Week of November 5 - 9, 2012

Friday HW
1.  Poppy donations that remain should be handed in Monday.
2.  Test Pack # 4 handed out today.  It contains two Patterning quizzes, a Unit Two test, A Reading diagnostic on Point of View and a spelling dictation.  Please sign it and have your child return it with corrections next Thursday.
3.  We had a special visit to our Remembrance Day assembly from Lt.Col. Pascal Godbout, a Runnymede parent who serves in the Armed Forces.  He delivered a touching and informative presentation for our Junior students about what the day means for him, illuminating his talk with personal experiences.
4.  This afternoon we also had a two period visit from Zak, Runnymede's Green Teacher, who took our group on a guided visit through the Nature Garden, with a focus on human wants and needs and their effects on the environment. he will be back for a follow-up visit in January.

Thursday HW
1.  Dictation number 5 tomorrow.  I supervised the placement of all spelling notebooks into backpacks this morning after checking that everyone present today had a complete, correctly spelled list.
2.  Spelling text work on page 25, # 1,3 and 4; and on page 26 # 7, 8 and 9.  I will be checking these activities tomorrow for completion.
3.  The students worked very well on their PowerPoint presentations again today.  As an example, there were five boys who somehow materialized outside my third floor door from the schoolyard one second after the lunch bell in order to get a quicker start.  That was pretty appealing... well done boys!  There is a lot of sharing going on as well.  An impressive base of expert knowledge is being formed.  Next week we will finish up loose ends of the PPT and then shift to the story and other paper based formats we're using for the project.  A complete list of these requirements is found in the Biodiversity booklets.
4.  Poppy donation tomorrow.
5.  Zak (Green Teacher) visit tomorrow PM.
6.  Please look for a working protractor and compass for home use during our Geometry unit.

Wednesday HW
1.  Dictation #5 on Friday.
2.  Andre Sill (actor) visit tomorrow at 9 AM
3.  Zak (Green Teacher) visit on Friday (PM)
4.  MMS HW on pages 34-35.
5.  Poppy Donation on Thursday or Friday if you are able.
6.  Check at home for a good protractor and sturdy compass.  I provide these items for use at school, but the board-supplied compass is particularly flimsy and none of the items go home.  I recommend purchasing a math set for reliability if you are able to.
7.  Interview Request forms were sent home today for appointments next week.  Please return your form with three choices as soon as possible.

Tuesday HW
1.  Finish "comfort object" journal started in class today.  1 page, single spaced.
2.  Book Report due on November 8.
3.  Bring a poppy donation on Thursday or Friday if you are able.

We started a new unit on Geometry today with a Smart Board lesson on types of protractors and the basic angles we are constructing this year.  I will provide protractors for school use, but students should have one at home for home practice situations.  We also went outside to the Nature Garden to sketch tree shapes for a line-focussed Art activity.

Monday HW
1.  Spelling cycle #5 activities today:  four lists and 15 sentences.
2.  Book Report is due on Thursday November 8.
3.  Bring a poppy donation if you are able to on Thursday or Friday this week.

I marked the first Patterning quiz the students wrote last Tuesday.  The class average was 11.6/16 (72.5%).  The most common problem was recursive pattern solving and rule writing.