Kayaking Fun

Big things happening in Division 2!  First, we started the week off at an assembly where some kids read their poems and others' poems.  Eve read one of Logan's poems, Noah read one of Jack B's poems, Astrid read Isaiah's poem "Stereotypes," and Keegan, Audrey, and Danny read their own. They were impressive! 

Just a reminder that Wednesday is our kayaking trip!  Thank you to all the parents who have volunteered to drive us and to the PAC for helping fund us!  Be at school at 8:15 please. 

Another field trip form went home today about Playland next Friday.  The form and money are due on Friday.  Also coming up will be a field trip form for Stepping Up for the Gr. 7s.  Stepping Up will be at 9:30am Tuesday, June 28th.  We are so proud of our Grade 7s!  

I forgot to take the homework photo this afternoon, but I will add it to the post tomorrow. 

Mrs. Soper & Miss Kelly

The End is Near

Friday marked our final day with Ms. Raino.  Thank you to all the parents who brought in treats for our party, and who contributed to Ms. Raino's gift.  A special thank you to Jessica and her mom too, as they organised the gift and card.  Finally, a big congratulations to Ms. Raino.  She is an amazing teacher and we hope to see her at General Wolfe again in the future.

One of the great things that the kids did with Ms. Raino was create a class zine (poetry anthology). The students explored various types of poetry and spoken word as readers, and writers.  Every year I am impressed by the students' poetry, but this year was even more impressive.  Ms. Raino and the students built on the topics we explored during our Inquiry Project and focused their poems on issues around Social Justice.  Their work is stunning!  If you haven't seen it yet, get your hands on a copy.  The students are so proud of their work that a number of students have volunteered to share their poems with the school during the assembly on June 13th.  

As you may know, Division 2 and 4 (Ms. Walker) were involved in a project with SetBC that enabled us to use 7 laptops in our classroom this year.  It was a fantastic inquiry into the use of Google Apps and Extensions in the classroom.  We focused on Readability and Summarize this as neither required student email addresses and sign ins.  Almost all the students found them helpful for non-fiction research and many of them have started using them on a regular basis.  Please encourage your child to show you those apps and keep your eyes out for others that might be helpful too!  SetBC wrote a nice article sharing our learning:

SetBC Inquiry at General Wolfe

In the classroom, we are starting a few new units to end the term.  In science, we are looking at rocks; in HACE we are creating a "bucket list" for our summer; and in L.A. we are looking at things we can do as a class to address some of the serious topics we have been looking at this term.  There are also a ton of field trips, assemblies, and other fun stuff coming up.  Check out the calendar for dates.

Spring Has Sprung

Congratulations to all band, jazz band, choir, and pop choir members.  I think that was the most creative, and dynamic Spring Concert ever.  Well done to all the participants.

This is a big week as we see Ms. Raino's time with us coming to an end.  We were so impressed with the HACE presentations on drugs and alcohol.  The students' researching skills have really improved since September.  Just a reminder of the science test tomorrow on Chapter 9.  It should be pretty straight forward.  French projects are due on Wednesday.  Groups have been preparing and researching for weeks.  We can't wait to learn about French cultures around the world.

Just a reminder that the District Track Meet is Thursday and the Ultimate Team is away Friday for a tournament.  Friday is also Ms. Raino's last day.  She has done a tremendous job in Division 2 this year.  Her units, lessons, and projects have been creative and well designed, and her sense of humour and kindness has made her an asset to the classroom and a real part of our class.  We have been very lucky to have her!

Please note some upcoming dates:
June 15 - Kayaking (Field Trip Form due this Friday)
June 17 - Talent Show
June 24 - Playland
June 28 - Stepping Up for  Grade 7s
June 29 - Last Day of School for Students

Mrs. Soper, Miss Kelly, & Ms. Raino

Time to Buckle Down

First, I apologize for skipping last week's post.  The reminder in my phone ended and I didn't notice until today.  Crazy!  Things are back on track now. :) 

There are a lot of things on the go right now as the term and year winds down.  Please ensure you check the calendar and support your child as they work on their projects.  While we have had hours of class time to work on each assignment, kids will need to put some time finishing touches on at home. Feel free to email us if you have any questions.

Upcoming due dates:

Thursday, May 26 - 2 Good Copy Poems

Friday, May 27 - Novel Study Project Due - POSTPONED until June 3

Monday, May 30 - HACE Group Project Due

Tuesdsay, May 31 - Science Chapter 9 Test

Wednesday, June 1 - French Presentations

Friday, June 3 - Novel Study Project Due, Gr. 6 Social Studies, Ms. Raino's Last Day!  

Play Day

Hello Division Two!

Today was a fantastic day at the 5th Annual VSB First Peoples Festival!  We learned about many Coast Salish communities and participated in a very strong reenactment of the First Peoples' experience in Canada.  I was thrilled to be part of it.

Coming up this week:
Wednesday, May 11th - Play Day!  Bring toys, games, skateboards (&helmets), just nothing with batteries!
Friday, May 13 - Link Initiative from UBC are coming to speak about HIV/AIDs
Friday, May 13 - Humanitarian Club Spring Dance, entrance is $2 with proceeds going to charity.

For upcoming due dates, check out the calendar:

Here is a message from Ms. Raino:

Last Friday I invited Mr. Thomas, another UBC student teacher, to share a story from his nation with our class. Mr. Thomas is from the Secwepemc nation, currently known as the Shushwap Lake region, and we were very fortunate to have him share a sacred story with us. He is an excellent story teller and we were all captivated by his words. As Mr. Thomas said, it is a miracle that the stories of his people survived the Indian Act and Residential School era and were passed down to him through many generation before finally reaching our class. 

Ms. Raino, Miss Kelly, & Mrs. Soper

Wow!

We are so incredibly proud of Division 2!  After weeks of practice, they rocked the VSB Afternoon of Dance.  They were polished, clean, and professional and we couldn't be more proud.  Not only that, they were so good that they inspired a flash mob at the end!  Check out the video.  The actual performance video is too large to upload, but if you'd like your own copy, we are happy to upload it to a USB stick.

  

The Refugee Inquiry Project essay is due (finally!) on Tuesday.  Novel Study novels should be finished on Friday.  We are also very lucky to have been invited to the VSB's 5th Annual First Peoples Conference.  It's General Wolfe's first time attending.  It should be really interesting.  New units on the Earth's Crust, Poetry, and Egypt all start this week with Ms. Raino.  It's going to be a fun month.

Gettin' Funky

We are looking forward to getting funky at this week's Afternoon of Dance at Gladstone Secondary School on Wednesday afternoon!  The show starts at 1:00 pm and we encourage everyone to come.  Kids have been working hard and look really good.  We have asked that everyone wear black, with a hat and any kind of shoes that can be danced in (the funkier the better).  Look for a video of the dance on the blog next week!

Wednesday is also the due date for our Refugee essay.  Friday is the due date for Gr. 7 Social Studies assignment number 5.  The following week, our Independent Novel Study books should be finished on Friday as well.  

This past Thursday, Division 2 hosted an amazing science fair.  Students learned and taught each other about various forms of creating electricity.  Ms. Raino and I were especially impressed by the way our students were able to explain their projects to our Grade 2 buddy class.  They should be very proud!

Have a great week! 

Mrs. Soper, Miss Kelly, & Ms. Raino