Well, the grade 10’s have been pretty busy. There’s only a quick breathing spot as football and volleyball wind up and basketball (which they’re also studying in Wellness right now) gets under- way. Which kind of brings to mind the Challenges unit that they’re just finishing up in ELA. And have you noticed the temperature getting colder outside? These kids will be able to convert fluently between Fahrenheit and Celsius, thanks to Mr. Bartsch in Math class. They’ve finally written their final exam in Driver’s Ed, so keep an eye open in and around Hanley for our new drivers. In science, they’re learning about motion and acceleration – hopefully they won’t be testing out extreme acceleration in Driver’s Ed anytime soon! And finally, they’re wrapping up their projects in IA, and putting the finishing touches on their quilts in Home Ec. Was that Christmas music I just heard?
Grade 9
We have really enjoyed our November, and life, both in and out of school, continues to be very busy. Our Football and Volleyball seasons were very successful and now that they’ve wrapped up, we’re getting excited for Basketball and Curling. The annual Take our Kids to Work Day was really successful and we were able to develop a new appreciation for our parents and how hard they work each day.
In ELA, we’ve finally finished Romeo and Juliet. (We loved it) Now we are embarking on our own Independent Novel Studies. In Social Studies we are continuing to delve deep into Ancient Civilizations. Amazing. They are almost as amazing as our current civilization which we find ourselves also discussing at great lengths.
We have been recruited by the Christmas Festival folks to prepare backgrounds for the Family Portraits and we are honored to be a part of what will no doubt become treasured family heirlooms for you and yours.
Our Element Exploration is wrapping up in Science class and Mr. Howie continues to show us the magic of Mathematics. He’s doing a great job. Mr. Tucker continues to give us good healthy leadership in Health class and from the office. Phys. Ed, Home Ec and IA continue to be our favorites, but who can blame us? Well, we’ll let you go, because we know you likely have to start your Christmas shop- ping! If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact Mr. Graham.
Grade 8
In Social Studies they are completing a section on “Culture” and will soon be starting a new Unit on “Canadian Identity”. In Industrial Arts they have started designing wood projects, such as mirrors. In Home Ec. the boys have started sewing with sewing machines and are starting to make pyjama pants. In Health/Guidance they are examining eating disorders and are busy promoting physical activity to children at lunch hour by organizing and playing games with younger students. In Math they are working with Integers and having a Unit test late in the week of Nov 19th. In Science they are studying about “Organ Systems”. Physical Education has started a Basketball Unit and is continuing a games unit with Tchukball amongst others.
Early in the New Year a winter activities unit will start over at the curling/skating rink and organizing to get a pair of skates will be beneficial, but a helmet is required. Even if the student borrows or shares with another student from another grade would be appreciated. The ELA class has begun studying the novel called “The Outsiders”.
Grade 7
This month in Grade 7 we saw a few big changes. Miss Adelman has joined our class while Mrs. Bain is away on ma- ternity leave. She is excited to be here and get to know everyone better!
In ELA, the girls are continuing to work on the theme Science Fiction and are currently studying the novel Dust. The boys just finished a book called, Escape from Home and are now working on a final project. In Social we are finishing up the unit on “Cooperation and Interdependence in North America”. In Science, we are wrapping up a unit on “Earth’s Crust”. We will be having a unit test this week. In Careers, we have been exploring different types of jobs and will now be looking at how to make a resume. In Math, the girls are finishing up a unit on Integers and the boys are just beginning to learn about Integers. The girls will be having a Math test on Tuesday, Nov. 20. The girls are also learning to router in I.A. and are really enjoying it!
At the end of November or early December, we will finally, have our swimming and bowling field trip. Notes will come home with more information on the field trip and fundraising efforts when Miss Adelman knows more details.
Note from Miss Adelman:
I am very excited to be teaching the Grade 7’s for the rest of the year! I have enjoyed getting to know your child so far and look forward to getting to know them better throughout our time together. I will be contacting all parents just to say “hello”, introduce myself, and let you know how things are going so far. I hope to talk to everyone before the end of November so please expect a call from me in the next couple of weeks! I am looking forward to talking with all of you and if you have any questions or concerns at any time, please feel free to contact me at 544-2511. -Janet Adelman
Grade 6
As the snowy season gets under way the grade 6’s are learning about some of the history of Japan and a young girl named Sadako in ELA. We continue to work on spelling and grammar as well. In Math we are currently learning about patterns and equations. We are almost finished our solar system unit, it has been great
and the students worked very hard to create the solar system in the classroom. In Social Studies, we are still looking around the world and seeing how others live and compare it to how we live. We have also been looking at some of Canada’s history. In health we are finishing up our identity unit by looking at our family history and how parts of our past have contributed to our identity. We will be learning about basketball and continue to play games in Phys. Ed. In Art we have been working with water colours and painting. I hope to see many of you at the Christmas Family Fun Festival on December 12.
Grade 4 & 5
Well it appears as if Winter has officially arrived! We have been reading the novel How to Eat Fried Worms and I am thankful that I have not heard any stories about my students attempting to eat worms! In Social Studies, we just wrapped up our Saskatchewan Heroes Unit and the students created wonderful power point presentations to showcase their hero. We will be starting out new Science Unit on the Human Body very shortly and will soon be studying Christmas Around the World in December. These first few months have seemed to fly by and I am sure the next few will also! Enjoy the snow!
Angela Pozniak
Teacher Grade 4/5 Hanley School
Grade 2 & 3
The Grade 2/3s had a great month! We finished up our Robert Munsch Unit that we loved! We are very excited to get started on our Readers’ and Writers’ Workshops! From December to February, Miss Amy Stefanson will be the Grade 2/3 teacher until Mrs. Romanchuk returns from her mat leave. Miss Martineau will be doing Mrs. Koroll’s mat leave in the K/1 room. She will miss the 2/3s but is excited for this opportunity. Important Date: On December 18, Grades K-3 will be going to the WDM for a Christmas field trip (more details to come!).
Denille Martineau
Teacher Grade 2/3 Hanley School
Kindergarten & Grade 1
November has been a fun month in the K/1 room! The Ks have been exploring patterns in math and the Grade 1s continue to work with numbers to 20. Both grades have been doing lots of creative writing! The Grade 1s are working on writing one to three sentences in their journals and the Ks are drawing pictures that tell a story by including lots of detail. The Grade 1s made homemade paper in art and the group will do some winter art in the next two weeks. My last day is November 29th. I have enjoyed so much getting to know the Ks and working again with the Grade 1s! I am going to miss the kids a lot! Thanks to the families for all of your support this year!
Home Access to PowerSchool
PowerSchool Web Access gives parents and students access to real-time information including attendance, grades and detailed assignment descriptions, school bulletins, and even personal messages from the teacher.
Log in at http://prairiespirit.powerschool.com
From the Office
It feels again like that colder, blustier weather that seems to track us down every fall is here for a while. Six weeks of our school year have disappeared behind us and Hanley Composite School once again doesn’t appear to be slowing down. This week staff and students are taking part in some Education Week activities. From practices like Stop, Drop, and Read, to a middle years trip to Wanuskewin, as well as a speaker on Treaty Education, this week involved the annual library Book Fair and our fall Tri- Conferences on Oct 16th and 17th. The older version of Parent-Teacher Interviews is becoming an old practice – being replaced by a Tri-Conference: a conversation that involves parent, teacher, AND student. A much more authentic sharing of work habits, practices, and behaviours happens, and when those areas are focused on, then much better learning takes place, always positively affecting the grade. This is the first year that we have had these Tri-Conferences before report cards are sent home – done on purpose to give students a chance to talk about and hear how they could improve, BEFORE the grades are sent home a few weeks later. I would love to hear about what you think of the change. Like always, we will encourage you to keep in contact with your children’s teachers, so if there is a question that comes up after the report cards arrive at home, make sure to contact the teacher to discuss it.
There will also be a big change happening in reporting this year that I want to make you aware of as it’s being finalized. Hanley Composite School will be moving to a Live version of reporting through an online program called PowerSchool. Students first, followed by parents, will gain access to reporting on their progress online by logging in to a site where they will be able to find a list of their courses and marks assigned to their work. Student attendance as well as work habits and behaviours are other areas that can be accessed. We will send home further information as it is available to families from Hanley School.
We had some excitement last month with the news crew out here to see the town and area, the school, a football game, and our newly paved court. It was a lot of fun and a great crowd was here all day.
This week we also held our Meet the Staff BBQ on the first evening of Tri- Conferences. A burger or hotdog, followed by a piece of cake and some witty conversation with one of our staff members was the norm I witnessed this week. It is clear that the teachers in our school care a lot about your children and really do want the best for their education and well-being. I’m proud of them for that.
I want to highlight that we’ll again be hosting another Flu Immunization Clinic on October 25 in the school gym. Be sure to tell others and encourage them to come to the school for a “shot in the arm.”
Extra-Curricular activities are moving along at a fast pace as well. We had a lot of interest in Cross Country this fall and I want to congratulate Chery for her progress to Provincial Competition. The Senior and Junior Volleyball seasons have been filled with a number of tournaments and a lot of practices, both before and after school. Saber Football has had a great undefeated season as well and is looking forward to playoffs starting this weekend in Hanley.
Just a reminder from me that there is no school on Monday, Oct 22 due to evenings put in by teachers for the Tri- Conferences this week. There’s also a couple days, Nov 9 and 12 that there will be no classes as well due to a day of professional development and a stat day recognizing Remembrance Day on Nov 11. We’ll hold a Remembrance Day ceremony at the school on November 8.
Continue to enjoy the year, everyone. Mr. Anderson and I would love to talk to you if you have time to drop by the office. Take care and I’ll talk to you soon.