Well October has certainly arrived with bluster and chill! Hopefully it warms up again and the kids can have a great Halloween. The students have been very busy in all of their classes. Students are wrapping up their exploration of science fiction in ELA, and will begin a novel study of Arthur Slade’s book, Dust. We are venturing into our math unit on “Patterns and Relations”. Currently, we will be tackling the variable! In social studies we will be studying “Conflict, Cooperation, and Interdependence”. The class is wrapping up their first science unit of the year. Tri-conferences are being held on October 18 and 19. I look forward to meeting with the students and their parents/guardians. I hope you  can make it out. In closing, please feel free to contact me at school should you have any questions or concerns regarding your child.

It has been a busy month around the school with all of the extra-curricular activities that are going on! We have been working hard in our classes as well. We have been studying the novel, The Outsiders, in ELA. In math, we just wrapped up our unit on square roots and the Pythagorean theorem. We are moving on to integers. In Home Ec. we are starting a baking basics unit and are spending time learning about the function of different ingredients. In Industrial Arts, we are busy learning about computer aided design. In Science, we are researching body systems and in Social we are continuing the discussion about culture, multiculturalism and immigration. We are talking about opportunities for bright futures in Career Ed and in Phys. Ed we are learning about football and practicing different skills. We are looking forward to all of the upcoming events happening around the school!

The Grade 9 class has continued to be busy throughout the month of October. In ELA they have just completed writing and acting out their own scripts and have now started on speeches. In Social, they have been researching the effects of the European settlers on the FNMI people of Canada and are now moving onto constructing their own worldviews. Career Ed. has the class learning about various career paths through university and technical institutes. The students have just finished up a volleyball unit in Phys. Ed. and will soon begin fitness testing. Math is currently all about powers and numbers. The students continue to enjoy shop class where they have been busy with welding and small engines. The other half of the class has just started an egg and breakfast unit in Home Ec. That’s it for the month of October in the Grade 9 class of Hanley Composite School!

Well, the Grade 10’s have been working hard and getting tons done so far this year. In ELA, they’ve already finished the novel Indian Horse and written reviews on it, and are now researching and writing essays on historical figures. In Math they’re studying hard for their exam on earning a living, and more importantly, how much of the money they earn goes towards deductions like income tax and CPP. In IA, cabinet construction is well under way. In Home Ec they’ve been working on knife skills. Science has them studying population growth and the limiting factors that different environments put on growth. In Wellness they’ve been doing daily runs, as well as physical activity games like dodgeball. And in Drivers’ Ed, they’ve finished up their sign tests. Which means they’ll be driving soon – scarily, just in time for Hallowe’en!! Have a great month!

Wow, it looks like winter is upon us…way to early! Currently in our classes:  English/History 20: currently studying trench warfare during the First World War. Remembrance Day programming will be next on the agenda. Physical Science 20: Waves Unit Exam this week and then starting reflection and refraction. Health Science 20: learning about different body systems with our first focus being on the skeletal, muscular, and integumentary systems. Environmental Science 20: we are studying aquatic systems and the pollutants that affect it. Foundations 20: proving and applying sine and cosine laws for obtuse triangles. Phys. Ed. 20: learning the fundamentals of basketball. Psychology 20: examining biological influences on psychology. Robotics 20: working on making reaction time testers with their robots.

Greetings from the Grade 12 Homeroom! The students of the Hanley grade 12 class continue working hard in their classes. In Social Studies 30, the grade 12s have finished the first unit on European colonization of Canada. We have just started the second unit on the forces of Confederation and Canadian government. In ELA 30, the students continue a Canadian Landscapes unit. We are studying texts and writing literature analysis essays. Ms. Prakash and the Chemistry 30 students are studying material science and intramolecular forces. Mr. Tyndall and the students in Construction 30 are beginning to construct their projects for the semester.

I can’t believe that we are already nearing the end of April… this year continues to fly by it seems! It sounds like the grade two’s had a great week with Mrs. Harder last week – they did lots of cool science experiments and made some beautiful spring flowers! We are trucking along in our math unit on adding and subtracting two digit numbers to one hundred. The kids have been learning how to carry over and will soon learn how to borrow to help them with their work. We have finally wrapped up our Robert Munsch author study and are starting a poetry unit next week. I always look forward to this unit as it’s lots of fun making our own poetry anthologies. In the next week or two, we will be splitting into two groups and starting two new science units. For those kids that were in my class last year, they will learn about the weather and seasons with Miss Buchinksi. For those kids that were in Mrs. Martineau’s class last year, they will learn about air and water in the environment with me. We are also about halfway through our social studies unit on learning about our Canadian community. As always, please feel free to pop by and see what we are learning or if you have any questions!

It has been an exciting time in the 1/3 room! On Wednesday, we had our class mascot election. Everything was very official and the grade 3s did an excellent job with their campaigning and election duties! Sam the Wolf came out ahead and is our class mascot! The 3s also started their plant investigations. Some mixed soil with vinegar, oil, and sugar to see if it has an effect on a plant’s growth. Some are comparing sunlight vs. no sunlight and different watering schedules. It should be interesting! They will be studying structures next. The 1s continue to take care of our garden with Miss B., and they just started a weather unit. In math, the 1s finished their geometry unit. They learned the difference between 2-D and 3-D shapes and went on a shape scavenger hunt throughout the school. Up next is addition and subtractions to 20. The 3s are studying geometry. Currently, they are describing 3-D shapes (edge, face, vertices) and they will be constructing skeletons of these shapes next week. The 3s have been utilizing iPads to get extra time on ixl. I have found that this has really enhanced their math unit and they all have a deeper understanding of geometry. In health, the 3s will be studying tobacco and its affects and the 1s will be learning about street safety. In social studies, the 1s will be studying peace and dealing with conflicts at school. The 3s will be exploring conflict resolution when it comes to people having different opinions on the same issue. We have been working on building our reading stamina during E.L.A. We have daily stamina all-stars and this has been keeping the kids motivated. The 3s are learning about persuasive writing and the 1s are working on reading and listening to multi-step directions.

Spring!!! We are very busy in the grade 4,5,6 classroom. We have been working very hard on some poetry and working on Book in a Box projects. I can’t wait to see their projects. In Science we have been learning about weather. In Social Studies we have been exploring the topic of government. We are beginning a music unit in art. We are hoping that the weather stays beautiful and we can start learning about some track and field. Ms. Bishop Moisan and the grade 4,5,6 class.

The first part of April has managed to sneak right past me! March and April were busy months. The Grade 7’s were able to go on their ski trip and had a wonderful time! Thank you to all the parents, students and staff who contributed to the great day. I am currently working on planning the Grade 7 year-end trip: Blue Mountain Outdoor Adventure Park! I am aiming for the middle of June. The students will take part in zip lining, cooperative games, and other activities. This has been a traditional year-end trip for the Grade 7’s and has always proven to be memorable. I am able to take 3 parent volunteers/chaperones with the class. Once I have a date confirmed, I will send a letter home with the itinerary. If it is something you would like to do with your child and the Grade 7 class, please contact me at that time. Academically, the Grade 7s have just begun a unit on “Rates, Ratios and Proportions”. This is a challenging unit for most students, but I have no doubt we will see success! In ELA, we finished reading Tuck Everlasting and have moved onto a unit which focuses on “Personal Best”. Currently, we are looking at what it means to give your “Personal Best” in sport. We will expand our explorations in this theme. We have been largely focused on current events in social studies, and in art we are beginning to work on perspective drawings. The students have been studying “Temperature” in science, and have been looking at some hot topics that are really cool! In closing, please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or concerns. Take care and enjoy the warm weather!