Week 21

Dear parents and students,

Semester 2 has started off in fine style, with Literacy Week adding an element of fun and novelty to our daily routines. Literacy is always a focal point in class, but this week we emphasized the many facets of literacy, and how important literacy is in all subjects.

Our Reading and Writing Workshop this week included two contests: a Door Decoration Contest, and a Alternate Book Cover Design. Awards were given out at the assembly today, along with awards for our Book Promotion project that we have been working on for the past few weeks.

The Door Decoration Contest was held school-wide. Each class decorated its door, and the doors were judged by a panel of experts. Congratulations to the winners, Grades Pre-K, 1S and 5. Although we didn’t win, I was very pleased with the group effort that went into decorating our door. Everyone participated, and the entire class was represented on our door.

Winners for the Alternate Book Cover are Hannah, Bill, and Momoko, and the winners for the Book Promotion Project are Moe, Hannah, and Ayden. Pictures of the winners are included below, along with the Students of the Week for December and January.

In Science, we have been studying rapid surface changes on Earth, including volcanoes, landslides and earthquakes. As we further our investigations, we are creating Earth Science Booklets, which will contain all of the important facts and illustrations required for a comprehensive understanding of our planet and the way it changes over time. We also performed a Readers’ Theatre play about John Wesley Powell and his expeditions along the Grand Canyon.

In Maths, we completed a topic test on Monday, and then on Tuesday, we began Topic 12, which introduces decimals, and how they relate to fractions and mixed numbers. We will continue with decimals next week, with another topic test to take place on Wednesday.

It has been an outstanding week, full of  activity and creativity. Next week will be “back to normal”, before we celebrate Chinese Week, beginning on February 9.

Enjoy your weekend, and see you all on Monday!

Dates to Remember:

·       Mon, February 2        – Spelling Test List 16

·       Tue, February 3          – Reading Skills Test 3.3

·       Wed, February 4         – Maths Test – Topic 12

·       Mon, February 9-13   – Chinese Week

·       Wed, February 11       – Dress in Red

·       Fri, February 13          – Valentine’s Day

Students of the Week: December and January, and Literacy Week Award Winners:

Top: Moe, Maria, Antonio, Hannah, Bill, Momoko

Front: Abigail, Ayden, Shunta, Julia

Well done, everyone!