Friday, 30 September 2016

Week in Review: September 26 - 30

So here we are at the end of September already, hard to believe we've already got a month of school work under our belts!  In working with my class we very much have a give and take relationship where we are both constantly learning new things from each other.  With the students it is my hope that they are not only learning the mandated curricular concepts but also the value of friendship, team work, and appreciation for their own special talents and abilities.  This week we had the opportunity to take part in "Orange Shirt Day" which gave us the unique opportunity to have a really good discussion about culture and valuing each other as people.  Being able to accept people for who they are, and appreciating the special things that they do and represent is a great life lesson that makes everyone around them better.


Now on to some curricular stuff...

In Math we continued to work on our fluency and accuracy with multiple digit addition and subtraction up to tens of thousands involving trading and regrouping.  In working to further refine their number operation skills here are some links where the addition and subtraction concepts are reinforced within a game: 



Keeping practicing the skills and building your confidence with the concepts as we will be testing this concept during the second week of October.

In Language Arts we again worked with our large list of review words and continue working with them to identify different word features that could aid us in the deciphering of unknown words.  As a at home review have your child work to identify different nouns (persons, places or things) around the house, then have them list an adjective that could further build on that noun to add more description - i.e. dog becomes furry, brown dog or door becomes large, white basement door.  Just another way that these word features can be reinforced and tied into "real life" and then eventually into their writing.

This week in story writing the class began composing another creative story based using the following prompts: a strange pet, a magical forest, and something breaking.  In providing at least a starting point the kids are definitely gaining proficiency in generating their own ideas and working to scaffold their stories by building upon the initial information.  We have some very keen writers and the stories being composed are indeed inventive...it's always fun seeing where some of their ideas end up and how they have managed to tie in flying pigs, transforming robots, and sword welding goblins into a story that manages to still make sense.

Lastly congratulations goes out to Aiden who was September's Home Reading Laser City gift certificate winner.  Aiden had a fantastic 6 sheets worth of reading entered into the draw so he most definitely up'ed his chances of getting picked!

Science this week focused on the concept of the 4Rs, yes 4!  Through discussion, media, and hands-on activities we worked our way through the concepts of reducing, reusing, recycling and rethinking all in an effort to influence how we approach our disposal of waste.  It was interesting to hear some of the ideas everyone had for reducing the amount of waste individuals produce, ie. reducing their environmental footprint.

Our classroom worms continue to be a great source of information and our worms "chefs" have been doing a great job prepping the worms daily lunch.

Here are a few interesting facts about our new Red Wiggler Worms:
1) Red wigglers, or Eisenia foetida, are the best compost worms.
2) They live well in close, highly populated conditions and don't burrow; perfect for vermi-composters.
3)  Red wiggler worms can eat about half of their weight in food every day.
4)  Worms are similar to birds in their digestion as they have gizzards that require grit to aid in grinding up their food.
5) When feeding our worms they will eat just about anything that originally came out of the ground - i.e. most fruits, grain products, vegetables
6) There are however a few things that we can't feed our worms: don't feed them anything fatty or oily. Worms can't digest meat proteins or lactose, so no dairy products either, like milk or cheese. They also can not digest citrus and salts because these can actually harm the skin of the worms. 



In Social Studies we continued to examine the geography of Alberta and continued our comparisons of the six geographic regions within the province: the Canadian Shield region, the Boreal Forest region, the Parkland region (where Devon is located), the Grasslands region, the Foothills region, and lastly the Rocky Mountain region.  

This week our investigation of Alberta lead us to the Internet and the initial steps of developing our Alberta Regions Project.  This project will take advantage of our chrome book technology in allowing students to physically tie in the visual imagery and facts about each region into a presentation aimed at  creating meaningful connections between textbook facts and the real world.  In working on the project students will need to log into their Google Drive accounts which can be accessed as such:


  • Go online to the Black Gold Engaging Students webpage - http://engagingstudents.blackgold.ca
  • Click on the Google Drive icon (left side of the screen directly above the Gmail icon)
  • Enter your child's email - the username in your child's agenda PLUS  @gshare.blackgold.ca
  • Enter the student password - again listed in this week's agenda notes
  • Once onto the Google Drive page click on "Shared with me" - the project instructions are listed here
  • You will find the project which we had set up earlier this week in the "My drive" tab

In working on the project 80% will be completed at home with the remaining 20% being the fine tuning of information and formatting at school.  If you have any further questions please feel free to shoot me an email.



That about wraps up this week.

Thank you.
Mr. Henderson

Wednesday, 28 September 2016

Orange Shirt Day!

On Friday, September 30th West Haven Public School is recognizing 
Orange Shirt Day. 

Orange Shirt Day is a national initiative that reaches across our country to recognize the atrocities and mistakes that were made towards our First Nation's people through the Residential Schools. This Friday, September 30th,  WHPS is encouraging discussion of this bit of Canadian History with our students and we are encouraging all members of our school community to come to school wearing an orange shirt. 

For more information about this initiative please visit http://www.orangeshirtday.org/

The Alberta Regions Project


Today everyone got their first glimpse at the their first technology assignment, our 
Alberta Regions Research Project.  

The hope is that over the next several weeks the kids will be hard at work gathering specific information on all of the six geographic regions within Alberta.  Specific instructions on what they are to do have been shared with them via their Google Drive accounts, which can be accessed through the Black Gold Engaging Students website home page 
( http://www.engagingstudents.blackgold.ca ).  

Once on their drive homepage the project instruction sheet will be found in the "shared with me" tab.  

** When accessing Google Drive you will need to enter your child's full email address - their username plus @gshare.blackgold.ca  **



Today we all tackled the initial task of creating our Title pages.  It was great watching the kids work - and even better when they showed me some cool shortcuts!  They truly are a tech generation!

Friday, 23 September 2016

Week in Review: September 19 - 23


It was another busy and productive week in grade four.  The kids continue to surprise and amaze everyday with their great behaviour and willingness to tackle new material - most definitely a treat for any teacher!  Our group received the nicest compliment from a school guest who remarked that ours was one of the best classes he had ever had the opportunity to talk with - the kids were pretty pumped up with the compliment! Anyway this past week was filled with cross country running practices, bus safety sessions, new technology projects, and further exploration into the wonders of rotting food (decomposition)...sorry Mr. Unger!

In Math the kids continued to explore addition with 4 and 5 digit numbers involving regrouping, and they set up their digital notebooks where they have been solving daily number problems.  With the use of this daily practise and continued re-enforcing of concepts, students' accuracy and fluency with understanding the principles of regrouping in solving addition equations continues to show growth.  In terms of subtraction of larger multi-digit numbers involving regrouping we continue to shake off the summer rust and reinforce the idea of "borrowing from neighbours when you don't have enough".                                               
Remember these simple subtraction rules as they will help you decide if you need to regroup or not.  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

In Language Arts we continued to work on characteristics and parts of speech using our weekly spelling words.  In understanding how parts of speech such as prefixes, suffixes, and vowel and consonant blends work it is easier to decipher unknown words when reading.  This week we also continued our exploration of story writing and worked through several sessions of building story ideas using different writing prompts before having everyone take their first shot at composing a creative story.  This focus on generating and expanding on story ideas through the use of descriptive language will continue throughout the month of October.

With our home reading program continue to aim for at least fifteen minutes per night.  This extra practise at home is an easy way to help your child develop their reading fluency and comprehension.  Students will be bringing our home reading folders this coming week which will allow me to better track their minutes read and subsequently be able to more accurately tally our class totals in relation to our class reading goals and participation in the Oilers/Oil Kings Home Reading program.

Remember the monthly target for students in grade four is 400 minutes per month, or roughly 15 min./ night.




In Science we are continuing our study of waste and our world and the students this week began taking a closer look at the role of decomposers within ecosystems. Decomposers such as bacteria, molds, fungi, moss and worms play an important role in returning important nutrients to the Earth so that they can be "reused" by other living organisms (consumers).  This week we began tracking the rates of decomposition for various food products, cheese, strawberries, cantaloupe, parsley, pickles, apples, and yogurt.  We are hoping to see some very "furry" specimens in next few weeks - sure hope the janitors don't mind!



In Social Studies we continue to "tour" the province of Alberta, exploring the six different geographic regions within its borders.  The six different geographic regions include the Canadian Shield, Boreal Forest, Parkland region, Grassland region, Foothills region and Rocky Mountain region.  Each region will be studied independently and then compared and contrasted against other regions to help students recognize the diversity in landscapes within the province.

We have had some good discussion this week as we begin to explore each of the regions in the interest of deciding which the six regions they would prefer to visit if they were not from Alberta and were only visiting for a few days.
For fun ask your child which of the six regions they might prefer to visit and why, could lead to an interesting future vacation!

In Health we have been talking about the topic of "conflict" and mindfulness, specifically what are some things that can negatively impact our emotions and how can and should we respond. In talking to the kids they mentioned that things like the the negative actions and words of others; people not listen to them; and having to do things they did not like to do as being some things that can cause them to feel upset, frustrated or even angry.  


Reminder to those students who are participating in the Bole Cross Country Meet meet on October 1st at Leduc Estates School or the LDAA Cross Country Meet meet on October 3rd in Beaumont, the deadline to submit permission forms and entry fees is this weekend, Sunday, September 25th.


Important Upcoming Dates
Thursday, September 29 - Math Quiz: Addition and Subtraction with Regrouping
Friday, September 30 - Fall Waste Walk Fieldtrip (AM)  Permission form is on Powerschool.
Saturday, October 1 - Bole Classic X-Country Running Meet @ Leduc Estates School
Monday, October 3 - LDAA X-Country Running Meet @ 4 Seasons Park, Beaumont
Wednesday, October 5 - Early Dismissal @ 2:15PM

It was a great week...thank you!

Mr. Henderson

Monday, 19 September 2016

Week in Review: September 12-16

Well we have hit the ground running and look to have all the trains on the right track!  The first week was all about the set up and making sure everyone had what they needed for the big year ahead.  This second week we have started to make headway in our curricular objectives and are right on schedule - which is awesome!!

Let's start the review with the most pressing school/classroom news item...
INDIVIDUAL STUDENT PHOTOS ARE SCHEDULED FOR 
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH.  
We will be getting our photos taken at some point during the day so ensure that the hair is combed and the mustard stained shirt is washed. lol


In Math we are looking at the addition and subtraction of multiple digit numbers with problems involving the regrouping or trading of digits.  Our lessons are designed to build off of the previous year's Grade Three learning and slowly reacquaint students with the process before leading into
equations involving tens of thousands.  Within the lessons we are reviewing place value concepts (i.e. ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands); the importance of neat penmanship when completing equations (ie. lining up the columns correctly); and also the ability to read large multi-digit numbers.

In Language Arts we continue to work with our weekly words and are using them to look at various aspects of writing and reading.  With this week's words we have been focusing on the concepts of beginning and ending blends; r-controlled vowels; as well as synonyms and antonyms.



Quick reminder to everyone to keep up with the home reading.  Our individual student monthly goal is 400 minutes, which is roughly 15 minutes per night.  In addition to the Laser City program, for our at home reading, our class is also taking part in the Edmonton Oilers and Oil King's "Reading Give it a Shot" program as part of our in class reading program whereby we can win tickets to Oilers and Oil Kings games at the new Rogers Place!  The first draw date for the Oilers Home Reading program is mid October and it would be great if everyone reached their goal and we could enter the class into the draw!  With my previous classes we have been able to take in both Oilers  and Oil Kings games - one year we won three times!  A banner year for sure.



In Science the Waste and our World unit has been successfully introduced and students have had a chance to work through several activities. This month we will taking part in the Alberta Recycling Corporations 5 Star Challenge and looking at different ways that we can reduce our environmental footprint.

At the end of month the students will continue their study of eco-systems and the role of producers, consumers and decomposers by going on a "Waste Walk" through the walking paths of Leduc.  The walk will give students the opportunity to see different aspects of waste and waste reduction first hand in an effort to gain a better understanding of what each component's role is and how it is important.  The required permission will be available online later this week and must be completed prior to us leaving on the trip.  There is no cost for this field trip.  If you are interested in coming along as a parent volunteer simply shoot me an email, or jot a note in your child's agenda.

In Social Studies our study of Alberta continues.  This week we began looking at the physical attributes of the province in relation to it's location in Canada and adjacent provinces/territories.  Gradually we will work into more detailed studies of each of the six different geographic regions which will lead us into our first technology project involving the designing of a digital tour guide for Alberta.

Lastly in Art the students have had the opportunity to practice some of their drawing and water colour painting skills while exploring composition using various types of lines.  Our art projects are currently centered around the theme of autumn and fall colours.


Important Upcoming Dates
Friday, September 23 - Spelling Test #3\
Friday, September 30 - Fall "Waste Walk" Field trip


As always should you want to volunteer in the class or on a field trip or have any questions please do not hesitate to shoot me an email (trevor.henderson@blackgold.ca) or call the school (780)986-5591.

Thank you!

Week in Review: September 12-16

Well we have hit the ground running and look to have all the trains on the right track!  The first week was all about the set up and making sure everyone had what they needed for the big year ahead.  This second week we have started to make headway in our curricular objectives and are right on schedule - which is awesome!!

In Math we are looking at the addition and subtraction of multiple digit numbers with problems involving the regrouping or trading of digits.  Our lessons are designed to build off of the previous year's Grade Three learning and slowly reacquaint students with the process before leading into
equations involving tens of thousands.  Within the lessons we are reviewing place value concepts (i.e. ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands); the importance of neat penmanship when completing equations (ie. lining up the columns correctly); and also the ability to read large multi-digit numbers.

In Language Arts we continue to work with our weekly words and are using them to look at various aspects of writing and reading.  With this week's words we have been focusing on the concepts of beginning and ending blends; r-controlled vowels; as well as synonyms and antonyms.



Quick reminder to everyone to keep up with the home reading.  Our individual student monthly goal is 400 minutes, which is roughly 15 minutes per night.  In addition to the Laser City program, for our at home reading, our class is also taking part in the Edmonton Oilers and Oil King's "Reading Give it a Shot" program as part of our in class reading program whereby we can win tickets to Oilers and Oil Kings games at the new Rogers Place!  The first draw date for the Oilers Home Reading program is mid October and it would be great if everyone reached their goal and we could enter the class into the draw!  With my previous classes we have been able to take in both Oilers  and Oil Kings games - one year we won three times!  A banner year for sure.



In Science the Waste and our World unit has been successfully introduced and students have had a chance to work through several activities. This month we will taking part in the Alberta Recycling Corporations 5 Star Challenge and looking at different ways that we can reduce our environmental footprint.

At the end of month the students will continue their study of eco-systems and the role of producers, consumers and decomposers by going on a "Waste Walk" through the walking paths of Leduc.  The walk will give students the opportunity to see different aspects of waste and waste reduction first hand in an effort to gain a better understanding of what each component's role is and how it is important.  The required permission will be available online later this week and must be completed prior to us leaving on the trip.  There is no cost for this field trip.  If you are interested in coming along as a parent volunteer simply shoot me an email, or jot a note in your child's agenda.

In Social Studies our study of Alberta continues.  This week we began looking at the physical attributes of the province in relation to it's location in Canada and adjacent provinces/territories.  Gradually we will work into more detailed studies of each of the six different geographic regions which will lead us into our first technology project involving the designing of a digital tour guide for Alberta.

Lastly in Art the students have had the opportunity to practice some of their drawing and water colour painting skills while exploring composition using various types of lines.  Our art projects are currently centered around the theme of autumn and fall colours.


Important Upcoming Dates
Friday, September 23 - Spelling Test #3\
Friday, September 30 - Fall "Waste Walk" Field trip


As always should you want to volunteer in the class or on a field trip or have any questions please do not hesitate to shoot me an email (trevor.henderson@blackgold.ca) or call the school (780)986-5591.

Thank you!

Monday, 12 September 2016

Bus safety Presentation

Our class has been scheduled to take part in the "Safely On-Board" program this coming Thursday, September 15th.  With the program the students will have the opportunity to work with a program guide and review the rules for safely riding on a school bus.  During the program students will learn about what school bus driver's expect for behaviour while on the bus; the do's and don't of riding on the bus; as well as emergency evacuation procedures should the need ever arise.  The program is roughly an hour in length.

Sunday, 11 September 2016

Week in Review: Sept. 5-9



Well it was a quick but productive this week.  We have hit the ground running and have now set up all our learning activity books and even tackled setting up our chrome books and getting everyone the codes and passwords that we'll be using for the remainder of this year.

Subject wise this past week we intro'd our Math unit on multiple digit number operations.  We have been working through a quick review of some of the grade three concepts involving multiple digit addition and subtraction and will be transitioning into the fun of trading and regrouping numbers.  If the work so far is any indication we have a fun year ahead of us - definitely a good thing!

With Language Arts we began our work on reading comprehension and story writing by examining a few different stories.  We worked on brainstorming the various parts of a successful story and then identifying those parts within some of our favourite stories and movies.  With our activities we identified and then physically highlighted story characters, settings, as well as central ideas relating to story problems and solutions before answering related comprehension questions.  By being better able to identify story features students become better equipped to integrate these features into their own work.

Our class spelling program has kicked off and the students had a chance to visit the Spelling City website to
review this and next week's spelling words.  These words will be used in a variety of different activities throughout every week.  The word lists for the next five weeks are available online for students to preview and practise.  The website URL again is http://www.spellingcity.com/MrTHenderson4H

This coming week our home reading program will kick off with students having the opportunity to track their reading minutes at home with the chance of winning free laser tag certificates, courtesy of Laser City!



Our first Science unit will be focusing on the topic of Waste and our World.  This week we began looking at what exactly waste is and the types of waste that can be produced: natural or man-made.  We began identifying ways that humans can reduce their environmental footprint and make changes that can positively benefit the environment.  This coming week we welcome our classroom pets - our Red Wiggler Worms!  Our worms will be our real life examples of natural decomposers, and will be helping us reduce the amount of food waste that we produce daily in our classroom.  All of our students will have the opportunity at some point throughout the year to be our worm chefs who get to prep the worm's daily meal...fruit and vegetable scraps.




In Social Studies our year long focus will be on our home province of Alberta.  Our study of Alberta begins will a study of the physical geography of the land and identifying differences and similarities in Alberta's six geographic regions.  Our study of the different geographic regions will soon progress into our first collaborative group task involving online research and the gathering of specific information.

Lastly everyone got to get creative and begin the design of their own little mini-mes which will hang in the rafters of the class for the entire year.  It was neat watching the kids take their time and design the "outfits" to match their clothes. 


School News


Notice of School Council Establishment Meeting

As per the School Act, under the School Councils Regulation, West Haven Public School 
hereby provides notice of its School Council Establishment Meeting. 
This notice is being provided through the school newsletter and on the school’s website.
Purpose of the meeting: To establish the West Haven Public School School Council
When: September 21st, 2016 at 6:00 p.m.
Where: West Haven Public School in the Learning Common
Who may attend the meeting: 
a) a parent of each student enrolled in the school 
b) A parent of each child enrolled in an Early Childhood Services program at the school 
c) The school staff 
d) Other members of the school community who, in the Principal’s opinion, 
    should be given notice.

Insane Inflatables Fundraiser

The West Haven Public School Fundraising Society is raising money for the playground.  Help us raise some money through our very first fundraiser by joining us in this awesome event. $5 of each ticket sale (provided tickets are purchased individually) will be donated to the fundraising society for the new playground! 

Please use Promo Code WHPSFS when you register to ensure our school benefits from your participation!!!

Saturday, September 17Capilano Park, EdmontonNo minimum ageMinimum height requirement 42″The price is $69 per person.

This is a family friendly event. Midway games,entertainment and food available after the race. There are so many more details so check it out here:





Important Upcoming Dates

Tuesday, Sept. 13 - Meet the Teacher Night
Friday, Sept. 16 - PD Day: No School
Tuesday, Sept. 20th - Student Picture Day. Weather permitting, pictures will be outdoors. 


                               

Wednesday, 7 September 2016

WHPS runs for Terry Fox!

Our 1st annual WHPS Terry Fox Walk/run in support of 
cancer research is scheduled for this coming 
Friday, September 9th.  



Our walk/run will take place immediately following our afternoon school assembly.  The students will be taking part in the Terry Fox walk/run at approximately 1:45PM.  As well on Friday students are encouraged to bring a "Toonie for Terry". This is not mandatory. For those students who do bring a toonie they can give it to their homeroom teacher on Friday morning.

The required permission form along with a map of our run/walk route has been posted online and can be found in the Parent Portal under Student Fees and Forms.

If you interested in assisting with the Terry Fox run as a route supervisor/chaperone please jot a note in your child's agenda and I will pass your name along to the organizers.

Thursday, 1 September 2016

Week in Review: September 8



Well September has officially arrived and with it the start of another exciting school year for our Wolverines at West Haven Public School.  As I mentioned to several parents during the open house I am big on communication with parents and as such I will be frequently using the class blog to share information and general "housekeeping" items. Whenever possible I will try and have the students record in their agendas to check the blog for new information - although an easier way to stay informed of new posts is to simply click on the  "Follow by Email" tab.  With this feature any new information posted to the blog will be automatically emailed to you without you having to go hunting for it!



Classroom Communication


In terms of communication I am a big email guy and if you are wanting to reach me guaranteed email will likely reach me the fastest.  I do have an open door policy and if you are ever wanting to swing by the classroom you are of course more than welcome to visit.  Be warned though if you visit you may find yourself working with students, as I am always keen to snag would-be reading and/or writing partners for students.  If you are needing to meet with me personally by all means shoot me a message or call the school and I will definitely try and accommodate you.  I am a firm believer in two way communication and recognize the value of such especially being a parent with three kids of my own in school. It is always nice to know what is happening in class.

Inevitably questions regarding assignments, important dates, or expectations arise - so by all means if they do, just message me and I will try and help!  My email address is trevor.henderson@blackgold.ca and the school number is (780) 986-5991. In the everyone's agenda today you will find a "Parent Contact Form" whereby you can list your email addresses and contact phone numbers - it is always easier to contact people when I have the correct information.


Class Attendance

As with everything in life people only tend to improve at something with consistent and meaningful practice. And so it is with school and learning, so please endeavor to get everyone to school on time and regularly. Our morning attendance bell rings at 8:30AM and the afternoon attendance bell rings at 12:45PM immediately following the students' lunch break.

Inconsistent attendance and missed lessons are a sure fire way to make learning more challenging than it has to be, as there is always that element of playing catch up involved. If you know in advance that your child will be absent for the day (i.e. scheduled appointment, family vacation, sports tournament) please let me know and I can make arrangements to send home any missed assignments.


Parent Volunteers

If you are interested in volunteering at the school, in the classroom, or on any of school field trips you are of course more than welcome to join the fun.  Prior to coming in simply stop by the office and complete a volunteer information form, once this is on file you are good to go.  With our crew this year we have a number of field trips in the works.  If after receiving notice of any of trips you are interested in attending simply shoot me an email and I will mark you down as a wanting to attend.


Homework?

As I mentioned earlier I am not really an advocate of homework and believe that everyone's lives outside of school are busy enough without adding in another challenge which may provide little educational value.  With our daily schedule I plan purposefully to ensure that there is ample time for students to apply their learning and practice their skills during class time. In the event there is student work that is left uncompleted during the allotted class time, or review work in preparation for upcoming exams, this will be sent home.  Incomplete assignments sent home with students are to be returned the NEXT DAY unless another date is clearly specified.


Our Weekly Spelling Program

About the only thing coming home regularly with students weekly will be our vocabulary spelling words which will be given out every Monday and tested every Friday.  These lists will be words that the students will be using throughout that week in a variety of different Language Arts activities.  Our initial lists will consist of fewer words, with each list focusing on a different language feature or theme.  With our spelling program we be using an online website called "SPELLING CITY".  The site allows students to interact with their words and practice their skills in preparation for their weekly spelling tests.  The URL for the site is also glued inside the front cover of your child's agenda just in case it is forgotten...

The internet URL for our weekly spelling lists is  https://www.spellingcity.com/MrTHenderson4H/  




Once onto the Spelling City page you will be able to view not only that week's spelling words but also words from upcoming weeks.  I typically put the words up in five week chunks, four weeks of new words and then a review exam based on the previous lists.  I recommend bookmarking the site for easy future reference and practice.  The spelling words for each week will (should) also be listed in your child's daily agenda.


The 5Rs and how they tie in...

I trust that everyone received the classroom welcome/information letters in a timely fashion and hope that the kids are as excited about their homeroom as I am.  In the welcome letter I had explained a little bit about the 5 Rs and how I really try and get the kids involved in their learning by being accountable and responsible for their own performance.  Within the class we will be doing a variety of different activities throughout the year and some of these involve a certain degree of choice in terms of how they will reach their desired outcome...thus hopefully mirroring real life where there is usually more than one way to reach a target goal.  It is within this respectful learning environment that I want to see my students being able to work not only independently, but also cooperatively with their peers; being able to actively ad creatively problem solve for themselves; and being able to demonstrate perseverance when facing challenges and not being quick to become flustered or simply quit the task.

With these desired outcomes/goals my students will quickly become leaders in the school for others to emulate as they will come to recognize that their behaviour, level of effort, and their attention in class are all indeed connected to their personal performance - and ultimately their success or failure as a self-guided learner.

School Pictures
Student pictures will be taken on Tuesday, September 19th by Country Nuts Photo. Weather permitting, pictures will be taken outdoors.

Important Upcoming Dates
September 14 - Week 1 Spelling Test
September 15 - No School: PD Day
September 19 - School Pictures

Well that is a good start and I am sure there will be more to pass on once my mind fully transitions from summer mode to school mode.l  If you have any questions please free to contact me.  Thank you!