Thursday Dec. 19th

Hello Parents/Guardians! 

We are wishing you all a restful and fun winter break.  See you in 2020!!  

**Reminder: The first day back to school for students is Tuesday January 7th.  

W.O.W (Words of the Week) Words: 

W.O.W words will continue after the break.

Weekly Highlights:

• This week in Literacy we read the story, The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg.  We then created an art piece in our visual journals.  We used crayons for the background to create the sky and the northern lights.  We then used construction paper to create our very own Polar Express Train using a variety of shapes.  Near the end of the story, Santa asks the main character to tell him what his wish is for Christmas.  The boy wishes for a bell from Santa’s sleigh.  The students brainstormed their very own wish for Christmas.  Some of the things students wished for were: a rainbow, a unicorn, a doggie, PS4 video games.
• To express our gratitude for all the work our Grade 5 and 6 buddies do with us every week we made each of our buddies a card.  We drew a nice picture and wrote a kind message.  We also enjoyed watching our Grade 5 buddies perform Readers Theatre!
• This week we practiced reading fluently.  Fluency includes: reading rate, stress (emphasizing certain words such as bold text), paying attention to punctuation, intonation (making your voice go up/down or loud/soft), accuracy (making sure what you read makes sense), and phrasing (reading in smooth phrases rather than word by word).  
• We participated in an afternoon of fun activities with all of our Grade 1 friends.  The different activities were: building, iPads, and colouring.
• We ended the week watching the movie The Polar Express!  To celebrate we decorated sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles and drank hot chocolate.  It was delicious!
• This week we participated in school wide caroling.  It was so much fun to gather with all of our friends and sing together!

Reminders:

Winter Break:

The first day back after winter break is Tuesday January 7th for students.  Have a wonderful winter break!

Report Cards:

Report cards went home on Wednesday December 18th.  Please keep the report card document at home and return the brown envelope to school. 

Raz-Kids:

Raz-Kids will be available for students to use over the break.  This is an easy way to have your child continue to practice their reading in a fun and interactive way.  The Raz-Kids app is free to download.  We will be awarding extra stars to students who read over the break!

Field Trips:

Mrs. McGivern and Ms. Boston are looking for volunteers for our upcoming full day field trip on Monday February 24th to Glenbow Museum.  If you have your security clearance and would like to volunteer for this field trip please contact Kirsten Ledergerber at kcutress@hotmail.com.  Please watch the field trip forms which will be going home near the end of January.  The cost of the field trip is $20.00.  Please log into your Power School account to pay this fee.  If you have any issues with payment please contact the office at 403-777-6660. 

Parent Council Meeting:

All parents are invited to attend the Parent Council meetings each month.  On Thursday January 9th at 7pm the Grade 1 Team will be sharing what we have been working on this year and what we have coming up in the next few months.

Ask Me About:

1. Log into your Raz-Kids account and read at least 5 books over the winter break.  If you read at least 5 books you will be awarded bonus stars to spend on your Raz rocket or Raz robot!
2. Spend time with your family and play outside!

Friday Dec. 13th

Hello Parents/Guardians! 

W.O.W (Words of the Week) Words: 

1. good
2. want
3. too
4. pretty
5. four

Weekly Highlights:

• In Social Studies this week we had our second opportunity to explore the Buffalo Kit from Fort Calgary.  We sketched the objects in detail and wrote about our favourite artifact: which was our favourite/why, what it was used for/made of, and any questions we had about it.
• We finished our read aloud called, Magic Tree House, Buffalo Before Breakfast by Mary Pope Osborne. We learned many facts about Indigenous People and their way of life.  We are excited to read the next story in the series to see if the characters Jack and Annie can help turn their dog Teddy back into a person.
• In Math, we finished our measurement unit.  We learned about balance scales and how to use them properly - balance the scale first before putting anything onto it.  We practiced dividing a lump of clay into two parts and making it balance.  We also practiced figuring out the weight of different objects in the classroom using nonstandard units (blocks).  We learned that the weight of an object is relative and that something may be heavy for one person but light for another.  For example, an apple is light for an elephant but heavy for an ant.
• In writing we continued to practice:
• Finger spaces
• Starting sentences with an uppercase letter
• Ending sentences with periods, exclamation marks, and question marks.
• Writing complete sentences that make sense
• We practiced reading numbers when they were represented different ways such as: dominoes, tally marks, dice, fingers, and ten frames.
• In art this week, we learned how to use the watercolour pencil crayons.  This project is top secret and will go home sometime next week!
• The Division 2 students did a fabulous job in the play, The Show Must Go On.  All their hard work was evident and we enjoyed watching our grade 5 and 6 buddies showcase their many talents!

Reminders:

Polar Express Day

On Thursday December 19^th, the grade one students will be decorating and enjoying cookies made by the teachers, sipping on hot chocolate, and watching the Polar Express. The grade one students (not a school wide event) will be allowed to wear their pajama’s if they wish (please leave stuffies and slippers at home).  Make sure to fill in and return the orange permission form indicating that your child can have a cookie and hot chocolate by Tuesday December 17th.  If you would not like them to participate, please send in an alternative treat for your child to have. 

Below is a list of ingredients that will be used.

1.     Cookie ingredients:

·      Flour

·      Salt

·      Baking powder

·      Margarine

·      White sugar

·      Eggs

·      Vanilla extract

2.     Icing ingredients:

·      Icing sugar

·      Water

·      Margarine

·      Sprinkles

3.     Hot chocolate powder mixed with hot water

SVS Christmas Hampers:

The Christmas season is upon us! It is a time many families look forward to the gathering of family and friends, the sharing of gifts and a warm meal. Unfortunately, not all families are able to participate in many of these activities which most of us take for granted. 

In previous years, the SVS staff and community have had the pleasure of being able to help some of our SVS families during this time. We will again be supporting a few of our families by providing them with gift cards. The most asked for are to SuperStore and Walmart but any card will be accepted. 

You can show your support by purchasing a gift card and dropping it off at the office by December 13th. We will then distribute the cards to the families the last week of school. Thank you for your generosity and care. 

Calgary Food Bank:

From now until December 17^th we will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Calgary Food Bank. Foodbank boxes have now been placed around the school to accept any and all donations.

Ask Me About:

1. What was my favourite part of the play, The Show Must Go On?
2. Log into your Raz-Kids account and read at least 2 books this weekend! If you read at least 2 books you will be awarded bonus stars to spend on your Raz rocket or Raz robot!

3. Play a spelling city game using the link on the left hand side of the blog.