It is hard to believe that it is already the end of November!  How the last few months have flown by!  Here is a snapshot of what we did this week:

Reading: We are almost done reading Wonder! We looked at character traits and the power of punctuation this week.

Social Studies: Students are working in groups to write a story about the superhero they’ve created to represent a region of Canada. They are putting together a presentation to showcase their hero, the natural resources they include, and what the impact would be if the region were destroyed. The heroes are very creative and it is so fun to see all of the learning from the last couple of weeks start to come to life.

Art:   Everyone is creating their own artistic representation of each major region in Canada.

Math:  We have been learning about the different multiplication properties and  started working on memorizing our times tables.

Genius Hour:  This week we began genius hour.  Below I have a letter explaining a little more about Genius Hour this year.

Writing:  We have started exploring Event Stories and have been working on an outline for our first story.

Bible:  This week we have begun learning about Advent.

We have several things coming up this week:

Christmas Concert Filming on Monday:  Students should come to school wearing a Christmas themed outfit – regular casual clothes with a toque or scarf, Christmas sweater or outfit is also great.

Pay to Wear Casual on Tues, December 1st:  Tuesday Dec. 1st we will kick off our Food Drive event with a Pay to Wear Casual day for all students. Each student must make a minimum $5.00 donation to participate.

Donations can be made using any of the following methods:

• etransfer@highroadacademy.com (please note name and purpose of transfer in the notes/memo field of the transfer)
• cheque (payable to Highroad Academy)
• Debit (by appointment at the office)
• Cash

Cash will be brought to the classroom and submitted to the office.

Christmas Decorating & Hot Chocolate Afternoon (BYOMug) on Tues, December 1:  On Tuesday we will be decorating our classroom for Christmas!  If you have any extra Christmas decorations we could borrow, please send them to school on Monday or Tuesday.  We will return them before the Christmas break.  We will also be having some hot chocolate – please send along a mug for your child.

Genius Hour: 

Dear Parents,
Something exciting is happening in your child’s classroom. Your child was recently introduced to Genius Hour! Genius Hour will provide your child the opportunity to research a topic or idea
that he/she is passionate about.

Why is Genius Hour important?
The number one reason Genius Hour is important is because your child will take ownership in
his/her own learning. This research is intended to spark curiosity and encourage life-long
learning, imagination, perseverance, self-awareness, and adaptability. It’s also intended to
provide a sense of purpose for learning.

How will Genius Hour work in the classroom?
Your child will first choose a project topic of his/her interest. After that, your child will
formulate a question that will guide his/her research. Once the project is approved, your child
will then be given time in class to work on the project. Research materials (books, computer,
iPads, etc.) will be provided for your child to research with. When the project is complete, your child will be asked to present his/her learning to an audience.

How does Genius Hour fit into our standards?
Not only does your child get to choose a topic that he/she is passionate about, but the research and the presentation for this project also ties perfectly into our grade-level standards! A few examples of these standards are stated below:
 Draw inferences and formulate conclusions based on multiple sources.
 Combine pertinent information from several sources on the same topic to help gain an
understanding of a topic.
 Present his/her learning in a meaningful, sequential, and clear way.

How can you help out?
There are many ways you can help. Once your child chooses a project, he/she may need help with expanding his/her thinking to help formulate new ideas. Discussing your child’s ideas and providing some guidance as to where to find useful information will be important. If you have access to the Internet at home, your child could conduct some of the research there. Finally, you (yes you) may be an expert in the area of which your child chose. If this is the case, it’s possible that you could offer some expertise and knowledge.

As your child’s teacher, I am excited to offer this learning opportunity and look forward to this
new adventure. If you have any questions about Genius Hour, please feel free to contact me.

Upcoming Dates: 

Nov. 30 – Christmas Concert Filming

Dec. 1 – Pay to Wear Casual for Salvation Army & Christmas Decorating Party

Dec. 4 – Knights Day

Dec. 11- PD Day

Dec. 16 – Silly Sweater Day

Dec. 17 – Last Day of School & Class Christmas Party

Dec. 18 – Christmas Break