Hallowe'en, Hurricanes and Kerpoof!

Thanks to 'Hurricane Sandy' we have had indoor recesses all week. A good thing too as a few of my smaller grade one students might blow away in the wind! However, the lights have stayed on and we used the smartboard to enjoy what we like to call "Ms Fink's movie theatre" which only happens during indoor recess.

                                                               Hallowe'en

Tomorrow is Hallowe'en and as is the Florence Meares P.S. tradition we will have a parade right after announcements! Your child is welcome to come to school dressed in all or part of their costume. If they do not wish to dress up, then this is fine too. We will enjoy some fun activities and crafts throughout the day! 

I will be giving your child a glowstick bracelet to keep them safe on Hallowe'en night. Shhhh, if you are reading this in advance. They will last 24 hours but if you want to keep them a bit longer then put them in the freezer. Watch out that a pet doesn't get them...not sure what part glows if eaten by a dog or cat...yikes!

                                                                   Kerpoof 

Are you bored with the regular way to study spelling? The 'LOOK' , 'SAY', 'WRITE' method is helpful but occasionally you might want to shake it up a bit. Try the spelling section on the scholastic program "Kerpoof". If you spell a word and it is a word that can be an object then the students can create a printable picture. No log in is necessary. Just google the word 'Kerpoof' and magically you are there!

I think this is our new favourite book...the children made me read one page over and over today!
                                                               

Hope everyone has a spooky Hallowe'en. Please remember if you are sending treats in lunches they must be peanut free!

Peter and the Wolf - A little drama

                                                     Peter and the Wolf Trip
     All the Grade 1 to 4 students enjoyed their trip to see Fred Penner perform a dramatic retelling of the story of Peter and the Wolf. There were some great opportunities to sing-a-long as well as listen to a band create the sound effects to further dramatize the story. Mrs Kirk, our music teacher arranged this trip to enhance the work she does with our students when using music to create mood and effect.
                                                        We love Phoebe Gilman books!
     In language, we are learning about the author and illustrator Phoebe Gilman who has written many well known stories. We learned that she was a Canadian author who lived in Toronto and that she came to Ms Fink's class when she was first teaching. Her books include the Jillian Jiggs series, The Balloon Tree, Something from Nothing, Blue Ben,Grandma and the Pirates and so many more. We are working on the goal of 'retelling' so will be learning how to identify parts of a narrative story (setting, characters, problem, solution) using sequencing as a way to work through this process. When you are reading with your child, please feel free to ask about the setting, characters or how a problem is solved as you go along. This will really reinforce what we are doing in class.
      As well, we will also be examining fiction, non-fiction and info-fiction in the near future. Info-fiction would be a book that contains both true and made up aspects such as the Magic School Bus series which carries a fictional storyline (Ms Frizzle and the bus that flies) as well as the learning aspects which include real facts. So if your child identifies a book as 'info- fiction' you will now know what they mean!
                                                         Home Reading started this week! 

As I stated in my September newsletter, I wanted to take some time to read with each student and check for both comprehension and decoding skills so I could truly understand your child's reading level and learning needs. Please encourage your child to exchange books as often as they like and make reading a daily part of your routine. If your child isn't enthused, you could try the trick my parents did with me (when I was little). Set your child's bedtime at the usual time but allow 10 minutes extra as 'reading time' each night. The opportunity to stay up just a few minutes longer just might do the trick!
   

Reading is Thinking

                                             
                                               
Grade One and Two have been working really hard on building our 'Reading Stamina'. This means we are trying to read in a variety of ways for longer periods of time.This can look like:
*Reading the room (using our livescribe pen),
*Reading a 'good fit' book or magazine
*Using an e-book on Raz Kids, Tumblebooks or Bookflix
*Sharing big books, lap books or reading charts
                                                15 minutes has been our goal.
Many people often think that reading should be 'silent' but in a primary classroom some children are not ready for that. Reading together quietly makes more sense as children have the opportunity to discuss, predict, decode and problem solve together. This has been remarkable in my classroom. I often see good readers in both grades mentoring stuggling readers. Some students have enjoyed reading to the class when an opportunity arises for a quiet moment to enjoy a book together. I particularly enjoyed one students rendition of 'The Hairy Toe' complete with a spooky voice and another child's read aloud of 'Pigs' by Robert Munsch. As I head out to my own book club tonight (We are reading the Paris Wife which is about Hemingway), I am looking forward to having my own discussion about books. After all...reading is thinking!
                                                       

What can I do with my library barcode?

You may have noticed that a new sticker appeared in the front of your child's agenda. On it is your child's library barcode. Why is this important? Well, it is the answer to the' BookFlix from home' issue some of us were having. Apparently this is the new way to access BookFlix. The best news is that it allows you and your child to access other on-line educational sites as well. If you follow this link, it will lead you to Mr Cann's (our librarian) Florence Meares web page for further information. http://bit.ly/QQEy9Z
Happy Reading!

Trips

It was a rainy day when our 11 Grade One students set out to go to Springridge farm. Ms Fink and many students had on their new, cute rain boots and we all set out for Milton. Despite the weather we enjoyed the 'Haunted House' with the dangling pool noodles (or Octopus legs...depending who you asked) and got lost in a maze of corn. We learned about different types of pumpkins, squash, farm equipment and saw lots of animals. The best part was getting to pick our own pumpkins to take home! We will have to visit again sometime to see the view. Unfortunately when we climbed to the look out, all we saw was a wall of fog. I'm sure another day we could see all the way to the CN tower. Despite the weather, we had a great wagon ride, learned a lot and had fun!

The Grade Two children were able to stay at school to enjoy a presentation called 'Math Jam'. This is a theatrical opportunity for children to learn about math concepts in a fun way. I was told by the students upon my return that it 'really rocked' which sounded like a great endorsement to me. Mrs. Lee kept the students with her class which provided a great opportunity to visit with other Grade Two friends.

October 24th is the big 'Peter and the Wolf' musical trip run by Mrs. Kirk. This is for all the primary students so our class gets to all go. Please remember to fill out the trip form when you have a moment (if you haven't already).

Upcoming trips: We have booked Safety village for Grade Two in December          
                       

Thanksgiving, and a few turkeys!

Thanksgiving

The Grade One students made some turkeys to decorate for Thanksgiving. The Grade Two students will be making their turkeys this week (they will be to decorate the window). I think the Grade One students enjoyed the 'stuffing' of their turkeys more than making the turkey itself since we used my hot air popper to make the popcorn....(known for flinging more  popcorn into the air than the bowl). Please remember that this weekend is a long weekend with a P.A. day on Friday (no school for children but school for teachers) and the following Monday off for the Thanksgiving holiday. I hope everyone enjoys a great time with their family and friends.
                                                                  Raz-Kids
Each student has been given a Raz-Kids account and I have put the log-in information into each child's agenda. I have also imported student information (if they are in Grade Two) or created an account (if they are in Grade One). Using the Smartboard, I showed the children how to navigate the site, read their levelled books and use the questions at the end to get points towards their Raz-Kids rockets. I will monitor each child's progress and change the level where appropriate. However, each child has access to the 'bookroom' so there are lots of opportunity for student choice for selected reading material. Raz-Kids is quite a highly motivating way to read. I always think that I wish there had been something like this when I was their age. I remember 'scratch and sniff' books came out when I was in elementary school but by the time you got it from the library, the scratch part was usually  scratched away and all that was left was a dirty mark....sigh!
I understand that Book -Flix is giving some people grief so will talk to Mr Cann to see what the problem may be and will communicate that to all if a solution is found.