The grade 4,5,6 class has been working very hard on their Heritage Fair Projects. We will be starting to present the projects at the beginning of March. There have been some very interesting topics. In Science we are continuing to learn about simple machines. Our sculpting unit in art is wrapping up. Our final project has been working with paper mache. Please continue to practice basic math facts with the students. Focus on addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. It is very important that the students be able to know their facts with automaticity.

This month has been a busy one! Report cards came out at the beginning of the month; if you would like to see me to discuss your child’s progress, please feel free to contact me at the school. The class has been wrapping up their study of fractions in math, and will shortly be moving on to begin exploring measurement. In ELA, we are finishing up our “Mystery” unit and have begun a novel study of Freak the Mighty. We have continued to work on heritage fair as part of our social curriculum, and in science the class continues to study mixtures and solutions. On March 10, we will be having our school Heritage Fair. Students have been working through an inquiry project which explores some aspect of Canadian Heritage. They will be displaying their work on tri-fold boards and will present their projects to judges. Some projects are truly amazing! On March 21, the Grade 7 and 8 classes will be venturing out to Table Mountain for their annual ski/snowboarding trip. Currently, we have all the Grade 7 chaperones we require. The interest is always high and I appreciate everyone’s enthusiasm. The permission forms were all sent home this past week. Please fill out the permission forms and return them to me as soon as possible. However, please do not send any money yet. We are trying to fundraise to offset some of the cost. I will let you know the first week of March how much each activity will cost. In closing, thank you for your continued support. Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at the school.

There are lots of great things happening in the grade 8 classes as we start this new semester. In Phys. Ed we are working on a Badminton unit and playing various sportsmanship activities and games. In Health, we have started a unit that discusses the services available to communities infected with, and affected by, non-curable infections and diseases. In ELA, the class is working through a novel study on The Giver. In math, we are wrapping up our unit on Measurement and will begin a unit on rational numbers and problem solving shortly. In Home Ec. we are doing a kitchen basics review to get ready to work in the labs and in IA we are developing our isometric drawing skills. We are busy learning about forces, fluids and density in Science and in Social Studies we are ready to present the companies we have created in hopes of landing some investors. We are looking forward to all of the fun things happening around our school this month!

February has been a busy month for the Grade 9 students here in Hanley. Many of the students have been taking part in extracurricular activities such as basketball, curling, and drama. In ELA, the Grade 9’s are looking into Love, Loyalty, and Relationships and are particularly looking at William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The students have continued to look into Ancient Civilizations in Social class, and are currently working to depict a battle between two ancient warriors. Math has the students studying Polynomials and they are looking into Music in Art class. The students have switched from I.A. to Home Ec. and vice versa. In I.A., the students are looking at the theory behind welding and in Home Ec., they are learning all about kitchen safety and measurement conversions. In Gym, the students have been playing a variety of games. That’s it for February. Enjoy the break!

Well, Semester Two is under way and the Grade 10’s are SO happy to have final exams behind them! Now, only one more week until the break! Until then, though… In ELA they’ve been making some decisions about their units of study. Social Studies has them examining societies and governments. They are working with angles and trig ratios in Math. The birdies are flying in Wellness as they learn the ins and outs of badminton. In IA they’ve started paper and pencil drafting. They’ll be starting their Food Safety course soon in Home Ec. And finally, in Wildlife, they’ve been examining different animal habitats.

It has been a busy couple of weeks getting into semester two classes, but we know a break is right around the corner. Currently, we are doing the following things in our classes thus far: Work Placement 20: We are graphing and learning to calculate slope. Pre-Calculus 20: We are working on geometric and arithmetic sequences and series. PAA 20: We are practicing our sewing skills. Mittens will be our first project. Construction 20: We are examining the theory of building construction, as well as designing our own individual custom builds for sheds and small buildings. Physical Science 20: We are looking at the mathematical skills behind physics, such as significant figures and scientific notation. We are also beginning the study of waves. Health Science 20: We are exploring the philosophies and ethics within the medical system. This includes indigenous and alternative ways of healing. Forensics 20: We have just finished finger print analysis. We are now constructing our own crime scene. ELA/History20: We have the choice of reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak or Night by Elie Wiesel to examine WWII themes. Have a Safe and Wonderful Winter Break!

The first month of the new semester has proven to be a busy one for the grade 12 students. The students have quickly become immersed in their new courses. This semester, many of the grade 12s are taking two science classes with Ms. Prakash. The biology class has begun the course with a unit on taxonomy. In physics, the students are in the midst of a unit on motion. This semester, many of the grade 12 students are taking Phys. Ed. with Mr. Anderson. In ELA, the students are exploring texts that explore the theme of identity. At the conclusion of our identity study, the students will be creating an identity text of their own. Although it seems like forever away, the students have had their first grad meeting. It’s an exciting time to be a grade 12 student at Hanley School!

Well our first month together since Mrs. Romanchuk’s departure has flown by! We are really getting into our own groove now, and have quite a few things happening in our classroom! This week we finished up our second unit in Math. The grade 1’s finished talking about the many different ways we can represent numbers from 1-20, and the grade 2’s finished representing numbers from 1-100. Next week we will be starting new units on Addition and Subtraction! In Science we are also finishing up our unit on Animals. We have learned so much about the many different animal groups and are currently writing our own animal reports! We have started a few new things in our classroom. Spelling is up and running and the kids have been doing very well with their words. We have our take home reading up and running and we just started Writer’s Workshop. We are learning about what author’s do to be successful writers, and are excited to write our own books in the future. That’s all for now! Mrs. Moskalyk