It's December already!

You may have noticed a note written in agendas, about a food donation project being taken on by the school.  Members of the Leadership Team have organized a school wide collection for a local food bank.  It started last week and will continue until next week.

A candy cane is posted in the front hallway of the school, that is being used as a measurement scale.  It started with no colour and has had a certain amount of colour added each day to indicate the total weight of donations.  Our school has a goal of reaching 400 pounds.  We are well on our way to reaching that goal, and sharing with others in the community!

Upcoming EcoSchool Trip: Nov. 25-28

Parents, can you believe that EcoSchool at Camp Chief Hector is only a week away!!  We are so excited to be able to experience leadership opportunities and challenges in the beautiful Rocky Mountains.

Please look for letter in your child's agenda with important reminders over the next couple of days.  A complete packing list was sent home with your field trip forms, and will also be included in the letter coming home this week.

Please label your child's belongings, as they sometimes get misplaced while we are busy learning at EcoSchool.  It is important to send warm layers, including a toque, mittens, snow pants, boots, etc., as we will be spending a portion of each day outdoors.  

If you need to send any medications (including Tylenol or any other over-the-counter medications) for your child, please make sure that you put them in a Ziploc baggie labeled with your child's name.  Make sure to include any instructions in the bag with the medications.  

We will be leaving the school around 9:00 am on Tuesday, November 25th and returning around 2:00 pm on Friday, November 28th.  Your child will be excited to see you and share their camp experiences, so please plan on picking them up from the school with their luggage at that time.  

Thank you for supporting our learning outside the classroom.  This is an experience that your child is sure to remember for years to come.

Student-Led Conferences This Week

Student-Led Conferences are coming soon!  We've been busy finishing projects, and selecting work that we are most proud of.  We can't wait to shine for you! 

Mark Your Calendar: 

Thursday, October 30th (4:30 pm - 8:00 pm)

Friday, October 31st (8:30 am - 12:30 pm)

Please make an appointment to drop into the classroom during this time so that you can take a look at some of the work we've been doing.  A letter was sent home last week with instructions of how to book a time.  If you have trouble, please contact the office.  

This conference will take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.  It is an important time to spend with your child.  The teacher will also be available to have a conversation with you if you require.  If you have more than one child, allow a half hour to an hour for each of your children, so please book your appointments with this in mind.

Please note that no written report cards are coming home at this time.  You will receive a written report card in December.

Fish Creek Park

Students looking out at the manmade pond at Fish Creek Park.

Last week, we visited Fish Creek Park to learn more about wetlands.  Along with walking through the uplands, we also spent time studying the invertebrates at the manmade pond.  

Dipping for invertebrates at the wetland.

The best place to find invertebrates is along the bottom of the wetland or by the reeds, in the muck.

Here are some of the discoveries made by the grade 5 students:

Brooke: "I caught a really small snail with a bloodworm on it.  The bloodworm was red, obviously."

Trevor: "The most interesting discovery was the little leaches and the minnows swimming in the water, with the algae just floating along the surface of the water."

Jeshua: "I love the wetland!"

Sara: "Most of the bugs were hiding under the water, but the one I caught was a backswimmer."

Katie: "Did you know that backswimmers bite, and that most water insects live at the bottom of wetlands?"

Doey: "I discovered that backswimmers have no backbones, and that the giant water bug was 3-4 inches full grown."

Janick: "I looked at different bugs and saw how they function and work to get food.   I also learned that the wetland looked like it had no living things in it, but there was lots of life!"

We used identification cards to help us figure out what we caught.

Taking a closer look with the magnifying cup.

Have a Wonderful Fall Break!

Thank you for your patience with our late returning bus on Friday from our field trip!  Our bus was delayed to pick us up from Fish Creek Park on Friday by 45 minutes, then traffic was backed up on Deerfoot Trail coming home.  We look forward to posting an update about what we learned as soon as we return back from the break.

We are off from school until Monday, October 20th due to Fall Break.  Enjoy a restful week with your families.

Fish Creek Park

We are excited to be able to visit Fish Creek Park tomorrow!  It looks like the weather will be nice today, but don't forget that the morning will most likely be chilly. 

Please help your child remember the following items for this field trip (October 10th):

- layered clothing and a coat

- extra socks (in case feet get wet)

- cold lunch with extra snacks

- water bottle

- a sunhat or ball cap

- rubber boots or runners (for exploring the wetland area)

Thank you for supporting your child's learning outside the classroom!

Don't forget that next week is Fall Break.  

School resumes on Monday, October 20th.

Please Welcome Our New Teacher

We are excited to welcome Ms. Shaver to the grade 5/6 Classroom.  While Mr. Vahaaho will be missed in our room, we are happy to be able to visit him in the gymnasium for our Phys. Ed. classes.

Parents, please check your calendar to see if you are available to volunteer at Fish Creek park on Friday, October 10th.  We are looking for 4 volunteers to help.  If you are able, please email Mrs. Tran at krihenderson@cbe.ab.ca , or send a note in your child's agenda.

Thank you for your support in our learning!

Fish Creek Field Trip Rescheduled

Thankfully the recent dump of snow has subsided, and Fish Creek has had a chance to clean up the pathways from the damaged trees.

We have rescheduled our field trip to Friday, October 10, 2014.  We will need 4 parent volunteers for this trip.  If you are able to join us, please send a note in your child's agenda, or email Mrs. Tran at krihenderson@cbe.ab.ca to let us know.

Updated field trip forms will be coming home in the next couple of weeks.

Thank you for your support and flexibility.  

Fish Creek Trip CANCELLED

Unfortunately, due to a number of damaged trees and some unsafe conditions along the pathways, our field trip to Fish Creek Park is cancelled until further notice.  We are hopeful that we can reschedule for a later date and will keep you updated as we hear more information.

Thank you to all parents who stepped up to volunteer.  We will contact you again as soon as we know more information.

Field Trip Rescheduled

We have rescheduled our Fish Creek Park field trip until Friday, September 12th due to the weather.

We need 2 more parents to join us.  If you can come, please send a note in your child's agenda, or email your child's teacher as soon as possible:

Mrs. Tran (krihenderson@cbe.ab.ca) or Ms. Raude (rmraude@cbe.ab.ca)

Thank you!

New Immunization FAQ Website

Alberta Health Services has just launched it's new website: http://immunizealberta.ca .  This is a great resource for parents and anyone else wanting to know more about how immunizations work, if you should immunize your child, etc.

In grade 5, you should have noticed immunization consent forms come home recently.  Please make sure to return these forms to your child's classroom teacher as soon as possible.  If you have questions about immunizations, please visit the website link above, or call the school to speak to our school nurse.  

A Note About Spelling & the Welcome Back BBQ

WELCOME BACK BBQ

Don't Forget: Thursday, September 4th, is our Welcome Back BBQ from 6-8 pm.  It is a great time to meet your child's teachers, as well as learn about some of the great community resources available to you.  

Everyone in your family is invited!  We hope to see you there.

SPELLING MATTERS

Why does spelling matter?

Today you should notice a navy blue duo-tang in your child's backpack which contains their weekly spelling work.  New spelling words will come home at the beginning of the week, and homework will always be due Thursday.  Your child will also write their spelling words in the agenda when a new spelling list is given so that they always have access to these words.

Please help your child find a time to practice their spelling words throughout the week, as we will have regular spelling tests on Fridays.  

A couple of websites to practice the spelling words are: Spelling City (http://www.spellingcity.com) and Kids Spell (http://www.kidsspell.com).  Please make sure to have your child enter their own spelling words on these websites in the "create a custom list" or "enter your words" category.

Thank you for supporting your child's learning!

Invite to Parent Council Meeting on Thursday

School Council will be hosting the annual Meet & Greet Night tomorrow, Thursday August 28th, at 6:30pm in the school library. 

Babysitters have been arranged for children.  Pizza, veggies & fresh fruit will be available for parents who attend.  

We hope to see you there!

Back-to-School Package

An envelope with Back-To-School forms was sent home in the agenda on Friday.

Don't forget to fill out all of the forms and return this package to your child's teacher as soon as possible.  We realize this is a busy time of year, and we appreciate your willingness to fill in this paperwork and help us get organized for the school year.  

We are excited to welcome you back after the summer break.  Please visit the blog often for important information as well as interesting updates of the learning happening in our classroom.  We look forward to working with you this year!

From the grade 5 teachers,
Ms. Raude & Mrs. Tran


Parents, please comment below, or write a message for us in your child's agenda to let us know that you have read this post.