Senior year has started off with a bang. We have already been put into a seating plan (a first for Grade 12’s in Ms. Prakash’s class) while reviewing Chem 20 and the concepts we need to know for Chem 30. In ELA and History, we are learning how to dialectically evaluate Canada’s geography, and we just finished writing heart touching poetry. Math C30 has been radical while learning about radians. In I.A., we just ordered supplies for our woodworking projects and in Home Ec, we are event planning. In Life Transitions, we are learning what to expect when we move out, which will be sooner than we think!

– Courtney

So great to back to school!!! Classes are in full swing. In PreCalculus, we are working on geometric and arithmetic series. The test is on Thursday. In Math Workplace, we are calculating slope. In Physics, we are learning wonders and workings around us, as well as understanding such math compo- nents as, scientific notation, significant figures and metric conversion. Test is on Thursday. In Biology, we just finished art projects of defining biology without words. In ELA, we are working on recollections and short stories. In Phys. Ed., we had fitness tests and playing volleyball.

Well, school is back in and the Grade Tens are already hip deep in learning! Classes are in full swing, and students are actually finding some time to study in between football, volleyball, cross-country, soccer and golf. So far, the students have been working on proportional reasoning and pricing (including exchanging currencies and wondering why products in the US are so much cheaper, even though our dollar is worth more) in Math. In ELA, Megiddo’s Shadow has been the focus, a book about Edward, a young man who has lost his brother and mother and then finds himself fighting the Huns in World War I. Science has been all about the environment and sustainability. They’ve faced the question: What would the world look like if every human were to disappear? Home Ec has had a different bent, looking at canning and preserves. In IA, kids have been planning for their projects and waiting for their wood to arrive, while Mr. T and Mr. C shows them all the tricks of the cabinet maker’s trade. Political Philosophies have been the focus in Social. In Wellness, students have been examining health related fitness topics, and then getting active playing Matt Ball. And finally, Driver’s Ed has our parents and teachers kind of freaked out, but they’re not letting us drive until we know where the brakes and steering wheel are – as well as the signal lights, windshield washer lever, seat belts, air bags, hazard lights, On Star support… It’s been a great start to the year! Special thanks to the grade 10 girls for their communal contributions.

Energizing. Cheery. Intriguing. Intense. Hilarious. Enlightening.

This is just a sampling of the words yelled forth by this year’s Grade Nine squad when asked to describe the year thus far. We’ve started reading Romeo and Juliet, by Sir William Shakespeare. What a story! In Social Studies we’ve just finished making personal timelines. They’ll be on display in our class-room for awhile, so swing on in and have a look. (bring chips) Speaking of items on display, we’ve been working on painting the ceiling tiles. It’s a bit like the Sistine Chapel except with a little more Disney and Sports Logos.

Do you have any questions about finding the surface area of a Composite Shape? You can ask us now, because that’s what Mr. Herman is teaching us in Math. Can you imagine having Mr. Tyndall as a science teacher? Good Heavens. It’s a blast. Literally. He sure likes blowing things up. Our leader, Mr. Tucker is teaching us about leadership in Health class. Volleyball , welding and Kitchen Wizardry round out our daily schedules

The year has begun wonderfully! The students are bright, energetic and a pleasure to work with. We have a few events on our horizon. On September 22nd we will be having a Float sale to help offset costs of our first field trip. We will be travelling to Saskatoon to bowl and swim on October 5. We will be travelling by bus and will return before the end of the day. On Sept. 22, we will be having a “Meet the Staff” night. It is always a great opportunity to get together and enjoy some social time. You have the opportunity to visit your child’s classroom and visit the staff who works with your child. On Sept. 28, we have our Terry Fox Day.

Academically, we have begun to look at Patterns and Relations in math, Science Fiction in English, Characteristics of Life in science, and we are currently working on mapping in social. We have a busy year ahead of us!

Joining us until Christmas, is Mrs. Kinzel. She is an intern from the University and a welcome addition to our room! Her enthusiasm and energy are a definite asset to our daily routines!

As always, should you have any question or concerns, please feel free to contact me at the school, 544-2511 or via e-mail (Nicole.Bain@spiritsd.ca). It’s going to be an amazing year!

Grade six has gotten off to a good start. This year we hope to do many different fun and exciting learning experiences. Currently in math we are working on patterns and the difference between equations and expressions. Classification and organization are key for our new science unit, as the students know. Along with this we are learning about  mapping and Canada’s Atlantic neighbours in social studies. Last but not least, in English, we are taking rocketing off the start of the year with a sci-fi unit.

I am so happy to be a part of the grades 4 and 5 class this year! On the first day of school we made mini individual time capsules which contain our likes, dislikes and goals we set for the year. On the last day of school we will see if our favourite things have changed and if we have reached our goals! (and remember… they are keeping an ‘eye’ on you all year long) We started the year off by doing a lot of review in Math and ELA, just to get everyone’s brains moving again. We are doing some practice writing paragraphs in ELA and will be writing an autobiography in a couple of weeks! In Science, we are working on ways to better the environment and doing a lot of research about Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. We have come up with some great ideas that we can do as a class to make a good impact on the environment! Math has started up again, and the Grade 5’s are working with Mr. Woods-Fehr while the Grade 4’s are with Ms. Rancourt. We are having a great time in our class and look forward to what is ahead! Please check out our class website (www.msrancourtsgrade45.weebly.com) where you will find what we are learning, educational games and even student work that are is in the process of being created!

Feel free to stop by anytime to see myself or the class!

Wow, I can’t believe that we’re nearing the end of September already! In math, both  grades are learning about patterns. I am teaching the grade two math this year, while Mr. Woods-Fehr is teaching the grade three math. In science we are learning about magnets, in social studies we are beginning a fairly large unit on communities, and in health we are starting to learn about self esteem, and then delving into friendship. Mr. Cory will be teaching one of the three phys ed classes in a six day cycle. For the month of September, we have been focusing on co-operative games showing our sportsmanship, participation, and teamwork. In ELA, I would like to spend more emphasis on writing and reading strategies this year. I hope to get guided reading up and running by October and start some centers again. I will soon be sending some information regarding book reports, which we will begin next month. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you’re finding that your child’s chapter book is not appropriate for them; the students really seem to enjoy selecting their own home reading this year!

I hope to see you all tomorrow night at the “Meet the Staff” barbeque starting at 5:30!