Friday, April 27th, 2023

Hello Families!

Some of the exciting things that we did this week were:

- we had a practice fire drill.  Students did a great job calmly exiting the building quickly and remaining quiet outside.

- completing our learning with ratios.  Students worked to both simplify and find equivalent ratios.  Next week we will begin our exploration of decimals!

- took part in another art session with Ms. Sharon!  Students learned about different gradients of pencils and the techniques they could use to create various styles of sketches.  They were also introduced to and used two types of art specific erasers.  They used both of these tools to draw realistic meteors for our collaborative meteor shower art piece.  Each student selected and cut out their favourite meteor and then placed it on the night sky portion of the paper.  Stay tuned for a look at the final product soon!

- participating in some PAT practice (Grade 6 students).  Students looked over some previously used PATs that have been released to the public to practice skills such as, reading slowly and thoroughly, looking for details in pictures and diagrams that will help answer the questions and using the process of elimination to narrow down choices when answering multiple choice questions.  By engaging with these released tests, students build their comfort level with how the test format will be, how the questions will be asked and helps them feel more confident going in to the tests at the end of June.  We will continue to practice over the next few months.

- enthusiastically engaging in their novel study work!  Students seem to be loving their chosen novel and are excited each day to jump into the work.  Students are provided with choice in the task they wish to complete after they have read a section of their book, as seen in the picture below.  They are also completing some other engaging activities, such as designing book covers, drawing the setting, creating a newspaper page describing  major event and comparing and contrasting characters to one another and to themselves.

UPDATES:

- Lake Bonavista School is participating in netball from May 8^th until May 16^th in our gymnasium. This sport involves foundational movement skills such as jumping, running, throwing, and catching. As described on the Netball Alberta website: www.netballalberta.com

“Netball is an exciting, fast and skillful game of fair contest: It is a game in which two teams of seven players each strive to keep or gain possession of the ball. Players have specified areas in which they can move.”  

 

Parent Council has graciously provided the funding to bring this event into our school.  Consent forms will be sent home with your child.  Please sign and return the forms so your child is able to participate in this fun LBS event! Forms are will go home on Monday and are DUE WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 2023!

- Outdoor School forms went home earlier this week. Please sign and return on or before May 5th.

- Human Sexuality learning will begin May 1st. Please check the email sent out on Thursday for details.

- Lake Bonavista School Council presents the Spring Flower Fundraiser! This year, we are excited to offer two plant fundraisers to shop from. Saskatoon Farms is a local experience and garden centre that will not disappoint! Planstie is a local, trendy indoor plant retailer that offers modern options for your home! 

                    

Friday, April 21, 2023

Hello Families,

Some of the fun and exciting things that we did this were:

- beginning our work with ratios.  Students participated in a quick review about the various ways that you can represent a ratio, (ex. 3/1, 3:1 and 3 to 1), practiced writing ratios from pictures, symbols and word problems. Students then moved onto working in the abstract, with ratio boxes and identifying the relationship pattern in order to correctly complete the boxes.

- expanding our learning of coordinate graphing by using it with help with their learning about the phases of the moon!

- Have and art session with Ms. Sharon!  Ms. Sharon is back again to help us create a school wide collaborative art project.  The theme is patterns in nature and each class signed up to create a piece with a different pattern.  Ours is meteor showers!  During our first session we talked about how meteor showers take place and how they are predictable, therefore a pattern.  We then added colour to thin paper that other in the school had already started on by making patterns.  These papers will be torn into little pieces and added to several classes' larger pieces.  Next week our class will add out meteor shower art onto our piece and when complete will be placed in a frame in the hallway with all other classes' work in the foyer to create a beautiful gallery for all who visit our school to enjoy.  Stay tuned for pictures from next week's session to see our piece!

- exploring extreme weather, floods and tornadoes, to understand how they take place and how they affect people.  Students will dig deeper into their research by looking at tsunamis and thunderstorms and when they have finished we will look at how people can prepare for each type of weather and how to stay safe during an event.

- collaborating to present Earth Day Reader's Theatre!  Students broke into three groups to practice sharing information on how they can contribute to keeping the earth clean.  Students learned about reducing, reusing and recycling as well as conservation in a creative way.  Two groups presented today and demonstrated speaking clearly, with fluidity and expression, as well as adding in some creativity with props and character voices.  We all look forward to the third groups' presentation on Monday. 

- engaged in some Earth Day planting!  Student filled eco-friendly pots with soli and planted some wildflowers.  We are planning on taking care of them until they are well sprouted and will then look for a great location to transplant them!

 

                   

UPDATES:

- Lockdown Practice on Tuesday:  The safety of all students and staff of Lake Bonavista School is of paramount importance.  To that end, we continue to practice and establish appropriate safety measures for the various situations that may occur and affect our staff and students.  

Fire drills are a long-standing expectation of everyone who congregates in a setting such as a school.  We are required to have a minimum of six fire drills each school year.  Our students and staff treat each drill as though it was the real thing and we are very proud of their ability to complete those drills.  Teachers keep class lists with them during all drills and attendance is always taken.  Parents or other visitors are expected to evacuate the building when the fire alarm is sounded.  

Today we practiced a drill known as a “Lockdown” with the support of Calgary Police Service.  This was our second practice of the year and teachers have instructed the students regarding their role.  No one is allowed to enter or leave the building during a lockdown procedure. An outside bell rings continuously to alert that we are in lockdown.  This bell serves as a reminder to stay away from the building and call 911.  

As we continue to practice and refine our school safety procedures, other safety precautions we have in place include:  

• Locking all doors  
• Walkie-Talkies   

• Visitors are expected to register at the office  
• Volunteers must complete a  CBE Volunteer clearance including a Police Information Check (ePIC) and wear nametags at all times  
• Substitute Teachers are provided with emergency information   

Staff have thoroughly reviewed emergency plans with the children.  We appreciate your support in these very important matters.  

- Lake Bonavista School Council presents the Spring Flower Fundraiser! This year, we are excited to offer two plant fundraisers to shop from. Saskatoon Farms is a local experience and garden centre that will not disappoint! Planstie is a local, trendy indoor plant retailer that offers modern options for your home! 

                   

 

Friday, April 14th, 2023

Hello Families,

Here are some of the exciting things that we did this week:

- continued our work with factors, multiples and prime and composite numbers by learning about prime factorization.  Students quickly recognized that a number that can be factored down to prime factors will always result in the same prime factors, no matter which facts combination a person chooses.  We also learned about the lest common multiple (LCM).

- students engaged in more gymnastic skills!  Students practiced their balances and movements that they learned last week and applied them to mat routines that now involve balancing on benches and climbing on trestles.  Students are being observed for their effort and their ability to demonstrate the taught skills correctly.  Each week students will continue to build on their skills as new equipment is added to the available activities.

- we had a guest speaker in to share about Ramadan and Eid!  A generous parent spent time with us and shared all about these celebrations.  The students were extremely engaged and asked so may great questions to build their understanding of importance of these celebrations to so many people around the world.  They were able to make strong connections to similarities and difference related to celebrations in their own lives.  Some of the things that the students found most interesting about the presentation were:

    - "Ramadan start and ends based on the luna cycle on the 9th month of the year" (the Islamic calendar is based on 12 lunar months - a new month begins when a new moon is sighted. 

    - "Many people wake up at 4:30am to eat before sunrise, because they fast until after the sun sets.  They even need to wait to drink water."

    - "Fasting takes a lot of will power and self-discipline and people fast for a whole month."

    - Eid was a new celebration to me and takes place at the end of Ramadan.  It sounds like a fun time, because you celebrate with your family and community.  You also get presents." 

    - "Ramadan and Eid are centred around charity.  People do nice things for others, like family, friends, their community, neighbours and strangers.  Food and money donations are ways to show charity."

   - "People gather a lot with others to celebrate.  This can be at homes, mosques, community centres and outside."

   - "Food is a big part of celebrating, because making and sharing traditional foods helps bring people together."

- working in small groups to create region landscape art.  Students have designed a landscape to represent their region and are now creating the picture by using scrapbook paper and ripping into small pieces and gluing it to the canvas.  Stay tuned to see the finished products!

UPDATES:

- April 17th - Sharon Fortowsky, our amazing Artist in Residence for this year, is back to create more beautiful art with the school.

- April 20th - Healthy Hunger: Edo 

Thursday, April 6th, 2023

Hello Families,

Here are some of the exciting things that we did this week:

- we began our learning of factors and multiples, as well as prime and composite numbers.  Students placed a lot of effort into understanding the difference between multiples and factors, as well as looking at the various methods and strategies that can be used to find all of the factors for numbers.  They then learned about prime and composite numbers and practiced identifying numbers as one or the other by completing a number scavenger hunt around the classroom.

- we met with our buddies to play math and literacy games!

- students created visual journal pages to demonstrate their learning of Autumn Peltier.  Each student selected the aspects of their research which they found most important, impressive and inspiring.  To create their page they used various mediums; watercolour paint, silver and black sharpie, and a printed image of Autumn.

- Had a Camp Chief Hector meeting!  Over spring break, Ms Adamson and I visited camp to see where we will be spending time and the new yurts that we will be sleeping in.  They are brand new this season and as you can see, they have a stove to keep us warm and are surrounded by some beautiful scenery.  Five bunk beds will be placed along the sides and a large area will remain in the centre so that students can gather and have fun during their down time.  I shared these and a few more pictures from the site, as well as presentation that was shown at the parent meeting to the class. It generated a lot of excitement, answered a lot of their questions and put some worries to rest.

    

- we engaged in the first steps of our upcoming novel study.  Students participated in a discussion about how to choose a "just right book" for themselves, by talking about covers, author, genre, reading the back of the book blurb and the first couple of pages to see if you are able to read and understand the text without encoutering too many words that they are able to easily decode.  While reading with novel independently, students will have the opportunity to meet and share with peers who are reading the same book and do some joint literacy activities.  They will also complete individual tasks related to personalized reading strategies and reading comprehension, such as summarizing, asking deep questions, inferencing, visualizing, making connections, etc.  Check out the books they'll be reading below!

- soccer at recess: students from all three grade 5/6 classes met and worked together to identify some of the things that would make soccer games fun for all, as well as the most common issues that cause the majority of the problems; violence, mean language and unfair play.  All student have agreed to place a great deal of effort into following these guidelines and follow the various taught strategies for problem solving if something is to come up.

UPDATES:

- gymnastics has begun in our regularly scheduled gym classes this week. The gymnastics unit will last four weeks.  Safety routines, cooperation and sportsmanship are taught and reviewed in each class.    

This physical activity opportunity will help students acquire individual skills through a variety of developmentally appropriate movement activities.  

It is important for students to come to school prepared to be actively engaged. The following guidelines are very helpful…  

HEAD TO TOE - READY TO GO!!!

  

Head ....................... long hair pulled back  

Ears/Throat/Wrist ............... jewellery off  

Shirt.................................. one layer shirt  

Waist ................................................tucked in  

Pants.........................sporty pants or shorts, no belts or zippers  

Ankles..........................pants rolled up if ankles are covered  

Toes...............running shoes, gymnastic slippers or bare feet (no footed tights) 

 

“Playing & moving safely is everyone’s responsibility” 

- April 7th - Good Friday - NO SCHOOL

- April 10th - PD Day - NO SCHOOL

- April 13th - Grade 6 Second Round of Vaccines