Our class has been learning Reading Powers this week! Share with a family member the different Reading Powers you have been working on in class (Knew/New, Turn It Into a Question). Try using a Reading Power in your home reading!


Reminder:
- Tomorrow is October! Which virtue do you think we will be studying next month? Why?

Hot Soup Program

-starts Thursday, October 1^st

-a small bowl of soup and crackers are offered to students

-soup is served every Tuesday & Thursday

-if you do NOT want your child to participate please contact your child’s teacher

Today was Virtues Activity Day! Great job on each of the virtue centers this morning. Share with a family member your favorite centre. Which virtues did you show today?

This week we will be practicing another safety procedure called an 'off-site evacuation'.  Our site is Renfrew Education Center - 2050 21 Street NE.  Our class and one Educational Assistant will walk to Renfrew Education Center one morning this week. We will not enter the building during the practice.  We will review with the students the expectations and the purpose of practicing an 'off-site evacuation'.  If you have any questions please call Ms. Makowski at 777-6000.

Reminder:
-Grade 5 Vaccination consent information coming home today. They are due Friday, October 2.

- Please continue to practice your keyboarding skills on Dance Mat typing at home! http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3c6tfr

Our class enjoyed a delicious free lunch today from Kids World! Thank you Kids World!! The Kids World program begins tomorrow evening (September 29). You and your parents can enjoy a delicious free dinner and enjoy fun activities. Are you interested in joining? Ask Ms. Makowski for a permission form.

Reminder:
- Our class has begun keyboarding practice at school! Please go on Dance Mat Typing for ten minutes to practice each night this week (http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/z3c6tfr).

- Share with a family member the Pages Tab on our class blog. Explain how important words for different subjects will be listed here to help me!

Terry Fox Run

-we will hold our Terry Fox Run during our Virtue Activity Day on Tuesday, September 29^th (weather permitting) from 9:00-11:45 am

-we will be collecting coins to donate to Cancer Research as a part of the Marathon of Hope started by Terry Fox

-please bring nickles, dimes, quarters, loonies or twonies to school on Tuesday, September 29^th

-any spare change will help

Celebrate another amazing week of learning!  Your Digital Citizenship brochures and presentations were outstanding and informative to our Vista Heights learning community.


Reminder:

* Please sign notice for free lunch on Monday, September 28, sponsored by Kids World Outreach Society.

Parent - Teacher Interviews are tonight Thursday, September 24 from 4:15 - 8:00 and tomorrow Friday, September 25 from 8:00 - 12:30. Please book a Parent-Teacher Conference by going to the following link:
                           Parent - Teacher Interviews

We look forward to meeting with all parents to start our learning journey together!

There is no school tomorrow, Friday, September 25: Parent-Teacher Interviews.

Today we began our study of 'Reading Power'.  Share with a family member what 'Reading Powers' you use when you are reading.  When you are reading, do you choose to read non-fiction more than fiction?  Do you prefer graphic novels? Explain to a family member how your choices are connected to what we know about our brains.  Be ready to share in class tomorrow.


Homework:
Where do we use large numbers?  Find 5 examples in your house.  Record the number and explain what it is used for.


Reminder:

Parent - Teacher Interviews are on Thursday, September 24 from 4:15 - 8:00 and on Friday, September 25 from 8:00 - 12:30. Please book a Parent-Teacher Conference by going to the following link:
                           Parent - Teacher Interviews

We look forward to meeting with all parents to start our learning journey together!
There is no school, Friday, September 25: Parent-Teacher Interviews.

Terry Fox Run

-we will hold our Terry Fox Run during our Virtue Activity Day on Tuesday, September 29^th (weather permitting)

-we will be collecting coins to donate to Cancer Research as a part of the Marathon of Hope started by Terry Fox

-please bring nickles, dimes, quarters, loonies or twonies to school on Thursday, September 24^th, Monday, September 28^th or Tuesday, September 29^th

-any spare change will help

We have been studying the brain and how to develop our 'Brain Power' and how to use specific learning strategies to assist us with our learning.  Explain to a family member the strategies that you know about right / left brain learners, as well as your understanding about the downstairs / upstairs brain.

We have also been developing our 'Heart Power'.  What have you been doing to be a responsible citizen of our school community?  What has happened to your 'Heart Power'? Be specific when you share your examples with your family.


Homework:
Find 5 examples of math concepts in your house.  Record each example.  Compose a math problem connected your examples.  Try to make our brains sweat and make it challenging.  We will share in class tomorrow.


Reminder:
Parent - Teacher Interviews are on Thursday, September 24 from 4:15 - 8:00 and on Friday, September 25 from 8:00 - 12:30. Please book a Parent-Teacher Conference by going to the following link:
                           Parent - Teacher Interviews

We look forward to meeting with all parents to start our learning journey together!
There is no school, Friday, September 25: Parent-Teacher Interviews.

Our Digital Citizenship Projects are due tomorrow. Please share with a family member your brochure and the assessment rubric on D2L. Ask them for some feedback by comparing to the rubric. How can you ensure that your project is at a standard of excellence for Information, Presentation and Resources?  What is a goal you have? What do you need to do to achieve this goal for this project?

Reminder:
Parent - Teacher Interviews are on Thursday, September 24 from 4:15 - 8:00 and on Friday, September 25 from 8:00 - 12:30. Please book a Parent-Teacher Conference by going to the following link:
                              Parent - Teacher Interviews

We look forward to meeting with all parents to start our learning journey together!
There is no school, Friday, September 25: Parent-Teacher Interviews.

Today our class had our first current events presentation! Explain to a family member our current events projects and your responsibility to present current events to our class this year. Share the project criteria, rubric and recommended current event links posted into D2L. The presentation schedule will be posted in the classroom next week! Please check which week you are responsible to present.

Thank you for another fabulous week of learning! 

Thank you for your helpfulness and flexibility today moving our learning to a new classroom! We are looking forward to sharing our new classroom with your families at Parent/Teacher Conferences on Thursday September 24 and Friday September 25.

Reminder:  All Awa Taan and Outdoor School (Gr. 5 and 6) forms are due tomorrow.

We began a new research project on Digital Citizenship! Share with a family member the project criteria, resources and assessment posted in D2L. What tips have you learned about how to stay safe and be a responsible citizen when using the technology? Why is digital citizenship important?

Excellent job working on your self-portrait art projects! You have demonstrated creativity and perseverance with this project. Share with a family member how you are using collage techniques for your self-portrait. Please bring any paper supplies from home that will help you with your collage this week.

Reminder:
- Awo Taan Program notice is being sent home today with the grade 5 students. Please sign and return as soon as possible.
- Outdoor School notice is being sent home with the grade 5 students. Please return this notice to school by Friday September 18.

-SUTP coupon books fundraiser is due Wednesday, September 16^th

-please return your envelopes with orders and cheques or cash

Our class began our new citizenship project: Heart Power! Explain to your family how we will be using Heart Power in our classroom this year and the self-reflection you wrote on your strengths. Why is Heart Power important in our classroom? Try your own Heart Power activity at home with your families!

Reminder:
- Child Safe Canada and Kids Plus Accident Insurance are being sent home with the youngest student at the school.
- Parent Teacher Conference are Sept 24 from 4:15pm to 8:00pm and September 25 from 8:00am to 12:30pm! A notice with instructions for how to book a conference is being sent home with the youngest student today.

We have begun our first class read aloud, The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. Share with a family member how the author hooked you into this novel. What connections can you make to the characters and setting?

Over the weekend think about the novels that you enjoy reading. What recommendations do you have for a future class read aloud? Share your ideas with Ms. Makowski on Monday.

Have a wonderful weekend!

We have been busy researching and reflecting on the brain! Share with a family member what we have been learning about the different part of the brain and how they are connected to your learning. We have been practicing different brain strategies in our classroom, including Remember to Remember and The Wheel of Awareness. Try these strategies with your family!

Reminder:
- Meet the Teacher is tonight from 6:30 to 7:30 in the gymnasium! We look forward to seeing your families this evening!

Thank you for your perseverance in our Math Show What You Know today! Share with a family member your strengths as a math student and a goal you have for this year. What strategies can you use at home to support your math learning?

Reminder:
- Meet the Teacher Evening is September 10:

-all families welcome (students, parents/guardians)

-doors open @ 6:30 pm and the evening ends at 7:30 pm-meet all the teachers and others from our community-learn more about our school and your community

-Time Capsules are due Friday Sept. 11.  This includes the design, the letter to yourself and the list of items and what they represent to you.  Please check D2L for the task criteria and assessment rubric.

Excellent job today working on your learning goals for our school year! Share with a family member a goal you have and the strategies you chose to help you achieve this goal. Why is goal setting an important part of our learning journey? Be prepared to share your ideas with the class tomorrow.

Reminder:

- Our Meet the Teacher evening is Thursday September 10 from 6:30 to 7:30 in the gymnasium. We will be sharing important information and programs for our school year. We look forward to seeing your families there! 

Thank you for a fabulous first week of learning!

Our class introduced our first Brain Power Strategy: Remember to Remember. Please share with your families why this strategy is important for your learning. Try it at home!

Our school will be studying the virtues again this year! Make a prediction for what the virtue for the month of September is.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Thank you for sharing your ideas about the brain! Share with a family member how our class will be exploring the different parts of our brain and their connection to learning. Reflect on your strengths as a learner. What is a learning goal you have? Be prepared to share your ideas with the class tomorrow.

Reminder:
Our classes have begun a Time Capsule Project! Please check D2L for task requirements and the rubric for this project. Please remember to bring any items you wish to add to you time capsule to school!

- SUTP Fundraiser packages are being sent home today with youngest or only students

Please share with a family member what you learned today about our Learning Commons and the expectations around borrowing library books.  Please think of 3 recommendations of books, genres or authors that you would like to see in our Learning Commons.

We were excited to introduce our Brain Power Capsules today! Explain how you demonstrated critical thinking in this task, by predicting what each object represented for our learning journey.

Reminder:
-Meet the Teachers at Vista Heights is scheduled for September 10 from 6:30 to 7:30. Please invite your families to join us.

-Consent to Publish Information and Work notice coming home today.  Please ask your parent to sign and return the notice.

Welcome to Room 9!

My name is Ms. Makowski and I am so excited to be your teacher this year. I am looking forward to the opportunity to celebrate our learning successes together! At Vista Heights our school goal is to continue to be environmentally aware, so we will be using a daily grade 4/5 blog. It is your responsibility to check our blog daily at home, and inform your parents/guardians of important information and events happening at our school. The blog will also post your homework assignments and project deadlines.

For your first homework assignment, please share with a family member what you need to be successful in your learning journey this year. Explain what you learned about yourself and our class in our Compass Points activity. 

Reminder: 

- Please review our School handbook with your family (http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b239/publi.htm). What questions do you have about the handbook? Why is our School Handbook important? Be prepared to share your ideas with the class tomorrow. 

-The September Calendar and Media notice were sent home today. Please give these to your parents.

Thanks for a wonderful first day!