December 23, 2016

What joy, when you enter the classroom on the last day of school, only to discover that Santa has replied to your letter.  Thankfully, the mail arrived just in the nick of time!!!

We had a fun PJ and Stuffie day.  Thank you to the parents who donated the food for our Christmas Brunch (Makaylah, Drea, Titus & Peyton). 

The tradition of a school wide movie afternoon continues.  Students enjoyed watching Mickey's Christmas with their friends!  

Have a safe holiday season and VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!  

December 22, 2016

It is with mixed emotions that we arrived at our final stop on our Polar Express journey.  This morning, our train rolled into the North Pole station.  We celebrated by creating our North Pole Souvenir and watching the Polar Express movie!  It was a fun way to wrap up our exciting Christmas Tradition adventure.  

In the afternoon, the Grade 1s joined their field trip classes and went on a Winter Walk through the river valley.  Thank you to the fabulous volunteers who joined them (Mrs. Webb, Brandon, Nana and Papa Tatchell, Mrs and Mr. Wagoner). 

December 21, 2016

Today is Winter Solstice; this means that the season of Winter has officially begun!  The Grade 1s will be taking in the sights and sounds of winter tomorrow on their Winter Walk (1-3pm).  Please be sure your child is dressed for the weather!!

Today we visited two countries on our Polar Express Christmas Around the World.  Due to "unforeseen weather" in Israel, we detoured through England this morning and then when the weather improved, we were able to hop aboard the train and zip over to  Israel in the afternoon.  

Students have been hard at work during Daily 5, creating stories about the Elf on the Shelf.  They are excited to read the stories to you and will be bringing them home on Friday!  

December 20, 2016

Today was Tasty Tuesday; students created Snowmen on a Stick!  Thank you to Mrs. Webb for providing the delicious ingredients for this recipe. 

On our trip around the world today, we visited Ukraine.  The traditions in this country are incredibly intricate and beautiful!  

In Gym, students had a fun time working through throwing, catching and locomotor stations with their friends in 2B. 

At the end of the day, we said in a talking circle and shared the things that we are grateful for.  Students were encouraged to try this activity at home tonight during dinner!  I hope you enjoy hearing the amazing words, as much as we did today.

December 19, 2016

Wow, the final week of school in 2016 has arrived!  This week will be filled with learning, as the Grade 2s wrap up their visit to Meteghan and we also finish our trip around the world, learning about the Christmas traditions and customs in different countries.

In Math, students practiced making numbers to 100 using rods and cubes.  

During our MindUp time today, students learned the word gratitude.  We practiced saying "Thank You" in English, French and Spanish.  I encouraged all students to think about a time when they feel grateful and to bring that story back to school with them tomorrow.  

Reminder:

- A detailed email was sent home about Word Sorts, Rainbow Words and Home Reading.

- The Grade 1 winter walk is on Thursday (1-3pm)

- Friday is PJ and a Stuffie day.  Thank you in advance to our snack parents  who will br providing a morning buffet for our class to enjoy.  In the afternoon, students will be watching a movie in the Gym with Mrs. K and Mr. Larson. 

December 16, 2016

Congratulations to Kai, who was the 1-2E Student of the Week!

We arrived to a special surprise today!  Sinterclaus left tasty sweets in our wooden shoes!  What a wonderful tradition from the Netherlands!! 

This afternoon, we hopped on the Polar Express and pulled into China; students learned that Santa is called, Shen Dan Loa Ren and that the Chinese children decorate their trees with lights, paper chains and beautiful lanterns.  

December 15, 2018

Today in Social Studies, the Grade Twos learned about traditional Acadian Art.  They created beautiful quilts to add to their Travel Journals.  

The 3A class invited us in to watch their Readers Theatre's performance of Bob, the Goofy Elf.  It was hilarious!  

December 14, 2016

Today we had a guest, Mrs. Kloschinsky, our resident Scrapbooking Expert, came in to our class and made special Christmas Cards with our class. It is exciting to have the opportunity to use all of the stamping tools and the embossing machine!  

December 13, 2016

Today, author, Tololwa Mollel, came to RBES to share his stories and songs (in Swahili) with eh students.  What a wonderful afternoon activity.

EEKS!  Our Polar Express broke down today in Sweden!  Fortunately though, today is St. Lucia's Day, so we made the most of our unfortunate situation and did some celebrating with Miss. Coleman.  Her family is from Sweden, and she kindly shared the stories and traditional dress with us.

December 12, 2016

This month, we have been focusing on numbers in Math.  The Grade Ones are working on numbers to 20, and the Grade Twos are learning numbers all the way to 100!  Today we paired up with our grade partners and made numbers to 40 on the whiteboard and also on the tens frames.  It was a difficult task, but we all love a challenge!!

December 9, 2016

Congratulations to Peyton, who was the 1-2E Student of the Week today!

Today we hopped aboard the Polar Express!  For the next two weeks, students will be learning all about the Holiday Traditions in different countries around the world.  Our train is scheduled to stop in: Banff (Canada), USA, Mexico, Sweden, Germany, Holland (Netherlands), China, Australia, India, Ukraine, Isreal and the North Pole!  It is going to be an awesome adventure!

In gym, we played a very fun game of Santa's Helpers - look out for those Grinches!  

December 7, 2016

Thank you to all of the parents, friends and grandparents who came to watch our afternoon concert.  

The Grade 1& 2 evening concert is tonight at 6:30 (doors open at 6:00), I am sure anyone in attendance will be overwhelmed with warm feelings as they watch their adorable little ones perform!  

December 6, 2016

Today we watched the Grade 3&4 Christmas Concert afternoon performance.  It was absolutely outstanding, anyone attending this evening will be in for a real treat!  

Students were introduced to the concept of Mindful Tasting today.  We talked about the importance of taking the time to slowly taste and enjoy our foods.  Ask your child about their mindful Smartie tasting experience today.  

December 5, 2016

We were hard at work today on a top secret project that will certainly make it's way under your tree for Christmas Morning.  Students are excited of you to see these masterpieces, but not just yet.  

Grade 1s have been busy working with the numbers 1-10.  They are representing the numbers in a variety of ways.
Grade 2s created Wallets that they will use throughout the week.  We will be learning about pennies, nickels and dimes, as well as using these coins to reinforce counting by 1, 5 and 10. 

We are also busy practicing for our upcoming concert.  This evening, I sent an email that contains a photos of where our class will be standing for the concert.  I hope this will help you to choose a seat with a great view!

Reminder:  The Grade 3s are collecting donations for the Christmas Elves. Donations of food and toys can be made at the school or during the concert.  

December 1, 2016

We are enjoying learning about the industry in Meteghan.   The Grade 2s complete their lobster traps today and were fortunate to have caught several lobsters.  

The December Newsletter is now posted on our Newsletter Page. Please take a minute to read about all of the things happening in our classroom over the next month.

I hope you have a wonderful long weekend!

November 29, 2016

I was away today at the second day of the RRST Reading Assessment training. In my absence, 1-2E students had a wonderful time with Mrs. Forchuk.  They had a big long Christmas concert practice and "Elfed Themselves".  You will have a chance to check out theses adorable elves, as they will be displayed on the wall at the Christmas Concert.  

November 28, 2016

Today students learned about mindful smelling.  They smelled the mystery jars and attempted to connect the smells to memories.  "It smells like my mom's cooking.", "Mom puts it in my spaghetti.", "I love eating it at Christmas.", etc.  

Whack-a-number is one of our favourite basic face practice games.  I encourage you to try this one out at home, it is a fun way to review +/-0, 1 and 2!  

The Grade 2s visited the Bay of Fundy and went whale watching on a large boat!  It was incredible! 

November 25, 2016

Congratulations to Brodie, who was the 1-2E Student of the Week!  

November 24, 2016

We love art day!  Today students created a watercolour winter tree scene.  Be sure to stop by our hallway to check out the fabulous student art! 

Reminder that tomorrow is Jersey Day.  Students are encouraged to wear a jersey or their RBES spirit wear. 

November 23, 2016

Today was a counting marathon!  We have been practicing our counting daily for the past month, but today we took it to a whole new level - backwards!  Grade 1s are required to count by 1, 2s, 5s, and 10s.  The Grade 2s are doing the same, but both forward and backward!  Students are bringing home their counting pattern books to keep at home for nightly review.  We played a dice/counting game that your child can teach you at home tonight.  

During MindUp today, we explored relaxation meditation.  We are enjoying our mindful education and encourage you to ask your child about the daily lessons.  The calming and mindfulness techniques are things that are beneficial for both children and adults alike. 

 

November 22, 2016

In Gym today, we practiced our dribbling/passing skills through the game Dribble, Dribble Pass.  We also played Card Shark and had a great time pairing up cards with our friends in 2B!

Tasty Tuesday was a success.  Thank you to Ms.Gould for providing the ingredients for this months tasty experience! 

November 21, 2016

Today during our MindUp lesson, students learned stuffie breathing.  Ask your child to show you this easy and fun self regulation technique tonight.

Reminders:  
- The photos posted to our blog are only a snapshot of all the photos taken in our classroom, you can view and download all photos from our Photo Gallery.
- Spelling City memberships were purchased for your child to use at home and school.  During the week, there are fun games that can be played to practice the weekly sort words.
- Library is on Tuesdays, please ensure your child brings back his/her books every Tuesday.
- November 25 is Jersey Day and hot lunch orders are due 

November 18, 2016

Congratulations to Titus, who was the 1-2E Student of the Week!

Over the next month, RBES has the Traveling Foundation For the Arts Travelling Exhibit, Margaret's Mountain, in the school.  Amazing pieces of art will move from classroom to classroom for students to enjoy.  Today we had the feature piece in our room, this piece will visit every classroom and while it is there, that class will add one sentence to a growing story.  Our students enjoyed creating their own story about this piece, prior to adding one sentence: "They watched as the pumpkins rolled to a stop at Lisa’s feet, then the most unexpected thing happened, the pumpkins began to talk to Lisa!" to the school story.  We can't wait to hear the entire finished story when it is read at assembly!  

November 17, 2016

Today we read the story, Even Steven and Odd Todd.  Then played a game with the same title using dominoes.  Identifying even and odd numbers is a tricky task, but we have been hard at work and are becoming stronger at this skill.  Continue to challenge your child at home ("There are 4 plates on our table, is that even or odd?" or "you can play xBox for 31 minutes, is that even or odd?"), the repetition aids in facilitating proficiency!  

The Grade 2s boarded the "bus" and traveled from Yarmouth to Meteghan.  We are excited to be exploring and learning about Meteghan for the next few weeks!! 

In Gym, Mr. Larson worked on dribbling and ball skills with our class.  

Students drew and began their Cardinal in the Snow paintings.  We are looking forward to them being dry tomorrow, so that we can add the snow.  

Reminder that the Fruit orders have arrived and are available for pick up this evening from 3-7.

November 16, 2016

The new basic fact focus is + and - 2; this is the third strategy of 6 that students will use this year.  Repeated practice of basic facts, along with intentional daily instruction of the strategies have demonstrated to be an effective method of basic fact retention.  Details about Basic Fact Games and Basic Fact Strategies can be found on our website.

Students are focusing on Odd and Even numbers this week.  Numbers which end in 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 are all even.  Challenge your child at home to identify if a number is even or odd.

The Grade 2s had their passport photos taken this morning, and thankfully, everyone's passports and plane tickets arrived just in the nick of time.  Thanks to Air Canada for getting us all safely to Yarmouth airport, we look forward to driving to Meteghan tomorrow.  

November 15, 2016

This morning, the Grade 2s researched the weather in Meteghan in preparation for our big "flight" tomorrow.  We learned that the weather today was 12C and students created puppets that wore weather appropriate clothing to take with us tomorrow.   

In the afternoon, students had Daily 5 and gym with Mrs. Forchuk.  They also worked on Mathletics, the curriculum based program memberships were purchased by the Parent Council and student accounts are accessible both at home and school.  Passwords were sent home last week, but if you require a second copy, please contact me via email.

Reminder: 
Fruit order pick up is Thursday from 3-7pm.

November 14, 2016

I hope you all had a restful and memorable extra long weekend.  

Today we jumped back into learning with a busy day in 1-2E.  In Math, students completed 24 Number Scoots, where they had to identify the number that is missing on a number line.  

We ended our day by launching the first of 15 MindUp lessons.  MindUp is a research based mindfulness curriculum.  Over the next 8 weeks, students will learn about attention, self-regulation, building resilience towards stress and maintaining a growth mindset.  The program has been the focus of the Black Gold CAP team for the past two years, and we are excited to be using it, alongside Zones of Regulation, again this year.  

Today, students learned three parts of their brains and a character that they can relate to each: amygdala (guard dog), hippocampus (happy hippo), and the prefrontal cortex (wise owl).

November 9, 2016

Today we attended the RBES Remembrance Day Ceremony and proudly donned our poppies in honour of those we've lost and those who continue to serve.  

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields.

- John McCrae

November 8, 2016

It is great to be back at school, after a great day of professional development with the Grade One teachers. With our focus on reading assessment, strategies and specialized instruction, we are working towards strengthening our knowledge of a variety of reading assessments and by month's end will be trained in both the RST and Dibels. 

As part of the Postcards for Peace project, 1-2E students each designed and wrote a postcard to a veteran.  These postcards will be mailed to a several Veteran's Long Term Care Facilities across the province. 

In Art, students completed the project that they began yesterday.  Their poppies are positively beautiful and are on display for everyone to enjoy outside of our classroom.  

In Gym, students enjoyed their second day of catching & throwing stations, with a focus on accuracy.  I would say that the most popular station appeared to be the chicken catch!   

Reminders:
- Remembrance Day ceremony is at 10:45 tomorrow.  Students are encouraged to dress up for the assembly.  Each student will receive a poppy and are encouraged to bring a silver donation.
- There will be a Word Sort test tomorrow.
- Home reading can be kept at home for the extra long weekend.  Please return it on Monday.  
- There is no school on Thursday or Friday.

November 3, 2016

Today we launched our new Math unit on Numbers to 100!  Students used their magic wands to locate "before" and "after" on their magic number lines.  This fun activity can be done at home using a ruler, tape measure or meter stick.  

We also had a blast playing "Toss it Golf" in gym with Mr. Larson! 

The Grade Twos are excited to begin our Social Studies unit on the community of Meteghan.  Over the next month we will take daily adventures to this wonderful Atlantic community!  Our "flight" takes off tomorrow at 1pm and we can't wait!! 

November 2, 2016

The November newsletter is available online.  

October 31, 2016

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

We had a great time parading, carving and partying today!

Congratulations to Isabella, who had the closest guess for Mrs. Kloschinsky's cauldron. She guessed 147 candies and there were 148!  Way to go Isabella! 

Wishing you all a safe and fun evening of trick-or-treating!  Remember, there is no school tomorrow.