Tonight, your child is bringing home his/her first language assessment on sentences. Please sign any and all tests and assessments that your child shows you.  This includes signing the weekly THRoW entries, Spelling tests, etc.

Tomorrow is our first Math test.  This is a fairly large unit, so there is quite a bit information that I am testing them on.  To review, please go over the following...

• key words for addition and subtraction
• spelling of number words to 20 for grade 2, to 100 for grade 3
• using < (less than), > (greater than), or = (equal to) to compare numbers
• identifying the value of a number Ex. 126 - the value of the 2 is 20.
• rounding numbers to the nearest 10  Ex. 54 rounds down to 50.
• writing numbers in standard form, expanded form, and in words
• related facts.  Ex. 2, 3, 5
• standard addition with regrouping
• standard subtraction with regrouping
• solving word problems using pictures, numbers or words
• representing numbers in different ways  Ex. 11 (in tally marks, in words, in base tens, etc)

Keep in mind, we do A LOT of hands on practise in class, so the review at home is primarily for you to know what we are doing in class.  I review for two full days in class, so students are more than prepared!

SECRET QUESTION:  What Canadian Hero did we support today on our run/walk at school?

Coach Wilson

Hello Parents!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!  Things are going really well on Team Wilson!

Feedback...
Homework:  Students did a good job to start on their THRoW homework.  I try to give students B.U.S. (bump-up strategies)        to improve upon their quality of work.  Please read over my comments on the previous reading response from last week before having your child begin this week's.  It will help them to focus their efforts on the areas of in need of improvement!  Please sign each THRoW entry each week so I know you have seen it.

This week...
Monday - Test in Language - writing sentences
Wednesday - Terry Fox Run Day
Thursday - Math Test on Number Sense / WOW test / Cookie Dough Fundraising Kick-Off Assembly in gym
Friday - P.D. Day - no school

Please make sure your child has a pair of indoor only gym shoes to stay here at school.  With the weather changing, it's bound to get wetter and dirtier.  Thank you!

Coach Wilson

SECRET QUESTION:  What visual did we use to understand the Holy Spirit, God and Jesus (the Holy Trinity) in class last week?  Hint:  It tastes really good over-easy!

Language Test Postphoned...

Hi Parents,
           Unfortunately, due to our school Mass and our Terry Fox activity this week, we decided to postphone our test on sentences until Monday.  I will send home their language books for you to review tonight and on the weekend.  Students were aware of this yesterday, but I wanted parents to know as well.  Thanks and sorry for any confusion!


Mrs. Wilson

SECRET QUESTION:  What new centre did we learn today for our study?

New Homework...

Dear Parents, 

     Tonight your child is coming home with the weekly homework.  This homework should take your child approximately 20 minutes to complete.  Ideally, you could have your child work on for a little while each day, however, I understand that some nights are hectic.  I just don't want students to leave homework until Thursday night when they might be rushed in completing it.  

We have been learning how to describe characters in a story using character traits.  Character traits describe the character's personality 'most of the time', not just in one particular situation.  For example, in the story Cinderella, a character trait that best describes Cinderella would be hard-working because in the story Cinderella is always cleaning, cooking, ironing, and sweeping.  All jobs that require hard work.

    I have tagged the readers on the correct page to find the story A List. Have your child read the story and describe two character traits that best describe the main character in this story.  Please return both THRoW books and readers by Friday.

    I would like all THRoW books to be neatly set up as modelled below.  Please notice that students need to skip lines so that I can edit and revise their work.

                                            A List

Date:  September 21, 2015

      The main character in the story A List is _______.  

One character trait that describes ______________ is 

__________________  because in the story 

__________________________________________. 

Another character trait that describes ____________ is 

____________________ because in the story _______

___________________________________________.


    

 Examples of possible character traits that your child may use to describe a main character could a word from the poster below. 
Then students explain why with proof in the story to support their thinking.

Happy Reading!

Coach Wilson

SECRET QUESTION:  How many WOW words does each student have to practise for Friday's WOW test?

Happy Friday, Families!

I am SO thrilled to have such a wonderful group of students this year!  We are going to be the best team yet!  It was great meeting you all last night at Meet the Teacher!  Thank you for taking some time to come out and mingle.

I do not assign any homework on Fridays so that the weekend can be enjoyed with family and friends.  That being said, I do expect the homework I give on Mondays that is due on Fridays to be completed in full.  Homework that has not been collected by Friday morning after announcements, will be done in completion that day during recess. Of course, should you write me note in your child's agenda with a reasonable explanation, I will take that under consideration.

Congratulations to Anna for winning this week's Blog Draw!  Thank you, parents, for taking the time to read my blog!

SECRET QUESTION:  What did the players of Team Wilson make me do during French Friday after losing a challenge?!

Coach Wilson

SECRET QUESTION:  What artistic technique did you learn in art yesterday?  (Hint:  it involves using a pencil on its side)

Coach Wilson

Doubles Addition

Parents, please review the remaining doubles addition flashcards that your child had in the front pocket of his/her agenda.  Each child was assessed and given the ones they need to learn on a flashcard for home review.  Once a student knows their doubles, they can use the Doubles Plus One strategy when adding for ex. 7 + 8 (Think:  I know that 7 + 7 = 14, so 7 + 8 must be one more = 15!) Students should be able to say their doubles addition sums up to 12 for Gr. 3 and up to 10 for Gr. 2.

Thanks!
Coach Wilson

September/October Curriculum Focus

Here is the next couple of months at a glance...

LANGUAGE:  

Reading - students will be assessed at current reading levels and put into small groups for daily guided reading instruction.  Comprehension Strategies:  Activating Prior Knowledge, Predicting, and Visualizing.  

Writing:  Explore why people write, ways to organize our thinking using webs, learning about the revising process and editing processes, making lists and writing letters.
Spelling Program: Students will be starting their personalized spelling program beginning next week.  It will consist of 10 words that they will be given every Monday and tested on every Friday.  Students are expected to practise on their own at home each week.  Words are taken from the 0-700 Dolch Word Lists.

Media Literacy - Identifying a variety of media forms, learning about the purpose of reading/writing; to entertain, persuade or inform, identifying target audiences, and media messages.

Oral and Visual  Communication: Students will learn how to speak in front of an audience using appropriate voice, body language, eye contact, and pace of speech. Focus on speaking clearly and coherently using appropriate voice and expression.

MATH: Number Sense and Numeration

Gr. 2 -  Reading and printing numbers to 20, representing numbers to 100, making numbers using base ten blocks, composing and decomposing 2-digit numbers, counting forward to 100 by 1s, 2s. 5s, 10s, and 25s, and backwards from  50 using different starts, rounding  numbers to the nearest 10, place value, estimating numbers.

Gr. 3 - Reading and writing numbers to 100, reading/representing/comparing/ordering numbers to 1000 using base ten blocks, counting forward and backward by 2s, 5s, 10s, 25s and 100s, rounding numbers to the nearest 100, place value, addition and subtraction strategies, standard addition and subtraction with 2-digit and 3-digit numbers, estimating numbers to 100.

SCIENCE:  Understanding Structures and Mechanisms

Gr. 2 - Simple Machines


Gr. 3 - Strong and Stable Structures


THE ARTS:  Visual Arts

Gr. 2/3 - Students will be exploring warm and cool colours and developing . We will also be looking at fine art skills by learning how to draw heads, eyes, ears, noses, mouths, and a basic human body.

HEALTH - Healthy Living

Gr. 2 - Food Groups, serving sizes, balancing diet, common food allergies, personal safety indoors and outdoors, standing up for oneself - speaking confidently, saying no, boundaries.

Gr. 3 - Food origins, processed and unprocessed, oral health, indoor and outdoor safety, food allergies causes and treatments, bullying awareness and how to deal with difficult situations.

RELIGION / FULLY ALIVE

Gr. 2 - Theme:  We Belong - Students learn how to recognize how valuable they are and where they belong (to a family, to a team/sport/club/class, a classroom, a school, a church, a community, a city, a country).  Students will also learn various prayers Hail Mary, Our Father.


Gr. 3 - Theme:  In the Spirit - Grade threes learn about the Holy Spirit and it the fruits of the Holy Spirit; faithfulness, joy, love, patience, goodness, kindness, self-control, peace, gentleness.  Through a series of short video clips, students try to find evidence of these gifts at work in the actions of various characters.  Also, students will be learning about the parts of the mass, and various prayers of the church; Hail Mary, Our Father, The Apostles Creed.

SECRET QUESTION:  What is our classroom theme this year?

That's all for now, 
Coach Wilson