet. We look forward to seeing you all!
On the afternoon of Monday, December 7th, the students in Mr. Soulliere's class will be going on a field trip to the Auburn Heights Retirement Residence to test run a new Multi-Generational buddying program. We will be leaving the school at 12:30 and will be returning at 2:30. If you are interested in helping us out that day please email me at <gasoulliere@cbe.ab.ca>.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Tuesday 24 November 2015
Missing Snow Pants
Parents,
One of our students has lost their snow pants. They are black, no straps, Columbia brand, size 7, and possibly labelled "Caleb" (his cousins name). He lost them last week on Wednesday. He came home with the wrong pair of black snow pants, so I suspect he has switched pairs with another child in the triad. Austin brought the incorrect snow pants back to the school on Thursday, and now has no snow pants at all.
Would you please check at your home to see if you might have these snow pants.
Thank you,
Ms. Klein
One of our students has lost their snow pants. They are black, no straps, Columbia brand, size 7, and possibly labelled "Caleb" (his cousins name). He lost them last week on Wednesday. He came home with the wrong pair of black snow pants, so I suspect he has switched pairs with another child in the triad. Austin brought the incorrect snow pants back to the school on Thursday, and now has no snow pants at all.
Would you please check at your home to see if you might have these snow pants.
Thank you,
Ms. Klein
November 24, 2015
Hello families and friends,
This morning we continued working on our literacy and numeracy skills. The students are working on their adding and subtracting strategies. Ask your child which strategy they were practicing today. Then in the afternoon, we broke into our word work groups. In gym, we continued practicing our hockey skills with Mr. McDougall. After that we continued our look at our responsibilities and some responsibilities that students would have had in the past. At the end of the day we looked at the cups of water that we left out last week to see how they had changed, and made some predictions for our next experiment with water. Ask your child about this. How long do you think it would take for a cup of water left out on the counter to completely evaporate? Post your answer in the comments below.
Stay warm this evening!
Mr. Soulliere
This morning we continued working on our literacy and numeracy skills. The students are working on their adding and subtracting strategies. Ask your child which strategy they were practicing today. Then in the afternoon, we broke into our word work groups. In gym, we continued practicing our hockey skills with Mr. McDougall. After that we continued our look at our responsibilities and some responsibilities that students would have had in the past. At the end of the day we looked at the cups of water that we left out last week to see how they had changed, and made some predictions for our next experiment with water. Ask your child about this. How long do you think it would take for a cup of water left out on the counter to completely evaporate? Post your answer in the comments below.
Stay warm this evening!
Mr. Soulliere
Monday 23 November 2015
November 23, 2015
Hello families and friends,
This morning we continued our morning literacy work with Read to Self, Read to Someone, and Work on Writing. Ask your child what they have been working on. Then in math all of the groups we continued work on our addition/subtraction strategies. The students have practiced one more and one less, two more and two less, fact families, doubles, and doubles plus one. Over the next little while we will also be looking at: doubles minus one and doubles plus/minus two; making ten; counting on; counting back; and thinking addition for subtraction.
Our words of the week for this week are "as", "by", "go", and "so" for grade ones, and "read", "what", "laugh", and "buy" for grade twos. Write a sentence in the comments below that uses at least 3 of the words of the week. In gym, the students continued playing two different types of floor hockey. At the end of the day we talked about responsibilities we have and what they would have had in the past. Ask your child what they came up with. What is the difference between a right and a responsibility?
This Wednesday morning we will be having a Little Spirit Bear presentation.
Thank you to those of you who are continuing to post their donations for Families Helping Families onto the blog. A reminder that all wrapped donations are due in to your child's teacher by next Thursday, December 3rd.
Next Thursday evening and Friday are parent teacher interviews. Booking is open online and can be accessed through the Cranston School website. We look forward to seeing you all there!
Have a great evening!
This morning we continued our morning literacy work with Read to Self, Read to Someone, and Work on Writing. Ask your child what they have been working on. Then in math all of the groups we continued work on our addition/subtraction strategies. The students have practiced one more and one less, two more and two less, fact families, doubles, and doubles plus one. Over the next little while we will also be looking at: doubles minus one and doubles plus/minus two; making ten; counting on; counting back; and thinking addition for subtraction.
Our words of the week for this week are "as", "by", "go", and "so" for grade ones, and "read", "what", "laugh", and "buy" for grade twos. Write a sentence in the comments below that uses at least 3 of the words of the week. In gym, the students continued playing two different types of floor hockey. At the end of the day we talked about responsibilities we have and what they would have had in the past. Ask your child what they came up with. What is the difference between a right and a responsibility?
This Wednesday morning we will be having a Little Spirit Bear presentation.
Thank you to those of you who are continuing to post their donations for Families Helping Families onto the blog. A reminder that all wrapped donations are due in to your child's teacher by next Thursday, December 3rd.
Next Thursday evening and Friday are parent teacher interviews. Booking is open online and can be accessed through the Cranston School website. We look forward to seeing you all there!
Have a great evening!
Saturday 21 November 2015
Fun Teams Roots of Empathy First Baby Visit
Friends & Family of the Fun Team:
McKenzie is our Roots of Empathy baby. She came to visit us, with her mom, on Thursday, Nov. 12th for the first time. Some of the questions asked by the students were:
"Does she have friends? playdates? go to the zoo?"
"Can the baby walk?"
"Does she crawl?"
We talked about what she eats and how she eats. We also measured her and discovered that she is 26 inches or 11 blocks long (66.04 cm). We sang "If You're Happy and You Know It" to her. She seemed to really enjoy this. We discussed how babies communicate and the different types of cries that babies can have and why.
Fun Team . . . what do you remember about McKenzie's visit?
McKenzie is our Roots of Empathy baby. She came to visit us, with her mom, on Thursday, Nov. 12th for the first time. Some of the questions asked by the students were:
"Does she have friends? playdates? go to the zoo?"
"Can the baby walk?"
"Does she crawl?"
We talked about what she eats and how she eats. We also measured her and discovered that she is 26 inches or 11 blocks long (66.04 cm). We sang "If You're Happy and You Know It" to her. She seemed to really enjoy this. We discussed how babies communicate and the different types of cries that babies can have and why.
Fun Team . . . what do you remember about McKenzie's visit?
McKenzie will be visiting us again on Thursday, Dec. 3 in the morning. Fun Team, what are some other things about McKenzie, that you are curious about?
Ms. Klein (Next time, I will get a close-up photo of our Baby McKenzie)
Tuesday 17 November 2015
November 17, 2015
Hello families and friends,
In the morning we have been continuing work on our literacy skills in our individual class groups. Ask your child what they have been working on. We have continued with our math rotations as well. Mr. Soulliere is continuing to work on number sense and equations, Ms. McEvoy and Ms. Terri are working on measurement, and Ms. Klein is working on shape. Ask your child what they have worked on the last couple days.
In the afternoon we continued work in our word work groups. Ask your child for some words that use the skill they practiced today and see if you can guess what it was! We have also been continuing our work investigating liquids. Yesterday we experimented with our materials that we used last week to patch up our styrofoam cups to see if they would hold water. Today we looked at how water moves and drew some pictures to go along with it. Why do you think we saw the water sticking together like it did on top of the pennies? Post your prediction in the comments below.
Tomorrow is Fun Lunch. Fill Your Freezer fundraiser forms are due back by Thursday, November 19th. Landmark Cinema order forms are also due back by Thursday, November 19th.
Watch in the weekly parent message for when booking becomes available for Parent Teacher Interviews; these are coming up in only two weeks!
Thank you again to those of you that have been posting in the blog what you will be bringing in for Families Helping Families. The posts with information can be found here for Soulliere, McEvoy, and Klein.
Have a great evening,
Mr. Soulliere
Word Work Word Wall Word
The last word I couldn't remember on the list of new word wall words for this week was question.
Ms. Klein
Ms. Klein
Monday 16 November 2015
Megan & the Great Horned Owl
I guess my little blurb did not accompany the last page I posted so here it is again...
With permission from the family, I am sharing Megan's story of her fantastic experience with helping to save the life of this owl.
Ms. Klein
With permission from the family, I am sharing Megan's story of her fantastic experience with helping to save the life of this owl.
Ms. Klein
Ms. Klein's Fun Team
WHO LOST A TOOTH?
Ms. Klein's Fun Team will be graphing teeth lost over the course of the year. Please confirm that your child has lost a tooth when it happens so they can colour in a tooth on our graph and pick a prize from Ms. Klein's prize box. We will go back to Sept. to record lost teeth, so please also let me know if your child has lost any teeth over these past 2 months.
Thanks!
Ms. Klein
Ms. Klein's Fun Team will be graphing teeth lost over the course of the year. Please confirm that your child has lost a tooth when it happens so they can colour in a tooth on our graph and pick a prize from Ms. Klein's prize box. We will go back to Sept. to record lost teeth, so please also let me know if your child has lost any teeth over these past 2 months.
Thanks!
Ms. Klein
Monday - Nov. 16 Classroom News
Happy Monday Parents,
During science investigation, at the end of last week and concluding today, students made predictions on which cups would hold water and which ones would not. The materials used by students, including a lot of tape, to make their "holey" cups hold liquid were plastic wrap, blue material, tin foil, coffee filters, other cloth material and building block cubes. Students were filled with "aha" moments this afternoon, as their predictions about which materials would hold liquids were tested. Ask them what they discovered.
Some of you were asking about last weeks and this weeks word wall words. We did not have new words last week due to the shortened school week. This weeks words, which were for both grade 1 and 2s, are:
why
liquid
predict
water
______ (I can't remember the last one. I'll let you know tomorrow.)
Sorry for the late notice on this - "Fill Your Freezer" orders are due Tuesday, Oct. 17. Please send them in by Wednesday, if you have not done so already. Thank you.
Have a great week!
Ms. Klein
During science investigation, at the end of last week and concluding today, students made predictions on which cups would hold water and which ones would not. The materials used by students, including a lot of tape, to make their "holey" cups hold liquid were plastic wrap, blue material, tin foil, coffee filters, other cloth material and building block cubes. Students were filled with "aha" moments this afternoon, as their predictions about which materials would hold liquids were tested. Ask them what they discovered.
Some of you were asking about last weeks and this weeks word wall words. We did not have new words last week due to the shortened school week. This weeks words, which were for both grade 1 and 2s, are:
why
liquid
predict
water
______ (I can't remember the last one. I'll let you know tomorrow.)
Sorry for the late notice on this - "Fill Your Freezer" orders are due Tuesday, Oct. 17. Please send them in by Wednesday, if you have not done so already. Thank you.
Have a great week!
Ms. Klein
Thursday 12 November 2015
November 12, 2015
Hello families and friends,
We had a very busy day today in room 3/4! Each of our three classes had a visit from our Roots of Empathy baby. Ask your child about their class' baby. Because these were all at different times throughout the day, each class had their own times for working on literacy skills. In the afternoon, the students got to watch the movie "Inside Out". Ask your child what they learned from this movie. During this, the teachers attended a very insightful webinar on Autism and Trauma in children. At the end of the day, we continued our work investigating liquids.
Thank you to those of you that have already posted on the blog posts what you are willing to contribute to our classes for Families Helping Families. The posts for Klein, McEvoy, and Soulliere can be found here. Contributions are due in by Wednesday, December 2nd.
Have a great evening,
Mr. Soulliere
We had a very busy day today in room 3/4! Each of our three classes had a visit from our Roots of Empathy baby. Ask your child about their class' baby. Because these were all at different times throughout the day, each class had their own times for working on literacy skills. In the afternoon, the students got to watch the movie "Inside Out". Ask your child what they learned from this movie. During this, the teachers attended a very insightful webinar on Autism and Trauma in children. At the end of the day, we continued our work investigating liquids.
Thank you to those of you that have already posted on the blog posts what you are willing to contribute to our classes for Families Helping Families. The posts for Klein, McEvoy, and Soulliere can be found here. Contributions are due in by Wednesday, December 2nd.
Have a great evening,
Mr. Soulliere
Monday 9 November 2015
November 9, 2015
Hello families and friends,
Today we continued our morning routine of working on our literacy and math skills. Mr. Soulliere is continuing to work on number sense, Ms. McEvoy is working on measurement, and Ms. Klein is working on shape. In the afternoon we started looking at liquids. We watched a video about one of the most important liquids in the world! Then the students made webs of what they know about liquids, and wrote down some of their wonders. We will keep investigating liquids, their importance, and properties over the next few weeks. At the end of the day we looked at some artifacts from the Glenbow Museum. We will have these for the rest of the week to observe and investigate.
Tomorrow is our Remembrance Day Assembly. There is no school on Wednesday.
To Families of Cranston Students:
Part of our work at Cranston School is to provide our students with opportunities to grow in their character development and to learn how to best respond in particular social situations.
We know from brain research that how we react to others, and in particular situations, can often be changed through the power of story. This Thursday, November 12, we are going to share in a story-event as a whole student body when we come together to view the video "Inside Out". This Pixar film tells the story of a character who lives inside a child's brain and tries to keep core memories of positive personal stories strong in the face of challenges associated with moving to a new city and school. As the students encounter the story of the main character, Riley, they will begin to share understanding of how they can control and manage their responses to new events based on their past experiences, and that their responses can be changed.
A shared experience of story like this provides all students with opportunities to develop common language and understanding that will support our daily work at Cranston School to build peaceful communities of strong, connected, responsible and positive young citizens.
The film is 102 minutes long and we will be showing it in the gym right after lunch. Please discuss the film with your children to reinforce the positive messages the video contains.
Thank you.
Mrs. Kinsman, Principal
Have a great evening,
Mr. Soulliere
Today we continued our morning routine of working on our literacy and math skills. Mr. Soulliere is continuing to work on number sense, Ms. McEvoy is working on measurement, and Ms. Klein is working on shape. In the afternoon we started looking at liquids. We watched a video about one of the most important liquids in the world! Then the students made webs of what they know about liquids, and wrote down some of their wonders. We will keep investigating liquids, their importance, and properties over the next few weeks. At the end of the day we looked at some artifacts from the Glenbow Museum. We will have these for the rest of the week to observe and investigate.
Tomorrow is our Remembrance Day Assembly. There is no school on Wednesday.
Cranston families, if you are interested in helping…
IMPORTANT Ã Please send your child’s teacher a comment through these BLOG posts (McEvoy, Soulliere, and Klein) titled ‘FAMILIES HELPING FAMILIES AT CHRISTMAS’. State what item you are willing to contribute or donate based off of the needs the family has indicated so that all other families in your child’s class can see what has been contributed and what still is in need.
Please remember that our families would love to not have to worry about the purchase of food items and more than one gift card to their chosen grocery store would be welcomed!
**We welcome donations of gently used items for our families as well.
All gifts/donations will need to be wrapped and labeled for whom they are intended for. Wrapped contributions will be due by:
Wednesday December 2nd, 2015
In the spirit of giving this holiday season, all staff at Cranston school would like to thank families in advance for their thoughts and contributions! Thank you for making a families Christmas a little brighter!!
To Families of Cranston Students:
Part of our work at Cranston School is to provide our students with opportunities to grow in their character development and to learn how to best respond in particular social situations.
We know from brain research that how we react to others, and in particular situations, can often be changed through the power of story. This Thursday, November 12, we are going to share in a story-event as a whole student body when we come together to view the video "Inside Out". This Pixar film tells the story of a character who lives inside a child's brain and tries to keep core memories of positive personal stories strong in the face of challenges associated with moving to a new city and school. As the students encounter the story of the main character, Riley, they will begin to share understanding of how they can control and manage their responses to new events based on their past experiences, and that their responses can be changed.
A shared experience of story like this provides all students with opportunities to develop common language and understanding that will support our daily work at Cranston School to build peaceful communities of strong, connected, responsible and positive young citizens.
The film is 102 minutes long and we will be showing it in the gym right after lunch. Please discuss the film with your children to reinforce the positive messages the video contains.
Thank you.
Mrs. Kinsman, Principal
Have a great evening,
Mr. Soulliere
FAMILIES HELPING FAMILIES AT CHRISTMAS Soulliere
Hello families and friends,
State in the comments below what item you are willing to contribute or donate based off of the needs the family has indicated so that all other families in your child’s class can see what has been contributed and what still is in need.
Please remember that our families would love to not have to worry about the purchase of food items and more than one gift card to their chosen grocery store would be welcomed!
**We welcome donations of gently used items for our families as well.
All gifts/donations will need to be wrapped and labeled for whom they are intended for. Wrapped contributions will be due by:
Wednesday December 2nd, 2015
In the spirit of giving this holiday season, all staff at Cranston school would like to thank families in advance for their thoughts and contributions! Thank you for making a family's Christmas a little brighter!!
FAMILIES HELPING FAMILIES AT CHRISTMAS McEvoy
Hello families and friends,
State in the comments below what item you are willing to contribute or donate based off of the needs the family has indicated so that all other families in your child’s class can see what has been contributed and what still is in need.
Please remember that our families would love to not have to worry about the purchase of food items and more than one gift card to their chosen grocery store would be welcomed!
**We welcome donations of gently used items for our families as well.
All gifts/donations will need to be wrapped and labeled for whom they are intended for. Wrapped contributions will be due by:
Wednesday December 2nd, 2015
In the spirit of giving this holiday season, all staff at Cranston school would like to thank families in advance for their thoughts and contributions! Thank you for making a family's Christmas a little brighter!!
FAMILIES HELPING FAMILIES AT CHRISTMAS Klein
Hello families and friends,
State in the comments below what item you are willing to contribute or donate based off of the needs the family has indicated so that all other families in your child’s class can see what has been contributed and what still is in need.
Please remember that our families would love to not have to worry about the purchase of food items and more than one gift card to their chosen grocery store would be welcomed!
**We welcome donations of gently used items for our families as well.
All gifts/donations will need to be wrapped and labeled for whom they are intended for. Wrapped contributions will be due by:
Wednesday December 2nd, 2015
In the spirit of giving this holiday season, all staff at Cranston school would like to thank families in advance for their thoughts and contributions! Thank you for making a family's Christmas a little brighter!!
Sunday 8 November 2015
School Fundraising Cheque Writing Campaign & Fill Your Freezer Forms
After the students left at the end of the day I found a form on the floor for the "School Fundraising Cheque Writing Campaign" that one parent is likely missing. Also, there was a "Simple Simon Pies - Fill Your Freezer" package that is missing the red and white order form and the prize level fundraising flyer. If you are missing this/these please let me know so I can send them home.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Missing Home Reading Books
Parents, please take a look at home for any of these books that are missing from our Home Reading cart.
"Let's Play" - Level B
"Hot Sunny Days" - Level F
These 1st two books were originally signed out by Bianca, but it is possible that they were returned and then not signed out properly by another student. The other two books were signed out by Harveer, but the same thing could have happened with these books.
"The Shopping Mall" - Level A
"Animal Communication" - Level K
Thank you for taking the time to look for these.
"Let's Play" - Level B
"Hot Sunny Days" - Level F
These 1st two books were originally signed out by Bianca, but it is possible that they were returned and then not signed out properly by another student. The other two books were signed out by Harveer, but the same thing could have happened with these books.
"The Shopping Mall" - Level A
"Animal Communication" - Level K
Thank you for taking the time to look for these.
Scholastic Book Orders
I received the latest shipment of Scholastic books. However, I have 3 orders that list titles but there is no name on the order forms.
The first form is for a the book, "Deadly Dinosaurs" for $4.99.
The second form is for a Berenstain Bears book for $6.99.
The third form is for 2 books - "I'm Not Sleepy" & a "Write . . . 123 ABC" book for a total of $11.98, although the form filled in for the total price says $1.99.
Please let me know if this is your order.
ALSO, Friday, November 13 will be the due date for any orders from the latest Scholastic catalogues for Ms. Klein's Fun Group.
The first form is for a the book, "Deadly Dinosaurs" for $4.99.
The second form is for a Berenstain Bears book for $6.99.
The third form is for 2 books - "I'm Not Sleepy" & a "Write . . . 123 ABC" book for a total of $11.98, although the form filled in for the total price says $1.99.
Please let me know if this is your order.
ALSO, Friday, November 13 will be the due date for any orders from the latest Scholastic catalogues for Ms. Klein's Fun Group.
Thursday 5 November 2015
November 5, 2015
Hello families and friends,
Today we started our day continuing work on our literacy skills. We also spent some time with our buddies getting some more videos of our reading put onto IRIS and playing some math games. Ask your child to teach you one of the games that they played today. In the afternoon we continued on our word work groups. Ask your child what they did today. Then we had our first Roots of Empathy lesson with Ms. Fernandez. We will be having our first baby visits coming up soon! The day ended with us working some more on the art we started with Ms. Ellison and our family trees.
Please continue to send in fundraiser forms as soon as you can.
Scholastic Book orders for Mr. Soulliere are due back tomorrow.
Tomorrow is the last day to bring in items for the Jacket Racket! Please send in any unwanted winter clothing in a plastic bag for those that may be in need. Thanks so much!
Have a great evening,
Mr. Soulliere
Today we started our day continuing work on our literacy skills. We also spent some time with our buddies getting some more videos of our reading put onto IRIS and playing some math games. Ask your child to teach you one of the games that they played today. In the afternoon we continued on our word work groups. Ask your child what they did today. Then we had our first Roots of Empathy lesson with Ms. Fernandez. We will be having our first baby visits coming up soon! The day ended with us working some more on the art we started with Ms. Ellison and our family trees.
Please continue to send in fundraiser forms as soon as you can.
Scholastic Book orders for Mr. Soulliere are due back tomorrow.
Tomorrow is the last day to bring in items for the Jacket Racket! Please send in any unwanted winter clothing in a plastic bag for those that may be in need. Thanks so much!
Have a great evening,
Mr. Soulliere
Tuesday 3 November 2015
November 3, 2015
Hello families and friends,
Today we had a special guest presentation! The author Tyler Enfield, author of "Wrush", came and talked with the school this afternoon about his books, reading, and the writing process. He also played the didgeridoo for us! It was very exciting. We also continued our work in our word work and math groups, and continued work on our family trees.
A reminder that the Freezer fundraiser is due back November 20th. The cheque writing campaign money is due on November 13th. Also, if you are ordering for the artwork fundraiser please make sure that the forms along with the art are returned tomorrow.
Scholastic Book orders for Mr. Soulliere are due back this Friday, November 6th.
Thanks and have a great evening,
Mr. Soulliere
Today we had a special guest presentation! The author Tyler Enfield, author of "Wrush", came and talked with the school this afternoon about his books, reading, and the writing process. He also played the didgeridoo for us! It was very exciting. We also continued our work in our word work and math groups, and continued work on our family trees.
A reminder that the Freezer fundraiser is due back November 20th. The cheque writing campaign money is due on November 13th. Also, if you are ordering for the artwork fundraiser please make sure that the forms along with the art are returned tomorrow.
Scholastic Book orders for Mr. Soulliere are due back this Friday, November 6th.
Thanks and have a great evening,
Mr. Soulliere
Monday 2 November 2015
November 2, 2015
Hello families and friends,
We have been continuing work on our literacy skills in Daily 5 in the morning. After that we broke into our small math groups to continue our work on number sense with Mr. Soulliere, shape with Ms. Klein, and measurement with Ms. McEvoy. In the afternoon we introduced our words of the week. They are "if", "no", "yes", and "or" for grade ones and "myself", "his", "her", and "there" for grade twos. At the end of the day we started making a family tree. Ask your child who they are putting on theirs. This would be a great opportunity to also talk with and share with them about the different members of their family, and also some of those things that we talked about when we were making our Canada flag art.
Two forms went home today: the Cranston School Cheque Writing Campaign, which will continue until Friday, November 13th; and the Fill the Freezer fundraiser, which will continue until Tuesday, November 10th. The fundraiser for the art that we did with the students last week is also due back this Wednesday, November 4th. Please make sure that you send in the art work with a "T" on the back of the art to designate the top of the page.
Please return all forms for groups (intramurals and book and movie club) as soon as possible. Book and Movie Club will be starting this Wednesday, and Intramurals will be starting next week.
Have a great evening,
Mr. Soulliere
We have been continuing work on our literacy skills in Daily 5 in the morning. After that we broke into our small math groups to continue our work on number sense with Mr. Soulliere, shape with Ms. Klein, and measurement with Ms. McEvoy. In the afternoon we introduced our words of the week. They are "if", "no", "yes", and "or" for grade ones and "myself", "his", "her", and "there" for grade twos. At the end of the day we started making a family tree. Ask your child who they are putting on theirs. This would be a great opportunity to also talk with and share with them about the different members of their family, and also some of those things that we talked about when we were making our Canada flag art.
Two forms went home today: the Cranston School Cheque Writing Campaign, which will continue until Friday, November 13th; and the Fill the Freezer fundraiser, which will continue until Tuesday, November 10th. The fundraiser for the art that we did with the students last week is also due back this Wednesday, November 4th. Please make sure that you send in the art work with a "T" on the back of the art to designate the top of the page.
Please return all forms for groups (intramurals and book and movie club) as soon as possible. Book and Movie Club will be starting this Wednesday, and Intramurals will be starting next week.
Have a great evening,
Mr. Soulliere
Wednesday 28 October 2015
October 28, 2015
Hello families and friends,
Just a few updates today:
The Fun Lunch order deadline has been extended to next Monday, November 2nd. Please remember to print of the payment remittance form and send that in along with the payment.
Just a few updates today:
The Fun Lunch order deadline has been extended to next Monday, November 2nd. Please remember to print of the payment remittance form and send that in along with the payment.
HALLOWEEN COSTUMES
Grade 1-4 Students can choose to dress up for Thursday, October 29th, in the afternoon. Kindergarten students will come to school in their costumes. To minimize disruptions, Grade 1-4 students will need to come to school with costumes in their backpacks and dress themselves up. For safety, no masks or play weapons and costumes need to be age appropriate.
Tomorrow evening is the Halloween Howler. Remember to bring your tickets!
There is no school this Friday, October 30th.
Scholastic Book orders for Mr. Soulliere are due back next Friday, November 6th.
Have a wonderful Wednesday,
Mr. Soulliere
Tuesday 27 October 2015
October 27, 2015
Hello families and friends,
Today we continued working on our Daily 5 skills of Read to Self, Read to Someone, and Work on Writing. The students have also been working with the teachers during this time on guided reading. In math we continued our math rotations. Ask your child what they learned today. We will be continuing these tomorrow, but not at our normal time. Instead, we will be having our special guest teacher come in to talk with us about what it was like when Cranston School first opened. This is part of our work looking at the past and present of our family, school, and community. In the afternoon we broke into our word work groups, and finished our day working on our Autumn tree art project.
Calgary Flames and CBE have partnered up again to offer 'Press Level' seating to families at a discounted price. $36 for a ticket, and $10 from each ticket purchased goes right back to Cranston School. Go to www.calgary.flames/studentnight for more information. Remember to choose Cranston from the drop down menu. Tickets sell out fast, so please order soon!
Cranston Peace Ambassadors will be starting a drive for Jacket Racket beginning Monday, October 26th and running to Friday, November 6th. This is a wonderful opportunity for all students to help other children here in our city, by donating warm outerwear that they no longer need. It is a valuable experience for our students and reinforces Cranston School’s commitment to peace and citizenship education. Please take some time with your children to go through their winter items. It is that time of year when we all realize that hats, mittens, boots, snow pants and coats have been outgrown! Please give them a wash and put them in a plastic bag to be brought to school. If you could list the items and sizes on the outside of the bag, it would help the students with the sorting process! We also accept adult sizes, as many older students need help to stay warm in the winter as well!
Today we continued working on our Daily 5 skills of Read to Self, Read to Someone, and Work on Writing. The students have also been working with the teachers during this time on guided reading. In math we continued our math rotations. Ask your child what they learned today. We will be continuing these tomorrow, but not at our normal time. Instead, we will be having our special guest teacher come in to talk with us about what it was like when Cranston School first opened. This is part of our work looking at the past and present of our family, school, and community. In the afternoon we broke into our word work groups, and finished our day working on our Autumn tree art project.
Calgary Flames and CBE have partnered up again to offer 'Press Level' seating to families at a discounted price. $36 for a ticket, and $10 from each ticket purchased goes right back to Cranston School. Go to www.calgary.flames/studentnight for more information. Remember to choose Cranston from the drop down menu. Tickets sell out fast, so please order soon!
Cranston Peace Ambassadors will be starting a drive for Jacket Racket beginning Monday, October 26th and running to Friday, November 6th. This is a wonderful opportunity for all students to help other children here in our city, by donating warm outerwear that they no longer need. It is a valuable experience for our students and reinforces Cranston School’s commitment to peace and citizenship education. Please take some time with your children to go through their winter items. It is that time of year when we all realize that hats, mittens, boots, snow pants and coats have been outgrown! Please give them a wash and put them in a plastic bag to be brought to school. If you could list the items and sizes on the outside of the bag, it would help the students with the sorting process! We also accept adult sizes, as many older students need help to stay warm in the winter as well!
Tomorrow is the last day for November and December Fun Lunch orders. Please send in the payment remittance form along with the payment.
We will be celebrating Halloween on Thursday, October 29th. We will be doing some small activities with our grade 3/4 buddies in the afternoon. Students are invited to wear their Halloween costumes in the afternoon only. Costumes must be age-appropriate, and students must be able to put them on without adult assistance. Please keep masks, weapons, or other accessories such as wands and brooms at home. Thank you in advance for not sending any treats etc. that day.
Have a great evening!
Have a great evening!
Monday 26 October 2015
October 26, 2015
Hello families and friends,
We had two guest teachers in our class today! To start off our day we showed them our best Read to Self, Read to Someone, and Work on Writing. Then we worked on our math rotations. Ask your child what they learned today. In the afternoon we did our words of the week. They are "on", "in", "said", and "weekend" for the grade ones and "where", "your", "all", and "because" for the grade twos. Grade two students were not expected to use the grade one words for the activity this week, but they will still be expected to know the grade one words and use them correctly in their own writing. Then we had a fire drill! The students did an excellent job of getting out of the school in a quick and organized fashion. We finished our day working on a fall tree scene. Ask your child about this.
Cranston Peace Ambassadors will be starting a drive for Jacket Racket beginning Monday, October 26th and running to Friday, November 6th. This is a wonderful opportunity for all students to help other children here in our city, by donating warm outerwear that they no longer need. It is a valuable experience for our students and reinforces Cranston School’s commitment to peace and citizenship education. Please take some time with your children to go through their winter items. It is that time of year when we all realize that hats, mittens, boots, snow pants and coats have been outgrown! Please give them a wash and put them in a plastic bag to be brought to school. If you could list the items and sizes on the outside of the bag, it would help the students with the sorting process! We also accept adult sizes, as many older students need help to stay warm in the winter as well!
We had two guest teachers in our class today! To start off our day we showed them our best Read to Self, Read to Someone, and Work on Writing. Then we worked on our math rotations. Ask your child what they learned today. In the afternoon we did our words of the week. They are "on", "in", "said", and "weekend" for the grade ones and "where", "your", "all", and "because" for the grade twos. Grade two students were not expected to use the grade one words for the activity this week, but they will still be expected to know the grade one words and use them correctly in their own writing. Then we had a fire drill! The students did an excellent job of getting out of the school in a quick and organized fashion. We finished our day working on a fall tree scene. Ask your child about this.
Cranston Peace Ambassadors will be starting a drive for Jacket Racket beginning Monday, October 26th and running to Friday, November 6th. This is a wonderful opportunity for all students to help other children here in our city, by donating warm outerwear that they no longer need. It is a valuable experience for our students and reinforces Cranston School’s commitment to peace and citizenship education. Please take some time with your children to go through their winter items. It is that time of year when we all realize that hats, mittens, boots, snow pants and coats have been outgrown! Please give them a wash and put them in a plastic bag to be brought to school. If you could list the items and sizes on the outside of the bag, it would help the students with the sorting process! We also accept adult sizes, as many older students need help to stay warm in the winter as well!
This Wednesday, October 28th, picture order forms and Fun Lunch orders for November and December are due. Please send them into your child's teacher by then.
Scholastic book orders for Mr. Soulliere are due back by next Friday, November 6th.
We will be celebrating Halloween on Thursday, October 29th. We will be doing some small activities with our grade 3/4 buddies in the afternoon. Students are invited to wear their Halloween costumes in the afternoon only. Costumes must be age-appropriate, and students must be able to put them on without adult assistance. Please keep masks, weapons, or other accessories such as wands and brooms at home. Thank you in advance for not sending any treats etc. that day.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email your child's teacher or one of the others in the room. For Mr. Soulliere <gasoulliere@cbe.ab.ca>; for Ms. McEvoy <jlmcevoy@cbe.ab.ca>; for Ms. Klein <jmklein@cbe.ab.ca>.
Have a great evening,
Mr. Soulliere
Friday 23 October 2015
October 23, 2015
Hello families and friends,
Yesterday, we had a visit from author Marty Chan. Marty Chan is an author of 11 books from Edmonton who visited our school today. He told us many funny stories about how he gets ideas for his books, including stories about his two cats Max and Buddy that turned into his picture book called "True Story". He also gave us some important advice. "When you write, don't be afraid of the blank page!" Visit his web site to learn more about him.
We have been continuing to work on our literacy skills in the morning, practicing reading to self and to someone, and working on our writing. Yesterday we also practiced some reading with our grade 3/4 buddies, and made a video recording our reading to put into IRIS. You can see this at home by logging into IRIS using the same login and password that your child uses to get onto the computers at school. We also started a Autumn tree art project, which we will be continuing next week in collaboration with a fundraiser that we will be doing. Information about this will be sent home next week. Today, we also started working on an art project with Ms. Ellison around the work that we have been doing in social studies about comparing the past and present. We will be continuing our work in this over the next few weeks.
Thank you to all the families who supported our students by attending the Student-Led Learning Walk. It is a very meaningful experience for students to not only share their own work with you, but also the work of the other students at our school. Parents then can truly see the scope of learning that your child will experience during their time at Cranston School. Thank you again - it was great to see you all!!
A note from Mr. Southworth and Mr. McDougall
This week is the start of our annual, extended Digital Citizenship week at Cranston School. Starting this week and continuing over the next 4 weeks, Mr. McDougall and Mr. Southworth will be doing lessons with each of the classes around Internet safety, including how to protect your identity on the web, and spotting advertising, as students interact with the digital world. Time will also be spent on using student devices at school.
On our Digital Citizenship webpage you will find our 'Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) letter, school-wide Digital Citizenship plan and classroom Twitter guidelines. As well, you will find activities and games for kids to play and work through at home. This is an excellent way for parents to spend quality time with their children while helping to guide them through the digital world.
You will find a link to the Digital Citizenship page at the top of our Cranston School website. Alternatively, you can also follow this direct link:
http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b408/VLC/digital-citizenship.html
Cranston Peace Ambassadors will be starting a drive for Jacket Racket beginning Monday, October 26th and running to Friday, November 6th. This is a wonderful opportunity for all students to help other children here in our city, by donating warm outerwear that they no longer need. It is a valuable experience for our students and reinforces Cranston School’s commitment to peace and citizenship education. Please take some time with your children to go through their winter items. It is that time of year when we all realize that hats, mittens, boots, snow pants and coats have been outgrown! Please give them a wash and put them in a plastic bag to be brought to school. If you could list the items and sizes on the outside of the bag, it would help the students with the sorting process! We also accept adult sizes, as many older students need help to stay warm in the winter as well!
Calgary Flames and CBE have partnered up again to offer 'Press Level' seating to families at a discounted price. $36 for a ticket, and $10 from each ticket purchased goes right back to Cranston School. Go to www.calgary.flames/studentnight for more information. Remember to choose Cranston from the drop down menu. Tickets sell out fast, so please order soon!
Yesterday, we had a visit from author Marty Chan. Marty Chan is an author of 11 books from Edmonton who visited our school today. He told us many funny stories about how he gets ideas for his books, including stories about his two cats Max and Buddy that turned into his picture book called "True Story". He also gave us some important advice. "When you write, don't be afraid of the blank page!" Visit his web site to learn more about him.
We have been continuing to work on our literacy skills in the morning, practicing reading to self and to someone, and working on our writing. Yesterday we also practiced some reading with our grade 3/4 buddies, and made a video recording our reading to put into IRIS. You can see this at home by logging into IRIS using the same login and password that your child uses to get onto the computers at school. We also started a Autumn tree art project, which we will be continuing next week in collaboration with a fundraiser that we will be doing. Information about this will be sent home next week. Today, we also started working on an art project with Ms. Ellison around the work that we have been doing in social studies about comparing the past and present. We will be continuing our work in this over the next few weeks.
Thank you to all the families who supported our students by attending the Student-Led Learning Walk. It is a very meaningful experience for students to not only share their own work with you, but also the work of the other students at our school. Parents then can truly see the scope of learning that your child will experience during their time at Cranston School. Thank you again - it was great to see you all!!
A note from Mr. Southworth and Mr. McDougall
This week is the start of our annual, extended Digital Citizenship week at Cranston School. Starting this week and continuing over the next 4 weeks, Mr. McDougall and Mr. Southworth will be doing lessons with each of the classes around Internet safety, including how to protect your identity on the web, and spotting advertising, as students interact with the digital world. Time will also be spent on using student devices at school.
On our Digital Citizenship webpage you will find our 'Bring Your Own Device’ (BYOD) letter, school-wide Digital Citizenship plan and classroom Twitter guidelines. As well, you will find activities and games for kids to play and work through at home. This is an excellent way for parents to spend quality time with their children while helping to guide them through the digital world.
You will find a link to the Digital Citizenship page at the top of our Cranston School website. Alternatively, you can also follow this direct link:
http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b408/VLC/digital-citizenship.html
Tuesday 20 October 2015
October 20, 2015
Hello families and friends,
Today we continued our math rotations with a new lesson which we will be continuing tomorrow and Thursday with each of the teachers. Mr. Soulliere is continuing to teach the students number concept, Ms. McEvoy is working with them on measurement, and Ms. Klein is working with shapes.
In the afternoon we had our second day of our new word work groups. Ask your child what they learned about. Then in social studies we continued our look at communities by looking at and comparing some pictures from Calgary's past and present and started a visual journal page showing some of the differences. Tomorrow, we will finish our discussion on Cranston School's past with our guest speaker!
Tomorrow, the students will have an opportunity to view the work that we have all done in the school around writing and communication. This is in preparation for Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
Tomorrow is also Fun Lunch! Fun lunch orders for November and December are available online through the Cranston School website. These are due back to your child's teacher by next Wednesday, October 28th.
Today we continued our math rotations with a new lesson which we will be continuing tomorrow and Thursday with each of the teachers. Mr. Soulliere is continuing to teach the students number concept, Ms. McEvoy is working with them on measurement, and Ms. Klein is working with shapes.
In the afternoon we had our second day of our new word work groups. Ask your child what they learned about. Then in social studies we continued our look at communities by looking at and comparing some pictures from Calgary's past and present and started a visual journal page showing some of the differences. Tomorrow, we will finish our discussion on Cranston School's past with our guest speaker!
Tomorrow, the students will have an opportunity to view the work that we have all done in the school around writing and communication. This is in preparation for Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
Student Led Learning Walks offer you and your child(ren) an opportunity to glimpse a snapshot of what “writing to communicate and represent” looks like at every grade level across Cranston School with your child as the guide.
Families whose last names begin with A – L attend on Wed. Oct. 21/15
Families whose last names begin with M – Z attend on Thu. Oct. 22/15
*While there will be teachers from every grade level present both evenings, not every teacher will be present both evenings. All student work will be on display both evenings.
**If there are families who are getting family photos done on Thursday whose last name begins with A-L, you can choose to come whichever night works best JJ
Tomorrow is also Fun Lunch! Fun lunch orders for November and December are available online through the Cranston School website. These are due back to your child's teacher by next Wednesday, October 28th.
If you would like to order Halloween Howler tickets there are still some available. Bring the order forms in as soon as possible, as there are only a limited number available.
Picture order forms have gone home. These are also due back by next Wednesday, October 28th.
Have a good evening!
Monday 19 October 2015
October 19, 2015
Hello families and friends,
Today was a bit of a crazy day! There were people coming in and out of the school all day for the election, and the gym was being used by this, so our transitions throughout the school were a bit of a challenge. The students did a great job being responsible in their transitions though and we all made it to and from our door quickly and quietly. As usual, we started our day with some Daily 5 work. The students are doing a great job building their independence! In math, we finished up our rotations from last week in preparation for starting a new activity tomorrow.
In the afternoon we started with our words of the week. For this week they are "at", "be", "do", "of", and "was". This is the last group of the most common words that the students use, and going forward we will start adding different words for the grade ones and twos. We finished off our day with our last look at Cranston school's past. We came up with a list of questions to ask our guest teacher on Wednesday. This is a teacher that was at our school when it first opened, and she will be able to provide us with some more information about what it was like and hopefully answer most of our questions! Who do you think our guest teacher/speaker will be? Post your answer in the comments below.
Picture order forms went home today. If you would like to order pictures please have the forms filled out and returned to your child's teacher by next Wednesday, October 28th.
Also due back by next Wednesday are Fun Lunch order forms.
Our school's Raz-Kids subscription rolls over to the new year on the same day that it was first activated, which is not until a little later in October. Because of this, only teachers that have taught previously at the school have an account at this point. Ms. McEvoy's and Mr. Soulliere's groups have been set up now, but Ms. Klein's group will not be available until late in the month. A notice will be put on the blog when this happens.
A reminder that the class website is up and ready. A calendar for the month, contact info, and links to important websites can be found there.
Attention All Cranston Families:
Today was a bit of a crazy day! There were people coming in and out of the school all day for the election, and the gym was being used by this, so our transitions throughout the school were a bit of a challenge. The students did a great job being responsible in their transitions though and we all made it to and from our door quickly and quietly. As usual, we started our day with some Daily 5 work. The students are doing a great job building their independence! In math, we finished up our rotations from last week in preparation for starting a new activity tomorrow.
In the afternoon we started with our words of the week. For this week they are "at", "be", "do", "of", and "was". This is the last group of the most common words that the students use, and going forward we will start adding different words for the grade ones and twos. We finished off our day with our last look at Cranston school's past. We came up with a list of questions to ask our guest teacher on Wednesday. This is a teacher that was at our school when it first opened, and she will be able to provide us with some more information about what it was like and hopefully answer most of our questions! Who do you think our guest teacher/speaker will be? Post your answer in the comments below.
Picture order forms went home today. If you would like to order pictures please have the forms filled out and returned to your child's teacher by next Wednesday, October 28th.
Also due back by next Wednesday are Fun Lunch order forms.
Our school's Raz-Kids subscription rolls over to the new year on the same day that it was first activated, which is not until a little later in October. Because of this, only teachers that have taught previously at the school have an account at this point. Ms. McEvoy's and Mr. Soulliere's groups have been set up now, but Ms. Klein's group will not be available until late in the month. A notice will be put on the blog when this happens.
A reminder that the class website is up and ready. A calendar for the month, contact info, and links to important websites can be found there.
Attention All Cranston Families:
We are in need of 5 more babies, ages 6 months and younger, to participate in our Roots of Empathy program. If you have family members, friends or neighbours who would be willing to volunteer 45 minutes/month with their babies to the school we would love to talk to them! Please contact Mrs. Susanne Jones at the office 403-777-6267 ext. '0' for further information or if you would like the school to contact them directly. Thanks so much! Roots of Empathy begins in classrooms over the next two weeks and we would love to go forward with a full complement of 14 baby teachers!
Thank you!
Mrs. Kinsman (Principal)
Have a great evening!
Friday 16 October 2015
October 16, 2015
Hello families and friends,
Yesterday we had a practice lockdown! We talked about our lockdown procedures, and the purpose of lockdowns and practicing them. The students did an excellent job staying quiet during the experience and staying safe. We also had an assembly, put on by the Cranston School Bound & Safe Committee along with Constable Matice. They taught us all about road safety and where it is okay to park. How far from a crosswalk do you need to be parked?
Yesterday we also had our first activity with our grade 3/4 buddies. They have been working on creating biographies, so they asked us some questions and we learned how to create videos and post them on IRIS using the tablets. We will be continuing to do more activities with our buddies going forward.
In math, we worked on some word and number problems. Ask your child about what they worked on. We also continued our look at Cranston school and how it is changed and grown over the 5 years that it has been open. Next week we will be having a special guest speaker come to talk with us about what the school was like when it first opened, and we will be able to ask them some of the questions that we have made up.
Fun Lunch orders are available online for November and December.
Next week is the Student Led Learning Walk. The students will have an opportunity to look at, and talk about, all the displays that the classes have made. Then on Wednesday and Thursday nights, the school will be open for parents to come in with their child(ren) to look at how the progression of skills and abilities through from kindergarten to grade 4. More detail about this will be posted in the blog next week.
The home reading program has started. This will continue throughout the year, and is a way for the students to practice reading books at home that are a "good fit" for them and that they should be able to read independently. It is encouraged that the students keep the books for at least a couple days so that they can practice reading through it a few times. Once they are finished with a book they can bring it back to the school to switch out for a new book. Please note that due to the limited quantity of books that we have in the school, books that are lost or damaged will cost $5 to replace.
Have a great weekend, and enjoy the sun (while it's still here)!
Yesterday we had a practice lockdown! We talked about our lockdown procedures, and the purpose of lockdowns and practicing them. The students did an excellent job staying quiet during the experience and staying safe. We also had an assembly, put on by the Cranston School Bound & Safe Committee along with Constable Matice. They taught us all about road safety and where it is okay to park. How far from a crosswalk do you need to be parked?
Yesterday we also had our first activity with our grade 3/4 buddies. They have been working on creating biographies, so they asked us some questions and we learned how to create videos and post them on IRIS using the tablets. We will be continuing to do more activities with our buddies going forward.
In math, we worked on some word and number problems. Ask your child about what they worked on. We also continued our look at Cranston school and how it is changed and grown over the 5 years that it has been open. Next week we will be having a special guest speaker come to talk with us about what the school was like when it first opened, and we will be able to ask them some of the questions that we have made up.
Fun Lunch orders are available online for November and December.
Next week is the Student Led Learning Walk. The students will have an opportunity to look at, and talk about, all the displays that the classes have made. Then on Wednesday and Thursday nights, the school will be open for parents to come in with their child(ren) to look at how the progression of skills and abilities through from kindergarten to grade 4. More detail about this will be posted in the blog next week.
The home reading program has started. This will continue throughout the year, and is a way for the students to practice reading books at home that are a "good fit" for them and that they should be able to read independently. It is encouraged that the students keep the books for at least a couple days so that they can practice reading through it a few times. Once they are finished with a book they can bring it back to the school to switch out for a new book. Please note that due to the limited quantity of books that we have in the school, books that are lost or damaged will cost $5 to replace.
Have a great weekend, and enjoy the sun (while it's still here)!
Wednesday 14 October 2015
October 14, 2015
Hello families and friends,
Our words of the week for this week are "are", "is", "my", "good", and "friend".
The students have continued to work on their literacy skills in the mornings. Each class has started allowing the students some freedom in their choice of work from Read to Self, Read to Someone, and Work on Writing. This is also time that teachers can work with small groups. The students are showing some great independent work skills! In math, we have continued doing our rotations. Mr. Soulliere has been teaching the students number concept, Ms. McEvoy has been teaching about measurement, and Ms. Klein has been teaching about shapes. Ask your child what they have done so far this week.
In the afternoon today we started our new word work groups. The class has been split up into three groups, and each group will work with one of the teachers on building their knowledge of letter sounds, word families, and common spelling rules. Then in dance we started learning some swing dance! After that we began some writing about peace. This will be part of our display for the Student Led Learning Walk next Wednesday and Thursday. We ended our day with Mr. Southworth and a special visit from Ms. Fournier. Ask your child about what they did.
Fun Lunch orders for November and December are available online now. These are due in by Wednesday, October 28th.
Please see below for a message for Running Club Members:
Running Club members were given an order form for Running Club T-Shirts. Orders and money must be returned to their homeroom teachers by Thursday, October 15th to ensure that we receive the t-shirts prior to our last running club day.
Our words of the week for this week are "are", "is", "my", "good", and "friend".
The students have continued to work on their literacy skills in the mornings. Each class has started allowing the students some freedom in their choice of work from Read to Self, Read to Someone, and Work on Writing. This is also time that teachers can work with small groups. The students are showing some great independent work skills! In math, we have continued doing our rotations. Mr. Soulliere has been teaching the students number concept, Ms. McEvoy has been teaching about measurement, and Ms. Klein has been teaching about shapes. Ask your child what they have done so far this week.
In the afternoon today we started our new word work groups. The class has been split up into three groups, and each group will work with one of the teachers on building their knowledge of letter sounds, word families, and common spelling rules. Then in dance we started learning some swing dance! After that we began some writing about peace. This will be part of our display for the Student Led Learning Walk next Wednesday and Thursday. We ended our day with Mr. Southworth and a special visit from Ms. Fournier. Ask your child about what they did.
Fun Lunch orders for November and December are available online now. These are due in by Wednesday, October 28th.
Please see below for a message for Running Club Members:
Running Club members were given an order form for Running Club T-Shirts. Orders and money must be returned to their homeroom teachers by Thursday, October 15th to ensure that we receive the t-shirts prior to our last running club day.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Wednesday 7 October 2015
October 7, 2015
Hello families and friends,
This morning we continued work on building our literacy skills. The classes have begun to rotate between practicing Read to Self, Read to Someone, and Work on Writing. The teachers have also been doing small group work with the students during this time. During our snack time, the classes started being called down to the gym for the individual student photos. This took up a good chunk of our morning, so we only had a short session for our math rotations today. Ask your child what they have worked on the last couple days.
In the afternoon we continued working on our personal family piece for our Canada Flag art. This is tied in with the singing of Oh Canada that we will be doing on Friday. If you have not returned the orange form that was sent home at the end of last week/earlier this week, please do so tomorrow! They are necessary for scheduling purposes, as students that do not have consent for filming need to be done all together. Thank you for your assistance in this. We finished off our day with Mrs. Kinsman and Mr. Southworth. Ask your child what they learned.
The class website is up and running. On it can be found a monthly calendar, with important dates on it. Please check here for upcoming dates and events, links to websites used in class (such as Raz-Kids, Mathletics, Tumblebooks, etc.), and photos of events happening in the room. Also, if you have not returned the consent to post and publish forms that went home earlier this year please do so as soon as possible if you would like your child's picture/work to be posted on the site!
Next Tuesday we will begin our Home Reading program.
EDIT: On Friday, students are asked to wear their red and white for the recording of Oh Canada! Also this Friday, from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m., the Harmony wing classes will be performing our One World Drumming work with the Hope wing. Hope to see you then!
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
This morning we continued work on building our literacy skills. The classes have begun to rotate between practicing Read to Self, Read to Someone, and Work on Writing. The teachers have also been doing small group work with the students during this time. During our snack time, the classes started being called down to the gym for the individual student photos. This took up a good chunk of our morning, so we only had a short session for our math rotations today. Ask your child what they have worked on the last couple days.
In the afternoon we continued working on our personal family piece for our Canada Flag art. This is tied in with the singing of Oh Canada that we will be doing on Friday. If you have not returned the orange form that was sent home at the end of last week/earlier this week, please do so tomorrow! They are necessary for scheduling purposes, as students that do not have consent for filming need to be done all together. Thank you for your assistance in this. We finished off our day with Mrs. Kinsman and Mr. Southworth. Ask your child what they learned.
The class website is up and running. On it can be found a monthly calendar, with important dates on it. Please check here for upcoming dates and events, links to websites used in class (such as Raz-Kids, Mathletics, Tumblebooks, etc.), and photos of events happening in the room. Also, if you have not returned the consent to post and publish forms that went home earlier this year please do so as soon as possible if you would like your child's picture/work to be posted on the site!
Next Tuesday we will begin our Home Reading program.
EDIT: On Friday, students are asked to wear their red and white for the recording of Oh Canada! Also this Friday, from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m., the Harmony wing classes will be performing our One World Drumming work with the Hope wing. Hope to see you then!
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Monday 5 October 2015
October 5, 2015
Hello families and friends,
This morning we continued our literacy work, doing reading and writing. The students have been doing a great job of keeping on their task and being able to switch between tasks quickly and efficiently. Way to go room 3/4! In math, we worked on a new skill for solving word problems. Ask your child about this.
This afternoon we added our new words of the week. This week we focused on pronouns. They are "he", "it", "she", "they", "we", and "you". In the comments below, write a sentence that uses one or more of the words of the week. We finished off our day taking a look at some of the information that students brought in about their families. Tomorrow we will be continuing our work with this.
Each day this week, the students will begin the afternoon with a singing of Oh Canada. This is in preparation for the recordings that we will be doing on Friday. Consent forms have been sent home for this recording, please have these returned to your teacher by this Thursday, October 8th.
This Wednesday, October 7th, is picture day!
Scholastic book orders for Mr. Soulliere and Ms. McEcoy are due back by this Friday, October 9th.
This Friday is also our One World Drumming celebration concert. The classes in the Harmony wing will be performing from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Now that the classes have settled into our routines and we have gotten into more of our work, we are open to having volunteers come in and help out around the room. If you are interested in volunteering, please email your child's teacher.
Have a great evening!
This morning we continued our literacy work, doing reading and writing. The students have been doing a great job of keeping on their task and being able to switch between tasks quickly and efficiently. Way to go room 3/4! In math, we worked on a new skill for solving word problems. Ask your child about this.
This afternoon we added our new words of the week. This week we focused on pronouns. They are "he", "it", "she", "they", "we", and "you". In the comments below, write a sentence that uses one or more of the words of the week. We finished off our day taking a look at some of the information that students brought in about their families. Tomorrow we will be continuing our work with this.
Each day this week, the students will begin the afternoon with a singing of Oh Canada. This is in preparation for the recordings that we will be doing on Friday. Consent forms have been sent home for this recording, please have these returned to your teacher by this Thursday, October 8th.
This Wednesday, October 7th, is picture day!
Scholastic book orders for Mr. Soulliere and Ms. McEcoy are due back by this Friday, October 9th.
This Friday is also our One World Drumming celebration concert. The classes in the Harmony wing will be performing from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Now that the classes have settled into our routines and we have gotten into more of our work, we are open to having volunteers come in and help out around the room. If you are interested in volunteering, please email your child's teacher.
Have a great evening!
Thursday 1 October 2015
October 1, 2015
Hello families and friends,
Today Ms. McEvoy's and Ms. Klein's groups went to One World Drumming. The whole class has had an opportunity to participate in this now. We continued working on building our independence and stamina for Daily 5 work with Read to Self, Read to Someone, and Work on Writing. We finished off our morning with our last rotation in our math groups. Ask your child what they did today.
In the afternoon we talked about heroes in leading up to our Terry Fox run. The students then did some writing about what they can do to be a hero. What makes someone a hero? Post your answer in the comments below. We also continued working on finishing up some of the other work that we have begun including the Cranston brochures and Cranston School map.
Tomorrow is the Terry Fox run! Please help your child to make sure that they are dressed appropriately for the weather and wearing shoes that are suitable for running. Mrs. Bowles has also asked that all pledge forms be returned by next Monday, October 5th.
Have a great evening, and get your rest for tomorrow's run!
Today Ms. McEvoy's and Ms. Klein's groups went to One World Drumming. The whole class has had an opportunity to participate in this now. We continued working on building our independence and stamina for Daily 5 work with Read to Self, Read to Someone, and Work on Writing. We finished off our morning with our last rotation in our math groups. Ask your child what they did today.
In the afternoon we talked about heroes in leading up to our Terry Fox run. The students then did some writing about what they can do to be a hero. What makes someone a hero? Post your answer in the comments below. We also continued working on finishing up some of the other work that we have begun including the Cranston brochures and Cranston School map.
Tomorrow is the Terry Fox run! Please help your child to make sure that they are dressed appropriately for the weather and wearing shoes that are suitable for running. Mrs. Bowles has also asked that all pledge forms be returned by next Monday, October 5th.
Have a great evening, and get your rest for tomorrow's run!
Wednesday 30 September 2015
September 30, 2015
Hello families and friends,
We have continued our work building stamina and practicing rotating between different literacy stations. The students are able to work for a solid 20 minutes as a group. Soon we will be putting together our word work and guided reading groups. In math, the classes began doing rotations between the three teachers. Mr. Soulliere is teaching the groups about number sense, Ms. McEvoy is teaching the groups about measurement, and Ms. Klein is teaching the groups about shapes. Each class will work with each of the teachers one day a week, and then will work on some problem solving questions related to the work that they have done through the week.
In social studies we have continued working on our Cranston brochures. We also talked about "responsibility", and the students wrote about some of their responsibilities at home, at school, and within the community. Ask your child what they say some of their responsibilities are. In talking about our community, we have begun talking about our school community as well. To go along with our map of our community walk, the students have been working on a map of our school.
The 50th anniversary of the Canadian Flag is coming up! In celebration of this, the school will be singing Oh Canada, and we will be recorded to be a part of the largest collective recording of Oh Canada. This afternoon we started talking about the flag, and got some of the students' questions about it. We will be looking more at this through the next week leading up to the date, Oct. 9th.
Oct. 9th is also the One World Drumming performances. The Harmony wing will be performing from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Please come and celebrate the work that the students have been doing.
Next Wednesday, October 7th, is Photo Day.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
We have continued our work building stamina and practicing rotating between different literacy stations. The students are able to work for a solid 20 minutes as a group. Soon we will be putting together our word work and guided reading groups. In math, the classes began doing rotations between the three teachers. Mr. Soulliere is teaching the groups about number sense, Ms. McEvoy is teaching the groups about measurement, and Ms. Klein is teaching the groups about shapes. Each class will work with each of the teachers one day a week, and then will work on some problem solving questions related to the work that they have done through the week.
In social studies we have continued working on our Cranston brochures. We also talked about "responsibility", and the students wrote about some of their responsibilities at home, at school, and within the community. Ask your child what they say some of their responsibilities are. In talking about our community, we have begun talking about our school community as well. To go along with our map of our community walk, the students have been working on a map of our school.
The 50th anniversary of the Canadian Flag is coming up! In celebration of this, the school will be singing Oh Canada, and we will be recorded to be a part of the largest collective recording of Oh Canada. This afternoon we started talking about the flag, and got some of the students' questions about it. We will be looking more at this through the next week leading up to the date, Oct. 9th.
Oct. 9th is also the One World Drumming performances. The Harmony wing will be performing from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Please come and celebrate the work that the students have been doing.
Next Wednesday, October 7th, is Photo Day.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Monday 28 September 2015
September 28, 2015
Hello families and friends,
This morning we continued working on our Read to Self and Read to Someone skills. Soon the students will be able to start making choices on what they do as we build towards doing Daily 5. Then we worked on our math. Ask your child what they worked on.
In the afternoon we introduced our new words of the week. They are "mom", "dad", "sister", "brother", and "me". The activity that the students needed to do with this was the same as last week's. We also started creating a brochure for our community of Cranston to highlight some of the things that we love about it.
Tomorrow our classes will begin our first One World Drumming lessons. Mr. Soulliere's and half of Ms. McEvoy's classes will go tomorrow, and Ms. Fournier/Klein's and the other half of Ms. McEvoy's classes will go on Thursday.
This Friday is the Terry Fox run. We will also be doing our first activity with our grade 3/4 buddy class.
Share one thing that you included in your brochure in the comments below.
Have a good evening,
Mr. Soulliere, Ms. McEvoy, Ms. Fournier, and Ms. Klein
This morning we continued working on our Read to Self and Read to Someone skills. Soon the students will be able to start making choices on what they do as we build towards doing Daily 5. Then we worked on our math. Ask your child what they worked on.
In the afternoon we introduced our new words of the week. They are "mom", "dad", "sister", "brother", and "me". The activity that the students needed to do with this was the same as last week's. We also started creating a brochure for our community of Cranston to highlight some of the things that we love about it.
Tomorrow our classes will begin our first One World Drumming lessons. Mr. Soulliere's and half of Ms. McEvoy's classes will go tomorrow, and Ms. Fournier/Klein's and the other half of Ms. McEvoy's classes will go on Thursday.
This Friday is the Terry Fox run. We will also be doing our first activity with our grade 3/4 buddy class.
Share one thing that you included in your brochure in the comments below.
Have a good evening,
Mr. Soulliere, Ms. McEvoy, Ms. Fournier, and Ms. Klein
Wednesday 23 September 2015
September 23, 2015
Hello families and friends,
Today we started our day continuing work on building our reading stamina and practicing our Read to Someone skills. Ask your child what their job is during Read to Someone. Then we continued work on building our number sense in math. We worked on representing numbers in different ways.
In the afternoon we introduced the first words onto our word wall. Each week, we will add new "words of the week" to the word wall. These are words that the students should practice writing and become familiar with so that they are able to spell them correctly on their own during their writing. We began with a few of the most common words, for both grade ones and twos. They are "the", "and", "I", "to", and "a". The grade ones needed to write three sentences that included the words of the week, and the grade twos needed to write five sentences. Grade twos also had to organize the words into alphabetical order. The last hour of our day was spent with Ms. Kinsman and Ms. Tuli. Ask your child what they did.
Two forms went home with your child today; a Terry Fox snack order sheet and the student demographic sheet. The demographic sheets need to be checked to ensure that the information is correct. If there are any changes that need to be made, please make the corrections and send them back to your child's teacher. If they are all correct please return them as soon as possible. Update: If the information on the forms is correct, they do not need to be returned. The Terry Fox snack sheets are due back by September 28th.
The open house is coming up tomorrow! If you have not booked a time yet, this can be done through your CBE Account. We look forward to seeing all of you then!
To celebrate the Autumnal Equinox, post your favourite thing about fall in the comments below.
Have a wonderful Wednesday,
Mr. Soulliere, Ms. McEvoy, Ms. Fournier, and Ms. Klein
Today we started our day continuing work on building our reading stamina and practicing our Read to Someone skills. Ask your child what their job is during Read to Someone. Then we continued work on building our number sense in math. We worked on representing numbers in different ways.
In the afternoon we introduced the first words onto our word wall. Each week, we will add new "words of the week" to the word wall. These are words that the students should practice writing and become familiar with so that they are able to spell them correctly on their own during their writing. We began with a few of the most common words, for both grade ones and twos. They are "the", "and", "I", "to", and "a". The grade ones needed to write three sentences that included the words of the week, and the grade twos needed to write five sentences. Grade twos also had to organize the words into alphabetical order. The last hour of our day was spent with Ms. Kinsman and Ms. Tuli. Ask your child what they did.
Two forms went home with your child today; a Terry Fox snack order sheet and the student demographic sheet. The demographic sheets need to be checked to ensure that the information is correct. If there are any changes that need to be made, please make the corrections and send them back to your child's teacher. If they are all correct please return them as soon as possible. Update: If the information on the forms is correct, they do not need to be returned. The Terry Fox snack sheets are due back by September 28th.
The open house is coming up tomorrow! If you have not booked a time yet, this can be done through your CBE Account. We look forward to seeing all of you then!
To celebrate the Autumnal Equinox, post your favourite thing about fall in the comments below.
Have a wonderful Wednesday,
Mr. Soulliere, Ms. McEvoy, Ms. Fournier, and Ms. Klein
Tuesday 22 September 2015
September 22
Hello families and friends,
We had another busy day in the harmony 1/2 triad. We welcomed Ms. Klein into our classroom as she will be the new teacher for Mrs. Fournier's class. You will get to meet Ms. Klein and Mrs. Fournier at the meet and greet this coming Thursday.
As the warm weather continues, we had a nice outside body break mid morning to help get our wiggles out for some math before lunch. In the afternoon we learned about warm colours. Ask your son or daughter which three colours from our colour wheel are our warm colours? With these colours we made leaf etchings to hang around the classroom to welcome the new season of fall. At the end of the day we had an assembly where we learned about Terry Fox and his amazing running journey to raise money and awareness for cancer.
P.S Don't forget to check out the Cranston fall fair this Saturday! Mrs. Fournier will be doing face painting there :)
Have a wonderful evening!
Mr. Soulliere, Ms. Fournier, Ms. McEvoy and Ms. Klein
We had another busy day in the harmony 1/2 triad. We welcomed Ms. Klein into our classroom as she will be the new teacher for Mrs. Fournier's class. You will get to meet Ms. Klein and Mrs. Fournier at the meet and greet this coming Thursday.
As the warm weather continues, we had a nice outside body break mid morning to help get our wiggles out for some math before lunch. In the afternoon we learned about warm colours. Ask your son or daughter which three colours from our colour wheel are our warm colours? With these colours we made leaf etchings to hang around the classroom to welcome the new season of fall. At the end of the day we had an assembly where we learned about Terry Fox and his amazing running journey to raise money and awareness for cancer.
P.S Don't forget to check out the Cranston fall fair this Saturday! Mrs. Fournier will be doing face painting there :)
Have a wonderful evening!
Mr. Soulliere, Ms. Fournier, Ms. McEvoy and Ms. Klein
Monday 21 September 2015
September 21, 2015
Hello families and friends,
This morning we had our first fire drill of the year! We talked about the expectations during a fire drill, why it is important, what each person's job is during it, and where we need to go. The students did an excellent job. We also spent some more time working on building our reading stamina. Also in the morning, we celebrated Peace Day as a whole school. Each class made pinwheels and we went outside with them and sang our peace songs.
In the afternoon we had a special guest, Mr. Southworth, come and join us to read the book "What If...". The students came up with their own "what ifs" and shared them with some partners. Ask your child about this, and post your "what if" in the comments below. We finished off our day drawing a map of the community walk that we took on Friday, using our visual language skills. Ask your child about the things that they saw, and why these are important to the community.
This Thursday is our open house. Times can be booked through your CBE Account. Each time block will start with a 15 minute presentation in the gym, followed by a 40 minute meet the teacher. This is not a formal interview, but a chance for you to meet your child's teacher and to get to know them and how the year will look for your child. If you have any concerns that you would like to discuss please email your child's teacher and set up a meeting with them outside of this time.
Update: For tomorrow, we will be doing some leaf rubbings. We would like each student to try and bring in a couple leaves that have already fallen on the ground for this.
Friday is a PD Day, and there is no school for students.
This morning we had our first fire drill of the year! We talked about the expectations during a fire drill, why it is important, what each person's job is during it, and where we need to go. The students did an excellent job. We also spent some more time working on building our reading stamina. Also in the morning, we celebrated Peace Day as a whole school. Each class made pinwheels and we went outside with them and sang our peace songs.
In the afternoon we had a special guest, Mr. Southworth, come and join us to read the book "What If...". The students came up with their own "what ifs" and shared them with some partners. Ask your child about this, and post your "what if" in the comments below. We finished off our day drawing a map of the community walk that we took on Friday, using our visual language skills. Ask your child about the things that they saw, and why these are important to the community.
This Thursday is our open house. Times can be booked through your CBE Account. Each time block will start with a 15 minute presentation in the gym, followed by a 40 minute meet the teacher. This is not a formal interview, but a chance for you to meet your child's teacher and to get to know them and how the year will look for your child. If you have any concerns that you would like to discuss please email your child's teacher and set up a meeting with them outside of this time.
Update: For tomorrow, we will be doing some leaf rubbings. We would like each student to try and bring in a couple leaves that have already fallen on the ground for this.
Friday is a PD Day, and there is no school for students.
Have a good afternoon,
Mr. Soulliere, Ms. Fournier, and Ms. McEvoy
Thursday 17 September 2015
September 17, 2015
Hello families and friends,
Today we continued building our reading stamina and practicing as a big group what good Read to Self looks like. The students have been doing very well with this, and each group has been able to maintain reading for 15 minutes at a time! Well done team! In the afternoon we watched a video about Peace Day. Ask your child what they learned about Peace Day and what our school is doing to celebrate it.
Just a reminder that tomorrow we will be going out on our community walk. Thank you to all the parents that have volunteered to come and help us with this. We could still use a few more if possible, so if you are available tomorrow from between 10:15 and 11:30 please email Mr. Soulliere at <gasoulliere@cbe.ab.ca>. Your child should be dressed to be walking outdoors during this time; it will be somewhat warm, but they should still bring a jacket or sweater. Please also make sure that they have appropriate footwear for walking in and, since it may still be wet in areas, provide them with an extra pair of socks just in case.
The last day for the Entertainment Book orders in this coming Monday, September 21st. If you would like to order a book (or books) and have not done so have the order form filled out and returned to your teacher by then. If you are not intending on buying an entertainment book, then send back the book in the bag that it was brought home in by that date.
Have a great evening,
Harmony 1/2 Triad
Today we continued building our reading stamina and practicing as a big group what good Read to Self looks like. The students have been doing very well with this, and each group has been able to maintain reading for 15 minutes at a time! Well done team! In the afternoon we watched a video about Peace Day. Ask your child what they learned about Peace Day and what our school is doing to celebrate it.
Just a reminder that tomorrow we will be going out on our community walk. Thank you to all the parents that have volunteered to come and help us with this. We could still use a few more if possible, so if you are available tomorrow from between 10:15 and 11:30 please email Mr. Soulliere at <gasoulliere@cbe.ab.ca>. Your child should be dressed to be walking outdoors during this time; it will be somewhat warm, but they should still bring a jacket or sweater. Please also make sure that they have appropriate footwear for walking in and, since it may still be wet in areas, provide them with an extra pair of socks just in case.
The last day for the Entertainment Book orders in this coming Monday, September 21st. If you would like to order a book (or books) and have not done so have the order form filled out and returned to your teacher by then. If you are not intending on buying an entertainment book, then send back the book in the bag that it was brought home in by that date.
Have a great evening,
Harmony 1/2 Triad
Wednesday 16 September 2015
September 16, 2015
Hello families and friends,
We have been continuing work on building our reading stamina, and the students are doing a really good job with it! Each class has been working on this on their own, and we will be spending more time working together as a whole group on this to see how we do. We have also worked on a couple experiments involving mixing colours. Ask your child about what they learned from these, and what they have learned about what a scientist's job is.
In math, we have been working on different ways to represent, or show, numbers. We have talked a large variety including: addition; subtraction; pictures; number; words; letters; ten frames; number lines; tally marks; patterns; and shapes. This is something that the students will be working on throughout the year in many ways, and is a great way for them to show their understanding of number concepts. At the end of the day we had a special visit from Ms. Kinsman and Ms. Tuli. Ask your child what they did with them.
This Friday, weather permitting, we will be going on our community walk. We have heard back from a few parents who have volunteered to help us out on our walk, but we are still looking for 5 or 6 more. If you are available this Friday from between 10:15 and around 11:30 and would like to help out, please email Mr. Soulliere at <gasoulliere@cbe.ab.ca>. This is a good learning opportunity for the students and is a great way for them to get to know their community a little better.
Milk Program order forms have gone home. These are due back to your child's teacher by Wednesday, September 23rd.
Tomorrow is the first day of Running Club. For those students participating, the students will run first, and then they will eat lunch with Ms. Bowles and the rest of the Running Club team afterwards. Please make sure that your child is wearing appropriate footwear for running and that they are dressed for the weather.
We have been continuing work on building our reading stamina, and the students are doing a really good job with it! Each class has been working on this on their own, and we will be spending more time working together as a whole group on this to see how we do. We have also worked on a couple experiments involving mixing colours. Ask your child about what they learned from these, and what they have learned about what a scientist's job is.
In math, we have been working on different ways to represent, or show, numbers. We have talked a large variety including: addition; subtraction; pictures; number; words; letters; ten frames; number lines; tally marks; patterns; and shapes. This is something that the students will be working on throughout the year in many ways, and is a great way for them to show their understanding of number concepts. At the end of the day we had a special visit from Ms. Kinsman and Ms. Tuli. Ask your child what they did with them.
This Friday, weather permitting, we will be going on our community walk. We have heard back from a few parents who have volunteered to help us out on our walk, but we are still looking for 5 or 6 more. If you are available this Friday from between 10:15 and around 11:30 and would like to help out, please email Mr. Soulliere at <gasoulliere@cbe.ab.ca>. This is a good learning opportunity for the students and is a great way for them to get to know their community a little better.
Milk Program order forms have gone home. These are due back to your child's teacher by Wednesday, September 23rd.
Tomorrow is the first day of Running Club. For those students participating, the students will run first, and then they will eat lunch with Ms. Bowles and the rest of the Running Club team afterwards. Please make sure that your child is wearing appropriate footwear for running and that they are dressed for the weather.
Have a wonderful Wednesday,
Mr. Soulliere and the Harmony 1/2 Triad
Monday 14 September 2015
September 14, 2015
Hello families and friends,
Today the classes continued work on developing their reading stamina. We also reviewed the different ways to read a book, finding a "good fit" book, and the student's job during Read to Self. This is all in preparation for when we begin Daily 5 work later in the year. We also continued work on representing numbers in different ways. Ask your child some of the ways they came up with.
In gym, we continued working on our teamwork skills with a pass-the-hoop relay. Ask your child about this. We continued our introductory look at our community of Cranston as well in preparation for our community walk. At the end of the day we looked at a new writing strategy for when you don't know how to spell a word; GUM. Ask your child what this means.
As the weather is looking to clear up, and we don't know how long it will stay that way for, we are planning our community walk for this Friday, September 18th. We will be leaving the school at approximately 10:15 a.m. and will be arriving back at the school by 11:45 a.m. Thank you to those of you that have already informed us that you are willing to volunteer. If you are available that day and would like to come along please email Mr. Soulliere at <gasoulliere@cbe.ab.ca> with the subject heading COMMUNITY WALK VOLUNTEER. Include in the message your child's name. We are still looking for about 6 to 8 more volunteers for the whole group. Your assistance in this is greatly appreciated.
A reminder to send in Fun Lunch orders for September and October by tomorrow if you would like to order this for your child. In addition to the payment, please include the remittance form of the order.
Milk Program orders have gone home to all students. If your child would like milk with their lunch, please have orders in by Wednesday, September 23rd.
As the weather is changing, a reminder to please ensure that your child is dressed for the weather each day. We had an indoor recess today, but that is not always a guarantee when the weather is not nice so help your child to make sure that they will be comfortable spending the 25 minutes of recess time outside.
Thanks and have a great evening,
Ms. Fournier, Ms. McEvoy, and Mr. Soulliere
Today the classes continued work on developing their reading stamina. We also reviewed the different ways to read a book, finding a "good fit" book, and the student's job during Read to Self. This is all in preparation for when we begin Daily 5 work later in the year. We also continued work on representing numbers in different ways. Ask your child some of the ways they came up with.
In gym, we continued working on our teamwork skills with a pass-the-hoop relay. Ask your child about this. We continued our introductory look at our community of Cranston as well in preparation for our community walk. At the end of the day we looked at a new writing strategy for when you don't know how to spell a word; GUM. Ask your child what this means.
As the weather is looking to clear up, and we don't know how long it will stay that way for, we are planning our community walk for this Friday, September 18th. We will be leaving the school at approximately 10:15 a.m. and will be arriving back at the school by 11:45 a.m. Thank you to those of you that have already informed us that you are willing to volunteer. If you are available that day and would like to come along please email Mr. Soulliere at <gasoulliere@cbe.ab.ca> with the subject heading COMMUNITY WALK VOLUNTEER. Include in the message your child's name. We are still looking for about 6 to 8 more volunteers for the whole group. Your assistance in this is greatly appreciated.
A reminder to send in Fun Lunch orders for September and October by tomorrow if you would like to order this for your child. In addition to the payment, please include the remittance form of the order.
Milk Program orders have gone home to all students. If your child would like milk with their lunch, please have orders in by Wednesday, September 23rd.
As the weather is changing, a reminder to please ensure that your child is dressed for the weather each day. We had an indoor recess today, but that is not always a guarantee when the weather is not nice so help your child to make sure that they will be comfortable spending the 25 minutes of recess time outside.
Thanks and have a great evening,
Ms. Fournier, Ms. McEvoy, and Mr. Soulliere
Sunday 13 September 2015
September 13, 2015
Hello families and friends,
I hope that you were all able to enjoy the beautiful weather we had the last couple days.
Milk Program order forms went home on Friday. If you would like your child to have a small carton of milk with their lunch each day, please fill out the form and return it to your child's teacher by Wednesday, September 23rd.
September 23rd will also be our first Fun Lunch of the year. Orders for this are due in to your student's teacher by tomorrow, September 14th. Please remember to send in the remittance form along with payment. Orders for the October 21st Fun Lunch are also due tomorrow.
Thank you to those parents that have responded to say they are able to volunteer for our community walk. We have not set a specific date for this yet, but we are anticipating a morning walk from around 9:30-11:00. If you are available during this time and would like to help out please email Mr. Soulliere at <gasoulliere@cbe.ab.ca> with the subject line COMMUNITY WALK VOLUNTEER. Please include in the email your child's name.
Meet the Teacher Evening will be open to parents to book a session on Wednesday, September 16th at 7pm. This evening is for teachers to introduce themselves and provide an overview of the school year, and is not intended for discussion about your child's progress or specific concerns as there will be as many as 25 families in the room at the same time. The first 15 minutes of each hour, parents are to meet in the gym then followed by meet the teacher and explore our school for 40 minutes. If you have any specific questions or concerns that you would like to discuss with your child's teacher, please email them to set up a separate meeting time. Ms. Fournier's email is still unavailable, but she can continue to be reached through Mr. Soulliere or Ms. McEvoy at <gasoulliere@cbe.ab.ca> or <jlmcevoy@cbe.ab.ca>.
I hope that you were all able to enjoy the beautiful weather we had the last couple days.
Milk Program order forms went home on Friday. If you would like your child to have a small carton of milk with their lunch each day, please fill out the form and return it to your child's teacher by Wednesday, September 23rd.
September 23rd will also be our first Fun Lunch of the year. Orders for this are due in to your student's teacher by tomorrow, September 14th. Please remember to send in the remittance form along with payment. Orders for the October 21st Fun Lunch are also due tomorrow.
Thank you to those parents that have responded to say they are able to volunteer for our community walk. We have not set a specific date for this yet, but we are anticipating a morning walk from around 9:30-11:00. If you are available during this time and would like to help out please email Mr. Soulliere at <gasoulliere@cbe.ab.ca> with the subject line COMMUNITY WALK VOLUNTEER. Please include in the email your child's name.
Meet the Teacher Evening will be open to parents to book a session on Wednesday, September 16th at 7pm. This evening is for teachers to introduce themselves and provide an overview of the school year, and is not intended for discussion about your child's progress or specific concerns as there will be as many as 25 families in the room at the same time. The first 15 minutes of each hour, parents are to meet in the gym then followed by meet the teacher and explore our school for 40 minutes. If you have any specific questions or concerns that you would like to discuss with your child's teacher, please email them to set up a separate meeting time. Ms. Fournier's email is still unavailable, but she can continue to be reached through Mr. Soulliere or Ms. McEvoy at <gasoulliere@cbe.ab.ca> or <jlmcevoy@cbe.ab.ca>.
Thank you and enjoy the rest of your weekend,
Mr. Soulliere
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