Dear Division 11 Families,

Thank you so much for joining us on Wednesday, even on such short notice. From identifying problems and needs, planning and sketching, to creating their cardboard prototypes, our students worked incredibly hard. It was wonderful to see how proud they were to showcase their work, and we truly appreciate your presence and support. We also had two other classes visit, and it was heartwarming to see how engaged the audience was with our inventions.

In this project, we developed so many of our core competencies of critical thinking, reflective thinking, creativity, communication, and more! Well done, Division 11!

We Are Mathematicians

In math, we have been learning about 3D objects and their properties. Through hands-on activities, such as building with toothpicks and plasticine and using magnetic rods, students explored how to count faces, edges, and vertices. As we worked through these concepts, we discovered patterns. For example, with prisms, we learned that the number of edges can be found by multiplying the number of sides on the base by 3. A triangular prism has a base with 3 sides, so it has 9 edges (3 x 3). A hexagonal prism has 18 edges (3 x 6). In a short time, our students have done an amazing job learning the names and properties of various 3D objects! 

We Are Artists 

Tying into our lessons on geometry, students explored how to use shading techniques to make their drawings look three-dimensional and realistic. They each drew a cone, cube, cylinder, and sphere, then arranged them into a creative “impossible stack.” Shading was a new skill for many, but students rose to the challenge and were excited to see their drawings come to life! 

Important Updates 

Market Day – Monday:
Students from Divisions 1, 2, and 3 are excited to share their amazing handmade products, from jewelry to stuffed toys made from scratch. Prices vary, with most items around $5 and a maximum of $10. Please send your child with an appropriate amount of money they can manage independently. 

Construction Update:
Fences will be going up around the school, restricting access to the back door from the annex/big gym side of the school. Please help your child line up at our usual morning spot by walking around the school close to Kitchener Street. 

Body Science presentations on Tues, June 17:
Students in our class will have their presentation on Tuesday afternoon. The parent information session will be on Monday, June 16 at 6:30pm on Zoom. Please see the email from the office for the zoom link. 

Book Swap on Wed, June 18:
Students who brought in at least one book will go to choose new to them books on this day! Might not be too late to bring in books on Monday! In my previous schools when we did this, almost every child brought in a book to swap. They absolutely love this event and went home super excited to share their books with their families! 

Field Trip to McGill Library and Confederation park on Thur, June 19:
We are excited to join Ms. Forbes and Ms. Rinaldo’s classes this Thursday! Please review the notice by clicking here. Children are usually extra hungry during active field trips so please bring extra snacks. It might be easier for them to wear their bathing suits under their clothes too. 

Thank you, families, for your continued support at home. We hope you have a wonderful weekend. And to our amazing dads, happy Father’s Day on Sunday! 

Warm regards, 

Cailyn and Livia 

Dear Division 11 Families,

We hope everyone is having a great week so far! Apologies for the late update on our learning. It’s been a fun and busy week filled with exciting experiences, including two workshops: a Coding Workshop on Wednesday and a Honeybee Workshop on Thursday.

We are Scientists

Honeybee Workshop

This week, we had the opportunity to learn about Honey Bees! Students learned about the different types of bees and their important roles within the hive. We rotated through different stations; searching for the queen bee, tasting various types of honey, participating in hands-on bee-themed activities, and even trying on real bee suits! It was a great experience that deepened our understanding of bees and the important role they play in our ecosystems.
 

Landforms

We also started a new unit on landforms. Students explored a variety of natural landforms found on Earth. In one of the activities students used loose parts to design and build landforms, developing both their creativity and understanding of physical geography.

We are Mathematicians

Our multiplication learning continued this week with a focus on using arrays and connecting them to real-life scenarios. Students explored how objects arranged in rows and columns can represent multiplication facts in a clear and visual way. Keep an eye out for real-life arrays at home!

We are Inventors
This week, students began brainstorming invention ideas to solve everyday problems they encounter. Over the next few weeks, students will move from planning to creating their own inventions, using a variety of materials to bring their designs to life. We’re excited to see their problem-solving and design thinking skills in action as they build their creations!

ADST (Applied Design, Skills, and Technologies)

Dear Division 11 Families,

We hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

We had an amazing time on our field trip to Britannia Mine Museum. Thank you again to our parent drivers for making this trip possible! We’ve created a folder with photos from the field trip, which will be shared with you via email soon.

Here’s a glimpse into the fun learning that has been happening in class over the past week:

Science


This week, our class went on an exciting field trip to Britannia Mine! We learned all about the history of mining and how it has impacted local communities over the years. Students got to wear hard hats and ride an underground train, giving them a real sense of what it was like to work in the mines. They also saw live demonstrations of old mining equipment, which brought the experience to life. Inside the museum, we explored interactive exhibits that showed how minerals are extracted and processed. One of the biggest highlights was gold panning—students had so much fun searching for minerals and were thrilled to take home their discoveries. We left with a deeper understanding of Earth science and the effects of human activity on our environment.

The Smart Cookie

Among the many books we read this week, we reflected on The Smart Cookie by Jory John. This heartwarming story explores themes of self-awareness, growth, and confidence. As a class, we discussed how being “smart”   can mean different things to different people, and that intelligence comes in many forms. Students shared what makes them feel smart and created “I am smart because…” statements to celebrate their personal strengths. This activity not only helped students recognize their own unique abilities but also strengthened our classroom community by highlighting the diverse ways we all shine as “smart cookies.”

Here’s a link to the book: The Smart Cookie.

Language Arts

In Language Arts, we focused on building the structure of our stories and learning key writing techniques. Students began typing their first drafts, organizing their ideas into clear sections and creating a solid layout to support the editing process. A big focus this week was writing strong introductions that hook the reader and draw them into the story. This stage of the writing process gave students the opportunity to strengthen their work before moving on to peer feedback and revisions.

Math


This week in Math, we began learning about multiplication! Students explored the concept as “repeated addition” and “equal groups of” through games, real-world examples, and hands-on activities. One of the highlights was a new game called Circles and Stars, which helped reinforce the idea of equal groups in a fun and visual way.

Feel free to try playing this game at home to support your child’s learning—we’ve included a link here to show how Circles and Stars is played.

Happening This Week:

• April 8th – Science Workshop
  This workshop will take place in our classroom from 9:00–10:00 a.m. Please help your child arrive on time so we can begin smoothly. For this activity, we are looking for 2L plastic bottles. If you have any at home, we would greatly appreciate you sending them in for us to use!
• April 9th – Honeybee Workshop
  This workshop will be held in the gym from 2:00–3:00 p.m. Students will be dismissed from the gym afterward. Thank you, families, for sending in your forms!

We are always so appreciative of your support. Have a relaxing evening!

Warm regards,
Jake, Cailyn, and Livia

Dear Division 11 Families,

We hope you had a wonderful weekend! It’s hard to believe we’re already nearing the end of Term 2 and that this is the last week before Spring Break. It feels like we just met the students, but as they say, time flies when you’re having fun!

Vancouver Warriors
Our class had an incredible opportunity to learn from the pros; the Vancouver Warriors came to our school! We participated in a session where we learned about the history and fundamentals of lacrosse. Students learned the basics of passing, catching, and shooting, while also gaining insight into the sport’s connection to Indigenous history and culture.

Kindness Rocks!
This week, our class took part in a simple but meaningful project; Kindness Rocks! Each student painted a rock with inspiring words and creative designs. We talked about how small acts of kindness can make a big difference, whether it’s a kind word, a smile, or even a painted rock left for someone to find!

Science 
Exploring Ecosystems: Everything is Connected!
This week in science, we learned how everything in an ecosystem is connected! We explored what organisms look like, where they live, and the roles they play. We had the opportunity to observe them up close.

Language Arts

Our students worked on the introductions of their stories. We explored what makes an introduction engaging and focused on three key techniques:

• Sparking curiosity to make readers want to keep reading.
• Creating a vivid picture in the reader’s mind.
• Evoking emotions by incorporating sensory details.

After learning about these techniques, students applied them to their own writing. They also dedicated a day to editing and refining their introductions.

Math

We are wrapping up our unit on addition and subtraction. As a class, we reviewed the three strategies together before going on a scavenger hunt around the classroom to find math problems. Students had to solve each addition or subtraction question using a specific strategy based on the color of the paper. For example, if the problem was on pink paper, they used the compensation strategy.

To conclude, we reflected on which strategies they preferred. Many students chose multiple strategies, demonstrating their flexible thinking and problem-solving skills!

Social Studies

Our students participated in an invention scavenger hunt! Working with a partner, they read about different inventions and identified the need each invention addressed. They were excited to recognize some familiar inventions and discover new ones they had never heard of before.

Primary Days of Music Field Trip – This Thursday!

Thank you for submitting your forms!

Families, we are so grateful for your support! Thank you for being a part of our learning journey.

Warm regards,

Cailyn, Livia, and Jake