September Update
Week of September 5-8
Bonjour les parents de 6-1 et 6-2!
What a wonderful week it has been! We are so excited to work with your wonderful kids! We would like to invite you to our annual ‘’meet the teacher night’’ on Wednesday September 13th at 6:30. We will explain the routines and expectations for this year and answer questions that you might have.
In the meantime, here is a summary of our week:
FLA: In FLA, we have started getting our brains back into French mode with a writing exercise called ‘’lettre à moi-même’’. We have also started our daily routine of French reading in the morning. Lastly, we are working on a coat of arms that serves as a French speaking activity once it’s complete.
Social: We are in full election mode! Part of the Grade 6 curriculum covers local government, and we are diving in head first with the upcoming election. Parents are encouraged to talk about this at home with their kids. (Who are the candidates, what are their priorities, what is the role of a town council, what types of services are provided by the town of Cochrane etc) Incumbent candidate Tara McFadden will be at Manachaban next week to meet the kids and talk about the role of a councilor.
Math: We started working in fluency through math minutes, where students work on basic math operations and problems for limited time. This activity is self-directed and students are going to keep track of their progress and seek help when needed. We also had an introduction for our patterns and equations unit.
Science: We reviewed the steps of scientific research using some examples from Grade 5 experiments. We also had an introduction for our first unit “Trees and Forests”.
Phys Ed: Crossfit: This is an optional program only offered to grade 6 FI students as part of their regular phys ed schedule. A large number of kids are showing interest! Permission forms will be sent home as soon as possible. In the meantime, if you are not sure what Crossfit is, here is a short video that shows some of it. https://youtu.be/-gqYuxB-m1M Our crossfit group will attend classes at Crossfit Cochrane, located in the old Dodge dealership. You’re welcome to stop by there and talk to coach Joe if you’d like to know more about his program. The cost will be approximately $142 for 18 sessions from September 25th to November 30th. Students who will choose this option will commit to meeting at the front office at 1:05 ready to walk down to Crossfit Cochrane on days 1, 3 and 5 (rain or shine!). They will miss lunch recess. There is no Crossfit on Fridays due to the short day. One parent volunteer is need every time we go to Crossfit. The parent volunteer of the day needs to meet us at the office at 1pm, walk down with us and then back up after the session. We are back at school for 2:30.
That’s all for now! Apologies for the long-winded email! We hope to meet you on Wednesday night.
Have a great weekend!
Madame Marie and Monsieur Jad
Week of September 11-15
Bonjour les parents de 6-1 et 6-2!
What a great week we’ve had! Your kids are hard workers!
A reminder that students need their agenda every day in class, and to bring it home for you to see and sign every night.
Here is an overview of what’s happening in class these days:
Math: We continued reviewing basic facts and basic math skills through our Math minutes. We are also working on our patterns and equations unit. Students got their workbook and they will have the opportunity to do some daily practice at home.
Science: We are working on trees and forests unit. We learned about the parts of a tree and of a trunk. Students worked in groups to brainstorm ideas about the importance of trees and forests.
FLA: We continued our first reading and writing unit on Terry Fox, and will start working on paragraphing strategies next week.
Social: We continue with our local government unit and the upcoming local election. We looked at what it takes to be eligible to run in an election, and what types of services a town is responsible for providing its residents with the tax money. Families who live out of town: If you could talk to your son/daughter about what the elections and local government looks like for you, that would be great. Do you live in Rockyview County? MD of Bighorn? Who is your reeve? These are great discussions to have at home.
Other:
- Deadline for Crossfit forms is Monday morning. There are 36 forms so far and I know a few more are still coming. I will let everyone know if they were drawn for the 1st session on Monday night. A second session will take place in the spring and registrant who won’t be in the 1st sessions will have priority in the spring.
- Picture day is on Sept 25
- Terry Fox run is on Sept 28
- Orange shirt day is on Sept 29
Thank you everyone, have a wonderful weekend! I live in Canmore and we got our first snowfall today… Yikes!
~Mme Marie et Monsieur Jad
Week of September 25-29
Bonjour les parents de 6-1 et 6-2!
What a fun week we had with the Terry Fox Run taking place on a gorgeous fall day! We also enjoyed some phys ed classes outdoors, and Crossfit started on Monday. We are having fun moving and learning!
Today was Orange Shirt Day, which is a day to acknowledge residential schools and the process of Reconciliation. During the lesson, I mentioned Gord Downie’s ‘’Secret Path’’; an album, book and film initiated by the Tragically Hip signer. As a school, we found it to be a bit too heavy to show to the grade 6 students. But the kids were intrigued by it, and I suggested that they talk to you about it and that it’s available online if you want to watch it with them. http://secretpath.ca/#Film
Here is an overview of what’s going on in class:
FLA: We finished the writing assignment biography of Terry Fox. Anyone who is not done should be finishing it as homework for Monday. Once done, please submit it online via Google Classroom. Class 6-1 started a project called Bernard l’Ours which focuses on French speaking. Class 6-2 will start this on Monday.
Social: Students are writing profiles of the 18 candidates in the municipal election. It is not homework, but they could benefit from a bit of parent help on this one, as reading about political platforms is a bit tricky! Please also refer to the email I sent yesterday.
Math: We continue working on developing strategies on functions of rules in algebra. We also work on problem solving. There were a lot of kids in 6-2 who had not done their math problem of the week. A reminder that this is a weekly routine. The problem of the week is due every Friday.
Science: We continue our unit on trees and forests, including interactions between factors in the forest ecosystems.
Other: Walk-a-thon forms were sent home with the kids today. A PDF is attached to this email as well. Also, a reminder that the next 2 weeks are shorts weeks for students while staff participates in Rockyview Professional development. There is no school on October 6-9-10. Gobble gobble!
Have a wonderful weekend!
~Mme Marie et Monsieur Jad
