Week 15!

We learned more math games this week!  These games are a great way to practice numeracy skills at home.

It was so chilly this week that we had several indoor recesses.  Check out how these smartie pants used their time!

We had another great visit from our High School reading buddies!

We got into the spirit of the festive season on early out Wednesday wearing all our Christmas colours.

We made some cute Christmas angel crafts.

Our choir sang beautifully as they presented their sounds of the season.

Our chimes and handbells also created some beautiful music for us to enjoy.

If you have any questions, concerns or comments please don't hesitate to contact me at lesleyh@eics.ab.ca or at 780 998 7777.

Week 14!

It is hard to believe but the Christmas season is upon us already.  Where does the time go?  

We celebrated the first week of Advent by lighting our first purple candle, the candle of hope.

Each morning during Advent we gather as a school to sing and pray together as we prepare to celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus.  We always end by singing "Violets in the Snow".  

The Alberta Opera came to present a wonderful performance of Hansel and Gretel.  

To support our literacy learning at school, it is critical that when your child brings home a puzzle that they have completed at school, they read it out loud to you.  The puzzle is sent home when we have reviewed and practiced that sound and song in class.  If your child struggles to read the puzzle to you, please have them practice until they can read it to you.  These repetitions and exposures in context are essential to growing their reading brain.  

Several students have commented to me that they do not read every day.  Research has shown that to further develop reading skills it is vitally important to read every day, out loud, to an adult.  This is  especially important if you know your child is experiencing a challenge with their literacy skills.  As the students in our grade two class will tell you,  the only way to become a good reader is to read, read, read.  Please help your child to grow their reading brain by having them read to you every day.

In math we learned some new games to help us with our numeracy skills.  The students really enjoyed playing these games and would love to teach you them.

Growth As A Learner reports were sent home and added to Fresh Grade this week .  Your child has set a goal for themselves for the coming month.  A report was sent home and put on Fresh Grade in September and October too.  Please talk with your child about this report and contact me if you would like to discuss their progress reports further.

Mrs.  Morgan spent more time in our classroom this week.  This time she was teaching us how to access our Google Classroom and create Google slides.  Some students started creating projects on Iqaluit.  They can show their work to you home at.

Below is some further information about Google in the classroom.  It is beneficial to be familiar with Google as students will be working with Google classroom on a regular basis in the coming years and are required to bring their own devices to work with Google in grade 4.

If you have any questions, concerns or comments please feel free to contact me at 780 997 0589 or lesleyh@eics.ab.ca.

November Star Students

Week 13!

Check out Elk Island Catholic Schools new app. This new tool will allow parents and students instant access to resources and information on their handheld phone or device.

EICS will be adding more features over the next few months with the goal of making this app a one-stop shop for key information and resources for EICS students and parents.

In late January, your child's first grade two progress report (report card) will be distributed digitally in a new format.  Before then, you can read about theses changes via Central Learning Services at this  link https://www.eics.ab.ca/parents-and-students/parent-resource-library

 In science we talked about the water cycle and we made water cycle bags for home.

 In math we learned some dice games that will help us grow our brains about numbers to 100.  These games can be played at home too!

When students work on writing each week in their classroom journal they reflect before they hand in their work to be sure they have met the target.  This is how they are assessed.  They are asked to review their assessment and address areas identified for growth in their next journal entry.

We had a visit from our high school reading buddies.

Please help your child remember to bring in their November READO sheets.  All students are given a new READO sheet at the start of the month.  Please remind your child to keep their READO sheet safe until the end of the month when it is due back to school.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at 780 998 7777 or lesleyh@eics.ab.ca