Happy New Year! I hope your family had a fun-filled and restful holiday! I am looking look forward to a busy month of learning in January!
In Language Arts, our reading focus will be on further developing reading comprehension through a whole class novel study. We will have mini-lessons and students will meet in small groups to discuss strategies taught so far (questioning, making connections, summarizing, main idea & supporting details, making predictions, and vocabulary). We are working towards working in small groups with novels of our choice. Please continue to have your child read for at least 30 minutes every day at home to give them extra practice. This is the most important thing that you can do to help your child to be successful at school. Our writing practice will continue to be on making our writing clear and interesting for the reader. We will be continuing with the 6 + 1 traits of writing (ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions). Students will be reflecting on their work and revising it using the 3, 2,1 strategy they have been taught. In Math we will be continuing to work on financial literacy, while continuing to work on multiplication facts to 81. Grade fives will also be working on long division. We will be starting a Physical Science unit on Matter, which should be fun as there are many hands on experiments that the students should enjoy. In Social Studies we will be learning about the history of Canada’s economy by learning about early trade between the First Nations and Europeans, specifically focusing on the Fur Trade. In Health we will do some goal setting for the New Year and continue to learn about healthy living. Basketball will be the focus in Physical Education this month.
A number of theorists now believe that how well students do in school can be determined by how well they are able to self-regulate. There are some good parenting tips on teaching self-regulation at: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/uk/16/05/building-success-home. At school students are encouraged to use headphones, or a wiggle cushion, or to work in a quiet place to help them to stay focused.
As cold and flu season is upon us, the public health authority recommends the following: Please encourage your children to wash their hands thoroughly with warm water and soap after using the toilet and prior to eating. A proper hand wash needs warm running water, soap and lots of good hand rubbing for at least 30 seconds. If your child has stomach flu-like symptoms, including upset stomach, vomiting and/or diarrhea, please keep your child home from school until after the symptoms have ended and your child feels better.
Please mark the following dates on your calendar: Tuesday, January 3rd Bully Back Off parent session (6: 30p.m) Tuesday, January 10th Early Dismissal at 1: 23p.m for Curriculum (Coding Workshop for Brookside Staff) Wednesday, January 11th - Fun Lunch Thursday, January 12th Teddy Anderson hoop dancing presentation Thursday, January 19th Bully Back Off Student session (Division 5) Monday, January 30 Fit Kids (Wear Gym strip) Tuesday, February 21st First Nations Presentation on government (in-class) . Wednesday, march 1st First Nations Presentation on Artifacts and Trade (in-class) Wednesday, March 8th City of Surrey Waste reduction workshop (in-class) . Friday, March 31st First Nations Presentation on Animals and Masks (in-class) Wednesday, April 12th Surrey Art Gallery workshop @ Bear Creek Wednesday, May 17th Coquitlam watershed field trip (Bus provided) June TBA Bear Creek Pool swimming field trip
Thank you so much for your continued support! Sincerely, Mrs. Colp
“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” Booker T. Washington