Tai Chi Residency

 

Tai-Chi Residency 

 Sifu Greenhall will be joining us again to teach all the grade 1/2s tai-chi during their gym time. Our sessions are on Tuesday May 23rd and Tuesday May30th. Please ensure your child is wearing comfortable clothing these days as we may take our practice outside, weather permitting. 

May 1-12

 

Upcoming Important Dates:

• May 17: Honey Merchants In-Class Field Trip 
• May 18: Subway Fun Lunch & Healthy Hearts Reward
• May 22: No School 
• May 29: No School
• June 1: Mary Browns Fun Lunch 
• June 9: No School 
• June 15: Papa Johns Fun Lunch
• Everyday: Home Reading & Library book exchange

Wellness: 30x30 Nature Challenge 

The grade 1/2 classes are participating in the 30x30 nature challenge by spending 30 additional minutes of time outside every school day in May! We encourage the kids to carry this on at home over the weekends, as well! We have spent our outside time doing math, eating snack, learning new games like Capture the Flag and Kick Ball, and will continue to find different ways to connect with the land while we learn. 

Math: Fractions 

We have continued our exploration of fractions over the last couple of weeks using Montessori materials, play dough, secret code fraction challenges, and a variety of independent task work. Students completed a pre-assessment before learning any fraction concepts and have followed up with a post-assessment this week to represent their growing understanding. I am so proud of the growth over the last couple of weeks! Ask your child about the fractions below: 

Netball Residency

 

Lake Bonavista School is participating in netball from May 8^th until May 16^th in our gymnasium. This sport involves foundational movement skills such as jumping, running, throwing, and catching. As described on the Netball Alberta website (www.netballalberta.com): “Netball is an exciting, fast and skillful game of fair contest: It is a game in which two teams of seven players each strive to keep or gain possession of the ball. Players have specified areas in which they can move.”  

 

Parent Council has graciously provided the funding to bring this event into our school.  

 

Consent forms will be sent home with your child.  Please sign and return the forms so your child is able to participate in this fun LBS event! Forms are DUE WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 2023! 

 

Thanks,  

Active Living Committee

April 24-28

 

Upcoming Important Dates:

• May 5: No School 
• May 18: Subway Fun Lunch 
• May 22: No School 
• May 29: No School
• Everyday: Home Reading & Library book exchange
  

Math: Fractions! 

We began learning about fractions this week. Using Montessori materials, pictures, play dough and drawings - students in Grade 1 are learning about representing halves while Grade 2s are learning to represent fractions up to a denominator of 10 in different ways. We are all going to continue exploring equal and unequal parts through this learning. Here are some pictures of some of our work! 

                                

Writer's Workshop: What's In Your Pocket? 

After reading the story, What's In Your Pocket? we discussed how wonderful scientific discoveries have been made by curious children asking big questions throughout history! Students were challenged to notice simple things in nature that interest them or make them wonder. They recorded 3+ things in their field journals and will complete a Writer's Workshop based off of one chosen natural item they identified. More to come next week! 

Artist in Residence: Patterns in Nature - Insects/Symmetry 

As our part II of working with Ms. Sharon Fortowsky, our Artist in Residence, students in Room 12 are exploring insects and symmetry. We also learned about butterfly and elephant lines - ask your child about it! At the end of our work, we will have 17 different frames in our front entrance of LBS - each frame representing the different Pattern in Nature explored in each classroom! Check out some of our amazing work below! 

Science: Boats & Buoyancy! 
We are exploring Boats and Buoyancy through a variety of Missions! Next week, students can look forward to designing and building their own small boat with the goal of it floating AND moving through water! 

April 17-21

 Upcoming Important Dates:

• April 26: Spirit Day - Patterns! 
• April 26: Walking Field Trip 
• May 5: No School 
• May 18: Subway Fun Lunch 
• May 22: No School 
• May 29: No School
• Everyday: Home Reading & Library book exchange

MART (Math/Art): Pattern Block Flowers 

As an introduction to 2D shapes, students used pattern blocks to build and trace spring flowers! First, they built the flowers and explored a variety of different designs - challenging themselves to use different blocks - then they traced their final design. Using markers, students practiced neat colouring by moving their marker in the same direction and within the lines.

Language: Alliteration

Students have been practicing alliteration as part of their opening task work over the last couple of weeks. They've come up with creative phrases by using their knowledge of letters and sounds and working together! As a final assessment, students completed an assignment called Crazy Cones! where they created creative ice cream flavours using alliteration. Check out some of their amazing work below! 

 

Social Studies: Inuit Community 

In Social Studies we looked closely at the landscape(s) within the Iqaluit, Nunavut. We learned new vocabulary such as "tundra" and how the arctic is similar to a desert because the land is unable to grow and sustain plant life due to extreme climate. On this note, we also learned about some of the natural resources used there such as snow/ice, fresh water, fishing/hunting/trapping. Next week we will continue our exploration of the Inuit community by learning about transportation and the ways of life there! 

March 20-24

 

Upcoming Important Dates

• March 24-April 2: Spring Break (no school) 
• April 7: Good Friday (no school) 
• April 10: Easter Monday (no school) 

Math Groups 

Our class has begun Math Group Rotations. Similar to our Daily LA structure, students are grouped with like-minded peers and work through a variety of focused rotations to improve their skills and abilities in math. Students are very excited about this new routine in our classroom! Ask them about the different stations at home. 

Social Studies: Communities

Students have been examining and discussing the communities they are part of and what makes a community. Things such as clothing, symbols, language, landmarks, as well as things like what we do, see and feel within our communities. Students will be assessed on their knowledge of what makes a community through their visual journal page titled, My Communities. They were asked to reflect on 4 communities they are part of and draw or write a minimum of 5 things that represent that community. Check out some of our work below! 

                                Example Work                     Non-Example Work 

Science: Signs of Spring!

Happy Spring Equinox! We attended an online session with Elder Saa'kokoto and learned about how Na'a shows us that Spring is coming. Our new student teacher, named Ms. H, read us the story "Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring" and we went outside to look for signs of Spring. We found new growth (greenery) coming from the soil, mud, puddles, buds, and listened to water dripping and birds chirping. We will do more Spring Equinox work when we return after Spring Break! 

Wellness: Bucket Filling

We have been reading stories and hosting sharing circles focusing on kindness, bucket filling, problem solving, and sharing our thoughts or emotions in respectful and safe ways. Throughout the week, students did acts of kindness and then we recorded these acts of kindness in our Bucket! Take a look at some of the things we did to show kindness, respect, and safety:

 

March 13-17

 

Upcoming Important Dates 

• March 24-April 2: Spring Break (no school) 
• April 7: Good Friday (no school) 
• April 10: Easter Monday (no school) 

Math: Shopping Spree Addition Project

As a way to wrap up, showcase, and assess our learning in addition, students are completing a Shopping Spree Project! Students are working within a set budget of $20, $50, or $100 and must buy, record, and add a minimum of 10 items. Here is the beginning of our work so far! 

Social Studies: Identity Projects 

A big shout-out to the students for completing their Identity Projects! They were beyond proud to share their thoughtful, reflective, and artistic work with you at Student-Led Conferences last week. Here are some photos of their process & completed products! 

Science: Building Leprechaun Traps

Students were so excited to invite our guest Engineer, Mr. Brad into the classroom to teach us about the design process last week. We were even more excited to welcome him back into the class this week to support us with our building! Students were able to share their blueprints and the beginning stages of their building process with Mr. Brad in order to get feedback, suggestions, and lots of encouragement! The students were AMAZED when they came in this morning and investigated evidence on the leprechaun(s) in our classroom! Sparkles galore!