Happy Pyjama Day!

The boys and girls in division one really enjoyed watching the movie of Ferdinand today while doing some thinking about what it means to show kindness.  Congratulations on everyone's hard work showing caring, respectful and kind behaviour at school, proven by the many "yellow gotcha tickets" earned in room 4 and 5!  Way to go!

We look forward to seeing everyone at conferences tomorrow!

We put an new math game in backpacks today called Shuttle Subtraction.  Please make the time to play it.   We are doing a survey each week to see how many children are practicing the games at home.  With the long break ahead we are hoping to have the whole class play it! 

Conferences on Thursday!

On Thursday, March 22, we will be hosting our Student-Led conferences. These conferences are an opportunity for your child to share his/her learning. Over the course of the year, the teachers in Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 have collaborated to create consistent writing expectations. Outside specific classrooms (Room 2, 3, and 9) we have put up a display to showcase the expectations and student exemplars for each of the aforementioned grades. Please ensure at some point during your child’s conference time you make the time to look at the writing expectations. Within each classroom, teachers’ have outlined writing work for you look at; take this opportunity to evaluate your child’s writing against the school standards. We look forward to welcoming you into our classrooms and facilitating your child showcasing his/her learning.

 

Lockdown Practice

Today we had a lockdown practice. Students in Room 4/5 were very responsible and sat quietly until the Constable came and talked to us! Ask your child about his/her experience today.

Evergreen Theatre

Today we had the opportunity to watch a performance by the company, Evergreen Theatre: Katie Swells is one of the best young sailors on Storm Island Nova Scotia. After years of hard work and getting to know a sailboat, she’s finally ready to be a part of Storm Island’s biggest sailing race; The Big Circle. But things take a turn when Katie returns home from vacation and discovers that The Big Circle has been cancelled. Her best friend Sam the Seal tells her the water is rising off the island, making the race unsafe for young sailors. Determined to prove herself, Katie sets sail to try the race on her own, followed by a worried Sam. The Sinking Island is a funny and thoughtful nautical adventure that shows how our changing oceans affect the world around us.

Snowshoeing in the Sun!

Room 5 had a beautiful afternoon to try out our school snowshoes.  Once we got everyone buckled in, the children practiced walking with different kinds of steps and explored both Discovery Gardens and hill beside the school.  The children discovered how the spikes on the bottom of their snowshoes enabled them to walk on steep slopes without slipping. We thought about how winter tire treads and even the patterns on the bottom of our gym shoes also help us travel without slipping.   We also thought about the First Nations people and early Calgary Settlers that would have used snowshoes to help them travel in deep snow in the times long before snowplowed roads!

Book your Conference today!

Please head to the school website to book your Student-Led Conference - these will be held next week. These conferences are an opportunity for your child to share his/her learning. There will not be privacy to engage in 1-1 conversations. We look forward to welcoming you into our classroom and facilitating your child showcasing his/her work.

Montessori Material

The Stamp Game - with this material, students are moving from the concrete Golden Beads to a more abstract number tile. This is a tool to assist with addition and subtraction of numbers, focused on place value and adding larger numbers. When students are comfortable adding and subtracting numbers, with carrying over, then they will move to the stamp game to help solidify their understanding of this concept.

Friday, March 9th

Room 5 - Painting

Room 5 spent much of the morning working on paintings of 4 famous founding Calgarians. Ask your child who they painted and how they influenced Calgary.

Room 4 - Snowshoeing

Room 4 spent much of the morning outside snowshoeing. We used the school's snowshoes and walked/ran through Discovery Gardens and the field. I expect that some children were a little tired at the end of the day. 

Hopefully a picture will be added this weekend.

 

MAPSS Event

Movie Morning: Sherlock Gnomes

Join MAPSS on Saturday April 7, 2018 Locations:                                 Landmark Cinemas – Shawnessy and Landmark Cinemas – Country Hills Movie:                                        Sherlock Gnomes Doors Open:                            9:00am                                                                           Movie begins:                         10:00am Admission:                               its FREE !!! Questions E-Mail:               events@mapss.ca  https://mapssmovie.yapsody.com/event/index/206336/landmark-county-hills  https://mapssmovie.yapsody.com/event/index/206296/landmark-shawnessy  This special event is to connect with families of the Montessori schools and bring awareness to the communities about Montessori Alternative Public School Society (MAPSS) - who we are, what we do, and how we support the Montessori program in Calgary's public schools and its teachers.

Math Game!

The gift of a song

Today we had a special guest, Darcy, who gifted our school a song. We learned more about his Blackfoot culture and the importance of oral story telling and song. Darcy also spoke to us about singing and music. We all had the privilege to play a traditional Blackfoot drum when he shared more about his culture in a small-group setting.
Unfortunately we didn't get a picture of the drum but parents, ask your child about the drum - what it was made out of and how it felt when Darcy played it and when we all got to play it.

Gymnastics

 




Today we finished up our gymnastics unit in gym. Students have been working on balance and coordination skills. We had lots of fun doing Mission Impossible!