And virus season begins...

As usual, it hits me first. I was home ill last Friday and Monday, so we celebrated my return on Tuesday with a giant game of dodgeball against Mme Gougeon's class. I don't think I need to say who won.

It was a very busy, and therefore very short week! We ended it on a great note - our school Terry Fox Run! I'm very proud to say that our class raised more money than we have students. I asked each one to bring in just a loonie, which was of course Terry's dream. But many brought more than that and I am so proud of their generosity!

 

Paighton and Marisa finished 1-2 respectively out of ALL the girls in the school!!

 

Yasmine and Kaylin decided to be butterflies along the way.

 

 

Tieran was inspired by a picture I showed the class of a woman doing the Terry Fox Run in Dubai - she was endurance training and was dragging two tires behind her! So he wore his backpack to challenge himself. Way to go!



Students are coming home tonight with information for our Yearley trip on October 14th and 15th. The stapled sheets are all the medical and permission forms that need to come back. Please leave them stapled together when they are returned. The cost for the Yearley trip is only $25 to cover the cost of groceries. We are in need of parent helpers for all facets of the trip.

We will be grocery shopping on Thursday, October 9. We just go across to YIGs, do our shopping and bring it back. We put everything that needs to be refrigerated one of our many school fridges so everything stays fresh.

Parent helpers are an essential part of being at Yearley. We need parents who can help throughout the day as well as parents who can spend the night. You are welcome to join us on the bus there and back!

Dates to remember:

octobre:
le 1er: Kerr Park Run after school
le 7: Evan Luker Run
le 8: presentations orales
le 9: shopping for Yearley
le 14-15 - Yearley
le 17 - Mud Run
le 29 - Picture Retake Day

Let The Wild Rumpus Begin!!

We are just getting busier and busier in our class! Which is not a bad thing. I like to keep my monsters occupied.

The kids finished their French Gazettes today and they will be proudly posted in our hallway for you to see tomorrow night when you come to our Open House. We also did surveys today and graphed the results to see how we are smart. How are you smart? Some of them had surprises, some of them knew already how they learn best. Try the quiz yourself! It's very interesting to see what ways our minds learn.

This week, we have started research projects on French cultures around the world. On Thursday, October 9, students will make an oral presentation about their francophone country of choice, and also bring in something eaten in that country to share with the class. Bonus points for creating a national costume as well!

Healthy Lunch order forms went home today and are due back on Monday, Sept. 22. You can also find the order forms on the school website at http://mon.tldsb.on.ca/parent-resources/ .

Some dates to remember:

septembre:

le 18: Meet the Teacher Night - I hope to see you there!
le 22: Healthy Lunch orders due
le 23: Racing Against Drugs (gr. 5s) AND Hoya Hills Cross Country Run (A tough decision for some of my Gr. 5 runners - please feel free to email me if you need help making up your mind which activity your child should attend.)
le 25: Picture Day
le 26: School Terry Fox Run

octobre:
le 9: presentations orales
le 14-15 - Yearley (Please note the date change - I accidentally posted the 13th and 14th earlier)
le 17 - Mud Run
le 29 - Picture Retake Day

I hope to see you all tomorrow night!

Mme B.

We survived!

The whirlwind of the first week of school has finished and we survived - quite well, I think! Students have settled in and are becoming familiar with the new routines of a new teacher. Some still need to work on saving the visiting for more appropriate times, but that's to be expected during the first week.

I loved all the presentations for our class museum! We had everything from pictures taken from the family airplane to seashells to Caribbean handicrafts! It's so wonderful to see the range of experiences that your children have been given.

As you may know, we have a class guinea pig. Her name is Willow. Every week, in our rotating classroom duties, 2 students will be in charge of taking care of her. They will make sure her cage is clean, that she has water and food, and will be able to take her into the courtyard for grass (weather permitting) for short periods. I guarantee that you'll hear about it!

 

Willow's favourite snacks are carrots, peppers, apples and fresh green grass. She loves to snuggle with the kids and will sit quietly on their desks while they are working. Normally, I do not like having antibacterial hand cleaners in my room, as studies show that bacteria are evolving to become immune to them, but since we don't have a sink in our room, sending a small bottle in with your child if they like to hold Willow often is a good idea. Guinea pigs are not known for their cleanliness, and I don't always see who was holding her to remind them to go to the bathroom to wash their hands.

The kids are already asking about Yearley! It is a grade 6 tradition to go on an overnight trip to the Yearley Outdoor Education Centre near Huntsville. When the class is a 5/6 split, the grade 5s have the luxury of going twice! Once in grade 5, then again in grade 6. We have been booked for October 14 and 15. We need parent volunteers for pretty much everything - grocery shopping the day before, spending the night and coming during the day to help cook and supervise activities. Please book it on your calendar and if you are able to join us, you can either send a note in your child's agenda or send me an email at heather.bailie@tldsb.on.ca .

As for the academic side of things, this is what we are working on:

MATH: place value and representing numbers
FRENCH: autobiographies
ENGLISH: media studies with Ms. Terry and spelling with me
SCIENCE: 5s - the human body
                   6s - flight
SOCIAL STUDIES: 5s - First Nations and Europeans in New France and Early Canada
                                  6s - Communities in Canada, Past and Present.

There have been a great number of changes to the Ontario Social Studies Curriculum. I would suggest that you go on the Ministry website to familiarize yourself with them.  http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/sshg18curr2013.pdf

Have a wonderful week!

Just Over 12 Hours To Go!

Hello my monsters!! I am so excited for school to start! Our classroom is all set and ready to welcome you to your Monck home.

I hope you all received your welcome letter from me. If you didn't, don't worry! I'll fill you in with all the important details tomorrow.

For the parents, just a few important things to note:

Our nutrition break times have changed, and students will now be going outside first, and eating when they come in. As always in my classroom, students are permitted to eat whenever they are hungry, as long as it is a healthy item. First break is now at 10:15 to head out, and in at 10:50 to eat, with classes resuming at 11:05. Second break times are 1:05 - 1:30 - 1:45.

Pizza and milk sales will begin next week. Students will be bringing home order forms this week should you wish to order in a block or for the entire year, and of course they may pay the day of for milk and on Tuesdays for pizza on Wednesdays.

Our Meet the Teacher night has been tentatively scheduled for Thursday, September 18th. More details will follow when they have been finalized.

Please bookmark our blog and check it often - I will be keeping it updated on a regular basis. I will also be posting pictures of activities in which our class is involved. If you do NOT wish your child's picture to appear on our blog, please let me know with a note in your child's agenda ASAP so that I may respect your wishes.

I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve! I'll try to get some sleep tonight - hopefully my monsters can too!

Mme B.

Muskoka Version of Show & Tell

You know you live in Muskoka when show & tell is a giant turkey foot!

This week started a little bit rough because I was off sick for 2 days, but we seem to be back on track now.

This week's journal is 'The Coolest Thing I Ever Did'.

The kids are getting their castle pattern pieces to finish up their book reports. Their castles are due no later than Friday, May 18th.

Have a great week - what's left of it!

Earth Week!

It's Earth Week here at Monck, and special activities are planned for every day of the week. On Friday, we had our Eco Assembly and yard cleanup. My monsters picked up 3 bags of garbage!

Today is wear black for lights out. Between 2 and 3 pm we will be turning off our lights and all electrical devices.

Tuesday, students are encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle (instead of disposable ones) and wear blue for water awareness.

Wednesday, students who are able to are encouraged to either walk or ride to school and wear yellow. Muskoka Trails Council and Volunteers from the community have organized a walk to school event, on Wednesday April 25th. Meet them at one of the 3 starting points: Glendale/Tamarack Trails; Westvale/Wellington Street North or at Santa’s Village Road/Ewing  Street, or join them anywhere along that route. MTC will provide accessories and refreshments. Check out Monck’s Newsletter, or MTC’s website for more information. [ http://muskokatrailscouncil.com/events-in-muskoka.php ]

Thursday: Bring a litter-less lunch: Students are encouraged to bring a lunch packed in reusable containers instead of disposable wrappers. Any wrappers will be sent home that day.  Wear white.

Friday: Make your own pledge day: Wear green. Students will be asked to sign a hand print that they will write what they can do to help reduce global warming. All these hand prints will be used to create a large silhouette of our beautiful planet.

Our journal this week is Si je pourrais changer une chose dans le monde (If I could change 1 thing on earth).

Have a great week!

Strategic Moves!

 What better way to end the week than learning to play chess? The kids learned about the Medieval connections to the game, and the development of the Sultan's Vizier into the Queen that we know today. There are a couple of good sites online for kids to play beginner level - http://www.kidchess.com/index.html and http://www.chesskids.com/newcourse/index.htm

This afternoon, we are going to attempt - as a whole school - to break the Guinness Book of World Records record for the greatest number of people turning a cartwheel at the same time! Wish us luck! Before we do that, we are having a gymnastics demonstration. Lily W., Emma C., and Lily V. will be showing us their skills!

Congratulations Laken! Her team won the Board championship for The Battle of the Books! Way to go! French Battle of the Books is well underway. Our battles begin the last week of this month.

Some important dates for next week:

Monday - Easter Monday - no school - enjoy your family time!

Thursday - Read to Succeed at the Bracebridge Public Library

Journal for next week: Le meilleur prof du monde (The best teacher in the world) - Don't forget! If your journal is usually handed in on Tuesday, it's still due Tuesday!