Hello families of Division 5!

This week has flown by! Hopefully everyone has received an e-mail from me in their inbox. This e-mail has a PDF attachment, which you can open to access a copy of your child’s personalized Term 1 Share-Out! These informal reports are meant to serve as a check-in about the many strengths and areas of growth we have seen during our learning journey together! There are also some goals set by your child and by myself/Ms. Ramen.

Your child has worked hard on reflecting upon their favourite activities, most influential learning moments, and areas they want to continue developing in. Please take some time to review the PDF and answer the reflection questions included in the e-mail.

If you do not see the e-mail or cannot access the PDF, please e-mail me to let me know!

Thank you so much for all of your support and insights; we are so lucky to have such an amazing parent/guardian community here at Lochdale!

With gratitude,

Ms. Ward

This week, we ‘travelled’ to our next stop in our exploration around the world… the continent of Africa! Africa is a large, diverse, continent made up of over 50 countries and with 1500 different languages/dialects spoken!

Check out this brief video below for a very quick introduction to continent:

For our first picturebook, we read about the country of Kenya. We learned about Wangari, an eco-activist who helped encourage the women of Kenya to plant thousands of trees. We discussed why trees are so important to people across the world.

Hello parents, guardians, and families of Division 5!

A few important reminders as we head into the end of our week (and the beginning of December):

• A share out of some strengths, successes, and goals from of your child’s Term 1 learning journey will be sent out on Friday. These will be sent virtually (via e-mail). Please reach out if you have any trouble accessing the virtual file!
• Please remember that small toys (including pop-its, rubik’s cubes, slime/putty, and plushies) should not be sent to school, as we want to reduce the amount of objects that we are touching/sharing. If your child would benefit from use of a fidget, please reach out to me via e-mail and we will put some supports in place via our Learning Support supplies!
• Thank you to everyone who supported our Book Fair! The link to shop online should still be active until the end of the week.
• Don’t forget about our Everyday Authors challenge! Please check that your child has begun writing in their orange duotang, and bring them in once completed to get the next volume of our Writing practice!

Thank you to everyone as always for your support!

We are officially back in Room 22! Please drop off and pick up your children from Room 22.

Also, we will be attending a Book Fair on Wednesday this week! If you would like to shop online, please access the link below:

https://virtualbookfairs.scholastic.ca/pages/5167278

You can also send your child with some cash if you would like them to make a purchase in person (but this is all totally optional).

Thanks!

Ms. Ward

This week, we read a story set in the country of New Zealand! In the story, someone wants to perform the ‘haka’, a traditional ceremony in Maori culture. The haka is a combination of rhythmic movement, song, speech, and facial expressions that was traditionally used in battle. Now, many Maori people perform the haka to feel connected to their culture and history. Below is a video of the haka being performed by athletes before a game:

Hello students and families!

Division 5 has made our great migration into ROOM 10. We will be in Room 10 while our classroom is being painted!

Please meet your child outside Room 10 for drop-off and pick-up. We have signs on our doors if there is any confusion or if we forget!

Check out the video below to learn about bird migrations in nature:

To celebrate national Ice Cream Day & national Origami Day this week, our class made origami ice-cream cones! Feel free to follow the tutorial video and make your own at home!

Mr. Murray also spoke about the connections between mathematics, science, technology and art.  See the video below for more information!

 

As Fred Rogers once said, when we talk about war or tragedy it is important to always “look for the helpers”. There are so many people who are doing their part to support each other, even in challenging or scary situations. The Cat Man of Aleppo, Mohammad Aljaleel, is one person who made a huge difference in his home country of Syria.

Mohammad worked as an ambulance driver when war broke out in his country. Many of his family members and his friends had to leave Syria as refugees. Thousands of cats and other animals were left behind because people could not take them with them as they fled the country. Mohammad decided to make a difference by feeding these cats, and then by opening a sanctuary for them. He also supported his community by opening and orphanage and by helping to feed the hungry,. Now, Mohammad has become an inspiration and received many donations from people across the world.

These are a few photos of Mohammad and his cats!

What are some ways that we can make a difference in our communities? Who are some other people who help support their communities (people, animals, and environment)?

Check out this video below of a woman in California who has opened her own cat sanctuary and shelter (with over 1000 cats):

Hello, writers! Please be aware that your everyday authors duotang (the orange duotang sent home a few weeks ago) is due by the first week of December. You still have about a month to complete your writing prompts!

Please reach out to Ms. Ward if you are struggling!

Again, you can complete one a day, set a timer for 10 minutes, or do a few a week. I look forward to hearing all about your growth and experience as writers!

Warmly,

Ms. Ward

Today, we read a true story of a service dog who helps to support a veteran. Many veterans may struggle with physical injuries or mental health after returning from war. The veteran in the book, Luis, has PTSD. This means he can have vivid nightmares, he struggles with loud noises and busy places, and he has flashbacks (memories of being in war). Luis also requires a cane and help to walk around. His service dog Tuesday helps support him emotionally and physically. Tuesday and Luis have a reciprocal relationship; they love and help each other.

If we see a service dog, it is important not to distract them. They have an important job to do! Check out this video below of a service dog helping a woman recover from her seizures: