Welcome Back!

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Posted by Mrs. Skwara | Posted in Our Posts | Posted on August 24, 2016

Welcome to Grade Four!

I hope to have a wonderful time together, learning and having a lot of fun along the way. Keep checking our blog in the coming days to see what events and activities are coming up.

Here is where you can always find information on classroom activities, extra-help tips, field trip information and fun photos of our classroom activities! 😉

Eeek! I am so excited for us to begin learning together!

Love,
Mrs. Skwara

June events

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Posted by Mrs. Skwara | Posted in Our Posts | Posted on June 6, 2016

It is hard to believe it is already June — well, except for this warm weather!

A few items to bring to your attention:

Thank you for  helping your child with his/her ‘Ordinary Albertan’ interview. The biographies are coming along quite nicely. If your child has not yet emailed a photo of their Albertan to themselves (or me) can you please help them do so before the end of this week? Mr. Mannix and I would like to begin putting the writing and photos together next week. We would like to recognize Banff Photography for helping with the project and thank them for offering us a generous discount and for their support organizing the books. We can’t wait to see the final results!

Did you see the grade four student news articles in last week’s Rocky Mountain Outlook? If not, please find yourself a copy an enjoy!

Upcoming field trips:

Tuesday, June 14

Bow Valley Provincial Park with Alberta Parks Interpreters

“Plant Growth and Change”

Parent Volunteers needed

(permission form will be sent home this week)

 

Thursday, June 16

Nature Explorers

“Native uses for plants”

Parents welcome

(will return to BES for lunch)

 

Wednesday, June 24

Aboriginal Day at The Banff Centre

Musical/Theatrical performance

12pm-230pm

(more information and permission form TBA)

 

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Have a wonderful week!

UPDATES

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Posted by Mrs. Skwara | Posted in Our Posts | Posted on May 3, 2016

Good afternoon, everyone.

A few updates and/or changes to make to my last post — May continues to be filled with surprises! 😉
Students were sent home with their Multiplication tests last Friday. All did very well and should be proud to show you their results.
We have begun our Multi-digit division unit. Many students find this one more challenging and I let them know that we would be taking our time practicing these new skills and strategies. If your child is struggling in the next few days, please encourage them to come to “Math Club” at noon this Wednesday. You will notice their homework often reinforces strategies beyond the traditional algorithms we learned as students. If at any time you have any questions, feel free to pop by my classroom and I would be more than happy to explain them to you, too! Also, you may check out the Math page on our classroom blog for more tips/games to help your child at home.
“The Big Race” for our Vehicles that Move has once again been rescheduled. Due to field trips and gym availability, it will now be held in the gym Monday, May 9th at 11:00am with Mr. Mannix’s class. If students are tweaking their cars at home, they will need to be returned to school that morning.
The time for our Kananaskis Outreach Plant Play has changed to 9am in the gym, Tuesday, May 24th
The time for our “Thankful Thursday” Music celebration has been changed to 1030am, Thursday, May 26th in the gym.
 
We still need one more parent volunteer to join us on our Banff Centre visit Tuesday, May 10th 1-3pm. This helps us ensure there is one adult with each group of students while in an artist’s studio. Please let me know if you can join us.
 
Wishing you a wonderful week.

Marvelous May Activities

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Posted by Mrs. Skwara | Posted in Our Posts | Posted on April 27, 2016

May is going to be a busy month for 4S students. Here is a brief outline of what we have planned in coming weeks:

Human sexuality lessons will begin Thursday, May 12th from 2-3pm and continue the following 3 Thursdays. All grade 4 girls will be learning with myself and Ms. VanImpe and the boys will be with Mr. Mannix. The gender separation allows for students to be more comfortable discussing and asking questions.

The date for ‘The Big Race’ for our Vehicles that Move project is still undecided. We would like to wait for Mr. Mannix’s class to complete their cars so we can do it together. I will let parents know as soon as a date is confirmed. That being said, tomorrow will be the final afternoon students will be working on their vehicles at school. Most will have completed their working cars by then, if not they may choose to “tweak” them at home.

Friday, April 29: Half Day for students; PD afternoon for teachers

Friday, May 6th: Dance in Schools Assembly @ 2pm BES Gym (parents welcome)

Tuesday, May 10th: 1-3pm Visit to Banff Centre. Parent volunteers needed.

Monday, May 16th: Class photo (sometime in the morning)

Tuesday, May 17th: Nature Explorers

Friday, May 20th: Full Day PD: No school all day

Monday, May 23rd: Victoria Day (no school)

Tuesday, May 24th: Kananaskis Outreach Plant Play 1030am in gym (parents welcome)

Wednesday, May 25: Track and Field Day

Thursday, May 26th: Thankful Thursday Music Celebration 11am in gym (parents invited)

Please let me know if you have any questions, concerns or even just want to come join us!

Looking forward to a marvelous May!

Under Construction: Vehicles that Move

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Posted by Mrs. Skwara | Posted in Our Posts | Posted on April 20, 2016

Vehicles that Move Project: FYI

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Posted by Mrs. Skwara | Posted in Our Posts | Posted on April 13, 2016

For our unit on Vehicles That Move in Science, the children need to construct a vehicle at school that moves on its own without being pushed or pulled (batteries, electrical or gas powered motors are also not allowed).  They will be demonstrating their creations to the class. Students are to have the materials they need to build their vehicle at school Monday, April 18. Parents are welcome to join us in the classroom next Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday at 2pm to help out.

Some popular choices in the past have been vehicles powered by balloons, rubber bands or mousetraps. However, students may choose to explore other propulsion methods. A quick Google search will show you many styles and ideas.

Once built, students will need to be prepared to share the following facts with the class:

  • How was it made?
  • What materials were used?
  • How does it move?
  • What design changes were needed to make the car move?
  • What devices help control the vehicle?

We will have the Big Race sometime during the last week of April in the BES gym.

Remember, if you don’t succeed, try, try again!

Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this project.  We are looking forward to the race.

Welcome Back

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Posted by Mrs. Skwara | Posted in Our Posts | Posted on April 11, 2016

CB5140WVEAAMoOT1 Welcome back, everyone!

It is hard to believe it is already mid-April.

We have a lot going on in the coming months, so I thought I would post a little “snapshot” of what’s to come:

 

Friday, April 22nd: Earth Day Celebration in BES gym 1030-1130am. Parents welcome 🙂

Friday, May 6th: Dance in Schools performance for parents (time TBA)

Monday, May 9th: New Crits on the Block. Studio visits with Banff Centre artists-in-residence. (*This may change to Friday, May 13th… I will confirm)

Tuesday, May 17th: Nature Explorers (Plants)

Friday, May 20th : Full day PD. No school for students.

Wednesday, May 25th: Division 2 Track and Field Day

Tuesday, June 14th: Plant Study with Alberta Parks in Bow Valley Park (Full Day Field trip)

Thursday, June 16th: Nature Explorers (Native uses of plants)

As always permission forms will be sent home for any field trip beyond Nature Explorers or a short walking one. We will be looking for parents to join us at Bow Valley Park and the Banff Centre. Grade four students will also be presented with the Human Sexuality (puberty) curriculum next month. Details of the subject matter to be covered will be sent home along with a permission form, soon.

Here’s to hitting the ground running, learning together and enjoying this beautiful Spring weather! 🙂

 

 

 

Math Page has been Updated

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Posted by Mrs. Skwara | Posted in Our Posts | Posted on April 8, 2016

For tips and ideas for supporting your child’s mathematical  learning at home, please check out the “Math” page. It has been updated to reflect our upcoming unit on multi-digit multiplication.

NO Math Homework tonight

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Posted by Mrs. Skwara | Posted in Our Posts | Posted on March 23, 2016

If your child is telling you there is no math homework tonight, they are telling the truth 😉 Of course, 20 minutes of reading is always a good idea.

Students who are rewriting the multiplication/division test tomorrow should review.

What’s new in 4S

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Posted by Mrs. Skwara | Posted in Our Posts | Posted on March 22, 2016

Students have finished many projects in the past week or two. Stay tuned for photos of all of our finished products.

I am currently attempting to upload the videos of our Rube Goldberg Machines as well as our student created book trailers. My hope is to have them posted for parents to enjoy by the end of this week.

Please stop by the school and take a peek at our hand sewn par flèches. They are now on display in the cabinet near the RFTS office.

Math re-test (multiplication/division facts) is this Thursday morning. Students have had several opportunities to practice with me over the lunch hour in Math Club. They should also be reviewing at home with parents.

Spring break is so close! Hang in there! 😉

 

 

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