Last week of 2016!

Dear Parents and Guardians,
I wish you all a safe and happy holiday. Enjoy this time with family and friends as we share in the spirit of living and giving! May your new year be filled with love, happiness, and good health.

Keep on learning!
If you are looking for some ideas on what to do over the Winter Break, here are some suggestions you can share with your child:


Read - Why not get into a good book that you may have been putting off?  Have your child think about all the elements of a story, remembering to ask questions along the way. Or, just get cozy, relax, and read for pure pleasure.

You can visit the local library or go online to read at: https://www.getepic.com/sign-in

Write - Be creative! Students can use their thinking books, a journal/diary, or a notebook to write a story, their day's events or even their hopes and dreams! Ask them to think about some goals they would like to achieve either for school or in their personal life. Encourage this writing on a daily basis, just as you would for reading!


Create - Think about our past unit on Habitats and Communities or our current Social Studies unit on Canada's Regions. Look up some interesting biomes they would like to visit one day.  Are any located in Canada? See if they can develop their own independent inquiry and become a genius on this topic! 


Math - Have your child visit any of the following websites:

http://www.mathies.ca/
https://prodigygame.com/play/
http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/me5l/html/Math5.html
http://www.funbrain.com/
http://www.mathplayground.com/


This week at school...
Here are some of the activities that occurred this week:

Our students created this amazing display for our classroom door. Look at all the symbols included from the diverse faiths in our world!

Our cute snowmen buddies that we made with our grade 2 friends.

Best wishes again for a safe and happy holiday. See you in 2017!

Mrs. McIntosh

Week ending Dec16

Next week, there will be many exciting events happening at school leading up to the Winter Break - December 26- January 6. On Friday, we will end the week with a school wide holiday sing along and movie in the gym. A short Data Management check in quiz is also planned for Thursday.

Fun with our Buddies

We began creating our snowmen craft with our grade 2 buddies this week. We will finish on Tuesday - look out for our finished products next week!

Learning Sign Language

Beckett Farm PS now offers sign language classes to students every Tuesday during morning recess. Many of your children have joined these classes led by Mrs. Leechan. What a wonderful opportunity to learn a new way to communicate with others around us!

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Mrs. McIntosh

Week ending Dec 9

Reading and learning with our Grade 2 literacy buddies this week

Hour of Code

On Thursday, our grade four students participated in The Hour of Code event. We had grade six students visit our class to guide us. We also used self guided tutorials and videos found on the code.org website. Ask your child what the experience was like!  

Hour of Code

Coding fun and learning

Grade 6 helping us with coding

Holiday Heroes     

Beckett Farm Public School is partnering up with “Holiday Heroes”,  an organization run by the York Regional Police, to help support children in our community. You may help by donating new winter clothing this holiday season. Examples of winter clothing that are in need are:

• mittens / gloves
• hats
• scarves
• wool socks
• coats
• blankets

The drive began on Monday and will run until Friday, December 16. For more information please see the flyer below

Beckett-Farm-Holiday-heroes

The summative assessment for our unit in Measurement is on Monday, December 12th. I have sent home review sheets as well as suggested pages to complete in the Math Makes Sense Workbook as practice for this test. 

Bundle up and enjoy the weekend.

Mrs. McIntosh

Week ending Dec 2

Investigating area in Math...

On Friday, we explored the concept of area as the amount of surface a figure covers in square units.

The students used many ways to find the area of objects in the classroom.  Some students covered the entire surface area with square units and some counted the number of square units across (length) and multiplied it by the number of square units down (width).

On Friday, Dec. 9th, we will be having a summative unit test in Measurement. This will include linear measurement (measuring and conversions), perimeter, and area.







This week we met our new little Buddies in Mrs. Brown's Grade Two class. Together we will be reading, writing, and creating many new learning opportunities together. For our first meeting, our little buddies interviewed us, then we read a book together. We are looking forward to being positive mentors and role models for our younger school mates. 

MATH NIGHT was a great success! For those who were able to, thank you for coming and sharing the evening with your Beckett Farm family.

Warm wishes for the week ahead,

Mrs. McIntosh

Week ending Nov 25

Bus Evacuation Safety

On Wednesday, our students took part in our annual school bus safety and evacuation training. Whether taking the bus to school, for a trip outside of school, or just as a pedestrian walking to school, this training gave us important tips to remember to keep us safe. Ask your child to tell you what the the acronym "DON'T" means.

UPCOMING...
In Math, we will continue our investigation into perimeter, and begin looking at area measured in various square units. Our weekly problem solving questions will continue on Google Classroom so please remind your child to complete and submit their responses. The quiz on linear measurement will be returned this week.

As we finish up our Science unit on Habitats and Community, we have begun our study into Social Studies called The Political and Physical Regions of Canada. Students have labelled a map of Canada and identified the provinces and territories and their capital cities. This week, they are asked to practise memorizing the names of Canada's provinces and territories and their capital cities. This will also be reinforced through our Word Work in Language.



REMINDERS...


Science Presentations will begin this Monday, Nov. 28th. Some students have chosen to present early, and shared their Science Inquiries on Thursday. So far, I am impressed with the maturity and confidence in the students presentation skills. It is evident they have been practising the expectations I have outlined in the rubric. I look forward to seeing the rest on Monday!

Family Math Night is coming this Wednesday, Nov. 30th between 6:00-7:30 pm. Join us for a night of learning and family fun through Math games. 

Triple P Parenting Program

All parents want to do their best when parenting their children. Triple P stands for "Positive Parenting Program". It is a system that emphasizes the development of positive attitudes, skills, and behaviour. so children will realize their full potential and do well at home, at school, and in the community.

The first session was very successful and there are still 3 more! Here are the dates and a link for more information:

Wednesday, November 30, 2016 - 9:15-10:50 a.m.

Wednesday, December 7 & 14, 2016 - 9:15-10:50 a.m.

Call the office at (289)746-3276, or stop in to register.
Triple-P-Parenting information

Thank you everyone for taking the time to meet with me these past 2 days to discuss your child's progress in grade four. It was such a pleasure to chat with each of you. Please do not hesitate to call, email, or write me a note with any further questions or concerns.

Enjoy the weekend!

Mrs. McIntosh

Week ending Nov. 18

A letter was sent home early this week to let you know about the upcoming Parent-Teacher Interviews at school on Thursday, November 24th from 4:00 - 8:00 pm and Friday, November 25th from 9:10 am - 12:10 pm. All Parent-Teacher Interviews are now being scheduled online. Please book a meeting time that is best for you following the instructions in the letter. Thank you to all those who have already booked a time. I look forward to meeting you all soon!


Wednesday, Nov. 23 - Thursday,Dec. 1st
The Learning Commons will be open for the Book Fair every day during morning and lunch recess, and after school between 3:45-4:15 pm. As well, it will be open from 4:00-8:00 pm on the evening of the parent-teacher conferences. Unfortunately, the Learning Commons will be closed for book exchanges during this time.

     Save the Date: Math Night 2016

Beckett Farm is pleased to invite all parents and students to our inaugural Family Math Night on Wednesday November 30th, 2016 from 6:00PM to 7:30PM. I do hope you will join us for a night of critical thinking, problem solving through math games and puzzles, and lots of family fun!

    Here some students are hard at work solving a problem that you will learn more about on Family Math Night. It is amazing to listen to and observe the way students collaborate to solve a common problem. The math language and talk was so rich with ideas, solutions, and plenty of negotiations!

Lakeridge Snow Tubing Trip Reminder
If you would like your child to participate in this year's snow tubing trip as their winter elective activity,, please remember to return all permission forms by December 1, 2016. Fees are also due at this time. More information on the activities occurring at school will be given closer to the activity dates.


As we gear up for colder weather next week, please remind your child to bundle up and dress warmly for the outdoors!

Have a super weekend,

Mrs. McIntosh

Week ending November 11

Today's Remembrance Day ceremony included a slideshow of the many diverse Canadian soldiers who fought for the freedoms we enjoy today. It was so beautiful to hear our class sing "O Canada" in French, as well as members of our class sing "Heal the World" as part of the choir, and recite a poem as part of Ms. Ng's ESL class. I am so proud of all the students.

Our class creation for this year's Remembrance Day answers the question, "What does peace mean to you?" 

Here it hangs respectfully at our Remembrance Day service today. Ask your child, "What does peace mean to you?" and "What is the importance of Remembrance Day?"


This weekend, your child should be working on or completing their Science Research Project. Just a reminder, it is due on Wednesday, November 16th. Please remind your child to check the project outline sheet, as well as the rubric to ensure they have included all the expectations required for this project. Thank you for your support!

Enjoy another beautiful fall weekend!

Sincerely,

Mrs. McIntosh

Remembrance Day - November 11

Dear Parents,
We are providing all students with a poppy to wear on Remembrance Day to honour all those who have lost their lives in war. Beckett Farm PS is asking for a $1 donation. We will be giving students the poppies to wear on Friday, November 11.

On November 11, Beckett Farm PS will be having a Remembrance Day ceremony that will begin promptly at 10:30 a.m. You are invited to attend this service and ask that you arrive by 10:15 a.m. Our grade four class will be singing our national anthem "O Canada" in French for this solemn service.

Week ending Nov 4

REMINDER: Photo orders are due by Monday, November 7.



This week the grade four students began their inquiry project on an endangered animal of their choice. The following questions were given:

• What are the physical characteristics (appearance) of the animal? (include a diagram)
• What is the animal’s habitat and where is it located on a world map? (provide a description of the habitat)
• Is the animal part of a food chain or food web? Explain how energy is passed along this food chain and include a diagram with labels.
• How has your animal adapted to its habitat? Include structural and behavioural adaptations.
• How have humans or other factors caused changes to the animal’s habitat?  Explain how this has happened.
• What is being done to help this animal and it’s habitat?
• What are some interesting facts about this animal?

Please ask your child to see the Inquiry Project outline and the attached rubric. The research will take place at school. Beginning Wed. Nov. 9, students will be putting it all together at home in either a Google slide show, report or poster board. Presentations to the class will begin shortly after the due date of November 16th.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Week ending Oct. 28

To all students and families celebrating Diwali this weekend, I wish you Happy Diwali! May this Festival of Lights bring you peace, joy and happiness.

Reminder for October 28th: Tomorrow is a PA Day. There is no school for students. 


The note below was sent home today regarding Halloween activities on Monday:

Dear Parents/Guardians,

On Monday, October 31st our class will be participating in various Halloween activities. Students are welcome to wear their costumes or fall spirit clothes to school however, please make sure that weapons and masks are not a part of their costume. Due to recent events, we are also asking that no clown costumes be worn on this day.

In the morning, we will be participating in Halloween themed math probability games created by our grade 7 and 8 students. In the afternoon, our class will be having a party with healthy treats and board games. The students have come up with ideas of food items that they can bring to school. Some options include: fresh fruits, vegetables, hummus and crackers. Please make sure that all foods are peanut/nut free and do not contain any shellfish due to allergies in our class.

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,

Mrs. McIntosh

Week ending October 21

Reminder!

Picture Day: Tuesday, October 25th

Our class and individual photos will be taken around 12:00 on this day.

Next week Wednesday, we will be having a summative assessment of our study on Whole Numbers in Math. Until then, we will be reviewing on a daily basis, with a focus on problem solving. Please help your child to practise identifying the important information, determining the operation(or strategy), and framing their answers in a sentence. They should also be able to answer the question, "How do you know?"

In Science, we are finishing up our unit on Habitats and Communities with a research project on Endangered Animals. The students will be choosing an endangered animal to research, and investigating the impact humans have on them and their habitat. Please look out for more details later in the week. 


This week in Drama, we are continuing to focus on Role and Character with a specific focus on varying voice. You child will be bringing home a paired/choral reading piece that allows for rhyme, rhythm and repetition. Please listen to them as they read and practise their section for an upcoming performance. Remind them to take on the role of their character and use their voice to convey their feelings. 




Every Friday, I have been assigning a Math question on the Google Classroom. When possible, please give your child the opportunity to log on to respond and submit their thinking. If this is not possible, please let me know and they will have time to complete this in class.
 



Thank you all for signing your child's rubrics and evaluations promptly. I am also asking that you sign their Agendas on a daily basis. This is to be done when you know they have completed all their homework. This way your child knows they are accountable to both you and me, and that we are all partners in their learning. They need to understand that they are accountable for their actions as they learn to be responsible young learners in grade 4. Thank you again for your support!

Week ending October 14

Although a short school week, it was jam packed with lots of learning inside and outside of our school.

Habitat Walk - Today our class went on a walk around our school property in search of plant and animal life.

We found many interesting living things! Ask your son or daughter about the many things they observed. Did they see any mammals? Insects? Spiders? Trees? Small plants?

Can you spot the caterpillar in this picture?

We are still trying to identify this interesting looking insect!

Camouflaged! This grasshopper was caught resting, but not for long!

Mathematics

Inside, the students collaborated in math groups to use four 4's to come up with answers from 1 to 20. Ask your child what strategies they used to come up with their solutions. For homework this weekend, they should continue this thinking and try to come up with as many possibilities as they can for each number. For example, 4 + 4 - 4 x 4 = 16. That means 16 is completed. 1-15 and 17-20 are left! Here are your children hard at work and some of their brilliant solutions:

 

Picture Day is coming!

Individual and class photos will be taken on Oct. 25th. I will send out another reminder as the day approaches closer. 

Phys. Ed.

In Physical Education class, our students have been working hard on volleying and bumping using trainer volleyballs. To start each class, the children have begun to work on building strength and stamina.

Please continue to support your child by checking and signing their agenda each day. It is important they learn to be responsible and accountable for their actions. 

As the cold season approaches, we are discovering that our classroom is in need of lots of tissues! There are many sneezes and runny noses abound. A donation of a tissue box would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Enjoy the weekend with your families!

Mrs. McIntosh