I had a wonderful last day with the students today. I will be absent from school tomorrow because I will be attending my daughter's high school graduation.
The students and I thoroughly enjoyed our party in recognition of Helen Keller's life, grit, and important contributions.  Thank you to everyone who brought items in to  help us enjoy this time. The students had the opportunity to read a braille message written by my neighbour, read a braille magazine, use a white cane, guide one another and be guided, and explore a variety of items and food from the perspective of someone with a visual impairment.
They brought their published narrative writing books home either yesterday or today. The students are very proud of their work, and they should be!
We enjoyed the wonderful talent show today as well as a slide show and performance from the teachers.
Finally, I would like to add that I have thoroughly enjoyed being your child's teacher this year! We have had a wonderful year full of exciting experiences. I wish everyone a safe and very happy summer and look forward to seeing all the familiar, wonderful faces heading to grade 5 in the fall.

The students are definitely on the countdown for summer holidays!  It seems as though we will not be escaping the heat this busy week.
The students have a field trip to the Summer Solstice on Monday with the students from grades 3-6. It should be a wonderful trip!
Some of our students will also be attending the track and field meet on Tuesday.  If your child is going, please ensure they have a hat, sunscreen, water bottle and appropriate shoes and clothes for the weather and the event.
We have finished our novel "The Story of Helen Keller". The students are busy planning a party to celebrate her life which will take place at the end of this week. We will be playing games and doing activities which focus on gaining information using senses other than sight. We will be highlighting strategies used by blind or visually impaired people to achieve success and independence. The information will be attached to the homework section of the blog shortly. I will also be sending a note home.
We will be reviewing a variety of concepts in math and language this week.

The blog is a little late this week! We are in a busy time right now.
The students will be enjoying Jungle Sport this week. We had our first session yesterday and everyone had a lot of fun! We also have the bike rodeo and the field trip to the OAC this week. Tysen Lefebvre will be back in to visit the students. We are also reading the last of our Helen Keller book and some of the students are working on planning a party in celebration of her life and contributions to how people with disabilities are viewed.
I will be having the students work on a summer rotation for those who are interested in spending some time caring for the guinea pigs. If you are interested in participating, please let your child know what dates work for you.
There will be no more homework coming home or posted on the blog.
Please see our math and language updates below:
Math: The students have been looking at symmetry in shapes as well as creating their own symmetrical pictures. We will also be spending some time on reviewing concepts this week and next.
Language: We have taken a look at poetry and students will begin to create their own diamonte poems.
Have a great week!

Happy Monday everyone! Please have your child complete this week's homework on-line and on paper as there are both this week. Your child should use a highlighter to highlight the important words in each question on paper.
EQAO will be taking place in the morning again this week at school.
Bike Rodeo has been moved to this Thursday due to rain last week. It is also Jungle Sport day and the last hot dog day of the year.  Thursday will be a fun and busy day!
A reminder that this Friday is a P.D. day so there will be no school for the students.
Please see the math and language updates below:
Math: We will be exploring symmetry and movement including slides, flips and rotations.
Language: The students will be finishing their narrative stories. They have been working very hard on these!  We will be looking at poetry by the end of the week.

Good Monday everyone!  I hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful summer weather this weekend without getting burned or overheated.  Please remind your child to have a hat and water bottle at school on these very hot days.
EQAO testing is taking place in the school this week.  We are also excited to have the bike rodeo on Thursday.
Please have your child complete last week's homework if he or she has not already done so.  More homework will be either coming home or posted later in the week.
Please check out below to see what is happening in math and language this week:
Math:  We will begin our look at symmetry this week.
Language:  We are looking at how to create paragraphs in written work as well as how to use editing skills on our own and other's work.

What glorious weather we had for a wonderful long weekend!  I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend with their favourite activities.
We had a lot of fun with our track and field day on Friday and saw some very speedy runners! We also watched a video of Helen Keller and her teacher.  We have been reading this novel in class as it ties in well with our investigation of grit and perseverance.
Please ensure your child has a reuseable water bottle at school for these hot days, along with a hat and sunscreen to reapply as necessary. Also, note that there is no hot dog day this Friday.
Please see the math and language update below:
Math:  We will be finishing up our exploration of algebra and moving into exploring symmetry. Please continue to work on multiplication and division facts with your child as it helps immensely with recognizing connections between numbers and fact families, such as with algebra.
Language:  We are proofreading and editing our grit narratives.  We should be well into our good copies and illustrations by the end of the week.

Let's hope the weather this week gets more like spring in a hurry!  Next week is Victoria Day long weekend already, with Monday the 23rd being a holiday.  If any families are interested in looking after the guinea pigs for the long weekend, please let me know through a note in your child's agenda or through the school and we can make arrangements.  All of the necessary food and equipment will be provided.  If more than one family is interested, we will have a draw.
The grade 3's, 4's and 5's are having a presentation in the Fire Safety House on Tuesday morning to learn about safety in the home and safe exiting in the case of an emergency. We have other events planned for this week as well, such as the track and field day on Friday morning.
Math and language updates are below:
Math:  We have finished our unit on fractions and will be exploring patterning and algebra.  I have included adding and subtracting money amounts in this week's homework for review.
Language:  We are writing narratives, with illustrations, based on our "gritty" person interview.