Belonging Day and Winter Celebration News

Tomorrow is Belonging Day at Ramsay School! Please be sure to wear your Ramsay t-shirt. Thanks for our Gr. 3/4 Student Council for organizing this day.

We also look forward to seeing you for our Winter Celebration at 6:00 p.m. Parents, THANK YOU for your generosity around providing all of the personal hygiene items & gift cards for the Clients of the Drop-In Center. Enjoy stuffing the “Kindness Envelopes” inside your child’s classroom. Also, enjoy the amazing “collective artwork” created by our students for the Silent Art Auction. All proceeds generated will go to the DI! Please bring cash with you, if you would like to bid on any artwork for the Silent Auction.

Story Workshop

It's been a while since we worked on "Story Workshop, " so today we built a story with a friend and started a plan.

Winter Celebration Information

Here is the schedule for the Winter Celebration next week. We look forward to seeing everyone!

There are three portions to the evening celebration:

• Student performances in the Gym                                           (See schedule below)
• Art Auction in the Learning Commons                                     (Between 6:00 – 7:45)
• Stuffing Kindness Envelopes inside your child’s classroom     (Between 6:00 – 7:45)

Schedule for the evening performances:

6:00 p.m.              Grades 1-3 Choir sings inside the Gym    (Choir parents invited to the gym)

6:15 p.m.              Ms. Paradis’ Class performs                     (Room 5 parents invited to the gym)

6:30 p.m.              Ms. Harris’ Class performs                        (Room 8 parents invited to the gym)

6:45 p.m.              Kindergarten a.m. Class performs             (Kindergarten parents invited to the gym)

                             Kindergarten p.m. Class performs

7:00 p.m.              Mr. Jackson’s Class performs                  (Room 7 parents invited to the gym)

7:15 p.m.              Ms. MacLeod’s Class performs                (Room 6 parents invited to the gym)

7:30 p.m.              Ms. Elder’s Class performs                       (Room 12 parents invited to the gym)

7:45 p.m.              Ms. McGrath’s Class performs                   (Room 9 parents invited to the gym)

We look forward to seeing you then!

Symmetry through Art

West African Dance Residency

Today we started our West African Dance Residency, where we began our learning of dance and music from the country of Guinea. We started with a warm-up activity to get us moving and then played the "Break Game,"  which required students to listen to the rhythm of the music and stop and start during specific parts of the song. Being able to hear these changes in the music will be very important as we learn the dance we will be performing at our Winter Celebration next week.

Classifying Animals

I can classify a variety of animals, based on observable characteristics ( limbs, teeth, body covering, overall shape, backbone).

Measurement

 Last week we started work within our Shape and Space Unit. We are currently reviewing vocabulary, as well as different units of measure. At the beginning of each math block, we review addition and subtraction strategies to ensure that we continue to practice and gain confidence with these skills.

Be Active- Be Strong- Be Ready

We had a special presentation today where we talked about movements and breathing that helps regulate the brain and body. Taking time during our day to move through this movement sequence can help students remain calm and alert and be ready for learning.

1. Be Strong Activities
-  Stand-up behind desks and run or jump on the spot

2. Be Strong
- Activities that build strength like squats

3. Be Ready
- Breathing activities to prepare for instruction

The Learning Commons

Every Wednesday our class spends an hour in the Learning Commons exploring, designing and creating. 

Lego Station

Newspaper Tower Challenge

Building with Cups

Make a holiday card

Make a doll
using pipe cleaners, straws and beads

Tiny House Art

Today we started our first collaborative art piece for the art auction. Students were asked to design tiny houses that were 6 cm tall. I'm looking forward to seeing what the finished product will look like!

Drop-In Centre Donations

The grade 5/6 student council came to our class last week to explain their plan to support the Calgary Drop-In Centre by collecting wish list items. These items can be anything that could help support people experiencing poverty or homelessness. Thank you for those who have already donated! Their goal is to collect 1000 items before the winter break. Families will be invited to prepare envelopes during our Winter Celebration. 

Items to donate:

• Travel size band-aids, Tylenol or Advil
• Cough drops
• New mitts, gloves or socks
• Toothbrushes  
• Dental floss
• Toothpaste
• Razors
• Deodorant
• Small tissue packs  
• Small shaving cream
• $2.00-5.00 gift cards for McDonalds or Tim Hortons

Taj Mahal Art

As we explore the county of India, we took a moment to observe the beautiful Taj Mahal. A discussion around symmetry soon followed, which helped students follow step by step instructions to draw this beautiful structure. In the coming week, we will add watercolour and details to our sketch.

KABOOM!

Kaboom is a fun game to practice Math facts. Each popsicle stick has a math equation that students must solve. I have a variety of levels available for all operations. This game can be played with 2-4 players.

Instructions:

1. Place all sticks in a cup with the coloured side facing up.

2. The first player draws a stick. If they solve the equation, then they get to keep the stick. 

3. If they draw a KABOOM stick, they have to put all of their sticks back into the cup. 

4. When time is up, the player with the most sticks is the winner!

Mind Up

We are learning about how our brain can serve as a map for showing us how we learn and why we behave the way we do. Today we looked at the 3 different parts of the brain that help us think and react to the world around us: the prefrontal cortex, the amygdala, and the hippocampus. Ask your child to explain what they learned about their brain today! 

Remembrance Day

Please join us for our Remembrance Day Assembly this Friday, November 8th at 10:30.

Community Soup

Today, Constable Mark visited our classroom to talk about how we can make our classroom and school community a great place. Using the story, Stone Soup by John J. Muth, Constable Mark discussed the essential ingredients needed to make a great community.  Students were asked to think about how the characters in the book brought change to their community and what that might look like in their own community.

Here are some of their ideas of essential ingredients in a great community:

" Kindness, caring and sharing." - Paige
" Trust." - Vianna
" Friendships." - Sebastian

After the story, students were asked to create their own bowl of stone soup. The rim of the pot included "I will" statements, such as

" I will be kind and helpful." - Patience
" I will be kind and care for others."- Lawrence
" I will be supportive." - Kate
" I will be kind to others." - Louis

Inside the pot, students were asked to draw their version of an ideal classroom. Below are a few examples.

Thank you to Constable Mark for coming in this morning and working with us! We look forward to working together again soon!

Happy Halloween!!

After lunch today, we got into our costumes and started the festivities with a parade, followed by Halloween activities in our family groupings. I hope everyone has a great night tonight! Just a reminder that there is no school tomorrow.

Non- Fiction Text Features

Our focus during reading groups this week will be non-fiction texts. Understanding text features helps us navigate information more efficiently.

Quality of Life Construction Day

Our prototypes for our "Quality of Life" design challenge are coming along very well. Students were asked to design something that could help improve the quality of life of someone living in their community. Their ideas are amazing  Here are a few pictures of their work so far.

Methods of Joining

Testable Question: Will straw cubes, joined with different connectors, support the same mass?

I can Evaluate the suitability of different materials and designs for their use in a building task.

I can apply procedures to test different designs.

I can apply procedures to test the strength of different methods of joining.