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Hello, 5B families!

The following is a summary of what I shared in class today about our upcoming test in Math.

As a teacher myself, I aspire to do the same helpful things Mrs. McLaren did for me. She went above and beyond to teach me, but she also made me understand that “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” In other words, students themselves have to eventually just put time in and do the work—and when they do, their improved grades reflect that effort.

I want families to know exactly what to expect and how to help empower their children do the work to prepare for our final “Term 1 Math Test” that takes place in 8 days on Wednesday, November 29th.

NOTE: Today students worked on a “Math Term 1 Review Quiz” that is just for practice. I asked them to take it home, show it to parents/guardians, and get a signature so you can stay informed.

(Answer key posted below)

How much does this test “count” for? I have already assessed every student on all nine of the areas that this term test covers. My mark book is full—sometimes with multiple quiz rewrites. Yet, this term test will provide us with a big picture view of how well students are retaining that learning over time, and it is one final time before term one report cards are written to show improvement in areas that may have been challenging earlier in the term.

Is this the only test? Students have been invited to take home their 11+ math assessments this term, and I have done further in-class observations. It will be interesting for a student to compare his/her term of mark book scores with his/her final term test scores.

How much does it “count” for the report card? Following best practice, I will not be averaging all of student’s quiz and test scores in term one—instead I report on learning outcomes. So, a student who has struggled and scored in the lower range on quizzes this term could turn it around by studying hard to ace the final test, earning an “A” in Math in term one. On the other hand, if student shows a significantly poorer performance on portions of the final test than he/she did throughout the term, then I will meet with him/her to find out the cause. Then I will offer some more support and re-testing options.

What if a student just doesn’t like tests? I get it. Still, it’s my job to teach students study and test-taking skills and resiliency to prepare them for future academic success. Everyone will be expected to attempt the term one math test. Students are always welcome to additionally show me their learning through alternative formats, such as through a one-on-one math meeting, math games, and observations. Yet, please understand that I am required to submit my report cards on Dec. 4th, so that will be a hard deadline for any grade changes students were hoping to earn. That said, there is no real life “deadline” for learning math! Students will continue to deepen their learning over time, and I am delighted to keep sharing progress with families on these term one topics all year.

How can I help my child prepare for this test? You have already been helping by supporting math learning through the term! There is nothing new on this term test that we haven’t already covered and assessed in class. Looking over your child’s review quiz with him/her would be a great help! In addition, students can review their binder material of worksheets and past quizzes, and they can visit my MATH TUTORIALS page that has videos on most topics we’ve explored. CLICK: https://inquiryninja.com/math-tutorials/

Hello, 5B families!

Today we continued on with our unit on subtraction, using concrete exploration with base ten blocks to build our understanding of what happens in the traditional algorithm when rounding. See the sample questions below and a tutorial video for help.

In Language Arts and Science today, we spent time debriefing our field trip, recording our reflections and sharing our memories and lessons in small group dialogue. Students made notes with their answers to some reflection questions in preparation for organizing an essay later this week. (Scroll to the blog post below this to see our videos and photos from the trip.)

In Religion class today, we have been seeking to deepen our prayer practice. We returned to some “Alpha Course” content with the lesson titled “Prayer: Why and How Do I Pray?” Students were very thoughtful in using a Catholic lens as well as their own ideas to consider possible answers to this “Why do you think people don’t always get what they pray for?”

Please take note that our school’s Advent concert is on Tuesday, December 12th at 6pm. Students are asked to arrive at St. Andrew’s Cathedral by 5:30 pm.

We will be holding dress regular for the Advent Concert during school hours on the day of the concert. Students may wear civvies during the day. Please have students in a clean full uniform and polished black shoes for the evening concert.

The both of the grade 5 classes will be performing a song together: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”. Here is a background track that students may use to practice along with at home if they like.

Reminder:
There is no school for students this Thursday and Friday, the 23rd & 24th

Also, we will have our Spelling test based on last week’s word list this Wednesday—which is also CIVVIES DAY! (Thank you for bringing a $2 donation for that to support St. Patrick’s learning initiatives).

Hello, 5B families!

Here are some video and photo highlights from our very special field trip to the Raptors!

We also spontaneously worked in a bonus “micro field trip” to Goldstream Park for a bathroom break. It was fascinating to see the the salmon still spawning and the birds taking full advantage.

Hello, 5B families!

Here are some recent learning highlights from our classroom…

Dear 5B families,

Today we held our Remembrance Day assembly to honor the members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty during World War I and subsequent conflicts. We have been reflecting all week upon the sacrifices made by military personnel and the courage and dedication of those who fought for their country. We have been discussing the impact of war on society and the importance of promoting peace in big and small ways.

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In Math, we worked hard on multi-digit addition all week, and students have now brought home their first check-in quizzes on this topic. We start a unit on multi-digit subtraction next week.

In Language Arts, we continue to target the mechanics of writing (specifically grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and formatting).

Hello, families!

Here is a 5B learning update that may help spark conversation at home. We’ve launched our new Science unit exploring the respiratory system, and we continue to work through multi-digit addition in Math class.

In Health Ed., we have used the Open Parachute program to explore strategies for addressing stereotypes, discrimination, and bullying, and in Religion class we have gone deeper in learning about the Seven Sacraments and prayer practices.

In Social Studies, we have been investigating the history of Canadian involvement in WWI and WWII and the meaning behind Remembrance Day (Nov. 11), as well as National Indigenous Veteran’s Day (Nov. 8). Students have been expressing their learning through multiple creative modes, including by writing Remembrance Day poems. We are also preparing a special video performance of “In Flander’s Fields” for sharing on the blog this Friday.

Hello, 5B families!

I hope you are all enjoying a little bit more time to sleep in this weekend as we have now turned our clocks back one hour for Daylight Savings! Here are some notes on how we wrapped up our week.

In Math, we finished our Rounding unit and students were asked to bring home their quizzes to share with their families. We are now reviewing multi-digit addition with regrouping and using our rounding and mental math skills to self-check our work.

Here is a helpful video tutorial that you can use to review at home.

In Health Ed. this week, Mrs. Murphy has us thinking about what steps we can take to regulate our emotions and energy. She invited students into a creative challenge of designing plans for a new “sensory room” for our school. It was valuable learning time to reflect upon what environmental elements and tools can help us to re-focus.

On Friday afternoon, we enjoyed some time in our little buddies’ grade 2 class. We first watched their lovely singing performance and then had some creative centres time with them.

In Religion class, we reflected upon the ways people may tap into their spiritual connections to draw strength and work towards their goals.

Hello, 5B families!

Our grade 5 writers have been hard at work writing, getting feedback, editing and refining their Halloween expository essays and poems. We are delighted to share with you the writing pieces that have now reached the “final draft” phases.

Please see our “virtual bulletin board” below. (Click and hold each writing sample photo to be able to zoom in.)

HALLOWEEN EXPOSITORY ESSAYS:

POETRY & OTHER CREATIVE WRITING:

Students were invited to submit final drafts in either handwritten or typed form. Students had a 1-hour block to type their writing, yet a number of students finished their typing at home.

If you do not see your child’s essay or poem, it means he/she has not yet handed in a “final copy” that incorporated the feedback and corrections I offered on his/her original drafts.

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Today is “All Saints’ Day” and in Religion class, we explored the significance of this feast day. Earlier in the term we looked at the question of what a saint is, and today we discussed more about how all people may endeavour to live as saints through a closer relationship with God and striving to embody the virtues and values that Jesus taught and associated with holiness, compassion, and selflessness.

Amazing Field Trip Coming Up:
The Raptors Centre, Duncan
Friday, Nov. 17th

More information will come home later this week. I absolutely love the Raptors centre and have gone many times with my own sons. This is a wild bird sanctuary and rehabilitation centre—birds are not bread for captivity. Guests need to be at least 16 years old to sign up for the “close encounter” option to be able to hold a raptor, and so no students will do that during our trip. However, I will do an “eagle encounter” during our field trip so that students can observe that process, learn all about eagles directly from an eagle handler, and get closer to an eagle than they would ever normally be able to in life or as a regular guests of the facility. I’m so excited to share this joyful learning experiences with students! All birds are handled by highly trained and licensed professionals and guests are required to follow all safety guidelines and model respect the animals at all times.

Yes, both the Salish Sea Boat Trip & Cattle Point Tidal Pools Trip
will go ahead!

More details about these late February adventures will come to you mid-December.

Hello, 5B families!

We had a lot of fun today—here are some photos! I hope you have an amazing Halloween night and safe! ***Please remember, we request that students do not bring candy to school as it can become a distraction from learning. Thank you for understanding.

Hello, 5B families!

In our Career Education class on Friday, students sure enjoyed Mr. Watson’s fun presentation about the plumbing profession! He compared historical waste management practices with modern day ones and gave us new appreciation for the convenience of running water.

We gained new insight into the complexity of plumbing work that demands technical knowledge, mechanical aptitude, problem solving skills, creativity, teamwork, attention to building codes, physical stamina, and sometimes quick thinking in emergency situations. It was also fun to hearing dramatic stories about working in the field! Wow!

Students examined pipes, fittings, and other gadgets, and they were enthralled with the task to work together to create a waste water piping system, which they tested with a marble. In the processes, they learned first hand about the importance of considering the grade of a pipe! Thank you for an awesome presentation, Mr. Watson!

Looking for More Guest Speakers!

What’s your passion? Please email Tiffany Poirier at tpoirier@cisdv.bc.ca if you have a profession, skill, hobby, craft, sport, area of passion, knowledge area or special experience that you could speak about in our 5B class. Don’t be shy—you are more fascinating than you realize! Hearing from passionate experts about their fields is one of the best ways to inspire learners to expand their horizons, and we thank you in advance for your gift of time and wisdom!

In Art class, students explored their creativity by starting to make Halloween pop-up cards and spooky haunted house watercolour scenes! We will finish these projects on Monday.