Wed Sept 30, 2015

Today's Learning:
- Class meeting - discussion "what makes a house a home?" Sensory sentences
- Learning Commons Book Exchange
- Math - basic facts: round robin game
- Art: sketching
- Gym
- Story: From Seed to Pumpkin
- Silent Reading & Blog
- Music - pls see "Music blog" for specific learning tasks
- Body Break
- additional music class :)

Ask me:
- to show you the steps to sketching a pumpkin
- about the books I selected at our book exchange today
- how does a seed turn into a pumpkin?
- about the story/sentences I wrote about the animal eating in the coffee cup with the other animal watching......  FUN!

Homework:
- Math - basic facts practice for speed and accuracy "let's play a game"

Reminders:

Hot Soup Program

-starts Thursday, October 1^st

-a small bowl of soup and crackers are offered to students

-soup is served every Tuesday & Thursday

-if you do NOT want your child to participate please contact your child’s teacher

Tues Sept 29, 2015

Today's Learning:
- Vista Heights Virtue Day & Terry Fox Run (morning activities)
- Class meeting & discussion: what is our brain "house"
- Music
- Body Break
- Math - measurement review
- Art: introduction to sketching

Ask me:
- what were some of the virtue stations? what were my favorite?
- what is my "upstairs brain" responsible for? (keeping me calm, making good decisions) what happens in my "downstairs brain"? anger, fear

Homework:
- have a family discussion about "what makes a house a home?"
     - How would you complete the following sensory sentences:
            - I like to see.....
            - If you listen carefully, you can hear.....
            - I can smell......
            - I like to feel....

Reminders:
 - book exchange tomorrow - pls bring all library books and overdue books!
- Head Lice notice - in your child's backpack
- Tonight:  every Tuesday evening the "Kids World" Outreach program will serve a hot dinner and play games for interested families, 5:30-6:45pm. This is not a school event; students and families participate on their own accord.

Mon Sept 28, 2015

Today's Learning:
- Silent Reading
- Gym with the Gr. 3/4 class: 5 laps, morning stretches and relay races
- Class meeting: seasons, Fall/Autumn, gourds
- Story: "Terry Fox A Story of Hope"
- Gr. 3 SLA preparation - completion of online practice exams; Gr. 2s worked on educational apps on the iPods
- Math - Measurement - perimeter and units of measure
- Presentation - Digital Citizenship
- Body Break
- Class meeting & discussion: what is our brain "house"

Ask me:
- who was Terry Fox and what did he do?
- how is Vista Heights helping Terry?
- how I enjoyed the free lunch today (beef chili, caesar salad, bun, juice box and rice crispy square)
- ask me what a "gourd" is
- what do these words mean? recovery, amputate, research,
- what does "perimeter" mean?
- what is a centimeter?  meter? kilometer?
- what unit of measure did they use to track Terry Fox's run? (centimeter, meter or kilometer?)
- what is another name for Fall?
- what does our "upstairs brain" have control over?
- what does our "downstairs brain" control?

Homework:
- do I finally have my emergency phone number and address memorized?
- discuss how our family makes our house a "home"

Reminders:
- thank you to those who attended the parent/teacher conferences.  I enjoyed meeting you all.  For those who were unable to attend, please call or email me to set up an alternative time to meet.  My email is: alturk@cbe.ab.ca
- TOMORROW - every Tuesday evening the "Kids World" Outreach program will serve a hot dinner and play games for interested families, 5:30-6:45pm. This is not a school event; students and families participate on their own accord.
- Terry Fox run and Virtue Day tomorrow!  Pls dress appropriately for the weather.

 (weather permitting) from 9:00-11:45 am

-we will be collecting coins to donate to Cancer Research as a part of the Marathon of Hope started by Terry Fox

-please bring nickles, dimes, quarters, loonies or twonies to school tomorrow

-any spare change will help- slight change in date..... Room 1, Grade 3 students will take the SLA exams on the morning of Tues, October 6 - Math,  Thurs October 8 - Literacy

Thurs Sept 24, 2015

Today's Learning:
Class meeting
- emergency phone number and address check
- discussion of academic vocabulary from our "house" inquiry
- Math: basic facts practice for speed and accuracy (manipulatives used: dominoes and cards)
- "Fine Motor Exercises"
Gym
Story: Iggy Piggy Architect
Whole School Assembly
Body break
Art - completion of our captivating "Pastel Pumpkins"

Ask me:
- how my performance of our "hallway poem" was at the assembly this afternoon

Homework:
- do you have your emergency phone number and address memorized?
- Grade 3 students will take the online SLA tests in literacy and math on October 6th.  At home preparation can be done online: copy and paste link below into internet browser  https://public.education.alberta.ca/assessment
- RAZ Reading

Reminders:
***FREE Hot lunch THIS MONDAY!!! Please fill out the form in your child's backpack and return it if your child has permission to participate in this program. Lunch is beef chili, ciabatta bun, caesar salad, juice box and rice crispy square\
- Interviews this evening and tomorrow - I'm looking forward to meeting you all!If you have not already done so, please book an interview time with me - tomorrow evening 4:15 - 8pm or Friday morning 8-12:15pm.  I look forward to meeting all of you!
*no school for students on Friday, September 25^th
Terry Fox Run

-we will hold our Terry Fox Run during our Virtue Activity Day on Tuesday, September 29^th (weather permitting)

-we will be collecting coins to donate to Cancer Research as a part of the Marathon of Hope started by Terry Fox

-please bring nickles, dimes, quarters, loonies or twonies to school on Thursday, September 24^th, Monday, September 28^thor Tuesday, September 29^th

-any spare change will help

Harvest Party - Tues September 29, 6-8pm. Vista Heights Park. Valleyview Road and Veiner Park Street. Taste the food from the garden and get warm by the fire. 

Wed Sept 23, 2015

Today's Learning:
Class meeting:
- student led discussion about digital citizenship
- Learning Commons Book Exchange
- Art - video of oil pastel application, practice on whiteboards
- Story and discussion: "Animals at Home"
- Music
- continued art
- More Music with Mrs. Sagness

Ask me:
- "who lives in a mound? a cocoon? warren? burrow? lodge? drey?

Homework:
- do you have your emergency phone number and address memorized?
- Grade 3 students will take the online SLA tests in literacy and math on October 6th.  At home preparation can be done online: copy and paste link below into internet browser  https://public.education.alberta.ca/assessment
- RAZ Reading

Reminders:
If you have not already done so, please book an interview time with me - tomorrow evening 4:15 - 8pm or Friday morning 8-12:15pm.  I look forward to meeting all of you!
- We are having a whole school assembly tomorrow afternoon from 1-1:30. Parents and guardians are welcome to attend.  Our class will be sharing our "hallway poem"

Terry Fox Run

-we will hold our Terry Fox Run during our Virtue Activity Day on Tuesday, September 29^th (weather permitting)

-we will be collecting coins to donate to Cancer Research as a part of the Marathon of Hope started by Terry Fox

-please bring nickles, dimes, quarters, loonies or twonies to school on Thursday, September 24^th, Monday, September 28^thor Tuesday, September 29^th

-any spare change will help

Harvest Party - Tues September 29, 6-8pm. Vista Heights Park. Valleyview Road and Veiner Park Street. Taste the food from the garden and get warm by the fire. 

Tues Sept 22, 2015

Today's Learning:
Class meeting
     - phone number and address check
     - discussion of what a botanist and a horticulturalist do
Community walk & Math - taking photos of 2D & 3D shapes in houses and around our community
Story and discussion of "homes around the world"
Music
Body Break
Literacy - Venn diagram comparing our house with another from around the world

Ask me:
- about our community walk and what we took pictures of
- about the different kinds of houses from around the world: chalet, pueblo, venetian palace, Fujian tulou, condominium, chateau, cabin, townhouse, dogtrot, whitetown, cave dwelling, connected barn, apartment, yurt, airstream trailer, floating house, tree house
- what is a "botanist", a "horticulturalist"?

Homework:
- discussion with your child different kinds of houses

Reminders:
- please visit our school website to book an interview with me

Mon Sept 21, 2015

Today's Learning:
Class meeting
Math - shape identification in pictures from our evacuation walk
          - measurement: centimeter/meter
Outdoor measurement: measuring our community garden, 5 other outdoor items
Literacy - using a Venn Diagram to contrast and compare- fruits, transportation, homes
Outdoor gym
Story and Venn diagram comparison my home/home in another country

Ask me:
- what is a Venn Diagram used for?
- how many meters is the perimeter of our garden
- what is the difference between an apple and a orange
- what are the unique attributes of a bicycle/car?  what makes them the same?

Homework:
- Gr. 3 SLA practice tests - access through website (copy and paste into internet browser)  https://public.education.alberta.ca/assessment
- RAZ Reading

Reminders/Notices:
Please visit our school website to book an interview time with Mrs. Turk next week (Thursday 4:15 - 8pm and Friday 8-12:30).  The online booking system is now up and open for business!  :)
- tomorrow we will be going for a walk around our community to take pictures of shapes.  Pls see the community walk notice published on our school website.