Good afternoon!

We had a busy day today doing lots of activities before the long holiday weekend.  We started off the day by working on our spelling books and having our spelling test.  Marked spelling tests will be going home with the students tonight.  During math we had a chapter review period, where we went over all the major things we have learned in this unit and wrote out the main points in our math journals.  This was a prep period for the math test that is going to take place next Wednesday.  We then had an Easter craft activity, which the children will be bringing home with them tonight.  In celebration of Earth Day, which is today, the children made Earth Day resolutions for themselves and we went outside and collected garbage to help protect our earth.  By making commitments and then physically doing something constructive for the earth, it is hoped that the students are developing their Caring side of the IB learner profile.  The IB program really stresses well-rounded education, so I am very excited that its curriculum will be coming to SJA next year!

Homework:  Read for 15 minutes and record in the reading chart, re-write incorrect spelling words ten times each, and study for the math unit test.

Important information:  I am sending home the work that your child has completed over the last few weeks.  In the pile is Chapter Six: 3D Geometry.  Please use this chapter with your child to continue working on and reviewing the information for next week's math test.  I have provided study notes at the end of today's message.

We will not have school tomorrow or Monday so that we can celebrate the Easter holiday.

This weekend is a BIG weekend for fundraising.  Families are together over the holidays and the children have four days to collect pledges.  Please help our school raise the $6000 we need to complete our IB certification!  Amazing prizes are available to be won.  A prize information sheet is going home with your child tonight!

Have a great weekend,

Mrs. Nelson

Grade One
-shape recognition
-building a tower from 3D shapes
-Identify the basic characteristics of a shape (cylinders/spheres roll, cubes stack, etc.)
-direction (on, bottom, beside, right, left, etc.)

Grade Two
- sorting objects using a common rule
- identifying the common characteristics in shapes
-counting faces, edges and vertices

Good afternoon!

In today's class we started off the day working on language.  The children worked on rhyming words, special sounds, vowel sounds, riddles, creating sentences and cursive.  During math we worked on sorting and organizational rules in our 3D geometry unit.  The children were asked to sort and organize shapes based on their characters. We also read a book today about a child and his grandmother who has Alzheimer's.  We spoke about how all families are different, but that is a good thing!  This was a good way to help develop Open-Minded students, which is an important element of the IB Learner Profile.  For the rest of the day today we had the Science Fair!  The children had a great time showing off our hard work for the judges, parents, teachers and peers!

Homework:  Read for 15 minutes and record in the reading chart, practice weekly spelling words for tomorrow's spelling test, Language page 136 - 137, and Cursive page 100 - 101.

Important information:  Please see my postings from earlier in the week regarding the upcoming Grandparents' Day concert.  It is quickly approaching so I hope all families have provided the grandparent's information so they can be invited!  Your children should be practicing their Pied Piper role nightly!  Please see Mrs. Deras' blog for more information.

Friday and Monday will have no school so we can celebrate the Easter holiday.

Wednesday, April 27th is our next math unit test.

Best Regards,

Mrs. Nelson

Good afternoon!

We had a nice day today. We started off the day working on language. The children worked on comprehension, sentence writing and story writing.  During math we continued on with our 3D geometry unit, where the children made hypotheses about the faces, edges and vertices of different shapes.  In science class we continued working on our science fair project, and watched a science video about the life cycle of a flower.  The children saw a neat experiment using flowers in the video that they can tell you about tonight!  We also read a story today about Earth Day and discussed why we need our earth and how we can show respect for it.  This was a good way to nurture the Caring element of the learner profile from the IB curriculum.  The IB curriculum is coming to SJA this September, so it is nice that we are able to begin now!  The children also went to music, french and P.E today.

Homework:  Read for 15 minutes and record in the reading chart, practice weekly spelling words, and Language pages 135 - 136.

Important information:  The SJA Science Fair is happening tomorrow!  I have made a mistake with the times I provided earlier.  Parents are able to attend from 2:30pm to 3:25pm.  The judging and presentations will take place prior to friends and families arriving.  Please come and bring friends and family with you!

Please see my blog from last night regarding the information about the upcoming Grandparents' Day concert.  It is taking place on May 27th.

There is no school this coming Friday or Monday so we can all celebrate the Easter holiday.

Best regards,

Mrs. Nelson

Good afternoon!

We had a really fun day today, and we got a lot done as well!  We started off the day by working in our spelling books and copying down the new weekly spelling words. In language the children worked on matching, rhyming, comprehension and alphabetical order. In math we continued on with our 3D geometry unit.  The children worked in groups and made hypotheses about the materials needed to make various solid figures.  In science we discussed the scientific method, worked on our experiment, and continued preparing for the upcoming Science Fair.  It was nice to see children work as Inquirers today, which is an important concept in the IB curriculum.  The children also went to french and art classes.

Homework:  Read for 15 minutes and record in the reading chart, practice weekly spelling words, Language page 133 - 134 and Letters and Sounds page 117 - 118.

Important information:  The Science Fair is taking place this Wednesday at 1pm and will run until 3:25pm.  Our class, along with all the other classes at SJA, will be displaying the science work that has been done in class as of late.  Please feel free to come and take a look.  Bring friends and family with you if you are able.

The Grandparents' Day concert is quickly approaching (May 27th).  Our class is performing the Pied Piper along with Mrs. Haag's class for this performance.  Please make sure your child is going over their parts, as Mrs. Deras has assigned them all a role in the play.  Grandparents will be able to come and have lunch while watching the children perform!  For more information about the play, please see Mrs. Deras' blog.

The Skate-a-thon is quickly approaching!  Please make sure your child is continuing their fundraising.  It is hoped that the school raises $7000 for the new IB program that is coming to SJA.  http://www.ibo.org/

We will be having our next math unit test on April 27th on the 3D geometry unit.

Best regards,

Mrs. Nelson

Grade One                   Grade Two

1. where                        1. jogging
2. why                           2. running
3. when                         3. trimming
4. mother                      4. skipping
5. white                         5. shopped
6. father                        6. sadder
7. bath                          7. gladdest
8. with                           8. hopped
9. when                         9. winning
10. math                      10. mixed

Good afternoon! 

We had a really nice Friday today!  We started off the day today by having our weekly spelling test and working in our spelling books.  Marked spelling tests will be going home with your child tonight.  In language the children worked on alphabetical order, and sentence writing.  During math the children worked on creating 3D shapes and skeletons out of play dough and straws in their math groups.  That was a really fun way for them to continue learning their 3D shapes!  We had history today and the children read about ancient India, and heard The Jataka Tale.  This story tied in very nicely with the new IB curriculum that we are going to be implementing at SJA.  One of the areas that IB stresses is for children to learn and grow as caring and thinking people.  The story that we read helped the students to see why these characteristics are important in a person.

Homework:  Read for 15 minutes and record in the reading chart, re-write incorrect spelling words and Language pages 131 - 132.

Important information:  I hope that this weekend many students will go and collect fundraising money.  A fundraiser form is going home with your child tonight to explain more about why we are fundraising and the prizes your children can win.  SJA hopes to raise $7000 to go towards the IB program that is coming to our school!

Science Fair is taking place next Wednesday at 1pm and runs until 3:25pm.

Next week is a short week as Friday is Good Friday and we will not be coming to school.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Nelson

Good afternoon!

We had a busy day today!  The children started off the day by working on language.  They practiced a comprehension activity, worked on special sounds, and added suffixes onto root words.  During math the children had a review of adding and subtracting while borrowing and place value.  We had a guest speaker come in to speak to the class about healthy eating.  Mrs. DeVroom is a registered nutritionist and she came and spoke to the children about how to read labels and what types of things to look for when reading labels.  Ask your child tonight to tell you what they learned!  During science we continued preparing for next week's science fair.  The students also went to music, and french classes.

Homework: Read for 15 minutes and record in the reading chart, practice spelling words for tomorrow's spelling test, Letters and Sounds page 115 - 116 and math page 174.

Important information:  Please see Tuesday and Wednesday nights' posting regarding the science fair.  We are hoping that parents, friends and family will attend to see what has been going on in science at SJA!

Tomorrow is the last day of the bake sale.  Rice Krispy squares will be available to buy at lunch recess for $1.50.  All proceeds will be going towards the Haiti earthquake relief fund.

I have asked the students to go through the magazines they have at home to find pictures of flowers.  If they find some, please help them tear out the page and bring into class to be used for our science fair.

I hope the skate-a-thon fundraiser has been going well for people!  Students are beginning to get excited here as they start to see the pledge thermometer raise with each pledge that is turned in to Mrs. Brasil!

Best regards,

Mrs. Nelson

Good afternoon!

We had a great day in our classroom!  We started off the day by working on language.  The children practiced their story writing skills, sentence construction, special sounds, and worked with riddles.  During math time the children reviewed borrowing while subtracting using three digit numbers.  This was a skill I am glad we re-visited because it seems many children needed the refreshment!  During science we began our new science experiment.  We are making observations of a plant life cycle by planting our own flowers in tin cans, and watching them grow!  Today we decorated our cans, planted our seeds and began day one of our observation sheet.  The children also went to french and drama classes.

Homework:  Read for 15 minutes and record in the reading chart, practice weekly spelling words, Language page 129 - 130, Letters and Sounds page 113 - 114, and Arithmetic page 172 - 173.

Important information:  The bake sale continues tomorrow!  Mr. Sawatsky's class will be selling brownies for $1.50.  All proceeds go towards the Haiti Relief Fund.

Please make sure your children are bringing in their pledge money everyday.  Children who bring it in get placed into our classroom draw and are given house points!  And there are amazing prizes awarded to children in the school-wide contest as well!

April 20th is the SJA Science Fair.  It runs in the afternoon until 3:25pm.  All families and friends are welcome to attend to come and see what the students have been doing in science.  Our class is participating and we are all very excited for the day!

Best regards,

Mrs. Nelson