December 12-16 12/09/2011
 
It's the last week before Winter Break!  Thank you to all those families who came to watch our Winter Performance.  I am proud of what the students were able to accomplish over the past month of practising.  The students were all very proud of themselves and the effort they put into the play and their poems.  Bannock making last week was also a big treat for the kids.  Thanks very much to Mrs. McMillen, Ms. Boyer, Mrs. Labrosse and the other women who came to help with the baking.  The students wrote down the simple recipe (in their agendas or on a space piece of paper),  so you can try making this traditional First Nations treat at home!  A few students took advantage of the Science re-test last Thursday, am I pleased to see that they wanted to improve their marks.  If your child brings home a re-test, please have a look then sign and return it to school.  I individually pulled each student aside last week to show them what their overall Science mark is currently.  I will do the same for Fine Arts marks next week.  If you would like more information about your child's academic progress in Science, Fine Arts, or Social Studies, please send me an email.

We will be finishing our Christmas surprise to take home on the 16th.   Our performance rehearsals and the science re-test put us a few lessons behind where I had wanted us to be in the Science Unit.  it looks like we will conclude our Weather unit in January, with lessons which focus on natural disasters and how they affect living and non-living things. 

I have been using an incentive program on Thursdays.  I have small tokens with YES and NO written on them.  When I see students who are following expectations (we have been focusing on listening to one another and not calling out), I put a YES in the jar.  If students are not following expectations, I put a NO in the jar.  The students agree on something they would like to earn if a YES is pulled out.  At the end of the day,  the Lucky Duck of the Day pulls out a token. The kids have chosen to have a PJ day on a few Thursdays.  Unfortunately, the last two tokens drawn were NOs.  As a Christmas treat,  we will have a PJ day Thursday, December 15.  Students may choose to wear their pajamas to school.  I have asked students to refrain from bringing stuffed animals to school, as toys have proven to be a distraction for many and are not welcomed in the classroom.

Upcoming Events:
  • Thursday, December 15 - PJ Day in our classroom 
  • Friday, December 16 - Last day of school before Winter Break
  • Tuesday, January 3 - First day back after Winter Break 
Have a wonderful and safe holiday season!  Don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns (agartrell@sd73.bc.ca).  See you in 2012! :)



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We have a short, but BUSY week in store!   Monday, December 5th is a Non-Instructional day for students.  Tuesday will be our rehearsal for our Winter Sharing.   Our sharing event will be Wednesday at 1:30pm in the gym.  Please be sure to check your child's agenda to see what colour clothing or costume they need to wear on Wednesday. 

We also have a wonderful opportunity to make bannock with Ms. Boyer (Parkcrest's First Nations Support Worker) and Courtney's mom, Ms. McMillen on Thursday, December 8th!  The students will work together to make this traditional First Nations treat.  They will also be writing out the recipe to take home. We will discuss how the First Nations peoples made it from the land.  We will be making enough to share with our Little Buddies as well.  

There are a few students who are interested in doing a re-test for our first Weather Unit Test in order to possibly increase their mark.  The students who have spoken to me about this option will be able to re-write Thursday, Dec. 8th.  We are continuing to wrap up our Weather unit, I'm hoping to have the last few lessons finished before Winter Break so we can move on to a new topic in the new year.  The unit's final lessons will focus on how weather affects living and non-living things.  In Art, we will be making a Christmas surprise for the kids to bring home before Winter Break. 

If you did not get a chance to meet with me last Friday, Dec. 2nd and would like to talk about your child's progress, please send me an email or call the school to set something up.  Don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns (agartrell@sd73.bc.ca).
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