In Health today, students started to explore nutrition.  When making healthy food choices students learned that they need to consider both the quantity and quality of the foods they choose.  We sorted different foods based on their qualities (amount of sodium, sugar, fibre, nutrients, preservatives) in everyday foods (foods we regularly include in our breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks) and sometimes foods (foods we enjoy during celebrations, as special treats or occasionally in our meals).  For example, the students determined that a fresh apple would be a great example of an "everyday food choice", whereas a fruit roll or apple pie up would be a "sometimes"treat as it is high in sugar.

December Math Skills

Math Skills

Ways to support your Grade 1 Math Student

·      Counting by 1s to 100

·      Counting backwards from 20

·      Recognizing numerals to 100

·      Understanding 1 more and 1 less for numbers to 100

·      Adding single digit numbers

·      Subtracting from 10 (we will be working up to 18)

Ways to support your Grade 2 Math Student

·      All of the grade 1 skills should be mastered

·      Identifying odd and even numbers to 100

·      Understanding ordinal numbers (first, second, etc.)

·      Place value (units, tens, hundreds)

·      Count to 100 by 2s, 5s, AND 10s

·      Addition facts to 10 should be memorized

·      Subtraction facts from 10 should be memorized

·      Adding double digit numbers (without re-grouping)

All of these skills can be incorporated into your everyday life and conversations with your child. For example, counting cars as you drive, sorting laundry, recognizing patterns in the world (i.e. Christmas lights), counting items at the grocery store or while making your lunch/snack. Have fun and be creative; math is all around us!

Goal Setting

Goal Setting

Today we talked about goal setting and creating SMART goals. 

                                          

Students created SMART goals for reading, writing and math. Once they created their goals they thought about what they would do to help them achieve their goal. Ask your child about their goals.

Reading Expectations

Today an email went home with the Report Card Expectations for reading. Here's a snapshot of what we're expecting by the time Report Cards go home in January. Don't forget to be practicing reading every day!

CJP Reading Levels     2017-2018

Grade 1

Report Card Indicator	1	2	3	4
December	A-C	D	E-F	G +
June	A-G	H	I	J+

Grade 2

Report Card Indicator	1	2	3	4
December	A-H	I	J	K+
June	A-K	L/M	M	N +

Problem Solving

Today we worked more on problem solving in math. We brainstormed a list of tools we can use to help us solve problems!

Putting our Timelines together!

We worked really hard today to finish writing about there last photo for their personal timelines.  Students have begun putting their work together in a final product that they can share with others.

Backwards or inside out day tomorrow!

Tomorrow is backwards day or inside out day!  We can wait to see how kids will dress at school.

Today in Math, both room 4 and room 5 worked on problem solving.  Working collaboratively in groups, the students chose what learning materials could help them (like coloured markers and blocks).  

Room 4 explored combinations of red and yellow balloons.

Room 5 explored how many 3-striped flags could be made using the CJP colours: Red/Yellow/Blue. 

Room 5 experimented with a collaborative model where a few children acted as floaters, who moved between the groups offering suggestions, posing questions and learning different ideas.  The floaters and teachers also used sticky notes to give feedback to the groups.  

We also came together as a groups several times to share strategies, discuss assumptions and review the limitations in the problem.  For example, we realized how direction was really important and that the flags were different depending on the direction you looked at time.  One group, drew flagpoles on the side to help them, another group wrote TOP on their page while another group had all the members move to one side of the table so they were looking at the flag from the same point of view.  

At first some kids predicted that we could make hundreds of flags.  After we began our work, many revised their predictions to much smaller numbers like 5 or 10.  In the beginning, students were frustrated by the limitations of the 3 stripes and 3 colours and wanted to add different kinds of lines and colours as well as shapes and symbols.  

We looked at pictures of flags from around the world, and noted that many had very simple designs which often included just three vertical or horizontal lines.  We discussed how flag need to be simple and recognizable, even when they are blowing in the wind.  

Some thinking heard today: 

"It is easier to compare them when we draw them beside each other." 

"If we draw them too big, we spend a lot of time colouring"

"What if we start with blue on the top?"

"That flag doesn't count.  It is identical to the 1st one." 

We are going to put a similar problem out for our Montessori work period tomorrow. 

Backwards Day

Thursday, November 23rd is Backwards Day!

Students and staff are encouraged to wear their clothes either backwards, inside out OR both on Thursday November 23rd! Like all Spirit Days, participants are encouraged to be fun and creative with this theme, but to remember that it also needs to be school appropriate including allowing students to participate fully in all classes. 

Zones of Regulation

In Health, we are learning about the  Zones of Regulation.  Understanding what zone we are in, helps us identify our feelings and levels of alertness, so we can choose the best "tools" to self-regulate ourselves.  Today room 4, discussed "The Blue Zone" and played charade games to practice identifying how a person would feel in that zone.   Room 5 created a "Flowers and Candles" tool, which helps student practice calming breathing techniques.  Have your child describe how they rotate the card and breathe in "smelling" the flower side then flipping it over blow out the candles on the other side.   They would use it if they were in the Yellow or Red Zone, to help them calm themselves and move into the Green Zone.  

Building Furniture

This week we've been focusing on Goldilocks and the Three Bears. We've read the story, retold the story through writing and today we built a model chair or a bed. Students were very focused, developed a plan, and attempted to build a sturdy piece of furniture. Today everyone went home with their creation!

Remembrance Day

Peace Is...

We have had many discussions about the importance of peace and what it means to each of us. We remember soldiers and their hope for peace.