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Beading in Binary

September 23, 2022 / Ms.C / 3 Comments

Students have been exploring how to write numbers in binary code. Binary is a base-2 number system that is the foundation for machine commands. Each bit in this 6-bit series below can be turned either “on” or “off” in order to represent a value. When a bit is “on” it is represented with a 1, and when it is “off” it is represented with a 0. For example, in order to write the number 10 in binary, we would write 001010. The two 1s appear in the places of 8 and 2, so 8+2=10.

What is the largest number you can make with 6-bits? How would you represent the number 24?

Division 3–Have you noticed the strange addition sentence sticker on my laptop? Have a look the next time you’re here and see if you can solve it! (Hint: it has something to do with binary!)

This week students learned that letters can also be coded in binary using the ASCII alphabet. Each uppercase and lowercase letter can be represented by a decimal number that is translated into an 8-bit binary code. Students mapped out their the letters of their names on grid paper, chose their colours, and beaded their names into a bracelet. They used a different coloured bead as a delimiter to separate each 8-bit letter.

Here is a message for you, Division 3. Let’s see if you can decode it!

1001000 1000001 1010000 1010000 1011001 01000011 01001111 01000100 01001001 01001110 01000111

Important Information

September 14, 2022 / Ms.C / 0 Comments

Now that we have our classes for the year, it’s time to really get started! Here is some important reminders and information for parents and students as we enter our new school year.

Planners & Schedule

The bell rings at 8:50am, with attendance being taken at 8:55am.
We will be writing in our planners each day; Ms. Coutts will check planners in the morning, and sign planners in the afternoon.
Students are responsible for sharing their planner with their parents and getting their “autograph.”
Planner and reminder information can be found on our class webpage under “Homework & Reminders.”
Once our Library/PE/Music/etc. schedules are set, you can find that info under the Homework & Reminders menu in order to be prepared for that day.

Phones/Technology

Phones are to be left at home or kept in a locked classroom cupboard between 8:55-3:00. Parents are invited to leave messages with the office if needed, and students have access to a school phone when needed.
Students will use school technology under supervision.

Lockers

Grade 7 students will use lockers 1-14 to store their bags and coats (lunch bags/water will be brought to classroom).

P.E.

Bring sneakers/runners on P.E. days — no boots
Wear flexible clothing on P.E. days — no jeans
Bring an extra t-shirt if you’d like to change your top after P.E.

Lunch Time

Students eat lunch in their classrooms.
A student must be picked up by their parent/adult if going off schoolgrounds for lunch–no student will be leaving campus without supervision.

Burnaby Schools Code of Conduct

Please feel free to review our district code of conduct.

Welcome to Division 3!

September 13, 2022 / Ms.C / 0 Comments

Dear Students & Families,

I am so pleased to welcome you to Division 3 at UHE! This is our class website where you will find information about the goings-on in our classroom. Sometimes I will post a question to students and I encourage you to share your ideas in the comments! (Just use your school email address.) Also make sure you check the Homework & Reminders page for anything you forgot to write in your planner. Keep an eye out for links to websites we might be using in class or to activities to strengthen subject area skills.

I look forward to working with you this year!

Ms. Coutts

Have an Amazing Summer!

June 30, 2022 / Ms.C / 0 Comments

Dear Div. 3 & Families,

Thank you for being with me during my first year here at University Highlands–it’s been an adventure! I’ve very much enjoyed getting to know all of you, and watching you grow and learn. You have worked hard and so I hope you get a chance to rest and (finally) enjoy some sunshine.

I really enjoyed reading the messages you wrote, and I appreciate the effort put into those handmade cards. Wishing you all an amazing Summer break! Stay safe, stay hydrated, and stay active

Ms. Coutts

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Big Buddy, Little Buddy

June 17, 2022 / Ms.C / 1 Comment

This term was exciting for Division 3 (and Division 13) because, after a long hiatus of not mixing classes, we finally got to participate in Buddies! Each week, Division 3 and Division 13 meet to explore learning and to build connections. So far we have read together, drawn, Speed Stacked, and done some measurement for math.

It is really fun to see how the grade 5s and 6s step up to be role models and teachers to our grade 1 students. They demonstrate kindness, leadership, enthusiasm, and (lots of) patience. The last time they were able to participate in Buddies, they were probably the “Little Buddies!” I hope to see our 5s and 6s become the grade 67 leaders of our school next year.

Here are some photos from our Buddy Time yesterday when we went to the garden to measure something small, something tall, etc. There’s lots of “heads-together-working” going on here!

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Student-Led Conferences, May 17 & 19

May 9, 2022 / Ms.C / 0 Comments

Student-led conferences are coming up on May 17th and 19th. The purpose of a student-led conference is exactly how it sounds–each student will lead their family through some examples of their learning from this school year.

Although you signed up for an hour time slot, student-led conferences usually take around 15-20 minutes and occur sometime within that hour in order to accommodate space for other visiting families.

Students will be sharing their learning in relation to completed or in-progress assignments and reflecting on the Core Competencies.

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Students will select two or three Core Competencies, show evidence that demonstrates their strengths, and share how they would like to continue growing within each competency. Students may also reflect on how competencies tend to overlap.

In addition to the posters and handouts in the classroom, students should refer to the added information in the Core Competencies tab in the menu above. We are working to include this language, and variations of it, into our Blogfolios as well as our Student-Led Conferences. Parents who are unable to attend the student-led conference may still have the student-led conversation at home through the Blogfolio.

Students in BC complete self-assessments at the end of the year as part of their final report cards, and so we are weaving the practice of self-assessment and portfolio development into our daily activities and informal reporting.

The self-assessment process is a cycle of identifying strength(s), providing evidence, setting goals, and taking action.

Students’ self-assessments may be awkward at first as they are developing greater awareness and reflective capacity regarding their Communication, Thinking, and Personal/Social skills. They are exploring and applying language to describe their learning through curricular content areas. Students are working hard to become more fluent in their understanding and communication of the Core Competencies.

See you next week!

News & Media Literacy

April 5, 2022 / Ms.C / 1 Comment

Division 3 has been developing our digital citizenship. Digital citizenship is thinking critically and using technology responsibly in order to learn, create, and participate. Information comes at us fast when we are online, and it can be tricky telling which information is credible and which is not. Some keywords we’ve been learning about are:

credibility
corroboration
bias

It’s important to understand our reactions to the news. The following is an activity for you to try at home with one or more family members. Read the set up before doing the activity!

Set Up

Read aloud: The news can cause strong reactions. Sometimes we’re reacting to what actually happened. Sometimes we’re only reacting to a headline or how someone else interprets what happened. It’s important to know the difference. Reading some headlines and discussing our reactions can help us pause and think.

Activity

Read Aloud: Let’s read the headline pairs below. Then, let’s talk about the differences between them and how we or others might react differently to each headline. After each set of headlines, talk about your answers to the discussion questions.

Headline 1: “Students participate in walkout to protest new district policies.”

Headline 2: “Angry kids ditch school after district promises more officers to keep students safe.”

Headline 1: “New research shows link between social media and anxiety in some teens.”

Headline 2: “Studies show social media major cause of anxiety epidemic among young people.”

Headline 1: “Teen raises $2000 to fund new community garden.”

Headline 2: “Honour student transforms community with thousands in donations.”

Discussion

How might someone reaction to headline 1 and 2 in each case? How are the headlines different? How might those differences influence someone’s reactions?

Ms. Coutts' Class