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!

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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