May 1 - 3

Happy May everyone!

If you thought April was busy May does not get any better.  = )

As we begin our week, we have various activities on the go.  Dancing through the decades is wrapping up this week with a dress rehearsal performance on Wednesday and the school performance on Thursday.  I hope all the parents can see the fantastic job that Wendy Regher has done to train the students of RVP the art of dance.  The students in Div. 4 will blow everyone away with their sophisticated, high brow, performance of the waltz.  On Friday we have our RVP track meet from 9:00a-12:00p.  All students from grade 3-5 will be competing in all events.

Our math program is focussed on practicing math facts and division.  I am really proud of the students who are practicing their Xtramath daily and some students have achieved certificates recognizing their success.  Please continue to encourage your child to practice Xtramath daily so they can become successful at recalling basic math facts.

Science is coming a long very nicely with the introduction of the 2 classification of bats.  We've learned the differences between mega and microbats.  We also learned about bat anatomy and what are the similarities and differences between bats and birds.  We are well on the way to becoming bat experts and soon we will be doing our own independent research on bats and presenting our research in a powerpoint slide presentation.

Language arts is a continuation of reading and reading comprehension skills.  We are practicing recall of text that we've read by answering questions.  You can support your child at home by reading the same page as your child and asking questions to confirm comprehension.  The process takes less than 10 min and it is a valuable skill for students to recall and understand what they've read.

Non-fiction paragraph writing is another component to language arts.  We are practicing paragraph writing using facts that we've learned in science.  We are learning how to write topic sentences, details, and finally a conclusion.  Students are working really hard and becoming more confident.

We've just completed our Andy Warhol inspired "Pop Art" and are displaying the art outside our classroom.  I will put the rest of the images up, please comment on the success of the students creating "Pop Art".

The following are some important things to speak to your child about:

1.  Please try to be on time for school.  All students are expected to be in their seats by the second bell with their planners open and ready to learn.

2.  Practice respecting the speaker by listening and saving unnecessary comments that are often distracting and off task.

3.  Encourage your child to choose on task behaviour and to ignore distractions.

Have a wonderful week!

Mr. Sum

Tuesday, April 23

Hi Families,
Welcome back to Etienne who was away in Taiwan for a few weeks!  He was back in time for our class photos today.  We are planning to do another more casual class photo later in the spring when have all the students and teachers present. 

We are very excited about writing our own mystery stories!  The students are bringing home their writing folders to continue working on them over the next few days.  Instead of daily reading for 20 minutes, please encourage "Daily Writing" and encourage your child to write (and edit!) the first 3 pages of their mystery story.  They have white planning/idea pages and yellow story writing pages.  I think you will be very impressed with their story ideas so far!
 The story folders need to be returned to school on Monday, April 29 please!
It was cucumber snack today from the Fruits and Veggies progam and it seemed to be a favourite for many students.

 Lates!! We are again having many students trickling in late after the second bell (1/4 of the class came late today!).  We know mornings can be tricky...but please help to arrive on time if possible.

MusicOur music teacher has asked the class to please practice the recorder at home for at least 5-10 minutes each day.  They should be bringing their instruments and music books home to do that.  We have music class on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so they will need to be at school then.

Mrs. Allen messageThe following was sent to us by Mrs. Allen...Hello kids,
Thank you for all of your cards.  I loved the messages and delightful pictures.  Many of you forgot to sign your names but I enjoyed reading them anyway.  I am sure your spring break activities were fun.  It is a busy time at RVP with dance, como lake relays, and track attack.  Have fun!  Work hard for Ms. Donnelly and show your new teacher how kind and smart you are!!
 Once I can drive, I hope to pop in for a quick visit. 
I miss you all.  Feel free to drop me an email.  Ms. Donnelly can give you my email address.
 Love, Mrs. Allen

Thanks for your ongoing support!
:) Leah

April 22-26

Greetings students and parents!  This Monday is Earth Day!!!  To celebrate Earth Day, we are participating in Lights Out Canada as a school wide initiative.  Our school will be operating with as little lights on to conserve energy for the day.  Why not try it at your home, office, or workplace!

Some important dates to remember this week are the track attack dates/make up dates.  Please ensure that your child comes to school with proper footwear for indoor and outdoor events.

We had a very productive week with many programs ongoing and some finishing up.  Jogging club started up and this school wide program is just hitting its stride...pardon the pun.  Students are very proud and coming home with their achievement ribbons.  Dancing through the decades is coming along nicely and the students are practicing twice a week to put on a spectacular performance on May 2nd.  A note went out last week about the possibility of borrowing suit jackets that would fit grade 3/4 boys.  We are in need of 10 jackets, if you know any relatives or friends who have a jacket we can borrow, please forward the jacket our way.  Thank you!

   

Please check our site regularly as we are constantly updating and adding more material to assist in your child's learning.

Thank you for your support!

Mrs. Donnelly and Mr. Sum

Welcome!

Hello parents and students!  Welcome to our class website.  Please check back often for weekly updates.  Mrs. Donnelly and Mr. Sum  will have updates on their specific work days.

Each tab is specific to subject.  We will have updates on the monthly themes and will have some tips, strategies, and key concepts.

We hope you will enjoy this form of communication.

Thank you!

Mrs. Donnelly and Mr. Sum