Let's celebrate my report card that I am bringing home today!

Reminder:
NO SCHOOL on Monday, February 1.

We honored Ms. Traquair today.  Please share with a family member your favorite memory of our fabulous principal.

Homework:
-Read for our Non-Fiction Best Book Ever Project due Wednesday, February 10.  Check D2L for task criteria and assessment.

Reminder:
-Report cards - Friday, January 29.
-No school on Monday, February 1.  It is a Professional Development Day.

In math, we have been studying patterning and algebraic expressions.  Share with a family member your understanding Input / Output T charts.  Create a chart and see if a family member can determine your 3 patterns: Input, Output, Input/Output. Can you show your pattern using an algebraic expression? Can you design a chart that utilizes 2 operations in your horizontal pattern?

Homework:
Read for our Non-Fiction Best Book Ever Project due Wednesday, February 10.  Check D2L for task criteria and assessment.

Reminder:
-Tomorrow, January 28 is our good bye assembly for Mrs. Traquair at 2:00 p.m.  Parents are welcome to attend.
-Report cards - Friday, January 29.
-No school on Monday, February 1.  It is a Professional Development Day.
-No sports club, tomorrow, Thursday, January 28.

In gym, we are working on badminton skills.  What have you learned about how to volley, dribble and serve in badminton?  What sportmanship characteristics do you demonstrate in gym?  What specific evidence do you have to support your thinking?  Be prepared to share!

Homework:
Read for our Non-Fiction Best Book Ever Project due Wednesday, February 10.  Check D2L for task criteria and assessment.

Reminder:
-Report cards - Friday, January 29.
-No school on Monday, February 1.  It is a Professional Development Day.
-No sports club on Thursday, January 28.

We are almost finished our class read aloud of Hatchet.  Our reflection assignment will include a Step-Inside the main character of Brian from a first person perspective.  Share with a family member your ideas about how Brian has changed since the beginning of the book. What does Brian care deeply about?What does Brian believe? What evidence do you have to support your thinking? Be prepared to share and write a persuasive piece about your ideas.


Homework:
Read for our Non-Fiction Best Book Ever Project due Wednesday, February 10.  Check D2L for task criteria and assessment.

Reminder:
-Report cards - Friday, January 29.
-Information regarding our new principal coming home today.
-No school on Monday, February 1.  It is a Professional Development Day.
- Water Safety and Swimming notice is being sent home today.

We had two presentations today!  Our first presentation was about our classroom garden.  The second presentation was from the Calgary Police About Face Cops for Kids. Share with a family member the important information from each presentation.

Have an awesome weekend!

Vista Heights School has a new Math bulletin board located by the mudroom doors! Our school will be celebrating our Math understandings this year on this interactive display. This week, our school has been brainstorming addition and subtraction action words. What addition and subtraction words do you know? Add your ideas to the bulletin board!

Homework: 
Please review the Math Vocabulary Page on our blog for key math words we will be using in class!

Reminder: 
- Sports Club is today after school from 3:15 to 3:45. Please remember to wait in your classroom until Mrs. Calvert or Ms. Makowski bring you to the gym.

We have started our science centers from the perspective of electrical engineers.  Please explain to a family member what you know about the important safety rules around electricity. In your center today, what did you learn about the movement of electrons, the history of electricity or where electricity comes from? Do you know the difference between an insulator and a conductor? How do you design a closed circuit?

The Grade 1/2 Assembly for Room 7 has been moved from Thursday, January 21st, to Thursday, January 28th at 2pm.  At this assembly, we will be saying a final good bye to our wonderful Principal, Mrs. Traquair as her last day is Friday, January 29th. All parents and families are welcome.

Reminder:
Sports Club is tomorrow, Thursday, January 21: 3:15-3:45.

Homework:
Read for our Best Book Ever Non-Fiction projects coming up soon.

Today we began our Rube Goldberg projects to demonstrate our instructional writing.  Share with a family member what is the purpose of your design.  What you know about instructional writing structure?.  What key vocabulary is important when composing an instructional passage?  What are some extra details that are important to include?

Homework:

Open up the Rube Goldberg link in D2L.  Share with a family member at least 5 examples of action verbs that you can locate in his samples of instructional writing.

Today our class visited Arts Common for the National Geographic Live Presentation: Gorongosa Reborn! Thank you to the parent volunteers who attended to make this valuable learning experience possible. Share with a family member the important information from the presentation today. Why is conservation important? What challenges did the team overcome to restore Gorongosa National Park? Should areas in Alberta and Canada be protected? Why are national and provincial parks important? What personal connections did you make to your learning today?

Homework:
- Share our D2L discussion thread with your families. What new questions do you have after viewing the presentation? Add these new questions to our digital discussion.

Reminder:
- Accountability Survey notice is being sent home today.

Our class has been reading The Hatchet by Gary Paulsen for our class read aloud. We are close to finishing the book! Make a prediction for how you think the novel will end. Reflect on how Brian's character has changed in the book. Think of examples to support your ideas. We will be discussing this topic in class next week.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Reminder: 
- National Geographic Live field trip is Monday January 18! The bus leaves Vista Heights School at 9:15 and we will be back to school at 12:00.
- Measles vaccine notice is being sent home today.

Our class has been working on our curling skills in Phys. Ed.! Explain to a family member the rules for how to play. What tips can you give for how to accurately throw the rock toward the house? What strategies has your team been using in class?

The virtue for the month of January is Sportsmanship. How have you demonstrated sportsmanship in Phys. Ed.? How have you seen your classmates show this virtue?  Be prepared to share your ideas with the class tomorrow. 

Reminder: 

- Sports Club is today from 3:15 to 3:45. 

- Please return your signed National Geographic Live field trip forms to school by tomorrow (January 15). Our field trip is Monday January 18! 

Our class is continuing our study of electricity.  What did you learn today about static electricity? Are there other sources of electricity in nature?  Please share your understanding of the experiment we did today and explain what you know about the atom and the movement of electrons after we rubbed our hair with a balloon. Look around your house, what kind of safety devices do you notice are being used with the movement of electricity to ensure that your house is safe?  Be prepared to share.

Homework:
On our blog open up the pages for Science - Electricity and Magnetism. Record the vocabulary terms on your green page.  If you know the meaning of the term record it or draw it.  Be sure to give an example. Due tomorrow.

Reminder:
- Please return your signed National Geographic Live field trip forms as soon as possible! 
- Sports Club is tomorrow (January 14) after school from 3:15 to 3:45.

Today our class reorganized for Math! Students in our room will continue our Math learning in our classroom with Ms. Calvert and Mrs. Brar. We are looking forward to having Mrs. Brar join us in our learning journey.

Share with a family member goals you have in Math. What strategies will help you achieve your goals? What worries do you have about our reorganization or upcoming units? What are you excited for in Math? Be prepared to share your goal tomorrow in math class.

Homework:
On our blog open up the pages for Math - Patterning. Record the vocabulary terms on your blue page.  If you know the meaning of the term record it or draw it.  Be sure to give an example. Due tomorrow.

Reminder: 
- Please return your signed National Geographic Live field trip forms as soon as possible!
-We had a presentation today from Bob Edwards Junior High.  Please see my information about choosing French Immersion as a choice for Grade. 6 and Grade 7.

Celebrate our first week of learning for 2016!

Reminder:
-Field Trip notices for a National Geographic Presentation coming home today.
-NO SCHOOL on Monday, January 11. It is a Professional Development Day.

We have started our study of electricity and magnetism!  What is electricity? What questions do you have about electricity and magnetism? Please look around your home and find all of the items that utilize electricity. Be prepared to share in class tomorrow.


Reminder:
Sports Club is today at 3:15-3:45.
NO School on Monday, January 11.  It is a professional development day.

Homework:
Math: Floor Design projects are due tomorrow.  Please check the project criteria and assessment in D2L.

Connecting to our study of art we have been discussing impressionism, especially through the works of Claude Monet. Please explain to a family member what you learned about impressionism.  What did you notice about Claude Monet's style and techniques?  Which work of Monet's did we study to paint our 'Monpens'?

Reminder:
Sports Club tomorrow, Thursday, January 7: 3:15-3:45.

We been looking and discussion the works of Monet, Dali, Van Gogh and various other artists to complete an art critique.  Please discuss with a family member what you learned about critically thinking about art.  How is the piece put together?  Is there a story being told? What colors are being used? How does the piece make you feel? What makes a good work of art for you? Why?

Homework:
-Read! Read! Read!
-Math - Floor Design projects are due on Friday, January 8 in Mrs. Calvert's math group.  Please check D2L for the project criteria and assessment.

Welcome back to a new year of learning!  Today we celebrated all of the characteristics that make us awesome, including our virtues and talents.  In preparing for a new year we discussed how can we use these attributes to make our class, our school, our community, our city and our world a better place to be.  Please share with a family member your ideas of what you are going to do to share your awesomeness.

Reminder:
January calendar coming home today! Please see other notices.

Homework:
Keep reading a new book project will be announced this month.