Two live shows in one week!

We are getting very excited to go see Annie on Friday at Holy Heart Auditorium, but we had a special treat today with another show. This one was put on for us by Mme Curtis' class, entirely in French. Students had written a script about Rosa Parks, and acted it out for us. It was very well-written and performed, with a number of very touching and insightful moments. It really gave the class something to think about. When we got back to class, the students wrote reflections on how seeing something in a play (or for real) can make the message even more clear.

Your child may mention that I have started giving grades on some of the work they pass in. I will start marking more and more of their submitted work for them to review, especially when it is a task that reflects a number of concepts we have been working on. I won't be evaluating "pure homework", but anything we do in class is fair game. I have been taking more time to review verbs, spelling and grammar in class, so I will start to expect a higher level of each in their writing.

I am very happy with how the class is progressing, especially in terms of their questioning and reasoning skills. As we move along in the curriculum, these skills will serve them very well. Their answers are generally very well thought-out, and they are showing a much greater willingness to contribute to discussions and ask questions of me and their classmates.

I have placed a Band/String Ensemble schedule in students' Homework Binders. They highlighted/underlined the slots that they are practicing in, so I expect them to be prepared when they come to school each day. I will do my best to work around the band schedule, but there will be times when students will have to complete work or reading at home to make up for missed time. The class is aware of this, and they have all accepted this as a "necessary evil". I wish I could take band again.

That being said, I expect all students to be this good by the end of the year:



Students continue to bring in interesting items, stories and news from home and their communities. I try to give everybody a chance to present, even if it is for a brief amount of time. If I don't get a chance to let them present (in French, of course), I usually try to make time the next day. I would suggest that if your child has something they want to bring in (News, a curriculum-related item, trophy, etc.), they should prepare a small paragraph to read along with it. This will make is much easier for me to find the time and they presentation will stay on-topic.

Today I sent home a note from the office that details some changes in our technology acquisition strategy at Beachy Cove. The provincial government (what timing, eh?) has dedicated 14 SmartBoards to our school as part of a new initiative to get more technology in schools. We will also receive new classroom computers. This means that money gained at our Sweat a thon will be dedicated to acquiring an iPad 2 for each classroom. This will allow us great mobility of technology in the class, as well as a media platform, access to useful programs, and an interface that students are excited about.

If your child has pledges for the Sweat a thon, please send them along tomorrow. We will be absent in the morning on Friday, so I would like to have them into the office by tomorrow if possible. If a form has been lost or you need until Friday, please let me know tomorrow.

I am going to schedule our first Math test for later on next week. Yay Math Test! Students who were in my class last year that we always have some fun on Test Day. For that reason, today's Question du Jour is math-focused and includes most of the skills they will need to know from the first half of the unit. Please encourage your child to take their time with the question, and explain it fully. I will send home practice pages for the weekend, to serve as review for the test.

Here is a link to help students practice converting fractions to decimals:

http://www.mrnussbaum.com/death_decimals/index.html

Here is another that deals with decimal place value, which we will focus on the most. Experiment with it a bit, if your child is uncertain of all the terminology.

http://www.aaamath.com/plc51c-placevalues.html

I would encourage students to explore KidBlog a bit tonight, if they get a chance. There are several posts about our Beothuk project, as well as some weather-related items. I encourage anybody to share their Question du Jour answer if they would like to, or comment on another student's post.