Choosing the Strongest Reasons

We continued working on speeches today. A few students still need to get their speech letters signed by parents. Today I checked that all Reasons and Examples Chart are completed. Students then considered all their reasons and sorted them into strongest and weaker reasons. They discussed their sorting with a peer and me before recording them in their Topic and Reason Organizer. Parents, please look at this organizer and give your child feedback on their ideas. Students may change the charts based on their discussions with parents. Students who did not complete this work in class are to complete it for homework. It is due on Monday. Devices are needed on Monday as students research examples and evidence for their speech.

Next, we continued working on our Where we are in place and time inquiry unit. We took up the evidence that students recorded in their “Discovering America” chart about Irish explorers. We finished watching the Viking documentary and added more notes to our charts. Later in the day, students heard about more Viking explorers (Bjarni Herjolfsson, Thorfinn Karlsefni, and Freydis Eiriksdottir) and more about Eirik the Red and Leif Eiriksson. They received fill in the blank worksheets and a mapwork page that were completed and taken up in class today. Students have enjoyed learning about Vikings. They are to add Vikings to their timelines for homework today.

We got to relax at the end of the day by beginning work on our Viking art project. Students will produce a sea-scape depicting a Viking longboat. Today they worked on the sky portion which is being done in oil pastels. They could choose any sky scene they wanted, e.g. sunny skies, cloudy, stormy, night sky, etc. Vikings were excellent sailors who knew how to use what they saw in the environment to help them navigate the seas and ocean.

The inquiry unit test will be written on Monday, January 20^th. Students should study all work including Aboriginal perspectives on who first founded America, scientific theories such as the Beringia Land Bridge theory, Map work (continents and oceans), all explorers (Asians, Polynesians, Irish, Vikings and more).

Students attended French class with Mme. Stella and math class with Ms. Joseph. In math students took up yesterday’s homework on line graphs. Ms. Joseph introduced the applications of mean, median and mode. For today’s homework, students are to complete Page 184 (Midterm Review) - Q 1,2 &4; Page 192 - Q 4; Page 200 - Q 2,4 & 5. The unit test will be written on Friday, January 17^th.

The next Caribou contest will be taking place Wednesday, January 15^th. Arrive at 7:15 am for a 7:30 am start. Bring your own charged device. The interactive question will be FRUIT SALAD which you can practice now on Caribou’s games page. This is a new game. Students, please test it and let Caribou know of any problems. There is no history question in the January contest.

Crawford lake trip permission and waiver form as well as payment are past due.

Do not order a hot lunch for the following dates:

-          January 16, 2020 – trip to Crawford Lake

-          January 22, 2020 – Ski & Snowboard trip

-          February 19, 2020 – Ski & snowboard trip

-          March 4, 2020 – Ski & snowboard trip

Parents, mark your calendars for next week’s MYP and DP Information session, Wednesday, January 15^th from 6 pm – 7 pm. This session is specifically for families of Grade 6 students. It is the event that will answer all your questions about the MYP and DP at St. Jude’s Academy.

Scholastic forms are due January 17^th.

After-Care payments are due on January 15^th.

The lunch site is now open for February lunches. It will close Wednesday, January 22^nd at 3:00pm sharp. The special of the month is Chicken Stir Fry which is available every Friday. All payments are to be made through QuickBooks by February 6^th.

Homework and Reminders

Speech:

·         Have your parent sign the speech letter if this has not already been done.

·         Share and discuss your Testing the Qualities of My Reasons Chart and Topic and Reasons Organizer with your parents. Ask them for feedback.

·         Devices are needed for Monday’s class

Unit of Inquiry:

·         Unit test on Monday, January 20^th – will cover all work including Aboriginal perspectives on who first founded America, Scientific theories such as the Beringia Land Bridge theory, Map work (continents and oceans), all explorers (Asians, Polynesians, Irish, Vikings, and more)

·         Timeline – add Viking explorers to your timeline. Include a picture, their names, the dates they explored, where they explored, and their country of origin. Make your work neat, colourful, and appealing.

French – as assigned by Mme. Stella

Math:

Page 184 Q. 1, 2, 4

Page 192 Q. 4

Page 200 Q. 2, 4, 5

Study – math unit test on Friday, January 17^th

Crawford lake trip permission and waiver form as well as payment are past due

Upcoming Dates

• Wednesday, January 15^th 
• Caribou Math Contest – Arrive at 7:15 am for a 7:30 am start. Bring own charged device.
• MYP & DP Information Session for Grade 6 students and families, 6 – 7 pm
• Personal Project showcase, 7 pm – 8 pm
• After-Care Payments due
• Thursday, January 16^th – Grade 6 Trip to Crawford Lake
• Friday, January 17^th – Scholastic orders are due
• Monday, January 20^th – UOI Test
• Wednesday, January 22^nd 
• Grade 5 & 6 Ski Trip to Crawford Lake
• Deadline to order February hot lunches, 3 pm
• Friday, January 24^th 
• Town Hall, 7pm 
• Tuesday, January 28^th – Bake Sale
• Wednesday, January 29^th - Bake Sale
• Thursday, January 30^th – Casual Day
• Thursday, February 6^th:
• JK - Grade 3 Oral Competition
• Deadline for February hot lunch payments
• Friday, February 7^th
• Grade 4 – 8 Oral Competition