Thursday, Dec. 24th

Merry Christmas everyone!

(It was pointed out to me recently that I've been remiss about updating this blog in the last couple of weeks. To all those who have checked it out periodically, sorry. I'm still trying to get in the habit of updating it regularly.)

Wednesday, Dec. 8th

Homework today:

Friends for Life, p. 23 activity 3 and activity 4

Study for spelling test on Friday
Study for science test on Tuesday (clouds and weather observation)

Tuesday, Dec. 7th

Hi everyone,

Homework today:

Bridge to Terabitha, chapter 12, reread and complete questions.

Here is a link to a web site that we looked at in class today. Also, there is a link to a site that Mrs. Hagen sent us involving fun math activities.

http://devour.com/video/people-are-awesome/

    

http://nrich.maths.org/

Monday, Dec. 6th

Hi everyone,

Notes from today:

1) Last week, the results on our spelling test were not very strong at all. I think students have been forgetting or neglecting their home spelling practice because I'm not hounding them in class about it. Please check your child's planner for spelling words. They should be writing "Spelling test-Friday" in their planners at least once per week. Generally speaking, if your child is coming home with  nothing written in his or her planner, then he or she is not writing what they should be.

2)  Homework today:  Bridge to Terabithia ch. 11, reread and complete questions.
   Spelling: complete corrections on pretest (x3 of each misspelled word) and complete worksheet.

3) Science test on clouds and weather observation: Tuesday, Dec. 14th. This test will cover all the work we've done on clouds and methods of weather observation in class. Students should have notes to study in their books.

4) Math drill sheet (x8) due Wednesday

5) Unfortunately, it is becoming more common for students to forget school work at home. If your child leaves his or her notebook(s) at home, they then have nothing to do in class when we work on that subject. This is a big problem because they miss the opportunity for feedback on their work, and new work and/or pages are loose because they have nowhere to put them. Please help your child to remember to bring back ALL school-related work and notebooks to school each day. Thanks!

6) Two notices from the Westwood PAC came home today. Please check your child's planner for  notices when you sign it.

Friday, Dec. 3

The students are working on Christmas/Winter stories this week and next!  They have completed a story map and are now working on a draft copy.  The draft copy of their story is due on Thursday, Dec. 9.

Enjoy the weekend!

Wednesday, Dec. 1st

Hi everyone,

Homework today: Bridge to Terabithia, chapter 10, reread and complete questions.

This week: spelling test on Friday, math drill sheet (x8) due next Wednesday

Monday, Nov. 29th

Three weeks until Christmas Break! Are you excited? Well the kids sure are.

Homework tonight:

Spelling - complete spelling pretest sheet and study for the test on Friday
Language Arts - Bridge to Terabithia, chapter 8, reread the chapter and answer the questions

Upcoming events:  

Wednesday, Dec. 8th - 1st term report cards go home
Wednesday, Dec. 15th - Bridge to Terabithia, unit end movie afternoon
Thursday, Dec. 16th - Craft evening at Westwood

Wednesday, Nov. 24th

November's almost over! Yikes, and before we know it, it will be Christmas.

Homework:

Bridge to Terabithia, reread chapter seven and complete the assigned questions for Monday the 29th.
Spelling - test on Friday, kids doing the challenge words need to remember to hand in their sentences by Friday as well.
Math - some students are falling behind on the work. Each week they get a "problem solving" sheet and a multiplication drill sheet. These both need to be finished during the week. Many students now have numerous blank or half-finished sheets in their math and problem solving books.

Reminders:

Slipper Day on Friday this week.
Hot Lunch orders due in by Friday.
Scholastic orders due next Wednesday, Dec. 1.

November 18th

As I mentioned to the kids yesterday, we'll be having a short quiz on the water cycle on Monday. It's not a major thing, but the kids might want to take their science books home and look over what we've done so far.

Tuesday, Nov. 16th

I hope everyone had a fun 5-day weekend!

Today's homework:

Math - two pages (three sides) to finish up from today's lesson

Spelling - two pages

Science quiz tomorrow on the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation, collection)

Tuesday, Nov 9th

Today's homework is just finishing  up the questions for chapter 4 of our novel, Bridge to Terabithia.

Reminders:

Westwood's Remembrance Day assembly tomorrow, Wednesday, after recess (c. 10:45)

A new duo-tang for music

 No school on Thursday, Friday or Monday, due to Remembrance Day, District 43 non-instructional day, and Pro D day respectively.

Please help you children remember to bring ALL school books and supplies to school each day. Language Arts books and recorders were forgotten by several kids today. It's really awkward for a student if we're going something in class and he or she can't participate. Thank you.

Monday, Nov. 8th

Hi everyone,

Ms Corazza finally has access to this blog, so you might see twice as many postings!

For today, Monday, students have math homework if they didn't finish it in class.

grade 4 - pages 12-15
grade 5 - pages 25-26

Students have a French speaking test on Wednesday.

Students will need another duotang. Sorry, I know I told the kids we had all we needed, but I forgot about music.

Also, there will be no spelling test this week.

We started learning about recorders today in music. Each student was assigned a recorder that will be his or hers to use until our unit is finished. These recorders belong to the school and need to be treated responsibly and with respect. Students are welcome to bring the instruments home to practice, but it's really important that they bring them back to school every day. I don't have any extras to lend! And just in case you were wondering, each recorder was disinfected and washed before I gave them out.

November 7, 2010

Assignments due for Ms Corazza

Healthy Eating Posters - due Thursday, Nov. 18
Social Studies - Tests need to be signed and returned.
Students are to practice "shading" for Art.

Monday, Nov. 1st

Welcome to November! It's hard to believe that we've been back at school for two months already.


Spelling lists were given out today. Test on Friday, as usual. The four kids doing the challenge list have to define each word and/or write a sentence showing me that they know what it means. The ten sentences are due on Friday.

Homework today is to reread chapter one of our new novel, Bridge to Terabithia. There are also four questions to be answered in the kids' Language Arts books.

We are having a little math quiz tomorrow, to summarize the work we've been doing on number patterns and relations. It's just a small quiz and we did a thorough review today, which is why I didn't give the students much notice.

Ms Corazza has assigned a Social Studies quiz for Thursday, and the kids have a healthy eating worksheet, also due Thursday.

Monday, Oct. 25th

Welcome to Hallowe'en week!

I'm having a bit of a struggle getting some students to hand in their school work when asked. Could you please review with your child the importance of keeping up to date with school work. Several students are quite far behind and seem to be of the opinion that "if they don't think about it, the work will disappear"!

Spelling test, as usual this week. The students got their lists today, so they should be studying madly. I'm going to bring in a list of challenge words next week, for those students who are easily getting a perfect score on the spelling test. Students who qualify for challenge spelling will complete the regular spelling work in class, but have a more challenging list to study for the test on Friday.

This week's spelling sheet and "Let's Write" exercise was assigned for homework today, to be handed in tomorrow (Tuesday).

Our weekly math drill practice sheet is due on Wednesdays. This is another area where several students have fallen behind in their work. It's only one double-sided sheet, and students have a whole week to complete it.

This week at a glance:

Wednesday - Library books due, Math drills due

Thursday - "3-day Food Record" due (Ms Corraza)

Friday - Hallowe'en parade at 9:00, hot lunch day, possible Hallowe'en "activity" with Ms Corraza in the afternoon.

Tuesday, Oct. 18th

Ah, finally, time to update the blog. Sorry that the updates have been few and far between. It's not something I've trained myself to do regularly yet.

This week is a bit mixed up. Tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday), Mr. Sclater, Mrs. Hagen, and myself will be meeting with Randy Cranston about intermediate literacy and how to better keep kids engaged in school. As a result, there will be a teacher-on-call in the room for the afternoon. Then, on Wednesday, Mrs. Hagen and myselft will be going to a school district-sponsored seminar on assessment and evaluation for intermediate students. Sound exciting? Hopefully it will be!

I've started keeping students in at recess and lunch time if they have not finished work that was due last week, or in some cases, several weeks ago.

Lastly, interim reports came home today. Please read the report, and then sign and return the bottom portion of the page. If you would like to come and talk about anything, please indicate that as well. For a couple of students, I have requested an interview. So I'll be contacting you about that soon.

Homework for today:

Math:     grade 5 - worksheet on patterns and tables, pages 1-4

               all - math drills (x4) due Wednesday

Spelling:  all students should have copied their spelling words into their planners today. Their homework is to finish the corrections from the pre-test and the worksheet on the other side.

Reminders: Scholastic orders due tomorrow (Tuesday)

                    Student information and emergency contact sheets are still missing for a few students.

            

Tuesday, Oct. 12th

Hi everyone,

I hope you all had a restful Thanksgiving weekend. Below is a list of homework,  reminders, and deadlines. Please review them with your child to be sure nothing is falling through the cracks.

Thanks

School forms to be completed and returned:

     student information form (white)

     emergency contact form (yellow)

     earthquake kit (please contact the office for details)

Hot lunch orders are due in by Friday, Oct. 15th at 9:00 am

If you would like to send in a donation for our Vancouver Opera performance on Tues., Oct. 19, please do.

The latest round of Scholastic book orders went home today. If you and/or your child would like to order something, please have the form and money returned by Tuesday the 19th, next week.

Homework:

     Spelling - complete worksheet and study for the test on Friday

     3D Initials (Mr. Weir) - are due on Friday the 15th, this week.

     Canada Map (Ms Corazza) - due Thursday, Oct. 14th

     Social Studies timeline - due Thursday, Oct. 14th
    

Wednesday, Oct. 6th

Our movie afternoon went well today. I think most of the kids enjoyed it. We discussed the differences between the novel and the movie. Thanks to the three families that sent in chips for the kids.

Please look over the student information forms that were sent home, and then send them back to school with any corrections.

Quite a few div. 1 student have not brought in an Emergency Kit. Please contact the school office if you are unclear as what this is for.

There was no homework assigned today. Happy Thanksgiving weekend!

Tuesday, Oct. 5

Homework for today:

Language Arts: sentence combining sheet, p. 12

Handwriting package due Wed., Oct. 6th

2x Math drill practice sheet due Wed., Oct. 6h

Reminder about our showing of the movie Sarah, Plain and Tall on Wednesday afternoon.

Three notices sent home today. Please check the student information form to make sure all the information is accurate.

Sunday, Oct. 3rd

Hi everyone,

We finally know who our second teacher will be! Ms Corazza (pronounced cor-at-za) taught in the class last Thursday and Friday, and has now been officially assigned to Westwood. I hope you'll join me in welcoming Ms Corazza to Div. 1 and that you'll get a chance to meet her over the coming weeks.

This week will see the end of our unit on Sarah, Plain and Tall. Students will be handing in all work done on that novel on Monday, assembling it into all together, and then receiving a mark for the package. Students who are not finished all the questions and assignments will be asked to complete the work for homework each day this week until it's done.

Hopefully your child has been bringing home his or her planner and any homework each day. Students nearly always have something to write in their planners. Sometimes it's homework, other times it's school events or information for parents. It would be great if you could check your child's planner each day, and initial that you've done so. That way, communication is more efficient and nothing gets missed at either end.

Note: library books are due back Tuesday this week, instead of Wednesday. Our library class has been moved for this week only.

Friday, October 1st

Hi everyone,

We're still waiting to find out who my teaching partner will be. Hopefully, we'll know for sure by next week.

Interim Reports will come home on Oct. 18th. This report provides a brief snapshot of how your child is doing so far this term. It does not show academic progress, but is rather focussed on behaviour and work habits. If you would like to discuss your child's progress in more depth, please contact me at school and we'll set up an appointment.

We've now finished our language arts unit on the novel Sarah, Plain and Tall. I'd like to close out our work with a showing of the movie version of this story, starring Christopher Walken and Glenn Close. We willing be watching the movie on Wednesday afternoon this week, and I've told the kids that they can bring snack food if they would like to. Of course, it's always nice to have some to share, but regardless of the amount of food, students will be responsible for any mess and for disposing of any garbage.

That's all for today. More news when it happens! Thank you for following our classroom blog and please do send me an email so that I can compile a classroom email list and save more paper!

Tuesday, Sept. 28th

Today we looked at our class blog for the first time. If you're a parent reading this, then your child succeeded in writing down the blog address and telling you about it!

Homework due Wed., Sept. 29th:

Sarah, Plain and Tall: chapter nine, reread and answer questions, also complete any chapter questions not finished. All chapter questions will be collected on Wednesday and a mark will be given for the whole package.

Spelling Test: study words for our test on Friday.

Remember to bring your library books back on Wednesdays!


 

Blog now on-line!

As of Tuesday, Sept. 28th, I'll be giving my students access to this blog. My hope is that it will help parents keep track of some of the things that we're doing at school, like homework, tests, field trips, and that sort of thing. Students should have the address written in their planners.

Although it is possible to post comments directly to this blog, the process is a bit cumbersome. If you don't want to bother going through all the steps, do feel free to email me at <dweir@sd43.bc.ca>. I don't always check my email during the day while I'm teaching, but I do try to look at it during lunch and shortly after school. In fact, if all parents could email me at that address, I could compile a classroom email list for further communication, or in case my blog project doesn't work out.

Again, I hope you find this format of communication helpful and remember that I'm still experimenting with it. So please be patient with me!

Second post: Thursday, Sept. 23rd - Novel study

We began our first novel study last week: Sarah, Plain and Tall. We've been reading each chapter in class and then the students have had questions to answer for homework. At this point, we've finished chapter seven and all the chapter questions up to and including chapter seven should be completed. There are a few students who have fallen behind due to forgotten homework or from being away from school. Could you please check your child's homework, as it's really important for the students to develop positive work habits at the beginning of the year.

Welcome to a new school year!

Greetings everyone,

Welcome to a new school year at Westwood. My name is David Weir and I'll be one of the teachers of Div. 1, grade 4/5. My teaching partner has yet to be hired, but I'll be teaching Monday-Wednesday, and my partner will be teaching the class on Thursday and Friday.

I've enjoyed getting to know my students over the past two weeks. They are a very nice group, who only sometimes talk too much! I've also met a few of you parents, both at our Open House as well as before and after school. Below, I've included some details of our weekly schedule and events around the classroom and school.

Gym class: Div. 1 will be having gym classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. As you've no doubt hear already, we also do a fitness run on most days at 2:40, weather permitting. Some students already have gym strip, and although this is not mandatory, it's important that students do have appropriate clothing for athletic activities, particularly running shoes.

Library: Our library visits with Mrs. Graham will be on Wednesdays this year. Students should remember to bring back their library books each Wednesday so that they will be able to choose new ones.

Spelling: We will be working with weekly spelling lists this year. Each Monday, students will receive a list of 15-20 spelling words. In addition to working with these words in class during the week, the students will also be responsible for studying the words at home. The weekly spelling test will be on Fridays.

Homework: Students have already begun bringing homework home and most of them are completing it very well. It's very important that students make time to finish their homework and then remember to bring it back to school.

That's it for my first blog post! Please feel fre to add comments to this blog entry. You can also email me if you have an questions <dweir@sd43.bc.ca>. Do check back with this blog from time to time, as I'll try to keep it as up to date as possible.

Take care,

D. Weir