What are we working on?

We have an exciting week ahead! It's literacy week and the grade 3's and 4's have planned some fun spirit days to celebrate literacy.
Monday: Read my shirt day (wear a shirt with writing on it)
Tuesday: Colour Day and Ride your Bike to School day (wear bright colours and if you ride your bike to school bring it around the compound and you can park it in the gym- the gym doors will be open)
Wednesday: Crazy hair/Hat day (we'll also have Drop everything and Read several times this day)
Thursday: Crazy socks day
Friday: Beach Day, Fun Lunch and The Great Book Exchange (bring 25 cents or more and buy some books!)

If you have any gently used books that you would like to donate- please send them with your child this week for the Great Book Exchange on Friday.


We have finished our Arctic Unit and students were so excited to create a cover page for their arctic animal stories. After learning about how the Canadian author and artist Barbara Reid creates images for her books using plastacine- students eagerly attempted their own creations to represent the animal character from their story in their appropriate habitat and season. To see Barabara Reid in action check out this link on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4aOMVZLEpw

Some students were very keen to create new colours for their art by combining different colours of plastacine and many tried a variety of materials around the room to use as tools for texture and shape.  We started with the background landscape and then added the animal and details afterwards. It took us a few different sessions to complete as this task required a lot of patience and perseverance but we are very pleased with our results. There are a few of us that are still finishing but here are some that we have done. Ask your son/daughter which one was theirs.  

 
 
 
 
 
 

Now we have moved into learning about the East Coast/Maritime provinces. We have discussed the geography and landscape of this area of Canada. Students were interested to learn more about lobster fishing and the different natural resources that contribute to the economy and life in the east.

In Science, we are beginning to explore boats and buoyancy which nicely connects with the east (and our upcoming swimming!) On Friday, students worked in groups to figure out how to create a boat with plasticine that will hold as many rocks as they can. Through this process, students discovered that boats need several design features to be effective boats that float and not sink. A stable base, high walls, and evenly distributed materials are a few of the things that students determined are necessary. 
 
 
 
 

We will be designing and creating boats with other materials. If you have extra styrofoam at home that you would be willing to part with, it would be really appreciated. Balloons, elastics, and straws are other materials that we could use. 

Thanks!

Butterfly Release, Swimming + Other Info

Our butterfly release on Friday was a beautiful success. It was a perfect day to walk down to the pretty pond area and say goodbye to our fluttering friends as we set them free. Students sketched the Life Cycle of the Painted Lady Butterflies that went through their process of metamorphosis while we were down at the pond. We observed quite a few different wild animals while we were there, especially birds! We even spotted a sparrow who had made her nest up at the top of the gazebo we were in. It was too hard to tell if she had babies in the nest but she kept coming and going so it is likely she was returning with food for them. The children were so excited to see the butterflies fly out of their netting and into a natural habitat. Most of the butterflies went straight to the dandelions or other flowers they could find. It was very interesting to watch them suck up the nectar of the flower using their long thin tube called the proboscis. 

 
 

 


  

Swimming forms also came home and I was excited to see so many back already today. Please ensure you fill out all the information including what your child's current swimming ability level is so that we can ensure they get placed in the appropriate group. We start swimming on June 11th but we would really appreciate the forms back by May 31st this week. A few volunteers are needed in the change rooms (especially males for the boys change room). If you have clearance and would like to help out on one of the 6 days that we go please let me know. Due to the limited seating on the bus volunteers are asked to drive themselves and meet us at the pool.


Thank you to Elise and Hayden who have already donated some books to the Great Book Exchange. If you have any books at home that are in good condition that you no longer use, please consider donating them to the school. These books will be available for purchase on June 8th during our literacy week for 25 cents each. This would be a great way to gather some books for summer reading!

May 23

Wow! We've had some exciting things happening in our classroom in the past little while! Our fuzzy little caterpillars have completed their metamorphosis life cycle and are now beautiful butterflies!! The Painted Lady Butterflies were even kind enough to wait for us to come back to school from the long weekend before emerging from their Chrysalis' and spread their pretty wings. The kids have been so excited to see these unique critters change before their eyes. We are going to release the butterflies to the wild on Friday morning (May 25th). The whole grade two team is planning to walk down to the pond (south of the school towards Stoney Trail)  around 10:00 am and doing some sketching after we release our friends. If any volunteers that have clearance would like to join us please let me know. We will require a few parents to supervise our walk. There will not be field trip forms as this is a community walk but if you have any concerns with your child going on this walk please let me now and I can make alternative arrangements for them.

Check out these pictures of our caterpillars completing their life cycles- sorry for some of the blurry pics- it's a bit tricky to take the photos through the netting.

 
 
 
 

Highlights from last week

Our Stampede Breakfast was still a hit despite the rainy weather in the morning. We are so appreciative of all the parent volunteers who helped serve us the delicious pancakes, sausage, and watermelon! Here are some pictures:

Students also had a great time during Science when we experienced the "Incredible Journey of  a water molecule" Students went to different stations that represented a different element of the Water Cycle. At this station they had to collect a specific colour of bead and then roll the cube to see where they had to go next. Once the students collected a pipe cleaner full of different colour beads, they had to create a story from the water molecules perspective to explain what their water molecule went through in the water cycle. For example, I fell heavily from the sky and landed on a fuzzy brown bears fur, as the bear began to run I slid off of his back and into the soil..." 

 
  Students found that they got "stuck" at some stations for many rolls of the cube. The clouds ended up with an especially long line. This was a great way for them to understand that some phases of the cycle take a long time before the water changes from a solid to a liquid to a gas. We have been discussing water on Earth and how little fresh (and usable) water there actually is on our planet and students have been learning about ways that we can better conserve the water that we have!


Just a reminder that there is no school this Friday, May 18th, or Monday May 21st. I hope you all have an amazing May long weekend. Hopefully this beautiful weather will continue through until Monday.