Classroom
Notes – December 2017
- Christmas Hampers – Thank you for those parents/students who have already brought in food items for our class Christmas Hamper. If you are planning on donating for this initiative, please send food items to school by Friday, December 18th. On behalf of St. Gregory School, I thank you for your participation, as well as reinforcing Catholic social teachings at home.
- Advent Mass – We will have our school Advent Mass on Tuesday, December 12th. If you are available, you are welcome to celebrate Mass with our school during this special week in our Catholic calendar. Mass begins at 9:30.
- Colder Weather is Here! - With the arrival of some snow and colder temperatures, please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for the weather each day. It is recommended that students keep extra socks, mittens/gloves etc in their backpacks just in case they require dry clothing. Each week, our lost and found box is full of clothing items, so please write your child's name in a visible area to increase the chances of them being found and returned.
- Technology Coach from our Board – Last week, we had a guest teacher from our Board working to demonstrate and improve our understanding of Google Drive, Google Docs and Apps (i.e. Read & Write). Our students were very engaged in this unique learning opportunity. We will continue to have a few more visits from this coach to improve our proficiency with Google based technology.
- White Elephant Sale – Our annual White Elephant Sale is Friday, December 15th. Please ensure that your child has a reusable bag to bring purchased items home with them. It is recommended that students keep their money in a small bag/zip-lock.
- Using the Student Portal – Just a reminder that all students can access a variety of apps through the student portal from our Board website www.ocsb.ca All grade 3's have their email and password glued in the front of their agenda. It is recommended that students are using Raz-Kids and Dreambox to reinforce reading and math skills at home.
Always
Learning in Grade 3...
In
Math, we have started a unit in Data Management. Students are
learning to use data from a survey to create bar graphs and
pictographs. We will focus on comparing data in a graph using math
words to communicate our understanding. Although we have moved on
from representing, adding and subtracting money, will will continue
to work on this important concept throughout the year. It is
recommended that students continue to practice adding and subtracting
money amounts at home to reinforce learning at school. Our class
completed a money assessment at the end of last week which will be
sent home shortly.
In
Writing, our grade 3's have been working very hard to complete
their personal narratives. Students are demonstrating that they can
use a variety of punctuation (exclamation/question/quotation marks)
and adjectives throughout their writing. Students are learning to
organize their writing by creating an effective introduction, middle
and conclusion to their story, while sharing their feelings/emotions
with the reader. In Reading, we will continue to work on
reading comprehension strategies to improve our understanding of a
story. Students are learning to make connections, visualize and
understand how a writer organizes ideas within a text. We will begin
Media Literacy shorty to learn about advertising techniques to
target a specific audience. Students will use learned techniques when
creating their own product/poster.
In
Science, we have started to present the take-home natural
forces projects and these presentations will be ongoing for the next
few weeks. Natural forces is an engaging topic for students in this
age group. All students have shown enthusiasm, as well as
demonstrating knowledge gained from this activity. At this time, I
wish to thank all parents for assisting with the completion of this
project. As students present, I am assessing only their
speaking/listening skills, as well as their knowledge of their chosen
natural force. We will begin Structures very shortly and we
will have a guest in the classroom helping with a bridge-making
experiment in January.
In
Family Life, we have been discussing how family love is open.
We have learned that families share and participate in special
traditions and customs. In Religion, we have linked the God's
promise of the Messiah to stories of covenant and the prophets in the
Old Testament. In Visual Arts, students created an advent
wreath using a stained glass effect with pastels.
I
hope that everyone has a safe and memorable Christmas and I look
forward to working with your child in the new year.
Mr.
Blais
