Merry Christmas!

• I want to take this opportunity to say how much I have the enjoyed the last four months with your children.  I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to work in such an amazing school, with such terrific children and parents.
• Just a reminder that lunch orders are due first thing Monday, January 5th. I see that some students have already handed in orders to Ms. Kidd
• On behalf of myself and my two girls, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas with your families and a Happy New Year!

December 15-19

• I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!
• It is so hard to believe that this is our last full week of school before Christmas!  The last day before Christmas break is Tuesday, December 23.
• The Christmas concert will be this Friday, December 19th at 1:00.
• Just a reminder to have the Secret Santa gifts (max. $5.00) into the class by Wednesday, December 17th.
• We will be wrapping up our fractions and decimals unit before Christmas.  A reminder to review math facts each night.
• The students did a wonderful job participating in our "Conventions Convention"  on Friday afternoon.
• I placed the book order Friday after school.  
• Have a super week!

Week of December 8-12

• I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.
• We are asking students to continue reading their 20 minutes of nightly reading.
• Good copy of recounts are due on Wednesday, December 10th. 
• Please keep reviewing nightly multiplication facts.  We are working on our fractions and decimals unit.  
• Thank you so much for sending in the early dismissal forms.  If you haven't already sent them back, please do so.
• Christmas concert will be held on Friday, December 19th at 1:00.
• We drew names for Secret Santa on Thursday.  I sent home a letter with who your son/daughter picked.  Please keep the gifts to  a $5.00 limit and have it to school by Wednesday, December 17th.  
• Have a wonderful week everyone.

First week of December!

• I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and is ready for the month of December!
• Lunch order money is due on Monday.
• There will be no school of Friday, December 5 due to a PD day.
• Thank you so much to everyone for handing in your science assignments last week.  I hope to have them back to you by the end of this week.
• Christmas concert is coming up on December 19th.
• Report cards went home on Friday.  Please take the time to fill in the parent surveys and return to school.

Last Week of November!

• I hope everyone had a great weekend!
• Due to the wet/cold weather, I think it would be a great idea to pack extra mitts  and socks into kitbags.  
• I have decided to extend the due date for our Science assignment to Thursday, November27.  The students have been working on them in class and I would encourage them to use their rubric to double check before they hand it in.
• The book order was sent on Thursday and I expect the books to be in by the end of this week.
• We are part way through our fractions unit in math and I would encourage the students to continue reviewing facts nightly.
• Have a great week everyone.

Week of November 17-20

• I hope everyone had a wonderful, snow-filled weekend!
• A reminder that there will be no school on Friday due to a professional development day.
• The book orders will be due on Thursday this week.
• Students should be reviewing ALL multiplication facts nightly this week.  We will have a quiz on Thursday. We will also be continuing our work on fractions this week.
• I assigned a science assignment to the class last week and we decided on the due date of Tuesday, November 25.  I gave all students a handout explaining the assignment and we spend lots of class time explaining, brainstorming, and looking at examples.  I will be handing out a rubric this week.
• Have a great week everyone.

Week of Nov. 10-14

• I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.
• I want to say a huge thank you to all of the parents who attended parent teacher interviews. It was a great pleasure meeting with all of you to discuss your child's progress.
• Picture retakes will take place tomorrow.
• Our Remembrance Day assembly will take place at 1:00 Monday.
• There will be no school on Tuesday, November 11 for Remembrance Day.
• I would like to remind all of the students to be reviewing their multiplication facts on a nightly basis this week.  We will continue to work on our fraction unit.
• Have a wonderful week everyone.

Week of November 3-6

• I hope everyone had a safe and treat-filled Halloween! My girls and I had such a wonderful evening.  
• A reminder that lunch orders are due on Monday, November 3.  All money must be handed in to Ms. Kidd first thing Monday morning.
• Ms. Kidd and I are looking forward to meeting with everyone at parent teacher this week.  We absolutely love having your children each and every day and we hope that they have enjoyed the first two months in grade 4.
• There is no school on Friday, November 7th because of parent teacher interviews.
• On Tuesday, November 4th our class, along with the grade 5's, will be heading to Charlottetown for a tour of Province House and a historical walking tour of downtown Charlottetown.  Please remember to dress warm! We will be walking outside for a full hour.  Students are reminded to either bring their lunch or bring money to purchase their lunch at Wendy's.
• We will be starting our unit on fractions this week. It will also be very important for students to continue to work on their math facts every night.  We have worked on strategies for the following: 0, 1, 2, 5, 9, 4, and 3's.  So these should be reviewed nightly.
• The book fair is this week. Students will have an opportunity to view and purchase books.
• Have a wonderful week everyone!

Happy Halloween!

• Welcome to the last full week of October.
• I will be sending home the parent teacher interview slips on Monday. Please check, sign and return to school as soon as you can.
• Students be sure you are reading 20 min. each evening.
• We will continue to work on adding and subtracting 4 digit numbers with a quiz on Friday.  Students should be reviewing multiplication facts each night.  0,1,2,5,9, and 4's.  The 4's were introduced this week as the "double double" strategy.  For ex. 7x4= 7x2=14 and double that to get 28.
• Book fair will be the week of Nov. 3-7.
• Have a great week everyone.

Week of October 20-24

• I hope everyone had a beautiful weekend!  The weather was amazing.
• Picture day is tomorrow.
• I sent home a new book order on Friday.  The due date to have these returned will be this Friday.
• I am handing back our math quiz tom.  Please sign and return to school.I was out at meetings this  week and didn't have the opportunity to go over them with the students.  I was very pleased!  Keep up the great work at home.  The outcome we are working on now is adding and subtracting 4 digit numbers up to     10 000, along with estimation.  I am going to have a multiplication quiz on Friday.  I will be asking the 0,1,2,5, and 9's.  
• Great job everyone on handing in the food donations!  
• Continue reading your 20 min. each night.  
• Have a great week.

Week of October 14-17

• I hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving. What a beautiful weekend!
• Thank you to everyone for attending the Math games night last week!  Those games can be played nightly to practice our facts.  
• Keep up the nightly reading!  Ms. Kidd is requesting 20 min. each night.  Parents, don't forget to ask your child to talk about what they are reading.  
• I will be sending out another book order this week.  I will post the due date on next weeks blog.
• We will be starting adding and subtracting numbers to 10 000 this week in math.  
• Have a great week.

Week of October 6-8

• I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!
• I have to say how proud I am of all of the students for their hard work on the Provincial Math Assessments last week.  They definitely put their best effort in.
• I will be having a math review on Tuesday followed by a short quiz on Wednesday.  This will cover two outcomes.  Representing and describing numbers to 10 000 and comparing and ordering numbers to 10 000.  Students should also review their adding and subtracting facts.  
• We are having our ACC math night on Tuesday, October 7 from 6-7.  I am hoping we will have a great turnout!  Students have to attend with a parent/guardian and you will get to play some fun math games.  The students will get to take the math games home with them at the end of the evening!  This is a great way to practice quick facts.
• Lunch orders are due tomorrow.
• Thanks again for continuing to send in notes if there are any changes in routine.
• There will be no school this Thursday and Friday (Oct. 9 and 10) because of the Teachers Convention. Also, there will be no school on Monday, Oct. 13 because of Thanksgiving.
• Congratulations to everyone who participated in the Cross Country meet on Friday. Our class did amazing!  I am very proud of you all.
• Starting on Oct. 6th we would encourage everyone to bring in a food item in support of the FCC Drive Away Hunger program.  The grade 6 class will be coming to share a small presentation for us on Monday.
• As Thanksgiving weekend approaches, I would like to take this opportunity to say how thankful I am to have not only the best job in the world, but I have the best students.  Amherst Cove is truly an amazing school supported by wonderful parents.  On behalf of myself and my two daughters, Maggie and Ellie, I would like to wish everyone a very  Happy Thanksgiving weekend!

Week of Sept.29-Oct.3

• I hope everyone had an amazing weekend.  The weather was unbelievable!
• Just a reminder to everyone that the Provincial Math Assessments take place this Wednesday and Thursday.  Please review the math facts each evening. You can also check the government of PEI website to see some sample questions.  We have been reviewing these in class as well.
• Please be sure your son/daughter is reading their 20 min. each evening.
• Have a great week everyone.

Week of September 22-25

•  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!
• There will be no school on Friday, September 26 because of a professional development day.
• I would love to see students continue to review math facts each night this week.  There was a handout with adding and subtracting facts to 18 sent home last week.  The students have been working very hard in math and I am so proud of them. A reminder that the Provincial Math Assessment will be held on October 1 and 2.  Please make sure your son/daughter is well rested and has a great breakfast.
• Some of the concepts we have been talking about in Health the last two weeks have been the following: how they act can have a positive or negative influence on someone, what to do if they are feeling angry, what causes them stress and what they can do to deal with stress, and how to be a good communicator.  There will be a small Health quiz coming up next week and will consist mainly of scenario/ short answer questions.  I will send home a review of the concepts on Wednesday.
• Great effort on the Terry Fox run/walk on Friday!  Thank you to Home and School for the yummy apples.  They were greatly appreciated.
• Thank you very much for sending in notes when arrangements are changing.
• Have a wonderful week everyone!

Week of Sept. 15-19

• What an amazing first week of school. It will be a pleasure teaching your children this year.
• Thank you so much to everyone who attended the "Meet the Teacher" night.
• A reminder that the math assessments are on October 1 and 2nd.  Students should be reviewing their facts each night. Flash cards from the dollar store are a great investment.
• The Terry Fox walk/run will be on Friday afternoon. Thank you to everyone who sent in a toonie on Friday.
• Students should be reading 20 minutes each night. 
• I placed the book order on Friday and I am expecting the order to be in by the end of the week.
• Have a wonderful week everyone!

Week of Sept. 8-12

• Wow! What an amazing first week. Ms. Kidd and myself had so much fun with all of the students. They came ready to learn and we LOVE this!
• Meet the teacher will be this Tuesday evening at 6:30 and we hope to see everyone there.  
• Thank you so much for getting all of the forms in so quickly. I enjoyed reading all of your letters.
• Book orders will be due Friday.
• Nightly math homework will consist of reviewing math facts.  This will be very important because the Provincial Math Assessment takes place on Oct. 1 and 2.  I will have a handout ready for parents on Tuesday night.
• Ms. Kidd will be launching the Language Arts routines on Monday.  She would like the students to be reading at least 20 min. each evening.
• Food orders are due first thing Monday morning.
• Have a wonderful weekend/week everyone!

Welcome Back!

• Hello everyone!  Ms Kidd and myself would like to say how excited we are to see everyone bright and early tom. morning.
• Get a good night sleep and let's get ready for an amazing year!
• See you all tom.!

School is Out!

• Thank you to all of my students for a wonderful last day of school.
• It has been my pleasure teaching all of you this year.  Thank you for all of your hard work.
• Parents, thank you for all of your support over the year.
• Remember to keep reading over the summer!
• I hope you all have a wonderful summer and I want to wish you the best of luck in grade 5 and 6.

Week of June 16-20

• I can't believe that it is our last FULL week of school!   The school year has gone by so quickly! 
• Please hand in the Shining Waters permission form.  We will be going on Friday, June 20th with a rain date of Monday, June 23.  Please remember to bring a lunch, or money for a snack, towel, bathing suit, sunscreen, water bottle, etc.
• Please hand in school supply money if you haven't already done so.  I am still missing a few and it is important to have it in before the end of the school year.
• We will have a busy week finishing some things up.  Science quiz on Wednesday. Students should look over their review.
• Rough copies of our stories in language arts will be due on Tuesday with good copy due Friday morning.
• Grade 5 math quiz tom.
• Please take a look around home to see if there are any classroom books. It would be great if I could have them all returned before the end of the year.
• Last day of school is Wednesday, June 25th.
• Have a great week everyone!

June 2-6

• I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.
• Final set of lunch orders are due tom.!  So hard to believe that June is here. 
• Our poetry assignment will be due on Wednesday, June 4.  
• Grade 5 math-continue to review math facts nightly.
• Spring concert will be this Friday, June 6th.
• Grade 5's need to have their personal safety forms in by Tuesday at the latest.
• Continue reading your 20 min. each night.
• Have a great week everyone!

Week of May 26-30

• I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!
• I placed our final book order last week! I am hoping they will be in by the end of this week.
• Continue reading 20 min each evening! Parents remember to ask questions about what your son/daughter is reading.  Try to finish your passport!
• Grade 5 math finished our unit on Statistics and Probability.  We are now into Geometry. Please continue to review your math facts nightly.
• Our Social Studies reports will be due on Tuesday, May 27th.  I have reminded students to read their work out loud to be sure everything makes sense and sounds the best it can.  Also, check for spellings and capitals.
• We are finishing up our poetry unit and will be deciding on a due date for our poetry assignment this week.
• The students have created some beautiful art pieces over the last couple of weeks! I am so proud of them!
• I am still looking for one more chaperone for Shining Waters.  It is on Friday, June 20 with the rain date on Monday, June 23.  Mr. Gallant has the forms for the free criminal check at the school.  This has to be completed before you can chaperone.
• Have a wonderful week everyone.

Week of May 12-16

• Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms/grandmothers out there! I hope you are having a beautiful day. I hope the gifts that the students made put a smile on your faces because they worked so hard!
• I will be sending home the final book order of  the year tom! So hard to believe!  It will be due the following Monday.
• We have booked Shining Waters for our end of the year field trip. The date is Friday, June 20 with a rain date of Monday, June 23. If you are interested in chaperoning, please let me know.  You will have to have the criminal check completed if you haven't already.  Mr. Gallant has this form and it is free of charge.
• Continue reading 20 min. each night!  I am getting more and more passports passed in which is awesome!This means a free book from the book order!
• Grade 5 math will be having their test on double bar graphs and probability at the end of the week!  You can expect a couple of homework assignments this week.  Also, continue to review math facts nightly.
• In class tom., we will be deciding on due date for our report in Social Studies.  The students have been doing lots of research, taking notes, and they have started rough drafts.
• Hot lunch money for Wednesday's lunch is due tom.
• No school on Monday because of the long Victoria Day weekend.
• We are on the homestretch!  Thank you for all that you do to support your son/daughter. I truly love spending every minute of each day with them!  They have grown so much!
• Have a wonderful week everyone!

Week of April 28-May 1

• A huge thank you to everyone who attended our "Math Mania" night before Easter. It was wonderful to see such a large turnout and I know the students had a wonderful time. Parents, I hope you did too!
• There will be no school on Friday, May 2.
• Hot lunch orders will be due on Monday.
• Thank you very much to everyone selling the Domino pizza cards! The cards and our money need to be handed in on Monday, April 28th.
• The students are doing a wonderful job presenting the novel response posters.  We still have a few to see on Monday.
• Keep reading 20 min. each evening and talk to your parents about the books you are reading.
• We are starting to do some research in Social Studies- The Middle Ages.  The students will be picking one of the following:  those who fought, those who prayed, or those who worked to do a report on.  I will keep you updated on the due date for this.
• Letters regarding school clothing went home last week!  Orders are due by May 1.
• Grade 5 will be having their test on measurement either at the end of this week or the first of next. Keep reviewing your math facts.
• Have a wonderful week everyone.

Week of April 14-17

• I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. So nice to see the sun shining.
• I introduced a novel response project to the students last week and I will be handing out the project papers this week.  The students have been asked to commit to reading a fictional chapter book during independent reading/at home reading.  Everyone has signed up for the book of their choice.  This will be due on Friday, April 25.
• Grade 5 math students are working through their measurement unit.  A reminder to continue practicing their math facts at home.
• No school on Friday (Good Friday) and Monday (Easter Monday).
• We are excited to be having a math parent/child night on Wednesday, April 16 at 6:00 p.m. The parents will be playing various number sense games with their child and get to leave with a packet of those games.  There will be a draw at the end of the evening for a great prize!  I hope to see you there.
• It would be a great idea for everyone to pack extra socks and pants due to the mud outside.
• I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Easter weekend!

Week of April 7-11

• I hope everyone had a great weekend!
• Spring photo day is Monday, April 7th.
• Please be reading 20 min. each night and don't forget to be filling in those passports!
• The book order was sent on Thursday and I am hoping they will arrive this week!
• We are continuing to work on our Art Is... book club this week.  I will also be talking to the students about an upcoming novel response project and oral presentation.
• Grade 5 math students should be reviewing their math facts each night and also you can expect 2 assignments this week for homework. Probably Tuesday and Thursday evening.  We are working through our Measurement unit.
• Have a great week everyone!

Week of March 31-April 3

• Wow! What a snow filled week!  I am looking forward to seeing everyone tom.
• Monday is lunch order Monday. Please be sure to hand in your money first thing in the morning.
•  Book orders are due on Tuesday.
• No school on Friday due to a PD day.
• Please be sure to be reading 20 minutes each evening.  
• We are into our "Art Is..." book club and the students are working well together and having rich discussions about art.
• Grade 5's have started our measurement unit.  It is still very important for them to be practicing not only their multiplication facts, but their division facts as well. 

Last Week Before March Break!

• I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.
• I wanted to say a huge thank you to all of the parents who came in for parent teacher interviews.  I absolutely loved having the opportunity to share what wonderful children you have.  Thank you for all of your work at home! 
• This week I would ask the students to continue reading their 20 min. each night and if possible, ask your child to talk to you about our new read aloud called Wonder.  They are loving every word of it and it has a wonderful message of empathy.
• Gr. 5 math will be having their fractions and decimals test on Thursday of this week.
• I hope everyone has a well deserved and safe March break!

Week of March 3-6

• I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!  I can't believe that we are into the month of March!
• Lunch orders for the month are due Monday morning.
• Thank you to everyone who returned parent teacher slips.  I still have quite a few missing. Please try to have  them back on Monday so I can try to accommodate everyone for an interview time. 
• No school on Friday due to interviews.
• Book order will be due on Tuesday.
• Reading 20 min. each night.  Be sure to be discussing what you are reading with an adult.
• We will be picking a due date for our procedural writing assignment.  I am leaning towards Thursday.
• Have a great week everyone!

• I hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend!
• Due to the fact that we have had back to back snow days, I am moving the date of our Mystery of Cranberry Farm project to Monday, February 24th.  I originally told the students it would be due on Friday.  This way everyone will have the weekend to finish it up.
• Next week is winter carnival week.  There will be theme days such as: Feb.24 is twin day, Feb.25 is jersey day, Feb. 26 is pink shirt day and movie theater day, and Feb. 27 is math theme day and we will be having math mania in the afternoon.
• The permission forms for the movies were to go home on Wednesday, but because of the storm(s) I am hoping they will get home on Friday.  I will have a letter attached to the permission form explaining the snacks.  For $5.00, the students can get a kids pack.  We have to pre-order these and the money needs to be handed in with the permission form.  The canteen will not be open for orders the day of the movie.
• There will be no school on Friday, February 28th because it is a Collaborative day for teachers.
• Continue reading for your 20 min. each night.
• We have started our fractions and decimals unit in grade 5 math.
• Parent teacher interviews are coming up on March 6 (evening) and March 7.  I will probably follow a similar schedule as last time.  If you have any specific times you would like, please let me know. 
• Have a great week everyone!

Week of Feb. 10-14th

• Candy grams will be sold for 50 cents each on Monday and Wednesday of this week.
• Wear purple on Wednesday in recognition of Family Violence  Prevention week.
• We finished our novel!  The students loved it!  We will be starting a novel response this week in class.
• No school on Feb. 17 because it is Islander Day.
• I gave out a science assignment on Friday.  It is due this Friday and the students pick two out of the list to complete.
• We started our fractions and decimals unit at the end of last week.  We will be exploring equivalent fractions and comparing decimals.  We will also be relating decimals to fractions.  Don't forget to continue to review math facts at home.
• Congratulations to Cole for placing 1st in the Remembrance Day poster contest and to Kirstin for placing third.
• Keep reading 20 min. each evening!
• Have a wonderful week everyone.

Feb. 3-7

• Lunch orders are due tom. for the month of Feb.
• Continue reading 20 min. each night. Parents, don't forget to ask your child to talk about what they are reading.
• We are reading Mystery at Cranberry Farm and the students are loving it and so am I!
• We will be starting fractions and decimals this week in gr. 5 math.  A reminder to continue reviewing the math facts each night.  Goal 3 sec. for multiplication and 5 sec. for division.
• Book orders are due Wednesday.
• Have a great week everyone!

Week of January 27-30

• I hope everyone had a great weekend!
• The storyboards that were originally due last Friday, are now due tom.  I gave the students the weekend for a little bit of extra time due to the storm day and the delay.
• I am so excited to be starting Mystery at Cranberry Farm this week. The students are very excited too!
• There will be no school on Friday, January 31 due to a professional development day.
• Continue reading 20 min. each night.
• I hope everyone had a chance to look over the handout I sent home a couple of weeks ago that will give you some ideas on how to help your child with fluency at home.
• I was very impressed with the grade 5 math tests last week.  I loved seeing the students taking their time and double checking their work. We are finishing off our patterns in numbers unit this week before starting our unit on fractions and decimals next week.
• Have a great week everyone.

Week of Jan. 20-24

• I hope everyone had a great weekend!
• We finished our read aloud on Friday.  Kensuke's Kingdom was a hit!  The students started brainstorming for their storyboards on Friday.  This will be due on Friday, Jan. 24 and I suggest that the students are taking it home each night.  There are 8 boxes in which the students will be picking the most important events to retell the story.  We talked about putting as much effort into box 8 as in box 1.
• Grade 5 math will be finishing their quiz on Monday.
• Continue to read 20 min. each night.
• There will be a used book sale on Wednesday and Thursday this week.  Students can purchase books for 25 cents, 50 cents, and one dollar.
• Have a great week everyone!

Week of Jan. 13-17

• Book order due tom. (Monday)
• I would like to thank my students for putting so much effort into their rough copies of the ABC Autobiographies.  I will be giving them time tom. in class to start their good copies.  These will be due Wednesday.
• Grade 5 math-great job on the homework assignments. I will be giving another one Wed. night along with a review of division on Thur. and test on Friday.  Keep asking questions if you have any "bugs on your windshields."
• Continue to read 20 min. each night. The maps are getting filled....I love it!
• One of our students is missing his snowpants. They are a 7/8, black, and have a removable bib. The brand name is AlpineTek and there may be the initials MM on the inside.  It would be wonderful if everyone could do a double check at home. Thanks!
• The students are loving our new read aloud called Kensuke's Kingdom.  If you have a moment, ask your child to tell you about it so far.  They will be responsible for a sequencing project when I am finished reading. We have been learning how to take jot notes, therefore this assignment should not be difficult.
• Mrs. Visser will be in for me Mon. and Tue. because I am out at meetings both days.  I miss them terribly when I am gone and look forward to all the stories and smiles when I get back.
• Wonderful work last week students!  Let's have another great week.

Happy New Year!

• I would like to welcome everyone back after the break.  I am looking forward to seeing everyone for a full week tom. :o)
• It is lunch order Monday, so please make sure the money is handed in tom. morning.
• Students be sure to be reading your 20 min. each night and remember to read part of that time out loud.
• We are starting our new Sound unit in science.
• Gr. 5 math- I would encourage everyone to be reviewing their math facts on a nightly basis.  I will be reviewing division tom. and I am feeling that by mid next week we should be ready for our test.
• I will be starting our new read aloud in class called Kensuke's Kingdom.  The reading comprehension strategy that we will be focusing on is "Sequencing".  Sequencing refers to the identification of the components of a story, such as the beginning, middle, and end, and also to the ability to retell the events within a given text in the order in which they occurred.  We will also be starting our text type study of "Procedural writing".
• Have a wonderful week everyone! I am so glad to be back and I am looking forward to the rest of the school year.