November 30th, 2018

Our day in our words......

Today we walked around our own community of Tuscany.   We were taking photo evidence to answer the question "How does our community meet our needs?"    We were to take photo's to gather evidence of how Tuscany meets our needs as people and a community.


There was a fantastic Peace Assembly put on my the Hope Pod.

Reminders

Sports Club is beginning next week, Wednesday, December 5.  It runs every Wednesday and Thursday after Lunch, starting at 11:45 a.m.  The club will meet in the Thunder Dome. 

Interested Grade Three and Four students must complete the electronic form and submit it by Tuesday, December 4. 

There is a limit of 40 participants.  If more than 40 students apply, a random draw will be held to determine the participants.

Activities will include Soccer, Basketball, Polish Handball, and Badminton. 

Sports Club Application Form:

https://goo.gl/forms/nlOV5LMgcCcD2cBN2

Our Day in Our Words

Today during IGNITE some kids made Donald Trump's Wall (Ironically I believe). Some people completed a math puzzle called Same Sum. The kids hub drawing club was in full effect!

We had 3 rounds of Daily 5 again followed by Words Their Way (blind sort.....ask me about this). 

The we worked on our dribbling and shooting skills. Ask me about L, I, cookie jar!!

For lunch we had fun snack. All the dishes were excellent and the drink boxes were a favorite.

Then we had math. We worked on word problems that had both increasing and decreasing number patterns. 

After an outdoor movement break we looked at what we all want to see in our communities. The blue and yellow group had really different ideas from the red and green group which was great to see.

Reminders:

Mustard Seed donation (See yesterdays blog).
Tomorrow is our community walk so dress warm and bring water.

Sports Club is beginning next week, Wednesday, December 5.  It runs every Wednesday and Thursday after Lunch, starting at 11:45 a.m.  The club will meet in the Thunder Dome. 

Interested Grade Three and Four students must complete the electronic form and submit it by Tuesday, December 4. 

There is a limit of 40 participants.  If more than 40 students apply, a random draw will be held to determine the participants.

Activities will include Soccer, Basketball, Polish Handball, and Badminton. 

Sports Club Application Form:

https://goo.gl/forms/nlOV5LMgcCcD2cBN2

Our Day in Our Words

During IGNITE some of us played math games. Some of us learned how draw "UniPugs and LOLHamsters".

Today we had Fine and Performing Arts and we looked at a lot of old photographs. Mr. Kelly showed us pictures from one of his favorite photographers. The photographer took pictures from above to show things from a different angle or a different point of view. He used lines to point at the main object. The photographs were all black and white photos only. The photographer chose black and white because at the time he could not afford color film. 

During Math we did some decreasing number pattern problems. We got to choose the problem we wanted to solve. Some others had to finish patterns while some had to figure out the pattern rule in existing patterns.

For lunch we started new soccer games and we all had team colored pinnies. Mr. Simmons refereed our games and we all had a lot of fun learning the real rules of soccer.

We learned how to shoot a basketball properly and safely rebound and Mr. Kai taught us how to play "Bump". We played some dribbling games to finish off the class.

During CCT we finished a Boy Called Bat. We all loved it. We learned a lot about being inclusive and showing empathy for others who may seem different from ourselves.

Reminders:

The Pod will be going on a community walk this Friday morning, so please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately for at least a couple of hours of outdoor activity. We will be having the children observe the buildings and green spaces that make up Tuscany.

"Hello. We are students from the Joy Pod. We are working on helping the Mustard Seed by collecting some items that they need. The Mustard Seed helps people who don’t have a home. The Mustard Seed gives them a home and food."
The Mustard Seed is collecting:

  Nail clippers   Travel-size shampoo   Travel-size conditioner   Travel-size lotion   Disposable razors   Transit tickets

  Deodorant   Men’s and Women’s briefs (NEW)   Toothbrushes   Q-tips   Travel-size body wash   Travel-size shaving gel   Towels   Socks   Earplugs   Lip balm   Combs and brushes   Travel-size tissue   Blankets/sleeping bags

Our Day in Our Words

This morning we took a looooooooooooong bus ride into the country to visit the Leighton Centre.
We split into three groups. One group made clay landscapes, another made wire sculptures and the third group weaved patterns. 
The studio artists walked us through all the fun and interesting ways we can use various techniques to make our art pop!
We went for a great nature walk and saw a beautiful landscape view of the rocky mountains. 
We went into the Leighton Museum/ Homestead and learned about the history of the family as famous Alberta landscape artists and the work they've done to further art education in Alberta.

The weather was fantastic and we played "Camouflage" in the forest near the art studios. We highly recommend a future family visit here;)

Thank you to all the wonderful parent volunteers.
From,
The Hope Pod

Our Day in Our Words

During IGNITE some of us went out to the number line to practice skip counting. Some of us played a new math game called "Same Sum". We had to put different equations into all the boxes and they had to equal eight.
After IGNITE we worked on Word's Their Way (WTW) with Ms. Zwack. It's a kind of spelling program that helps us with words we find troublesome.
During Gym we were doing partner passing with the basketball. We worked on chest passes and bounce passes.
During math we switched it around and practiced creating decreasing patterns.
At lunch some of us worked on the "World's Biggest Snowball" which is already approximately one meter tall. 
Right after lunch we continued with WTW and then moved on to Daily 5 when we were done. 
The pod went outside and enjoyed the mild weather and then came in to watch "Radiant City", a film about suburban living. There was a woman who didn't like living near a cell phone tower. She said her teeth would tingle when she drove past it. We're learning more about how most of Calgary's communities were built. We then put our thoughts about what makes a good community and house in our visual journals.

Reminders:

Tomorrow is our field trip to the Leighton Center. We will be spending part of the day outside so dress for the unexpected. (Calgary Weather!!) 

Thanks again to all the parent volunteers who will be joining us:) 

The cut off for Polar Express tickets is today. All forms should be returned. 

November 22nd, 2018

Our Day in Our Words...

Today, we cleaned up the classroom in preparation for parent/teacher conferences. We also had Daily 5 today. We did three rounds! We went outside for snack too. It's a half day, so it was short.

Reminders...

• You don't have to go to school tomorrow unless you have parent/teacher conferences. 
• 

November 21

Our day in our words...

In Daily 5 today we were writing on sticky notes about what we want to show our parents tomorrow at conferences.  We also had a chance to visit the Book Truck.  Then we had Fine & Performing Arts and we continued learning about the rule of thirds.  We then had to take photos that would make Mr. Kelly look at the classroom differently.  We read Hatchet.  Brian is finally eating food - turtle eggs from a snapping turtle.  We played Roll a Rule as well.

Reminders...

• We are still in need of one more volunteer for our field trip on Tuesday.  A HUGE thanks to those parents who have already offered their time and support. Volunteer forms are coming home today.
• Please return field trip forms.
• Pointsetta Orders and Polar Express Evening tickets are still being accepted.
• Tomorrow is an early dismissal day due to conferences.  No school on Friday due to conferences as well.   We look forward to seeing you!

Ask me about...

the best photo I took today and why I chose it.

Our Day in Our Words...

Today we did three rounds of Daily 5. In Inquiry we looked at structures and wrote about the similarities that we found. In Phsy. Ed., we played basket ball and we played a game where we couldn't dribble or move without passing. During Math, we played a game called "Roll-A-Rule". It's a game that helps us practice our patterns. In the morning, our friend, Saa Ko Ko Too, came to talk to us about the Blackfoot Nation and community.

Reminders...

• Don't forget to return your forms (Choir Club, Polar Express PJ Night)
• Parent/Teacher Conferences are Thursday Night and Friday
• No School Friday

Our Day in Our Words...

At the start of the day, we did our Ignite and then we went to Phys. Ed. where we practiced dribbling basket balls. Then we learned about the 3,2,1, Edit strategy for editing our writing. Then we had snack. After that, we had Daily 5 where we had to write and practice the 3,2,1, Edit strategy. After lunch, we did Inquiry where we looked at pictures of houses and buildings from different places around the world. We had to write down things that we noticed and record our wonders. Then we had a movement break. Then we learned about our Butterfly Word Wall and looked for "triple-scoop" words in our reading books. After that, we read a book about being kind and we brainstormed ways that we can be kind.

Reminders...

• Thursday and Friday are Parent/Teacher Conferences 
• No school on Friday

Our Day in Our Words.....

This morning we started off with IGNITE. Some of us went to the reading room to upload reading videos into IRIS. Please ask us so you can check us out! Some of us stayed and helped our peers change passwords and upload reading videos. Thanks and a big shout out to them!!

We continued to work on making categories for Needs in Our Life. We then moved on to finish our Kites question in Math. 

For snack we went outside and enjoyed the snow and super cold weather. The ground was super hard!

There was time to finish our Journal work on the Zones of Regulation. 

Some of us finished up our water color paintings inspired by "The Hatchet".

Reminders:

Parent/ Teacher conferences next Thursday the 22nd!!

Permission forms need to be signed and returned as soon as possible.  This field trip requires 12 volunteers from our Pod.  These volunteers must have their Police security clearance.  If you are interested in volunteering please email Sandy Campbell directly at apcampbell@cbe.ab.ca .  We would love to have you join us! We have three so far and are still on the look out for more volunteers!

When you place poinsettia orders and send in cheques, please make them payable to Eric Harvie School - this was missed on the original order form so we are attaching an updated order form (this is the only change). Thank you!

We are excited to start CHOIR CLUB for grade 3 and 4 students at Eric Harvey School! This club will provide a chance to learn some Christmas songs together and practice singing skills, with the opportunity to perform in a Christmas concert in December. 

~Coreen Blenkhorne, Music Specialist

Ask me about....

Our mirrored water color paintings and what IRIS is all about

Our Day in Our Words.....

We started the day with a lesson about logging onto IRIS and we learned about how to upload an artifact. Then we did three rounds of Daily 5. Then we had an indoor snack where we watched videos and socialized with friends. After snack we reviewed the Zones of Regulation and taught our teachers all we knew about our emotions and how we try to keep ourselves in the Green Zone for learning.

After lunch we continued our work in Math with patterns. We're getting better at explaining our thinking when problem solving. Then we had a movement break which was followed by a fire drill. We finished the day with Inquiry work and a class discussion on categorizing human needs.

Reminders:

Permission forms need to be signed and returned as soon as possible.  This field trip requires 12 volunteers from our Pod.  These volunteers must have their Police security clearance.  If you are interested in volunteering please email Sandy Campbell directly at apcampbell@cbe.ab.ca .  We would love to have you join us! We have three so far and are still on the look out for more volunteers!

When you place poinsettia orders and send in cheques, please make them payable to Eric Harvie School - this was missed on the original order form so we are attaching an updated order form (this is the only change). Thank you!

We are excited to start CHOIR CLUB for grade 3 and 4 students at Eric Harvey School! This club will provide a chance to learn some Christmas songs together and practice singing skills, with the opportunity to perform in a Christmas concert in December. 

~Coreen Blenkhorne, Music Specialist

Ask me about....

Categories and human needs and the Zones of Regulation.

November 14, 2018

Our day in our words...

• Some of us went on the climbing wall during Ignite.  We learned some safety rules and that it hurts your hands a lot because of the rough holds.  Our hands need to get used to it.
• We did 3 rounds of Daily 5 which included a read to someone, read to self and work on writing.  We were working on our stamina and improving our reading and writing skills.
• Next, Mr. Kelly came and taught us how to use the rule of thirds to make your subject clear in your photo.
• We played horse basketball in PE today.  It was fun!  In groups we had to shoot at the basketball and if we missed we began to spell the word HORSE and if we got the basketball in the hoop we began to spell AWESOME!
• We had CCT today and in Mr. Kelly's group we got to chapter 5 in the Boy Called Bat.  Dr. Jerry Dragoo wrote back to Bat and said, "Skunks don't make the best pets so I shouldn't keep him."

Reminders...

• Please return field trip forms for our Leighton Centre field trip.
• If you are able to volunteer for this field trip, please let Mr. Campbell know apcampbell@cbe.ab.ca .  We are still in need of volunteers for this trip!
• School Fundraiser note coming home today!  The school will be selling poinsettias and other holiday-style live plants as a fundraiser for school programming. The forms were sent home today, Wednesday, November 14/18 and must be returned no later than Wednesday, November 23/18.  Parents also have the option of ordering them online: https://ericharvie.growingsmilesfundraising.com/home
• We are excited to start CHOIR CLUB for grade 3 and 4 students at Eric Harvey School! This club will provide a chance to learn some Christmas songs together and practice singing skills, with the opportunity to perform in a Christmas concert in December. ~Coreen Blenkhorne, Music Specialist

Ask me about...

We have been considering the needs we have as humans.  Let me share some of the needs my group brainstormed as well as how we categorized them.

Our Day in Our Words......

Today some of us completed our SLA's during IGNITE. Some of us got to use the climbing wall too. We had a busy morning with three rounds of Daily 5 and a Math word problem where we had to determine a number pattern and create number charts. We watched a couple of ski edits during our snack break then headed outside to shovel snow, play soccer and enjoy the mild weather. 

After lunch we finished another chapter of "The Hatchet" and then worked on a new Inquiry project. We joined forces in groups to brainstorm what "we" feel our needs in our life and how those needs enhance our quality of life.

Reminders:

Some parent general volunteer forms need to be signed on the back side of the paper and returned.  Your child will be bringing this home if this is still needed from you.


Permission forms need to be signed and returned as soon as possible.  This field trip requires 12 volunteers from our Pod.  These volunteers must have their Police security clearance.  If you are interested in volunteering please email Sandy Campbell directly at apcampbell@cbe.ab.ca .  We would love to have you join us! We have three so far and are still on the look out for more volunteers!

Ask me about....

The difference between a repeating and an increasing pattern......

Our Day in Our Words.....

November 12, 2018

Our day in our words:

We started the day with IGNITE. It was really fun. We got to draw.

We learned about making safe passwords for our school accounts and about Online Safety.

In PE we played 5 goal soccer and worked cooperatively with teammates.

After PE we had snack and then had Daily 5. We learned some new reading strategies. Please ask me about them tonight.

For art we were painting a watercolor sunset with a cutout of a reflected tree line. We stopped for a quick movement break and then finished our "Hatchet" art project.

Reminders:

Some parent general volunteer forms need to be signed on the back side of the paper and returned.  Your child will be bringing this home if this is still needed from you.


Permission forms for our field trip to the Leighton Centre are coming home this evening. Please sign and return ASAP.  This field trip requires 12 volunteers from our Pod.  These volunteers must have their Police security clearance.  If you are interested in volunteering please email Sandy Campbell directly at apcampbell@cbe.ab.ca .  We would love to have you join us!

Ask me about....

We began to track the reading strategies we have learned so far this year.  Let me share some of these with you tonight.

November 9th, 2018

Our day in our words..........

- We had our Remembrance Day Assembly today.   Our Pod hosted it.   We did a fantastic job!   We are so proud of all the students.
- We had ignite first thing in the morning.
- We had our gratitude circle at the end of the day.


WELL DONE EVERYONE!   SO PROUD OF OUR POD:)


Reminders.......

There is school on Monday, November 12th.   It is a regular school day.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!

November 7th, 2018

Our day in our words.......

- Today Mr. Kai taught us about the climbing wall.   We hope to do some climbing on Monday.
- The gr. 3's did SLA's this morning.
- We had a movement break this afternoon.  It was beautiful and sunny.
- Today we had CCT.   Some of us read Harry Potter and a Boy Called Bat.
- The gr. 4's wrote stories and did Peace Art when the Gr. 3's were doing SLA's.


Reminders........

- Students who are part of the Flanders Fields portion of the assembly please try to wear dark colours.

-  GRADE 3's please bring in a pair of headphones tomorrow for the SLA's beginning on Wednesday.
-  Our Pod is doing the Remembrance Day assembly on November 9th at 10:30am.   Parents of the HOPE pod are welcome to attend.

In support of our veterans, we are collecting non-perishable food items for the Veterans’ Food Bank.  We welcome donations from students and those attending our ceremony on Friday.  Collection boxes will be located in the Hub.

Our day in our words......

-  In gym we played the game Squirrel Tails
-  We did two long rounds of daily 5 today.
-  Today some of the gr. 4's had Peace Ambassadors
-  In math we learned about increasing patterns
- This afternoon we practiced our Remembrance Day assembly.  In one group we
made poppies for our wreath.
- It was fun snack today.
- We practiced our song again.




Reminders......

- Students who are part of the Flanders Fields portion of the assembly please try to wear dark colours.

-  GRADE 3's please bring in a pair of headphones tomorrow for the SLA's beginning on Wednesday.
-  Our Pod is doing the Remembrance Day assembly on November 9th at 10:30am.   Parents of the HOPE pod are welcome to attend.

In support of our veterans, we are collecting non-perishable food items for the Veterans’ Food Bank.  We welcome donations from students and those attending our ceremony on Friday.  Collection boxes will be located in the Hub.

November 5th, 2018

Our day in our words......

- We did literacy in Daily 5.   We did two rounds and wrote in our thoughtful logs.   It was a response to the book Hatchet.
- In math we took photo's around the school of patterns that we saw.
- In PE we played dodgeball and some relay races.
- The Gr. 3's practiced SLA's and the Gr. 4's continued to learn about Digital Citizenship.
- We sang our assembly song "Imagine".   It is sounding really great.
- In Ignite Mr. Neily had people practice logging on to the computers.

Reminders......

-  GRADE 3's please bring in a pair of headphones tomorrow for the SLA's beginning on Wednesday.
-  Our Pod is doing the Remembrance Day assembly on November 9th at 10:30am.   Parents of the HOPE pod are welcome to attend.

In support of our veterans, we are collecting non-perishable food items for the Veterans’ Food Bank.  We welcome donations from students and those attending our ceremony on Friday.  Collection boxes will be located in the Hub.

Our Day in Our Words....

Today, we did art where we finished up our painting for the Peace Assembly. We also had our Ignite in the morning as usually. During Ignite, some of the Gr. 3s. practiced logging into their computers for their SLAs. We also did Math where we were catching up on unfinished work. Finally, we ended our day with our Gratitude Circle.

Reminders...

• Fall Back is this Sunday! Enjoy your extra hour of sleep.
• Our class is hosting the Remembrance Day Ceremony on Nov. 9th at 10:30. Family is welcome to join us. 
• Picture Retake Day is Nov. 5th  IF A RETAKE IS REQUIRED, PLEASE HAVE YOUR CHILD RETURN THEIR ORIGINAL PROOF ORDER FORM TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER OR SEND A HANDWRITTEN NOTE TO GIVE TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER TO REQUEST A RETAKE. STUDENTS NEW TO ERIC HARVIE SCHOOL OR STUDENTS THAT MISSED ORIGINAL PHOTO DAY ARE ALSO INVITED TO HAVE THEIR PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN.
• Grade 3 Student Learning Assessment (SLA) Quick Facts for Parents/Guardians

Over the next 2 few weeks, grade 3 students within the Hope Pod will be writing the Student Learning Assessments (SLAs).

What are SLAs? 

SLAs are a digitally based provincial assessment that provides a beginning of the year “check in”.
This enables parents/guardians and teachers to learn about and identify student strengths and areas for growth at the start of the school year. The Grade 3 SLA is based on outcomes related to literacy and numeracy in language arts and mathematics in Alberta’s current Grade 2 provincial programs of study. Some sets of questions are created using topics that may be familiar to students from other subject areas such as arts education, health, science, and social studies.

What are the purposes of the SLAs?

The purposes of the SLAs are to:

• • improve student learning (primary purpose); 
  • enhance instruction for students.
  Provincial assessment programs, including SLAs, are meant to complement, not replace, day-to-day teacher observations and classroom assessment.
  
  
  What is the structure of the Grade 3 SLA?
  This literacy and numeracy assessment consists of digital interactive questions (marked by Alberta Education) and performance tasks (marked locally):
  • digital interactive literacy questions;
  • digital interactive numeracy questions; 
  
  
  Who will participate in the SLA?
  The SLA is primarily intended for students beginning Grade 3. It can also be administered to students who are ending Grade 2. The decision as to who will participate is at the teacher’s discretion.
  
  
  Will my child need to study for the Grade 3 SLA?
  Your child does not need to study to do this assessment. However, students should be familiar with using a computer or similar technology. (This will be done within class over the next few days).
  
  
  Are there any practice questions my child can do before the Grade 3 SLA?
  Yes. Students can try out the practice questions and released questions that are located at https://public.education.alberta.ca/assessment/. However, we will be practicing these as a group within class.
  
  
  Results will be shared with parents during our November conference dates.
  
  

Our Day in Our Words....

First, we had an assembly about butterflies and moths. We learned about their lifecycles. It was really cheesy and funny! She did the whole thing by herself!
We also practiced for our Peace Assembly. In Daily 5, we wrote about how me might survive in the wilderness as a response to our novel study; Hatchet.
In Math, we continued on our work on Estimation.

Reminders....

• Our class is hosting the Remembrance Day Ceremony on Nov. 9th at 10:30. Family is welcome to join us. 
• Picture Retake Day is Nov. 5th  IF A RETAKE IS REQUIRED, PLEASE HAVE YOUR CHILD RETURN THEIR ORIGINAL PROOF ORDER FORM TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER OR SEND A HANDWRITTEN NOTE TO GIVE TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER TO REQUEST A RETAKE. STUDENTS NEW TO ERIC HARVIE SCHOOL OR STUDENTS THAT MISSED ORIGINAL PHOTO DAY ARE ALSO INVITED TO HAVE THEIR PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN.
• Grade 3 Student Learning Assessment (SLA) Quick Facts for Parents/Guardians

Over the next 2 few weeks, grade 3 students within the Hope Pod will be writing the Student Learning Assessments (SLAs).

What are SLAs? 

SLAs are a digitally based provincial assessment that provides a beginning of the year “check in”.
This enables parents/guardians and teachers to learn about and identify student strengths and areas for growth at the start of the school year. The Grade 3 SLA is based on outcomes related to literacy and numeracy in language arts and mathematics in Alberta’s current Grade 2 provincial programs of study. Some sets of questions are created using topics that may be familiar to students from other subject areas such as arts education, health, science, and social studies.

What are the purposes of the SLAs?

The purposes of the SLAs are to:

• • improve student learning (primary purpose); 
  • enhance instruction for students.
  Provincial assessment programs, including SLAs, are meant to complement, not replace, day-to-day teacher observations and classroom assessment.
  
  
  What is the structure of the Grade 3 SLA?
  This literacy and numeracy assessment consists of digital interactive questions (marked by Alberta Education) and performance tasks (marked locally):
  • digital interactive literacy questions;
  • digital interactive numeracy questions; 
  
  
  Who will participate in the SLA?
  The SLA is primarily intended for students beginning Grade 3. It can also be administered to students who are ending Grade 2. The decision as to who will participate is at the teacher’s discretion.
  
  
  Will my child need to study for the Grade 3 SLA?
  Your child does not need to study to do this assessment. However, students should be familiar with using a computer or similar technology. (This will be done within class over the next few days).
  
  
  Are there any practice questions my child can do before the Grade 3 SLA?
  Yes. Students can try out the practice questions and released questions that are located at https://public.education.alberta.ca/assessment/. However, we will be practicing these as a group within class.
  
  
  Results will be shared with parents during our November conference dates.