If you are working on your MIN Talk at home on Google Docs, please send it to me asap.

pamurphy@scdsb.on.ca

There will be a grade five trip to Springwater Park on Thursday February 8th.  We will go along with Mr. Stones’ grade five students for most of the day.  Parents, please keep a look out for this information sent to your emails from Mrs. Noble in our office.  (She’ll send a permission form, etc, when it’s ready to go…soon)

MIN Talks (speeches)

Rough draft due:  Thursday this week

In class work (finishing, polishing, practising):  Wednesday and Thursday this week.  Monday and Tuesday next week.

Presentations in the classroom:  Wednesday and Thursday next week.

Finalists chosen Thursday next week in class and then the Junior competition is on Tuesday, February 6th.

Both grades have a mest test for Data Management tomorrow (Thursday). In grade four, the test centres on “interpreting” data ideas such as the scale of a given graph, or the range of a set of data. In grade five, the test centres on specific ideas from the unit such as “intervals” on bar graphs, and trends on broken line graphs.

I have assigned a “Test Yourself” as homework preparation for the test.  We have also worked on the end of the Nelson text book in the areas called Problem Bank, Skills Bank, and Chapter Review, all good preparation for the test.

On the “Paperwork” page of this blog, I put links to the “Tiffin Centre” field trip form for the trip that we’ll be going on next week (Mrs. Noble of our office also emailed it earlier today to all parents).  This is a no charge, school board planned trip.  Please note that there are separate forms for grade 4 and for grade 5 of our classroom.  Please get these back ASAP.  We are looking for “police check approved” parent/guardian volunteers to come along.

Because of today’s snow day, I’ll keep the Secret Santa gifts that are left in the portable safe.  Some of them have candy items, it seems, and so I’ll box it all up over the holidays and take it home for safe keeping.  In the New Year, we can do any remaining Secret Santa giving and receiving that we miss today.

Happy Holidays!

Bring it in!  Don’t forget for Friday!

We have begun a simple timeline in the classroom that will show great thinkers and leaders through time to help us further understand studying different time periods (in the New Year).  Try to find out: Who is this that has appeared on the line?

Please try to bring in your Secret Santa gift tomorrow (Thursday) if possible.  We’ll keep it safe until Friday.

Secret Santa is well underway!  Please remember to purchase the gifts if you are taking part in the exchange.  If anyone forgets who they’re supposed to get a gift for, see me for the information.

As for snacks and forts, there are a few groups that have made plans together.  We will be certain to have a “friendly Friday” where the rule will be no competition for space in our classroom.  We’ll set up in a fair and co-operative way and sharing will be encouraged all day, yet not expected.

Note:  Please don’t bring in any snack food until Friday as it could encourage foraging.  Not foraging by Mr. Murphy, but by mice, etc.