Hello from Grade 2/3! In sci- ence, the grade 2/3 students will be finishing up their liq- uids, solids, and gases unit with a “design a lifeboat” activity, then we will be moving on to learn about structures and materials. In Math, the grade two’s have been working hard on addition and subtraction to 100, and will soon be starting a geometry unit. In Arts Education the students just started, and are very excited about, their “Fun with Composers” unit in music. In this unit they will be exploring classical music from compos- ers such as: Mozart, Strauss, Grieg, and more! In Social Studies the students will be starting a new unit on Canadian Communities.

The Grade 12 class has been busy planning for their grad this year with the help of Ms. Prakash. Many are also getting excited and prepared for the upcoming Culture Club trip, which seems to be approaching very fast.  In Physics, we are preparing for our first test, and we are all SO EXCITED…In Biology, we are making created diagrams of animal and plant cells. In ELA, we are presenting our Slam Poems and Advertisements society’s perception of beauty. So far, all of them have been very well done. The other ELA class has been watching a documentary called I Am, which is very eye opening.

In Math, we are calculating statistics. In History, we are learning about the First World War. In PAA, we are just finishing researching and eating international foods. In IA, we are making our sawhorses. In Art, we are recreating movie scenes. In Chemistry, we just started a unit on Molecules and Compounds and our first assignment is performing a series of demonstrations/experiments for the K/1 class.

The grade 10’s are well into semester two and are working very hard. They’ve just finished Of Mice And Men in ELA. Factoring has been the focus in Foundations 10. Wellness has the kids lifting weights and batting an almost weightless birdie around in badminton. In Wildlife Management, they just finished watching March of the Penguins and have also been studying hunting and trapping. If Mr. A plans a trip to Antarctica anytime soon, at least we know the kids won’t starve. Science has had a similar focus as they study the populations of humans and other animals on the planet. In History, they just finished watching Wag the Dog. Food Safety is still the topic du jour in Commercial Cooking (so hopefully we won’t have any bad reactions to the soup du jour). And finally, in IA, the kids have been making house plans a digital reality as they learn Computer Assisted Drafting. Have a great month!

Communism, George Orwell’s Animal Farm, welding, exploring Nationalism, wind turbines, alternative energy resources, grain studies, badminton, candid discussions on health issues and relationships, solving literal equations, re-writing National anthems…What are we describing here?? Some kind of fantasy camp for Superheroes?? Nay, it’s simply a day in the life of the grade nines here at Hanley Composite School. We can hardly believe how fast this year is flying by.  Next week brings the end of winter and the beginning of a long awaited spring. Despite the fact that the piles of snow are quickly disappearing, homework continues to pile up around us, but we are still managing to love every minute of this very “critical year in our adolescent development.” (We learned that in Health class).

In Social Studies we are finishing our examination of First Nations history, pre-contact, post-contact (fur trade), and modern-day issues. In Physical Education we are finishing Badminton and a few classes at the Curling Rink. We start Fitness testing very soon! In Health we are looking at Emotions and how we can learn to control them, and not let them control us. In Career Guidance we are studying Multiple Intelligences and how we can understand them to help us in selecting career paths. In Art we are doing studies on Impressionism now. In Industrial Arts, we are drafting BIG Isometric drawings, and looking forward to studying the new power tools we get to use this year in the shop. Finally, in Home Ec., we are working on our Flour Mixtures Unit. In Math we have just finished having an exam. While in English we working on the novel “The Giver”.

Spring has sprung and we couldn’t be happier in Grade 7! Our month has been a busy one! In ELA we are continuing to explore our novels in Literature Circles, in math we have begun a unit in Measurement, Science has us looking at mixtures and solutions, and social is reflecting about resources and management.

I would like to take this time to thank all the families of the Grade 7 students for providing our class with amazing treats for our potluck! The efforts and involvement of the students and families are greatly appreciated! We will be doing some fundraising in the next few weeks. We will be having a bake sale on March 22 and a float sale the following week. We are raising funds to purchase prizes for a Sock Hop/Carnival the Grade 7s are planning for April 20. The funds raised during the carnival will help to offset costs of our year end trip to Blue Mountain.  More information about the Sock Hop/Carnival and year end trip will be sent out later this month.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at the school. The phone number is 544-2511, or I can be reached via email: Nicole.Bain@spiritsd.ca.

Tri-Conferences are next week and I look forward to meeting with many of the parents to discuss their child’s successes and progress this year.  If you would like to meet with me, please contact Carey Block at the school and she can schedule a space/time for us to meet. Take care and enjoy the weather!

Hello from the Grade 6 classroom. Here is a brief list of current events. Our 6’s are studying child labour in ELA with the novel “Iqbal”. In Physical Education we are looking at gymnastics and combative games. We are wrapping up Flight in science and will soon be moving on to Electricity. In Health, we are studying Nutrition. Outside of academics, we are looking forward to curling with the Dundurn grade 6 class. Happy Spring,