We had a busy week here in the grade 5/6 classroom! From bus evacuation and earthquake drills to our first time paying rent and earning a salary for doing our classroom jobs!
The class also met their grade 1 & 2 reading buddies from Mrs. Folkart’s class. They were each paired up with a younger student, helped them cut out a project for art and then read them stories. I was very impressed with the leadership I saw as well as the kind and gentle way they treated the younger students. Way to go, grade 5/6!
Class Economy
Today marked the end of the month which meant that students got paid their monthly salaries and also paid rent for their desk. During lunch hour the class store was set up and students had a chance to spend some of their extra money. It was suggested that students may want to save some money in case fines will come over the next month – pay day doesn’t come until the end of October. It was very interesting to see how different students managed their surplus funds!! There may be some lessons to be learned next month! =)
Below I have some October dates for you as well as next week’s spelling list:
Monday, October 10th – Thanksgiving holiday
Tuesday, October 11th – Pro D Day
Tuesday, October 18th – Photo Retakes
Thursday, October 20th – Province wide Earthquake drill
Friday, October 21st – Interim reports go home
Tuesday-Thursday, October 25th-27th – Scholastic Book Fair
Photo Package: Today students received their class photos (most did anyways – I only remembered once a bunch of students had left…those will get their packet tomorrow) and attached was a student information form and letter explaining comfort kits. Please do your best to have these kits made and returned by October 15th.
Toonies for Terry: This Thursday we will be participating in the annual Terry Fox Run. Students are asked to donate a ‘toonie for Terry’ this Tuesday. They can bring them to the classroom. =)
Scholastic: just a reminder that orders are due tomorrow.
We had a great week this week! The student’s began a new Science unit this week on Mixtures and Solutions. We did some experimenting yesterday with various liquids and substances to mix into them…and had some very interesting results. Today we learned about mixtures being heterogeneous – ask them about the trail mix we made today and whether it is a mixture or a solution…and how they know! Gotta loved Science experiments you can eat!
No School Tomorrow! Pro D Day for the teachers.
We have our first Knight’s Day next Wednesday, September 28th. Students can wear their Knight’s shirt and casual bottoms.
Next week we will resume with our weekly spelling words. Below are the words for list one and two and they will also be available for practicing on Spelling City.
Just a reminder for parents that the Highroad Parent Orientation night is at 7pm TONIGHT. Please come out to hear important announcements from our school principal, Mr. Morris.
Also, there is an oral French Alphabet quiz tomorrow. Below is a link to an alphabet song that we have been listening to in class, in case your child wants to practice it some more tonight.
There will be NO spelling next week as there is a pro-d on Friday, September 23rd.
On Monday we will crack open our new class novel, Wonder. It’s an incredible story about Auggie, a boy born with a major facial deformity, which chronicles his grade 5 year in school. I highly recommend picking up a copy for yourself, you will not be disappointed.
We have come to the end of a fantastic first week of school! Mrs. Derksen and I are SO EXCITED about this new class of students…they are so sweet and we are looking forward to a great year with them!
Nut Free Classroom: We have students in this classroom with nut allergies and our classroom will be a nut free zone. Please take care to ensure that food that you are sending with your child is nut free.
Picture Day on Tuesday: A notice went home today. Please ensure that your child is wearing full dress uniform.
Bible Memory Verse: Your students have written their first Bible memory verse in their planners and it is also on the blog (Bible Memory tab). Students will recite their verses to me on Thursdays, beginning next week.
Spelling: On Monday we will introduce our first spelling words to the students. Mondays will be the day new words are introduced and Fridays will be the day that they are tested. We generally do not have spelling on short weeks and I try to post the words on the blog and Spelling City on Fridays (the link is on the blog – right hand side).
This year we have a large range of spelling abilities. As one of our classroom goals is to provide opportunities for success for every child, we have decided to have two different spelling lists. We do not feel like it is fair to either the struggling spellers or the proficient spellers to have them complete the same list. One group will not be challenged and the other group will have little chance for success. We want to help develop strong spellers and to do so, we need to start at where the kids are, not necessarily at where they should be. Once a term we will complete diagnostic tests to ensure that the students are progressing and make adjustments to the lists as necessary. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to talk to either one of us.
Tuesday, Sept. 13-–INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS–Wear FULL DRESS uniform.
Monday, Sept. 19–HRA PARENTS’ WELCOME NIGHT--7 p.m. in CHAPEL
Friday, Sept. 23–PRO-D DAY (No school for students.)
Wednesday, Sept. 28–KNIGHT DAY–Students may wear their Highroad T-shirt and jeans!!
Classroom Economy: Our classroom economy is off and running. The class was excited to apply for their jobs and start working this week. At the end of the month the students will be getting paid their salary and pay the rent for their desk. They will also be able to purchase itms at a class auction at the end of the month. I have a few items for the auction but will need your help to get my bin filled. Any sort of candy (Halloween candy is out now), small dollar store toys or gently used items from home would be greatly appreciated.
We are excited to be part of a grade 6/7 Soccer tournament on Wednesday, October 12th and are looking for grade 6 & 7 boys and girls who enjoy playing soccer. We will practice on Monday and Wednesdays from 3:15 – 4:00, with tryouts next Wednesday (September 14th) and practices commencing the following week.
If you have a child in grade 5 who would like to be part of this tournament please come and talk to me or send an email to pgoosen@highroadacademy.com
Students MUST be able to attend practices if they want to compete in the tournament.
Welcome to Mrs. Goosen and Mrs. Derksen’s grade 5/6 class blog. We are so excited to be starting a new year with you and look forward to getting to know you and your families.
On the first day of school a letter will be sent home for parents. It will be one of the last paper newsletters that you will see, as all class information, notifications, assignments, important dates, etc will be posted here during the year.
Please subscribe to our blog (on the right hand side bar) so that you will receive an e-mail when we make a new post. Looking forward to a great year together!
