April 30, 2018

Dear Parents,

The grade four students were given an amazing opportunity to make drums with Darcy and Frank Turning Robe today.  We learned that drums provide a way of healing to the indigenous people. All the materials used are from mother nature such as elk hide and white cedar wood. We hope you engage in a conversation with your child about the experience they had today.

Important Information:

• May 2 - Grade 4 field trip to Harmony
• May 17 - Scientist at school in the p.m. from 11:40 - 2:20. We are still need of two volunteers for this in school program. Please email me if you are interested at Tfdharamsisa@cbe.ab.ca
• May 23 - Field trip to Glenbow Ranch - This trip is an ALL day trip and we are need of 1 more volunteer.
• Read for 15 minutes, practice IXL for 15 minutes.

Enjoy your evening!

Ms.Sayani

April 20, 2018

Dear Parents,

Thank you for coming out to our student led conferences. It was great seeing the students engaged in math games, reading, exploring with light and shadows and sharing some of their reading as well as essays with their parents.

Important Information:

• Our Field trip to Harmony has been rescheduled for May 2, 2018.
• We will be going on another field trip on May 23 to Glenbow Ranch. This will be a full day field trip and volunteers are needed. I f you are able to volunteer on this day, please kindly let me know by emailing me at 

Tfdharamsisa@cbe.ab.ca

• Popcorn Day will be held on April 25 and 26 during the lunch hour. The cost of a bag is a toonie. Please send it with your child if they wish to purchase it.

Enjoy the sunshine with your families and have a wonderful weekend!

Ms. Sayani

April 17, 2018

Dear Parents,

The students are working hard to prepare for our "Student Led Conferences" to be held on the evening of April 19 and morning of April 20, 2018.  Please sign up for this if you haven't already done so. It is an important time for your child to share his/her work with you and celebrate their successes together.

Our Field Trip to Harmony will be rescheduled for early May.  You will be notified with the new date as soon as it is confirmed. 

Important Information:

• No School on Friday due to Student Led Conferences
• Please read for 15 minutes and practise your multiplication facts on IXL for 15 minutes each day.
• According to CBE policy, grade 4-6 should be doing a half hour of homework per day.

Keynotes:

We were fortunate to have an indigenous knowledge keeper come to our school and share some insight about the "Blackfoot". He brought in a special drum and sang songs about his culture. Each student was given the opportunity to try out the drum.

Have a great evening!

Ms. Sayani

April 6, 2018

Dear Parents,

The students are learning about Light and Shadows in Science and connecting it to math. They found  a spot in the the embassy where the sun shines bright to capture their shadows. They used rulers and meter sticks to measure in centimeters and meters.  Feel free to ask them about their shadows.

The grade four students had a special guest speaker from Harmony come out to present the planning and development of the land. We are excited to visit on April 17, 2018.

Important Information:

• Simon Fraser band - Monday April 9 at 1:45 p.m.
• Harmony field trip - Tuesday April 17 - A.M.
• Home Reading - 15 minutes a day
• IXL - practise perimeter for 15 minutes

Have  a great weekend!

Mrs. Sayani

March 14, 2018

Dear Parents,

     We were welcomed with the principal, staff and students this morning at Simon Fraser School.  The students enjoyed the performance and connected with the characters from Alice and Wonderland. The school had all our student names posted around the gym which made us feel the warmth.  Feel free to ask your child about this tonight.

•  

    In humanities we have been looking at how the indigenous people use their land in a sustainable way.  The students will be writing a 5 paragraph persuasive essay next week. We have looked closely at the transportation, food, clothing, shelter, art (petroglyphs and pictographs), storytelling and the Bison as a sacred animal. Please have conversations with your child over the next few days.

Important Information:

• Home reading as usual.  

• Our next field trip will be on April 17 and our class is still looking for volunteers.  Please let me know if you can volunteer for a half day during the morning.

Tfdharamsisa@cbe.ab.ca

Sincerely,

Mrs. Sayani

    

March 7, 2018

Dear Parents,

The students have been learning about an artist named Jackson Pollock. They have painted their own masterpieces`using his style of abstract painting.  Feel free to ask your child about this tonight.

The students were excited to begin our inline skating program today. Tomorrow we are going on our tour to Simon Fraser. The bus will depart promptly at 11:30 a.m.  Please kindly send your child with a couple of snacks or a light lunch as a hotdog lunch is going to be provided by the school at noon.

Just a friendly reminder that the school is hosting a parent night tomorrow as well at 6:30 p.m.

Have a wonderful evening!  Please read for 20 minutes and practise adding and subtracting decimals on IXL.

Mrs. Sayani

Dear Parents,

     Today in Science we explored with the "Makedo" kits. This is a construction system for the 21st century learner. We looked at the screws, screwdrivers,  saws and other plastic tools to ideate about our vehicles. The students are excited to create machines or vehicles that move using cardboard and the makedo kits in the days ahead.

      The students worked through solving subtraction equations using decimals.  We learned that we need some more practise subtracting using regrouping.  Please practise these skills using IXL at home. See example:

0.67 - 0.59                    0.67
                                  -
                                     0.59
                                 _______


Important Information:

• There is an important notice coming home about our visit to Simon Fraser School on March 8.  Please sign the forms and return them back to school promptly.
• Our first field trip will be to Harmony Ridge on April 17.  Our class will need 3 parent volunteers to accompany us.  Please send me an email if you are able to do this.

Tfdharamsisa@cbe.ab.ca

• Parent council fundraiser comes home on Wednesday
• Popcorn day on Tuesday and Wednesday... the cost is $2.

Have a great week!

Sincerely, 

Mrs. Sayani

Feb 22, 2018

Dear Parents,

     The students welcomed their future peers from Simon Fraser Middle School yesterday.  We engaged in activities in our Maker Space together. The students had a task to design a vehicle or machine that moves using either the Maker Cart (hands on materials) or begin learning how to code using a program called Scratch. Feel free to ask your child about this tonight.

Important Information:

• Flex Friday is tomorrow.  We will be doing a school wide art project for our parent council fundraiser.
• Fun Lunch tomorrow for those who have ordered.  Please send your child with a lunch to school if they have not ordered.  It is a 4 hour day and students need to stay nourished.

Sincerely,

Ms. Sayani

Feb 8, 2018

Dear Parents,

     In humanities, the students continue to focus on their writing skills.  They are writing paragraphs using a web to organize their ideas. Each paragraph consists of a topic sentence, main ideas with evidence to support their thinking and a conclusion that ties into their topic sentence and leaves their reader with a hope, wish, or question.

     In Science, we looked at our simple machines and are writing a nonfiction summary on the simple machines we used to build ours and how they connect to the real world.

     During math, the students worked in groups to solve how many magic keys can one create based on a pentomino. This is a polygon in the plane made of 5 equal sides that connect that connect edge to edge. There are 12 different free pentominoes.

Important Information:

• Our grade 4 students are going to be apart of our school wide announcements next week.  They will be discussing "responsibility" with our students. Responsibility is one virtue at Ken Taylor School.  Feel free to ask your child about our green screen presentation.

• Scholastic book orders are due by February 12, 2018.  You may place an order online for your child or send in the form with a cheque as payment.  Please note that cash is NOT ACCEPTED.

Home Reading as usual!  Stay warm tonight...

Ms. Sayani