Parent(s),

Just a few informational items for you.  

The Eco-Leaders Program
Mrs. Gerla and myself have applied for the City of Calgary's Eco-Leaders program this coming school year.  This program is a youth environmental leadership initiative that helps school-based student teams: research, design and implement curriculum-linked projects in their community to contribute to addressing climate change challenges.  Also, the Eco-Leaders Program has the goal to deliver climate-literacy and foster climate leadership in Calgary youth.  Student teams will take climate and environmental action that will positively impact our community.  Our project idea is to create a community garden and greenhouse. 

Presently, we have passed the application process and have been selected to take part in an in-person interview with City of Calgary staff this coming Monday.  The Lead teacher, supporting teacher, and either the Vice Principal or Principal are required to attend the half hour interview with students to discuss the project.  All selected school will then be announced a few weeks later.

Please take a look at the video
  

Jacket Racket 

It is that time of year when we pitch in to help the larger community in Calgary by donating winter clothing. Our community has done such a great job looking out for Calgarians in need. Briar Hill School will again be a collection point for winter coats, snow pants, mittens and hats for kids and families across the city. There will be a collection bin in the foyer by the main entrance from October 28 to November 15. Please bring in gently used items of all sizes. Let's help make it an easier winter for families in need.

Picture Retakes and Class Photos

Life Touch will be doing both individual photo retakes and class photos on November 7th.

Up and Coming

Wednesday, Oct. 30th - Healthy Hunger - Subway

Friday, Nov. 1st - Non-Instruction Day - no classes

Wednesday, Nov. 6th - Healthy Hunger - Jugo Juice

Monday, Nov. 11th - Remembrance Day - no classes

Tuesday, Nov. 12th - School Council Meeting (6:45 PM - 8:30 PM) 

Enjoy your weekend,

Ms. LeVesconte

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Parent(s),
Here are some of the activities and/or tasks that we have been working on over the past couple of weeks.

• we've started looking a how numbers are shown or represented (e.g. word form, standard form, expanded form, using base ten blocks, place value, tally marks, money, picture form, number sentences, ten frames, and number lines)
• students have learned the names of the base ten blocks (1's - units, 10's - rods, 100's - flats, 1000's - cubes) 

• currently the students are using base ten block pictures to determine four different ways to represent a number 
• in science, the students have been researching what a greenhouse and community garden is and how they can be beneficial to communities or people
• in social studies, we've been learning about the Natural Regions of Alberta
• students have learned that there are 3 things that create a natural region (1. Climate, 2. Landforms, and 3. Vegetation)
• in art, the students have recently completed a Zen Tangle pumpkin or turkey 
• also in art, students were taught a drawing technique (e.g. use shapes, blend the shapes together, and then add details)
• on Friday, the students began to create our classroom 'Wishtree' by using sponges and grey paint (note: the bark of an Red Oak tree is smooth and dark grey) 
• in Language Arts, the students have been using questioning stems to respond to the novel Wishtree' (see the image below)

• in reading, we've selected a book for our Literature Circles (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis)
• the students have been introduce to revision in writing; which is the process of rethinking their writing (e.g. adding details, removing repeated ideas, moving sentences and words around, substituting boring words for interesting ones, and rewriting confusing sentences)
• also, the students have used a revision checklist to revise their artifact stories (someone else's story and their own)
• we have discussed what transition words and phrases are and how they help to move a story forward and to sequence information  
• students have been introduced to figurative language (see the image below)

• in gym, we have completed our cooperative game unit and will start ball skills on Tuesday (basketball)
• in French, the majority of the groups have recorded their basic French conversations 
• on Monday, groups will finish recording their French conversations and then assess their group's role play on voice projection, expression, language, and time management

Request:

I was wondering if there was a parent who would be interested in helping out with the Scholastic book orders.  The task would require you to organize the flyers, attach a brief note to the flyers, and then order the books online for the students.  It is really streamlined and it will take a minimal amount of time to do.  If you are willing or interested in helping out please let me know via email.  

Up and Coming:
Wed. Oct. 23rd. - Healthy Hunger
Fri. Oct. 25th - Hallowe'en Hey Day  (6:00 p.m to 7:30 p.m.)
Wed. Oct 30th - Healthy Hunger
Fri. Nov. 1st - Non-Instruction Day (no classes)
Thurs. Nov. 7th - Picture Re-takes

Thank you for your continued support,
Ms. LeVesconte

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Up and Coming....

Parents(s),

Just some informational items for this up and coming week. In the next couple of days, I will post another blog message that will include both curricular updates and photos.

Monday, October 7th - School Photos
Tuesday, October 8th - School Council Meeting at 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 9th - Constable Valstar will be visiting room 4 in the afternoon
Thursday, October 10th - Poet - Miranda Krogstad Kick-off assembly at 10:15 a.m.
Friday, October 11th - Non-Instructional Day - no school for students
Monday, October 14th - Thanksgiving - no school
Thursday, October 17th - Pizza Lunch
Friday, October 25th - Hallowe'een Hey Day

S4 - Constable Rich Valstar (our school resource officer) 

Start Smart Stay Safe is a proactive, strengths-based model of teaching and learning where police, families and schools partner together to actively build positive relationships, create safe communities and prepare children for the challenges of our complex, changing world. It is a collaborative initiative between the Calgary Police Service and the Calgary Board of Education.

Start Smart Stay Safe brings police officers in the classroom to work with the teachers and engage the students in strengths-based lessons.  Police encourage students to use their strengths and to continue to develop their skills to keep themselves and their communities safe.  Lessons shared by police officers, teachers and families help children build strengths in the following areas:

• Using problem solving skills
• Making healthy choices
• Using respectful communication skills
• Building healthy relationships
• Being digitally safe
• Being safe at home, at school and in the community
• Serving others to build an inclusive, resilient community

For more information regarding S4 please go to www.startsmartstaysafe.ca.  Also, there is a good video about Strengths-Based inserted below.  Feel free to take a look!

The particular lesson that Constable Valstar will be teaching to the class is called Emotions Scale. If you have any questions or concerns about the lesson please don't hesitate to contact me at my school email address.

Bye for now,

Ms. LeVesconte

First Blog for 2019-2020....

Parent(s),

Thank you to all of the parents who attended Parent/Teacher Conferences last week.  The information that you provide me with allows me to gain a better understanding of your child as well as to develop a strong student and teacher rapport.  Since this is the first blog of this school year, it will highlight a variety of things in a brief and concise manner.  As we get into more school assignments and projects it will become more detailed.    

Terry Fox School Run:

Although several messages have already gone out via School Messenger, I just wanted to remind you that the Terry Fox School run is this coming Thursday.  Students have been asked to bring in a small donation in the form of a Toonie for Terry.  All donations go directly to the Terry Fox Foundation for cancer research.  During the run students will be wearing a sticker that says:  "Terry Ran For Me I AM RUNNING FOR..."  Please talk to you children about a possible individual that they could run for.  It could be family member or a friend who is either a cancer survivor or has lost their life to cancer.  Students need to have their individual's name by the morning of Sept. 26th so that it can be written on their sticker before the run.  There will be a short 'kick-off' assembly in the gym at 2:40 p.m. and the run at Green Park at 2:50 p.m.  Everyone is welcome to attend and we hope to see you there!

Learning Highlights: 

(from the past couple of weeks)

• creating an 'I Am Unique' Thumbprint poem in Language Arts 
• students collected and took photos of personal artifacts that tell a story about them, predicted which students belonged to each personal artifact photo, were given another student's personal artifact photo and then asked to write the story they think the artifacts tell, began to type up the selected student's artifact photo story, and then were provided with a photo reveal for six students (more photo reveals will be done this coming week)
• participated in Fire Writing where students write about topics they are interested in
• explored different types of page borders so that students could create a journal page about Terry Fox
• began to create a Terry Fox visual journal page
• using the pictorial biography Terry to learn more about him and why he is considered one of Canada's greatest heroes
• began to use name art to decorate student's visual journals
• completed a baseline math assessment so that I can see where they are at and what areas or skills need to be reviewed or taught
• explored shape and number patterns through small group activities
• reviewed number patterns and how they can increase or decrease and what the number pattern rule is
• read the shared novel Wishtree and explored concepts or themes in the story through class discussion and activities (e.g. drawing the main character 'Red', discussing why the neighbourhood isn't being very accepting or individuals who are different, and researching Red Oak trees)  
• begun looking at mapping skills by having students attempt to write directions as to how they travel from home to school

Students looking closely at the artifact photos.

Predicting who the artifact photos belong to.

Up and Coming:

1.  September 26-p.m. -Terry Fox Run - 'kick-off' assembly at 2:40 p.m., 
                                                       run at 2:50 p.m. - Green Park

2. September 30th - Orange Shirt Day (more information to come)

3.  October 7th –Individual school photos

4.  October10–Miranda Krogstad, Poet –‘kick-off’ assembly @ 10:15 a.m. 

Bye for now,
Ms. LeVesconte