I have just noticed that my blog from last week did not get posted. I am not sure why but I will double check this weeks post to make sure it is up and running.
I have just noticed that my blog from last week did not get posted. I am not sure why but I will double check this weeks post to make sure it is up and running.
Sports day was great - fabulous weather and air quality let us get the most of being both outdoors and in the swimming pool. Students had a lot of fun with the activities and sports that they were involved in.
Last week was CASTA and I was very proud of my class and where they are with their performance of Monkey King. They got a rousing round of applause from their peers and parents who attended. Remember, the actual production of Monkey King is May 28-29. When I have exact dates and times I will be sure to let you know.
Students are well along with their Impact Projects. Plans were due in this morning and all projects have been approved. One thing to remember is that there must be a parent from the family in attendance for any off campus activities related to the Impact project. This is both a safety and legal requirement. If you or your husband cannot make the trip, they the student may not go that day. This is all afterschool and weekend trips related to the Impact project. Please help me make this happen for your students.
Now that Impact actions are beginning, students need to keep a record of the work they do through both reflections and photographs. If they need a camera, I can help with that but any kind of smart device most likely also has the capability of taking pictures and movies to document their work through the unit. The impact fair, where students present their plan and action will be on June 4th during the morning.
Homework for the coming week will primarily focus on research projects. So far students have had time in class and at home to start their research. All further research will be done as part of the homework. Final research notes are due into me next Friday morning. The following week, students will write their report. They have had lessons on paraphrasing, citing references, writing a paragraph, introductions and conclusions and also in presenting a report. With all of this I have high expectations for some really outstanding reports. There are some neat topics being researched right now. I have attached the action plan and rubric to this blog post for you to know what is expected.
We should complete our math unit this week - most likely toward the end of the week. It has been a good unit on Area, Volume and Capacity. Every student should be able to define these three as well as know how to calculate them. We also did coordinte geometry including negative numbers along both the X and Y axis.
Reading is always something that students need to work on. It is a life time skill that requies a lot of time and effort to master. I am always worried that students are not doing enough reading and not reading at their level. Both of these are important to make sure that comprehension happens. The library has a system where students can sign out books on their smart devices all year long - including ove the summer. The app is free and so are the books they sign out. I believe we have over 900 books in this electronic library to sign out at any time. It is called Follet Shelf and is worth a look into if your student is looking for things to read. I am sure that Mrs. Gockley would be very helpful in this regard and I can help as well.
Grade 6 transition has started with a visit to the grade 6 classes last week and a visit from Mrs. Knox about the program of studies. The forms for electives and languages will go home on May 11th and have to be returned by May 18th. These forms will all go through me as it is easiest to collate them this way. withdrawl from ISB.
The grade 5 teachers have also started to look at how to best group students into the MS classes and this will continue for the next week or so. If you have a specific requirement for this, you need to contact the MS office and ask for the form that indicates your preferences. This needs to be done very soon as we are already in process for next year. Likewise, if you know you will not be here next year, please contact admissions to find out the process for
There is still a lot happening in classes for the next four weeks. Please help me keep your student focused and prepared for all that we have to do to complete this school year. They have all done so well and I am hoping this will continue. If you have any concerns, please feel free to contact me.
Harold Daw
