Today marked the end of a fortnight focused on dance. All classes from K-7 received expert guidance and instruction, and the resulting final assembly this morning was a sight to behold. Such fun to see! As Mrs. McGuire said, it is incredible how far the classes have come in just two weeks!
No new homework for the weekend.Monthly Archives for April 2012
Thursday 26 April 2012
Notwithstanding the rain this morning, we said a fond farewell to our salmon by releasing them into Hastings Creek near Argyle Secondary School. The creek was full of fish, and not just because of our efforts. That stream also holds coho salmon (who spend the entire year in the stream), as well as wild trout, both of which were seen. We also viewed a fish ladder up close, and released a total of 105 salmon fry.
Once back at school we examined some of the gravel and mud we had brought back from the bottom of the stream, and several people saw tiny aquatic worms and other larval insects… perfect salmon food! Later in the day we learned how to use microscopes, and examined some of the stream water for microscopic critters, but alas, our skill wasn't up to the task. No bacteria visible to us. Thank you to the parents who were able to help drive today. Your availability made the trip possible! We did not get to the Grade 5 Social Studies test today, but will reschedule for tomorrow (Friday 27 April).
Microscopes 2
Sent from my iPhone
Microscopes 1
Sent from my iPhone
Tuesday 24 April 2012
Homework:
Gr. 5 have a social studies quiz this Thursday 26 April on Chapter 4 (pp 47-63) Gr. 5 & 6s should be studying their French dialog (pronunciation, not spelling) so the French sentences are memorized. Report Cards:Things are changing rapidly. The Labour Relations Board ruled late last week that 2nd term report cards (for elementary school) would be required. They will be abbreviated reports, with a comment (K-3) or a letter grade (4-7) for each of the major areas of learning. On Monday we were told they were "due" to be handed in to the Principal by this Friday 27 April, but then this morning we were told they will be due early next week and to go home to parents shortly thereafter. All very confusing, I'm sure, but it reflects the District of North Vancouver's attempt to have all reports go home at the same time… and in some cases they could not be written or reviewed by the original deadline. What is known is that for our Division 3 students, they will receive a term 2 report card that: -reflects their progress in term 2 with a letter grade
-but generally has no comments
-for each of the subject areas
-along with attendance Normal report cards will be going home at the end of June, as usual. Multicultural Day (Wednesday 25 April 2012)
Our theme is "belonging", as in we all belong. There will be an assembly in the morning, and students who wish to can wear traditional clothing; families have been asked to provide ready-to-serve food for approximately 10 students, so that at lunch we will form into our multi-age groups and enjoy a buffet of whatever food parents provide, followed in the afternoon by several multiage and multicultural activities. Dismissal, as usual on a Wednesday, will be at 2:25 p.m. This Thursday 26 April from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. our class will be traveling to a nearby creek to release our salmon fry back into the wild. We have nearly enough drivers, but we are short by about 1 car's worth if you are available to help drive. We received our salmon eggs way back on January 25… nearly 3 months ago to the day, so it will be a special day when we say goodbye to them!
Friday 20 April 2012
Homework:
Practice French dialog (pronunciation, not spelling) Gr 5's will be having a unit math test soon. Also for the Grade 5s, today students begun the "Always Changing" program which is designed to teach children about the physical and emotional changes of puberty. The boys and girls will be separated for part of this. They will be bringing home booklets and are encouraged to share these with parents. If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. Lastly, if your child has good pictures from our WildED hike to the Headwaters of the Lynn Canyon, please send them in to me. We had a lot of fun that day, but the whole experience is free to the school if we prepare a slide show showing the day's activities. To that end, I'll take any pictures available, and we'll assemble the photo essay next week. Many thanks to Marco Maffiew, our visiting Swiss teacher here for 3 weeks, for his helpfulness and interesting insights to the world of Swiss elementary schools. We welcome him, and are happy he will be visiting with us for two more weeks.Thursday 19 April
We had such a great day at the Headwaters of the Lynn Canyon with our leader, Jay, from WildED. Many thanks to the parents who were able to help drive: Joe, Carla, Natalie, Kim, Lisa, Cheryl, and Sue.
Next week we'll be releasing our salmon in a similar ecosystem within the same watershed, but in a different stream.
Friday 13 April 2012
Begin forwarded message:
From: Paul Clarke <PClarke@nvsd44.bc.ca>
Date: April 13, 2012 4:57:02 PM PDT
To: post@posterous.com
Subject: Friday 13 April 2012
Parents:
I am sending this in the hopes that my email client at school will succeed where my browser has not. I cannot connect to the internet again, so will try this workaround.
Today several notices went home today about upcoming field trips.
This coming Thursday 19 April we will be going to the Headwaters of the Lynn Canyon under the supervision of WildEd, an environmental educational organization. We’ll need parent-drivers to get us there (9:00 am) and pick us up (2:30 pm). Any parents that wish to join us for the hike are more than welcome! A packed lunch and water bottle will be required that day, as will be suitable footwear and outerwear to allow students to be comfortable outside all day.
Then, the following week we will be releasing our salmon, and again parent drivers will be required.
There is no new homework this weekend, although Gr. 5s will have a math test next week.
Friday morning test
Sent from 105A
testing
April 11, 2012
Testing
Tuesday 10 April 2012
Parents:
I have to apologize for the spottiness of my web site updates, but I have been plagued by zero or at best intermittent internet connectivity in my classroom for a couple of weeks now. Ironically, I was in the classroom yesterday feeding the salmon and saw to my surprise that I could connect, and I could all day today too, so I dashed off the homework and reminders you'll see below, hit "Send" and was told I wasn't connected to the internet. And so the saga continues… I am posting this late at night, knowing it's too late for kids, but at least it will be a record of what I almost sent this afternoon! ————————————————————— Homework: Reading:Antarctic assignment (Th) Math:
Gr 5: p. 149 # 1-4
Gr. 6: p. 152 # 7, 8, 9
Also, Gr. 6s will have a math quiz on this chapter (geometry, angles, etc) this Friday 13 April.
Salmon:We will be releasing our salmon back into the wild one morning a couple of weeks from now. Look for a field trip form to come home soon. We will also be hosting a teacher from Switzerland for three weeks. We will also be going on an all-day hike with the WILD-ED organization to the Headwaters of the Lynn Canyon on April 19 (notice about that will come soon too.) So nice having an internet connection in my classroom again!! ——————————————————————
Tuesday 10 April 2012
A combination of no internet in my class recently, and busy evenings, has left this blog untended, I'm afraid. I'm very pleased to be up and running again as of this morning.
More to follow in the next post.
PaulClarkeNorthVan 