2 Litre Bottles

Besides teaching the important stuff I have to cover in the curriculum, I am a project based teacher. It's the most hands on, authentic way to learn. It encourages students to think outside the box and engages those who struggle with traditional pencil to paper tasks.  

Last year we joined the Living Space project and compared how environmental conditions (carbon dioxide, humidity, and temperature) are the same/differ on Earth and the International Space Agency.  For 2 years before that, we had a garden tower company growing in our room where we sold herbs and donated lettuce to the Kanata Food Cupboard. Before that, we designed and operated an escape room to raise money for a teacher who had cancer. 

This year, we are planning out vertical growing frames that are going to run along our large classroom windows. What this project will eventually become is open ended. We figure out and change things as we go in our discovery process. 

But, right now grade 6 students need to bring in an empty 2 litre plastic bottle to get us started. 

The gr 4/5's will eventually need to bring in their own bottle after we build another grow frame. 

Welcome To Our Newest Student

We have a new friend starting on Monday. Welcome to St Anne!  That makes 30 students and counting. Good thing Mrs Routliffe sent us in a yoga ball to add to our flexible learning space.  Thank you for adding a new piece to our room.  It's getting to be a tight fit.

Students in all grades have now completed a writing sample for me and all grades have begun exploring place value as part of our number sense unit.

Gr 4 will be working with numbers up to 10,000.
Gr 5 will be working with numbers up to 100,000.
Gr 6 will be working with numbers up to 1,000,000.

Welcome Back

   Welcome back everyone!  If you're reading this then your child brought home the first day of school letter that went home today. We are now a platinum eco school so very few letters are sent home. You are strongly encouraged to check this blog, Twitter, or the school website regularly for updates and information.

Grade 4 parents, I know... you now have a lot more teachers to keep track of.  The good news for some of you is that I have many siblings in my 2 classes. This makes it a bit easier for you.

I have taken on grade 6 this year because I like the group so much, I figured why not make it 3 years in a row! In all seriousness, they are an overall great bunch and I'm happy to be spending their last year at St Anne with them.   The grade 6's are my morning homeroom class.

I'm also excited that I have a small group of grade 5's that were with me last year. I will be expecting this group, plus the rest of the 5's, to set an example and help their younger classmates.  Yes, it is a split class.

And then there are the grade 4's! I've been waiting for this group to come up to junior since I first met most of them in kindergarten. They should have come home and told you I was their gym teacher way back when.

This Thursday is Meet The Teacher night from 5-7. Please stop by to say hi and check out our learning space!

Bus Money Returning

Seems the bus money confusion has been solved and the $2.50 for buses will be returned. No longer a need for bus money but if you have been asked to pay the $20 in lieu of activity fees, please do.

Field trip is on Tuesday! Please have permission forms returned on time.

Grade 5 Fun

It's the moment the 5's have been waiting for....   time for them to put into action some of the math concepts (measurement, angles, probability, geometry) they've learned and critical thinking to create their own Dude Perfect Trick Shot! 

Combined with their creativity and own dramatic flare they will be designing and completing a trick shot using every day items and/or built devices.  They will not be marked on this so you are free to help at home with any idea or material they need. Feel free too to get your Rube Goldberg on!

Here is the link to the Dude Perfect channel for you to see exactly what we are talking about!

Creepy Crawlers

Please be aware that lice has been reported in grade 5 and has potentially visited our portable.

Grade 5 Field Trip

Our field trip is planned for June 18th and we are looking for grade 5 parent volunteers to join us.  This year's grade 5 adventure takes us to escape rooms and archery tag!

Please make sure you have your criminal record check into the office.

A reminder that students who haven't paid their activity fees will be asked to pay their portion of the trip along with a share of the bus cost.  Those who have paid activity fees, will be asked to only their share of the bus cost.