Today our class had a special presentation from Little Green Thumbs! Our Little Green Thumb classroom gardens are in rooms 5, 7 and 8. Share with a family member the important ideas from this presentation. What connections can you make to the presentation today? How did it connect to our Plant Experiment projects? To our Community Garden?

Homework:
Read for 15 minutes at home tonight. What questions do you have about what you read? Think of 3 questions to share with the class tomorrow.

Reminder: 
- Pizza Lunch is on Thursday June 2
- No School on Friday June 3 - it is a Professional Development Day
- June newsletter is being sent home with the youngest student today.

Our painted lady caterpillars have arrived!  Please share with a member of your family how we are taking care of our caterpillars.  What do you know about the life cycle of a butterfly? What scientific vocabulary terms describe each phase?  Be prepared to share your ideas in class tomorrow.

Homework:
Watch these BrainPop videos on area and perimeter. Try the quiz at the end of the video!

https://jr.brainpop.com/math/measurement/area/preview.weml
https://jr.brainpop.com/math/measurement/perimeter/

Reminder:
Pizza lunch is on Thursday, June 2.
No School on Friday, June 3.  It is a Professional Development Day. 

Today we had a Telus Spark Math in Motion workshop at school! Share with a family member the activity we did in our Math in Motion session. How does movement help you learn? We will be having another Math in Motion workshop on Monday May 30!

Have a terrific weekend!

Reminder:
- Pizza orders are due Monday May 30.
 

Our class has begun our Social Identity Project presentations! Think about your strengths when presenting and sharing your learning with the class. What are you proud of? What is a goal you have? Share with a family member the information you learned from your peers on the different groups of people in Canada and Alberta's past. How have they contributed to Canada and Alberta's identity?

Homework: 
Look for examples of closed circuits at home and in the community. How does electricity impact your life? Create a list of at least 10 ways you used electricity today.

Reminder: 
- Today is the last day of Sports Club! Thank you to all the students who joined this year! Ms. Makowski and Mrs. Calvert appreciate your hard work and sportsmanship.

Our class finished our novel study of Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. Share with a family member your opinion of this novel. What did you enjoy about this book? How did the characters change?

We completed a 4C's Journal response in class, reflecting on the big ideas from this piece of literature through the following questions: What connections did you make to this book? What questions do you have? What are the key concepts or important ideas from this book? How has your thinking changed? We will be discussing your ideas in class tomorrow.

Homework: 
Go on the following electricity link to practice creating and experimenting with circuits:
http://www.hyperstaffs.info/work/physics/child/main.html

Reminder:
- Last day of Sports Club is Thursday May 26 from 3:15 to 3:45

Today was our Volunteer Appreciation Tea! Thank you again to all the amazing volunteers who have been a part of our Vista Heights School community. We appreciate your time and work with our classes!

Please remind your parents and family members if they are interested in volunteering they require police clearance. The forms for police clearance can be completed at the office.

Homework: 
Watch the Math Live video on how area and perimeter are related. We will be discussing this in class tomorrow!
http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/me5l/html/Math5.html

Reminder: 
- Last day of Sports Club is Thursday May 26th from 3:15 to 3:45. Let Ms. Makowski and Mrs. Calvert know of any special activity requests for our last session.
- Pizza Lunch notice is being sent home today.

Thank you for another wonderful week of learning! Enjoy the long weekend!

Reminder: 
- No school tomorrow (May 20), it is a Professional Development Day. No school Monday May 23 for Victoria Day.
- CBE System POWWOW – this  evening at Crescent Heights School. Bring your families and come out to enjoy a traditional powwow, celebrating and honoring the success of ALL learners in CBE. Grand entry begins at 6, (dancer registration prior).

Today our class helped Rikki plant in the Vista Heights Community Garden! Share with a family member the different plants we added to the garden. What questions do you have about planting and the garden? What connections can you make to our study of plants earlier this year?

We started a Math Workshop on finding area and perimeter of the Community Garden. Share with a family member the work you and your partner have done to solve this problem!

Homework: 
- Continue to practice your basic facts at home by playing Salute with a family member!

Reminder: 
- Sports Club is tomorrow (May 19) from 3:15 to 3:45
- Community YMCA information coming home today

Kindergarten assembly

All families and friends are invited to our Kindergarten Assembly tomorrow Thursday, May 19th at 11:00 a.m. Everyone is welcome!

We have been working hard on our Social Identity Inquiry Projects! For this project, we gathered information from a variety of sources to research an important group of people in Alberta's and Canada's history. Show your final project to a family member. Which technology did your group use for this project? Why? Practice for your presentation to the class!

Homework: 
- Read, read, read!
- Vista Heights is getting a new playground! What do you think is important in a playground? Be prepared to share your ideas in class tomorrow.

Reminder:
- Safety notice is being sent home with the youngest student.

Today was the beginning of our health lessons.  Please have a discussion with a family member your learning from today.  Did you have any questions for the question box?  Remember to write them down for tomorrow's class.

Homework:
Go to the following link and choose a video clip that you think is important for wellness:
https://www.brainpop.com/search/?keyword=health
Be prepared to share in class tomorrow.


Reminder:
No school on Friday, May 20.  It is a Professional Development Day.  No school on Monday, May 23. It is Victoria Day.

Reflect upon your learning journey this week.  What celebrations do you have?  What are you working on?  


Have a fabulous weekend!

Reminder: 
Vista Heights School Council Casino notice is being sent home with the youngest student.

Our S4 lesson with Constable Scott was rescheduled for today! Share with a family member the Apples activity we did in class today. What did you learn about the importance of how we treat our peers and the impact our actions can have on one another? How will this impact how you treat other people?

Homework:

Watch this BrainPOP video on changing fractions to decimals:
https://www.brainpop.com/math/numbersandoperations/convertingfractionstodecimals/

Reminder:

Sports Club is today, May 12, 3:15-3:45.   

We have been continuing to collect our research and prepare presentations for our Identity projects in class. Share with a family member your Prezi, Notebook or Powerpoint presentation you have been working on with a partner. Practice speaking with confidence and eye contact.  Explain your strategies for audience engagement. Locate and share the criteria and rubric posted in D2L and check to ensure that you have worked towards excellence with this project.

Homework:
Continue to read, read, read!

Reminder:
- Sports Club is tomorrow (May 16) from 3:15 to 3:45
- Child Safe Canada program guide is being sent home with the youngest student.

Our class began to study mindfulness and learning about our brains this week! We are exploring how different parts of our brain impact our learning. Share with a family member what you have learned about the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. How does our brain respond to stress? How can this help us create a calm mindset for thoughtful decision making?

Homework:

Go the following website and practice decimal place value:

http://www.turtlediary.com/game/decimal-place-value.html

Reminder:
- Sports Club is on Thursday, May 12, 3:15-3:45.

Our class has been studying electricity! Today we did an experiment using conductors and insulators. Share with a family member the results and conclusions from this experiment. Explain the difference between a conductor and insulator. How do each of these impact a circuit?

Homework:
Continue to work on your accuracy in punctuation by practicing on the following websites:
http://www.topmarks.co.uk/english-games/7-11-years/punctuation
http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hme/6_8/grammar/

Reminder:
Our health lessons begin next week, May 16, 2016.

Thank you for another wonderful week of learning! Be proud of your effort and hard work on your projects this week. 

Have a great weekend!

Today we had a special S4 presentation from Constable Scott! In our Apples lesson, we discussed the importance of how we treat our peers and the impact our actions can have on one another. Share with a family member what you learned. How will this lesson impact the way you treat other people?

Homework: 
Watch this Brain Pop video on changing fractions into decimals!
https://www.brainpop.com/math/numbersandoperations/convertingfractionstodecimals/

Reminder: 
- Sports Club is today from 3:15 to 3:45

Thank you to those students who wore a hat today to support Hats On for Mental Health and mental health awareness. Why is our mental health and wellness important? What strategies do you use to keep your mind healthy? Discuss these ideas with your family.

Homework: 
Access the websites posted on D2L under Identity Research Links. Continue to collect research for your Identity Inquiry project. What topics do you still need information on?

Reminder: 
- Sports Club is tomorrow (May 5th) from 3:15 to 3:45.
- Important Health notice is being sent home today.

We have been busy creating skits to represent electrical safety in our class! Share with a family member the different electrical safety rules you and your classmates creatively acted out. What can we do to stay safe with electricity? Why is electrical safety important? Discuss these ideas with your families.

We started a new project: Math Workshop! Share with a family member our Handshake Problem and your presentation task. What strategies can you use to solve this problem?

Homework:

Practice finding decimal sums with the Decimal Bowling game: 

http://www.turtlediary.com/game/adding-decimals.html

Reminder: 

- Hats On for Mental Health is tomorrow (May 4th)!
- Transportation Notice is being sent home with the youngest student! 

Our class began our investigation into electricity and magnetism! We experimented with static electricity with a class activity, then began researching how a lightbulb and battery work. Share with a family member your understanding of electrons, atoms, and electricity. How does electricity impact our lives? What questions do you have about electricity? How could we find answers to these questions?

Today was the first Student Wellness Action Team meeting! Thank you to those students who have joined this club! We are looking forward to exciting health projects at Vista Heights School. If you are still interested in joining, see Ms. Makowski for a permission form.

Homework: 
Look for examples of how we use decimals at home and in the community. We will be sharing your ideas in class tomorrow!

Reminder: 
- Hats On for Mental Health is on Wednesday May 4!
- Important Health notice is being sent home today with the youngest student
- Grade 5 Ready Calgary packages are being sent home