Merry Christmas

As I am just about to board the plane to spend the holidays with my family in Germany, I thought I would post a couple of pictures to show you some of the great things our class was up to in these last three weeks. December at Ruth King came and went by so fast that I didn't get the chance to post on my blog every week. There was just too much to do .... my apologies! But I do hope that you enjoy this quick review of some of the highlights in our classroom.

As you can see from the picture above, the bottom of our beautiful classroom tree filled up very quickly with gifts and everyone was very excited for our gift exchange on the last day of school. But before that we enjoyed an amazing Winter Concert, where our class was able to showcase its great musical talent! Wow, what a wonderful show it was and I was very proud of our boys and girls, who demonstrated good role modelling to our younger students, even though they were quite excited and a little nervous themselves.

Spirit Days are always a hit in our classroom and we all were very excited about Pajama Day with an afternoon movie in the gym.

We also had two days of snow, even though some of us would have liked to see some more, we enjoyed the distraction. Lots of singing in the classroom and several art activities made the days go by very quickly.

We spent quite a bit of time with our little buddies in Ms. Walker's class this month, but my favourite one was definitely the day we went swimming to the Commonwealth Pool and then finished the day with a Christmas Party with our little buddies! It was so much fun and again, everyone demonstrated some good leadership and mentoring of our younger friends. Then finally the much anticipated last day of school arrived and all of the Division 4 students participated in a very special classroom meeting. We discussed the true meaning of giving, generosity and kindness. Then we proceeded to open the gifts from our Secret Santa...one by one each student opened their gift and the class watched in a supportive and very caring manner. It was very touching to see that everyone put a lot of thought into their gift and it was quite amazing to see some of the reactions of the recipients, who were so delighted and grateful. There was definitely a little bit of magic in the air...see for yourselves:





With these beautiful smiles I will sign off, wishing you and your loved ones all the best for the holiday season! Merry Christmas and I will see you in 2014!

Of Cowboys and Elves



This has been a very eventful couple of weeks at Ruth King and all of the boys and girls in Division 4 have been working hard to finish the first term with a bang! Report cards were sent home on Friday, and we are now onto Term 2 with only three weeks left until the winter break.
As you can see, we enjoyed Cowboy/Cowgirl Day on Wednesday and celebrated the final Movember Wednesday. A big shout out to Ms. Walker and her team of leaders for an incredible successful fundraising towards men's' health. More than $200 were raised!!

In Math, we continue with our multiplication timestable and we have now learned x1, x2, x3, x4, x5, x10 and all of the doubles. The students enjoy the daily quick mental math drills in the morning and improved on their written output as well. Continue to quiz your child in the car or while cooking dinner. Games are a wonderful way to integrate math in your daily lives and at the same time connect with your child. This month, our class learns Yahtzee, an excellent game to practice addition and multiplication. Every month I will introduce another math game to the kids. Stay tuned and ask your son or daughter to teach you the game of the month!! Please note that there will be a math quiz on Wednesday, December 4.

In Science, students were able to share what they had learned about clouds at last week's science quiz. By the way, I invited a fantastic guest speaker to our classroom in January, who will talk to the children about forecasting and weather reporting on television. Some of us might even be on TV!! More about it in my next blog!
It was wonderful to meet so many families at our parent teacher night last week. I enjoyed all of the conversations and feel so lucky to work in such a great community with so many caring and supportive families. If I haven't met you yet, please feel free to drop by or send me an email, so we can set up a time to meet.
I will leave you with some very creative elves to ring in the holiday season! Happy December! Enjoy spending time with your family, friends and most importantly... your children! Don't let the pressures of Christmas overwhelm you! Take care.

 



Heart Maps

 Our focus this week has been on developing ideas in writing through HEART MAPS. Over the course of several days, students were asked to brainstorm personal characteristics, values, interests and emotions that populate their hearts and that make each of us unique and different. They then were asked to select about 15 of the most powerful "pieces of their heart" and design a heart map. The results are absolutely beautiful and are a testimony of our students' creative minds and their boundless potential as writers.

On Thursday, we enjoyed a presentation of the BC Sustainable Energy Association on Climate Change and are encouraging families to participate in the Climate Change Showdown. All students have been taking home a booklet to be filled out by the family and returned to the school in a month. We will then be able to enter in a contest. More information about this can be found HERE.

Please remember that this is another short week. There will be a ProD day on Friday and Thursday is an early dismissal day. Students will be dismissed at 11:15 am and Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled in the afternoon. All of the confirmations with interview times have been sent home on Friday. The schedule will also be posted outside the classroom door. Hope you all have a wonderful week!





Focus on Math



Our focus this month is on Math and getting every student of Division 4 started on building a strong foundation for the multiplication basic facts. Together we are building an extra large multiplication times table in the classroom and we learn different strategies for multiplying two numbers. By using flashcards, students are practicing their "anchor" facts, including x1, x2, x10 and review doubles. Always remember to connect the multiplication facts to everyday life, i.e. 3x8 crayons in a box; or 2x6 eggs in a carton. If you would like to reinforce the multiplication basic facts at home, please feel free to print out the flashcard sheets, cut them into cards and write the correct answers on the back. These cards are a great way to practice multiplication at home or on the go! Practice makes perfect!
In Language we started a unit on developing stronger ideas as writers. Last week we discussed heart maps and started brainstorming ideas for our heart maps that included our values, our fears, our emotions, our personality, our insecurities and the way we perceived the world around us. Each student came up with forty items to be included in their own heart maps and I was amazed by their insight and thoughtful contributions! I love helping students to stretch their minds as writers! Can't wait to show off the heart maps we created in my next post.
On Friday we participated in our school's Remembrance Day Assembly, and I was proud of my students as we performed a rendition of the peace song "Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream" together with our little buddies from Division 8. What a moving performance! Thank you so much to Amanda's mom and Zac's mom, who both volunteered in our classroom this week! We love seeing parents and always invite them to help us learn!



Halloween Fun

What a fantastic, fun-filled week we had to celebrate Halloween and continue to settle into the new routines and responsibilities of an intermediate classroom! I am proud of our students, can already see some tremendous progress and am amazed by our students' commitment to stretch their minds and embrace new learning opportunities.

Thanks so much to those families, who provided some healthy and very delicious treats for our Halloween party with our little buddies on Thursday. It was great to see so many vegetable trays and fruit platters, which kept the "sugar highs" to a minimum ;) We all had fun at the party and enjoyed spending time with our little buddies from Division 8. A special thank you to Jacob, who helped Ms. Walker with the clean-up and showed some excellent leadership!

 

In other news, in Math we will focus our attention to MULTIPLICATION and the recall of basic multiplication facts. This is an extremely important skill, which will be critical to ensure success in math in higher grades. It is crucial to support this learning goal through regular practice at home. Flash cards and drill sheets will be sent home and I encourage you to spend 10-15 minutes each night with your child and practice the facts we are working on - similar to the spelling words you are practicing at home. Each week on Monday, I will administer a quick quiz to assess the progress. Extra blackline masters for the flashcards will also be available on this blog. Watch for a link on the top of the page. Of course you can also use the flashcards, which are available in retail (dollar stores or Walmart).

Our class will be performing a song at the upcoming Remembrance Day Assembly on Friday, November 8 at 11 am. If you are free, please consider joining us in the gym.

As always, I thank you very much for your support and hope you enjoy these glorious autumn days!

 





You Create Your Own Experience!

Fall is here and as you can see, our students did a great job creating some art work for the Halloween Dance last Tuesday, sponsored by the PAC. This was a much anticipated event and many boys and girls from Division 4 went to dance the evening away and have fun showing off their Halloween costumes.

In Math, we worked on subtracting 3-digit and 4-digit numbers (with borrowing) and we will have a Math quiz this coming Tuesday, October 29. Also, we started learning the multiplication facts 1-10 by using simple drills and rhythmic games, which help to memorize these basic facts that will be so important to know as students move on to higher grades. We started this week by learning the doubles. 1x1, 2x2, 3x3 etc. Please make sure to review these facts at home and remind your child that we will have a Quick Quiz about the multiplication facts EVERY Monday. I will test five facts each time. We will also use card games to reinforce this learning goal and I will send some information home about this within the next few days.

In Social Studies, we started our unit on mapping and we will be looking at a map of Canada and identify provinces, major cities and other geographical landmarks.

The interim report has been sent home last week and if you have not done already, please make sure to return the slip at the bottom of the report to the school, so that I know that you had a chance to discuss it with your child.

In our weekly classroom meeting we explored the idea of "You create your own experience" and how this applies to our students' experiences as learners, friends and family members. This concept helps kids to gain a better understanding of their responsibilities as a learner and citizen, take charge, accept consequences, gain self esteem and rely less readily on others.

Last but not least, I want to share a blast from the past! It has been three years since I made apple sauce... then with my Grade 6 students, whose little buddies were Ms. Walker's Grade 1 kids. Recognize two of these lovely kids?? Time sure flies when you are having fun!







Apple Day With Our Little Buddies

This week's highlight was definitely Apple Day on Thursday, when we joined our Little Buddies in Division 8 once again to help them learn about apples, draw apples, count seeds, chart different colours of apples, and prepare apples for apple sauce. Everyone enjoyed seeing their little buddy again and being a friend and mentor to our younger students, and I could not have been more proud of the boys and girls of Division 4. Well done everyone; the apple sauce turned out very well and together with the vanilla ice cream we enjoyed a yummy treat at the end of the day!

 On Thursday, we also participated in a province wide Shake Out Drill as part of our earthquake preparedness program. All of the students of Division 4 took this important drill very seriously and were able to follow instruction and evacuate the building in a timely manner. Good job everyone!
In Math, we are moving on to a new unit that reviews adding and subtracting of 3-digit and 4-digit numbers. I am planning to give a second quiz on Tuesday, October 29th. Please remind your son or daughter to review their notes and assignments prior to the quiz. I will also add some links to online resources and math games, which might be helpful to your child as well as you in support of their learning. Please check back frequently as I will be posting more great links on this blog that will help with homework and practice at home!



The students of Division 4 wrote a Turkey Diary this week, in which they reflected on a turkey's experiences in the days following Thanksgiving. There were some pretty humorous and insightful writing pieces, and I thought you might enjoy an excerpt of Fraser's Diary of a Turkey:
DAY 1 - Saturday, October 12
I am so scared. Today is the day the farmer picks his best turkey. I am trying to look my worst. Oh, oh, here comes the farmer... Oh no! He picked...ME!!!! No, no ,no this can't happen! HELP!! SOS! SAAVE MEEE!
DAY 2 - Sunday, October 13
Ewwww, these dirty dishes smell! Sitting on the counter is not pleasant. I am tight to the cutting board and the farmer is going to be here any minute with his carving knife. Wait a minute.... almost got it... I'm free! Have to run and hide!
DAY 3 - ...
DAY 4 - ...
Day 5 - Thursday, October 16
I feel bad for the farmer. No turkey on Thanksgiving! I 'm going to bring him a chicken instead. I found the fattest chicken. (...) I dropped the chicken on the porch and watched as he opened the door. He took the chicken and said, "Thanks, mystery person!'.



Not bad for a grade 4 student, isn't it?

 



Happy Thanksgiving!



Wishing you and your families a very happy Thanksgiving weekend with all of the gifts that this beautiful season has in store for you. After a busy week at school, I enjoy this gorgeous crisp weather this weekend, and I hope you got outside to burn off those turkey dinners as well:)
What a great week it has been for Division 4! We are really starting to get into our routines and our students are becoming more familiar with the new expectations in grade 4. Please look out for the interim report card, which will be sent home by the end of this coming week. It will provide families with a quick glimpse of their child's assessment with regards to work habits, behaviour and effort.
This week, our students completed their short essays about their name, which they wrote based on the interviews they conducted with family members. We also created some cool name art, which can be admired on the bulletin board outside of our classroom.

 

In Math, we wrote our first quiz on Thursday and all of the students did very well, demonstrating their learning of our first unit on large numbers to 10,000 and estimating sums and differences. I can tell that many of them studied prior to the quiz and that they are starting to develop some strong study skills, which will benefit them throughout their school years.
In Science, we continued to learn about weather and we started a Weather Watcher activity, which includes a daily weather report that students complete independently each morning. Our boys and girls have demonstrated some interest in world geography and we have already explored the location of our continent and some countries. I love geography and am pleased to see some interest in this exciting topic. Next week, I hope to begin a Social Studies unit on mapping. Let's keep going and continue this exciting learning journey together!

 

 



Starry Night

This week we started our Science unit on weather and were inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's famous painting Starry Night to learn how weather conditions can be reflected in art work. We took the opportunity to learn more about Van Gogh about an innovative Impressionist artist, who was misunderstood by the society of his times. Our Division 4 students enthusiastically created their interpretation of Starry Night and drew some beautiful oil pastel pictures. Here are three neat facts about Vincent Van Gogh:

He did over 2000 paintings and drawings in 10 years but he only ever sold one!

Most people think that he cut his whole ear off but it was just the lobe!

His famous painting The Starry Night has all the stars in the correct spot in the sky!

In Math, we started a unit on rounding large numbers (100s and 1000s) and estimating sums and differences. Mental math, guessing the solutions, is a very important skill that will help students to develop a strong number sense and quickly estimate answers. This learning outcome will be a focus of our Math Program this year. Our first math quiz is scheduled for the end of this week, probably Thursday or Friday, and students are reminded to review their notes at home. Practice sheets will be sent home one day prior to the quiz.

I am very impressed with the reading practices of most of our students. Keep it up and do not forget to submit the Home Reading sheets that have been sent home! In Language Arts, we read one of my favourite children's books Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. We started some research on our names and students have interviewed their parents about their names. I hope this sparked some fun conversations and I am looking forward to the kid's "name essays" next week. As always, new spelling words are sent home on Monday and we will have a quiz on Friday. Some kids are working on ten words, others are tested on twenty words.

Keep reading, keep running and keep smiling!



 

Welcome to Grade 4!



It's hard to believe, but we are well on our way into a new school year and have (almost) survived the first month! I feel so lucky to be teaching all the boys and girls of Division 4 this year and we have already created a very caring and supportive community, in which we will continue to grow and learn throughout the year! All of my grade 4 students are excited to be part of the intermediate grades now and they are eager to become strong role models and leaders in our wonderful school. I am truly thrilled to be part of their journey and ... to be back at this amazing school community, where kindness is a top priority! Ruth King really R.O.C.K.S.!

I am also very much looking forward to be working with such an active and supportive parent community; I know that many of our PAC parents are parents of the students in my class. Already, it has been great meeting many parents and guardians at Meet The Teacher Night and every day in the classroom, and I hope that this blog will help foster communication between the classroom and the home. Please bookmark this page and check in frequently as I will attempt to update this blog weekly and include dates of important events and other reminders that might be of interest to you. This blog also provides opportunity to celebrate your child's learning, and for you, to provide feedback. I always welcome comments, which you can post after each one of my posts, or you can send me an email at kvanderleeden@sd62.bc.ca.

The first few weeks have gone by quickly and we are still spending time to get to know each other, learning new routines and most importantly understanding my ONLY rule...the Golden Rule. If you get a chance, please ask your child about it!

We also met our little buddies, the grade 1/2 students from Ms. Walker's class, who will join us in many fun activities throughout the year. In October, we will start our Reading Buddies Program with Ms. Walker's class. More about it in one of my next posts! Speaking of reading: We have launched our Home Reading Program and forms have been sent home. As in previous years, ribbons, certificates and prizes will be given to students, who read regularly at home. As I keep telling my students: Good readers become good thinkers and good writers!

We also started our spelling program last week and parents can expect new spelling words to come home on Mondays. The weekly test is scheduled for Fridays, which gives students time to practice their words during the week. Last week's test went very well for most kids and we had many perfect scores of 20/20.
In Math, we are starting to look at large numbers up to 10 000 and this week, I will administer a pre-assessment to find out about strengths and needs in Math. We will spend a lot of time on a rigorous Math Program to prepare students for the upper intermediate grades and give them a strong foundation for middle school. Stay tuned for more information, tips, and ways to support your child in Math at home!
Take care for now and let's hope for a sunny week ahead!