#1 - We only have 49 days left in this school year!
#2 - That it is warm enough on April 17th to have the kids in bathing suits and the sprinklers on!
This year is flying by way too fast! I have enjoyed the last 7.5 months with your children so much! This year has been a big change for me, working full time for the first time in 10 years and teaching Science and Social Studies. I have enjoyed it all so much more than I would have expected! Teaching Social and Science is so much fun! Speaking of Science....
Science
I would like to introduce you to the tribes in 3C!
The Black Island Tribe
The Navy Tribe
The Blue Dragon Tribe
The Unknown Tribe
The first thing that the students needed to learn was what it takes to make a fair scientific test and the importance of keeping everything the same except for one variable. Once they had a strong grasp of these concepts they were ready for their tribal challenges.
Within their tribes, students have been given challenges with testing a variety of building materials. Their first tree mail challenge asked them to determine what shape supports more mass, a square or an arch.
The students quickly determined that the arch is a very strong structure. We discussed the reasons behind this surprising strength...no one part of the arch supports more mass than another.
Tree mail #2 arrived the following day and asked the students to test the strength of different beam shapes. There were three beams to test: an acordian beam, a rectangular beam and a box girder beam. Within the first moments of testing we came across a bit of a snag in our plans. Our beams were much stronger than we expected, therefore measuring their strength using unifix cubes as weights wouldn't work. We quickly darted to the library to grab some proper weights. More lessons were learned on their way as we worked through this experiment:
#1 When the teacher asks you to record the mass that your bridge can hold on the sheet provided, you should listen to her and do it. There is no way you will remember the different masses at the end of the experiment.
#2 Once a beam collapses, you can not use it to retest its strength because it has a significant weak point.
Due to the various lessons learned during this challenge, we are going to retest our hypothesis this week as a whole class so that we can confidently come to a conclusion about each beams strength.
In addition to testing our scientific beliefs, we are also testing our ability to work cooperatively with our tribe mates. Students are being encouraged to listen to all tribe members ideas, voice their opinions respectfully, stay on task for the duration of the challenge and solve problems that arise as a team.
We are all looking forward to our next week of Survivor Science!
Numeracy
The students have continued to enjoy our unit on measurement! We have worked through measuring in km, comparing units of measure and measuring perimeter. The students are mastering the learning objectives with ease!
Literacy
I can't wait to have your children share their stuck stories with you!!! They are turning out so incredibly well! One of our students read their first three paragraphs to Mrs. Kloschinsky and Mr. Larson and they were amazed by the word choice and detail that the student included! As students are finishing up each paragraph, I am checking in with them and making sure that everything makes sense and that the proper punctuation, spelling and capitalization is in place. I am also monitoring sentence starters and word choice. Once given the all clear, students are typing their paragraphs into a google slides document and creating an e-book of their own. They are so excited about "publishing" their stories!
Students have continued to enjoy Wonder. We have been reading the Via (August's sister) chapters and the students have really enjoyed getting to know her. Their questions and discussions have been so thoughtful, genuine, curious, empathetic and insightful. They have grown so much as active participants in their reading!
Special Events
The students enjoyed Crazy Hair Day!
One of our classmates participated in the Viking Cup floor hockey tournament at Caledonia Park this weekend! He played three fantastic games earning a spot in the gold medal game! The final game was a nail biter against Leduc Estates. We were down 3-0 with two minutes left and the Raptors didn't give up! They ended up scoring 2 goals in those final minutes and walked away with a silver medal around their necks and the pride in knowing that they didn't give up until the final buzzer sounded! I was lucky enough to be able to cheer from the stands for all 4 games! Way to go DJ D! I was super proud of you this weekend!
On Thursday, the remaining boys floor hockey players will participate in an action packed tournament in Beaumont! I can't wait to cheer our 3C students on along with my oldest son, Elliot!
Upcoming Important Dates
Thursday, April 21st - Beaumont Floor Hockey Tournament
Friday, April 22nd - PD Day
Friday, April 29th - 4 Cats Degas Painting (2-3pm)
Monday, May 2nd - Friday, May 6th - Education Week
Monday, May 2nd - Zumba in Gym
Wednesday, May 4th - Hats on for Mental Health
Monday, May 9th - Spring Photos
Monday, May 9th - RBES Celebrates the Masters (art show) (approx. 4 - 6pm)
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