Adventures With Mrs. Craig

 I wish all of you an amazing summer!  If your child missed the last couple of days of school, please pick up their things at the office either tomorrow or today. 

We will be leaving at 8:30am for Confluence park tomorrow.  We will return by 11:45am. 

On the morning of Tuesday June 28th, the grade 4 classes will be going on a walking field trip to Confluence Park.  Please pack a garbage free snack and help your child dress appropriately for the weather and a hat, water bottle, and sunscreen.  If necessary please pack a raincoat. Thank you!

 We have had a busy last couple of days! They started building their cars. Some students still have not brought in any material. Thank you to those students that are sharing!  Today was National Indigenous People's Day. We listened to a story and then created 'dot art.' These will be going home tomorrow.  They made clocks today! I noticed many of them are having a hard time telling time still, hopefully these help!  With the warm weather we are trying to be outside more! Please remember sunscreen, hats and water bottles!  Here are some pictures from today!

We finished the book, "We Are All Wonders" and will be watching the movie tomorrow! You can bring a special snack and a stuffy.  We will be comparing the book and the movie in the afternoon. 

 This week we would like to start building our box cars for our Science unit. Please talk to your child about type of material (recycled) they would like to use. Please have them bring in this material. You can look at examples of "cars made out of recycled material" online.  Last Friday we had  presenters from Junior Achievement come in and work with us all day.  We learned about how economies work, what resources and goods are, and what trade is. In Math today we measured different objects while creating a picture.  In Science they are making posters for our new science unit "simple machines." They will be able to take these home soon.  We are down to 11 days until the end of the year! We will review spelling words but will not have anymore spelling tests. 

 Today we started research projects on simple machines! We used books from the library to gather information. Afterwards they used computers to type out their information and print some pictures. We will continue with these throughout the week.  We will be using the same spelling words this week as last. 

 We are very excited for sports/play day tomorrow! Remember to dress for the weather. Bring a hat and wear sunscreen!

 We worked very hard this morning on a Math test and our Science unit test! They earned some free time before lunch. I noticed that many of them enjoy taking tests, which is great and shows their confidence!  Please check your child's backpacks. I have sent home some work with them. They are very proud of the art work they completed.  I will be teaching human sexuality June 13-17. Please check backpacks for permission forms. If this is not signed they will not be able to join. Please email me if you have any questions. You can also find the program of studies - grade 4 Alberta- human sexuality information online.  On Friday we will have Sports/Play Day! The students are all very excited! This will happen as long as weather allows! If not, we will reschedule.  Spelling words Red: Cree, see, free, tea, sea Blue: Alberta, province, Manitoba, Ontario,  Métis Green: British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Ontario

 Our concert starts at 6pm tonight. You can be here at 530-545pm and send your child to my room while you find a spot to sit.  Thanks!

 We do not have spelling words this week. Today we worked on using the correct to, too and two in sentences. We will work on different homophones for the rest of the week.  Today we continued collecting our math data for our bar graphs. We looked up all of the data from the 'Battle of Alberta' games!  In writing today, their sentence starter was "If I Were a ____" They could choose and write about being any occupation.  In the afternoon we watched the division 1 Spring concert. Ours will be tomorrow.  Division 2 Spring concert tomorrow! Please meet me in my room at 5:55pm sharp. Your parents can find a seat in the gym. 

 Tonight is the school dance put on by parent council! The dance is retro themed (you can also dress however you'd like!) and is 6-8pm. Please use the front doors. Students must be accompanied by their adult.  We have been graphing the Calgary Flames. They have been collecting data on the number of shots, penalties and goals! Go Flames Go!  In Science we have started a new unit "Simple Machines." We used computers today to look up the definitions of: wheel, lever, axle, gear, pulley, fulcrum, friction.  Have a great 4 day weekend. Please look over your child's math and spelling test.  Tomorrow is a PD day.  Monday is Victoria Day. 

 Tomorrow is spring picture day.  Spelling words Red: plant, dirt, water, seed, warm Blue: nature, organize, planting, puzzle, clock Green: expanding, gardening, exaggerate, population, community Bonus words for everyone! Calgary Flames. 

 This week we had a special guest in our school, teaching our students some awesome dance moves.  We then learned about dandy lions and created some fun water colour art. Have a great weekend.  ions. 

 This morning we had a big class conversation about how to respect and welcome subs to the school. Many of our classmates let us down yesterday and chose to do otherwise. Thank you to those students that continue to act like their best selves, even when I am away.  In Math today we learned and reviewed telling time. This is something that could be continued at home. There is a fun game on abcya.com they could try at home.  We were excited to plant wild flowers at the beginning of the week. We still have many pots and soil if there is something they would like to plant from home (bean, seed etc.).  We had a much needed quiet day today. They did 'free writing' in the afternoon. Ask your child what they wrote about. 

 This morning we did a writing assignment based off inventing our own underwater school. These were questions I had answered: Where will it be located? How will students get to school? How will the subjects be different from a typical school? What clubs and sports would be available? How would the school be designed? When they were doing with their writing, they created a blue print of the school.  In Math, they created their own colour by number using equations with decimals.  In Science we learned about the difference between organic and inorganic farming.  Spelling words:  Red: care, share, down, up, walk Blue: question, answering, inquire, searching, investigate Green: eruption, location, photosynthesis, chlorophyll, meditation 

Text-to-donate is now live for EducationMatters’  Loonies for Literacy  fundraising campaign. Parents and community supporters can text LITERACY to 30333 and donate $5.  To direct your donation to Beddington Heights School, simply text LITERACY followed by the school’s short code: BEDDH This system-wide fundraising event was initiated to help schools purchase the resources their students need most. Every dollar raised in-school will be matched up to $51k by community partners. Funds raised throughout the campaign will be used for: Books for school libraries Digital resources such as reading apps and e-books Early learning resources Decodable texts Parents and community supporters may also use a school’s  Loonies for Literacy fundraising page 

 This afternoon we had the great opportunity to listen to the band put on by Sir John A. McDonald school.  In Math we did a scavenger hunt with money word problems. They then created their own problems using money.  We worked on facts vs. opinion in Language Arts.  Tomorrow we will wear hats for mental health awareness again. There was a little bit of a mix up on what day this was supposed to be, so let's just extend it! 

 Today in math we learned how to add with decimals! Everyone followed along with the steps and did an excellent job! We learned 3 rules: line them up! Drop it down! Fill them in! Maybe your child could show you a couple of examples.  In Science we learned how to tell if a plant is poisonous! This would be an interesting family conversation.  This week we will be talking about mental health! Tomorrow is "hats on for mental health" day so please wear a hat. :)  Spelling words Red: best, tell, adding, care, share Blue: guess, mushroom, recycle, memories, health Green: debris, poisonous, appreciation, ultimately, interruption 

 We have started our work for the new bulletin board display. This display will be outside of our classroom. Our board will be on fractions and we incorporated art into our project. Last week we have so much snow! I hope you enjoy some pictures of the students enjoying it more than me.  Spelling words Red: butterfly, cupcake, football, hotdog, goldfish Blue: dishwasher, playground, teammate, yardstick, windshield  Green: hydraulic, hypnotize, elsewhere, foreman, forecast

 This morning I read a book to them about worrying. They then wrote down some worries that they have and a couple of ways that help them feel better. I told them that this was for them and that I did not need to read them.  In Science today we learned about pollination. We also learned about what animals and insects pollinate. Ask your child why bumble bees are so important to our ecosystem.  Your child is bringing home a math quiz today. Please go over this with them. Their homework tonight is correcting them and bringing their test back tomorrow. 

Today during sharing time each of us shared one good piece of news. We enjoyed hearing about their weekend and if they had Easter celebrations.  In Science today they learned about germination. We created a poster together that they copies in their Science books. This included sprouting, seedling, vegetative, budding, flowering and ripening. We will be planting seeds and beans soon and watching this process closely.  We had a pop math quiz today on 2 digit by 1 digit multiplication.  My classroom iPad has gone missing! Please let me know if your child mentions this to you and has any guesses of where it could be.  Spelling words:   Red: seed, key, tree, bee, may Blue: recess, breakfast, trouble, imagine, locate Green: germination, sprouting, ripening, vegetative, completing 

 At the beginning of the year we read the novel 'The Tiger Rising.' We have been patiently waiting for the film to come out and be available. Finally yesterday I was able to rent it! We watched half of it yesterday and the rest today. Most agreed that the book had more detail and we liked creating the pictures in our heads. We also agreed that the film was exciting to watch and followed the novel quite well.  Today in math we compared fractions, decimal points and percentage. We made a chart together in our math books. Afterwards, they counted money and wrote down the correct decimal point for each number. If they completed this early, they wrote their own math problems down using money.  They have been working hard on their 'mini books' and some have completed this assignment. Ask your child what their pet book is about.  Friday - no school.  Monday - no school - PD day. 

 Today is 'International Pet Day.' They organized a story board using this idea. Ask your child what they wrote about. They could have included their own pets or a pet they hope to have one day. We learned about how much animals understand people in Science today.  In Math they learned how to convert fractions into decimals. We will be having a pop quiz on Friday. I will send this home.  Speling words:  Red: wash, clean, make, bake, take Blue: planting, point, form, stem, flowering Green: absorbed, decimal, energetic, released, knowledge

 We loved learning from our peers today and their traditions and importance of Ramadan. We learned that Ramadan is a time to be thankful and to show appreciation. I read them an interesting book called " The Proudest Blue". Afterwards, we learned about the patters and symmetrical tiles that are used inside of mosques. We then used graph paper to create patterns that were symmetrical, using a ruler. We loved using math and art to create the design.  They worked on their games this afternoon. Many of them are making complex board games out of shoe boxes and paper. Some students taught their physed game today during gym time. They were so fun and it was great to see some students be the 'teacher'.  This afternoon we worked with an artist in residency! Ask your child what we did! Spelling words Red: class, staff, pass, fast, last Blue: Ramadan, include, provide, success, improve Green: Ramadan, inclusive, successful, absorbing, carbon dioxide

 We love to play games in our classroom - board games, tag games, card games, math games, art games..you get the point. So what better way to spend a Friday than creating our own games! Today they independently wrote and drew a plan to make any type of game of their choice. They can bring in supplies from home on Monday to use. Ask your child what they came up with and help them explore further ideas to make it great! We will be trying out everyones games next week.  If they wish to work with a partner and combine their ideas, they can do that next week too.  Have a great weekend. 

With the new season of Spring arriving, we have started our new Science unit: Plant Growth and Changes. So far we have learned the basic needs of plants: light, water, air and space. We also have learned what leaves and roots are used for. With this new season we have started to see changes within the environment outside. Our class has been enjoying mindful walks of getting fresh air, as well as using our senses to notice the new season.  In math we have been solving tricky number puzzles! They have also been working on division the past couple of days.  We finished the cards for Mrs. Paolini's family today. Everyone did such a great job and really thought of meaningful messages for them.  In Language Art we worked on reading comprehension. The reading piece was on different landforms. 

This morning they wrote about their Spring break! We then sat in a circle and shared a few special things we did. These writing pieces are in their backpacks to share with you!  In Math today we worked on showing fractions through equal pictures. They also completed division and multiplication equations.  Today they created Spring flowers using pastels. I will be laminating these for book marks. We have been asked by Mrs. Paolini's husband to create bright, beautiful cards for her celebration of life. We practiced the flowers today and will be completing the cards this week.  In Social Studies we learned about multiculturalism in Alberta. We broke down the word to really understand what multiculturalism meant and why it is so important within Canada. They answered the questions: What is multiculturalism? Why is Alberta a multicultural society? How can we make sure all cultures are respected and supported? Our spelling words will be the same as the week before Spring break.  Red: fa

 We had a busy day today! We even had a special visitor (Miss Kim!) teach us how to make an origami shamrock. Enjoy the pictures! 

Today in Social Studies we learned, drew and wrote about compasses. They each drew their own compass rose using a guided drawing. Ask your child how a compass works! In Science we did a very tricky cross word puzzle! We will continue to work on these tomorrow.  Tomorrow we will be doing the video of our poem. The link will then be put on our blog when the full school video is made.  Words this week: Red: fan, man, tan, can, pan Blue: search, word, courage, dice, graphing Green: musician, quietly, performance, winding, characteristic  3 days until Spring break! 

 We have kicked off our Jump Rope for Heart campaign at school.  If you are interested in supporting the Heart and Stroke Foundation go to,  www.jumpropeforheart.ca  to register and begin fundraising!

 Please remember to sign up for a parent teacher interview on Thursday or Friday. You can do this though your powerschool account. If you are having issues with this, please call the office and they can book you in.  In math we have been learning about representing one quarter, one half, three quarters, two thirds and one thirds. We have been using objects to show our understanding.  In Language Arts we have been working on comprehension and inferring.  Many students did their animal or country presentations today! Ask your child if they have gone. Some students had me show the class instead. 

 Today we worked on our country or animal poster. Many of them are doing such a great job and can't wait to show the class. Some students are being challenged to stay on task during this independent research time.  Please sign up a time for parent teacher interviews on Thursday or Friday. Each student shared one thing with me today that they would like me to tell you. :)  We are reading a classroom novel about windmills. A boy in Africa is trying to save his family from starvation by building his own windmill. We learned about how they create energy.  Spelling words Red: spring, bring, thing, sing, being Blue: senses, important, phrase, phone, photograph Green: fraudulent (thanks Emmanuel for the great word!), ecosystem, paraphrase, photographing, pyramid

We started off our morning by completing multiplication facts (double to dingle digit). They are really getting the hang of it!  We learned about fossils in Alberta! They answered these questions in their science books: 1.) Why are fossils found in Alberta? 2.) Where are most of the fossils found in Alberta? 3.) What is the name of Alberta's famous fossil museum?  Alberta is famous for dinosaur bones! This is a great conversation to have at home with your kids. A day trip to Tyrell Museum would be awesome too.  Have a great weekend! 

 We represented fractions through groups of painted dots. 

 Today we learned about photosynthesis and drew a diagram explaining this process. With looking at this picture, have your child describe photosynthesis to you.  In Science we also learned about plastic. What is made of plastic? Why do we use plastic? What are some of the negative and positive things about plastic? How is it made? We watched a "Mystery Doug" on the subject afterwards.  In the afternoon they started a mini research project. They were allowed to research any country or any animal. I am not sure they have ever been so quiet! They seemed to really enjoy finding facts and pictures on their topic. Tomorrow they will be given a poster paper to complete their project. Ask your child what they learned.  We had a practice lockdown today. Everyone did a great job. 

 This morning we started with morning math. They worked on double digit by single digit multiplication. I have sent them home with their basic facts quiz. They only have 4 minutes to complete this quiz every month. For some, this can be really difficult to solve them on the spot! I asked them to practice and memorize these facts at home. They can use a timer if they wish. This is the only type of math I do that is timed.  We also worked on shading fractions today.  In the afternoon we finished our movie 'Wall-e'.  To end the day they learned about waste disposal. Some key words they learned were: waste management, waste disposal sites, sanitary landfill, and landfill sites.  Spelling words Red: glad, give, just, job, dig Blue: measuring, season, fraction, safety, picnic Green: librarian, introduction, developed, opponent, athletic 

     We started the movie "Wall-e" today after earning a full rock jar for excellent attitudes. We will continue the movie on Monday. Feel free to bring popcorn if you wish. No stuffies on Monday, since we did that today.         We had a great time creating maps of Alberta, using water colour. We showed our understanding of the different regions by separating each with a different colour. We hope enjoy the pictures.      During the assembly today we showed off our classroom book. "If I have a Dream, inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr."

 We started our day with doing some writing around pink shirt day. We had some great conversations today around bullies and how they are often coming to school with an 'empty bucket.' We realize that we do not have any bullies in our classroom, but to always tell someone you trust when you see hurtful behaviour.  In Math today we started learning about fractions. They completed some math work around this and all did a great job! They learned that a fraction shows a part of a whole. Ask them to show you a fraction with the numerator and denominator expressed.  At the end of the day we gave each other compliments on a pink sheet. These are coming home and hopefully can go up somewhere in the house! This is a reminder of how awesome each of them are. How we treat others is a direct reflection of how we feel about ourselves.

 Today is "two's day!" Tuesday, 02, 22, 2022. Each student created their own posters that represented these numbers. I have sent them home today, and they are excited to have this conversation with their family.  This morning most of them finished their cabin stories. Some students enjoyed reading them to the class. I will be showing these at teacher conferences.  In Science today, we made diagrams in our science notebooks on the ecosystem.  In the afternoon we did a book review. They decided on the book they would use. They looked for text features such as: table of contents, heading, photographs, illustrations, diagrams, labels and glossary.  We made a class poster about our families. I loved learning about all of their siblings and animals too!  Spelling words Red: try, cry, warm, cold, chill Blue: herself, himself, themselves, building, different Green: declarative, narrative, statement, suggestion, permanent  Tomorrow is pink shirt day to raise awareness of anti-bull

 Today we learned about how to write a simple paragraph. We learned that it is just like a hamburger! The top bun is the topic sentence, the lettuce, tomato and burger are the reasons and supporting detail. Lastly, the conclusion sentence in the bottom bun. Everyone was able to write a paragraph with following this plan. Ask your child to write a paragraph for you!  In math, they are all working hard to complete double digit by one digit multiplication equations. They could practice 5 questions at home each day to help gain this skill!  In Science today they learned that soil is alive! There is a whole world of living creatures that live beneath our feet! They also read and answered questions about how soil supports living things.  For Black History month, we learned about Wilma Rudolph! Ask your child who she is and all she accomplished. We also learned about  Tommie Smith and John Carlos’s 1968 US national anthem protest. You can watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

We had a fun and busy day! We learned all about why our heart pumps blood and how we can care for this important organ. They made a book following a 'mystery Doug' video. Please check in their backpack and they can explain it to you. They learned how to count their heart beat and how it goes faster when they are doing exercise. We went for a walk to get our hearts going.  They created a heart mosaic. Some students are not quite done but can finish tomorrow.  We do not have spelling words this week.  Thursday and Friday- no school.  Monday the 21st - no school (family day). 

 We had a very busy, productive Wednesday! Here are some picture of what we have been doing in our classroom.  Social Studies - learning about fact versus opinion. We learned about parks in Alberta and decided if sentences were fact or opinion. They also made their example of each (see below).  Math - We have been learning how to find the area and perimeter of shapes that are NOT squares and rectangles..very tricky! Ask your child to show you at home. They played a game today that is similar to battle ship. They had to follow the coordinates on a grid and the calculate the area and perimeter. The person with the highest number wins! Science - Learned about the ecosystem by writing vocabulary and organizing a chart.  Today we learned about the amazing Rosa Parks! Ask your child about her story..or you could listen together.  PREVIEW 10:40 Rosa Parks Story for Kids YouTube  · Bedtime History Jun 8, 2021 

February is Black History month. We have been listening and learning from the stories of brave people in history and today. Today we learned about the incredible story of Ruby Bridges!  "At the tender age of six, Ruby Bridges advanced the cause of civil rights in November 1960 when she became  the first African American student to integrate an elementary school in the South . ... the Board of Education of Topeka Kansas, which ended racial segregation in public schools." The students and I loved hearing about this brave little girl and felt inspired by her story. Ruby Bridges is now 67 years old and continues to make a difference in the world. 

Today in science they learned about producers, consumers and decomposers. Ask your child what the difference is between all of them. They read a science article about them and answered questions in pairs.  We had silent writing time today. They were allowed to write about anything they wanted! Some students wrote 4 pages!  Spelling words: Red: care, share, friend, work, goal Blue: stories, friendships, honesty, object, material Green: consumer, producer, decomposer, appreciate, conquer  No school February 17-21 (teacher's convention).  Classes will resume on February 22.

Parents – just a reminder that our  patrollers  are on duty each morning in rain, snow, and fine weather (We do not patrol on blue days).  Could you please wait until they call, ‘Point, double-check, and proceed,’ before making your way  between  the pylons and safely across the street.       Patroller schedules were sent home today! Please ensure your children are familiar with their day and time. We are only doing morning patrols for now. Please arrive at 7:45 am, get ready, be on the crosswalk with your team at 7:50 am. Shifts end just after 8:00 then students will head to class. Subs should also be on time in case they are needed!     Please also be aware of our parking guidelines.   They are:   -no parking for any length of time in the bus zone!    -no parking within 5 metres of a stop sign or cross walk or corner of 2 streets (Tell them they should be able to take 5 large steps between their vehicle and any of these)    -stay out of the staff parking lot     Thank you as well to