Last Week of School Details (June 22 - 26)

Welcome to our twelfth and final week of remote learning. This week will look a little different since it is our last week of school for the year.

Monday: our last grade six Google Meet 8:30-9:30, no afternoon Meet

Tuesday, Wednesday: no open Google Meet (post on the stream or email us if you need help with coursework and require a one-on-one Meet)

Thursday: no open Google Meet, virtual grade six farewell on Zoom 1:00-2:00 (see details in the invitation below or in last week's post)

Friday: no open Google Meet, BHS farewell between 12:00 and 1:00 (teachers will be standing outside the school to wave goodbye and send you socially distanced well wishes for summer)

Below is a brief summary of this week’s learning activities and resources. 

Math

This week is all about review. Students are encouraged to complete any unfinished tasks on Mathletics and take the assigned grade six test. There is also a document containing links to online games and activities for all units covered this year. These can be accessed anytime throughout the summer as fun ways to keep skills sharp for next year. Please note that this week’s math documents have been posted as material rather than as assignments since there is nothing to be submitted in the Google Classroom this week.

LA / Science

This week, students will receive a number of clues to solve the mystery of a stolen phone and a cyberbullying incident at a fictional Calgary school. Students will read clues, analyze information and learn about the procedure to solve a crime. Clues will be posted throughout the week (Monday - Thursday). 

All Google Classrooms will be archived on Friday afternoon, meaning that students will be able to view past work but will not be able to post or submit anything new. We encourage students to keep reading over the summer and to talk or write about what they have read. Mathletics accounts will remain active over the summer, and the links posted in the math classroom are also great resources for practice. 

We hope to see students on Google Meet on Monday and to see all of you at our Zoom grade six farewell on Thursday and the BHS farewell on Friday.

Have a great last week of school and a wonderful summer!

Grade 6 Farewell Details and June 15 - 19 Online Learning

Please see the invitation at the end of this post for our virtual grade 6 farewell on Thursday, June 25 from 1pm to 2pm. We hope you’ll be able to join us online to celebrate the accomplishments of our wonderful students. The farewell is being held on Zoom to allow family members to join from anywhere. The free Zoom app can be downloaded on any device or you can sign up for a free account on the website at zoom.us. The meeting details are in the invitation and will also be sent out on the morning of the farewell via school messenger, as well as posted in the LA Google Classroom.
The program will feature a photo montage, speeches, and presentations of this year’s student awards. The t-shirt from parent council, a printed copy of each student’s certificate, and a small gift from the teachers have been placed in the plastic bag of student belongings. You should have received an email from the office about booking a time to pick up student belongings. Please note that even if you picked up items earlier, student work and grade 6 certificates and shirts have just been put out this week so you will need to come in again. Let me know if you have any questions about the virtual farewell or about picking up student belongings (siwinston@cbe.ab.ca).

Updates for our eleventh week of online learning are below. Answer keys and next week’s assignments and resources will be posted on Monday morning as usual.

LA (approx 45 min.)
This week students will edit the story they wrote during week 9. There is a document in which to copy the story and a checklist to complete with various edits and revisions. Students are also asked to highlight features such as figurative language (similes, personification, etc.) and word choice that invokes imagery. There are handouts posted on dialogue rules and figurative language so that students can refer to them while working on improving their stories.

Math (approx. 2.5 hours)
This week we are learning about transformations. Students will watch videos and complete tasks on Mathletics to practice transformations, rotations, and shifts on coordinate planes. There are questions to answer after the first set of videos as a way of making notes on key info and there are Mathletics reflection questions at the end of this week’s document. All other work will be submitted through Mathletics this week.

Social Studies (approx. 45 min., counted as LA time)
The Iroquois Confederacy unit is continuing. This week there are two videos to watch and questions to answer about the history of the Great Law of Peace.

Science (approx. 60 min., counted as LA time)
In the Evidence and Investigation unit, students are going to explore the various types of evidence and their unique characteristics (e.g. footprints, animal & tire tracks, fabric and soil samples testimonial evidence etc.) There is also a link to a Bill Nye episode on “Forensics” for those who want to learn more.

Due dates are set for each Sunday as a way of providing structure and keeping work from piling up and becoming overwhelming, but we understand that work may need to be handed in late for various reasons and we would much rather see the work late than not at all. We are trusting that late work is completed honestly and without the use of the answer keys.

All grade six teachers will continue to be available online during school days and can be reached through stream comments, email, comments on student work, and in Google Meets. We will continue to have daily morning Google Meets at 8:30 and two afternoon Meets, one on Monday at 12:30 and one on Wednesday at 1:30.

Have a great weekend and a wonderful week next week!

Online Learning June 8 - 12

Welcome to our tenth week of online learning. Starting this week we are reducing the afternoon Meet times due to a lack of participation. Mr. Shackelton will be hosting the Monday afternoon meeting at 12:30pm and Mr. Mueller will be hosting the Wednesday afternoon meeting at 1:30pm. We continue to check our classroom streams and answer questions about assignments. The morning Meet time remains unchanged. Daily Meets take place from 8:30-9:30am.

Answer keys are now posted for last week’s assignments where applicable, and this week’s assignments and resources are now posted.

LA (fully integrated into science and social studies)

This week students will be applying their literacy skills while continuing work in the final social studies and science units, so no assignments are posted in the LA classroom. Once again there is a question for students to answer confirming they understand that they need to check the science and social studies classrooms to access the work for this week. This shows us who is paying attention to what is posted.

Math (approx. 2.5 hours)

In our final week on geometry, students will work on triangles, quadrilaterals, and angles. This week students will learn about and refine skills in identifying different types of angles, naming triangles (by side and angle), calculating area and perimeter of 2-D shapes (e.g. triangles) and also learn how to calculate the volume of 3-d shapes (rectangular prisms). It is recommended to follow the steps on the Week 10 Geometry document for a linear progression of tasks. Mr. Mueller has made two videos explaining the concepts. The links are embedded in the document. Please ensure students watch them! New Mathletics tasks have been assigned for practice. Lastly, there is a Google Form about all the concepts taught in the past 3 weeks in geometry for students to test their skills. 

Social Studies (approx. 1.5 - 1.75 hours, counted as LA time)

The Iroquois Confederacy unit is continuing. There are textbook pages to read and questions to answer about their decision making. Remember to answer in full sentences. 

Science (approx. 30 - 45 mins, counted as LA time)

This week, students are tasked to develop their understanding of the types and patterns on fingerprints in the Evidence and Investigation unit. There is a slideshow, two short videos and a Google document with questions that need to be submitted.

Due dates are set for each Sunday as a way of providing structure and keeping work from piling up and becoming overwhelming, but we understand that work may need to be handed in late for various reasons and we would much rather see the work late than not at all. We are trusting that late work is completed honestly and without the use of the answer keys.

All grade six teachers will continue to be available online during school days and can be reached through stream comments, email, comments on student work, and in the daily Google Meets (see updated Meet schedule below).

Have a great week!

Online Learning June 1 - 5

Welcome to our ninth week of online learning. Answer keys are now posted for last week’s assignments where applicable, and this week’s assignments and resources are now posted.

LA (approx. 1 - 1.5 hours)

In addition to the science and social studies LA work, students will do a review of story writing this week. There are three photo prompts. Students will choose one and plan a story to write based on the picture. Their planning will include a word bank with various parts of speech (eg. vivid verbs) and the parts of a story (eg. climax and resolution). The PAT story writing rubric (also the rubric we used during our story writing unit) is posted so students can reference it and see where they think their story falls.

Math (approx. 2.5 hours)

Geometry is continuing. This week students will review the types of triangles, classify regular and irregular polygons, solve problems involving missing side lengths, and calculate perimeters of various shapes. The practice questions are split into two tasks and will be submitted through Google Forms. Relevant tasks are assigned on Mathletics. There is also another online basic facts / computation quiz to complete on Google Forms this week, including a few review questions on integers.

Social Studies (approx. 30 mins, counted as LA time)

The Iroquois Confederacy unit is continuing. There are textbook pages to read and questions to answer about their decision making and the pros and cons of consensus.

Science (approx. 30 mins, counted as LA time)

We are starting the last unit in science for this year: Evidence and Investigation. This week, students are tasked to develop their understanding of unit vocabulary (e.g. evidence, conclusion, infer, witness etc.) and learn about the importance of making detailed observations and inferences based on those details. 

Due dates are set for each Sunday as a way of providing structure and keeping work from piling up and becoming overwhelming, but we understand that work may need to be handed in late for various reasons and we would much rather see the work late than not at all. We are trusting that late work is completed honestly and without the use of the answer keys.

All grade six teachers will continue to be available online during school days and can be reached through stream comments, email, comments on student work, and in the daily Google Meets.

Have a great week!

Online Learning May 25 - 29

Welcome to our eighth week of online learning.

Grade 6 Farewell T-Shirts

Our generous parent council is organizing free graduation T-shirts for all grade six students! All we need to know is your child’s youth size. In the LA classroom is a size question that needs to be answered asap.

Answer keys are now posted for last week’s assignments where applicable, and this week’s assignments and resources are now posted. 

LA (fully integrated into science and social studies)

This week students will be applying their literacy skills while wrapping up their project in science and beginning a new unit in social studies, so no assignments are posted in the LA classroom. Once again there is a question for students to answer confirming they understand that they need to check the science and social studies classrooms to access the work for this week. This shows us who is paying attention to what is posted.

Math (approx. 2.5 hours)

We are beginning our geometry unit this week, and the focus is on triangles. Students will learn about different types of triangles by reading about them, looking at labeled pictures, and watching a Math Antics video. After completing related activities on Mathletics, there are questions for students to answer in which they must identify types of triangles and explain how they knew. Finally, there is another online basic facts / computation quiz to complete on Google Forms this week, including a few review questions on integers.

Social Studies (approx. 1 hour, counted as LA time)

Mr. Shackelton is beginning the final social studies unit of the year: Iroquois Confederacy. There are textbook pages to read and questions to answer about the Iroquois society and how it was different from the Athenian society.

Science (approx. 1.5 hours, counted as LA time)

This is the third and final week of Mr. Mueller’s research project on our solar system and Earth’s movement. Students have been reminded to check the updated posting of the rubric so that they can make sure their project contains all required components. Please ensure that the text on each slide is written in each student’s own words and not directly copied from websites and textbooks.

Due dates are set for each Sunday as a way of providing structure and keeping work from piling up and becoming overwhelming, but we understand that work may need to be handed in late for various reasons and we would much rather see the work late than not at all. We are trusting that late work is completed honestly and without the use of the answer keys.

All grade six teachers will continue to be available online during school days and can be reached through stream comments, email, comments on student work, and in the daily Google Meets.

Have a great week!

Online Learning May 20 - 22

Welcome to our seventh week of online learning. 

Answer keys are now posted for last week’s assignments where applicable. Please note that for Google Form tasks, students are able to see the correct answers as soon as they submit the form, so there are no posted answer keys for those activities.

This week’s assignments and resources are now posted. 

LA (fully integrated into science)

Due to this being such a short week (fewer instructional days) and students having an ongoing research project based in science curriculum, there are no new assignments posted in the LA classroom this week. There is a question for students to answer confirming they understand that they need to check the science classroom.

Math (approx. 1.5 - 2 hours)

This week we are taking a break from algebra to focus on applied math that connects with students’ sky science learning. There are problems for students to solve using provided information, tables, and statistics. The goal on Mathletics this week is to catch up on incomplete assignments from previously covered units, thus no new tasks have been assigned. There is another online basic facts / computation quiz to complete on Google Forms this week, including a few review questions on solving simple algebraic equations.

Social Studies

There is no social studies work this week. Social studies integrated with LA will resume next week.

Science (approx. 1.5 hours, counted as LA time)

This is the second week of Mr. Mueller’s three week sky science research project. Additional links have been posted with resources and examples. See last week’s summary for more information about the project.

Due dates are set for each Sunday as a way of providing structure and keeping work from piling up and becoming overwhelming, but we understand that work may need to be handed in late for various reasons and we would much rather see the work late than not at all. We are trusting that late work is completed honestly and without the use of the answer keys.

All grade six teachers will continue to be available online during school days and can be reached through stream comments, email, comments on student work, and in the daily Google Meets.

Have a great week!

Online Learning May 11 - 14

Welcome to our sixth week of online learning.

Please note that this Friday (May 15) is a scheduled non-instruction day, so teachers will not be available online that day. Similarly, with Monday, May 18 being a holiday and Tuesday, May 19 being a non-instruction day, teachers will not be online those days and next week’s assignments will be posted on Wednesday morning.

Answer keys are now posted for last week’s assignments where applicable. Students are encouraged to go through their feedback and check the answer keys if they are unsure about any of the work. We are here to help if something does not make sense.

This week’s assignments and resources are now posted. Remember that work completed in science and social studies counts toward LA time (refer to the week four online learning email or the post on any of our teacher blogs for the explanation surrounding the integration of science and social with LA).

LA (fully integrated into science and social tasks)
Due to this week and next week being shorter weeks (fewer instructional days) and students having ongoing research projects based in social studies and science curriculum, there are no new assignments posted in the LA classroom this week. There is a document explaining the social and science assignments and a question for students to answer confirming they have read the instructions.

Math (approx. 2.5 hours)

We are continuing our work on algebra. There is a document with notes and examples for students to look through before completing a Google Form on algebraic equations. The remaining algebra tasks have been assigned on Mathletics, including the test, which will take the place of a Google Form quiz for this unit. Should students wish to complete additional tasks on Mathletics from other units, they may. There is another online basic facts / computation quiz to complete on Google Forms this week, including a few review questions on fractions, decimals, and percentages. Finally, as an extension / optional activity, there are some math puzzles for students to solve using algebraic thinking.

Social Studies (approx. 1 hour, counted as LA time)

This is week two of Mr. Shackelton’s persuasive writing project. Speeches need to be completed this week and may be presented on video or over Google Meet in addition to being submitted in written form.

Science (approx. 1.5 hours, counted as LA time)

In science, students will begin work on an interdisciplinary LA/science project. Our grade 6 space explorers are tasked to create a slideshow using Google Slides that includes information about Sun-Earth-Moon, two planets and space topics of their own choice. This project is a 3 week project and is expected to include at least 7 slides, plus a title and bibliography/sources slide.

Now that science and social studies are built into LA time, the expectation is that assignments are completed for all core subjects. Weekly assignments continue to be due on Sunday, but we are still accepting late assignments. If you are handing in late work, we are trusting you to complete it honestly and without checking the answer keys, which are posted on Monday mornings.

All grade six teachers will continue to be available online during school days. There will be daily links to Google Meets so that students can ask questions and see each other. We are also continually responding to stream comments and emails, as well as posting individual comments on student work. Attendance on Google Meets is not mandatory; it is simply another resource that is available to students if they need it.

Have a great week!

CBE Tech Support

A message from CBE:

Technical Assistance Now Available for Ongoing Learning

The CBE can now assist parents and students with technical issues that arise while continuing ongoing learning. Parents of kindergarten to Grade 9 students or students in Grades 10-12 can call or email requests for assistance with CBE supported technology.

Visit Technical Support for Students & Parents and choose “Support for G Suite" or “Support for Brightspace" for more information. This service is a temporary service available during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hours of operation will be Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM (excluding statutory holidays).

Please have the following information accessible when you call:
Student ID number
Student Email address
Student Password (we will not ask you for your password, but you must be able to enter it)

Contact information:
Phone: 403-817-7996
Email: ParentTechnicalSupport@cbe.ab.ca  

Online Learning May 4 - 8

Welcome to our fifth week of online learning.

Answer keys are now posted for last week’s assignments where applicable. Students are encouraged to go through their feedback and check the answer keys if they are unsure about any of the work. We are here to help if something does not make sense.

This week’s assignments and resources are now posted in all classrooms. Remember that work completed in science and social studies counts toward LA time (refer to the week four online learning email or the post on any of our teacher blogs for the explanation surrounding the integration of science and social with LA).

LA (approx. 1 hour)

In addition to the science and social studies LA work, students will focus on editing and revising this week. There is a Google Form that contains a review of what editing and revising look like, proper sentence structure, capitalization rules, and the rules for punctuating dialogue. There are 15 questions to answer on these topics. Students will need to pay careful attention, as many of the choices look similar but only one will actually follow all the rules. Then students will select one of the news articles they have written in previous weeks. There is a place for them to copy and paste this as their first draft. They will then edit and revise to produce an improved second draft of the article.

Math (approx. 2.5 hours)

We are continuing our work on algebra. Relevant tasks and any unfinished tasks from other units are assigned on Mathletics, and students have been asked to answer a few questions about what tasks they completed on Mathletics this week. This week we have introduced a new online resource: Khan Academy. There are links to videos and practice questions on Khan Academy, as well as practice questions to complete in the week 5 Google Doc. There is also an online basic facts / computation quiz to complete on Google Forms.

Social Studies (approx. 1 hour, counted as LA time)

Mr. Shackelton has posted a two week project, so students should plan to spend about one hour this week and one hour next week (of course feel free to do more). Students need to research a hero, god, or goddess and write a speech to Zeus about why they should be next to rule Mount Olympus. In their persuasive speech, students will need to include information from the chapters covered in class as well as what they find in their own research. They will submit their written speech but are also encouraged to record themselves or present during a Google Meet. 

Science (approx. 30 mins, counted as LA time)

Mr. Mueller has posted a link to a short video and a NASA website, combined with a Google Doc with guided questions about the Solar System and its components. Students learn about and explore planets and their moons, asteroids, the Kuiper Belt and are encouraged to research their own space objects of interest.
Now that science and social studies are built into LA time, the expectation is that assignments are completed for all four subjects. Weekly assignments continue to be due on Sunday, but we are still accepting late assignments. If you are handing in late work, we are trusting you to complete it honestly and without checking the answer keys, which are posted on Monday mornings.

All grade six teachers will continue to be available online during school days. There will be daily links to Google Meets so that students can ask questions and see each other. We are also continually responding to stream comments and emails, as well as posting individual comments on student work. Attendance on Google Meets is not mandatory; it is simply another resource that is available to students if they need it. The most recent teacher availability schedule is posted below.

Have a great week!

Online Learning April 27 - May 1

Welcome to our fourth week of online learning. Please look for a message below from one of our school’s community partners about accessing food resources if needed.

Answer keys are now posted for last week's assignments where applicable. We have provided feedback but would like students to check their work and ask questions if they are unsure of why an answer is correct/incorrect.

There are some changes to the type and amount of work posted this week. After tracking how much work was completed in each subject area during our first three weeks, looking at what curricular areas we want to prioritize during the remainder of our online learning, and continuing to work within the Alberta education guidelines, we have decided to reorganize our LA, social studies, and science assignments. Since our science and social studies assignments involve reading comprehension, various types of written responses, and presenting information, we will now be considering time spent on these two subjects as language arts time. Due to this integration of subjects, there will be fewer LA assignments posted each week (since students will be practicing those skills in the other subject areas as well).

Here is how this will look for students:

• In the LA classroom, you will continue to see a few assignments (about an hour to an hour and a half of work, depending on how much time is allotted to other subject areas utilizing LA skills). Each week's assignment will also include a sentence telling you what to look for in the social and science classrooms. LA work will continue to be assessed by each student's LA teacher.
• In the science and social studies classrooms, you will continue to see weekly assignments posted. The time spent on those assignments will now count toward time spent on LA. Science and social studies assignments will continue to be assessed by Mr. Mueller (science) and Mr. Shackelton (social).

With those changes in mind, assignments are now up for this week in all 4 classrooms (LA, math, science, and social studies).

LA (approx. 1 hour + optional extension task)
In addition to the science and social studies LA work, students will continue working on news reports. This week, there is a set of facts about which students will need to write their own news report. This is one of the writing tasks that would have been completed during the PATs, so despite not having PATs this year, it is a skill we will continue to practice. There is also an optional extension activity to write a news report on any topic.

Math (approx. 2.5 hours)
We are wrapping up patterns. There is a pattern quiz to complete online (this will be instead of a basic facts quiz this week). Our next area of focus is algebra and equations. There is an introduction lesson and some practice work, along with videos for students to begin to familiarize themselves with this topic. Relevant tasks and any unfinished tasks from other units are assigned on Mathletics, and students have been asked to answer a few questions about what tasks they completed this week.

Social Studies (approx. 1 hour, counted as LA time)
Mr. Shackelton has posted reading about Ancient Athens with questions to answer about their class structure and lottery system. 

Science (30min-1hour, counted as LA time)
This week’s science topic ‘revolves’ around the Sun, the centre of our solar system. Students will be provided with an interdisciplinary viewing/reading comprehension task that combines LA and science. After watching a National Geographic video on our star, they can test their understanding in a true and false quiz and journal about the topic. If they wish to expand their knowledge, they are welcome to engage in a targeted research task on the various types of stars and their life cycle from solar nebula to black hole/ cold dwarf star.

Now that science and social studies are built into LA time, the expectation is that assignments are completed for all four subjects. Weekly assignments continue to be due on Sunday, but we are still accepting late work. If you are handing in late work, we are trusting you to complete it honestly and without checking the answer keys, which are posted on Monday mornings.

All grade six teachers will continue to be available online during school days. There will be daily links to Google Meets so that students can ask questions and see each other. We are also continually responding to stream comments and emails, as well as posting individual comments on student work. Attendance on Google Meets is not mandatory; it is simply another resource that is available to students if they need it.

Have a great week!

A message from Brown Bagging for Calgary Kids:

Brown Bagging for Calgary Kids is a valued partner of Beddington Heights School. If your family is in need of support with finding food resources please visit www.bb4ck.org

• You can go online and request a grocery store gift card. BB4CK is offering $30/kid every 2 weeks. This can be used to purchase groceries to help provide food for your child in the next couple of weeks. You can learn more and/or sign up to receive updates on the BB4CK website. Please visit www.bb4ck.org/help to learn more. Recipes and grocery tips will soon be uploaded to this site as well.
• Please check out our FoodFinderYYC app: foodfinderyyc.com OR text FOOD to 587-318-0232
• This is an incredible, free and anonymous texting service that allows families in need to find free food that has been lovingly prepared in their local community.
• The bb4ck.org/help page will continue to be updated with information for families, including recipes, grocery shopping tips and more.

Online Learning April 20 - 24

Welcome to our third week of online learning. Please check for Mr Hebert's April principal message at the bottom of this post. Answer keys are now posted for last week's assignments where applicable. We have provided feedback but would like students to check their work and ask questions if they are unsure of why an answer is correct/incorrect. Assignments are now up for this week in all 4 classrooms (LA, math, science, and social studies).

Our buddies have been missing us so we are going to have the opportunity to do a buddy Google Meet this Thursday. Their usual meet is Thursday from 9-10, and we have been invited to join them this week. The meeting code will be emailed to students and posted in the LA classroom stream on Thursday morning. Just like with all other Google Meets, the buddy meet is not mandatory but please consider stopping by to say hi.

LA
The news article unit is continuing. This week's focus is on specific news article elements, including headlines, lead paragraphs, and direct and indirect speech. There are examples to look at, videos to watch, and tasks to complete.

Math
We are continuing with patterns. The first activity is similar to last week's work. Students have to practice using input/output machines and give the pattern rule that relates the input to the output. There is also the opportunity to find similarities and differences between input/output machines and to correct output errors. The next lesson asks students to find the pattern rule and continue listing input/output values for various machines. Students will then have the opportunity to look at patterns that are represented visually through pictures. Just like last week, there is a document with questions to answer about activities completed on Mathletics and a basic facts quiz to complete online.

Social Studies
Mr. Shackelton has posted reading about Ancient Athens with questions to answer about the roles of people in their society and how their democracy worked.

Science

Last week Mr. Mueller posted a two week project about moon phases, so this is the second week for that. Some students completed it last week, in which case there is only a short science quiz this week on the moon phases.

Again, please remember that the focus should be on math and LA. If you are finding it difficult to make time to complete everything, those assignments need to be the priority. This week's assignments are due on Sunday. When the work gets done is up to your family, but if students are handing work in early in the week, they will be encouraged to go back and complete should/could tasks or add detail. Answer keys, where applicable, for this week's work will be posted on Monday.

All grade six teachers will continue to be available online during school days. We will continue to post daily links to Google Meets so that students can ask questions and see each other. We are also continually responding to stream comments and emails, as well as posting individual comments on student work. Attendance on Google Meets is not mandatory; it is simply another resource that is available to students if they need it.

Have a great week!

April Principal’s Message:

You will see this is a difference from past communication where you would have received my message on school messenger. In order to minimize the amount of e-mail to parents/families at this time, we have made a decision at Beddington to include this in the teacher e-mail you are already receiving. Hopefully this supports families need and will provide enough information to give you what you need. 

We are continuing to learn about our student on-line learning and how to keep connected with our students during this period of isolation.  We know that whatever we are asking of you at this time needs to be balanced with your need for health and care of self and others. We will try to provide continuity where we can. Both on-line google classroom and paper packages have been implemented to provide opportunity for ongoing learning opportunities for our students.  This has been working with a level of success and we are glad to see successes with our students. The focus has been on math and literacy activities and we ask that you place your efforts on these activities first. You should be receiving weekly communication from your child’s teacher by this point outlining the week ahead. Teachers are available to answer questions either during scheduled google meet sessions or through responding to your individual questions through e-mail. We continue to refine weekly schedules to best meet needs. 

Our specialists Mr. Sadowsky and Mr. Wiens have provided additional enrichment activities for you to work on. These are not compulsory and are there to support those who wish to engage at a greater level of involvement. I have had a number of questions as to whether these are required. They are posted for those who wish to access them. 

Please note that for safety reasons the office is closed. Access for parents is in the main door and material pickup and drop off is in the gym. You are asked to exit through the gym door afterward. If you have questions for us in the office please feel free to call. Ms. Cumming and I are in the office during the day to answer your questions so feel free to give us a call. 

Our knowledge of “Assessment of Learning” is ongoing. There will be more information forwarded to you regarding what to expect. We do know that report cards for year end will be part of our work. This will most likely be available on-line when they are complete. 

We ask that you keep in contact with your teacher, whether your child is able to complete work or not. We are working to limit factors that prevent this from happening and we are able to provide resources in many cases. We have a listing for a number of resources that we may be able to connect you with. Our greatest goal at this time is to stay connected. We miss you all greatly. 

Stay safe.

Updates and Reminders

• Teachers have been continuously providing feedback and returning work that has been turned in. I will keep checking over the weekend.
• This week's assignments are due on Sunday but can still be handed in late if you can't get them done in time. Please prioritize math and LA.
• LA - news articles week 2 
• Math - patterns week 2
• Social studies - ancient Athens week 2
• Science - moon phases project (actually due next week but you can get started)
• Answers to this week's assignments, where applicable, will go up on Monday so that students can check their work.
• Next week's assignments will be posted on Monday morning and you will receive our weekly learning summary then as well.
• Our buddies are missing us and have invited us to their Google Meet next Thursday (April 23) at 9:00. I will post the Meet code for students on Thursday morning. I've been on their Meets a couple times and they've told me how much they want to see you, so it would be great if you could stop by to say hi, even for a couple minutes.

Have a nice weekend - enjoy the break from the snow!

Online Learning April 14 - 17

Welcome to our second week of online learning. Answer keys are now posted for last week's assignments where applicable (activities asking for creative writing or statements of opinion do not have a right or wrong answer) so that students can check their work. We hope to get students in the habit of checking their own work on these types of assignments, but we will continue looking over work and providing feedback. Assignments are now up for this week in all 4 classrooms (LA, math, science, and social studies). 

LA
This week we are continuing our news article unit. There is an article for students to analyze and identify various elements. Next, students have been given a scenario and will use a graphic organize to plan a news report. Finally, students have been provided with two situations / sets of facts and will write a news report about one or both of them. We will use this article as a baseline and next week we will look at how to improve our writing.

Math
We are continuing our work on patterns. The first activity is similar to last week's final activity. There are tables for students to complete and identify the pattern rules. In the next activity, students will complete tables and identify the rule for patterns that involve two operations. We want students to continue the habit of using Mathletics (we did this weekly in class), so this week there is a document for students to fill in to say what activities they completed and how they feel it went. Finally, there is an online version of a basic facts / computation quiz so that they can continue practicing the four operations.

Social Studies
Mr. Shackelton has posted some textbook work this week for Ancient Athens. The link to the textbook is in the document with the questions to answer.

Science
Mr. Mueller has posted a two week project about moon phases. There are many links for students to explore and questions to answer.

Again, please remember that the focus should be on math and LA. If you are finding it difficult to make time to complete everything, those assignments need to be the priority. This week's assignments are due on Sunday (except for science, which will carry over into next week). When the work gets done is up to your family, but if students are handing work in early in the week, they will be encouraged to go back and complete should/could tasks or add detail. Answer keys, where applicable, for this week's work will be posted on Monday.

All grade six teachers will continue to be available online during school days. We will continue to post daily links to Google Meets in the mornings (Mr. Mueller and Mr. Shackelton also have science and social studies Meets some afternoons) so that students can ask questions and see each other - see updated schedule below (GM means in Google Meet, GC means on Google Classroom to respond to comments and give feedback). We are also continually responding to stream comments and emails, as well as posting individual comments on student work. Attendance on Google Meets is not mandatory; it is simply another resource that is available to students if they need it.

Have a great week!

Updates and Reminders

• I have provided feedback (personalized comments on individual documents and on the assignment pages) and returned all work that has been turned in as of now. I will continue to check in over the weekend and return assignments within a few days of them being submitted.
• There is no school tomorrow because of Easter, so teachers will not be online to answer questions. I will still check my email a few times over the weekend. 
• There is no school for students on Monday (it is a teacher PD day), so we will not be on Google Meet and new assignments will not be posted.
• This week's work is due on Sunday but you can still hand it in late if you can't get it done by then. If you are having trouble finding time to complete work, please prioritize math and LA.
• The scavenger hunt and classroom practice were due today but you can still work on it if you're not done. It's a good way to familiarize yourself with Google Classroom.
• Next week's assignments will be posted on Tuesday morning at 8:00 (since Monday was already scheduled as a no school day). 
• We will keep our schedule next week roughly the same as this week - there will be daily opportunities to ask teachers questions on Google Meet and we will all also monitor the classroom streams and have our email open during school hours. 

Happy Easter if you are celebrating!

Online Learning April 6-10

Regular classes began online this morning. Assignments will be up each Monday morning (unless there is no school on Monday) and will be due by Sunday. Students need to check all 4 classrooms to find the work for LA, math, science, and social studies. At the beginning of the week, I will post a summary of what students are working on, just like there used to be a daily class recap.

LA
This week was the official start of our news article unit. One class did a bit of news article work before outdoor school and everyone had access to a practice assignment last week, but this week everyone is reviewing the elements of a news article. There is a slideshow of information with some fill in the blank notes for students to complete on the main elements. Students will then create newspaper headlines and look at different news articles to identify features, answer comprehension questions and focus on vocabulary, and explain why they think various articles might have been in the news. If they want, students can complete a mad libs style activity where they fill in blanks to create a silly news report.

Math
Although pattern work has been assigned on Mathletics and I sent all of you an introductory slideshow before spring break, this week we began our real instruction and practice of patterns. There are two video lessons created by Mr. Mueller and there are four activities (each with a must / should / could element) for students to practice continuing increasing and decreasing patterns and writing pattern rules. As always, students also have work assigned to them from all of this year’s math units on Mathletics.

Social Studies
Mr. Shackelton is starting Ancient Greece. This week there is a link to a video to watch and questions to answer about it.

Science
Mr. Mueller is continuing Sky Science. This week he uploaded notes and videos with some questions to answer about revolution and rotation.

Music and Phys Ed
Mr. Wiens and Mr. Sadowsky are continuing to post videos and activities in their classrooms.

Please remember that the focus should be on math and LA. If you are finding it difficult to make time to complete everything, those assignments need to be the priority.

The grade six teachers will be available during school hours to respond to stream comments and emails. We will take turns hosting open Google Meets so students can ask questions face to face if they want - refer to the schedule posted and emailed on Friday. Attendance on Google Meets is not mandatory; it is simply another resource that is available to students if they need it. If the times don’t work and students can’t make it online to chat with us that’s completely fine. The expectation is that assignments are submitted by Sunday, but when that work gets done is up to your family.

A reminder that there is no school this Friday (April 10) or Monday (April 13) because of Easter. Teachers may be responding to email but will not be online those days.

Here’s to a great first week of online learning!

Story Feedback

Feedback and marks have been emailed to all students who handed in their stories.

Students whose stories were incomplete but shared with me also received feedback and a reminder that their story needs to be finished and turned in.

Friday, April 3

It was nice to see a few of you on Google Meet this morning. As we move forward with more regular coursework starting on Monday, this is the tentative schedule for our availability on Google Classroom and Google Meet. Teachers will almost always be available in some form during school hours, but sometimes that will be limited to email (for example, when we're in staff meetings).

If you could make sure you are connected to the 4 core subject Google Classrooms, that would be great. Sometime this weekend, I will be emailing students (and their parents) who have not yet connected to our Google Classrooms. I am also going to start scanning your stories and rubrics and emailing them to you (at your CBE gmail) so watch for that.

As always, please email me with any questions you have (siwinston@cbe.ab.ca). Thanks for your support this week!

Thursday, April 2

Our first room 20 Google Meet went really well this morning. It was nice to see each other again. We spent some time exploring Google Classroom together and figuring out how to make copies of documents that are assigned. Right now in the LA classroom, there is a scavenger hunt to help you get to know Google Classroom. Part of that assignment involves creating a new document and turning it in. We're hoping you will have it submitted by the end of the weekend so that you'll have had some practice before the real coursework goes up on Monday. In the LA stream, you will also find a posting with a document outlining some expectations for our online classroom. We went over them during our video call this morning, but if you couldn't make it, please review it on your own. There is also an LA news article assignment that Mr. Mueller posted for practice. You can complete this assignment if you want.

Work will be posted in all 4 subject classrooms on Monday morning, so make sure you have joined LA, math, science, and social studies. I think Mr. Wiens and Mr. Sadowsky have also invited you to music and phys ed classrooms. Remember that the focus is on math and LA, so that's where most of your time should be spent.

I will be online tomorrow morning responding to stream comments and emails. If you need help with anything or want to chat, we can talk on Google Meet - I will try to use the same link and nickname as we used this morning.

Google Meet

Go to meet.google.com, click join meeting, and enter the nickname grade6room20

Google Meet Tomorrow (Thursday)

Just a reminder that our first Google Meet online chat will be Thursday morning. Join the meeting anytime between 8:00 and 9:45 to say hi (to me and to any of your classmates who are online). The link will be posted here, posted on the stream in our LA Google Classroom, and emailed to room 20 students.

A lot of room 20 students still need to join the 4 Google Classrooms. Students have the invitations in their CBE email accounts.

First Google Meeting on Thursday

An email was just sent out to all parents with information about Google Classroom and Google Meet. Our first Google Meeting will be on Thursday morning between 8:00 and 10:00 (please check in sometime by 9:30 so we have time to make sure everything is working). Students do not need to be online the whole time; we just want to connect and make sure we're ready to go for online learning next week.

All grade 6 students have been invited to classrooms for the 4 core subjects. The invitations go to their CBE gmail accounts. Please have them join the classes this week.

Updates for this week (March 30 - April 3)

Hi Room 20 Parents and Students,

I connected with many of you today either over phone or email (you all should have received an email - please let me know if you did not) to gather some information about your access to online learning. Our official platform for online learning will be up and running by next week and will likely be mainly through Google Classroom. At the bottom of this post I have included links to some how to guides for the Google platforms we will be using. You should also have received an email from the school with a bit of information about these sites.

All students have Google accounts already - the same username and password that they use for their school email and Google Drive are what they will need for Google Classroom and Meet. Most (possibly all) room 20 students know their Google usernames, and I included them in the email I sent you on Monday, March 16. If you need it resent to you, please email me (siwinston@cbe.ab.ca) and I'll pass it on to you. Students set their own passwords and I do not have access to them. If a student has forgotten their password, let me know, and I can get submit a request for it to be reset. Most of our class was on Google Drive typing their stories in March, so I don't anticipate too many username/password issues.

For this week, while teachers are working on setting up the new online classrooms, please continue using the resources that were sent to you before the break. The expectation set by Alberta Education is 5 hours of work per week, so try to get in that habit this week, and of course feel free to do more. I have been checking in on your Mathletics and CommonLit progress and will continue to check progress and give feedback / assign work throughout the week. I have all your stories marked and am currently considering the best option for sending the feedback to students. If you're one of the six students who didn't hand your story in before outdoor school, the time is now! You will be hearing from me next week if it's still not finished and shared with me Google Drive.

Here are the links to help you get started with Google Classroom and Google Meet.

BHS Parent Info about Google 

Using Google Classroom

Using Google Meet (chat and video chat)

Using Google Chrome (web browser)

CBE Google Tech Support

We're still figuring things out, but email me any questions and I will do my best to find you an answer. More info will be coming your way later this week for sure.

Spring break wishes

Hi Room 20 Students,

Don’t worry, this blog post isn’t about assignments. My only assignment for you right now is to enjoy spring break, even though it will be a bit different this year. I just want you to know that I’m thinking about you. This week was very strange. I don’t like being in our classroom all day without you (I actually spent most of this week downstairs so I didn’t have to be up there alone). Nothing is the same without you there. I’m in the middle of reading your stories right now and it’s nice to be able to hear your voices through your writing.

One thing I’ve thought about many times in the past few days is how grateful I am that we were at outdoor school last week. So many grade six classes will not get that experience now, but we did, and I’m so glad. I hope you made memories that you will carry with you forever; I know I did.

CBE staff have been working hard this week to figure out what school will look like for us while we can’t be together. We’ll all learn more after spring break. It’ll be different and maybe a little scary, but we’ll figure it out together.

I miss you and I hope you’re all healthy and doing okay with all the changes happening right now. I’m just an email away any time you want to chat.

Love, Ms. Winston

Upcoming Event Cancellations

There should be School Messenger emails going out with more details but just a note that March fun lunch, the spring dance, and the Aggie Days field trip have all been cancelled as a safety precaution surrounding corona virus.

Friday, March 13

Messages and Reminders:
All library books are due back by Monday and we will not have library next week. Parent council fundraising forms went home today - order by March 31 if you want cookie, cinnamon bun, or muffin dough. Next Thursday is spring photo day. Thursday is also the last day of school before spring break. School resumes on Monday, March 30.

Morning Recap:
We had a sleepy day today after our busy week at outdoor school. What an amazing experience it was! We started the day with our 5 students combining classes with Mr. Shackelton's 4 students to go help their grade 2 buddies in Ms. Cox's class. They needed help filming videos for language arts. When that was done, we went back up to play some games or watch a bit of a movie before going down to see our buddies. We talked about this month's pillar (responsibility) and watched The Incredibles with them before going to gym with all 20 of the grade sixes.

Have a great weekend - stay warm and healthy!

Upcoming Important Dates:
Thursday, March 19 - spring photo day
Thursday, March 19 - last day of school before spring break
March 20 - March 29 - spring break
Monday, March 30 - back to school

Friday, March 6

Messages and Reminders:
Outdoor school is next week - we leave on Monday and return on Thursday. Click here if you need a copy of the info booklet with the packing list. Students who are not attending outdoor school have been assigned a classroom and are still expected to be at school each day. Friday is a regular school day (with some tiredness expected from both students and teachers).

Morning Recap:
This morning wrote our order of operations test. As we finished, we worked on unfinished work or did read to self. The test didn't go very well. We've seen our marks but didn't have time to go over the questions, so the tests will stay at school until we can go through them together (next Friday or the following Monday). Our guest teachers, the nursing students, were back for health today. They had us complete another survey on resilience and then explained our buddy activity. When buddies arrived, we made collages with positive things about ourselves. We ended the morning at gym with all the grade sixes.

Have a wonderful weekend! See you at the regular time on Monday to load luggage into the gym.

Upcoming Important Dates:

March 9 - March 12 - outdoor school

March 19 - last day of school before spring break

March 20 - March 29 - spring break

March 30 - back to school

Thursday, March 5

Messages and Reminders:
Stories are due tomorrow. Our order of operations test is tomorrow. Jump Rope for Heart fundraising is due tomorrow. Outdoor school is next week - we leave on Monday and return on Thursday. Click here if you need a copy of the info booklet with the packing list.

Morning Recap:
This morning after ignite, we wrote our third Edmonton spelling test of the year. When we were done, we peer marked them (Ms. Winston still goes over them after to double check). Everyone did the same or better than they did on the last test, which was great. In math, we wrote an integer order of operations mini quiz and did finish up math work. If all our work was finished, we did Mathletics on the laptops. We ended the morning with gym and library.

Upcoming Important Dates:
Friday, March 6 - stories due

Friday, March 6 - order of operations test

Friday, March 6 - Jump Rope for Heart fundraising due
March 9 - March 12 - outdoor school

March 19 - last day of school before spring break

March 20 - March 29 - spring break

March 30 - back to school

Wednesday, March 4

Messages and Reminders:
Stories are due by Friday and are now homework. Our order of operations test is on Friday. Jump Rope for Heart fundraising is due on Friday. Outdoor school is next week - we leave on Monday and return on Thursday. Click here if you need a copy of the info booklet with the packing list.

Morning Recap:
Our Wednesday schedule has changed a bit (gym and music schedules got switched around due to the gym being used as a lunchroom now), so we got right into story writing this morning instead of going to music first thing. We had a little over an hour to work on our stories for the last time. They can be handed in tomorrow or Friday but we are done working on them in class (they can still be printed at school if you don't have a printer at home - just make sure it is shared on Google Drive with siwinston@educbe.ca). If we were confident that we had done our best work and had completed one final editing checklist, we handed in our good copies and moved onto finish up or read to self before heading to music. During math, we continued working on our integer order of operations booklet. We did a challenge page and a math crossword puzzle if we finished early. After gym, we had a bit more time to work on math before lunch.

Upcoming Important Dates:
Friday, March 6 - stories due

Friday, March 6 - order of operations test

Friday, March 6 - Jump Rope for Heart fundraising due
March 9 - March 12 - outdoor school

March 19 - last day of school before spring break

March 20 - March 29 - spring break

March 30 - back to school

Tuesday, March 3

Messages and Reminders:
This week is club week at BHS. All week at lunch there are a variety of clubs that students can choose to check out during their lunch recess. Stories are due by Friday. We will work on them again tomorrow but then that's it and they will be homework. Our order of operations test is on Friday. Jump Rope for Heart fundraising is due on Friday. Outdoor school is next week - we leave on Monday and return on Thursday. Click here if you need a copy of the info booklet with the packing list. Students who are not attending outdoor school will be told this week what class they will be in while we are away.

Morning Recap:
This morning after music, we talked about the changes surrounding lunch. We will now be eating in the back half of the gym instead of upstairs in the classroom. In math, we reviewed multiplying and dividing integers and did a couple practice integer order of operations questions together before getting time to practice on our own. In language arts, we worked on our stories and reviewed the expectations for when we hand in our final draft. During gym, we started our floor hockey unit. Between gym and lunch, we had some finish up time or did read to self or read to someone if we were caught up on work.

Upcoming Important Dates:
Friday, March 6 - stories due

Friday, March 6 - order of operations test

Friday, March 6 - Jump Rope for Heart fundraising due
March 9 - March 12 - outdoor school

March 19 - last day of school before spring break

March 20 - March 29 - spring break

March 30 - back to school

Friday, February 28

Messages and Reminders:
There is no school for students on Monday. Stories are due by next Friday. We will probably work on them one or two more times, but they are more or less homework at this point. Jump Rope for Heart fundraising is due next Friday. Outdoor school is coming up soon! We leave March 9 and return March 12.

Morning Recap:
We started the day with the February pillars of care assembly. After helping clean up the assembly, we headed upstairs for a health workshop. We have had nursing students in to observe the grade six classes a few times, and a couple weeks ago they had us complete a survey. Based on the results of that survey, they developed a variety of activities around self-confidence and perseverance. Today we wrote letters to our future selves and played self care bingo. The bingo cards had ideas such as drinking enough water and spending time with family and friends. We spent a few minutes going over the rubric that will be used to mark our stories (it is the same rubric that is used for the PATs) and then we ended the morning at gym with all the grade sixes.

Have a great weekend!

Upcoming Important Dates:
Monday, March 2 - non-instruction day
Friday, March 6 - Jump Rope for Heart fundraising due
Friday, March 6 - stories due
March 9 - March 12 - outdoor school

Thursday, February 27

Messages and Reminders:
The SJAM family orientation is tonight from 5:30 - 7:00. At the end of the student orientation today, instructions were handed out for how to register for options classes. Tomorrow is the February pillars of care assembly. There is no school for students on Monday. Stories are due by the end of next week. We will only be working on them one or two more times in class. Jump Rope for Heart Fundraising is due next Friday.

Morning Recap:
This morning after ignite, all grade six students wrote the science unit test. As we finished, we came to room 20 and worked on finish up math or did word work making words out of the letters in aerodynamics. We saw our buddies today since we have a health workshop tomorrow. We went down to their class and continued talking about empathy. We were given two scenarios and had to draw or write how we could show empathy and understanding in each situation. When we got back upstairs, we watched a MathAntics video about multiplying and dividing integers and then went over the order of operations questions that were on yesterday's mini quiz. We ended the morning with gym and library. Lunch was a bit early today because the bus picked us up for SJAM at 12:00. Or at least, it was supposed to. Unfortunately, the bus was late in both directions and we were not on our best behaviour while waiting outside for it. Luckily, things went better while we were actually at SJAM. We met some teachers and did a scavenger hunt around the school. Hopefully you can make it tonight so you can see all the cool things you will get to do next year.

Upcoming Important Dates:
Friday, February 28 - pillars of care assembly
Monday, March 2 - non-instruction day
Friday, March 6 - Jump Rope for Heart fundraising due

Wednesday, February 26

Messages and Reminders:
Library tomorrow. SJAM field trip tomorrow. Outdoor school forms are due back by Friday - we need to know if students will not be attending outdoor school, so please send us an email. Friday is the February pillars of care assembly. There is no school for students on Monday. Jump Rope for Heart fundraising is due Friday, March 6.

Morning Recap:
This morning after music, we had a few minutes of finish up time for integers and order of operations booklets. If we were all caught up, we used this time to either study for tomorrow's science unit test or read to self or someone. In math, we continued finishing our work, did an order of operations mini quiz, and then did Mathletics on the iPads. Some of us have not been using Mathletics time effectively and have a ton of unfinished assignments. After gym, we had a talk about being kind and respectful to one another, since a few of us were really struggling with this today. We did some compliment circles before lunch. We each drew a popsicle stick and we came up with something kind to say to whoever's name was on it. We went around the room to share our kind words and then put the sticks back and pulled again. Hopefully tomorrow will be a kinder day in room 20.

Upcoming Important Dates:
Thursday, February 27 - field trip to SJAM
Friday, February 28 - outdoor school forms due
Friday, February 28 - pillars of care assembly
Monday, March 2 - non-instruction day
Friday, March 6 - Jump Rope for Heart donations due

Tuesday, February 25

Messages and Reminders:
Jump Rope for Heart fundraising envelopes went home today. The forms are due Friday, March 6. Today's basic facts / computation quiz went home - please sign and return. SJAM orientation field trip forms are due back for Thursday afternoon's trip. Outdoor school forms are due back this week - we need to know if students will not be attending outdoor school, so please send us an email. Tomorrow is pink shirt day. Friday is the February pillars of care assembly.

Morning Recap:
This morning after music, we wrote our basic facts / computation quiz. We took a break to go to the Jump Rope for Heart assembly and then finished up the quiz when we got back upstairs. They were sent home today, so please look over and sign them. In language arts, we continued working on our stories, both before and after gym. Gym this week is jump rope. Some of us were doing some pretty cool skipping tricks today.

Upcoming Important Dates:
Wednesday, February 26 - pink shirt day
Thursday, February 27 - field trip to SJAM
Friday, February 28 - outdoor school forms due
Friday, February 28 - pillars of care assembly
Monday, March 2 - non-instruction day
Friday, March 6 - Jump Rope for Heart donations due

Monday, February 24

Messages and Reminders:
Our next basic facts / computation quiz is tomorrow. SJAM orientation field trip forms are due back for Thursday afternoon's trip. Outdoor school forms are due back this week - we need to know if students will not be attending outdoor school, so please send us an email. Please look over, sign, and return integer quizzes, ratio unit tests, and basic facts quizzes from a couple weeks ago. Wednesday is pink shirt day - see http://www.pinktshirtday.ca/why-pink-t-shirts.html for more info about this day. Friday is the February pillars of care assembly - notes went home with our winners today.

Morning Recap:
This morning after ignite, we had a quick session with the laptops so we could work on our stories. We have decided that stories will be due at the end of next week, but we will not be working on them much in class after this week. After putting our stories away, we wrote a practice basic facts / computation quiz to prepare for tomorrow's real quiz. Today's quiz also included a bonus page of integer questions for practice, but this will not be on tomorrow's quiz. If we finished early, we worked on last week's order of operations booklets. After gym, we filled out ballots to nominate our classmates for this month's pillars of care awards. When everyone was done, we tallied the votes and announced the winners.

Upcoming Important Dates:
Tuesday, February 25 - basic facts / computation quiz
Wednesday, February 26 - pink shirt day
Thursday, February 27 - field trip to SJAM
Friday, February 28 - last day to return outdoor school forms
Friday, February 28 - pillars of care assembly

Friday, February 21

Messages and Reminders:
Our next basic facts / computation quiz will be on Tuesday. Please look over, sign, and return integer quizzes, ratio unit tests, and basic facts quizzes from a couple weeks ago. SJAM orientation field trip forms are due back for Thursday afternoon's trip. Outdoor school forms are due back by the end of February - we need to know if students will not be attending outdoor school, so please send us an email. Wednesday is pink shirt day - see http://www.pinktshirtday.ca/why-pink-t-shirts.html for more info about this day. Friday is the February pillars of care assembly - notes will go home with our winners early next week.

Morning Recap:
This morning we got right into story writing. We will have a few more in class opportunities to work on them and then they will become homework. The due date is likely being pushed back a week to allow for more editing time. In math, we continued working on our order of operations booklets. When buddies came up to see us, we talked about the pillar of the month: understanding. We looked at what it means to be understanding and show empathy. With our buddies, we completed a few activities and did some writing. We ended the morning at gym with all the grade sixes.

Have a great weekend!

Upcoming Important Dates:
Tuesday, February 25 - basic facts / computation quiz
Wednesday, February 26 - pink shirt day
Thursday, February 27 - field trip to SJAM
Friday, February 28 - outdoor school forms due
Friday, February 28 - pillars of care assembly

Thursday, February 20

Messages and Reminders:
Field trip forms went home yesterday for next Thursday's grade 7 orientation at SJAM. There is no cost but we do need the signed consent form returned before the trip. There is also a parent orientation that evening - see yesterday's blog post for more info. Please look over, sign, and return integer quizzes, ratio unit tests, and basic facts quizzes from a couple weeks ago. Next Wednesday is pink shirt day - see http://www.pinktshirtday.ca/why-pink-t-shirts.html for more info about this day. Outdoor school forms are due back by the end of February. BHS has entered the Artworks Foundation art contest! The theme is changing seasons. Submissions are due Monday, March 30th to Mr. Shackelton. More info is available at http://www.artworksalberta.org.

Morning Recap:
This morning after ignite, we got right into story writing. Most of us are done our first drafts and are onto editing and typing our second draft. During math, we wrote a mini quiz on order of operations and then did Mathletics on the laptops. It was nice to see how well most of did after only one day of practice using BEDMAS. We ended the morning with gym and library.

Upcoming Important Dates:
Wednesday, February 26 - pink shirt day
Thursday, February 27 - field trip to SJAM
Friday, February 28 - outdoor school forms due
Friday, February 28 - pillars of care assembly

Wednesday, February 19

Messages and Reminders:
Field trip forms went home today for next Thursday's grade 7 orientation at SJAM. There is no cost but we do need the signed consent form returned before the trip. There is also a parent orientation that evening - see last blog post for more info. We have library tomorrow. Please look over, sign, and return integer quizzes, ratio unit tests, and basic facts quizzes from a couple weeks ago. Next Wednesday is pink shirt day - see http://www.pinktshirtday.ca/why-pink-t-shirts.html for more info about this day. Outdoor school forms are due back by the end of February. BHS has entered the Artworks Foundation art contest! The theme is changing seasons. Submissions are due Monday, March 30th to Mr. Shackelton. More info is available at http://www.artworksalberta.org.

Morning Recap:
This morning after music, we got right into language arts. We did a mini lesson on showing, not telling. This means describing how a character looks and what they are doing to show how they feel, rather than just saying something like "he was sad." We looked at some examples and then worked with a group to create an example for a given emotion. When we were done, we took turns reading our descriptions and guessing each other's emotions. Then we continued working on our stories. In math, we learned about the order of operations. When solving math questions, we need to remember to use BEDMAS - brackets, exponents, division/multiplication, addition/subtraction. We did some practice as a class and on our own. After gym, we learned a new math game: integer war. It's similar to gain and loss, a game we learned last week, but with an extra step. Each round, we turn over 2, 3, or 4 cards and add them together. Red cards are negative and black cards are positive. Whoever has the higher sum gets to keep the cards for that round, and whoever has the most cards at the end of the game (when the cards have run out) is the winner. Before lunch, we completed a self-assessment exit slip about how we think we did playing the game.

Upcoming Important Dates:
Wednesday, February 26 - pink shirt day
Thursday, February 27 - field trip to SJAM
Friday, February 28 - outdoor school forms due
Friday, February 28 - pillars of care assembly

Information about next week's junior high orientation

Tuesday, February 18

Messages and Reminders:
Integers quizzes went home today for you to look over, sign, and return. There are also many ratios unit tests and basic facts / computation quizzes still need to be signed and returned. Outdoor school forms are due back by the end of February. Next Wednesday is pink shirt day - see http://www.pinktshirtday.ca/why-pink-t-shirts.html for more info about this day. Next Thursday afternoon is our field trip to SJAM junior high.

Morning Recap:
This morning after music, we did a quick integers review before writing the quiz. Quizzes have been marked and were sent home today so they can be signed and returned as soon as possible. Most of us did well on the quiz. In language arts, we continued working on our stories. The expectation is that when we finish our first draft, we revise and edit our own work and have a friend complete an editing checklist for us as well. Once both checklists are complete, we can move onto typing our second draft. During gym, we played bench dodgeball against the grade fives. We ended the morning by going over the answers to the problems on the integers quiz and putting some papers into our math folders.

Upcoming Important Dates:
Wednesday, February 26 - pink shirt day
Thursday, February 27 - field trip to SJAM
Friday, February 28 - outdoor school forms due
Friday, February 28 - pillars of care assembly

Wednesday, February 12

Messages and Reminders:
There will be an integers quiz on Tuesday. Many ratios unit tests and basic facts / computation quizzes still need to be signed and returned. Outdoor school forms are due back by the end of February. There is no school tomorrow, Friday, or Monday. Next Wednesday is pink shirt day - see http://www.pinktshirtday.ca/why-pink-t-shirts.html for more info about this day.

Morning Recap:
This morning after music, we got right back into story writing. Some of us asked to take our journals home so we can work on our stories over the long weekend. During math, we tried to catch up and finish all our unfinished integers work before writing an integers mini quiz and doing Mathletics on the laptops. In gym, it was our turn for the lacrosse class. We ended the morning with some guided drawing of a bouquet of roses in honour of Valentine's Day.

Have a great long weekend and a Happy Valentine's Day! See you on Tuesday.

Upcoming Important Dates:
Thursday, February 13 - no school (teachers' convention)
Friday, February 14 - no school (teachers' convention)
Monday, February 17 - no school (Family Day)
Tuesday, February 18 - integers quiz
Tuesday, February 18 - science project due
Wednesday, February 26 - pink shirt day

Tuesday, February 11

Messages and Reminders:
Many ratios unit tests and basic facts / computation quizzes still need to be signed and returned. Outdoor school forms are due back by the end of February. There is no school on Thursday, Friday, or Monday.

Morning Recap:
This morning after music, we caught up on unfinished math or did read to self or someone. During language arts, we continued story writing. In math, we worked on integer word problems. We had to look for clue words to determine if the numbers were positive or negative. For example, if something is below sea level, that means it's a negative number. We ended the morning going outside for gym with Mr. Shackelton's class since there is a lacrosse residency happening in the gym today and tomorrow (our day for it is tomorrow).

Upcoming Important Dates:
Thursday, February 13 - no school (teachers' convention)
Friday, February 14 - no school (teachers' convention)
Monday, February 17 - no school (Family Day)
Tuesday, February 18 - science project due
Wednesday, February 26 - pink shirt day (see http://www.pinktshirtday.ca/why-pink-t-shirts.html for more info about this day)

Monday, February 10

Messages and Reminders:
Many ratios unit tests and basic facts / computation quizzes still need to be signed and returned. Outdoor school forms are due back by the end of February. There is no school on Thursday, Friday, or Monday.

Morning Recap:
This morning after ignite, we got right into story writing. Most of us have written our beginning paragraph and are now writing the rest of our first draft in our journals. Our buddies came up to see us so we could finish the art project we started on Friday. Today we used watercolours to paint the sections inside our hearts. We also watched a quick Valentine's Day cartoon while the last few students finished their painting. After buddies left, we cleaned up the room and headed down to gym. When we got back to class, we practiced integer subtraction until lunch.

Upcoming Important Dates:
Thursday, February 13 - no school (teachers' convention)
Friday, February 14 - no school (teachers' convention)
Monday, February 17 - no school (Family Day)
Tuesday, February 18 - science project due
Wednesday, February 26 - pink shirt day (see http://www.pinktshirtday.ca/why-pink-t-shirts.html for more info about this day)

Friday, February 7

Messages and Reminders:
Fun lunch forms went home today. Order online if you want Subway at this month's fun lunch. Many ratios unit tests and basic facts / computation quizzes still need to be signed and returned. Outdoor school forms are due back by the end of February. There is no school next Thursday or Friday because of teachers' convention.

Morning Recap:
This morning we had some visitors for health. Mount Royal University nursing students have been observing grade six students over the past few Fridays. They are working on a community health initiative. Today they had us complete a survey about resiliency to give them a better idea of what type of program might be the most useful for us. After health, we got right into working on our stories in language arts. Most of us are working on our beginning paragraph or writing our first draft in our journals. We'll move onto computers next week after we finish and edit our first drafts. During math, we continued working with integers. Today we watched a MathAntics video about adding and subtracting integers and then did some practice adding using a number line and then tried some without. After math, buddies came up to do some art with us. Since there is no school on Valentine's Day (next Friday), we started our Valentine art today. We drew large hearts on our paper, and then used black paint to stamp overlapping black circles throughout our hearts. They need to dry before the next step, so we'll see our buddies again on Monday to keep working on it. We ended the morning at gym with all the grade sixes.

Have a great weekend!

Upcoming Important Dates:

Thursday, February 13 - no school (teachers' convention)

Friday, February 14 - no school (teachers' convention)

Monday, February 17 - no school (Family Day)
Tuesday, February 18 - science project due
Wednesday, February 26 - pink shirt day (see http://www.pinktshirtday.ca/why-pink-t-shirts.html for more info about this day)

Thursday, February 6

Messages and Reminders:
Math night is tonight from 6:00 - 8:00. Ratios unit tests and basic facts / computation quizzes need to be signed and returned. Outdoor school forms are due back by the end of February.

Morning Recap:
This morning after ignite, we did a reading comprehension assessment. This time we read a story called Charlie. Ms. Winston read the first three and a half pages aloud while we followed along and annotated. Then we finished reading the story with a partner and discussed the surprise ending. Finally we had time to read it again on our own and answer some comprehension questions. This was a longer reading with tough questions, but the expectation was still that we try our best, which most of us did. Once we finished the reading and questions, we either did finish up math or picked up an integers mini quiz (4 questions on more and less) before doing Mathletics on the iPads. We ended the morning with gym and library.

Hope to see you all at math night tonight!

Upcoming Important Dates:

Thursday, February 6 - math night - 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Thursday, February 13 - no school (teachers' convention)

Friday, February 14 - no school (teachers' convention)

Monday, February 17 - no school (Family Day)
Tuesday, February 18 - science project due
Wednesday, February 26 - pink shirt day (see http://www.pinktshirtday.ca/why-pink-t-shirts.html for more info about this day)

Wednesday, February 5

Messages and Reminders:
Math night is tomorrow from 6:00 - 8:00. Ratios unit tests and basic facts / computation quizzes need to be signed and returned. Outdoor school forms are due back by the end of February.

Morning Recap:
This morning after music, we wrote our basic facts / computation quiz. As we finished, we worked on yesterday's integers booklet or read if we were finished all our work. Quizzes have been marked and were sent home today for you to look over, sign, and send back to school. In language arts, we continued planning and working on the first draft of our stories. After another day of dodgeball in gym, we continued our story writing. We also took a couple minutes before lunch to put papers in our math folders.

Upcoming Important Dates:

Thursday, February 6 - math night - 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Thursday, February 13 - no school (teachers' convention)

Friday, February 14 - no school (teachers' convention)

Monday, February 17 - no school (Family Day)
Tuesday, February 18 - science project due
Wednesday, February 26 - pink shirt day (see http://www.pinktshirtday.ca/why-pink-t-shirts.html for more info about this day)

Tuesday, February 4

Messages and Reminders:
Everyone should now have copies of the outdoor school forms. They are due back by the end of February. Please contact us with any questions about outdoor school. Ratios unit tests need to be signed and returned. Our basic facts / computation quiz is tomorrow. Math night is Thursday from 6:00 - 8:00.

Morning Recap:
This morning after music, we did read to self. In language arts, we began planning our stories. We answered the 5W+H questions about our story and filled out a graphic organizer to show our story plan. If our planning was complete, we looked over some ideas for story beginnings and then wrote a draft of the beginning paragraph of our stories. During math, we started our new unit: integers. For the first time, we are working with both positive and negative numbers. We watched a MathAntics video about integers and did some practice questions as a class to compare integers and look at where various integers fall on a number line. We started an integers booklet, took a break for bench dodgeball in gym, and then continued working on our integer booklet until lunch.

Upcoming Important Dates:
Wednesday, February 5 - basic facts / computation quiz

Thursday, February 6 - math night - 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Thursday, February 13 - no school (teachers' convention)

Friday, February 14 - no school (teachers' convention)

Monday, February 17 - no school (Family Day)
Tuesday, February 18 - science project due
Wednesday, February 26 - pink shirt day (see http://www.pinktshirtday.ca/why-pink-t-shirts.html for more info about this day)