Learning At Home - Week 1 (April 06 - April 09, 2020)

Today, we have started our learning at home initiative. To begin, I have uploaded Math work/lesson (division) into your child's Google Drive. In order to access the lesson/work, students will visit www.ocsb.ca and click on the student portal at the top of the page. They will be asked to type in their email and password which are found at the front of your child's agenda. Once logged into the student portal, your child will click on Google Drive. Students will also find their French work from Mme. Ghaffari in their homeroom folder. The folder should contain the letters HRM. If you have difficulty locating any of the material, please send me an email.

Monday: Review division lesson, begin fact family/division worksheet (Google Drive, Math folder)

Tuesday: Complete fact family/division worksheet, complete cookie question (Google Drive, Math folder)

Wednesday: Spelling, write sentences, scavenger word hunt (Google Drive, Language folder)

Thursday: Religion/Language, read/view Holy Week, write paragraph (Easter/Lenten journey) (Google Drive, Language folder)

Friday: Good Friday

**Please see Mme. Ghaffari's French work schedule in the homeroom (HRM) folder for this week's work

Please keep in mind that teachers have been directed by the Ministry of Education to provide a total of one hour of work per day for kindergarten to grade 3 students. That includes French instruction within the one hour time slot. Due to Good Friday and Easter Monday, students will receive a total of 4 hours of work for the next two weeks.

If you do not have a printer at home, students can complete their work on paper. For the time being, you can keep all finished work. Also, you can take a photo of your child's work and email it to me. I would love to see their hard work!

Thank you for jumping into this learning at home initiative and I truly appreciate your efforts at home. Please check this blog daily for updates. I will add an important update tomorrow to explain how your child can use Google Meet for an online meeting with his/her teacher and classmates. This meeting is optional of course. We will meet every Wednesday at 10:00.

Take care and stay healthy!

Mr. Blais and Mme. Ghaffari

 Classroom Notes – May 2019

Catholic Education Week Activities – Last week was a very busy, but important week at St. Gregory School. From our opening school Mass at St. Maurice Parish, to our Book Fair, Open House and Choral Celebration – just to name a few activities – it was truly rewarding for all to highlight and celebrate Catholic education. Thank you to all parents who either participated or volunteered for one or more activities. An extra thanks to all for preparing your child each day for this busy week in the school.

EQAO – Today, a detailed letter was sent home explaining this provincial assessment and upcoming dates. All grade 3 and grade 6 students across the province are required to complete the assessment. As mentioned in the letter, it is imperative that your child is present and arrives punctually during the testing period. Our class has taken a positive, growth mindset approach throughout the year to all learning and students are well prepared. Individual results from this testing will be sent home early in the next school year.

Upper Canada Village Field Trip – This year, all grade 3 and 4 students will be going to Upper Canada Village on Monday, June 10. The focus of this day will be Medieval Times which corresponds to the grade 4 Social Studies curriculum. A field trip letter, permission forms and requests for volunteers will be sent home in the near future.

Warmer Weather Coming? - Although it has been an unusually cool and wet spring, the warmer weather will be here shortly. With this in mind, it is important that students are prepared for changes in weather. All students will be outside for recess – and sometimes gym – during warmer weather and it is important to send a suitable hat and a water bottle with your child. Many parents put sunscreen on their child prior to school arrival. Students may store sunscreen in his or her backpack as long as it is not a spray bottle.

PD Day and Victoria Day – Please be advised that Friday, May 17th is a PD Day and there is no school for students. All schools will be closed on Monday, May 20th for the Victoria Day holiday.

Always Learning in Grade 3...

In Math, we have been reviewing important concepts learned throughout the year in anticipation for EQAO. We have completed an unit on Probability and we have been busy learning about fractions. This week, students will learn about mass and capacity, as well as the appropriate unit of measurement (i.e. Kilogram/gram, Litre/millilitre).

In Language, we have been practicing a variety of reading comprehension questions from different types of texts (ex. Fiction, non-fiction, poetry, media texts, etc.). Students are completing their final copies of the adventure stories. These amazing stories will be assembled into book for with our school book-binding machine. All stories will be sent home by the end of the school year.
In Science, we are finishing up our unit on Soils and the Environment. Next, we will complete our final unit on Plants.

With the Lenten season now over in our Catholic calendar, we are looking forward to our final Rosary Apostolate to pray together as a Catholic community. In Family Life, we are learning that families have commitments and that sometimes family decisions are difficult and require compromise.

In the Arts, we will begin a unit in Music. Students will learn to sing in unison by learning a round. After EQAO, we will complete our final unit in the Arts by focusing on Drama and readers’ theatre.

Each year, the last 6 weeks of school is very busy. Please continue to read the weekly memos online to be up-to-date with upcoming activities.

Thank you for your continued support!

Mr. Blais

Classroom Notes - March 2019

Spring is here? There is still a lot of snow and ice in our school yard and the temperature has been very inconsistent. Please be aware that the temperature greatly affects the condition of our school yard. Each year, our yard is always wet, muddy and filled with large puddles. Please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately each day for these changing conditions. It is still a good idea to pack extra socks, mitts, hats etc. in your child's bag, just in case.

Lenten calendars - Many students enjoy donating to our school-wide Lenten project by following the calendar that went home before the March Break. Thank you to all parents/students who will be donating their money later in April to support our social justice initiative.

Pasta Day and Bingo - Just a reminder that we will have another Pasta Day on Friday, March 29th. If you have ordered pasta, please remember to send a fork in your child's lunch bag to help reduce waste at our school. Also, we will have our second Bingo Day on Friday, March 29th. All money raised from bingo will allocated to our school-wide Lenten initiative. Thanks again for your generosity and assistance!

Rocks and Rings (Curling Lessons) - On Thursday, April 4th, our grade 3 class will participate in the Rocks and Rings curling program. This activity will be exciting learning and practice for our students. This activity will be held in our gym, not off school property.

Garden Tower Project - We have zucchini growing! The zucchini is still small, but growing very fast. If everything turns out, our class hopes to make zucchini bread/muffins and sell them to raise money for our Lenten initiative. Information and pictures to follow...

Good Friday and Easter Monday - These Holy days in our Catholic calendar will be Friday, April 19th and Monday, April 22nd. There is no school on these days.

Always Learning in Grade 3...

In Math, our students are learning about measuring the area and perimeter of various shapes. In area, we are learning to determine the area of shapes that have half squares/units. We have completed a unit in Geometry and students finished a summative test which will go home this week. Please sign and return the assessment. Next, we will focus on location and movement in Geometry by learning about flips, turns and rotations, as well as movement on a grid. We are continuing to practice addition, subtraction, multiplication and division using various strategies and word problems.

In Writing, gr. 3's are very busy writing adventure stories. We read and looked at the picture book "Jumanji" as a guide to write a successful adventure story. In this writing activity, students are focusing on a big problem, followed by a series of dangerous/exciting events that their main character must overcome. In terms of success criteria, students need to use a variety of punctuation (periods, commas, quotation marks, etc.), adjectives and action verbs. 

In Science, we have started a new unit called "Soils in the Environment." We will learn about soil composition, types of soils, composting and the importance of soil on society and the environment. 

In Religion, we have been discussing the many symbols of Lent, as well as our personal Lenten journey during this important time in our Catholic calendar. On Ash Wednesday, students received their ashes in the symbol of the cross during our school liturgy. We have talked about sin, prayer and forgiveness and they have a deeper meaning/reflection during Lent. As we get closer to Easter, we will focus on scripture as we anticipate the death and resurrection of Christ.

In the Arts, students have been creating a butterfly using symmetry and pointillism as a technique. Next, we will focus our learning of Music in the arts.

Now that the March Break is over, the school will become increasingly busier as we get closer to the end of the school year. That being said, I will be sending home some information about EQAO in the near future. Grade 3's will complete this provincial assessment during the last week of May and the first week of June. Students have been preparing for this assessment and we will continue to focus our learning on curriculum being covered and strategies to ensure success for all. We take a positive approach to this assessment and students will more than ready when the testing begins.

Thank you for your continued support!

Mr. Blais

Classroom Notes - January 2019

Valentine's Day Basket - Thank you to everyone who has generously donated to our class basket. If you have not yet donated an item and plan to do so, please bring in your chosen items as soon as possible. The Valentine's Day dance is a popular event at our school and all classroom baskets will be raffled off during this evening. On behalf of the St. Gregory team, thank you for your assistance and I hope that you are planning to attend. Good luck!

Classroom Garden Towers Program -  At St. Gregory, we are very lucky to have two indoor garden towers for students to learn about plants and a variety of recipes. We have worked collaboratively to make a plan to grow plants to assist others in our community. We will be growing carrots and zucchini and our students are interested in making carrot cake, carrot muffins and zucchini bread. We will be having some raffles at our school and perhaps a small bake sale. Our class has been researching charities in our community to donate to and we will make a decision shortly. More information will follow in the upcoming weeks regarding this project.

Zorbits - A letter went home this week outlining the Zorbits math app for student use at home. Our Board has purchased licencing for this app and it replaces Dreambox. Also, students have their login information glued into the front of their agenda. Zorbits is a excellent app for students to use at home for extra homework practice.

Report Cards - Term 1 report cards will be sent home on February 13th. Our learning skills focus for this term will be initiative and self-regulation. Please be advised that there will be no official sign-up for interviews. I will call those parents who I wish to meet with and schedule a time either before or after school. 

PD Day - Our next PD Day will be Friday, February 15th. There is no school for students on this day.

Always Learning in Grade 3...

In Math, we have just started a unit in Geometry and we will continue to learn about 2D shapes and 3D figures over the next few weeks. Students will build on their knowledge of geometric shapes and learn about right angles, angles less than/greater than a right angle, parallel sides and symmetry. A focus on the attributes of 2D shapes and 3D figures will also assist students during a variety of sorting activities. We are also learning about different strategies for multiplication and division.

In Language, we have been learning about and practicing how to write an organized paragraph. Students are continuing to practice reading comprehension strategies as well responding fully to short answer reading questions. Next, we will focus on persuasive paragraph and letter writing.

In Science, we have conducted a few experiments on strength and stability in our unit "Strong and Stable Structures." We have been learning about different types of materials as well as how shape and design make a structure strong and stable. Students know the similarities and differences between man-made and natural structures. Next, we will learn about struts and ties.

In Family Life, we will focus on the last two topics in unit 2: "Sisters and Brothers" and "What is a Friend?" In Religion, we will focus on several of the teachings and miracles of Jesus as we anticipate the upcoming Lenten season. We we learn about ways in which we can spread the Good News.

Thank you for your continued support!

Mr. Blais

Classroom Notes - November 2018

Wet Weather is Here! - It has been a very wet November so far and we have seen everything from heavy rain, to significant snowfall. Many students have been coming in from recess with very wet socks and other wet clothing items. As previously mentioned, all students need an extra pair of socks, mitts, hats, etc. that they can store in a ziplock bag in their backpack. Also, all students need to have a pair of indoor shoes that remain at school at all times so they walk safely throughout the school, be prepared for a fire drill and participate in gym activities. If your child attends EDP either in the morning, afternoon, or both, please have a plan in place with your child to ensure that his or her shoes are returned to the classroom each day. Please continue to label all clothing items. Our lost and found box is located at the front lobby of the school and it is recommended that you take a look once and a while if your child has misplaced some of their belongings. Thank you for your assistance!

White Elephant Sale - As mentioned in our weekly memo, St. Gregory has a White Elephant Sale in which students will be given an opportunity to purchase Christmas presents for family members. Our White Elephant Sale will be Wednesday, December 12th. You can continue to donate unwanted items to the school at any time leading up to the activity. This event is very exciting for all students!

Advent Mass - Our school will be walking to St. Maurice Parish on Tuesday, December 11th to celebrate Advent Mass. All parents/family members are invited to attend.

United Way Campaign - Thank you to all parents who contributed to our United Way funding drive, especially through our gum and pajama day. Very much appreciated!

Parents Guide to Mathematics - Very useful information for parents in this short document. You can view it at: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/parents/parent_guide_math_en.pdf

Always Learning in Grade 3...

In Math, students have completed a money assessment and it will be sent home to be signed next week. Presently, we have started a unit in Data Management. Our students are learning to create appropriate survey questions, complete a survey to determine data and represent the data in bar/pictographs. An important focus in grade three is reading and comparing data in different types of graphs.

In Writing, we are about to begin an exciting winter narrative. We are learning to use quotation marks to integrate dialogue in our writing. Also, we are learning about contractions and students will need to include a variety of contractions in their winter narrative. In Reading, our grade 3's are learning to respond to a variety of reading comprehension questions using the T.A.P.E. strategy (Think, Answer, Proof, Extension). We will practice this strategy throughout the year in preparation for EQAO. In Media Literacy, students will create their own product and design a poster using specific advertising techniques to target their audience.

In Science, students have started to present their natural forces projects. Once again, thank you for your assistance at home for this take-home project. I know that all students have learned many facts about their chosen natural force and that they were very engaged in this learning activity. I will display all projects at the school and they will be returned home in the near future. Next week, I will be sending home Science duotangs so grade 3's can review material for a short quiz. We will begin our next strand in Science (Structures) very shortly.

As we approach the Advent season in our Catholic calendar, will will focus our attention to the importance of symbols and scripture as we await the birth of Jesus. In Visual Arts, we will be using pastels to create a stained-glass effect to create an Advent wreath.

With Christmas approaching, the school will a very busy place. Please continue to read the weekly memos in order to be up-to-date with all the upcoming activities. 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 - October 2018

Charity Fundraising at St. Gregory's - On behalf of St. Gregory staff, I want to thank all parents who generously donated to all of our recent fundraising activities. From our Terry Fox Run, our United Way campaign and "We Scare Hunger, " our students are truly demonstrating and experiencing Catholic social teaching. Thank your for your support!

Swim to Survive - We have completed all three of our swimming lessons. Thank you for preparing your child each Friday with their swimming items. I know that all students had a great time. Also, thank you to all volunteers who came out to the Minto Recreation Centre to assist our class. 

Colder Weather Approaching - Just a reminder that all children go outside most days, so it is important that students are prepared for changes in weather. With the wet and cold weather approaching, it is recommended that your child keeps an extra pair of socks, mitts, etc. in their backpack in case their clothing gets wet during the day. Please label all clothing items.

Remembrance Day Liturgy - Our Remembrance Day liturgy will be Monday, November 12th. All family members are welcome to join us in the gym. Please read the weekly memo for more information.

Progress Reports - Progress reports will be sent home on Thursday, November 1. Our learning skills focus for this reporting period will be responsibility and organization. Progress report interviews will be held on Thursday, November 15th. Please ensure that you are reading the online weekly memos for interview booking instructions. At this time, teacher/parent interviews are limited to 10 minutes.

Lottery Calendars - If you are not using any of your lottery calendars, please return them to school if you haven't done so already. All calendars are numbered and recorded and must be returned.

PD Day - Our next PD Day will be Friday, November 16th. No school for students.

Always Learning in Grade 3...

In Math, our class has just completed a patterning assessment. Tests will be sent home next week. Please sign and return math tests after you receive them next week. We have started a unit on money. Grade 3's are learning to represent, add and subtract money amounts to $10. Counting coins at home is recommended since students need practice to develop their confidence with adding, subtracting and skip counting with coins/bills. 

In Reading, we are continuing to work on the "making connections" comprehension skill. Next, our focus will be "visualization." We are learning about text features in both fiction and non-fiction texts. In Writing, students have completed their "Haunted House For Sale" narrative. With a focus on narrative writing, students are beginning to organize and create a personal narrative based on a special memory. In this task, we will focus on using quotation marks.

Instructions for our natural forces take-home project was just sent home. Natural forces is a very exciting topic for students and I know that they will be engaged in this activity. If you have any questions, please write me a note in your child's agenda. We will continue working on the forces strand at school. Our next Science unit will be structures.

In Religion, we have been focussing on prayer. We just had our first Rosary Apostolate with volunteers from St. Maurice Parish. In Family Life, we have learned that we are all unique, but have similar likes, as well as dislikes. 

In Visual Arts, our class is finishing up their representation of autumn leaves with a focus on movement, colour, space and patterning. Amazing work!

Please continue to look at class activities on our Twitter page. I do not post pictures everyday, but try to highlight some of our learning.

Thank you for you continued support!

Mr. Blais

Classroom Notes - September 2018

BBQ/Open House - Thank you to all parents who were able to attend our school bbq and open house. It was a pleasure to meet you! The new school year is always exciting for all; it is a pleasure to work with your child this year. Please do not hesitate to write me a note if you have any questions throughout the year.

Dressing for the Weather - Just a friendly reminder that all children should be dressed appropriately for the weather each day. All students go out for recess most days. Please keep in mind that our school yard is notorious for getting muddy on rainy days. It is recommended that you label all clothing/backpacks etc. since many students have similar items. When you label all items, it makes it easier to return lost clothing and eliminates any confusion. Our school lost and found box is located in the front lobby. Each year, the box is full of lost items, so please remind your child to ask an adult if they can look in our lost and found if need be. Students must have a pair of indoor shoes that remain at the school at all times.

Opening School/Thanksgiving Mass - Our first Mass of the year will be on Tuesday, October 2, 2018 at 10:00. All parents/family members are welcome to celebrate with us. We will be walking to St. Maurice as a school community, so please ensure that your child's permission form is returned by Monday, October 1, 2018.

Student Portal - All students have access to many apps and their Google account through the student portal on our Board website. The student portal provides students with additional learning opportunities through a variety of apps. To access the student portal, you will first have to go to our Board website: www.ocsb.ca  Next, select student portal. Students will be asked to type their email and password. Student email and passwords are located at the front of the agenda on a white label. Once logged in, students can access the apps.

Reading at Home and Raz-Kids - Students in grade 3 need to read a minimum of 20 minutes each day to ensure that they are acquiring appropriate vocabulary and reading levels. It is recommended that students read a variety of texts, not just their favourite book. That being said, I think very highly of the Raz-Kids program. When students complement their favourite books with the Raz-Kids program, their reading and comprehension abilities improve drastically. I have adjusted your child's reading level according to their ability on the Raz-Kids program. When choosing texts at home, please ensure that it is a "just right" book. If children are reading books above their reading level, their fluency and confidence will be affected.

Swim to Survive - All grade 3's will participate in the Swim to Survive program. A detailed letter about the program, requirements and permission forms will be sent home the first week of October. Our class will have 3 swimming lessons at the Minto Recreation Centre in Barrhaven (Friday, October 12, Friday, October 19 and Friday October 26). I will require a few volunteers for this activity. If you would like to volunteer, please complete and submit a vulnerable police check (online is faster) before the given dates.

PD Day - Please note that Friday, October 5, 2018 is a PD Day. There is no school for students.

Always Learning in Grade 3...

Our class has been very busy in Math. Presently, we are working on counting, patterning and addition.We are learning to count forwards by a variety of numbers to 1000. By taking a problem-solving approach, we are learning about growing/shrinking patterns using addition/subtraction. We have started learning about mental math strategies through number talks. A growth mindset approach to mathematics - as well as all subjects - is reinforced throughout the day. Our students are taught that everyone can do math! We learn from our mistakes, show effort and demonstrate grit!

In Reading, we are focussing on the "making connections" reading strategy. We are looking at some text features in personal narratives and fictional stories. In Writing, students are using adjectives in their descriptive paragraphs to bump up their work. We are focussing on main idea.

Our first strand in Science is "Forces Causing Movement." We are learning about gravity, magnetism, electrostatic, friction and muscular force. We know that a force is a push or a pull and that force can stop, change the speed and/or the direction of an object.

In Religion/Family Life, we are learning what it means to be a Catholic community. Additionally, we are completing our "Samaritans on the Digital Road" lessons. These lessons integrate scripture to teach our students about making positive choices online. Our first unit in Family Life is called "Created and Loved by God." 

In Visual Arts, we have been discussing warm and cool colours. We will be experimenting with the colour white to mix different shades of warm/cool colours for a desired effect. Next, we will integrate math (pattering) with art to create a picture that represents falling leaves. 

Thank you for you continued support!

Mr. Blais