In Chemistry, we are studying electrochemistry. In physics, we’re learning about electricity. In English, we are doing projects on Hamlet. In calculus, we are finishing up our independent studies.

Wow, finally it feels like summer! We just have to finish all of our units in all of our classes, review and write final exams. Final Exams begin on Thursday June 23rd. We write our Math 10 Exam at 9a.m. that morning, our ELA B10 Exam on Friday June 24th at 9a.m., and our History 10 on Monday June 27th, also at 9a.m. Projects for Home Ec. and I.A are in the completion stage and we are enjoying the warm weather with physical activity in the outdoors for Phys. Ed. We wish everyone a warm, fun and fantastic summer! See you all in the new school year!

It’s the last newsletter of the year. It is shocking how quickly this year has passed. They say that time flies when you’re having fun, so we must have had a lot of fun this year. It’s been great. We’ve learned a lot and experienced a lot and we have much to be thankful for and excited about for next year. Our teachers are keeping us busy and making the most of the days we have left. Mr. Herman keeps dazzling us with his wit and wisdom in science class. He also shares the Math responsibilities with Mrs. Harder. Imagine having to teach Math to a bunch of rowdy teenagers! Not just anyone can do that. Thankfully they can, and they do it well. Mr. Anderson has been a terrific health teacher and is one of the all around healthiest men we know. Mrs. Rancourt and Mr. T have done a tremendous job teaching us Home Ec and IA. You guys really know what you are doing. Mr. Graham has had the challenge of teaching us ELA, Social Studies and Art and has even, on occasion, blended all three of those subject areas into a wild cacophony of learning. That’s not easy.

On a personal note, as most of you know, the annual Grade Nine Canoe trip was not able to take place this year due to unforeseen circumstances. This is the first group in many years to not embark on that great rite of passage. It must be noted however, that these grade nines handled the news with an incredible sense of maturity and grace and we the teachers are very grateful for that. If any group deserves a trip to Canada’s great north it’s these guys. It is our hope and our intention to reschedule the trip in the first weeks of September.

The year is slowly coming to a close. The weather is warming up, and as a result, our classroom has become a sauna! The students are holding up well, but are definitely looking forward to the summer holidays. We have just begun a review of the year’s math concepts. The students will be writing a year end exam later next week. In ELA we are revisiting some grammar concepts. Needless to say, the kids are loving it!!
The Grade 7 orientation for Dundurn and Hanley Grade 6 students will take place on June 22, from 9:30 – 12:00. And finally, our year end trip is right around the corner: June 24th…Blue Mountain, here we come! Please ensure your child has weather appropriate clothing, a bagged lunch, plenty of water, and money for supper. Thanks to the Moms who volunteered to chaperone our trip: Mrs. Wasmuth, Mrs. Richmond, Mrs. Richards, and Mrs. Presnell. It should be awe- some! We look forward to creating some fantastic memories and setting a positive tone for the summer.

The Grade 5 and 6 classes have been working to complete units for the end of the year. In English the students are reading Canadian mysteries and working on their own ghost stories to present to the class. In Math the Grade 6 class is working on graphing of lines and points. In Social Studies the class is taking a quick tour of Canada and it’s attractions. Speaking of Canada and History, the Grade 5 class just finished their trip to Wanuskewin. They were able to observe an archaeological dig and sift through carefully excavated dirt where some were able to find fragments of bone about 3000 years old. After a tour of the summer site for many Plains Cree and Dene generations, the students made Dream Catchers and some tried Bison Burgers before heading back to Hanley.

The Grade 6 class were able to complete their annual trip to the Moose Jaw Tunnels with the Dundurn Grade 6 class. The students toured the Western Development Museum, where the flight simulator was a big hit. Next they were treated to being bootleggers in the Capone gang and later part of the Chinese immigrant society during the tunnel tours.
With summer around the corner we wish everyone a happy summer holiday season!

I can hardly believe that we are in our last month of school! Time really does fly when you’re having fun! It has been such a pleasure to work with this group of students again this year. They are a funny, caring and a very capable bunch of individuals. I am definitely going to miss them! I would also like to say how great it has been getting to know all you parents. I have appreciated your support, advice and patience during our time together. I wish you all a wonderful summer and good luck during the 2011-2012 school year.
June will be a busy time, so bear with us, and feel free to call or write anytime with questions or concerns.

Here’s what we have on the go right now:
ELA – We are doing lots or writing during ELA. We are also working on our pioneers unit. Our last few spelling tests have been interesting – the kids get to pick the words. We’re hop- ing that this helps us to expand our vocabularies. We are also preparing feverishly for our Literacy Fair on June 23!
Social Studies – As afore mentioned, we are working on our pioneers unit. It was SO great to get to Pioneer Days at the WDM and actually try out some of the chores we have been read- ing about. Milking a cow is not as easy as it sounds! We are really looking forward to doing some beadwork with Ms. Rancourt during the First Nations portion of this unit.
Math – The grade 4s are working on long division and multiplication of longer numbers. The grade 3s have finished up multiplication and division and have moved on to data management. Please see the attached calendar for upcoming test dates.
Phys-Ed – We’ve been practicing some soccer skills as well as a few track and field events. We’re also doing some swimming lessons.
Science à Each student is researching the topic of their choice for a “Did You Know” book.

What a busy and exciting month we’ve had in the Kindergarten room! On Monday we released our butterflies into the wild. It was great to see all the parents and siblings come out to watch. We’ve also had a few field trips in the last little while. We had a blast at Marian Gymnastics and the Forestry Farm. Highlights include the giant foam pit and the grizzly bear. We also traveled to the city to take part in the Children’s Festival. We enjoyed Flying Bob Palmer’s act and all the activities there. Thanks to all the parent volunteers who came on these trips! We’ve had many animal visitors to our classroom lately! Students have been bringing pets for sharing! It’s been fun cuddling these fuzzy and cute little creatures! In Math we will wrap up the year studying 3-D shapes and we will continue doing our literacy groups with Mrs. McGregor and Ms. Thompson. We look forward to the Father’s Day t-ball game on the 21st. I’ve had a great year with these kids and look forward to teaching them again next year! Have a great summer holiday!

All signs point to the school year quickly coming to a close. Graduation, Kindergarten Orientation, Grade 6 transition meetings, year-end field trips, projects and final exams have already occurred or are quickly about to. My how time flies when you’re having fun! This has been another wonderful year at Hanley Composite.

As is always the case at this time of the year, we must say farewell to a number of people. We are preparing to say goodbye to our graduates as they will soon be moving on to new opportunities. We thank them for their many contributions to Hanley School and wish them all the best with their future endeavors. We are also saying farewell to several staff members. Miss Alana Wilson, our grade 3/4 teacher, has been with us in Hanley for the past three years. She will continue with her graduate studies at the U of S in the Department of Educational Psychology while teaching part time at Warman Elementary. We wish her all the best with this change in her professional life. Mr. Cory Lewis has been teaching grade 5 and 6 here in Hanley for the past two years. Mr. Lewis will be moving to teach at Dalmeny High School. His humor and quick wit will certainly be missed.

I will also be leaving Hanley School at the end of the year. I will be moving to become the new principal at Prairie View School in Dalmeny. Being here at Hanley School for the past four years has been a pleasure. It has indeed been an honour working with all the students, staff and community here. I value my time spent getting to know and work with all the students, from Kindergarten to Grade 12. We hear time and time again from guests in our school, what great kids we have here. I agree wholeheartedly. Mr. Anderson and all the staff are second to none. It has been a joy coming to work each day with such dedicated, enthusiastic and caring professionals. Thank you to the community for your support and partnership. We all want the same thing; for our students and children to be successful and so much can be done while following our school motto, “Achieving Success Together”.

Hard to believe, but our last day of school is Tuesday, June 28th. Kindergarten to grade 9 students will be bringing their report cards home with them on this day. The last day of classes for Grades 10 12 students is Wednesday, June 22nd. The students will be writing their final exams from the 23rd to the 28th. Grade 10 12 students may then come to the school any time between 9:00 and 10:30 on the morning of Thursday, June 30th, to pick up their report cards. There will be NO BUSSES that day.

Take care and on behalf of Mr. Anderson , the entire school staff, and myself, we wish everyone an enjoyable and restful summer!!

The countdown until summer holidays is on…only two weeks to go! We are continuing to work hard finishing up our units for this year. The grade one’s have been learning about addition and subtraction to twenty with Mr. Woods-Fehr, while the grade two’s have been learning about addition and subtraction to one hundred with me. We have lots going on with science! As a class, we are learning about magnets. The grade two’s are also working on a research project learning about various habitats with Mrs. Harder. Once their reports and diorama’s are complete, they will teach their habitat to the grade one’s. Meanwhile, the one’s have finished a short unit on movement and are learning about plant growth. In health, we continue to learn about the food groups and are beginning to learn about our bodies and making healthy choices. In social studies, we will be talking about decision making within our families, the school, and in our community. Our Flat Stanley’s have almost all arrived as well! We can hardly wait to open them once they all return to school and learn about the communities that they visited. In ELA, we have finished our guided reading centers, printing, sight words, and spelling for the year. We will continue to work on reading, writing, and phonics skills for the next couple of weeks. It’s been a wonderful year with this class. Thank you to all parents for your support and assistance throughout the year. I hope everyone has a fun filled, relaxing, safe summer!

*Please note that these times indicate when your students should be on deck ready to get in the water!

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011 Day 3

• Grade 1 @ 1:45pm
• Grade 2 @ 1:15pm
• Grade 3 @ 11:45am
• Grade 4 @ 11:15am
• Grade 5 @ 10:15am
• Grade 6 @ 9:15am
• Kindergarten @ 9:45 am (Intro to water)

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011 Day 4

• Grade 1 @ 1:45pm
• Grade 2 @ 1:15pm
• Grade 3 @ 11:45am
• Grade 4 @ 11:15am
• Grade 5 @ 10:15am
• Grade 6 @ 9:45am