May 14-18 05/14/2012
Highlights from last week: The kids had a blast at our Track Meet last Thursday! The kids were very proud of their efforts and sportsmanship. Well done everyone. Friday afternoon was also full of excitement because we dissected owl pellets! The students did their best to identify and reassemble an animal skeleton from the bones. What's happening this week? Mr. Weddell will be in the office for Mr. Poelzer this week, so I will be in the classroom full-time! There will be no school on Friday due to Pro-D and no school Monday due to Victoria Day. In Language Arts, I will be reading aloud Sean Covey's book, The 7 Habits of Happy Kids. The students will be writing down the key ideas and connecting these stories to their own lives. In Math, we will be doing a quick mini-unit on linear measurement and relating units of measure. In Science we will start our final unit of the year, Light and Sound. In Socials, students will continue to work on their Explorers research projects and their presentations (either a skit or poster format). In Fine Arts, I am hoping we will have a chance to do a music/listening activity or two. REMINDERS: * Please sign and return Big Little Science Centre Permission forms. (We will need at least 5-6 parent drivers for this trip) * Please sign and return term 2 Report Card envelopes Upcoming Events:
Add Comment May 7-11, 2012 05/06/2012
Highlights from last week: The kids enjoyed a ride on a city bus during our City Transit Orientation presentation last Thursday! What's happening this week? The school Track and Field meet will be Thursday this week. Students are expected to participate in 5 events. Each student is expected to get changed into proper gym strip. In Science we will wrap up our unit on food chains with a special activity which I will be surprising the students with on Friday (hint: it will involved dissecting something non-living). In Socials, I am planning to have the student finish up their Explorers research component of the project this week and move on to preparing how to present their information in either a skit or poster format. In Fine Arts we will be completing and bringing home our Mother's Day projects (shhh, it's a surprise). REMINDERS: Please sign and return term 2 Report Card envelopes. Upcoming Events:
April 30- May 4 04/30/2012
Highlights from last week: The students enjoyed our last Young Peoples concert. It was a lively, roots music performance that used a wide variety of instruments, like violins, banjos, everyday items like spoons, and even animals parts like cow-bone castanets! What's happening this week? Track and Field rotations will continue this week. These rotations are our P.E. class. Each student is expected to get changed into proper gym strip. Students are evaluated each day on participation, performance, and preparedness. In Science we will being to wrap up our unit on food chains. We had a short quiz last week, it was noticeable which students have remained engaged and on-task during class lessons. In Socials, we will continue with our Explorers research project. REMINDERS: Term 2 Report Cards will be sent home by the end of April. Upcoming Events:
April 23-27 04/23/2012
Sorry for the late post. I was in the US over the weekend and didn't have access to a computer. Highlights from last week: The kids have enjoyed rotating through our Track and Field events. The students watched a movie called "Alone in the Wilderness," about a man who survives in the remote wilderness all on his own. Thanks Sydnee's family for lending it to us! :) What's happening this week? As mentioned above, we are continuing with our Track and Field rotations for two more weeks. Please be sure your child has proper gym strip as we are out on the field Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons. In Science we will be continuing to learn about food chains and possible have a short quiz at the end of the week (depending on how much we cover Tuesday and . In Socials, we quickly wrapped up our Government unit and are moving on to an Explorers unit. We have started a research project about influential European Explorers. Mrs. Gorman (our school librarian) will be supporting the kids with research in the next few weeks. We will have to put our "Carnival of the Animals" unit on hold this week due to Track and Field rotations and YPC. REMINDERS: Term 2 Report Cards will be sent home by the end of April - students who have not completed homework assignments by this Wednesday (April 25) will receive a zero for that assignment. A list of those students with incomplete Socials and Science assignments remains written on the front whiteboard. Upcoming Events:
April 17-20th 04/15/2012
Highlights from last week The kids have been having quite the lucky streak, they pulled another "YES" out of the jar last Thursday and were rewarded with extra free time outside! What's happening this week? I had planned to wrap-up our gymnastics unit by having the students create their own short gymnastics routine; however, I did not realize that all intermediate classes at Parkcrest participate in Track and Field rotations which being this week. Rotations will start this Wednesday and Friday. The following week will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons. Rotations will take place outside and students must have full gym strip. In Science we will be continuing to learn about food chains. In Socials, we will start our Government project in the library with Mrs. Gorman this week. We will continue with our Music Appreciate and Listening activities through Camille Saint-Saens', "Carnival of the Animals." REMINDERS:
UPCOMING EVENTS:
April 10-13 04/10/2012
We have another short, 4 day week ahead of us. Highlights from last week The kids pulled another "YES" out of the jar last Thursday; however, due to Good Friday, their earned a reward, an egg hunt, will happen on Tuesday. The students enjoyed the start of our Spring Texture art, we used paint, straws, and sponges to begin a floral painting. What's happening this week? Our next two Monday P.E. blocks will be missed due to Easter Monday and Pro-D on April 16th. However, the students will still have P.E. on Wednesdays. When our Monday P.E. classes resume, the students will continue to develop their gymnastics skills by working on balance (solo and partner), jumps. The students will eventually use the skills they have learned to create their own short gymnastics routine. In Science we will be continuing the second of three chapters in our Habitats and Communities unit, about how living things get food from their habitats. In Socials, we will turn our focus to a unit on Government. The students will be working with Mrs. Gorman to create a multi-media presentation on a political figure. We will complete our Spring Texture art this week and continue on with our Music Appreciate and Listening activities through Camille Saint-Saens', "Carnival of the Animals." REMINDERS:
UPCOMING EVENTS:
April 2-6 04/02/2012
I can't believe it's April already! How time flies. Mr. Weddell and I were reflecting back to the beginning of the school year, and we are so pleased to see how the kids have progressed :) Our next 3 weeks will be shorter (4 day weeks), so the students will be busy working on new Science and Socials units. Highlights from last week The students enjoyed the THINKFIRST Brain presentation which included fun activities, experiments, and an activity workbook. The presentation was a wonderful way to tie in some of our Science and Health and Career topics. The kids also pulled a "YES" out of the jar last Thursday and earned a reward of extra outside time on Friday (the weather was sunny and lovely too)! Students also took home "postcards" with their overall Science mark for our last unit. If you did not receive a yellow "postcard" please let me know. What's happening this week? In P.E. students will continue to develop their gymnastics skills through balance (solo and partner) this week. In Science we will be continuing the second of three chapters in our Habitats and Communities unit, about how living things get food from their habitats. In Socials, we will continue our brief unit "Living in the World," and weigh the pros and cons of early life (settler's times) on farming land and modern day life on farmland. Our next Art project will follow a Easter/Spring theme and focus on textures. We have done a few Music Appreciate and Listening activities. In Music, we will continue to work on identifying the steady beat, tempo, dynamics, and the instruments used in a piece of music using Camille Saint-Saens arrangements from "Carnival of the Animals." REMINDERS:
UPCOMING EVENTS:
March 26-30 03/24/2012
Welcome Back! I hope your Spring Break was full of fun and relaxation. I was able to get some Spring cleaning and reading done myself :) What's happening this week? In Health and Career, we will have a guest speaker in on Thursday morning at 9:00 am to talk to the grade 4 students about Brain Injury Prevention. Students are asked to bring their bike helmets as the presentation will cover how to properly fit helmets. In P.E. students will continue to develop their gymnastics skills through balance (solo and partner) this week. In Science we will be starting the second of three chapters in our Habitats and Communities unit, about how living things get food from their habitats. I was very pleased with the average mark from our recent quiz (was written before Spring Break) which was 83%, a high B! Please sign and return your child's quiz so I know you're up to date and "in the loop" with your child's progress. I was able to introduce our next Social Studies unit before the break, "Living in the World." It is a brief introductory unit to future topics about First Nations History and European Explorers. Our "paint and resist" artwork from McQueen Lake is now displayed in the hallway. I am in the process of uploading pictures of some of our Art bulletin boards so families who may not able to come into the school can see what the children have been up to. :) REMINDERS:
UPCOMING EVENTS:
March 12-16 03/12/2012
Spring Break is nearly here...already! Heres a look at our week. What's happening this week? The kids seemed to really enjoy our gymnastics lessons at TCC. I was also wonderful for the students to have a chance to use equipment we do not have at Parkcrest. We will continue developing our skills in Monday P.E. classes (Mr. Weddell will be teaching P.E. on Wednesdays). Students are required to have proper gym strip (activewear like shorts or pants that are easy to move in -no jeans, a t-shirt, and running shoes). Students will not be wearing shoes during most Monday gymnastics lessons; however, a pair of running shoes should still be left in lockers. As with the TCC lessons, it is best if students do not wear jewelry or clothing with buttons or zippers. In Science we will be completing the first of three chapters in our Habitats and Communities unit, which covered what habitats provide, a variety of adaptations, how plants survive, and the three basic habitats in B.C. We will review the concepts early in the week and have a short quiz on Thursday. Students will also be completing an organism card which describes a plant or animals that is native to the McQueen Lake area. At the moment, we are a bit behind where I would've liked to be in Social Studies. We'll see how the week goes, I may or may not introduce the kids to our next unit, "Living in the World." In Fine Arts, we will be finishing the remainder of a "paint and resist" piece we started last week and hopefully starting a new project on Thursday if all students are caught up. REMINDERS:
February 25-March 2 02/25/2012
Highlights from last week Students had a blast at our first gymnastics lesson at TCC last Thursday! We will have another lesson this Thursday, March 1st. There is drop-in gymnastics times at TCC on Friday afternoons. Contact TCC if you have more questions. Upcoming Events:
Students will be up at McQueen Lake Monday, February, 27th to Wednesday, 29th. The kids will have the opportunity to cross country ski, participate in a GPS Cache Hunt, as well as a variety of outdoor and indoor education activities. A huge THANK YOU to all of those families who volunteered their time to make this trip possible. On Thursday morning, we will load the bus at 9:30 am to head up to TCC for our second gymnastics lesson (the kids should be pretty tuckered out by the end of this week ;)). Please remind your child to wear sweatpants or active wear (no jeans, buttons, zippers, or jewelry). In Science we will be reviewing structural and behavioural adaptations tying in what the students observed at McQueen Lake. In Fine Arts, we will be finishing the remainder of a "paint and resist" piece we started last week. REMINDERS:
If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me at the school or through email (agartrell@sd73.bc.ca). | AuthorI am excited to be teaching at Parkcrest this year. I am passionate about teaching through Fine Arts and I also teach dance outside of school. I moved from the Okanagan to Kamloops three years ago. You can contact me by phone 250- 554-2368 or by email at agartrell@sd73.bc.ca ArchivesMay 2012 |
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