Week 5-6 Happy Thanksgiving!

 Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are having a wonderful weekend with your family and friends. We all have so much to be thankful for. 

I apologise for not blogging last week - I came down with a terrible stomach flu and was down for the count for a few days. I spent the rest of the week playing catch up, and unfortunately never got around to blogging. So sorry!

Here's what we've been up to:

Math - we have moved into addition and subtraction, with and without regrouping. We are looking at various methods of doing both of those things, including the algorithm. Students have experimented with adding and subtracting using base 10 blocks, by drawing pictures, using an open-number line, by breaking the number down and adding the components together (expanded form), rounding then compensating, etc.  Ask your son or daughter which method works best for them, and have them explain it to you. Next we will be working on rounding.

Language Arts - students are working on All About Me slideshows using Google Slides in their Language Arts Hapara folders. They are encouraged to add pictures of themselves and their families. They are also required to add 3 items that have meaning to them, or represent them in some way. They have to explain why the item is important to them in a paragraph. There is a rubric outlining the expectation in their Hapara folder as well. Most students have made good progress in starting their slideshow. They will present their slideshows orally in class next week.

Science - we have moved on to gears, and how they are used to change the speed and direction of a force. We experimented with spur gears of different sizes and numbers of teeth, and saw how the direction of rotation changed as the gears turned, and how smaller gears have to turn faster than larger gears. We will look at other types of gears this week, such as rack-and-pinion, helical, bevel and worm. The students really enjoy experimenting with the hands-on activities.

Religion - The Grade 4 Bible Blessing Ceremony has been scheduled for Friday, Nov. 3 at 1:00 p.m. We will be sending home invitations to parents to join us for this special event! Each student will receive their own Bible, blessed by Father and inscribed with their own name to keep. In preparation for this, we will be learning some songs, and learning how to find various passages in the New Testament. In the meantime, we have almost completed the Samaritans on the Digital Road lessons. You can access the content of these lessons in the Elementary Student Portal, under "Useful Links", here.

Phys Ed - we completed our Cross-Country unit, finished some team-building cooperative games, and did a short Soccer unit. We will be trying some new activities this week.

Don't Forget:
-library day is Thursday for book exchange
-Our Thanksgiving Food Drive continues, please send in donations of non-perishable food items up to Oct. 13 (Friday)
-The Cross-Country Running Meet is on Wed at the Terry Fox Athletic Facility. Go St. Clare Stars! Please wear Purple and Grey that day to support the team.
-Friday will be Board Game Day for United Way - bring a board game and a loonie or toonie to play board games for a block with friends! (no electronics, please).
-Saturday there will be an e-waste collection day at Ray Friel as a fundraiser for St. Peter's High School. Bring your old electronics for recycling, and support our local High School!