Gymnastics - Safety Expectations

We will begin gymnastics in our regularly scheduled gym classes on Monday, April 25th.  The gymnastics unit will last two weeks.  Safety routines, cooperation and sportsmanship are taught and reviewed in each class.   

This physical activity opportunity will help students acquire individual skills through a variety of developmentally appropriate movement activities. 

It is important for students to come to school prepared for being actively engaged. The following guidelines are very helpful… 

  

HEAD TO TOE - READY TO GO!!!  

Head ....................... long hair pulled back 

Ears/Throat/Wrist ............... jewellery off 

Shirt.................................. one layer shirt 

Waist ................................................tucked in 

Pants.........................sporty pants or shorts, no belts or zippers 

Ankles..........................pants rolled up if ankles are covered 

Toes...............running shoes, gymnastic slippers or bare feet (no footed tights) 

  

“Playing & moving safely is everyone’s responsibility”  

Friday, April 22nd, 2022

Hi Families, 

Our learning this week focused on our continued exploration of local bird species, using activities from The City of Calgary Nature Kit to develop our understanding of bird eggs, food and beaks. 

Interdisciplinary Learning

While exploring eggs, we applied mathematical thinking to describe the shape. Students were able to identify that if an egg was flat, it would be an oval. They were then introduced to the term "ovoid" to describe the 3D shape. 

We ordered eggs from largest to smallest, and made predictions about which eggs belonged to which bird, making connections between the size of the bird and size of the egg, the colour of the bird and the colour of the egg, as well as our past experiences in nature. 

Ask your child if they can recall which egg belongs to which bird out of the following: Black-Capped Chickadee, Northern Flicker, Eagle, Hummingbird, Mallard, Robin.

We also explored different styles of beaks, comparing them to common tools for scooping, straining, probing, cutting/tearing, sucking and tweezing, depending on the birds food source.

Knowing that Chickadees use a small, tweezing or pinching beak for small insects and seeds, we also introduced a new material harvesting the seeds from the dried sunflower heads that were donated to our classroom in the Fall. We love not only learning what it's like to be a Chickadee, but also noticing how different the sunflower seeds are! Some are striped, some are solid, some are long and skinny, some are short and fat! 

As we closely study each of the City of Calgary bird nominees, students will be asked to observe the space around their home - front yard, backyard, local park - for each bird. 

This week, students are coming home with an observation sheet for the Black-Capped Chickadee. If you need another copy, the template has been uploaded to our Google Classroom --> Classwork --> Resources --> Have You Seen...Backyard Birds

Students are asked to record how many Chickadees they observed in the space, where they saw the bird (tree, ground, bird-feeder, roof, light-post, etc.) as well as what the bird was doing (eating, drilling, calling, etc.)

No writing necessary. Students should record in pictures they can speak to. 

We will need the Chickadee observation sheets back by Thursday, April 28th. Please ensure your child's name is written on the back. 

Literacy

In our Literacy work this week, we started our final review of letters and sounds, while layering in accurate and efficient lowercase letter formation. This week, we reviewed the letters c, o, s, v and w. Ask your child if they can tell you what these letters all have in common. 

We also introduced some I Spy visuals into the classroom, that allow for a range of skill practice. This week, we practiced using them in two different ways:

1. I Spy Initial Sound: "I spy with my little eye, something that starts with..."
2. I Spy Rhyming: "I spy with my little eye, something that rhymes with HAT..."

All the images on the visuals are CVC words (consonant-vowel-consonant), so students have been introduced to all the sounds. This should be taken into consideration when you see pictures such as the "bear", which has sounds students have not been introduced to yet, so is not decodable as a full word. Instead, think of a "cub", which has consonant and short vowel sound, which have been introduced, and is decodable for students. 

Some students can extend their learning by:

3. CVC Writing: Your child can find and write two words that rhyme, practicing our efficient spelling strategies. They can write as many rhyming pairs that they see. 

For home practice, these visuals (three different versions) can be found in Google Classroom --> Classwork --> Resources.

Finally, in gym, we have introduced racket sports, stating with badminton, solely for our entertainment, and being able to use birdies ;) We love a good thematic unit. 

Some reminders:
- Friday, April 28th: Please return your child's Black-Capped Chickadee observation sheet
- Friday, April 29th: PM Kindergarten
- School Council Growing Smiles Fundraiser: Fundraiser Link

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Ms. Thomas

Thursday, April 14, 2022

Hi Families, 

Despite the daily snow storms, that seemed to peak at our dismissal time, we had a wonderful week that ended with our in-class art program! For some reason I cannot get the photos to post in order, sorry families!

Learning the "dip, drip, drop" method.

Some of our finished products. 
We look forward to bringing them home soon!

Leah Donald, fibre artist.
Our first in-person visit this year!

Leah guiding us through the art.
We used local, dyed wool roving for the felting process. 

Agitation is key to getting the wool fibres to stick together!
Bubble wrap gives bumpy agitation.

Another unique form of agitation. 
Wet felting is fun and easy!

Additional photos are in our Google Classroom as a slide show: Google Classroom --> Classwork --> Artifacts of Learning. 

Thank you to our volunteers who were able to support our wet felting experience - many hands make for a successful experience! It is so exciting having volunteers back in the classroom! We will have another volunteer opportunity in May, and possibly in June, so if you are interested in volunteering, please make sure your police clearance is complete by calling the office. 

In Math, we continued exploring 2D shapes and 3D objects. Students were assigned "homework" - what 2D shapes and 3D objects can you find at home? We invited students to play I Spy with you, identifying what shape or object they saw on the exterior of your home, and see if you could find it. This is also a great car game for driving to school! 

What shapes and objects can you find in your home? In your community?
What structures are made up of lots of different shapes?
Read aloud: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJkonvA2RB8

In Literacy, we created a labeled Guided Drawing of an Easter bunny. We connected to our poem this week, and labeled the body parts that "hop" and "flop", using rhyming parts for efficient spelling. 

Our Easter Bunny Guided Drawings:
Ears that flop and feet that hop!

Can your child teach you the drawing?
Hint: start with the eyes.

Finally, with the return of carpets to the classroom, we are practicing the skill of sitting at the carpet for learning. Students were introduced to Listening Larry to help support what is called "Whole Body Listening". They quickly picked up the importance of having all our body parts listening when there is information being shared.

Listening Larry Whole Body Listening.
Ask your child how to listen with each body part,
and why it is important. 

If you would like to watch the story at home:
https://video.ibm.com/recorded/126399661

And the additional text to support connections at home:
https://video.ibm.com/recorded/126399462

Lake Bonavista School is planning for next year, and needs your help to prepare staffing and classroom organization. Please take a moment to fill out our next year planning form to help us build actual student numbers for 2022/2023: Planning for Next Year Form

Upcoming important dates:
- Monday, April 18th: No School for Students. PD Day for Teachers.
- Friday, April 22nd: AM Kindergarten
- Friday, April 29th: PM Kindergarten
- School Council Growing Smiles Fundraiser: Growing Smiles Fundraiser

Have a wonderful long weekend everyone! We will see students on TUESDAY! 

Ms. Thomas