Thank you

A massive thank you to all of you for your tremendous support, good wishes, snacks, and presents. Feeling just a little overwhelmed with how great you all are!

Yesterday was a busy day - final catch up on some assignments in the morning, snacks, movie and class cleanup in the afternoon. We didn't even have time to make our gingerbread people! But we'll do that on Friday of our first week back.

Wishing you all a peaceful, happy and safe winter break.  Here's a little send-off!

Winter Concert

Winter Concert

Thursday, December 20
Our class is in Act 1 of the Winter Concert (and in the finale) which runs from 6:00 - 6:30 pm on Thursday, December 20th in the gym. 

• Please arrive in Room 206 no later than 5:45 as we are the first act on stage.
• Green, Red or White tops (or a combination of those colours) and dark bottoms. 

Bake Sale 

Our Student Leadership Team will be hosting a bake sale from 6:30 to 7:00 pm on the evening of the concerts. Everything will be $2 or less and all proceeds will go to funding our Seussical Musical and the Grade 8 trip to Wahonowin. 

Friday, December 21

This is the last day of school before the winter break. We will have a little party on the afternoon of that day. You are welcome to send some treats for the class but not necessary as I will be hosting. Please consider non-sugary snacks - there is lots of energy in this room and sugar tends to have negative consequences. Please, no pop. 

Monday, January 7

First day back to school after the break. 

A full and busy week ahead! 

December 10 - 15

LOTS going on between now and the winter break:

Our After School Math Group has ended for this year and we will start up again in January. Details to follow. 

December 10 - 14

Wednesday, 12th - Pizza Lunch

Thursday, 13th - Wreck it Ralph movie day - some permission forms are still outstanding - please return asap! 

-------------------------------------

December 17 - 21

Tuesday, 18th - Clairlea Reads for the Grade 4s who are participating.

Thursday, 20th - Clairlea Winter Concert with bake sale and pizza. Concert is at 7pm. Please have students arrive in Room 206 no later than 6:40 please. 

Friday, 21st - Festive outfits and a little class party! 

Enjoy your winter break!

In Class

We will be finishing up a number of items in the next 2 weeks, reflecting on what we have learned, adding to questions we still have and where we might be heading in January.  

Stay tuned! 

Wreck-it Ralph

Hi there

Permission forms for Wreck-it Ralph went home today and are due back Monday at the latest.

Parent volunteers are not needed on this trip as we are walking to Cineplex Odeon with a number of teachers.

Thanks to Mme Boisjoly for organizing.

Dec 3rd to 7th

This Week

• Thursday is Pancake Snack. Please pay by Cash Online. (Please note: this is not a lunch. Please come to school with a lunch, as usual.)
• Friday is PD Day - no school for students. 

Upcoming Dates to Keep In Mind

• Holiday Concert for our class (Grades 4 - 6) is on December 20th. Once I know details about what to wear, I will forward them along. There is a bake sale during this concert by our Student Leadership Team
• Spirit Day - Festive Outfits - is December 21st. 
• Winter Break - December 24th - January 7th/2019.

Clairlea is supporting 

Uncle Neil's Toy Drive in Partnership with 

CP24 Chum Christmas Wish. 

Thank you for your support of 
donations of unwrapped toys for children in need. 

This is happening on Thursday, December 6th.
Pay by Cash Online. 

Wacky Hat Day - There are some wacky and creative hats here! 

Our very own Dream Team 206 is organizing and running our Holiday Food Drive. Thank you to all for your support. Your donations are so very much needed. 
We will continue to accept donations until the last day of school in December. 

Wacky Hat Day

Friday, November 30 is Wacky Hat Day!

Come to school wearing your favourite wacky hat to show your 

Clairlea spirit! 

November 26 - 30

Hi all

It was great to connect with you all again during parent-teacher interviews. I am blessed to have such an involved and supportive group of parents. Thank you!

Food Drive
Our crew in Room 206 is organizing a school-wide food drive to support local food banks. The need is greater than ever and we look forward to the support of the Clairlea community who are always so supportive of charitable contributions. Look for flyers coming home with all students in every grade. 

In Our Class
We are continuing our learning in numbers and patterning, writing solid, descriptive paragraphs, reading for comprehension and understanding that good readers always have good questions about what they are reading. Our inquiry process is taking us back to ancient civilizations where we are learning how to navigate online content as well as learning how to cite information when we did not write it ourselves. We are remembering internet safety and ask before venturing outside the TDSB's Virtual Library. We understand that our early communities in Canada include First Nations peoples and we are learning about how interactions with First Nations and government policy has shaped their lives and continues to this day. We are continually learning and consciously aware that the world is made up of many religions, beliefs, languages and cultures. People have come and will continue to come to Canada in a variety of ways and for many different reasons. We must work diligently to ensure that while we may not always understand or agree, we are kind, considerate and always respectful of differences. We are learning that drawing is communication and comprehension and we can use drawing or sketching to help us write and express our understanding about ourselves and our world. Coding is patterning and we can make Dash and Dot navigate closed polygons with looped patterns. There's lots going on in Room 206.

I have a number of pictures to post and will do just that in another post. We have October and November birthdays to capture and celebrate and I'd like to share Rita Joe's I Lost My Talk that our class and Mme Bertrand's class recited at our Aboriginal Assembly on Friday.

Also, a huge shoutout to Eva for making the Clairlea Girls' Grade 5 & 6 Volleyball Team. Yes, she's only in Grade 4 and that's why she is so very amazing!

Here are some up and coming dates.

Upcoming
November 29th - Clairlea Reads first bookclub meeting for our Grade 4s who are participating. See you at lunch!
December 7th - PA Day
December 20th - Holiday Concert - 6:00 - 6:30 pm for Grades 4 - 6. 

• Please bring a non-perishable food item to support local food banks; 
• Pizza for sale on the evening of the concert. 

December 21st - Last day of school before the break.
January 7th - First day back after holidays.

A fun and busy time ahead. Hold on to your hats.

November 12 - 16

Hi all

1. Parent / Teacher interview request forms have gone home (last week). Thanks to those who have returned them. A date and time has been stapled into your child's agenda. Looking forward to meeting you all, again.
2. Progress Reports go home on Tuesday.
3. PA DAY is Friday November 16th. No school for students. 
4. Clairlea's Scholastic Book Fair is happening, right now! Come browse the bookfair - it will be open during Parent Teacher Interviews. Lots of really great books for all ages. Students will get a chance to browse and purchase during the day. 
5. Spirit Wear - sizes in the office for you to try on. Here's the link for you to purchase https://clairlea2018.itemorder.com/sale
6. Lost and Found - there are many, many items sitting in our Lost and Found. When you are in for Parent / Teacher interviews, please stop by the table in the downstairs hall by the office.
7. Aboriginal Assembly - Friday, November 23rd. 

Our crew in Room 206 very much enjoyed the trip to the Royal Winter Fair. Thank you to all our awesome Volunteers. Could not have happened without you! Pictures to follow.

Update

Hi everyone

Here is an update and some pics.

Housekeeping

Field Trip on Thursday to Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. 

• Reminder to pack a lunch and water, comfortable clothes and shoes for lots of walking. 
• Parent Volunteers - thank you. I will send home a letter tomorrow with details. 
• There are still some outstanding permission forms - please return those asap. Thank you!

Snack Program

• Just an fyi - there are a lot of snacks from the paid snack program that are not being eaten. I know parents have paid for these snacks, but I think there are a lot of snacks coming from home, as well. In addition, sometimes kids are eating double the amount of snacks (from home and snack program) - not sure how you feel about the type of snacking and the sheer amount of snacks being eaten. Just thought I would put that out there. 

Dressing for the weather

• Because of the amount of rainy days we seem to be having, our kids are spending morning recess, lunch recess and afternoon recess inside, in the classroom. This past week, we had 3 consecutive days of inside recesses with maybe a short recess outside and that was combined with Halloween general craziness. 
• 23 students in a classroom all day, day-after-day, is a recipe for tears, fights, very physical behaviour and unmotivated learning. 
• Please send your child to school with clothes for rainy days - proper boots/shoes, rain jacket, umbrella, hat, etc.  I will be taking the class for walks, regardless of the weather. They need fresh air and exercise so we will make the best of the weather we are given and get outside at some point during the day.  

What's been going on in the classroom?

Open-concept Classroom

• We have been experimenting with an open-concept classroom. Kids learn best when they are allowed to collaborate and move freely, unrestricted (to a certain extent) in an open space. 
• 21st century learning is about teamwork and collaboration. Desks in rows, restricted movement, top-down teacher-driven instruction is outdated and that type of classroom design was for the "ease of teaching" and not geared toward "student learning."  
• Feedback from the kids was that open-concept was an unresounding success - but we will work at phasing in for some parts of a day, rather than just throwing all desks and tables out the window. 
• After a shared reading about asylum seekers coming to Canada, we worked on a design and media piece in an open-concept space - as much as I could do in our room.  These pieces then formed the basis for our partnered procedural writing with Google Docs. 

Chromebooks

• Our Grade 4's have been working on Chromebooks (Google Docs, Slides and Virtual Library) since September.
• In the last 2 weeks, I have graduated the Grade 3's onto Chromebooks, too. 
• As with any new learning, all students are approaching the concept from many different places along the continuum. 
• Some kids are comfortable with Chromebooks as they use bigger desktops or laptops at home while some of our students have older siblings who are fluent on Google Apps for Education and therefore have been exposed to Docs and Slides. Others have used mostly touch-screen technology (parents phones and i-Pads) and are becoming familiar with the keyboarding skills required for using a laptop. 
• There are learning curves, and that's why we are here - to learn. Regardless of the entry point, Room 206 loves Chromebooks. 

Hour of Code

• I have sent home passwords to Hour of Code website. 
• Ms Brown (Library, STEM, Grade 7/8 teacher) set up the Grade 3's on Hour of Code website last week while the Grade 4's were working on Dash and Dot robots. 
• Grade 4's will receive passwords this week and I will pass them along. 
• I will keep passing along websites for students to try at home, via TDSB's Virtual Library. 

Halloween

A rainy few days ahead. Hang on tight! 

Ms V.

Coming Up!

Field Trip - Royal Winter Agriculture Fair

• November 7th - permission forms are due - thank you!
• Lots of parents have volunteered and thank you! I will send home details this week.

Halloween

• Costume Chaos on Wednesday. Costumes are welcome but not necessary. 
• Snacks are welcome - not too much, please! Sugar is hard to contain in the classroom! 

Photo Retake Day

• November 7th

Remembrance Day Assembly

• November 9th

Report Cards

• Go home, November 13th

Pizza Lunch

• November 21st

I will post this week about our open-concept classroom and Chromebooks.

Let's have a great week together! 

Week of Oct 22 - 26

Hi all

Homework
Homework has gone home today and is due on Thursday. Thank you for working on their Social Studies spelling words for last week. The kids ROCKED them. [Which parents learned how to spell Indigenous?!]

A reminder that the concept is for students to do a little each night. Some kids are telling me that they do it all on one night - not a great idea. Please do a little every night. Absolute maximum is 10 to 15 minutes per night of practising of something. If there is teaching then please do not do it - that is not your job and that is very frustrating for everyone after school hours or at night.

I respect that every student is different and some parents DO like to teach (bless you!) but if it gets to the "tired and frustration level," then it's a good idea to stop. Please keep me in the loop.

Here's what TDSB says:

3.6. Grades 1 to 6 
There is a strong connection between reading to or with elementary children every day in English or in one’s first language and student achievement. As a result, homework assigned in the early grades shall more often take the form of reading, playing a variety of games, having discussions and interactive activities such as building and cooking with the family. In the late Primary and Junior grades, effective homework may begin to take the form of independent work. In both cases, homework assigned for completion, practice, preparation or extension should be clearly articulated and differentiated to reflect the unique needs of the child.

[My note: There is a special place in heaven (and my heart) for any parent who cooks with their kid during the week! Some ideas for homework: building, creating, colouring, board games, cards.]

Royal Agricultural Winter Fair - thanks to those who have volunteered. We have room for 2 parents on the bus but you are still welcome to join us. You would need to make your own way down and we will meet you there.  Let me know. I will let parents know who the volunteers are, this week.
Please return permission forms asap. Payment is online.

Clairlea Reads Book Club - thank you for signing up! I would love ALL OUR GRADE 4s and parents or a family member to sign up. This is a great chance to read and discuss a super book with your kids. I have extra permission forms if you have misplaced yours.

Halloween Howl Community Event
This Friday, October 26 from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

Halloween Costume Chaos is Wednesday, October 31st.  
Costumes are always fun and welcome but they are not essential. Wear what you are comfortable with. If your costume has any accessories that are used to restrain, threaten, hurt or frighten, please keep the accessory at home. 

Looking forward to a great week with Dream Team 206.

Quick Post

Hi there
Lots of paperwork went home today:

• permission form for Royal Agricultural Winter Fair; Looking for parent volunteers;
• individual class pictures - there are a few more envelopes to come and if they're not here tomorrow, I'll ask the office to check into it;
• whole class pictures go home tomorrow - just saw them in my mailbox tonight
• Clairlea Reads parent / student book club. This is our second Clairlea Reads and I understand that last year's was a great success. Sure hoping all our Grade 4's (with an adult!) will sign up. because of mr. terupt is a great book!
• Fall Howl map and details about this exciting up and coming event! A yearly tradition! 

Homework

• How was it? A number of kids thought it was too hard! Yikes!
• Feel free to drop me a line about your thoughts! I don't want kids or parents stressed out about homework!!

Thanks

Ms V

Week of 15th - 19th

Upcoming Field Trip

Field Trip to the Royal Winter Fair on Thursday, November 8th. Permission forms will go home this week. Parent Volunteers are needed. Please send me an email or write in your child's agenda. carol.vincent@tdsb.on.ca

Housekeeping - For your Calendars

• Cross-country East Finals - only important for those students in our class who have moved on to the east finals - October 18th 
• Pizza Lunch - Cash Online - October 24th 
• Fall Howl School Event (in the evening) - October 26th
• Spirit Day - Costume Chaos - October 31st

Junior Book Club - Clairlea Reads

We are busy planning for our 2nd Annual Clairlea Reads Junior Book Club. I understand last year's Junior Book Club was a great success and I'm excited to be part of this year's club! 

• Information will go home this week. I would love all of our Grade 4's and parents in Room 206 to be active participants! 

Homework, Agenda and Water Bottle Reminders

• I have ordered large plastic bags for students to carry their homework duotangs and homework language books. Most of the Grade 3s have them - I've ordered more and they should be here in the next couple weeks for the balance of the class. Please could you ensure that both homework books and the bag are returned weekly. 
• Please remind kids to put their agendas and water bottles in their backpacks each night. I'm teaching students that it is their responsibility to pack them, not yours. A reminder might help. Thank you!

Looking forward to a busy and fun week in Room 206! 

International Day of the Girl

Today is International Day of the Girl.

We talked and shared what we understood that to mean. Why might girls feel they are not as valued as boys? What do we know about how girls are treated in some parts of the world? Do girls in our class feel they have less power than boys? What professional sports teams do we have in Toronto that celebrate athletic abilities of women? What can we ALL do together to ensure that girls feel valued and respected?

We watched two videos to help steer our conversations. Links are provided for you to view, too.

Plan International Canada. Because I am a Girl.
https://youtu.be/GCFeGDXuLHI

Always - Do we Limit Girls?
https://youtu.be/VhB3l1gCz2E

Our boys posted messages to our girls. 

Our girls posted messages to each other.

These messages will stay up as reminders of who we are as a class.

Tuesday, October 9

Welcome back! I hope you all had an excellent Thanksgiving with family and friends.

Housekeeping

• Wednesday, October 10 (tomorrow) is Pizza Lunch.
• There is no cross country tomorrow - Wednesday. 
• Thursday is cross-country track meet. Ms Callahan has posted the names of students who have been invited to attend on the Athletics Bulletin Board outside the gym. In addition, she is having a meeting at recess tomorrow. I believe the following from our class are invited to attend: Evangeline, Evalyn, Ishaan and Ewan and Gage. I will check the Athletics Board tomorrow and make sure students attend her recess meeting. 
• Thursday and Friday (periods 1 & 2 each day) is Gifted Testing for our Grade 3's.

Homework

Math and Spelling - Homework duotangs and homework language books have gone home.

This is a short but busy week! Let's also enjoy the wonderful weather! 

Busy Week!

Reminder that there is no school on Friday or Monday. 

See you all Tuesday!

Housekeeping

1. The office has informed me that our records show there are a couple of outstanding Agenda payments. If you have not yet paid for your child's agenda, please do so using the online cashless system. Thank you! 

2. Snack starts next week. Apparently we have switched snack providers and so all systems are go on Tuesday of next week. 

In Class

We've had a busy week in Room 206.  Reading assessments (DRA and BURT word assessments for Grade 3 and CASI for Grade 4) and end of September Math assessments have been ongoing. 

Homework

Yikes - missed the boat on that last page of the camel article! Thanks to those who struggled through!

Spelling

Based on the BURT word assessments and Running Records, I have put the students in groups for spelling words. Expect to see those words in the homework. Please practice throughout the week. 

Multiplication Tables

• I offered Math Mad Minute Multiplication this morning - only for those who wish to participate! The Mad Minute approach is strictly for fun and we do have a competitive bunch in 206 that like to compete with themselves and each other. There is no pressure to do the Mad Minute - strictly for fun! And it's a good way to make memorization of multiplication tables a little light. Being able to quickly recall times tables is a very useful skill. But I don't want tears!!! This will continue next week if kids still want it. 
• Next week: Grade 3's - 3x tables; Grade 4's - 4x tables. 
• Please use the plastic covered multiplication tables in their homework duotangs. 

In-class Reading Plan

Beginning next week:

• Running records for each student on an ongoing basis. This helps me identify where the reading struggles are and allows me to zoom in and focus on short and intensive support. I'm hoping you can help with word work, at home. 
• Guided Reading - every day. Small group approach to reading is an excellent teaching strategy to keep readers moving ahead with decoding and comprehension. 
• I know most kids are reading at home, most nights. If I can get some smaller levelled reading books in my class, I will send them home as support. Thank you for all you do!

Math Support Group

• I'm offering this after school - until about 4:15pm - a couple days per week. Details to follow.

These two wonderful humans are our "Respect" award recipients for September.
Democratically voted by every student in our class - and the votes were bang on!
Excellent choices! 

Have a great weekend, everyone!

cv

 

Picture Day this Wednesday!

Wednesday, October 3rd (this Wednesday!) is picture day!
Bring your best smile! 

The Week That Was

Hi all
Sharing a few pics from our very busy Friday.

Rooftop Shot.
Orange Shirt Day 2018
Every Child Matters.

Dash Dot Coding

Using coding to make dash talk, move, and flash lights.

The last school day of every month is the day we celebrate all the birthdays for the month that was. In September we had one birthday to celebrate. Happy Birthday to our Birthday Girl! 

Update

Get your Hot Dogs!!!!!
Hot Dogs (Beef and Halal – Chicken) available for $1.00.
 Friday September 28^th at lunch.

Terry Fox Run

This crew - this afternoon - what a great group!

A couple are missing as they were helping the Kindergarten classes for the Run / Walk around the neighbourhood.

Terry Fox Run

Hi everyone

Thursday is our Terry Fox Run.  Please ensure students come to class dressed for the day: running shoes, comfortable running clothes, water, hat and sun screen, if necessary.

I would love each student to think about donating and I have set up a loose change jar in the class. I would like them to donate from their own piggy banks or pockets - the idea that it's a good thing to give to an organization that they feel is important (rather than having a parent give them money).

Loose change for change. That's the name of the jar - if kids so wish it.

Looking forward to tomorrow.

Ms. V.

This Week

Not too difficult to determine when it's a full moon. Just come to Room 206.

Housekeeping

• Pizza lunch on Wednesday.
• Terry Fox Run on Thursday. Please come dressed to run: comfortable clothes, running shoes, water bottle (sun screen and hat, if the weather warrants). 
• Orange shirt day on Friday.
• Wednesday, October 3 - picture day.
• Friday, October 5 - PA day.

Reading Assessment

Now that students are fully back at school and we have worked on a number of reading comprehension strategies over the last 3 weeks, I will be assessing their reading comprehension this week. Grade 3's will be assessed using DRA and Grade 4's will be assessed using CASI. I will also be using the BART word assessment on the Grade 3's. BART is a good tool that helps me see the patterns of words, or types of words students are having difficulty with. I look forward to sharing everything with you during our first Parent/Teacher Interview (with Progress Reports).

Shared Readings This Week

Our theme for shared readings this week is First Nations and Residential Schools. Here are some of the books I will share and we will talk about.
Also, here is the link for Orange Shirt Day. Please send your child to school in an orange shirt (if they have one) or please have them wear something orange in the spirit of reconciliation and hope. 

 www.orangeshirtday.org/

This will be a busy week. Thank you all for your support! 

Some Pics from Today

Open-ended Math Question, Bansho and Group Reflections.

Grade 4's on Google Chromebooks. 

September 10 -14

Upcoming Dates

See below for BBQ and Curriculum Night details. Looking forward to seeing you all - Room 206 after the BBQ. 

Housekeeping Reminder

• Please return the large brown envelope with signatures as soon as possible. Thanks to those who have. 
• Snack forms were sent home as a "returnable envelope" option and also in the brown "first day packages" with all the other forms.  If you wish to participate, please return as soon as possible. 
• Agendas - please pay online.
• Pizza Lunch - please pay online.

Clairlea Athletics Blog

https://clairleaathletics.blogspot.com

Please check the Clairlea Athletics blog for updates (particularly for practice cancellations due to inclement weather) if your child is participating in any of our extra-curricular sports teams and cross-country running. 

Cross-country practices are Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:45 am.  Lots of students from Dream Team 206 are coming out to participate - Love It! 

Scientists, Engineers, Architects, Designers - oh my! 

Some pics from our Weekly Design Challenges.

Drawbots 
Experiments (and challenges!) with batteries, a motor and eccentric weight - but we finally figured it out! 

Designing and Building our Tallest Free-standing Structures with specifications. 

Designing and Creating Creatures with specifications. 

Monday, September 10, 2018

Hi all

Homework duotangs (yellow) have been sent home. Please see inside for expectations. This week, there are two math activities and a "finishing off" of a connections activity.

Agendas - please pay for agendas online. 

Cross-country starts Wednesday.
Permission forms must be filled out and returned by Wednesday in order to participate. Please be at school and ready to run by 7:45 am.

Dates for your calendar:

Thursday, September 20 is Curriculum Night. Details to follow.

Wednesday, September 26 is pizza lunch.

Thursday, September 27 is Terry Fox Run: hats, sunscreen, water bottles, running shoes.

Friday, September 28 is Orange Shirt Day. 
Please have students wear an orange shirt and we will be talking about the significance of orange.

The date was chosen because it is the time of year in which First Nations' children were taken from their homes and separated from their families to attend residential schools. Orange Shirt Day is also an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come.

http://www.orangeshirtday.org/

Final note:
Please ensure agendas come in every day and first day packages (large brown envelopes) have been returned to me.

Thanks, everyone!  Here's to better weather this week! 

Ms Vincent

Hot! Hot! Hot!

First off ...

• thank you for your kind comments and support as we begin this new school year. So great to have parents who are here to help and support.
• apologies - the last two days have been so hot. We have not been at our best and we have not accomplished as much as I would like to have done the first days of school. Cooler days are ahead and there is much to learn.
• water bottles - one or two students are still without water bottles - please ensure your children come to school with one and filled to the brim! We will continue to fill them throughout the day along with ample washroom breaks as they drink nonstop to stay hydrated.
• we have had a very busy start to the year in the Clairlea office. "First Day Packages" will come home in the next day or so along with details about agenda payments. Thank you for your patience. 

Dates

• Curriculum night is Thursday, September 20th. Please put that in your calendars and as more times and details become available, I will keep you posted. 

Thank you for your children. They are amazing! We are going to have a great year. Please feel free to reach out and contact me at any time.

C Vincent

416 396 6165

carol.vincent@tdsb.on.ca

First Day Picture

Grade 3 / 4. Tuesday, September 4, 2018.

Welcome Back!

Hello everyone!

Welcome back! I am very much looking forward to being our Grade 3/4 teacher, this year.

Room 206 students will be arriving home with the following:

• first day package forms for signature. Please return them as soon as possible. The allergy form is particularly important;
• a welcome letter;
• an an optional, very short "get to know you" questionnaire for you to complete. There is an envelope if you wish to use it.
• small class schedule for your fridge or bulletin board.

I look forward to this new school year and the building of positive, helpful and hopeful communication with our Clairlea families. 

I can be reached at carol.vincent@tdsb.on.ca and at 416 396 6165. I will return you call as soon as I am able.

Toronto Top Team Martial Arts and Fitness

Toronto Top Team Martial Arts and Fitness (at Warden and Eglinton) visited Clairlea this morning. We did some stretches and exercises and they taught us how to defend ourselves in an attack.  Congratulations to Peyton for winning a one-year membership! A number of teachers belong to this gym and I've heard some amazing things about the coaches who are Olympic and professional athlete trainers. Here are some pictures of our manoeuvres.

Off to the Library!

This morning, we played outside, ate watermelon for snack and walked to Eglinton Square to visit the library. We picked out books we might like to borrow for the summer. We raced each other the whole way back to school.

Field Trip Reflections

Thursday's bowling trip to Parkway Bowl was a great deal of fun. Just plain fun. I was particularly pleased to hear the supportive comments from our crew to one another as they worked at their bowling techniques, and played hard to get strikes and spares. These are the things that matter! There are a few pretty impressive bowlers in Room 206! Congratulations to Matthew for winning the Strike and a Spare Contest! 

Friday's All Nations Pow Wow was "the best trip ever!" as one student said on the ride back to school. The kids travelled beautifully on the TTC, sat respectfully during the The Grand Entry and participated in many of the ceremonial dances. Congratulations to Thomas for winning $35 in one of the dance competitions! Also, I tried to keep them away from junk food. I really did! 

Parent Volunteers
I cannot express enough my gratitude to the parents and family members that come out to help our class on field trips. 

Thank you to DJ's dad for meeting us at Parkway Bowl on Thursday. A tremendous thank you to Eva's Aunt Katrina who came out on both days to help us.  She has been on so many trips with our crew, she's an honorary member of Room 206! Thank you also to Ms Wright and Ms Bourikos who came out to help and to Aiden, Hayden, Kaylie, Essence and Miranda from Mr. Crimmins' class who helped out with the bowling trip.

I want to take the time to say thank you to each and every one of you who helped out throughout the year. Field trips cannot happen without parent support and parents are particularly important when there are large and busy classes like Room 206. Thank you! 

Have a wonderful weekend. Four days left before summer break!

Ms V.

Bowling and Pow Wow

Hi all

Please check your child's bag for information regarding Bowling (Thursday) and Pow Wow (Friday).

Here is an abbreviated version.

Still need parent volunteers for both trips. Please remember that trips can only happen with parent support. You are critically important to making these trips happen! Please contact me at 416 396 6165 or send a note with your child. We would love to have you help out with our busy class.

Bowling on Thursday afternoon.

We are:

• eating lunch at school before leaving for bowling;
• travelling by TTC to Parkway Plaza (Vic Park and Ellesmere);
• NOT bringing any additional money for the vending machines, etc.; 
• bringing water and a small nut-free snack of your own;
• bringing our best, most positive attitudes and remembering that we are representing ourselves and our school;
• going to have a great time together! 

Pow Wow on Friday

We are:

• leaving around 10 am;
• going to be outside all day. Please wear appropriate clothing, running shoes, sun hat, sun screen, water bottle, LUNCH;
• travelling by TTC to Donlands Station and walking to the Pow Wow;
• allowed to bring money, if parents consent, to buy traditional First Nations food or First Nations made products (I expect they will be quite expensive, so money is not required - parent choice only!);
• not encouraged to buy junk food (I am looking for your support at home about this, please); 
• leaving the Pow Wow by approximately 2 pm and arriving back at Clairlea for 3:15 pm dismissal;
• bringing our best, most positive attitudes and remembering we are attending the Pow Wow to learn about First Nations celebrations, dance, singing, drumming, regalia;
• going to have a great time together! 

Clairlea Fun Fair
A reminder that our fun fair is Thursday evening. Lots of amazing things to see and do. Buy a wristband for the fastest, cheapest way to experience it all. See you there! 

Thanks, everyone. Please come with us! 

Ms V.

Mathematicians.

We had a full morning of math. Talking, sharing and working together and independently. This is how my crew worked for the whole morning. Not kidding.

Scientist in the Classroom - Light Up Your LIfe

We had a great afternoon with Scientist Kersti. We explored light and answered questions like: How does light travel? Does light bend? When is light translucent, opaque, or transparent? We experimented with angles and reflecting light and light that changes direction (refraction). We tested hypotheses around fibre optics and enjoyed the "fun basket" with all the really cool "light" toys.

Shining beams of light through pinholes.




Experimenting with refracting light.



A really cool piggy bank with "shrinking pennies."



Changing shapes and sizes of a face using light screens.