Week 21

Dear Parents and Students,

It has been a chilly beginning to the semester, but we have been keeping very busy in class, which has taken our minds off the weather. We have also had the pleasure of a new student joining our class. Ivan became part of Grade 4C on Monday, and has very quickly settled in. Thank you , 4C, for making him feel so welcome right from the beginning.

In Maths, we have continued with Topic 12, which is all about decimals and fractions, and how they relate.  We took an extra day with this topic, to make sure that we completely understand the fundamental elements of decimals. We will take some time to review the topic on Monday, and the topic test will take place on Tuesday. We will also be sitting Cumulative and Baseline tests next week. There is no need to study for these however, as they are designed to gauge how much we have retained throughout the year.

The story we read this week in our Literacy Workshop was quite appropriate for the weather we have had. The Stranger is about the personification of winter. It begins in a mysterious way, but through some very insightful discussion in our Reading Circles, we eventually worked out who the main character really was, and why he affected his surroundings in such a way. We will continue with our tall stories theme next week, when we read Cendrillon.

In Science, we have completed our unit on Physical Science, with a test having taken place on Thursday. We have had a lot of fun experimenting with electricity, and we have learned about how energy changes form. Next week, we will be working with the Skills Handbook within our Science workbooks as we begin to prepare for the upcoming Science Fair. Information about the Science Fair has been distributed. Please take some time to read over the handout, and begin to consider what you might like to investigate for your Science Fair project.

In Social Studies, we have continued our study of the American Southeast. We have discussed the use of slavery in the region, and how it eventually led to a civil war. We will continue our research of the area next week.

In Art, we tried our hand at Chinese Paper Cutting, ahead of Chinese Week, which takes place next week. We will enjoy a number of other Chinese cultural activities throughout next week, which should have us all ready to enjoy the Chinese New Year holiday.

Until then, I hope you all have a restful weekend. Keep warm, and I will see you all back again on Monday!

Important Dates:

      5^th – 9^th Feb:                Chinese Week

      Tue, 6^th Feb:                Math test – Topic 12

      14^th – 20^th Feb:            Chinese New Year Vacation

      Wed, 28^th Feb:             2/28 Peace Memorial Day

      Fri, 2^nd Mar:                Lantern Festival

      Mon, 5^th Mar:             Semester 2 Clubs commence