Happy Thursday

Yesterday was National Aboriginal Day. We talked about why it is important to celebrate the contributions Aboriginal people have made to Canada and why we need to recognize them. We created "crunchers" that had pictures and questions about First Nations. We also watched some videos  of powwows and hoop dancing. We all were mesmerized by the hoop dancing and couldn't believe how many hoops the dancer could use all at once.

The past 2 health classes continued to focus on body, relationship and thought changes we go through during puberty. Some of us are bringing home a letter we are writing to "Chris" that demonstrates our understandings about puberty. These letters need to be completed and brought back to school tomorrow. Today we looked at puberty kit that was sent to us from Alberta Health Services. Ask me about some of the items in the kit. We are bringing home an activity to do with parents involving getting advice about certain problems we or others may face when going through puberty.

Reminders:
- Grade 6 farewell assembly is next Tuesday at 1:00
- School farewell assembly is next Wednesday at 8:30. We will be saying good bye to teachers and students. Ms. Gaspar, Mr. Rattan, Ms. Mesheau and myself are leaving as of today
- Early dismissal next Wednesday
- Report cards go home next Wednesday

Happy Tuesday

Today we continued our health unit on puberty. Today we read a story about a person named Chris who was going through noticeable changes. Based on the changes Chris described (acne, getting taller, voice changes, body odor, hair under the arms and romantic feelings) we had to decide whether Chris was a girl or boy. We were very split in our decision. We then were given different body changes (using the specific and correct terms for body parts), relationship changes and thought changes that boys, girls and both go through. We had to sort these changes and then discussed. We then reviewed Chris's story again and decided that Chris could have been a boy or girl.

Today in math we started looking at how to tell time on an analog clock. We reviewed the hour hand, minute hand, how each number on a clock shows 5 minutes, half past, quarter past and quarter to. We also practiced writing a digital time on an analog clock. We will continue to practice these skills as the week goes on.

Today was our last Pillars of Care awards. Congratulations to all the winners!

Reminders:
- All library books need to be returned
- Grade 6 farewell assembly next Tuesday
- Farewell assembly next Wednesday at 8:30
- Last day of school next Wednesday

Health today

Today we did some readings and activities around culture in Ukraine involving: clothing, food, art and language. We will also be looking at the culture of Tunisia this week to end off our social studies.

We are almost finished our animal research presentations. Some students have brought their posters home to work on. Please make sure that you bring your poster back to school so you can present when it is your turn! We are hoping to be finished presentations by tomorrow.

Today we started our human sexuality unit in health. We did an activity where we had to name 10 body parts that are only 3 letters long. Then we brainstormed the changes that happen to our bodies, thoughts, and relationship-perspectives. We also discussed the great things about growing up, and the difficult things about growing up. To conclude the lesson, everyone wrote on a piece of paper to ask a question or to share something they learned into the anonymous question box. We write these at the end of each lesson, and we take up these slips of paper at the beginning of each subsequent lesson. Lastly, the kids took home a questionnaire as homework for this lesson. They are to complete this with a parent. Thank you for supporting this unit with your child!

In math we practiced subtracting with decimals. This skill will come in handy when budgeting money! Tomorrow we will reviewing how to tell time.

Tomorrow is our Pillars of Care Assembly. Please join us at 1:00 to cheer on the winners!

_________________________________________________________________________________

Today I shared with the students that next Wednesday will also be my last day at Beddington Heights.  I have accepted a position at a school that is closer to home called Dr. George Stanley. It has been an amazing experience working each day with your incredible children. I have enjoyed my time and am so proud in the growth I have seen in the students over the past 4 years. Although I am sad about leaving, I am looking forward to what the future has in store! I wish everyone the best in grade 5.
- Ms. Binks

Starting health next week

We will be beginning our unit in human sexuality starting on Monday. Students who were given permission will take part in activities and lessons each day until Friday. Students who will not be participating will be sent to a different grade 4 classroom to complete a project on healthy eating.

Tuesday is our last Pillars of Care assembly of the year. Today students voted for who they think deserves the awards. Winners will receive letters on Monday.

Please make sure that you have returned your library books! Overdue notices will be sent home for any items that have not been returned.

Thank you to all the parent volunteers who helped out this year! For those of you who could make it, we hope you enjoyed the Volunteer Tea!

Early Dismissal Tomorrow

This week we have been presenting our animal research projects. For the presentations, Ms. Binks chooses 3 other students to be on the "panel of peers". After the presentation, the panel of peers uses the rubric we created as a class and gives feedback on how the presenters poster and actual presentation went. Ms. Binks is using the panel of peers as a way to get feedback from multiple perspectives so students have a well rounded understanding of what they did well and any improvements they could focus on moving forward.

We completed animal art for the volunteer tea. Here are the steps we followed:
1) Sketch out the head or full body of the animal you are studying in pencil
2) Using a combination of white glue and black paint, go over your pencil lines. The goopier the better!
3) Using just water, paint a section of your paper. Try going over top of your black lines
4) Using watery paint, paint the wet section. This gives the effect of the paint running together and helps colors blend
If you are coming to the volunteer tea, have a peek at our beautiful completed works of art

Please make sure library books are returned by tomorrow. Ms. Binks read out the names of the students who still have books out. If they are not returned, a notice will be sent home and payment to replace the books may have to be made to the school.

Volunteer tea is tomorrow at 9.

Early dismissal tomorrow!

Zoo field trip tomorrow!

This morning was our last morning that we were given to work on our science presentations. Students will need to finish the last touches during reading or catch up time. We scheduled presentations to begin on Wednesday and will be presenting each day until next Tuesday. Some students have brought their projects home with them. Please make sure these make it back to school...especially on the day you are presenting!

In math today we started working on adding decimals. We found this was an easy skill to do since it builds off our previous knowledge about adding. The only thing we need to make sure we do is to line up the decimal points and use zeros as place holders if needed. We will continue to work on adding and subtracting decimals later this week.

This afternoon we began an art project for the volunteer tea. We used the animals from our research projects and drew either their heads or full bodies on watercolour paper. Afterwards, Ms. Binks made a mixture of white glue and black paint. We used paintbrushes to go over our pencil lines with this mixture. On Wednesday we will add watercolour paint to the background. So far they look great so we can't wait to see the finished product!

Tomorrow is our field trip to the zoo. Students who did not return their permission forms will be staying at the school in another classroom. The bus picks us up around 9 so parent volunteers please come any time around 8:45. Here are some things you need to know:
- It is supposed to rain tomorrow so please dress appropriately for the weather! We will be going rain or shine. Students should have appropriate jackets and footwear for the rain.
- Students need to bring a packed lunch and water bottle. There will NOT be any opportunities to buy items for lunch
- Students will be bringing their backpacks with them so please make sure you wear one tomorrow
- Please do NOT bring any money. Students will not be going to the giftshops
- If you have a zoo pass please make sure you bring it with you tomorrow!

Reminders:
- All library books need to be returned this week. Please make sure you bring in your books from home
- Early dismissal on Friday
- Volunteer tea is on Friday

Humane Society Presentation

Yesterday we had our presentation from the Calgary Humane Society. We learned all about reptiles and amphibians and what they need to have a healthy life. We learned that some of the big differences between these animals are that amphibians have skin, need to stay moist and have no claws or nails. Reptiles are covered in scales, usually stay more on land then in water and have claws or nails. We learned that these animals are vertebrates because they have spines. They are also cold-blooded which means they cannot regulate their body heat and require a heat source to warm them. We were shown different reptiles and amphibians that live in Alberta. These included frogs and toads, one turtle, snakes, salamanders and lizards. We talked about how when these animals are brought into captivity it is very important ensure you know what they need to stay healthy and survive. Unfortunately, exotic animals like reptiles and amphibians are the most likely to die from mistreatment. Some of the things you need to consider when an animal is in captivity includes: how much space it requires to live, what it needs in a habitat, the food it eats and the food source, if there are items that provide mental stimulation, fresh water and overall care. Ms. Binks is hoping we keep these things in mind when we visit the zoo on our field trip. During the presentation we met a gecko named Gerty. Gerty was adopted by the Humane Society education programs. She was very small and kept trying to jump out of the hands of the presenter. We all we able to pet Gerty with the back of our pinky finger. Some of us commented on how small and soft she was.

We continued to work on our animal research projects. Ms. Binks was hoping that today would be the last day to work on them, however many students still require more time. We are hoping that we can start presenting by Wednesday. Some students brought home their projects to add information over the weekend. If you are one of these people....please make sure you bring it back to school!!

We continued our work around decimals. We learned about decimals to the hundredths as well as equivalent decimals. We practiced the skills of converting fractions to decimals and determining if two decimals were equivalent by comparing values in the tenths and hundredths spots. Next week we will add and subtract numbers to the hundredths.

Reminders:
- Next week all library books need to be returned. Since we miss our regularly scheduled library time, please try and bring back your books on Monday
- Zoo field trip is Tuesday. Please do a sunshine dance over the weekend to scare the rain away. Some students are still missing forms. Permission forms need to be returned by Monday.
- Early dismissal on Friday June 16
- Volunteer tea on June 16

Zoo forms due Friday

This week we have started to learn about decimals by looking at tenths and hundredths. We learned that anything that comes after a decimal point is something less than one or a whole. For tenths, we learned how if you split a whole into ten pieces, each piece would represent a tenth. We learned that to write out tenths in decimal form, you need to write a 0, then decimal point (.) and then the value of the tenth. We converted fractions of tenths to their decimal value. For example 2/10 would be 0.2. For hundredths we learned that it would be similar to tenths only instead of ten pieces it would 100. We related this information to money and how our money system shows values in dollars and hundredths of cents. Today we did a few practice questions on how to convert fractions into decimals. We will continue to practice this skill tomorrow. We will then work toward comparing and adding/subtracting decimals.

In social we continued to work on activities around Ukraine. This week we are reading and reflecting on farming, manufacturing, mining, superstitious beliefs and country/city life. We rotate through activities to make sure we each learn about and complete the work around each topic.

We are hoping to be finished our animal research posters/books by Friday. Some students still do not have all of the required information and are strongly encouraged to continue to research at home and then bring in that information. We will begin presenting our projects next week. Students have been using a rubric to reflect on their research, posters and soon presentation skills.

Tomorrow we will be having our presentation from the Calgary Humane Society. Please remember to bring in your permission forms.

Zoo forms are due back on Friday. We are still looking for parent volunteers so if you are able to come, we would love to have you! Please note that permission forms need to be in by Monday at the very latest. If you are unable to pay the $10.00 please let Mrs. Cummings know in the office. Permission forms may be returned without payment. There are quite a few students who have not returned their forms. If you need another form, please let Ms. Binks know.

Reminders:
- Book orders due Friday
- Zoo forms due Friday
- Please return volunteer tea forms
- We go on our zoo field trip next Tuesday

Health forms due Monday

Today we started to use a story planner to build our own creative stories. The planner looks like a dresser. We talked about how at home when you put clothes into your dresser, you use drawers to keep things organized and to find things easily. We talked about how our story plan dresser is similar in the sense that we want our ideas to be organized, linked and follow in a logical order. In the top drawer is the introduction. Here we introduce the setting, characters and beginning of the plot. Once we have done that we close the drawer and move on. The next drawer is the beginning. Here we talk about some events in the story and introduce the problem the characters will face. When we are done we close the drawer. The next is the middle of the story. Here we talk about the attempts to solve the problem. We decided there should be at least 3 attempts and lots of supporting details for each attempt. The attempts should be logically linked to the problem. We can't just add something random into the story otherwise it won't make sense. The last drawer is the ending. Here we solve the problem and wrap up the story with a strong conclusion. Ms. Binks is hoping that by having a structured plan, our stories start to sequence properly and become more interesting for the reader and writer.

In math today we learned about comparing fractions. We learned that when the numerators are the same but the denominator is different the smaller denominator is actually the larger fraction. We tested this out by drawing pictures and seeing which was shaded in more. Ask me to show you for 1/4 and 1/9
We learned that when the numerators and denominators are both different we can cross multiply to see which fraction is bigger. Here is a link to a video we watched to explain this:
Math Antics

We started to work on taking our research information and putting into a poster or book that we can present to the rest of the class. Some students still require research time to find out information about their animal's:
- habitat
- appearance
- diet
- adaptations
- life cycle
- family life
- communication
- conservation status
- interesting facts
Students who require more research time need to do this at home. Ms. Binks would ideally like our presentations ready by next Friday.

Reminders:
- Please return green Humane Society forms
- Yellow health forms are due back on Monday
- Please return My CBE forms

Cultural Wheel Presentation

Today we were very lucky to see and be part of the Cultural Wheel presentation. We learned a dance to Acadian music that demonstrated partner work. We were able to showcase this dance during the full school assembly. Part of the cultural wheel is about folklore. We listened to a story about a little mouse who went on a journey to see a great mountain. Each quadrant of the gym was divided into the cardinal directions and each direction was given an animal. Throughout the story, each direction and animal was included. We were captivated by his storytelling. At the end we were told that now each of us knows the story and could pass it along to others to keep it going. This is a huge part of folklore. We also learned the red river jig which was a big part of Metis culture. Ask me to show you some of the feet you can do during the jig.

Reminders:
- Please return the humane society form with the $4.00 by Friday
- Sexual health permission forms are due Monday
- Please return My CBE account forms

Important Notices Sent Home

Today we created a rubric to use to help guide us in our animal research projects. We created a list of ideas that would earn marks of either 1, 2, 3 or 4 based on how much information we gather, how organized we are in our research books, how our presentation looks and how we speak and act during our presentation. We found that by doing this rubric, we could see where we would land and push ourselves to achieve a higher mark. For example, lots of us thought we were done the research process until realizing we would only earn and 1 or 2 on the rubric. This allowed us to go back and find more information so we can earn a 3 or 4. Ms. Binks would like students to research at home if needed so that we can move forward with our projects.

In math we continued our work with fractions. We ordered fractions by determining if they would be closer to 0, 1/2 or 1 on a number line. To do this, we looked at the denominator and created a number line or chocolate bar with that many sections. To find the halfway point we divided the denominator by 2. 1 would be the same numerator and denominator. We then plotted our fractions on our number line. Ask me to show you if the following fractions are closer to 0, 1/2 or 1:
a) 5/6, 1/6, 3/6
b) 8/10, 4/10, 1/10

This afternoon Ms. L (our student teacher) gave a presentation on howler monkeys. She has travelled to Belize to study the black howler monkey. She used the same information that we need to during our research in her presentation. We even were able to see videos she took of the monkeys in the rainforest. We had a contest to see who could make the loudest and best howler monkey noise. It was pretty funny!

This afternoon we had 3 notices go home...
The first one is about the Calgary Humane Society presentation that we will be having next week. Please return the bottom half of the form along with the $4.00 by Friday. If you need financial support please contact the office.

We sent home permission forms for our human sexuality course that we will be doing in June. In grade 4, students learn about the physical, emotional and social changes that occur during puberty. Students need to have permission to complete this health course. If you would prefer your child learn this information at home, they will complete curricular activities in a different classroom during the lesson. Please return the form stating whether your child has permission by Monday June 5.

My CBE account forms were sent home with instructions of how to set up the My CBE account for next year. Please make sure that the form you receive has your child's name on it.

Sports Day Monday

Today we continued our animal research. Students will be given 1-2 more periods to gather their information before creating a poster or booklet to present it to the class. Please try and do some research over the weekend if you are feeling behind.

In math today we continued to work with fractions. We worked on representing fractions as parts of a whole. We were given a fraction and had to create a drawing to match it. It is important to remember that the numerator tells us how many pieces we are looking at and the denominator tells us how many pieces in total we have. We also practiced writing out fractions based on drawings.

This afternoon we started learning about the country of Ukraine. We will be doing our Daily 5 activities based around information on Ukraine. Today we had groups working on: mapping, comparing the land of Ukraine to Peru, using a textbook, flags and symbols of the country and looking at the climate. We will continue to study Ukraine for the next week or so.

On Monday May 29th from 10:45 - 11:30 Beddington Heights would like to celebrate Karon Hayes contributions to our school. Come to the school gym to celebrate as students, teachers and parents gather together to say thank you.

As of now, Sports Day is on Monday afternoon. Please make sure that you dress appropriately for the Beach Day theme and that your clothing choices adhere to the school handbook. If students would like to wear sunscreen they need to apply it themselves or before arriving at school.

Sports Day Information

Today we continued our animal research. Some students have very unique animals and are finding it difficult to find all the information they need during class time. Ms. Binks is trying to find more websites and even print off information for us to use, however it may be beneficial to research at home or at the public library if you are having troubles.

In math we continued to work on fractions. We learned about fractions as part of a whole. We designed pictures on a hundred square and had to create fractions based on the number of colored squares we used. We will continue to work on fractions into next week.

This afternoon we watched the division 1 dress rehearsal. Some of our favourite performances were Land of the Silver Birch, Spiderman and the dance moves at the end of the concert. Have fun to those of you coming to the concert tonight!

An important letter was sent home today regarding changes in school times for the 2017/2018 school year.

Here is a message from Mr. Sadowsky about Sports Day:

Our sports day this year is on Monday May 29th from 12:30-2:30. We will have regular classes leading up to lunch.

Our theme this year is Beach Party! I have chosen activities that fit with the pe curriculum but follow a beach party theme. There will be a few stations that involve water with the intention of a little water fun but not to soak any of the students. All stations are completely voluntary and if you wish your child not to participate in the water activities please let them know to avoid these stations. All stations are run by a teacher with other teachers and EA's floating throughout the stations to provide assistance. We ask that if you wish to dress to the beach theme that you stick with the school dress code as outlined in the Beddington Heights school handbook found on the school homepage.

Hats, sunglasses and water are highly encouraged. Sunscreen is also reccomended but must be administered by the student themselves or by a parent beforehand. 

We will finish our sports day with the traditional races followed by freezies provided by our parent council before dismissal. 

We do have an alternate date of June 2nd should the weather not cooperate. 

Please direct any questions or concerns to Mr. Sadowsky.

Spring Concert Tonight

Tonight is our spring concert! Doors to the school open at 6pm and the concert starts at 6:30pm. Students can come to Ms. Gaspar's classroom (room 18) when they arrive at the school. Students will need to be picked up by a parent at the end of the concert.
See you tonight!

Spring Concert Tomorrow

This morning we finished our final roadblocks for Amazing Race Peru. The winners of the race will be announced later in the week. We will be starting to look at Ukraine this week.

In math today we started talking about fractions. Fractions are the parts of something that has been divided into equal parts. We learned that the top number in a fraction is called the numerator and tells us how many pieces of the whole we are looking at or focusing on. The bottom number is called the denominator and tells us the total amount of pieces we have. We represented fractions today as parts of a set. We drew objects and shaded in different amounts. We then wrote fractions for the shaded and non-shaded parts of the set. We will be continuing to work on fractions in the upcoming week.

In science today we started our animal research. Every student has now chosen an animal that lives in either Peru (or the Amazon), Ukraine, Tunisia and India. We started looking at websites to help us find information on the animal's:
- habitat
- appearance
- diet
- adaptations
- life cycle
- communication
- status (endangered, at risk, safe)

Here are some websites that you can look at to help you:
National Geographic
Animal Fact Guide
Kids Biology
Kids Planet

A notice was sent home today letting parents know that lunch will be eaten by all students at the same time tomorrow and Thursday due to the concert set up in the gym. Weather permitting, all students will eat outside and be out for the entire hour of lunch. Please make sure you are dressed appropriately.

Our Spring Concert is tomorrow! Doors to the school open at 6pm and the concert begins at 6:30pm. Students can come to the classroom, which is where they will stay until parents pick them up after the concert. We ask out of respect to all performers, that parents stay for the duration of the concert.

Animal Research

Today in math we started a new topic by completing an activity. We were split into groups of either 2, 3, 4 or 5 people and given a paper circle and paper rectangle. We then were given the task of splitting the shape by folding, drawing or cutting into sections so that each person in the group would have an equal piece. For the groups of 2 and 4 people it wasn't very difficult because they just folded or cut the shape into halves. The people in the group of 3 or 5 had to measure with a ruler and do lots of trial and error to make sure there were equal pieces. Do you have an idea about what topic we will be looking at in math?

In science we watched a Wild Kratts video about rainforest animals. Afterwards, we discussed what would go into planning an episode of the show. We decided that a lot of research into a specific animal would need to take place, as well as proper permits and cameras. We will be starting our own animal research projects about an animal that lives in one of these 4 countries:
1) India
2) Peru
3) Ukraine
4) Tunisia

Students will have an opportunity to choose an animal and research it. Students will then have a choice of creating a poster to present to the class or to create a power suit based on their animal and design an episode of Wild Kratts.

In social today we had our very last roadblock. 2 teams were u-turned and had to complete the roadblock without any chance of moving forward in the race. Tomorrow we will have our final showdown in the race that will be worth 12 points!

Reminders:
- Fun lunch orders due tomorrow
- No school for students on Friday or Monday

Pillars of Care assembly tomorrow

This morning we had a special performance from the band students from SJAM. It was really cool to see some students who used to go to Beddington performing. Some of our favourite songs they played were:

- the theme from Jurassic Park

- Happy from Despicable Me

- Brown eyed girl

We continued our work around area and perimeter today. Students can to measure the sides of shapes to determine perimeter, draw shapes based on a specific area or perimeter, identify area by counting square centimeters and order the value of areas. We will be moving on to a new concept in math this week.

We continued to read our novel today. Edward is starting to develop more emotions. He was discovered in the ocean after a huge storm came and forced him up toward the surface. He was rescued by a fisherman in his net. The fisherman took Edward home to his wife who then decided Edward should be named Susanna. The fisherman's wife made new dresses and outfits for Susanna and placed Susanna in a highchair everyday while she baked. Edward started to become fond of his new family until their daughter came. She was very rough with Edward and decided to throw him away.

In social today we learned about music and dance in Peru. We learned about a few instruments that are made and used in traditional music as well as 3 dances that are performed. Dance is taken very seriously in Peru and often the choreography relates to war, love, agriculture or hunting.

The Pillars of Care assembly is tomorrow at 1pm. Parents are invited to join. The 4 winners are bringing home a sheet outlining what award they are being given.

Reminders:

- Library tomorrow

- Fun lunch orders are due on Thursday

- No school for students on Friday or Monday

- Spring Concert is next Wednesday

Important Letter Sent Home

Today we continued to test our bridges. Each student was given the opportunity to measure the span of their bridge, demonstrate any special features, hear compliments and questions about the appearance and then measure how much weight their bridge could hold. We first started with rocks. If the bridge could hold up to 4 rocks, students could choose to continue with textbooks. Some bridges held up to 14 textbooks! After textbooks were used, students then had the choice to stand on their bridge to see if it could hold their weight. Some students invited Ms. Binks to stand on their bridge. If that worked then they had the opportunity for the celebrity bridge stander (Mr. Sadowsky) to come stand on their bridge. We had quite a few bridges that he could stand on!! Ms. Binks had us reflect on how our bridge did during the weight test. She would like to look at our bridges once more and then will be sending them home next week. We decided not to test the weight underneath the bridges because it was too difficult to find weights to do so that could fit and hang.

We started a new novel this week called "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane". So far we have been introduced to a rabbit named Edward Tulane who is made out of china. He is about 3 feet tall from the top of his ears to the bottom of his feet. He belongs to a girl named Abilene who loves him very much and dresses him in fancy silk suits, leather shoes and unique hats. Edward does not love Abilene and does not show much interest in her life. We are mapping the character traits of Edward as the story develops to see if he goes through changes. Today in the novel, Abilene's family was traveling to England on a ship and Edward was accidentally thrown overboard. He sank to the bottom of the ocean and felt his first ever emotion...afraid.

A letter was sent home today from Ms. Hayes. She will be leaving Beddington Heights to become the principal of Penbrooke Meadows School. We are all very excited for Ms. Hayes but will miss her a lot at Beddington.

Reminders:
- Pillars of Care assembly is next Tuesday
- Fun lunch orders are due on Thursday
- May long weekend is next week starting on Friday

Bridge Testing

This week in math we have learned about area and perimeter. Area is the amount of space within the boundary of a shape. To figure out the area you can count how many squares are in the shape or if you have a shape like a rectangle or square you can use the formula: width x length
Perimeter is the distance around the outside of a shape. To find perimeter, you add up the length of all of the sides. If you have a shape where there are numerous sides with the same measurement, you can use multiplication. We will continue working on area and perimeter next week.

We continued amazing race Peru this week by focusing on the Inca people, Machu Picchu, clothing worn in mountain, city and rainforest communities and popular food that is eaten. We are hoping to have a few more roadblocks and then our final event to wrap of the race next week.

We started testing our bridges today. Students could earn points based on the span of their bridge, if they had any special features, the overall appearance of the bridge and how much weight it could hold on top. Students placed their bridge between 2 desks so it was lifted off of the ground. Then they placed rocks on top of their bridge. If their bridge held this weight, they could continue with textbooks. A few students can bridges that held 14 textbooks and then their own body weight. One bridge could even hold Ms. Binks! It was amazing to see how shapes and materials could make a bridge so strong.

Reminders:
- Carnival tonight
- Book orders are due tomorrow

Bridges due Monday

Just a friendly reminder that bridges need to be brought to school on Monday. We will begin testing on Monday. Students were told today how there should be no excuses that their bridge is not complete as they have had over one week to complete and told everyday if they need materials to speak with Ms. Binks.

Reminders:
- Bridges due Monday
- Library Tuesday
- Important notice sent home today

Peruvian Celebrations

Today we learned about different festivals and celebrations in Peru. Although there are many we focused on 4. They are:

• Carnival: 
• takes place in February
• people dance around a yunza tree that is decorated with fruit and gifts
• people take turns trying to chop down the tree and the last couple who is successful has to plant the tree next year
• people throw water at each other
• there are lots of parades
• Sun Festival (Inti Raymi)
• takes place in June in Cusco
• celebrates Winter Solstice
• ceremony reenacted by Peruvian people
• celebration has Sapa Inca (ruler) who gives a speech to the crowd
• Star of the Snow Festival
• takes place in the Andes region
• celebrates the snow from glaciers and the stars that signify the beginning of the harvest season
• men dressed as Ukukus (half men half bear) bring a block of ice from the glacier to share with the community as it was believed the melted water has healing powers
• Feast of Corpus Christi
• occurs in June
• incorporates Roman Catholic faith
• festival represents 15 saints who come to a cathedral to visit the body of Christ
• people come to the plaza in front of the Cathedral to see the saints and then visit and try and solve problems in their communities

In buddies today we learned about the holiday happening tomorrow called Cinco de Mayo. We helped our buddies make floral headbands. If we had time we could make our own.

Please make sure that you are wearing proper outdoor shoes to school that are suitable for outside phys ed. Lots of students have been coming in sandals, flip flops or rain boots. Mr. Sadowsky has asked for safety that runners are worn. Students are able to bring hats, sunglasses and sunscreen to apply to help with being outside.

Reminders:

- Bridges are due on Monday. If you need supplies please ask Ms. Binks

Division Test tomorrow

Today we continued to practice our long division skills. Lots of students are still having difficulty remembering and following the proper steps to solve a question. The steps are as follows:
1) Divide
2) Multiply
3) Subtract
4) Bring down
5) Repeat

Here is the math antics video we watched when we first started looking at long division: Long Division

Try working through these questions for extra practice tonight:
1) 5684 / 7
2) 31752/ 9
3) 333 / 3
4) 568 / 2
5) 9345 / 5

We will be having a division test tomorrow that will include some long division questions. Please make sure you practice tonight!

In social studies we learned about the ancient people of Peru called the Inca. The Inca are a group of Natives who came to Peru more than 12,000 years ago from North America. They became farmers, tamed wild animals and built their cities and roads from stone. One of the most famous Inca cities is a place called Machu Picchu. This means "old peak" or "old mountain" in the Inca language. Tomorrow we will be completing a road block based on what we learned.

We had a fire drill practice this afternoon. Students did a great job safely exiting the building.

Reminders:
- Division test tomorrow
- Fun lunch is on Thursday
- Bridges are due Monday. If you need any supplies please speak to Ms. Binks

Outdoor Gym

Today we watched a video about some of the most interesting bridges that have been built. Some of the bridges we saw were in mountains, across canyons and in rainforests. Some were built in the 17th and 18th centuries and still standing!! One of the most interesting bridges were ones that were made out of the roots of trees by indigenous people. After seeing all of the unique ideas, we sketched our own bridges that could be used by animals, people or vehicles. We had to decide what the purpose of our bridge would be, the materials it was made out of and where in the world it would be built. Ask me about my design.

Today we had outdoor phys ed. We will be outside for phys ed for the rest of the year as long as the weather is nice! Please make sure you have suitable shoes for outside as well as hats and sunglasses (if you would like to wear them) and water bottles. Students may bring or wear sunscreen or bug spray however teachers are unable to help apply or supply both.

Just a reminder that we will begin testing bridges next Monday. Hopefully you have started to build your bridge! Remember if you need supplies please talk to Ms. Binks asap

Reminders:
- Library tomorrow. Please return your books
- Fun lunch Thursday
- Bridges due next Monday May 8

Bridge Challenge

Today we learned about 5 different types of bridges:
- tress bridge
- beam bridge
- arch bridge
- cantilever bridge
- suspension bridge

We looked at real life examples of each bridge, sketched a picture and wrote down some features. Here are the bridges:

Students were given a sheet today outlining our bridge challenge. Each student is expected to plan and construct their own bridge that spans 20 cm. Bridges should be portable so that they can be brought to school. A list of materials and the tests that will be performed are on the sheets. Bridges need to be completed and at the school by Monday May 8. Parents may help with construction however, should not be building for students. If you have any questions or require materials please contact Ms. Binks.

Thank you to all the families who came to our Math Night. The games and problems that we had out were focused on multiplication and long division. We will be having a review on long division next week so this would be an excellent skill to practice over the weekend!!

Reminders:
- May calendars sent home today
- Bridges due May 8

Questioning

This morning we started a new rotation of Daily 5 activities all around editing and revising. The different stations we will be working through include:
a) punctuation games - we work with a partner to correctly include ending punctuation and capitalization in either a dice game or a game similar to go fish
b) Capitalization - we have to answer questions and fix a paragraph to reflect proper capitalization. When we are finished we will make a flip book with examples of when you need to capitalize something
c) Spelling corrections - we were given a list of words from our spelling group that are all spelled incorrectly. We need to use our dictionary to fix the spelling and then edit some journal entries for spelling
d) Grammar corrections - Ms. Binks wrote out 3 different paragraphs that all need corrections based on spelling, punctuation, capitalization, sentence structure or correct grammar. We have to copy out the paragraphs correctly in our books
e) Adjectives - we have been given sentences that include boring adjectives. We need to identify the adjectives and then write down juicy words we can use to replace the adjectives to make the writing  more interesting.

We will work through each station this week.

We continued to work on long division today. This would be a great skill to practice at home. Ms. Binks has some practice sheets she can send home if you would like. Please let her know with a note or email if you would like the practice sheets.

This afternoon we revisited the image collection of "Where Children Sleep"
We talked about the Bloom's Taxonomy of questions that has different types of questions ranked based on how much they get you thinking. Ms. Binks created a scale from 1-4 using specific questioning words. Level 1 being the simplest and level 4 being the most complex. We looked at images from the website and created questions that would fit in each level. Here are the 2 images we looked at:

Some questions from each level included:
Level 1:
- Where does he sleep?
- Find the shoes in the picture
- What is used as a pillow?

Level 2:
- Compare these bedrooms to your own
- Organize the bedroom in another way
- Identify 3 things that are different in the pictures then where you sleep

Level 3:
- Justify how it is a safe place to sleep
- How would you recommend to change the bedroom?
- In your opinion who has the better place to sleep?

Level 4:
- How would you adapt to these places if they were your bedrooms?
- Create a new place to sleep for each child
- Predict what daily life is like for each child

We will continue to work on our questioning skills this week.

Reminders:
- Math night is Thursday. You can sign up for one of two slots on the school website through your myCBE account
- Fun lunch orders are due Wednesday
- We have library tomorrow. Please bring back your library books

Mathletics

Today Ms. Binks showed us a new website that can help us practice our math skills. The entire school has a subscription so if you have siblings, they will have access too! It is called Mathletics. On the website we can challenge other students to see who can answer leveled questions the fastest, answer questions targeting specific math skills, play games and earn points and certificates. Ms. Binks can also track our progress and assign specific tasks for us to complete. If we are given assignments, we will not be able to do anything on the website until it is finished. We were given our login and password today so we can try the website at home. The website is: Mathletics 

We continued to work on long division today. Most students are still having difficulty remembering and following the steps. We worked through numerous examples. Here is a helpful video we watched that explains the steps...
Math Antics

Reminders:
- Early dismissal tomorrow
- Pillars of Care Assembly tomorrow at 8:15
- Fun lunch due on Wednesday

Lockdown Practice

Today in social studies we learned about 2 communities of people that live in the Andes Mountains. They are the Quechua Indians and the Uros. The Quechua live in high in the mountains and are farmers. They build terraces to make use of the limited land space for farming. They use animals like llamas and yaks to help in their communities. The women are known for their weaving skills and teach these skills to their daughters. The Uros are people who live on man-made islands on Lake Titicaca. The islands are made out of reeds. The reeds on the top layer of the land have to be constantly replaced because of how soggy and moldy they can get. It can be dangerous if the reeds are not replaced because people can fall through. The Uros use the reeds to make their homes, furniture and sleeping mats.

This afternoon we had a lockdown practice. Everyone did a great job but it is important to remember how serious lockdowns are and how quiet we need to remain.

Reminders:
- Our movie and popcorn day is tomorrow. Students need to return their green permission sheets for popcorn
- Fun lunch orders are due next Wednesday
- Bottle drive info sent home today
- Pillars of Care assembly is on Friday at 8:15
- Early dismissal on Friday

Long Division

This morning we continued working on our bunny art from last week. Today we cut out the parts of the head and the ears and glued them onto our backgrounds. We left a bit of space between each section. We then used stencils and created fun, bright glasses on our bunny. Here are a few of the finished products:

Ms. Binks loves our bunnies so much that she has hung them up in the classroom. They will end up at home at some point though!

Today we started to learn about long division. This is a way to solve division questions involving large numbers. It is important that students have a good sense of division, multiplication and subtraction to be able to work through long division problems. Ms. Binks will post a video link and some examples later in the week.

Reminders:
- Fun lunch orders due
- Parent council forms sent home
- Popcorn letter sent home

Hoppy Easter!

We started an art project today where we sketched a rabbit head. We then added details to our rabbit by using sharpie and drawing small lines to make it look like fur. Next week we will finish up by cutting out parts of our rabbit and gluing it onto a background.

Today we learned about the upcoming Easter holiday. We listened to a non-fiction book and then had to share some interesting facts about what we learned. Here are some of our facts:

1)  In some cities they do Easter parades

2)  Easter is usually on a Sunday in March or April

3)  Easter eggs can be a work of art

4)  Easter has many symbols that are about new life including rabbits and chicks

5)  Christians believe that Easter is about Jesus Christ coming back to life

6) Churches are decorated with flowers like Easter lilies

7) On Easter parades people wear decorated bonnets

8) The Easter bunny hides eggs for people to find or can give you a basket of candy

There is no school on Friday or Monday for students! Have a safe and fun Easter weekend!

Reminders:

- Fun lunch orders are due on April 26

- Flower fundraisers are due on Tuesday

- Spelling review test is on Tuesday

- Library is on Tuesday

Fact Families

This morning we were given a challenge for science. We had to build the tallest structure we could using only a sheet of tin foil. We were given some time to plan by sketching out what our tower would look like. Some of us found the actual construction of the tower difficult because of the tin foil. The towers ended up to be all shapes and sizes, however the tallest one was 54 cm tall. Ms. Binks was hoping that we would use our knowledge on secure and sturdy bases to help with the construction.

In math today we learned 2 more strategies to help with division. The first is fact families. Fact families are sets of numbers that can be used to create questions using only the numbers in the sets. If you know one of the questions, you should be able to create more questions. Today we used fact families to create 2 multiplication questions and 2 division questions. For example for the fact family: 3, 4, 12 I could create the questions:
3 x 4 = 12
4 x 3 = 12
12 / 4 = 3
12 / 3 = 4
Fact families help build off of our multiplication skills.
The second strategy we used was using our multiplication charts. For example for the question 80 / 8 we would go down the side of the chart to the 8, go across until we find 80 and then go up to find the answer which would be 10. Use the multiplication chart below to find the answers for:
a) 36 /6
b) 42 / 7
c) 60 / 12

In social today, we learned about the climate of Peru. We learned that there are 2 seasons: wet and dry. We learned that depending on the region, the weather can change. This is mainly due to the fact that the Andes Mountains block certain weather patterns. The coast region is very dry and cool. The rainforest stays warm and wet. Tomorrow we will be completing roadblocks based on the information we learned.

Today we were given a list of spelling review words. Students should have brought this list home. They will be tested next Tuesday. Ninja cats will be tested on 25 words, Blue Berry Bananas will be tested on 30 words, Fluffy Bunnies will be tested on 30 words. If you need another list please ask Ms. Binks.

Jump Rope for Heart prizes were sent home today. If you have any questions please contact Mr. Sadowsky

Reminders:
- Book orders are due on Thursday
- Flower fundraiser forms due next week
- No school on Friday and Monday
- Spelling review test on Tuesday

Seed Survivor

We have finally filled our marble jar!! We decided to have another movie afternoon as a reward. We will be voting on movies to watch tomorrow.

This morning we had a special presentation from Seed Survivor. Some of us were familiar with it since it was also at Aggie Days. We were split into groups and were taught about the components of soil that are very important for plants to grow or we were able to play games all about healthy plants, crops and the water cycle. At the end of the presentation each of us were given a sunflower seed that we planted. Here is the Seed Survivor website if you would like to play the games online at home or get some growing tips for your sunflower: Seed Survivor

We continued to read Mission Mumbai today. The chapter was a little hectic and scary because the movie theatre that Dylan, Rohit and the Lals were in caught on fire during a blackout. Dylan was almost trampled in the crowd, but Rohit came back to save him. In doing so, they became separated from Rohit's parents. We are all hoping that they can become reunited in the upcoming chapters.

In science this afternoon we were given a task of trying to build a study and tall wall using dominos. We were put into groups and had to come up with a way to stack our dominos like bricks to build the tallest wall. Only 2 groups were able to build a wall that was higher than 50 blocks. The next task we had to do, was build the wall using the same design until it was stable. Then Ms. Binks came around and knocked the desks we built on to see which design remained standing. We discovered that the walls that used flat dominos were the most stable because the base was the widest. We talked about how when a structure has a stable and wide base, it makes the structure stronger and more stable.

Reminders:
- Book orders are due Thursday
- Library tomorrow. Please return your books
- Flower fundraiser forms due next week
- Book drive forms sent home today

Building joints

Today we continued to work on our division skills. We learned the strategy of turning a division question into a multiplication question to help us. We decided this would be a great strategy to use since multiplication is much easier for most of us to use and figure out. Here is an example of how to do this strategy:
If I have the division question: 18 / 2 = ?
I can turn it into a multiplication question by changing the = into a x and the / into a =. Then I would have the question: ? x 2 = 18. Using this method I then know my multiplication facts and can figure out the 9 x 2 = 18 so 18 /2 = 9
We did a few examples where the ? were throughout the questions. We will continue to practice this skill next week.

In science today we did an experiment where we were testing the strength of different materials for the joints or connections of the sides of cubes. In groups, we were given straws and either plasticine, paper clips or pipe cleaners. We used these materials to connect the straws together to make cubes. We then tried to balance weight on top of the cube by placing a folder then blocks. We soon discovered that some of the cubes couldn't hold shape or any weight. The plasticine joints were the strongest and the paperclip joints were the weakest. We discussed how builders would need to think of the purpose of their building because having more flexible materials can be helpful in things like bridges, swings or even buildings in earthquake areas.

In social today we reviewed the 3 geographical regions of Peru:
- Costa (coast)
- Sierra (mountains)
- Selva (rainforests)
Ask me to tell you at least 2 interesting facts about each region.

Reminders:
- Please return your orange forms about your plans for next year
- Flower fundraiser forms are due April 18
- Book orders were sent home today. They are due next Thursday
- No school for students next Friday

Division

This week we have continued our study on Peru through the Amazing Race. We watched a video about the Amazon Rainforest. During the video, we had discussions about interesting facts we heard. We were able to write down facts or draw pictures from the video. Working in our teams, we then had to answer 36 true and false questions using the information we wrote down. If one team gets 100% they can earn a fast forward in the race!

In science today, we had a new client who was looking for strong pillars in the construction of a portico for his house. A portico is a roof over a porch or step that is supported by at least 2 pillars. The client wanted to know if he should use cylindrical pillars, rectangular pillars or triangular pillars. In groups, we were given one of the kinds of pillars to build out of paper and asked to put a whiteboard on top of the pillar and stack different weights on it. We quickly discovered that certain types of pillars were much stronger than others. The triangular pillar held 220g, 250g and 260g. The rectangular pillar held 480g and the cylindrical pillar held 1351g and 2374g. Here are some pictures of the weights the pillars held:

 

Today we started to learn about division. Division is when you take a number and split or divide it into equal groups of smaller numbers. It is very important that you remember that each group needs be equal. We practiced today by using blocks and dividing the blocks into equal groups to determine how many blocks would be in each group. The first number in a division question is the total number of blocks you have, the second number is how many equal groups you are splitting the blocks into and your answer is how many blocks are in each group. We will continue to learn different strategies to help us with division before we move onto long division.

Thank you again to all parents who volunteered for our field trip yesterday! Everyone had a wonderful time! If you took any pictures of your group please email them to Ms. Binks.

Reminders:
- Flower fundraiser forms were sent home earlier this week
- Parent Council is looking for volunteers for the May carnival. A letter was sent home regarding this

Aggie Days Field Trip Tomorrow

Tomorrow we go to Aggie Days! A few students still have not returned their permission forms. Please make sure you bring your forms tomorrow...otherwise you will be staying at the school.

Students need to make sure they bring:
- a backpack
- a water bottle
- a packed lunch
- a sweatshirt or light jacket
- comfy running shoes

The bus will pick us up at the school around 8:45 to take us to Aggie Days. We will then be picked up to come back to the school around 1:30 so we should be back well before the bell.

Please make sure that you do not send money with students. They will not be purchasing any food, drinks etc

If you are volunteering, please be at the school by 8:30 tomorrow morning!

Happy Spring Break!

Just a reminder that student involved conferences are tonight and tomorrow. If you haven't done so already, please book a time!

Spring break starts tomorrow for students. There is no school Thursday or Friday. Classes resume on Monday April 3.

Please make sure that you return your field trip forms! We go on our trip to Aggie Days the week we get back from Spring Break. If no forms are returned, students will have to stay at the school for the day.

International Day of Happiness

This morning we started off by continuing our weaving. Lots of us are getting better and better at creating designs and adding more colors to our artwork. Mrs. Stables taught us how to add beadwork and tuffs of yarn to our designs. We are aiming to finish our weaving by tomorrow but it is taking a very long time so we may need to work on it after spring break too.

Today is the International Day of Happiness. To celebrate we listened to the song "Happy" by Pharrell and then created a calendar for April where for each day, we listed activities we could do that would bring us happiness. Ms. Binks also gave us a special task. We were each given 3 compliment cards and are supposed to give them out to people by the end of today. We are hoping that by doing so, we can spread some kindness and happiness throughout our community.

In science today we continued to test the strength of pillars. Today we started to test how many blocks our 4 pillars could hold but soon ran out of blocks! One group had pillars that held over 1200 blocks! We will continue testing tomorrow.

Exciting news....we have enough volunteers to go to Aggie Days!! Permission forms were sent home today with students. They are due back by April 3. For parents who expressed an interest in volunteering, your child should be bringing home the volunteer consent form today with their form. Please fill it out and return it with your child's paperwork. Our field trip is the first week we come back from Spring Break so please make sure that you fill out and return the forms asap.

Reminders:
- Student led conferences are Wednesday and Thursday
- No school for students on Thursday and Friday of this week. Spring break is all next week
-Field trip forms sent home

Art Residency

Today we continued the Amazing Race. Some of us were very excited to discover plane tickets awaiting us in our backpacks. We earned these tickets by correctly identifying the continent Peru is on, the ocean the borders Peru and the 5 countries that border Peru. Some of us missed our flights which meant we needed to do an additional mapping task before we earned our plane tickets. Today Ms. Binks taught us about 9 symbols that represent Peru as well as all about the flag of Peru. After we learned this information, we had our first roadblock. In our team we could choose one of two roadblocks to complete. We will continue to work on the roadblock assignment tomorrow and then find out which teams will move ahead successfully!

Today was our first day with our artist in residence, Mrs. Stables. We learned about how in Peru the Inca people do special weaving using the wool from llamas. We watched this video: Threads of Peru
Then we made our own looms out of cardboard. We had to measure using a ruler to make sure our string would be even on our looms. Once we were finished our loom, we made beads out of clay. We were able to make different shapes and designs in our beads. We will be incorporating our beads into our weaving. Tomorrow we will begin to weave designs on our loom!

Reminders:
- Jump rope for heart envelopes are due Friday
- Early dismissal Friday
- Pillars of Care awards assembly is Friday at 8:15

Amazing Race

This morning we started the Amazing Race! Our first task was to earn plane tickets to fly from Calgary to Lima, Peru. In order to earn these tickets, we had to work with our team and use an atlas or world map to identify:
a) What continent Peru is on
b) What ocean borders Peru
c) What countries border Peru
We only had 15 minutes to complete this task! Lots of us were very excited! We made backpack folders that we will keep our assignments and tickets in for our travels. Keep checking back to see how we move along in the race!

In math we continued to work on multi-digit by single digit multiplication. We will be having a test later in the week on these skills so please make sure you are practicing!

In science this afternoon, we got a new client to help out. They are building a playground. In the center of the playground will be a climber shaped like a rainbow. Our client wants to know if how wide the base of the rainbow (arch) is will matter or change how much weight it can hold. Today we tested an arch with a base that was 20cm wide. Tomorrow we will test 30cm wide and then make a decision to tell our client.

If you have not already done so, please return the orange volunteer forms for Aggie Days by tomorrow! We are hopeful that we will receive enough volunteers among the 3 classes to be able to go.

Reminders:
- Pillars of Care assembly is on Friday
- Early dismissal on Friday
- Jump rope for heart envelopes due Friday

Spelling Test tomorrow!

This morning we all discovered how terrible daylight savings is! There were lots of tired people (including Ms. Binks) who arrived into the classroom today. Please make sure that you are still going to bed at a good time so you get lots of sleep and are ready for learning! This week will be tough with  adjusting to the new times.

This morning in math we learned a new strategy we named LRA. This stands for Left to Right then Add. We can use it for multiplying 2/3 digit numbers by 1 digit numbers. Here are the steps:
1) Stack your numbers
2) Write out a place value chart so you remember how much each digit is worth
3) Multiply the digit on the far left by the digit on the bottom and write down your answer
4) Multiply the next digit to the right by the digit on the bottom and write down your answer
5) Continue to multiply the digits to the right by the digit on the bottom and write down your answer until you no longer have numbers to work with
6) Add up all of your answers

We used these helpful tips when writing out the answers. If you are multiplying a number in the:
- 100s place - write your answer then put 2 zeros behind it
- 10s place -write your answer then put 1 zero behind it
- 1s place - write your answer

If we were to solve the question 371 x 4 using LRA we would:
1) Stack the numbers 371
                                  x   4

2) Write out a place value chart (3 is worth 300, 7 is worth 70 and 1 is worth 1. The 4 is worth 4)
3) Multiply the digit on the far left by the digit on the bottom (300 x 4 = 1200)
4) Multiply the digit to the right by the digit on the bottom (70 x 4 = 280)
5) Continue until you run out of numbers (1 x 4 = 4)
6) Add up the answers (1200 + 280 + 4 = 1484)

We are going be starting to learn about a new country in social studies called Peru. To help with our learning, we are going to be competing in the Amazing Race room 9 edition. We are going to be split into teams of 2 or 3. The goal of our team is to cross a finish line first. To move ahead in the race we are going to have to complete special tasks to earn tickets to travel or demolish roadblocks. We can also earn special items called fast forwards and u-turns that can either move us ahead or stop another team from moving forward. The roadblocks and tickets to travel will be related to specific topics we learn about Peru. The fast forward and u-turns can be earned in any class throughout the day including music and phys ed. The first part of the race begins tomorrow!!

In science we finished testing our paper beams for our client. We discovered that a box girder beam is the strongest and would be the most cost effective. Tomorrow we will get a new client!

Today was the first day of class dojo. Lots of us earned points for demonstrating responsible and respectful behaviour. Remember to login and create an account. In doing so, you can customize your character and check in on your point progress for the week.

Reminders:
- Spelling test is tomorrow! Make sure you practice your words!
- Please make sure you return your orange volunteer form by Wednesday. We are still looking for volunteers!
- Early dismissal on Friday
- Pillars of Care Assembly on Friday

Mmmm curry!!

This morning in math we continued to work on multi-digit numbers multiplying single digit numbers. We watched this video as we worked through some problems: Math Antics
Lots of students are still having difficulties solving problems that require carrying over. Please try working through these problems at home:
a) 784 x 2
b) 344 x 5
c) 2741 x 3

Today we were able to taste some butter chicken curry(without the chicken). We needed to describe what it looked like, smelled like and tasted like. Here were some of our descriptions:
Looks: orangish red, chunky, delicious, like salsa, red/brown/orange
Smells: spicy, like butter, like cinnamon, sweet
Tastes: mouth-watering, spicy, sweet, really good, like noodles, kind of like chicken

After eating the curry our verdict was it was delicious! Lots of students said they will be asking for curry for supper this weekend! We talked about how tasting food is a great way to learn about a different culture and how important it is to try something before you say you don't like it. Ms. Binks is thinking about other taste tests we can do of food from Peru, Ukraine and Tunisia.

In science this afternoon, 23 You and Me continued some testing for our client to see what type of beam they should use when building a foot bridge. This afternoon we built a rectangular beam out of paper. We discovered that this type of beam was not as strong as the zigzag beam. During testing for both of these beams we found that there were some big discrepancies between the results of some groups. We talked about why different groups would get different results. Some of our ideas were: their books were too close together, they didn't use enough tape, their container was facing a different way, they didn't stop when they needed to. On Monday, we will test our last beam before giving the client our suggestions.

This afternoon Ms. Binks started something new to help with positive behavior in the classroom. It is called Class Dojo. Each student is assigned a little character and can earn or lose points depending on their behavior in the classroom. The entire class can also earn or lose points. Some things that Ms. Binks will be looking for is: listening on the carpet, staying on task, treating others kindly, helping clean up, finishing work and lining up quietly. This afternoon she sent some sheets home with us that have codes on them. Students and parents can use the codes to login to dojo to see how many points they have as well as to customize their character. This may be a good way to keep track of how you are doing with your behavior.

Reminders:
- Spelling test has been moved to Tuesday. The blog did not post the spelling words originally so they did not get posted until this morning. You now have an extra day to study!
- Please make sure you return your orange form about volunteering. We are hoping that we get enough volunteers to go on the field trip!
- Jump rope for heart envelopes are due Friday

Spelling Words for the Week

Green Ninja Cats:

1) mean
2) old
3) any
4) same
5) corn
6) blue
7) true
8) clue
9) glue
10) due
11) argue
12) song
13) wrong
14) long
15) visit
16) Peru

Make sure you practice your word families for bonus words!

Blue Berry Bananas:

1) across
2) today
3) tomorrow
4) during
5) after
6) before
7) simile
8) compare
9) however
10) proposal
11) bridal
12) dental
13) gerbil
14) nasal
15) postal
16) Peru
17) population
18) civilization
19) multiplication
20) division

Pink Fluffy Bunnies:

1) laughter
2) giggling
3) whispers
4) murmur
5) wailing
6) tolerating
7) radiating
8) replacing
9) forbidding
10) inquiry
11) scientific
12) visual
13) observe
14) weight
15) adjacent
16) connection
17) symbol
18) represent
19) obvious
20) interpret

Curry Tomorrow

In science this week, we have been continuing our exploration into different structures and what makes them strong or weak. We created our own construction company, which we named 23 You and Me, with the slogan "We can help you". Our company has been getting customers who have hired us to test out different building and construction scenarios. Our first customer needed to place a giant steel hamburger on a sign for their fast food restaurant client so they hired us to test which shape of sign they should use as a base: square or arch. After testing both shapes, we discovered that arches were stronger and could hold more weight. Our next client has hired us to test different types of beams for bridges to see which they should use in the construction of a foot bridge. Today we tested an accordion fold beam. It seemed pretty strong. We will be testing the other beams tomorrow.

In math we have learned the "up and over" strategy for multiplying double digit by single digit numbers. You first stack the numbers and then multiply going up and then across. It can get tricky when you have to carry over.
Ask me to show you how to work through the question 23 x 4 and 47 x 5

There was an important notice sent home today about how we are looking for volunteers for an upcoming field trip. Please fill out and return this form no later than Wednesday.

New spelling words have been posted. We will be having our spelling test on Monday.

Reminders:
- Curry is tomorrow. Please remember to return your permission form
- Book orders are due tomorrow
- Lip sync forms are due tomorrow
- Spelling test is on Monday
- Volunteer forms due Wednesday

Multiplication Tables

This morning we began to work on a project around our building unit in science. Using different non-fiction books, we found famous buildings that were interesting to us. Each of us started to work on detailed sketches of the building and wrote down at least 3 interesting facts about our building. We will be using sketches and the facts to create borders on our bulletin board outside the classroom. Ask me what building I chose.

In math we learned about another strategy to use in multiplication called a multiplication table. This is a table with numbers running along the top and side. The numbers down the side would be the first number in your multiplication question and the number up top would be the second number in your multiplication question. The answer to your question would be the box where these two numbers meet. Using the multiplication table below, ask me to show you how to find the answer to the following questions:
a) 7 x 8
b) 3x 11
c) 12 x 9

In science this afternoon we wrote down a procedure for an experiment. A procedure is the steps everyone must follow to make sure it is a fair test. We followed the procedure to test out how strong an arch shape was. We needed to fold an index card into an arch, secure it to a desk using plasticine, put a container on top of the arch and then add a block at a time into the container and record observations. Once the arch started to sink or change shape drastically, we stopped. Tomorrow we will follow the same procedure only use a square shape.

There was a notice sent home today about a special activity on Friday. Students are going to be able to try Indian curry. Please make sure that the permission form is signed and returned to Ms. Binks before Friday. If you have any questions please email Ms. Binks

Reminders:
- Book orders were sent home today. They are due back by Friday
- Curry forms are due back by Friday
- Lip sync club forms were sent home with those students who are interested

Testable Questions

This morning we continued our work around similes. We were given simile starters and had to decide how to correctly finish the simile by choosing an animal, object or thing. We then took a test on the Smartboard to see if we were simile masters. Most of us were! Next week we will be incorporating similes into our writing.

In math today we practiced our multiplication facts for 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. Ms. Binks gave us 10 minutes to try and complete multiplication questions for 6-8 and then 10 more minutes for 9-11. We will having two more timed practices next week only with less time. Try practicing these facts over the weekend! Remember the special rules and tricks, especially for 9, 10 and 11.

This afternoon we talked about testable questions in science. Testable questions are questions that you can answer by performing a test or experiment. Testable questions often start with the words do, does and will. To help with our understanding we created a few testable questions using popsicle sticks. Some questions we came up with were:
- Will 2 popsicle sticks hold the weight of a textbook?
- Do popsicle sticks break if there is too much weight put on them?
- Does the amount of popsicle sticks in a tower change how much weight it can hold?

We also learned another science word: hypothesis.
A hypothesis is you best guess about what will happen and an explanation as to why you think that will happen.

We will be using these 2 new science words a lot in our upcoming unit about testing materials and building. Ms. Binks told us that if we were builders in real life, we might get different scenarios where we would have to test out ideas and use a variety of materials before going ahead with building. In this unit, we will have many different scenarios to test out. On Monday, we will be testing how strong arches and square shapes are.

Today was the last day of skipping in phys ed. You can still collect donations for jump rope for heart up until March 17.

Presentation from the Calgary Fire Department

This morning we had special guests come to our school! They were from the Calgary Fire Department. They gave a presentation to students in grades 3, 4, 5 and 6 about fire safety. They started off by showing us a clip from a movie featuring firefighters. Then, Officer Paul came into the gym in his full fire fighting gear. He explained all of the differences between tv/movies and reality. We were shown all different examples of how to stay safe. Here are some of the things we remembered from the presentation:

• Make sure that you have batteries in your smoke detector
• Keep your door closed when you sleep because it helps keep smoke out of your room
• Always have 2 ways to get out of your bedroom, either your bedroom or your window
• You should NEVER put water on a fire that is started with oil.
• Unplug a microwave
• Put a lid on a pot to put out a fire
• Close the oven if there is a fire
• Don’t ever go back for something if you leave your house. The firefighters can help you find it after
• Always have a home escape plan
• Firefighters are really cool and you shouldn’t hide from them
• You should never play with matches or lighters
• Always have a meeting spot that is away from your house
• When you are cooking always stay by the pot or pan you are cooking with
• Make sure that your stove and toaster do not have combustibles near them
• Arsonist is a person who sets a fire on purpose
• Don’t leave a pot handle sticking out
• People can get hurt or even die in fires because fires are very dangerous
• If you breathe in smoke, it can burn your lungs
• Always keep matches and lighters out of reach
• Always turn off the stove if you are leaving

If your house catches on fire, you need to remember these 3 rules:

1) Get out

2) Stay out

3) Call 911

For homework we were asked to create our own safety plan of our house. If you bring your homework tomorrow, you will get a prize. Here are some examples:

In science today, we learned about a fair test. Ms. Binks gave us all pencils and a sheet of paper. We then had 1 minute to write down as many items as we could from an 18 item list. Some of us had been given unsharpened pencils, dull pencils, or sharp pencils. After the minute was up, we discussed about how many items we could write down and whether it was a fair or unfair test. We decided it was very unfair! We learned that fair tests are important in science because if we change too many items it can effect our results. We learned about control factors which are materials or parts of the procedure that stay the same. We also learned about a variable which is the one item that will be changed to test an idea. We related these new words to our test today, and to our spaghetti towers. We will begin to build and test different materials and structures in the upcoming weeks during science using fair testing.

We continued our work around smilies by listening to a book called crazy like a fox. In the book we heard some repeated similes or cliches. We also heard new and original similes. We then had to create cliche and original similes on our own. Ask me what similes I could make from these starters:

- As cold as....

- Grumpy like a....

- As dark as....

- Warm like....

Reminders:

- Jump rope for heart envelopes are due back March 17

- Pillars of Care assembly March 17

- Early dismissal March 17