Classroom Notes - April 2018

Easter Mass rescheduled - Father Tim needed to reschedule our school Easter Mass and our next school Mass will be on Tuesday, May 01 at St Maurice's Parish. All parents/guardians are welcome to celebrate with us.

Education Week - All schools in our Board will celebrate Catholic education from May 7-11. Please check the weekly memo for all activities during this busy week. There are lots of fun events each day including the Book Fair, water walk and our St. Gregory open house, just to name a few. During the open house, our grade three class will be demonstrating their math skills through math games. Hope that you can join us and participate!

EQAO - All grade 3 and grade 6 students will complete the EQAO assessment during the last week of May and the first week of June. Our students have been preparing for this assessment to the best of their ability. A note will be sent home in May outlining the testing schedule and essential preparation at home.

PD Day - There is a PD Day on Friday, April 27th. There is no school for students.

Always Learning in Grade 3...

In Math, students have completed their area and perimeter robots. As well, our class completed an area and perimeter assessment that will be sent home to be signed shortly. Currently we have been working on a number of concepts including multiplication, division and fractions through a variety of activities. Next, we will be learning about reflections, translations and rotations, as well as movement on a grid.

In Language, our class learned to write adventure stories by creating a big problem, a series of dangerous/exciting events and an interesting solution. We were engaged in this writing task by reading "Jumanji" for read aloud. Students were given specific success criteria for this task. Our class really enjoyed this type of narrative writing and we will display our amazing stories on our bulletin board during Education Week. In anticipation of EQAO, we will continue to practice using reading/writing strategies to prepare for the assessment.

In Science, we are continuing our unit on "Soils." Currently, students are learning about the types of soils (sand, silt, clay, loam). We will go outside into our courtyard to conduct an experiment on the different layers of soil, as well investigating the living things that we might find inside the soil within our school yard.

In Family Life, we are learning that families have commitments and that making decisions requires careful thought.

In Health, we have been learning about good, healthy living habits. Currently, we are investigating the four food groups and how to integrate several items from several of these groups into breakfast and snacks. Students will be creating a poster to outline their learning of good overall health.

Thank you for your continued support!

Mr. Blais

Classroom Notes - March 2018

Building Bridges - Before the March Break, we completed two sessions with our Engineer in Residence (Mr. Ball). Our class enjoyed learning about adding strength to a structure.

Growth Mindset - As previously mentioned, our class embraces a growth mindset approach to learning and our students recognize that we must make and learn from our mistakes in order for our brains to grow. Here are a few links to video clips that we have watched in class during our growth mindset lessons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC82Il2cjqA&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElVUqv0v1EE&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-3Fs4zGjDU&feature=youtu.be

Continuing to emphasize a growth mindset approach to learning at home will complement this approach to learning at school. At school, we emphasize that we must put effort and show resilience when faced with challenges. 

Appropriate Clothing and School Supplies - As the weather begins to warm up, please remember that our school yard gets very wet as the snow melts. In fact, our yard will start to resemble a small lake. Students need to be prepared for the changing weather each day by being dressed appropriately. It is recommended that students have a pair of water-proof boots for wet/rainy days. I have noticed some students are complaining about their indoor shoes not fitting anymore, or that some are well worn. Please ask your child about the condition of their indoor shoes so they can continue to feel comfortable and remain safe during gym activities.

On another note, our school provides the basic supplies needed for learning. Please ask your child if they have used up any of the items that you purchased at the beginning of the year. Many students have been informing me that they don't have certain items left anymore, so this is a good time of the year to replenish any items if you choose to do so. Thank you for your efforts!

School-wide Lenten project - On behalf of St. Gregory staff, I wish to thank you for contributing to our Lenten project (O.K. Clean Water), either through our bingo or purchasing basil from our garden towers. Thank you for reinforcing Catholic teachings.

Always Learning in Grade 3...

In Math, we have just completed our unit in Geometry. We will continue to review important concepts from this unit as the year progresses. Students have been busy learning about perimeter, as well as strategies to show their thinking when encountering these questions. We will create robots using area and perimeter for the body parts (e.g. arms, head, legs, etc.). Also, our class has been working very hard on multiplication to 7 x 7 and showing their work using arrays and repeated addition. We have started subtraction with regrouping using an algorithm and checking our answers using a number line. If you are looking for extra practice at home for your child, addition and subtraction with regrouping will assist their learning at school. There are many great websites that students should be using at home to support their learning in mathematics. Previously, I have mentioned www.tvokids.com and our students use this website frequently at school. Also, all students have access to Dreambox and their login information should be glued into the front of their agenda. Here are some additional websites you can try at home:

http://www.mathies.ca

http://www.mathplayground.com/

http://www.abcya.com/

https://ca.ixl.com/math/

www.MathBreakers.com

In Writing, students are very engaged in writing persuasive letters and paragraphs. We are learning to write a strong opinion statement, as well as the importance of including relevant reasons and details in the body of our work. In Reading, we are continuing to work on reading comprehension strategies as well as writing appropriate responses to questions about a text.

In Science, we will begin a new unit on "Soils." This year, we are lucky to have our garden towers at our school to complement this unit and our next study on plants.

In Religion, we have been discussing what sin is, including personal and social sin. During our Lenten journey, we have been stressing the importance of prayer, almsgiving and reconciliation. Last week, students received the sacrament of reconciliation from Father Tim and Father John. As we enter Holy Week, students are preparing for our school-wide Stations of the Cross. In class, we will focus on the death and resurrection of Christ through scripture and prayer.

I wish everyone a wonderful and Easter weekend!

Mr. Blais

Classroom Notes - February 2018

First Term Reports - Report cards were sent home on Friday, February 16th. At home, please speak to your child about their learning goals for the second term. In the classroom, I regularly speak to our students about their learning skills in preparation for the junior division. Please sign and return the bottom portion of the report card as soon as possible. Just a reminder, that I will be only contacting parents who I need to schedule an interview with at this time.

Skating - Unless there is a significant change in the weather and ice conditions, skating will be cancelled for the rest of the year. Unfortunately, the rainy weather has dampened our chances of skating again this winter. Thank you for your understanding!

Classroom Gardens - If you are interested in purchasing either basil or lettuce from our garden towers, please place your order by Wednesday, February 21. These items will be sent home with your child on this day if you have made a request. We have planted a variety of vegetables/herbs, including kale, thyme, parsley and basil. As previously mentioned, all proceeds will assist our school-wide Lenten project.

Snowshoes - Snowshoes will be lent to our school from February 26 - March 2. We will attempt to use these snowshoes during our physical education blocks, as long as weather permits and there is still snow left in the yard. Fingers crossed!

Lenten calendars - Lenten calendars have been sent home for those students who wish to participate and contribute to this initiative. Thank you for your support!

Always Learning in Grade 3...

In Measurement, students have been estimating and measuring in metres and centimetres. We are learning to show our thinking to problem-solving questions that focus on measurement. We will begin a new unit in Geometry and return to measurement in March with a focus on area and perimeter. Also, students have been showing grit when learning to subtract with regrouping using an algorithm. It is recommended that students practise subtracting with regrouping at home to reinforce learning at school.

In Writing, students are completing their winter narratives based on the story, "Snowmen at Night." Next, we will learn to write persuasive letters and paragraphs. In Reading, we are working on the monitoring comprehension strategy through our shared reading of a variety of texts.

In Science, we are finishing up our unit on Structures. Next, we will learn about Soils. Mr. Ball will still be visiting our class in March to lead us on a bridge-making experiment.

In Religion, we have been discussing our Lenten journey, as well as what sacrifice and temptation means. Last week, all students participated in our Ash Wednesday Liturgy to mark the beginning of this special season in our Catholic calendar. 

If you have any questions, please write me a note in your child's agenda.

Thank you for your continued support!

Mr. Blais

Classroom Notes – January 2018

Valentine's Day Dance/Basket – Our very popular St. Gregory's Valentine's Day dance and basket raffle is quickly approaching. A note went home last week outlining the theme of our basket and related items that you can donate. Our theme is “Mommy Time” and you can send any contributions for our classroom basket by February 02, 2018.

Money Assessment – Our grade 3's completed a “show-me-what-you-know” on money just before the Christmas break. Please sign and return the assessment as soon as possible if you haven't done so already. Adding and subtracting money amounts to $10 takes practice and it is recommended that your child practices representing money amounts, counting and adding/subtracting money using coins at home.

Outdoor Skating – It seems that we are experiencing another unpredictable winter – from cold to unusually warm – and these temperatures affect the condition of the rink. I have scheduled our class skating time on Friday's from 10:30 – 12:00. This day and time will depend on weather conditions and I will notify you the day before if skating will need to be cancelled for that day. I will send home a detailed letter including skating rules and required equipment in the near future. Since this upcoming Friday is a PD Day, we will attempt to begin skating on Friday, February 2^nd. Thank you for your patience!

First Term Reports – We are quickly nearing the end of the first reporting term. Just a reminder that students will be given a letter grade for all six learning skills and I will be specifically commenting on/providing next steps for Organization and Initiative. Report cards will be sent home on Friday, February 16^th. Please be advised that interviews will be on a “needs basis,” therefore I will only be personally contacting those parents whom I need to discuss their child's progress with.

Homework Routines – Spelling homework will continue to be sent home on Monday's and due on Friday's. Now that we are further into the school year, I will begin alternating between Spelling and Math homework. All students need to be reading at home each night. It is recommended that students balance their personal choice of chapter/picture books with Raz-Kids. For extra homework practice, students can access many apps for computer/iPad through their student portal on our Board website: www.ocsb.ca All grade 3's have their email and passwords glued into the front page of their agenda.

Winter Clothing – Just a reminder that it is recommended that all students keep extra socks, mitts and toques in their backpack just in case their clothing gets wet or lost during the school day. Please remember to label all clothing to increase your chances of having lost items returned to you.

PD Day – There will be no school for students on Friday, January 26, 2018.

Always Learning in Grade 3....

We have completed our unit on Data Management in Math; however, we will revisit important concepts for this strand in the Spring. Currently, we are working on telling time to 5 minutes by reading and writing both analogue and digital times. Also, students are learning to read a thermometer and write temperatures degrees celsius. In Measurement, we will be learning about measuring and estimating length, width and height using centimetres, metres and kilometres.

In Writing, our grade 3's used their imagination to create a short fictional story called “If I Lived in a Snow Globe.” I am displaying their amazing stories on our classroom bulletin board. For extra writing practice at home, students can write their own narratives, or you could give your child a writing prompt for them to write a paragraph about a topic/theme. Also, our class has been very lucky to have a technology coach from our Board teaching students to use Google Drive, Docs and Read & Write. Students can write a narrative using these programs and they can demonstrate how they are learning about and using technology in the classroom. In Reading, we are continuing to read a variety of texts, using reading strategies to improve comprehension. We are learning and practising strategies to write effective short answer responses to questions.

In Science, we have been learning about strength and stability in our unit on Structures. We have been discussing man-made and natural structures. Also, we are learning about what makes a structure strong and stable. Currently, students are creating a structure using only straws and masking tape that needs to support a load (i.e. a chapter book) without collapsing. Next, we will look at how shape can add strength to a structure. In the near future, we will have a guest (Mr. Ball) assist our class with a bridge building experiment using wooden sticks.

In Family Life, we are finishing up our discussions on “Our Families” and focusing on “brothers and sisters. We will end this theme by learning about “what is a friend” and how to be friendly and open to one another.

In the Arts, we are exploring Dance through a variety of activities. Students are learning to use their body, energy, and space to imitate movements in the natural environment. We are also using a very engaging dance program (Groove EDGEucation) that integrates a cultural context, as well as the importance of dance in communities.

Thank you for your continued support!

Mr. Blais

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 18^th. 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 12^th. 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 15^th. 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

Classroom Notes – November 2017

School-Wide Fund Raising Initiatives – At this time, I wish to thank all parents who have donated to the grade 6 Bake Sale (in support of their end of year field trip), as well as our United Way campaign (e.g. Gum Day, etc). Our United Way campaign will continue over the next few weeks, so please remember to check out the school weekly memo to be aware of each activity. Thank you for your generosity!

Change in the Weather! - There has been a return to the wet and cold weather. It is recommended that all children are dressed appropriately each day since we strive to go outside on most days. Our school yard notoriously gets full of puddles and the yard is usually damp and soggy. Rain boots are recommended on these days if possible. Also, it is always a good idea to store extra socks in your child's backpack just in case he or she gets wet feet during recess. Extra mittens and toques are a good idea as well as the weather continues to get colder.

Classroom Gardens – Our school has received two garden towers (one organic, one hydroponic) to teach students about growing plants indoors and reducing our impact on the natural environment. We had a guest speaker come to St. Gregory's to explain the gardening system to our grade 3 class. Our class participated by planting lettuce and basil seeds and filling the organic tower with soil. Check out the pictures on our class Twitter page! Our learning through this garden system will enhance our Science unit on Plants. We will share the responsibility of maintaining these gardening systems with Mrs. Cooper's grade 3/4 class, as well as our school Eco-Team. All students are curious and engaged in this learning initiative!

Student Logins/Passwords and Extra Homework Practice – As previously mentioned, all students have login information for Raz-Kids and Dreambox glued into the front of their agenda. Additionally, there are multiple apps and resources found in the “student portal” through our Board website that students can access and use for additional homework practice. To access the student portal, first you need to go to our Board website: www.ocsb.ca Next, you need to click on “Student Portal.” Students will be asked to type their email address and password. Students have this information glued in the front of their agenda. Please note that I have changed all student passwords, so they will not be the same as last year.

New Math App – I have installed the Math app “Prodigy” on all school iPads. Currently, I am registering our class for this app and it will be available for home use in the near future. I will inform you shortly of how to access the website, as well as student login information.

Progress Report – Just a reminder to sign and return the bottom portion of the progress report if you have not done so already. Please take some time to speak to your child about their goals for the first term. Remember that students are continually working on their work habits to develop their learning skills both for their current year and in preparation for junior/intermediate divisions. Regularly, I take time to speak to students about all six learning skills to explain the criteria for each one. We speak about the necessity of being honest with your self, taking ownership for your behaviour/work habits, and the importance of self-reflecting and goal setting. Praise your child for their accomplishments and speak positively about next steps. I have reminded students that their letter grades for their learning skills can always change throughout the year; however, in the end, it is up to each student to demonstrate effort and take responsibility for their learning. Thank you for taking time to speak to your child about their progress so far this year in grade 3.

Always Learning in Grade 3...

In Math, students are learning to represent, add and subtract money amounts to $10 in a variety of ways. We completed an engaging activity in which students created their own restaurant menus. In partners, students traded menus, purchased several food items and added the cost of each item. We will continue to work on several strategies to add and subtract money amounts. We are learning to add 3 digits using algorithms, as well as mental math strategies through practice and problem solving activities. Students are learning to use effective problem solving strategies to understand what a question is asking and to show their thinking.

Patterning unit tests have been sent home. Please sign and return this assessment as soon as possible.

In Writing, our grade 3's demonstrated their creative abilities by writing a Halloween narrative called “My Haunted House For Sale.” We learned to write an interesting introduction that developed the setting, main characters and the story's problem using adjectives. Students varied punctuation by using exclamation, question and quotation marks. Our class learned to create an interesting solution to their Halloween narrative. Way to persevere through a longer writing task grade 3's!

In Reading, we have been working on reading comprehension strategies, such as making connections and visualization. Students will begin learning strategies for answering short answer reading questions.

In Science, we are continuing with our unit on Forces. This week, I will show our class examples of the take home task on natural forces. A detailed letter explaining this task will go home very shortly.

In Family Life, we have discussed talents and gifts and students know that God wants us to share our talents and gifts with others to make the world a better place. Next we will discuss families.

In Visual Arts, we are finishing up our Fall art activity that complemented our patterning unit in Math. Students have also completed a drawing of their haunted house from their narrative writing. I have began to display this work in our hallway outside the classroom.

I wish to thank all parents for preparing your child for our swimming lessons for the last three weeks. Your efforts made each morning successful! Thank you to all parents who volunteered and assisted our class on this exciting learning experience.

Mr. Blais

Classroom Notes – October 2017

Terry Fox Run – Thank you for donating to our school-wide fundraiser in support of the Terry Fox Foundation. As a school, we exceeded our goal! Our students enjoyed running for this charitable cause while demonstrating Catholic values. Way to go grade 3's!

Swim to Survive – We will leave St. Gregory's for our first swimming lesson on Friday, October 13^th as soon as attendance is taken. All students must take the bus for this excursion. Please ensure that your child arrives to school on time since we hope to leave by 9:25. Just a reminder that your child will need to bring a swimsuit, towel and an adequate bag to hold both wet and dry swimming items. Please be advised that all students need to eat a sufficient breakfast on days that we have swimming lessons since we will not have time for morning snack; however we will return to the school in time for lunch. A substantial number of parents have volunteered for this excursion, so I contact all interested volunteers to confirm the day(s) in which we will require your assistance. Thank you for the extra work needed to prepare your child for this learning experience.

Picture Day – Unfortunately, our school picture day conflicts with one of our swimming lessons. I have discussed this issue with our administration and you would have received a synrevoice message explaining that our class will be called at 9:00 into the school to take their pictures before leaving for the Minto Recreation Centre. Please ensure that your child arrives by 9:00 and that he or she is prepared to take their photos on October 27^th.

Lottery Calendars – Students can return lottery calendars at any time; however, if you are not going to participate in this activity, please return the lottery calendars back to the school.

Patterning Unit Test – We will have a math assessment for this unit on Thursday, October 19^th. I have sent home Math homework this week for extra practice at home. We have been working very hard on the “big ideas” and important concepts for this unit. This assessment will be sent home to be signed and returned in the upcoming weeks.

Always Learning in Grade 3...

In Math, students are learning to use a variety of strategies to show their thinking. By taking a problem solving approach to learning, students are integrating number lines, addition/subtraction, tables etc. to demonstrate their understanding of the given concept. We are continuing to work on counting forward to 1000 by 2's, 5's, 10's, 25's, 100's from various starting points. In Patterning, we are learning to create and extend repeating patterns using a variety of tools and attributes (e.g. size, colour, number, orientation, etc.). Students have been challenging themselves to extend and/or create geometric patterns by using square tiles and sticks and they are representing the growing/shrinking pattern using a number line. Also, we have been having some amazing number talks as students describe their strategies for mental math.

In Reading, we have been focusing on making connections to stories. Next, we will target visualization as a reading strategy. We are reading a variety of personal narratives during our shared reading time, highlighting the characteristics of narrative writing. Also, we have been reading a variety of non-fiction texts and observing the characteristics of these types of texts. In Writing, our class is finishing up a descriptive paragraph called, “My Favourite Holiday.” Our learning goals for this task is to use adjectives, exclamation marks and detail to “bump up” our work. Next, we will write our own Halloween narrative using characteristics such as problem/solution, setting, plot and quotation marks.

In Family Life, we are discussing how we are different and alike. Next, we will look our feelings and how we express our feelings. Thank you for spending time with your child to discuss their name. Students enjoyed sharing the answers to the questions that were sent home and most students learned something interesting and unique about their name. Our class learned that “God Calls Us By Name.”

In Science, we are continuing our unit in “forces.” Soon, a take home project will be sent home for students to research natural forces.

In the Arts, we will begin our autumn art activity that uses patterning, line, colour and shape. Students will love this task.

This month is a very busy month at the school and it will continue to get busier both within and outside the classroom. I appreciate your patience and effort each day as we continue to work together to ensure the success of your child. I hope everyone had a memorable Thanksgiving to reflect on family and gratitude.

Sincerely,

Mr. Blais