Beach Day!!!!

Friday January 30th is BEACH DAY here at our school.  Even though it is cold outside, come with your sunglasses and beach hat...or, perhaps a "bright and sunny shirt"!!

Students will be going outside for recess, and will not be given time to get changed.  So, please ensure they are dressed appropriately for the weather.

Thanks,

Mrs. Onderdonk

Websites

I have looked at the log-in information for the past month, and congratulations go to the following students who have spent the most time on Raz-Kids and ProdigyGame...


Drum roll please.....

Congratulations to Agsiny for being the NUMBER 2 student in the entire GRADE 1 Raz-Kids program (4.5 classes)!  She has read close to 200 books!!!! WOW!!!

Congratulations go to Harshini, Jamel, and Neel for being the top 3 students (time spent) on Prodigy Game's website. 

Please remember to log in as often as possible!

Thanks!

Mrs. Onderdonk

Items Needed for the Brampton Animal Shelter!

Our school is collecting the above items for the Brampton Animal Shelter.  As an incentive, the class that collects the most items will receive a prize.  As of today, we have collected 1 item.  Please help - donate today!

Thanks,

Mrs. Onderdonk

Grade 2 - What's the Matter?

The grade twos had a great time learning about the properties of liquids and solids in Science.  We had the opportunity to perform a few fun experiments, including making slime.  We learned that slime can be both a solid and a liquid, depending upon how it is handled. 

Grade 1 - 3D Shapes

The grade ones had a great time this month learning about 3D shapes.  We learned how to identify and describe common 3D figures (e.g., faces, vertices) and 3D shapes in real life (e.g., ice cream cone = cone).  The students also had the opportunity to create their own 3D shapes using toothpicks and marshmallows. 

Our Artwork...Tissue Paper Trees

Grade 1 Field Trip

Attention Grade 1 Parents:

The Grade 1 Field Trip has been RESCHEDULED due to unforeseen circumstances.  The new date of the field trip is:

Thursday January 29th, 2015

Please ensure you mark this on your calendar. 

Sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.

Science & Spelling

Parents,

Grade 1 Energy Tests and Grade 2 Science tests will be coming home today.  Please look over the test, and sign it.  Return it to school tomorrow (Wednesday).

Also, please look over your child's Spelling booklet.  The grade that is located in the book is based on your child's ability to spell (sound out) unknown words.  Please sign or initial the book, so that I know you have seen it.

Thanks!

Mrs. Onderdonk

Raz-Kids

Parents,

I have updated students' reading levels on Raz-Kids to correspond with their most recent testing (effective January 2015).  Some kids have been moved "back" a few levels.  This is ok.

Raz-kids is not a race.  In order for your child to become a stronger reader, they need to read books that are at their level.

Moving forward, please try to log into Raz-Kids weekly.  I have noticed the majority of students are not completing their weekly reading. 

Finally, if you are having issues logging into Raz-Kids, please write me a note in your child's agenda.

Thanks!

Mrs. Onderdonk

Poetry Presentation - Grades 1 and 2

Below are the expectations for the Poetry Presentations.  These have been discussed with the students in class many times throughout the term. 

Preparedness: Does it appear as though the student is prepared?  Have they rehearsed?

Speaks Clearly: Does the student speak clearly and distinctly? Do they mispronounce any words?

Posture & Eye Contact: Does the student stand up straight? Do they look relaxed and confident? Do they establish eye contact with everyone in the room?

Volume: Can the rest of the class hear the student?

Recitation: Can the student recite the poem with little to no hesitation?

Listens to other presentations: Does the student listen intently to the other presentations?
I look forward to hearing the presentations tomorrow!

Mrs. O.

Library

Our class has library on DAY 2 (please refer to the calendar posted earlier).  Please ensure all library books are returned before or on DAY 2 so that your child may select a new book(s). 

Thank you!

Some Important Information for the Week...

Homework
We will be starting a new homework program for both the Grade 1s and Grade 2s.  Please be on the lookout for it starting sometime this week.

Spelling
Our spelling program is back.  Spelling quizzes will always be on Fridays, unless otherwise specified.  Don't forget to visit:

https://www.spellingcity.com/ponderdonk/

Grade 1 Field Trip
Grade 1 field trip forms are due back to me by Wednesday January 14, 2015.

Gym
Come dressed appropriately on Gym Days...
Day 4, Day 5, Day 9
(Please refer to the January Calendar posted earlier on the blog)

Homework, Spelling, & Indoor Shoes

Homework & Spelling: The homework and spelling programs will start again on Monday January 12, 2015.

Please remember to return your indoor shoes to school as soon as possible. 

Thanks!

January Calendar

A Look at January

JANUARY AT A GLANCE
Grade 1
LANGUAGE
Reading: Students will work on comprehension strategies, text patterns (eg. numbered steps or set of instructions), and the important ideas of texts

Writing: Students will continue writing proper sentences while writing short texts in their journals; students will also continue to proofread, revise, produce drafts and then publish their works

Grammar: Students will use all of the grammatical conventions learned in this term (eg. verbs, nouns, personal pronouns)

MATH
Geometry: Students will learn to identify and describe 3D Shapes

Number Sense: Students will work in their math centers to represent, compare, and order whole numbers to 50 using a variety of tools and contexts

SCIENCE
Energy: Students will finish their Science unit on Energy, where they will investigate how different types of energy are used in their daily lives

SOCIAL STUDIES
We will be discussing respectful behaviour that they can practice in their everyday lives and/or that other people practice.

Grade 2
LANGUAGE
Reading: Students will learn to identify and describe the characteristics of a few simple text forms (eg. plot, setting, etc.)

Writing: Students will continue writing short narratives in their journals; students will also determine the purpose and audience of their writing, and continue working on proofreading/revising/producing drafts/publishing their works

Grammar: Students will learn about simple prepositions of place and time (eg. under, with, before, after, etc.)

MATH
Place Value: We will continue working on place value, and representing 2 digit numbers using base 10 blocks

Addition and Subtraction WITHOUT and WITH Regrouping: We will continue subtraction of double digit numbers without regrouping, and introduce RE-GROUPING as well.

Math Centers: We will continue working on areas of DATA MANAGEMENT (Graphing), Symmetry, and Measurement, as well as other Number Sense activities in our new math centers starting this week.

SCIENCE
Matter: We will finish up our unit on matter, where we are learning about solids, liquids, and gasses.
Structures: We will begin our unit on structures, where we will design, build, and test a structure.

SOCIAL STUDIES
Students will learn about the world, and how it is made up of countries, continents, and regions.  They will also learn about how communities meet their needs, and the needs of others who live in different climates.