Hello again,
It was amazing to see so many of you at our open-house. I am so proud of how the kids did and really hope you enjoyed the tour and concert! A pair of ladies sunglasses was left behind in our classroom. If they might be yours, please email me @ tamara.mitchell2@tdsb.on.ca.
Now that it's over, I will start unpacking the classroom and sending home all forms of work. I hope you get a chance to look at the work as it comes home and chat about it. Much of the artwork from this year is really amazing, so I hope you can enjoy it for a while, or start a portfolio!
We also need to get back to our regular work - we are in the middle of units in each subject that we need to wrap up, and we still have to present our amazing stories to each other. It can sometimes be hard to focus in June, as the weather is nice, and we all know summer is around the corner. However, for everyone's sake, we will be keeping up all our regular routines until almost the very last day. I appreciate your reminders at home as well, that school's not over 'til it's over!
Here are some things we have been working on, and will refocus on next week:
1. We planted beans! Ask your child about how their bean is doing - how much has it grown? What do plants need in order to survive? Is this the same or different than humans?
2. For just a week longer, we're talking about probability in math. We have learned the words possible, impossible, probable, improbable and certain and have been using them in sentences. Try to use them in daily conversation as much as possible (more than you normally would). For example, rather than say "It probably won't rain tomorrow", say, "It is improbable that it will rain tomorrow". You can also take this unit a bit further by talking about probability as a fraction. For example, if playing a board game as a family of 4, ask what the chances are of each person winning. Each person starts with a 1 in 4 chance of winning, because everyone has an equal shot at it at the start. (Also, I have found that knowing there's a good chance you won't win is a good way to avoid being upset!)
3. I'm sure you noticed our fantastic community maps in the hallway. I will be sending home a grid paper with instructions for making a map of one's bedroom or home. This is a little take-home extension from our fire station trip, which also connects with the mapping side of social studies. It's optional, but I encourage you to do it as more mapping practise and good fire safety review.
4. Also for social studies, we will have a visit Monday morning from a Mounted Police Officer. It should be very exciting. Ask about that Monday evening!