A Few Reminders

Hello Parents and/or Guardians, 

I have a few reminders just in case I have forgotten to mention something. 

1. Please sign and return page 4 of the report card as well as the envelope it was sent home in. 

2. Please confirm if you are unable to attend your scheduled interview time (only for families who I've requested an interview with). 

3. For parents of Grade 2 students, please complete and return the Sacrament information sheet to the school. If you have a son or daughter that is in Grade 3 that has not received their First Reconciliation and Communion but would like to this year, please contact the school. 

4. Please sign and return the Grade 3 Swim to Survive permission form as the students begin their lessons next week. 

5. Monday is Family Day - No School! Enjoy the day with your loved ones!

Thank you and have a wonderful evening! 

January Updates

Hello Parents and/or Guardians, 

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope everyone had a wonderful time expressing their love and appreciation for one another yesterday. The students were very eager to exchange Valentine cards as well as work on various Valentine activities. This week, students brainstormed what love meant to them by creating a class book about what love is. Then we discussed what our hearts are filled with. Students drew pictures of people or things that they love and keep in their hearts, as well as a written explanation. I was so impressed by some of the responses the class gave. I think we have a really good understanding of what love means!

January Updates

During the month of January we finished our Language units of visualization and descriptive writing. We also started our media literacy unit. Our focus was on identifying the various types of media forms and determining whether that form was meant to persuade, inform, or entertain its viewers and/or readers. 

Our focus in Math was patterning. Students learned to identify, extend, and create various repeating, growing, and shrinking patterns. We created geometric as well as number patterns. Repeating patterns have a pattern core that must be repeated at least 3 times. In addition, the class also learned that a growing or shrinking pattern has a pattern rule which includes a starting point (e.g., Start at 12 and add 4 each time; Start at 80 and subtract 10 each time).

In the picture above, students can be seen creating various types of repeating patterns using pattern blocks. 

In these pictures, students were creating shrinking patterns based on pattern rules given by their teacher. The rule for the pattern on the left was "Start at 15 and subtract 5 each time." The rule for the pattern on the right was "Start at 11 and decrease by 2 each time."

In Science, we finished our units on Plants and Animals and started our unit on Forces. Students learned that a force is considered a push or pull and that their are many different types of forces (e.g., muscular, friction, gravity, magnetic, etc.). 

In Physical Education we focused on Aim and Accuracy. Students learned various ways to throw objects at targets. In Health, the class learned about the four food groups, where food comes from, and how to make healthy choices for their lunches. 

In Religion, we have been focusing on the different Sacraments as the Grade 2 students will be preparing for their First Reconciliation and Communion this spring. 

Stay tuned for February updates!!!

2D Shape Assessment

Hello Parents and/or Guardians, 

On Wednesday our class will be having a math assessment on 2D shapes. This assessment is based on what the class has already learned. The concepts and pictures below outline the curriculum expectations that the class has been working on and will be assessed on. 

Grade 2 

- identify and describe various polygons (e.g., triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, heptagons, octagons) and sort and classify them by number sides and number of vertices 
- compose and decompose two-dimensional shapes

Grade 3 

 - identify and describe various polygons (e.g., triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, heptagons, octagons) and sort and classify them by number of sides, number of vertices, number of right angles and number of interior angles
-explain the relationships between different types of quadrilaterals (e.g., a square is a rectangle because a square has four sides and four right angles; a rhombus is a parallelogram because opposite sides of a rhombus are parallel)
- compare various angles and describe angles as bigger than, smaller than, or about the same as other angles

Students do not need to know the proper terms for the acute and obtuse angles however they do need to understand and identify that angles can be smaller or larger than a right angle. 

If you or your child have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. 

Your partner in education, 
        S. Perrone

December Updates

Hello Parents and/or Guardians,

Happy New Year! In this post, I am going to share some of our lessons and activities that the class worked on during the month of December. I meant to post this before the Christmas Break but time got away from me. I do apologize for not updating the blog in a timely manner.

Language

In Language, we moved onto two new units. In reading, we focused on the reading comprehension strategy of visualization. Visualization is the strategy of creating a mental image in your mind as you read a story. In writing, we focused on the writing form of descriptive writing. The students learned about how our five senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, smell) and adjectives help describe people, places, and things.

This was a shared writing activity in which the class and I completed. We focused on describing the Christmas object of a candy cane. We focused on using our five senses and well as strong adjectives.

One of our favourite reading activities involved the story, "There Was a Cold Lady Who Swallowed Some Snow!" On each page, the main character swallowed a different object. The goal was for the students to visualize all of the objects and determine why the cold lady was swallowing them. In the end, the cold lady swallowed all the pieces needed to build a snowman. The class loved the story so they created their own version.


Math

In Math, we began our unit on Geometry. Our focus was on identifying two-dimensional shapes as well as sorting and classifying the shapes by their geometric properties (e.g., number of sides, number of vertices, etc.) Both grades learned about 2D shapes however they focused on different properties. The grade 2 students focused on the geometric properties of number of sides and number of vertices. The grade 3 students focused on identifying and comparing various polygons and sorting them by number of sides, side lengths, number of interior angles, number of right angles, etc. Below is an anchor chart of various polygons and their number of sides and vertices.

The class explored 2D shapes while using geoboards. The students were able to make different polygons using elastic bands. 

In this activity, students created unique snowflakes using pattern blocks. Then the class cut out polygons out of paper to create a paper copy of their snowflakes. The students also had to identify the shapes and how many of each they used.  


Religion

Our focus in November and December was on Advent. During each week of Advent, our class participated in an in-class liturgy celebrating Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. We prayed, read passages from the Bible, and sang songs. Learning about the Nativity Story and preparing for Jesus' birth was our goal for the month of December. Our class also created our own Advent wreaths using construction paper and tissue paper. 

Science

In Science we continued our units on plants and animals. The grade 2 students learned about the various physical characteristics of animals (e.g, fur or feathers, legs or no legs) as well as some changes animals go through to adapt to their surroundings. The grade 3 students learned about the major parts of a flower (e.g, stamen, pistil, seeds, fruit) and how seeds travel. Both grades also learned how humans can have a positive and negative impact on both plants and animals. 

Art

In Visual Art, we focused on the terms of foreground, middle ground, and background. The class learned these concepts through creating a portrait of a snowman. First, we learned what a portrait was. Then the class drew a portrait of a snowman. After, the students added detail in the middle ground and background of their picture.

In keeping with a winter/Christmas theme, the class learned about various lines (e.g., horizontal, vertical, curvy, diagonal, straight, thick, thin, etc.) through the directed-drawing activity of a reindeer. 

Schedule for the last week before the Christmas Break

Hello Parents and/or Guardians,

I hope everyone is enjoying the winter weather we have been receiving. December has been quite a busy month and it will continue that way up until the Christmas Break. It is hard to believe that we only have one week of school left for the 2016 year.

St. John Paul II will be participating in many festive activities next week to celebrate the holiday season. Here is our schedule:

Monday
- Jersey/Sports Day (wear your favourite sports gear)

Tuesday
- Wear your Christmas sweater, shirt, or any apparel
- Our "Happy Birthday Jesus" luncheon

Wednesday
- PJ Day
- Advent Liturgy and Tableau (second block)
- Gingerbread House Activity (third block)

Thursday
- Wear your Christmas socks, Santa hats, or festive headbands
- Joy Day (half day - Christmas activities in classrooms)

Friday
- Red and Green Day
- Spirit Assembly (first block)
- Christmas Bingo (last block)

It should be a fantastic week! I hope all students will be able to attend school each day so that we may celebrate the holidays together!

November Updates

Hello Parents and Guardians,

November has been a busy month so far and time has been flying by quickly. Our class started a new math unit a few weeks ago which we are currently still working on. In addition, the month of November has some very special days which we have been focusing on in Religion class.

Thank you to those parents who were able to attend the Parent-Teacher Interviews last night. It was wonderful to meet you all and discuss your child's progress. If you were unable to attend the interview, I would love the opportunity to speak or meet with you. I will contact you to set up a time next week.  

Here are a few reminders before I share what the class has been working on.

1. As the weather gets colder, please ensure your child is dressed appropriately. A warm jacket, boots, as well as a hat, scarf, and mitts are strongly encouraged. Just a reminder that students are not permitted on the field on wet or snowy days without boots and snow pants.

2. Students are encouraged to bring a healthy lunch along with at least two healthy snacks. We have some hungry friends in our class this year and they seem to eating their snacks at lunch therefore they have nothing to eat in the afternoon. The school does provide fruit each week for our class snack bins however once the fruit is gone, we have nothing left. Please ask your child if he/she has enough food to last the day. Sharing food is not encouraged for safely reasons. Thank you. 

Language

Our focus in reading has been on retell. Students are learning to retell (or recount) a story using evidence from the text. Retelling events that occur that the beginning of the text, in the middle of the text, and at the end is our goal. Students are also learning the importance of a sequence of events.

In writing, the class is focusing on recounts. Students have been learning to recount events in their own lives (e.g., their weekend, Thanksgiving, Halloween) through incorporating various elements of recount writing such as including a sequence of events, sequence words, past tense verbs, etc. Below is a picture of our Success Criteria for Recount Writing.

Just before Halloween we also touched on verbs and adjectives. To help students understand what an adjective is, I brought in a pumpkin and asked students to describe it using one word answers. We focused on how the pumpkin looks, feels, smells, sounds, and tastes. This activity will help us when we focus on descriptive writing in a few weeks. 

Math

Our new focus in math has been on Number Sense and Numeration, specifically place value. The students have been learning to represent numbers in various ways such as standard form, expanded form, written form, and using base ten materials. In addition, students are learning how to compare and order numbers from least to greatest as well as greatest to least. 

This picture shows different ways to represent numbers.

This picture outlines the steps students can take in order to compare two or more numbers. 

The class also learned how compose and decompose numbers. 

Science

The grade two students have learned alot about animals over the last few weeks. The boys and girls learned the difference between various animals and how they can classify them into the following various groups: mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish, and insects. We have also learned how animals grow, specifically looking into the life cycle of frogs, butterflies, and chickens. The video below is one we've watched in class which provides some simple facts about each animal type. 

The grade three students have learned about the parts of a plant and flower as well as each of their functions. They have also learned about the life cycle of a plant, beginning with a seed. The video below demonstrates the life cycle of a flowering plant. 

Religion

Our focus in November has been on All Saints Day which took place on November 1st. The class learned about what a saint is, why they are important, and why we celebrate All Saints Day. Remembrance Day has been a major focus this month as well. Much of our discussions and activities involved determining what peace means. 

Our religious read alouds.

Our poppy mosaic made from construction paper. 

After reading "The Peace Book," students brainstormed what peace meant to them and wrote their thoughts on a dove. 

Art

We have been learning about primary and secondary colours as well as the difference between warm colours (red, orange, yellow) and cool colours (green, blue, purple). The class learned about the artist, Ted Harrison, who draws and paints many pictures of the Yukon. He uses warm and cool colours to depict the land and sky. Please enjoy our masterpieces!

Have a great weekend! 

Long Overdue Updates

Hello Parents and/or Guardians,

It is hard to believe that we are well into October. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. I know the students were eager to discuss their weekends when they arrived on Tuesday. The Grade 2/3 Class has been busy learning lots of new information, getting use to school rules and routines again, as well as making new friends.

Before I share what our class has been working on so far, I have a few updates to share:

1. Our Terry Fox Walk will take place tomorrow Friday October 14th during third block (weather permitted). Please go to School Cash Online to give permission and to make a $2.00 donation. 

2. Raz Kids login information was sent home in your child's agenda. Students are encouraged to read for 20 to 30 minutes each night. The 'Reading Room' is where students can find books that are at their reading level. 

3. Students were introduced to a math website called Prodigy Play which they have been enjoying using in class. The students explore different locations while answering grade appropriate math questions. I am able to create assignments that focus on topics we have been working on it class. If students complete those assignments, the systems generates other curriculum based questions in the various math strands. Usernames and passwords are also found in your child`s agenda. 

4. Our class will be hosting the Thanksgiving Mass at our school on Wednesday October 19th. Many of our classmates will be reading various prayers and intentions as well as presenting gifts. If your child has a reading stapled in their agenda, please have them practice reading it aloud. Our Mass will take place during second block if you would like to attend. 

Language

In Language we have been focusing on the Daily 5 centers. Currently, the students have learned about `Read to Self`` and `Work on Writing`. Essentially the class has learned how to read and write independently for a short period of time. We will be incorporating our focus in reading and writing into our centers. Please see our success criteria for our Daily 5 centers.

The class has also been learning about nouns. Nouns are parts of speech that are considered to be people, places, and things. The students are also learning about the difference between common and proper nouns.

In this activity, students created a flip book about different kinds of nouns.

Our focus in reading has been on `Making Connections.` Making connections is a reading strategy in which the children make a connection to their own knowledge and experience, to another text, and to the world around them in order to understand the text better. I read a lovely story in class titled `Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge` which is a about a boy trying to help an elderly lady find her memory. Students were encouraged to make connections to their own special memories. Please ask your child about this lesson.

Math

Our focus in Math has been on reading and interpreting graphs as well as creating graphs from tallies and survey results. Students have been learning about how to read and interpret data found in horizontal and vertical bar graphs, pictographs, and line plots. In addition, students have created a few survey questions, recorded their results using a tally chart, and displayed their results in various graphs. The class is working on coming up with conclusions based on data found in graphs. Reviewing math words such as horizontal, vertical, more than, less than, most, least, fewer, scale, and conclusions is encouraged.

Science

Our Science units are now under way and the students are very eager to learn alot of new information. We started our units by brainstorming things we already knew about plants and animals. Then we thought about questions we have about plants and animals that we would like answered. This led our grade 2 students to learn about butterflies as well a their life cycle. The grade 3 students were curious to learn about what plants need to grow (sunlight, warmth, space, air, water).

Our classroom library has been filled with non-fiction books in which the students can read during Read to Self time.

Religion 

Our focus over the last few weeks has been on Thanksgiving. Students learned about what Thanksgiving is and why we celebrate it. In addition, we've discussed what we are thankful for and why. The class has also been preparing for our Thanksgiving Mass and learning to sing some new songs.

Physical Education

Through small group and larger group activities, students have learned how to participate actively, cooperatively, and safely. During the month of September, students participated in many icebreaker/cooperative games in order to get to know one another better. We reviewed how to travel safely, where to look when moving around in the gym, various boundaries, and well as important safety words. This week, students participated in two sessions of 'Golf in the Schools.' Students learned about various golf techniques such as how to stand, hold a club, swing, and hit the ball different ways. Lots of fun wad had by all!

Art

In Art, we have been learning about various lines (e.g., straight, wavy, vertical, horizontal, etc). In addition, the class learned about mosaics and were able to create their own acorn mosaic using construction paper. Please see our masterpieces below.

Have a great evening!