Week 16

Dear Parents and Students,

It's hard to believe we have finished our final week of school for 2017. We finished this week with a Christmas/Winter party. Thank you to parents and students for the treats we shared today. It was not an obligation this year, but it's clear that people enjoy sharing, and so it was a nice way to end the week ahead of the Winter Break.

One of our activities on Friday was making geometrically accurate snowflakes. This was an extension of Math Topic 9, and our studies in geometry. We are a little more than halfway through Topic 9. When we return from the break, we will complete the topic – with a focus on triangles and quadrilaterals – with the Topic Test to take place on Friday, 5^th January.

 In our Literacy Workshop, we have completed our writing assignment: Writing Instructions. Many students chose to type the assignment on a computer, so we spent a lesson in the computer lab practising our typing and formatting skills. Copies of the assignments, complete with comments and rubrics, have been sent home to be signed. Please remember to return them after the break. We have also spent the last two weeks reading Roald Dahl’s Danny, the Champion of the World. After the break, we will return to reading stories from the class basal, beginning with Boss of the Plains.  We will also begin our Book Promotion assignment shortly after we return. Please try to have read your chosen book by then, so that you can begin planning your promotion straight away.

In Science, we completed two practical investigations as part of our study of motion. We first measured varying speeds of a rolling marble, and how they relate to the angle of the inclined plane from which it was rolled. We then made inferences from our observations to determine how the angle affects the speed. The investigation on Thursday had us testing the relationship between gravity and friction, and how they affect different objects on inclined planes of varying degrees. These practical assignments gave us the opportunity to test our newly acquired skills in using a protractor to measure angles, and we also got to play with our toy cars!

In Social Studies, we have been learning about the growth of the American Northeast, and comparing the urban sprawl and metropolitan growth of the area to the similar growth seen in other megalopolises such as Tokyo and Taipei. We will continue our studies of the area after the vacation.

I hope that you all have a wonderful winter break, and are able to spend quality time with your families. Due to family commitments of my own, I will be absent on the 3^rd, 4^th and 5^th of January, but will be back on the following Monday. Mr. Terry is looking forward to taking the class for those three days, and I am confident that you will enjoy learning with him.

Take care during the break, and I will see you all in the new year!

Important Dates:

      Dec 16- Jan 2:             Christmas Vacation (no school)

      Wed, 3^rd Jan:               Return to school

      Fri, 5^th Jan:                  Math Test – Topic 9

      Wed, 10^th Jan:             Last clubs for Semester 1

      22^nd - 26^th Jan:             Literacy Week

Click here for Christmas Photo Album

Student of the Week, Week 16

Congratulations to Albert!

Albert has been much more focused this week, and as a result, the quality of his work has improved.  Well done, Albert, keep it up!

Homework, Thursday, 14th December

Maths: Practice 9-4 Polygons; Enrichment 9-4 Poly Shapes
Bonus points: find the specific names for the shapes at numbers 6 and 7 of Practice 9-4.
This link will take you to a Wikipedia page that shows you how to label polygons with huge numbers of sides.
And here is another... (Scroll to the bottom for the fun part.)

Homework, Wednesday, 13th December

Maths: Practice 9-3 Measuring Angles; Enrichment 9-3 Name that Angle
English/Writing: Publish your Instructions
Science: Bring a toy car, if you have one (the small Matchbox or TOMY type).

Homework, Tuesday, 12th December

Maths: Practice 9-2 Lines, Rays, and Angles; Enrichment 9-2 Shapes in Shapes
Click here to study new terms on Quizlet

Science: Watch 60 Second Video: What Is Speed? Answer the question on the second page.

English/Writing: Are your instructions ready to publish?

Homework, Monday, 11th December

Maths: Quick Check 8-10; Spiral Review 9-1;
Practice 9-1 Points, Lines, and Planes; Enrichment 9-1 Street Smarts
English: Are your instructions ready for proofreading?

Week 15

Dear Parents and Students,

I would like to begin this weekly update by thanking everybody for the wonderful night we had last Friday. The Christmas Performance was a great success, and it was a great thrill for the students to perform in such a large auditorium before so many parents.  A special thanks goes to Mrs Johnson for the incredible amount of work she put in to make it all happen, and thanks to all parents for attending and making the night such a thrill.

In the classroom, we have completed yet another topic in Maths. Topic 8 has been challenging for some, as we have extended our understanding of division and learned about prime and composite numbers. Next week, we will begin Topic 9, which is dedicated to geometry.

 In our Literacy Workshop, we have spent most of our time on our writing assignment: Writing Instructions. We will publish our instructions next week. For this assignment, there will be no oral presentation. We have also spent some time reading Roald Dahl’s Danny, the Champion of the World.

In Science, we have continued our investigations of motion and force, including redesigning our paper planes. We have learned how to calculate speed, and we will apply what we have learned on Monday during our practical assignment.

In Social Studies, our study of the American Northeast continues. We have learned about the Early People of the area, and we have observed how cities grow from seaside ports. We will continue our study of the area next week.

As you know, next week is our final week before the winter break. Please remember that Friday will be a half-day, and students will be dismissed immediately after lunch.

I hope you have a relaxing weekend, and I will see you all on Monday!

Important Dates:

      Fri,      Dec 15:            School Closes (half day)

      Dec 16- Jan 2:             Christmas Vacation (no school)

Student of the Week, Week 15

Congratulations to Miwa!

Once again, Miwa has been setting a great example for her classmates. She always has great awareness of the environment and people around her, and is always very considerate and thoughtful. She also puts her best efforts into everything she does. 
This is Miwa's second SotW award this semester!  Well done, Miwa!

Homework, Thursday, 7th December

Maths: Practice 8-10 Multiple Step Problems; Enrichment 8-10 Car Wash Day
English: Research for your instructions if necessary
Reading: Keep up-to-date with your reading - RAZ Kids and Achieve 3000

Homework, Wednesday, 6th December

Maths:  Review Topic 8 - test tomorrow.  Practice Test pp.188-189; Extra Practice pp.190-193
Answers below
Practice 8-9 Prime and Composite Numbers; Enrichment 8-9 Pyramid Patterns

Practice Test 8 Answers

1. C      2. B      3. C      4. D     5. D     6. C      7. A      8. B      9. A      10. A   11. D   12. B   13. C   14. A   15. B

Topic 8 Extra Practice Answer Key

Set A 1. 50 2. 9,000 3. 800 4. 6,000 5. 500 6. 60 7. 90 8. 8,000 9. 900 10. 7,000 11. 1,000 12. 70 13. 300 14. 7,000	Set B 1. 90 2. 40 3. 60 4. 10 5. 120 6. 160 7. 70 8. 90 9. 70 10. 90 11. 70 12. 40 13. 10 14. 20 15. 50 16. 60 17. 70 18. 30 19. 80 20. 60	Set C 1. 5 R1 2. 7 R1 3. 8 R3 4. 4 R2 5. 9 R1 6. 6 R3 7. 9 R6 8. 7 R5	Set D 1. 7 CDs, 3 left over 2. 4 nickels, 0 left over 3. 15 dimes, 2 left over 4. 12 nickels, 5 left over	SET E 1. 6 R1 2. 16 R1 3. 3 R4 4. 26 R1 5. 12 R2 6. 28 R1 7. 23 R2 8. 15 R2
SET F 1. 112 2. 130 R1 3. 132 R2 4. 121 R2 5. 101 R3 6. 114 R2 7. 103 8. 116 R2		SET G 1.    9×5; 15×3 2.    10×4; 8×5 3.    8×7; 28×2 4.    9×7; 21×3 5.    6×6; 9×4 6.     4×4; 8×2	SET H 1. Prime 2. Composite 3. Composite 4. Prime 5. Prime 6. Composite	SET K 1. $352 2. 325 minutes

Homework, Tuesday, 5th December

Maths: Practice 8-8 Factors; Enrichment 8-7 Division Amazement
Writing: Research your instructions as necessary
Reading: Keep up to date with Raz Kids and Achieve 3000

Homework, Monday, 4th December

Maths: Practice 8-6 Dividing 3-Digit by 1-Digit Numbers; Enrichment 8-6 Up and Up!
             Practice 8-7 Deciding Where to Start Dividing; Enrichment 8-7 The History of Zoro
English: Writing Instructions - Research as necessary
Spelling: Review List 12 - Test Tomorrow  Click here for Spelling City or Click here for Quizlet  

Week 14

Dear Parents and Students,

We are heading into a very busy few weeks as we prepare for our winter break. We have our Christmas Performance tonight, and our gift donation drive taking place during the next week. Please note the following regarding the Christmas Gift Donations:

·      The final day for donations and gifts are 8 December. 

·      Gifts selected from the "Christmas Tree" need to be wrapped, while;

·      other items from the donation list, do not need to be wrapped.

 Firstly, thank you to all parents and family who were able to join us for Fun Day. It was a very successful day, and all of the work put in by Mr Burt and the Grade 6 students was greatly appreciated. A link to photos of the day can be found at the bottom of this post. Feel free to add to the album if you have any photos from the day that you would like to share.

In the classroom, we have been busy, as usual. In Maths, we are halfway through Topic 8. We have reviewed our division skills and learnt how to find quotients with remainders. We will complete Topic 8 next week, with the Topic Test to take place next Thursday.

In our Literacy Workshop, we have been focusing on verbs, including the various conjugations for tense and subject-verb agreement, and using helping verbs in the past tense. We have also tried some different types of writing prompts to inspire our creative writing.  Next week, we will be focusing on our next major writing assignment: Writing Instructions. It may be helpful to discuss potential topics for this assignment during the weekend.

In Science, we have been learning about motion, and we began a practical investigation of the forces that affect motion. Next week, we will continue our investigations, and we will also be learning about speed and how to measure and calculate it.

In Social Studies, we are continuing our study of the American Northeast. We have also tested our map-making skills by completing a map of the region. Next week, we will be learning about Early People of the Northeast and we will alos take a look at how the region has grown over time.

I hope everybody enjoys tonight’s performance, and I hope to see all parents at the auditorium!

Important Dates:

      Fri,      Dec 1:              Christmas Performance

      Thu,    Dec 7:              Math test: Topic 8

      Fri,      Dec 15:            School Closes (half day)

      Dec 16- Jan 2:             Christmas Vacation (no school)

FUN DAY

 Click here for more Fun Day photos