Category: We are readers.

Dear families,

It’s hard to believe we are in our last week of May!

We are mathematicians.

Students are progressing well with our division concepts! We continued to deepen their understanding of division by sharing and division by grouping through creating their own word problems. Ms. Kim had them create their own word problems including the solution. They really enjoyed using their creativity in math!

On Thursday and Friday, we learned how to divide by repeated subtraction. They learned that this is the opposite of repeated addition for multiplication. Here, they subtract the divisor until they can’t anymore. Then they count the number of times they subtracted for the quotient. Many found this strategy of dividing straightforward to understand so they quickly showed proficiency. Click here to watch a short video for review.

Ways to support at home: Reinforcing concepts learned at school is a great way to solidify learning especially if you ask your child to teach you. The process of teaching involves higher level thinking (analysis and synthesis) than to just do questions you give them as practice. This further develops  their brain through active retrieval which strengthens neural pathways, improves communication skills, opportunities to monitor their own understanding, and increased confidence.

We are creative.

We read a story called A Squiggly Story by Andrew Larson. After the story, students were given the choice to write their own or to continue the story from the end of this story where the boy leaves on a rocket ship with an alien.

We practiced being creative by using squiggles to help us be more creative. Ms. Chan modelled some creative thinking strategies by creating her own story on the board. One tip: use the phrase “All of a sudden” or “suddenly”. This creates an unexpected turn in the story and increases your audience’s attention.

Another goal of this writing exercise was to develop our writing fluency. This is how quickly we can get our thoughts onto a page. They were challenged to write as quickly as they can. After a solid 20 minutes, we counted up our words. We saw so many really push themselves!

Unleashing Imagination: Why “What If…” Poems Matter!

Our classroom buzzed with imagination this week as students dove into writing their own “What If…” poems. It was more than just a writing exercise; it was a deliberate push to spark their incredible creativity.

You might think creativity is something you’re born with, but the truth is, creativity can absolutely be taught and developed! It’s one of our core competencies too! I was an Odyssey of the Mind coach for five years and saw our team grow immensely in their creative thinking and problem solving skills.

Creative thinking is a fundamental way of thinking and approaching challenges that empowers children to come up with diverse solutions and consider different perspectives. When we encourage this kind of imaginative thinking, we’re not just fostering artistic expression; we’re building essential skills that will serve them well in all aspects of life to think flexibly and inventively.

Ways to support at home: Have fun co-creating your own “What If…” poems! See how creative you can be with your child! Here’s a challenge: Write one with your child or as a family. Have your child bring your family poem to school to share next week! We would love to see your creativity run wild!

Learning about perspectives

We had a discussion about the picture on the left, exploring how both interpretations can be correct—even if they’re different. It’s all about point of view and understanding another person’s perspective.

We then read They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel, a book that beautifully illustrates how various animals perceive the same cat in very different ways. For example, the way a fox sees the cat is completely different from how a mouse sees it.

Inspired by the book, we created our own “cat perspective” art. Students illustrated the cat from two different viewpoints, thinking carefully about how perception can change based on who is looking.

Our students have been working very hard, and they’re excited to share their artwork with everyone soon!

We are athletes.

Tennis lessons continued last week. This week will be their final sessions.

Passion Projects

Students are moving along with their Passion Projects. We reviewed the single-point rubric that we will use to assess. Click on the image or click here to view the PDF.

They are learning to analyze and synthesize the information they find on websites and decide how to present these facts on their slides.

They are becoming more proficient with inserting images and text boxes.

We love how excited they get when we pull out the laptops! We enjoy seeing how hard they work on learning and developing their ideas in a digital form. Here are some of this important skills they are developing:

• reading, researching, and information gathering to develop curiosity and independently seeking knowledge (Core competency: Thinking skills)
• organization and planning – students must decide on the information they want to share (synthesize), what information goes together, and how to organize the information like one idea per slide for clarity
• communication skills – writing skills to paraphrase in their own words, making it easy to understand, and being concise by using bullet points
• digital literacy and technology skills – navigating between website and PowerPoint project, inserting text, adding images, and resizing fonts, for example.

Save the Dates

• Thur. May 29 at 1:30pm – Volunteer Tea in the gym
• Fri. May 30 at 2:00pm – Early dismissal
• Fri. May 30 at 2:00pm – $2 Ice cream sandwich and $1 freezie sale. Click here to learn more. Cash only in the undercover area where we usually line up.
• Mon. June 2 – All library books are due
• Fri. June 6 – Pro-D day; school not in session
• Wed. June 18 – Book swap
• Thur. June 19 at 9:15am (all day) – Burnaby Public Library visit & Confederation Park travelling by public transit.
• Wed. June 25 –Last full day of school
• Thur. June 26 – Early dismissal at 10am

Our hearts are full of appreciation for your continued support.

Gratefully, Ms. Kim and Ms. Chan

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

Dear Division 11 Families,

We hope you enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend!

Here’s a look at the fun learning happening in our class:

Team-Building Activities

Mr. Evoy planned engaging collaborative activities to help our students develop their group work skills, such as taking turns, making decisions as a team, and resolving conflicts when disagreements arise.

One of the activities was building a marshmallow tower. Many groups asked for a piece of paper to sketch their ideas before starting. They persevered through challenges and demonstrated great sportsmanship—even when their towers fell over!

Another challenge was the human knot. We started with groups of 3–4 students and gradually increased to around 10 students per group. They learned the importance of communication and how calmly taking turns to share and listen to each other’s thoughts helped them succeed.

Pink Shirt Day

For Pink Shirt Day on Wednesday, our students brainstormed ways to show kindness. Each student decorated a puzzle piece with words or drawings that reminded them of kindness. We are putting the pieces together to create a large pink shirt in our classroom as a daily reminder to spread kindness. A photo of the completed shirt is coming soon!

We also met with our kindergarten buddies and helped them deliver ‘You’re Amazing’ keychains to every staff member in the school. Our students loved guiding their little buddies around our school.

Math

In math, we continued working on the decomposing strategy, focusing on subtraction when the minuend (the larger number) has a 0 in the ones or tens place. We also introduced the compensation strategy this week. To learn more about this strategy, please refer to the following website: Compensation Strategy.

Social Studies

In social studies, our students explored architectural innovations and inventions. As a class, we examined the Haudenosaunee longhouse, identifying its purpose and key characteristics. Students then split into expert groups to study one of the following innovations: Inuit igloos, Egyptian pyramids, and Roman aqueducts. Afterward, they shared their knowledge with classmates from other groups to deepen their understanding.

Language Arts

Our students learned about contractions by becoming contraction surgeons. They started with two words like ‘can not’ and ‘you are,’ writing them on a prescription pad. Then, they performed ‘surgery’ by carefully cutting between the words and adding an apostrophe bandaid to connect them into contractions like ‘can’t’ and ‘you’re.’

Primary Days of Music

Our students did a fantastic job at rehearsal on Thursday—they are looking and sounding great! We will be traveling to Marlborough Elementary for Primary Days of Music on March 13th. We will be departing at 12:25 by bus and will be returning to school at around 2:30.

Please join us for family reading tomorrow and reminder that we have Vancouver Warriors joining us tomorrow for gym.

Thank you for your continued support!

Warm regards,

Cailyn

Dear Division 11 Families,

We hope everyone is having a wonderful Family Day long weekend!

Week 2: Love Others

This week, we read If You Plant a Seed and discussed how even one small act of kindness can create a ripple effect, inspiring others to spread kindness as well. Our students were encouraged to perform random acts of kindness throughout the week and add a heart to our “Kindness Tree” whenever they did something kind or received a random act of kindness from someone else. It was wonderful to see so many hearts added in just one week! We hope our students always remember how one small act of kindness can have a big impact.

We continued our theme of Friendship and “Love for Self”. Every Thursday is “Thankful Thursday” where they share something they are grateful for during Community Circle. This past week, we shared what we are grateful for about ourselves. We started by giving ourselves a hug to love ourselves. We talked about how the relationship we have with ourselves is the foundation for all other relationships so it is important to be kind to ourselves. What we say to choose to say to ourselves helps us anchor into our own strengths and believe in ourselves too. Last week, we continued to work on our affirmation statements. We are looking forward to sharing them with you!

It is also important to take such great care of the person we spend the most time with. That’s themselves! It’s the most important job they have in their life…to make good choices about eating well, getting enough sleep, staying positive and grateful which leads to happiness.

We Are Mathematicians!

This week, we continued practicing our addition and subtraction skills, focusing on using open number lines. With this strategy, students decide where to start their number line and how to decompose, or break down, a number to add or subtract. There are multiple ways to solve problems using open number lines, allowing students to approach problems in a way that makes sense to them. (As shown in the picture, three different students each found their own way to solve 56 + 37.)

We encouraged our students to use friendly numbers—numbers that are easy to work with when adding or subtracting, such as 20, 50, or 100. For example, in the problem 27 + 9, the student broke 9 into 3 and 6, adding 3 to 27 first to make 30, which made it easier to add the remaining 6.

This strategy connects to the next one we will be focusing on, so our students will have more time to practice and strengthen their understanding.

Here’s a helpful resource for you to learn more about this strategy and support your child at home.

Shelly Gray – Friendly Numbers: Addition Strategy

Social Studies

Our students have been exploring how humans have created inventions and innovations to meet their needs throughout history. This week, our focus was on agriculture, specifically in Ancient Egypt. Students learned about the different ways ancient Egyptians controlled water, then compared these methods to those used in ancient Mesopotamia. To deepen their understanding, they created Venn diagrams to identify connections between the two civilizations.

Writing
On Wednesday, we did a writing snapshot, and we were so impressed with the progress our students have made since the beginning of the year! We’ve been focusing on making writing more engaging, and we encourage students to use the following strategies:

• Triple scoop words – Choosing more interesting words (e.g., instead of good, using fabulous or fantastic).
• Similes – Comparing things using like or as (e.g., My brother is as loud as a fire truck. He is wise like an owl).
• Adding dialogue – Making conversations more dynamic (e.g., instead of writing “How are you?” said Ms. Kim, students learn to write “How are you?” Ms. Kim called out, waving cheerfully).

When you are reading with your child at home and come across examples of these writing techniques, please take a moment to point them out and discuss how they make the writing more engaging. This will help reinforce what they are learning in class and encourage them to apply these strategies in their own writing.

Reading Groups

Students really look forward to our Reading Groups time. Last week, each group performed a script for Reader’s Theatre based on stories that focused on conflict resolution and showing kindness. They learned the importance of reading with expression and performed very well! This week, we continued to read books at our reading levels.

We love seeing how they support each other when they come across words they struggle with. We also appreciate their patience, collaboration, and kindness shown each time they read together. It’s always a great sign when they ASK when we are going to have Reading Groups again!

Friendship Fruit Salad on Valentine’s Day

We are grateful to all families for contributing fruit and to our families who came to support in the classroom.

Students were so diligent to cut the fruit. They were all so keen and worked so hard as they chopped fruit for a solid 45 minutes! No one asked for or took a break!

So what this tells us is that they can help you prepare dinner by chopping vegetables or their own fruit for recess snacks or lunch.

We love it when we hear comments like, “This is the best day ever! Can we make fruit salad every Friday? It can be Fruit Fridays! I wish this day won’t end.”

Welcome, Mr. Evoy!

On this day, we also welcomed our SFU student teacher, Mr. Evoy, to our class. He will be with us until the end of April. He dove right in and got to know the kids. Mr. Evoy is a welcome addition! Please help us welcome him to our warm classroom community.

As always, we appreciate your time and support at home. Thank you for being our partners in your child’s learning.

With much gratitude,

Ms. Kim and Ms. Chan