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January 2019

I hope you had a restful and enjoyable Christmas.  It is always nice to spend time with family and to appreciate our blessings during the Christmas season.  The first week back always feels long as it takes all of us (students and teachers) a while to get back into routines.  Please continue reading to find out what is taking place in our classroom. 

Language Arts
Our Creative Writing unit is coming to an end.  We will soon begin a novel study called Owls in the Family.  As a class, we group read a novel and learn to use prior knowledge (what we already know) and discover new information to help with our reading comprehension (understanding). 
We will continue on with Spelling and Guided Reading.  Please ensure that your child continues to read each night.  I strongly recommend at least 30 minutes each night.  This week, the students will have to complete a reading log that will be checked every Friday.  This will help me to track whether the students are reading books that are appropriate for his/her level.  Your child can also practice his/her reading skills and comprehension using Studyladder.com.  

Math
We have begun our unit on Multiplying and Dividing Whole Numbers.  The students learn strategies to help them find the product (multiplication) and the quotient (division) for equations.  We will also be working on reviewing and perfecting the algorithms for multiplication and division (long form). 
Please remember to have your child practice his/her math skills on Mathletics.com. 

Science 
It has taken a bit longer to collect the needed materials for our experiments.  These experiments will complement our unit on Mechanisms Using Electricity.  This is a fun way to see how electricity and magnets are used in our everyday lives.

Social Studies
This month we are finishing our chapter on The Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Lowlands.  We will soon be preparing for our text on this chapter.  In the next few weeks we will be learning about the another region called the Canadian Shield.  

Religion
We are leaving the Christmas season of the Liturgical Calendar and are returning to Ordinary time.  We learn about the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.  This leads us into the sacrament of Baptism. 

Drama:
The students are currently working on practicing and performing skits in class. 

French:
Mrs. Howe is teaching the students how to conjugate French action verbs.  They are playing fun games where they have to 'act-out' the French verb with their peers. 

Health
This unit we will be focusing on Relationship Choices.  We are currently studying how we hide our true feelings behind other emotions.  Knowledge of this helps us in our relationships with others.  For example, some of us show anger when we are feeling frustrated.  

Phys. Ed.
Our unit this month is Circuit Training.  Mr. Hagar and I are introducing the students to a new way of working out.  Circuit training works different muscle groups as well as improving your child's cardiovascular endurance.   

Art
We are beginning the new year by working on Print Making.  We will be using a variety of materials to experiment with different ways to transfer an image from one media to another.

Important Dates:
January 25th:                                  Professional Development Day (No School)
February 14th and 15th:                 Teacher's Convention (No School)
February 21st:                                 Field Trip to Heritage Park

Important Links:
Study Ladder                             www.studyladder.ca
Mathletics                                  https://community.mathletics.com/signin
Duolingo                                    https://www.duolingo.com







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