We had a lovely week here in the Grade 5 classroom! It was SO FUN seeing the students dressed up for Storybook Character Dress Up Day!  The students looked adorable!

Here are some things happening in the next few weeks:

Field Trips:  We have most of the field trip forms for the Track Meet back – thank you!  If you are planning on attending this trip, please check in with the school to ensure you have an up-to-date criminal record check.  A field trip came home today for the Brittania Mine Museum.  This will be happening on Monday, May 16th.  The first two parents who let me know they would like to join us will get free admission.  The rest of the parents will have to pay $33.25.  If you would like to join us and get a free ticket, the easiest thing is to email me at pgoosen@highroadacademy.com.  That will help me keep track of who is first.  =).

IMMIGRATION ASSIGNMENT DUE THURSDAY: This week we discussed push and pull factors of immigration. Each child has brought home a family immigration page to fill in with you or another family member, as well as a page of notes to help them as they determine their own family’s push and pull factors.

This assignment is meant to give each student an understanding of their own family and for us as a class to see the journey that each of us has taken historically to eventually all end up in Chilliwack together. For many of the students this will be an exciting project and may give some of them a great excuse to call up a grandparent! For others this could be a tricky assignment depending on your family history as an immigrant, Indigenous person, refugee, adoption, etc. If you have any concerns or if there are elements of your family story that you prefer not to share with your child, please feel free to send me an email, amiller@highroadacademy.com.

Students are more than welcome to share more than one family member’s story but are only required to write up one.

If you need an extra copy, please use the pictures of the assignment below.

BMV:  will be done on Thursday this week – John 3:17

Upcoming Dates: 

Dates to Remember:

We had a busy week here in the Grade 5 classroom!  LOTS has been happening…here’s a snapshot:

Language Arts:  We have begun a new novel study, Amal Unbound, and have been having fun with our poetry unit.

Social Studies:  We have begun a unit on Immigration.

Math:  We are finishing up a unit on Geometry this coming week.

Science:  We are enjoying our ‘spuds in tubs’ program. The students are growing potatoes and learning about natural resources in BC, with a spotlight on agriculture.  We will be looking at sustainability practices and how important those are to retaining our natural resources.

French:  We are learning about the days of the week.

Note from Ms. Miller:  We had a great day at the Vancouver Maritime Museum on Friday. We got to explore a real ship that made it through the Northwest Passage, learn about depth measurements, and look at some amazing model ships. The weather was in our favour as we ate lunch at the beach, for which we are very thankful. We are also thankful for your patience with our late arrival back to school due to the unpredictable long weekend traffic.  It was wonderful to get to go on a field trip again, thank you for your support!

Ms. Miller

A few Announcements:

BMV – This week our BMV will be John 3:16. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Storybook Character Dress Up Day:  On Wednesday we invite you to come dressed up as your favourite storybook character!

Little Hoopsters & Diggers:  As our Little Digger and Little Hoopster after-school programs continue, we have noticed that many siblings of students involved are also staying at school while waiting for parents to pick them up. We understand that parents often do not want to make multiple trips to the school. However, parents should be aware that after 3:25 there is no supervision available outside on the playground and in any of the other areas of the school. If an accident happens or an incident occurs, staff members may not be available to help. For student safety, we would encourage parents to tell siblings to stay inside the gym along the walls and wait there or in the front foyer until parents arrive. Alternatively, carpooling may be available so siblings do not have to wait at the school.  Thank you for your consideration.

Track Meet at Bear Creek Park – May 5th:  This year we are excited to once again participate in the annual Track Meet hosted by Regent Academy, an independent school in Surrey.  This event is on Thursday, May 5th at Bear Creek Park, located in Surrey. This event is considered a ‘standards meet’, so all students in grades 4-6 get to participate. Each grade participates in five events, and they are ranked first, second, third or participation based on certain standards set for each grade and event. This is a great track meet that allows all our students to compete with several other contestants from schools of the same size and level as our school.  

As all students are participating in this track meet, track and field practices will take place during our regularly scheduled Phys Ed times. 

For the Track Meet, the bus/shuttle will be leaving at approx. 7:00am and returning at approx. 3:45pm depending on traffic. Space is limited on the bus and shuttle and we are hoping that some parents may be able to drive their child so as to ease the numbers on the bus/shuttle. 

Your child will brought home a permission form tomorrow. Please sign the permission slip below to signify that you are aware of the dates and are allowing your child to participate. If you have any questions, you may refer them to Pamela Goosen or Ian Hancock.  Thank you!

Dates to Remember:

Photos from our field trip on Friday.

This Thursday we are heading to the Vancouver Maritime Museum.  The bus is leaving at 8:00 am.  Please ensure that your child is here and ready to leave by 7:50 so that we can load the bus and leave promptly at 8:00.  We have a tight schedule so we will not be able to wait if you are late.  Please ensure that your child has a bag lunch and a water bottle in a backpack.  We will be spending a good part of the day outside even if the weather is not good so, please have your child dress in layers and rain gear.  It looks like there is a good chance of rain.  We will be on the beach, at the ocean, so please ensure proper footwear. We ask that students are dressed in Knights Wear for this field trip.  We will be returning to the school at 4:00.  If you have any questions please let me know – amiller@highroadacademy.com.

We had a productive first week back and it was great to hear all the fun things students did over the break!

Here’s some information on things coming up next week:

BMV will be coming next week and we will begin after the Easter weekend.

Wednesday:  Pay to Wear Casual Day  ($2 minimum) as well as hot dog lunch (pre-ordered)

Thursday:  Field Trip – more information coming on Monday.

No school Friday.

Upcoming Dates:

I hope your family had a wonderful spring break!  We spent some time skiing at Sun Peaks with friends and doing a bit of relaxing at home…it was glorious!

I just wanted to send a few quick notes about these next few weeks:

• Students can bring their gym strips back to school this week as we are now changing for PE class.  We have gym on Mondays and Tuesdays.
• There is a Storybook Character dress up day coming on April 20th.  I know some parents like advance notice to get costumes ready.
• We will resume Genius Hour on Friday, in case your child needs to bring any materials to school this week.

Thanks!  Have a great week!