Ruth King Division 1

Imagine!

2012-02-13T12:53:00.000-08:00

These past few weeks have been very busy and Division 1 students have embraced a number of wonderful learning experiences, some of us have been part of our school's basketball teams, and all of us continued to learn, grow and have fun together!

Last week, our students impressed me with their group presentations about several global development agencies.

Three of our students prepared a very insightful and creative presentation to promote "Buy Nothing Day" at Ruth King. The group's enthusiasm and leadership were wonderful and a great example of cross curricular learning that ignites passion and purpose!

In Science, we have started a great unit about Extreme Environments and there is a quiz scheduled for next Tuesday. Our weekly spelling test as well as a math test is going to be on Thursday. Please note that Friday, February 17th, is a ProD Day!

In Math, we have started a new unit on measurement, beginning with area and perimeter of rectangular prisms and conversion of most commonly used metric units. Parents are encouraged to support learning at home through discussion about measurements, such as distances and metric units in recipes (i.e. How many kg is 2300 g?).

In Language Arts, we improve our students' writing skills through the development of word choice and ideas.

Our students are working with thought provoking images, connecting these with powerful language, and are creating beautiful Imagine Books. If you get a chance, please stop by the school and check out our bulletin outside the classoom, which features a book that was created by all of our students. I know I have said this before, but I will say it again: All of my students are POETS!!!

Let it snow!

2012-01-22T13:46:00.000-08:00

Last week, we visited once again our Little Buddies, Ms. Walker's Grade 1 class, had hot chocolate and created some very beautiful snowflakes for our windows. Only four days later, the (real) snow came finally to transform our world into a Winter Wonderland and we all enjoyed a Snow Day on Wednesday! Speaking of fun, it was great to see so many boys and girls at Ruth King getting into the spirit and taking part in Pajama Day.

Our next Spirit Day is fast approaching and we are looking forward to our students dressing up as Story Book Characters this coming Friday, January 27.
Basketball season is on its way, and Mr. Craig, who is coaching the boys, and myself and Ms Walker, who are coaching the girls, are very proud of our students progress and their enthusiasm for the game. Thank you so much to Nate & Nate, two Grade 7 students from Spencer, who help us with the coaching on Friday afternoons:)
Of course, we all know that school is not just fun and the Division 1 students are aware that there is also work to be done, and that it is particularly important at this time of year to keep up the momentum, to continue to develop good work habits in order to receive positive results at the end of the year. Time is going by quickly and it is hard to believe, but our first transition meeting at Spencer Middle School is already scheduled for Wednesday, February 22!
In Math, we have started a new unit on TRANSFORMATIONS and we will be focusing particularly on translations, rotations and reflections. There are many good sites on the internet that contain games and practice activities, two of them can be found at Math is Fun and this web-based activity. The next Math quiz is scheduled for Friday, January 27.
In Language Arts we are working on word choice and ideas to improve our writing. We are looking at the Imagine picture books

and will be creating our own poetic picture books by developing a more powerful and descriptive language, explore our imagination, and communicate ideas. Before the winter break, our students created some amazing poems. We displayed them in the gold frames on our hallway bulletin board and inside the classroom. Come on by, and be dazzled by our students' powerful creative writing!!!
In Social Studies, we continue to learn about global poverty and how it relates to poverty in Canada. We have learned about the United Nations and will start a group project this week. Finally!
In Science, we will be starting a unit on Extreme Environment and I hope to be able to set up a field trip to the Centre of the Universe in early March. As always, if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me at the school, either by phone or via email.

Happy New Year

2012-01-07T13:50:00.000-08:00

The holiday season went by in a flash, it seems, and we are already back in learning mode for a week, looking forward to many more fun times and learning adventures in 2012! Happy New Year to all of you!
I just noticed that I haven't blogged in a while... must have been all that excitement and the busy times of Christmas that kept me away from my computer.... Anyway, I thought I would share with you some of the highlights of December. Together with many Ruth King families we all enjoyed the Winter Concert and I was particularly proud of a Division 1 impromptu performance of our German Christmas carol "Kling Gloeckchen Klingelingeling". Well done everyone!

Our students took great care and pride in decorating our classroom and give our learning environment a "festive touch". Of course, we are very fortunate to have Isaac in our class, who shared with us his family traditions and customs around Hanukkah. Thank you so much for your presentation to the class, for helping us widen our horizon, and for the delicous Latkes you served to the class!

Our class enjoyed a number of activities with our Little Buddies throughout the first half of this school year. One of our favorite ones was Decorating Gingerbread Men with our little Grade 1 buddies. We all had so much fun and I was very impressed with Division 1 students, who demonstrated very responsible and safe behaviour! Jake is proud of his Gingerbread Smurf!

Not only did our class enjoy two visits to Belmont Secondary School in December, where we played basketball and volleyball with our BIG Buddies, we also went skating together with Mr Craig's Division 2. We had a lot of fun on and off the ice and it was great to see so many smiling faces:)

Finally, we all celebrated on the last day before the Winter Holidays! We sang Christmas carols, listened to stories, and exchanged presents. There was a lot of kindness and joy in our classroom and I am grateful for the gifts of the past and excited about the possibilities of the future. I wish all thirty of my students and their families a very happy and joyful 2012!
Keep learning, keep wondering, but most importantly...keep smiling!

Twin Day... a Ruth King Tradition!

2011-12-04T11:17:00.000-08:00

As you can see, Twin Day was a great hit this Friday and many of our students dressed up as twins and triplets. Please stop by and have a look at the big bulletin board outside our classroom, which showcases some of our twins:)
Time passes quickly, and it is hard to believe that there are only two more weeks before Winter Holidays. Our Christmas tree is up and this week we will begin our much anticipated Secret Santa tradition. Our students are practicing with Ms. Clark their performance for our Concert From Around the World and I was lucky to get a sneak peek the other day. Wow! I was so impressed with the musical talent and hope that many parents and families will join us on Thursday, December 15 (pm) or Friday, December 16 (am) for our Winter Concert. We are also planning a few fun activities throughout the next couple of weeks. Ms. Walker and her Grade 1 class have asked us if we would like to join them for some Christmas baking and crafting and of course, we are all looking forward to returning to Belmont on December 12 for another PE fitness session with Mr. Lowe's senior students.
Although fun and the Christmas spirit is certainly on our minds, we will have to devote some of our time to learning. Most students have done very well on our math quiz on devision of decimals last Friday. We will now be moving on and learn about angles. Please remind your son/daughter to bring their geometry set to class. Everyone needs a protractor and a ruler.
Lastly, I would like parents to touch base with me and discuss your son's/daughter's learning, either by phone, email or by dropping by after school. My door is always open!

Bootcamp with our Belmont Buddies

2011-11-26T18:47:00.000-08:00

What a great few weeks we have had in Division 1! The highlight was definitely our first field trip to Belmont Secondary School last Monday, where we were fortunate to participate in a PE Fitness class with Mr. Lowe and his Grade 10/11/12 students. Our class practiced excellent R.O.C.K.S. behaviour and were great ambassadors of our school. They all participated enthusiastically and safely in

all of the activities, which included volleyball and basketball skills, as well as weight room and fitness training. The Belmont Buddies were wonderful leaders and coached our kids through the activities. We all had so much fun that we are planning to return for another session with Mr. Lowe's class on Monday, just before the Winter Holidays. In the spring we hope to plan another Buddy Lesson with one of the Science classes at Belmont. I always find that the mentorship between our students and the senior students builds self-esteem, leadership skills and cooperative skills for everyone.

After our fourth Math test last week with good results for most students, we are moving on to learning about long devision of decimals. We continue to focus on developing a number sense by estimating results and making predictions. In Science we have completed our first lab report and learned about the preferences of different organisms with regards to their living conditions. All of our students have written their own "report cards" and have reflected on their growth and their goals for Term Two. Parents are encouraged to chat with their children about their learning and continue to support them in becoming more independent learners, i.e. by encouraging study groups prior to Math tests, using the agenda as a communication tool or reviewing notes at home.

Please also note that our Christmas Hamper Drive is in full swing! As you know, we have adopted TEN Ruth King Families this year, and we really need your help, as we are trying to collect enough non-perishable food items to support all of these families throughout the holidays. Lastly, do not forget...this Friday is TWIN DAY, a Ruth King favorite!!! As in previous years, we are looking forward to dressing up as twins and triplets. Have fun!

Peaceful Times

2011-11-16T20:00:00.000-08:00

These past few weeks have been very productive and exciting as our class continues grow stronger as a community of learners and leaders. Last week Division 1 performed the song Where Have All the Flowers Gone during our Remembrance Day Assembly. I was extremely impressed with our students' behaviour, as well as their talent and creativity as performers. Thank you also to Akasha and Isaac for being our MCs. Many of our students were part of the Leadership group that performed a very moving Readers Theatre to the poem Flanders Fields. Thank you to Ms. Byrne for rehearsing this powerful piece with our students. We received a lot of positive feedback and all of the performers have every reason to be proud of themselves!
If you get a chance to stop by at the school, please take the time to have a look at our bullleting board this month. It features our students' writing pieces about what peace means to them. Their thoughtful impressions blew me away. Wow! We do have some exceptional writers in our class!
In Math, we have moved on to decimals. Most of our students have a good number sense and are able to add and subtract decimals. We are now focusing on multiplying and dividing decimals by 10, 100, 1000..., as well as multiplying decimals by whole numbers. Our next Math test will be this Friday.
In Social Studies we are exploring the ideas of NEEDS, WANTS and RIGHTS -interesting concepts, which often spark debate (!!) and will eventually lead us to an understanding of the United Nations and the Conventions of the Rights of the Child.
In Science, we are learning about organisms and how they adapt to different environments.
As you know, due to teacher job action, there will be no formal parent conferences scheduled this term. However, I would like to invite all parents to come by our classroom on THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24 from 12:15 pm until 2:15 pm. This will be a great opportunity to meet me, the teacher; find out about your child's learning; celebrate accomplishments and get some of your questions answered. Please feel free to stop by or if you cannot attend on that day, call me at the school, so we can make an appointment at another time.
Speaking of important dates: Please mark your calendars on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21 from 12:15 to 2:15 pm. Our students, accompanied by Bob, Ms Hesse and myself, will be on their first field trip this year. We have been invited by Mr. Lowe, a PE teacher at Belmont, to join his fitness class for the afternoon. The senior students will prepare a number of activities for our students to be participating in. We are looking forward to this unique learning opportunity! Please note that we will be walking to Belmont Secondary School and remind your child to bring an extra pair of shoes (for inside the gym) and of course gym strip.
Lastly, I would like to let you know that our Leadership students have begun the preparations for our Christmas hampers. We hope that this year we will be able to "adopt" even more Ruth King families to make sure that everyone has a happy, worry-free holiday season. More information about this project will go home by the end of this week.

Halloween and Pumpkin Carving

2011-11-03T21:28:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that we are already into November, and it is only six more weeks before winter holidays. This year is flying by and it must be, because we are having fun! As you can see, we had a fantastic Halloween Day at Ruth King and almost all of our students and staff dressed up in very creative costumes. What a great day - organized by our Leadership students!

Last Friday we helped our little Kindergarten buddies to carve their pumpkins. Mrs. Hjermstedt and I were so proud of Division 1 students, who took a leadership role and helped our younger students through the activity. Well done, Grade 6 students, and thank you for being such wonderful role models to others!

On Monday, our students performed a French song for our Grade 2 buddies, which they had practiced with Mr. Craig. Everyone had made great progress in French, and it was great to see the students so enthusiastic and proud! I was impressed! Thank you to Mr. Craig for organizing the event. Speaking of singing: Our class is currently practicing a song, which we will be performing at the Remembrance Day Assembly on November 10 at 11 am in the gym. Some of our Leadership students will also perform a Reader's Theatre during that time and we hope that parents and families will be able to come to this Assembly.

In Language Arts, we have started our first novel study, and we are reading The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis, a story about a family's survival in war-torn Afghanistan. It ties in with our learning in Social Studies about other countries, cultures and the notions of freedom and peace. In Science, we continue learning about scientific processes and skills and we will explore organisms and the diversity of life in the next few weeks. Many of our students have already made excellent progress in Math. I am so impressed! I noticed how some kids have made their own flashcards to practice the multiplication timetable and the study groups at the library (Goudy Branch), just before our Math tests, are in full swing! It is really great to see our students develop their study skills and become more independent as learners. I just marked the latest Math test on Order of Operation and Integers and am very happy to say that most of our students have a very good understanding of the concepts.

Lastly, I am very proud of our boys and girls, who have joined the Ruth King volleyball teams this year. Both of our teams are doing very well and it is great to see many Division 1 students represent our school at the tournaments by playing fairly and with excellent sportmanship. You ROCK!

Happy Fall!

2011-10-17T18:26:00.000-07:00

Hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving long weekend and spent some quality time with family and friends. As you can see from the picture above, we are welcoming the fall in our classroom and have made some wonderful turkey decorations.

Last week was very busy and the students deserve a big pad on the back for developing some good work habits and becoming more mindful of transitions during instructional time. With thirty students, we found out that it is very important to keep the noise level down, which helps everyone to stay focused and concentrate. In Math, we have looked at strategies of mental math to solve multiple-digit multiplication problems, and this week we are reviewing multiplication of two and three digit numbers. There will be a math test, probably on Thursday of this week. The students finished their beautiful heart maps, which are now displayed in our classroom. Please stop by if you get a chance and peek into the hearts of Division 1 boys and girls!

Last Friday, we were very excited to meet with our little buddies, Mrs. Verdel's Grade 2 class. We baked some very yummy apple crisp with them and it was great to see our very responsible students take the lead and assist our younger students with this project. We hope to do more buddy activities with the Grade 2 class in the future! Please remember that this Friday is a Pro-D day. Also, remember to return the signed Field Trip Permission Form (lavender) back to the school as soon as possible.

Turning a New Leaf

2011-10-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

I continue to be impressed with this great group of kids: Everyone is off to a great start to the school year, as we are finishing the busy month of September and moving into October. In Math, we have completed our review of large number value and operations and we will be exploring multiples as well as prime and composite numbers in the weeks to follow. Please note that our first Math test is scheduled for Thursday, October 6. I encourage students to get into a study routine, form study groups and prepare for the test by going over the materials covered. One of our goals in grade 6 will be to develop skills as an independent learner! Speaking of study skills: I have been very impressed with the results of most of our students on the weekly spelling test. As you know, new words will be introduced each Monday and the spelling test will take place every Friday. Please remind your child to study their words at least twice or three times a week.
If you have time, please drop by and look at our wonderful tree outside our classroom door. Here, the students reflected on some goals and aspirations as they are "turning a new leaf" this year. Please also note, that there will be a Social Studies quiz this Friday, just before the Thanksgiving long weekend! Leadership has also kicked off and interested grade 5 and 6 students are meeting on Wednesdays at lunch with myself and Ms. Aubichon in the library. I will be scheduling an after-school training session for peer helpers during the week after Thanksgiving. Please keep your eyes open for more information!

One full week into it!

2011-09-19T18:42:00.000-07:00

Our first week was great! The students are settling into the routines nicely, and through various team building activities and quality time together inside and outside the classroom, Division 1 students have become familiar with expectations and have started to form new friendships. The students of Division 1 are always trying to base their interactions with others on the principle of the "Golden Rule": Treat others the way you want to be treated. It is simple and effective and ALWAYS works:) Parents, please take a few minutes and ask yur son or daughter about this "rule" and how it applies to their life.

In Math we started to look at some of the learning outcomes from Grade 5 and reviewed some key concepts. A few students still need to become more proficient in recalling the basic facts / multiplication times table. This will be a very important skill to carry forward and it will help them to be successful in Math in the future. Some students also need to review cross multiplication and long division. Our first Math unit will focus on whole number operations, including adding of multiple-digit numbers, and multiplying and dividing of of two-digit numbers. We also wrote our first Spelling Test on Friday and most students did very well and it is quite clear that they have taken the time to study their spelling words throughout the week. Way to go!.
We have an unusual high ratio of boys to girls in our class (20 boys and 10 girls!), which leads me to believe that it might be a good idea to emphasize the daily physical activity this year. As part of our "Division 1 Running Club" I am very committed to have students run or walk at least 15 minutes a day, all year around! We will record our progress on our running card, chart it in the classroom and hopefully challenge Mr. Craig's class! Here is an interesting article about how Physical Exercise May Strengthen Children's Ability To Pay Attention.

Important forms and documents have been sent home this week; please make sure to return the signed forms ASAP.

Welcome Back!

2011-09-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe, that we are already geared up for the second week of school and, like every year, the summer went by way too fast. But how lucky we are that we still (or finally?!) have summer weather and speaking of positives: HOW LUCKY AM I TO BE TEACHING SUCH A GREAT GROUP OF GRADE 6 STUDENTS THIS YEAR!!!
As you can see, I am getting really excited about this upcoming school year, and I am quite certain that this will be an amazing year for Division 1! I hope that this blog will help us to stay connected, communicate with parents, showcase our work, celebrate our accomplishments and build community. Although I will be the only one posting on this site, I am looking forward to your ideas and suggestions to make this a wonderful communication tool. Feel free to post your comments!

So excited to see you next week, hear about your summer adventures and start our learning adventure! Happy trails!