Pumpkin Math

We are getting into the Halloween spirit in our grade one garden.  Only two more days to go, so we decided to explore the mathematics of pumpkins...

It was obvious which pumpkin was largest....

...but which one was the smallest?  More difficult to tell...

First we looked at circumference:  That's the measurement we get when we go around the outside of a sphere (circle) like a pumpkin.

Then we looked at height - which one was the tallest?

Finally we looked at weight - or how heavy the pumpkins were.  And we found our winner!  Pumpkin #3 was definitely our smallest pumpkin.  Aren't we great detectives!

A pumpkin dot-by-dot is a fun way to learn number sequence.

And then we designed our own jack-o-lanterns (see below).  Vote on the poll on the side to tell us which one is your favorite.  We think they look great!  

Here's to a howling good time with Halloween math!

Pumpkin Contest

Here are the pumpkins we designed using math shape blocks.  Which one is your favorite (vote on the poll on the side!!)

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Use Your Sniffer!

Here we look at different noses. 

Some animals use a snout, like the pig.  Some animals use a trunk, like the elephant.  Some animals use a forked tongue to smell with, like the snake.  Some insects, like the butterfly, the fly and the moth use their antenna and sometimes their feet to smell with.  

Happy Haunting!

There is a lot of excitement in the air as students anticipate Halloween at the end of the week.  Although they are eager for the festivities, it is still highly important that your child get adequate sleep and nutrition to combat the sugar highs and lows and emotions of this holiday.

             Since Halloween is on a Friday this year, students are invited to wear their costumes to school.  Please make sure that they are as recess and gym friendly as possible so that students may still enjoy a wide range of activities comfortably. 

            The Halloween celebrations begin after Friday recess (at 11:00am) with a costume parade and Jack-O-lantern display in the Tom Karren Gym.  Parents are invited to attend.  There will be draws for prizes including movie mill passes.  At about 11:45am students will return for individual class parties that will last till the end of the school day.  There is no Friday lunch program this week due to Halloween, but there will be some treats available for students at the class party.   There will be a substitute teacher that day as Mrs. Thomson will be attending a conference for the Alberta Assessment Consortium in Edmonton this weekend.

 Spelling words this week are: 1. how, 2. one, 3. six, 4. why, 5. was.  A fun try-it at home:  use letter shaped pasta or cereal to practice spelling these important sight words.  Then enjoy a yummy treat! 

            We have finished our language arts theme studying pyramids.  We are going to be doing a lot of Halloween activities this week in both language arts and math to fit with the spooky celebration!

             Our busy, buzzy goal this week is to ‘bee’ hardworking.  Please encourage your student to strive to be the best they can at everything that they do – remember that hard work is the goal, and not perfection.

             Halloween is also the birthday of Mrs. Quinton, the educational assistant in our classroom weekday mornings.  We want to wish her a happy birthday and thank her for all the work she does and effort she contributes.  She brightens our room! 

            Be sure to have a safe and happy Halloween!  For some fun activities and ideas, check out our links list on the blog!

 Trick or Treat!

Monday Newsletter

We have some fun events planned at the school this week – Wednesday is the first day of our school wide milk program, so the students are encouraged to dress up ‘black and white’ in honor of our bovine friends.  Students that drink milk an average of three school days a week will earn a prize provided by the Milk companies.  Each month is a different prize.

Friday is our October Student of the Month assembly.  It will begin in the gym at 12:15 pm and last almost till the end of the day.  It is also pizza Friday.  If you have not ordered for the year, you may order by week, and the cost of an individual pizza is $4.00.  Please have your order into Mrs. Thomson by Wednesday recess.  Just another reminder that Friday is also our library exchange day, and students must return previously borrowed books before being able to check out new ones.  If you need to know which books are overdue, you can contact me or Mrs. Heath in the library.  Encourage your child to take responsibility for caring for and returning their books on time.

  Our spelling words this week are: 1. had, 2. old, 3. eat, 4. day, 5. ten.  Our try-it suggestion this week is to have a word race – see who can right one of the spelling words the most in 30 seconds.  Can you write it 3 times?  5 times?  Or more?

  A new set of book orders were distributed today.  If you are interested in ordering from them, please return them with payment to Mrs. Thomson by November 14, 2008.  Any items purchased from this book order should be delivered before Christmas.

  Our busy, buzzy goal this week in grade one is to ‘bee’ helpful.  Encourage your child to meet their goal at home by joyfully and thankfully (our previous goals) helping out with tasks around the house, even when not asked to.  Remember to check the goal box each week (below the spelling words box) to see how your child feels they met their goal.  It’s good practice to make, keep and accomplish goals.

  A student in our room has misplaced a pair of 3-D glasses that belong with a school library book.  We have looked at school and the student has looked at home, but the glasses have not yet been found.  If you happen across them at your home (they were most likely accidentally put in the incorrect book or agenda), please have your child bring them to Mrs. Thomson so they can be returned to the library. 

 Thank you for keeping your eyes open!

Happy Thanksgiving Newsletter!

I hope that everybody had an enjoyable thanksgiving weekend. If you are feeling tired or a little groggy, it could be lack of sleep and over excitement. It's more likely to be turkey - that is if you helped yourself to this favorite harvest feast pastime. Turkey contains a chemical known as tryptophan which increases an individual's fatigue level. So next time you can't sleep, don't count sheep - nibble on some turkey leftovers! Research seems to indicate that broccoli has the same effect.

This week is going to fly by, so we need to work hard to keep on top of the events at school and at home. On Friday any October book orders are due to Mrs. Thomson. It is also deli sandwich day for Friday lunch. If you have not placed a year order and would like to order by week, watch for the small yellow slip coming home with your child. The cost is $2.50, and needs to be returned Wednesday morning by recess. if you have ordered for the year, please just recycle any forms that come home.  Friday is also library returns, so please ensure that your child comes to school with the books they borrowed last week.

Spelling words this week are:  1. new  2. but  3. for  4. get  5. now.  Here is this week's try-it:  Try pouring a cup of salt or sugar into a 9 by 13 pan or tray.  Use your fingers to trace through the flour, salt or sugar and practice your spelling words.

In school this week we have started a new unit in gym - basketball skills!  We are learning to dribble, roll and pass balls to our classmates, and throw them in a hoop.  We are showing great sportsmanship in our basketball relay games, and that makes Mrs. Thomson very proud!  High five for grade one!

In our five senses unit for science we have moved on from sight and sound and are now learning about touch.  This week our grade one students will be bringing small items with varying textures as we learn about the different way things feel.  We will also be looking at Braille, a language consisting of raised dots on surface to aid individuals with poor or no sight, allowing them to read.

Because of national current events that are happening this week (federal election) our grade one class is interested in learning about the difference between rights and responsibilities.

Check out the side wall on our blog to see our growing list.  Some ones we have decided so far are these:  We have the right to learn, play, drink safe water, eat healthy food, have friends, and to give our ideas.  We have the responsibility to work hard and follow directions at school, to share and be kind to others, to not waste water, to limit the junk that we eat to keep our bodies healthy, to be a friend to others, and to wait our turn and respect other's ideas.  Continue to reinforce these ideas with your child.

Our class goal this week is to 'bee' joyful.  We are grateful last week to all parents who helped us find ways to 'bee' thankful.  What are some things this week that we can be happy about?  Can we find some things to choose to be happy about, though it might be more difficult?  One student in our class pointed out that he was happy to be healthy, even if that meant that sometimes doctors had to give needles (immunizations) and checkups to keep us growing strong.  What a bright idea!  

We appreciate all of the recyclable material donations that are coming in each week.  Keep sending whatever you might otherwise throw away.

Another Busy Week!

We have a busy week here at Magrath Elementary School.  Our schedule of events includes our Scholastic school book fair in the library, which begins Wednesday and runs through Friday.  Students have the chance to win individual prizes and buy great books and other items.  Our grade one class is scheduled to visit on Wednesday morning from 10:30am till 10:45am (immediately after Division I recess).  A large part of the profit earned is kept by the school, so any support you can offer is appreciated.  It is a family event so everyone is welcome to come browse and buy.  We hope to see you there!

 On Thursday evening we are having our first celebration of learning.  This is an opportunity early in the year for parents and teachers to meet for a few minutes to solidify our relationship as partners in learning for your child.  If successful communication can be achieved between home and school, than greater success will be achieved by our students.  We encourage you to take the time to come down and visit with your children’s teachers.  If you are unable to make it on Thursday night, please let Mrs. Thomson know an alternative time we could get together and have a short visit.  There is a form attached to this newsletter that will allow us to better focus our conversation.  Please fill it out and bring it for your own benefit.  It does not have to be handed back to the school.

 On the other side of the form is a cursive printing worksheet.  This is a reference guide to be kept at home.  When you are working on printing activities with your child, help them learn the proper way to grip a pencil (there are a few acceptable methods – if you want more information, feel free to ask) and to form letters.  Ease in printing is an important building block in developing ease of writing.  This visual guide can aid in teaching your child the strokes of upper and lower case letters.

 Last week we hosted a teddy bear picnic for Friday lunch.  I would firstly like to thank P. Z. for the wonderful treats she provided the students.  Also a special thanks to Mrs. R for volunteering in our room for the morning.  We had an enjoyable run for the Terry Fox fundraiser – every student in our class completed a walk/run of at least 2 laps (about 2 km) and some completed much more.  Please return the pledge forms with your child as soon as possible.  Our school is working each year to improve our Terry Fox run, and any suggestions you have would also be appreciated.

 Some important information regarding lunches – students who bring food that needs to be heated up at lunch may do so in the school cafeteria.  However Friday lunches are eaten in the classroom where we do not have access to a microwave oven.  We would encourage you to send food that can be enjoyed cold for the Friday lunch/snack.

 I would like to extend a quick thank you to all of the parents who are donating recyclable items to our classroom supply.  We’ve had cartons and paint shirts and buttons and other wonderful items, but we would always welcome more.  Before you throw it away, consider donating it!

We have just finished several topics of study in school and are beginning to explore some new ones.  In science we have completed our study of Autumn and are now beginning to explore the five major senses: hearing, sight, taste, touch and smell.  We have some fun experiments and learning planned.  We are now done the floor hockey unit in gym and are taking a small break working on gross motor skills before moving on to basketball after Thanksgiving. 

In October we will be focusing on math skills that involve counting numbers and identifying numbers by their numerals and words.  Any fun activities you can do at home to help advance your child’s number sense will greatly aid their success at school.  For more ideas, or if you have any share, please contact me.  Here are some easy ones – include your child in cooking with recipes – learning measure amounts is fun if done while cooking.  Give your child a weekly allowance and help them learn to count and spend it.  Even a small amount, such as a quarter, will improve their number sense. 

In Language arts, the students decided they would first like to study the Ancient Egyptian Pyramids.  If you have any information you would like to share about this topic, please let me know.   The next topic of study will be Magic.

Our spelling words for the week are:  him, did, use, car, two.

A fun try-it:  Use a crafty material such as pipe cleaners or straws to bend and shape the letters of the different words.

Friday lunch this week is tacos.  There will be small slips coming home each week that allow families to order Friday lunches one week at a time.  If you have already submitted your order for the whole year, please just recycle these.

Another quick reminder – library book renewal day for our class is on Fridays.  Please make sure your student brings their books back on that day.  They will be unable to check out new books until all books are returned.  Zippy books need to come back read and signed every school day.

If you are interested in ordering from the second book order forms, please have those returned by Friday, October 17, 2008.  The first book order should arrive any day!  Next week is Thanksgiving Monday, and there will be no school that day due to the holiday, but we look forward to seeing you again on Tuesday!

Terry Fox Run 2008

Canadian Terry Fox, at the young age of 21, began a marathon of hope, with the goal of running from coast to coast across Canada to raise funds for the Cancer Society.  Perhaps what is most amazing about this feat is that Terry Fox was an amputee, having lost his leg to cancer.  Over almost five months, running with both pain and perseverance as his companions, Terry Fox ran more that half way across Canada, and raised millions of dollars.  But just outside Thunder Bay, Ontario, in early September 1980, Terry was forced to return home with the discovery of cancer in his lungs.  He died one month short of his twenty-third birthday.

Now, almost 30 years later, students across the country come together every fall to run in honor of one of the top ten Canadians of all time.  

Today we held our annual Terry Fox run.  For half and hour, we marched, walked, jogged and ran in honor of this courageous hero, and in support of cancer research, a devastating disease which affects so many lives and families.

Take a few minutes to talk to your family about cancer and Terry Fox.  Though there is tragedy in his story, I believe he would have us remember him more for his life and works than his death and disease.  What a wonderful opportunity to teach our children about what it means to have courage and to never give up.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

We are now embarking on a marvelous new journey of scientific discovery.  We have begun studying the five senses of hearing, sight, touch, taste and smell.  The Alberta Program of Studies best summarizes the understandings that our classroom community will strive to learn as we explore these fascinating abilities of our bodies:

"Students develop an awareness of their own senses and how they are used.  They learn that each of their senses provides information about particular aspects of our environment; and that, together, the senses enable us to know things and do things that we would not otherwise be able to do, or at least not as easily.  Students learn about the function of their senses, how they are cared for, how they could 

be damaged and how one’s own ability to sense things may differ from those of other people and other living things.  Through this topic, students learn to sharpen the use of their senses and describe as accurately as possible the information that their senses provide." (Alberta Science Grade One Curriculum)

We started out our unit by looking at the ability of our ears to gather sound an

d work together with our brains to give us the sense of hearing.  We tested our hearing with sound effects games, explored and shared the ability of different objects to make sounds, researched and discussed the basic anatomy and care of the ear, and experimented with its function by predicting and testing how vibrations affect the surface of a drum.  We also looked at the importance of hearing in our lives, and its role in our society in relation to the hearing impaired.  We reviewed the importance of sign language in communication for those who do not have the ability to hear.

Here's a fun try it for home:  Explore the effects of vibrations with a friend.  Hold a filled balloon to the ear of a partner and place your mouth on the opposite side - speak right into the balloon.  How does the vibrations of the air in the balloon affect the sound your friend hears?

Did you know?  Sound can also be used to enhance the sense of sight.  Machines such as sonar and ultrasound can use sound waves that bounce back from objects to create pictures for us to see.  An example would be sonar that maps the ocean floor, or an ultrasound that allows us to see a growing baby that is not yet born.  Bats also use sound to see as they fly through the dark. Can you find other animals that use this sense to see?

Check out 2Learn.ca for many great resources on hearing and the five senses.