Well, here we are, at the last day of school for 2014, and it seems like quite a whirlwind that has gotten us here. Just a quick reminder to start, that the school will be closed for the break, so all items needed must be taken home tomorrow by the end of the day. Also, we have a busy, and full, day planned tomorrow, with a big art project, reading buddies, oral presentations, our sing along, and the gift and take event.
One last request for the year... I have been asking students for a while, but I will put this to the parents...Is anyone willing to froggy-sit our class pets? They don't take up much room, are easy to care for, and will even offer up gentle music in the evenings if you are really quiet and listen closely. Our firebellied toads need a home for the holidays. It only requires a pickup tomorrow at any time until 3:00pm (when I will be taking them to my home if no one else comes forward). Please let me know if you are up for this
Not only have the past two weeks been a busy time, but the past four school months have been a wild ride as well. We have tackled the history of flight, and the properties of air, we looked at four different ways to multiply, we wrote personal biographies (TBE - to be edited in the -new year), we have investigated Canada's role in the global community, we interpreted graphs of all styles, we dove deep into patterning, we examined numbers closely - in over a dozen ways that grade 6 students need to be able to explore them (expanding, factors, multiples, fractions, percentages, real world examples - just to name a few ways), we explored messages in print media, looked at how newspapers grab our attention, examined stereotypes in age, gender, religion, "race", culture, and occupation, worked on developing skills in locomotion, balance, agility, manipulation of objects (throwing and catching), coordination, teamwork, and leadership, took on the challenge of public speaking (oral presentations), explored the musical scale with recorder and ukulele, and much much more in class. Our class organized and presented the Remembrance Day sharing, we developed and delivered a holiday play (Good Night iPad), we travelled to Dovercourt for two outdoor phys ed activities, and then again for the Terry Fox run, we skated at Dulude twice, we rode our bikes to the National Gallery during the animation festival, we walked to the Cenotaph - where most of us performed three songs during the Remembrance Day ceremony there, we had visits by Ryan's Well, and Paul Dewar. In short, it has been a busy time so far.
In addition, there has been a flurry of interaction between the home and school, with intake interviews for some students, the class meeting, September parent meetings for over a dozen students, to IEP's, progress reports, three way conferences, phone interviews, and over 20 different parents who have taken time to volunteer with us already this year (and yes, a select four or five that have been in over a dozen times themselves). I feel like many of us have had a lot of opportunities to share stories and experiences this year. I always feel so privileged to be able to spend the time I do with the students, and witness their successes on a daily basis, because I know how little of this really filters through to the home, so these opportunities we get to interact are my chance to share some of what I witness with you. I hope that in the new year I have just as many opportunities to interact and share with all of you.
The new year will be a busy time for us all (with my wife expecting in January, it will be extra busy for me!) and we hope to get things off and running from the very start. Please let me know if your child will not be attending during the first days back in January, as it helps me with my planning. We are looking forward to many more adventures next year, including some year end celebrations, and, of course, our tenth anniversary edition of School of Rock.
I wish you and your families the best of the holiday season. Take care and we will see you all back in 2015!
Happy Holidays,
No comments:
Post a Comment