Month: April 2017

Hello Everyone! Quick Updates!

As I said in email to all parents, some students did not receive the Deep Cove Kayak notice today. If you missed receiving it, you can find it under Notices. Each parent will also need to fill out the waiver form, which is done electronically at the Deep Cove Website.

Tuning IN Reflections: Students should have selected six articles from the Nature Unit links on the Articles of Interest Page. They then should write a reflection for each one. Please include a few lines to tell us what the article is about, and then a longer section with the thoughts, questions, and feelings they had about the article. Due April 10th, Monday.

Math: For our nature unit applied math, we are focusing on data and charts. This will mean doing a series of smaller math projects. Our first is all about Earth data. Tonight students need to finish page one, finding number facts about the Earth.

Battle of Books: All students have first book signed out! See blog post about the competition and guidelines.

Everett Crowley Park Walk April 11: Weather depending (I will be looking on Monday to see if it will be nice enough), we will walk from Suncrest to Everett Crowley Park on Tuesday, April 11th, starting at 9AM. For tonight, I have asked students to find out the history and any interesting facts about the park. We will discuss over next three days.

Rain Jacket for April 18th Watershed: Please look for rain jacket with hood. Think about what backpack will travel well — think light, think waterproof.

Library: Please bring your books for tomorrow!

Caribou Test: Caribou Test for April is tomorrow afternoon from 1-2 PM

Student Leds: We look forward to seeing you tomorrow! Please come at the time assigned. All students need to leave the classroom at 2PM so I can have a quick break before starting at 2:10 PM. I will also not be in the classroom from 5-5:30 so I can get some dinner. If younger siblings are coming, please be advised they will need to stay with parents the whole time, as we will have lots of crazy stations set up! Thank you for your help.

Have a great evening! See you tomorrow!

As we discussed today, our new unit until mid-May is called The Nature Connection! 

We began today by spending some time outside and doing close observations of our natural surroundings. Tonight I have asked everyone to do the same for 15 minutes at home. Please keep your journals in your backpacks during this whole unit so you know where they are and can use them for observations!

Unit Focus Statement:

Human beings impact AND rely upon the balance of nature’s interdependent systems.

We will inquire into:

Interdependence in ecosystems

Biodiversity of species

How human interaction with the environment can affect the balance of systems

Earth’s water supply

First Nations’ perspectives: nature, science

The role of close observation, documentation, data, and charts in science

How the moon, sun, weather, and tides affect our lives

How we express our connection to nature through poetry or art

I look forward to another great unit!

 

Dear Parents:

As part of our unit on interconnectedness with nature, we will spend some exciting time outside and learning about nature. Here are some quick notes about upcoming events:

Everett Crowley Walk ​April 11: Everett Crowley Park nearby is a great place to explore for a shorter walking trip to identify plants. I need 2-3 parents to walk with us from the school and back, weather depending, on Tuesday April 11, 9:00 – 12:00. Please let me know if you can help.

OWL Visit ​April 12: The OWL Rescue organization from Delta will visit us April 12th from 10:00-11:30. There will be a fee of approximately $7.50, and I will be collecting it after the visit because I need the kilometre charge to indicate the exact amount. Please let me know if you have any concerns.

Watershed Field Trip April 18: Remember field trip to Lower Seymour coming up! Details on what to bring will be reviewed in class. Bus leaves promptly at 9AM, so please be at school at 8:50.  No umbrellas allowed for students and adults, so please have waterproof jackets with hoods to stay dry. Also helpful is a small, water resistant bag, and we will talk about how to prepare for this in class.​

Dragon Boating May 16,23,26: Dragon Boating confirmed for mornings of May 16, 23 and 26 for $25. Notice will come out late April so we can space out payments of field trips. If you volunteered to help drive, please mark dates and confirm via the notice.

Deep Cove Kayaking June 20: Our end of year celebration is June 20th, Tuesday; notice going out Wednesday, April 5th. Two hours of kayaking with instruction and guides, as well as picnic/bag lunch at the park. I am collecting $28.85 early due to a deposit being required. Thank you to PAC for some funding to lower costs. I will need parent drivers for transportation. Please advise via the notice if you can help. Three parents can participate in kayaking, and we also need some people to just help with getting us there and back. Any concerns, please let me know!​

Ultimate Session in June: A past student of mine now has a business of his own (and made me feel old and proud all at the same time!) — Ultipros Academy — and he will be coming to do a free ultimate session with the students in June! For more information about their group, please see:   https://ultipros.jimdo.com/​

Independent Project Display June 23rd Tentative 12:00 – 2:00 PM:​ We will display independent projects this day. We will tentatively do it over lunch with the hope you can come and see student projects, taking a quick break from work. Please mark calendars and see if you can join us. If you need me to adjust hours so you can make it (without doing after school) then please let me know.

Helpful Items for Nature Exploration:​  

• ​Look for egg cartons and 12 ounce glass jars with lids. Please keep at home until needed. 
• For students with sensitive skin, it may be helpful to have cheap gardening gloves from the dollar store (only if they fit well so they can grab things) as then they don’t have to worry about accidentally touching an irritant during plant collection. 

Thank you and please let me know if you have any questions! 

Ms. D