Week 32

Dear parents and students,

I would, first of all, like to thank and congratulate everyone for the huge success of our collective fundraisers to help supply water to the millions around the world who are in short supply. We raised far more than our original goal, which goes to show how much can be achieved when a community works together.

On Wednesday, we held our first ever school bazaar, in which we all had a great time while raising even more money for water. Some pictures are included below this post, and some more will be posted next week.

In Maths, we have continued our study of data and graphs, including a task in which we have each designed a picture, and written a code of coordinated pairs which, when followed, will allow a partner to recreate the picture. Cracking the code is one of this weekend’s homework assignments. I am looking forward to seeing all of the completed results on Monday.

We have also learned about one-point perspective Art this week. We will continue to learn about this technique, and some of the finished pieces might find themselves on display at the upcoming Art Exhibition, on Tuesday, 26^th May. More details about the Art Exhibition will be made available soon.

We returned to our Reading Circles this week, and I am very pleased with how everyone is learning how to find the deeper meanings and structures of the stories we are reading. Some students had some very interesting and perceptive insights to the community we read about in Sing to the Stars.

Our improved reading techniques seem to have also had a positive effect on our research skills. We have returned to studying the American Midwest in Social Studies this week, and I have been impressed with the improvement in not only locating information in our text book, but in applying critical thinking skills when contemplating the questions posed about what we are learning.

We finished the week with our field trip to the National Museum of Natural Science, where we encountered numerous displays and interactive activities related to what we have been learning this year. Our tour guide told me that she was quite impressed with the knowledge of the students, particularly in regards to the interdependence of plants and animals. Well done, everyone!

Next week, we will be doing some practice tests in preparation for the Iowa tests to take place the following week. This will allow us to become used to the style of testing done, and to discuss any questions regarding the formatting and wording of the tests.  We will also have a Maths Topic Test on Thursday, along with our usual Spelling test on Monday.

I hope you all enjoy your weekend, and I’ll see you all on Monday!

Dates to Remember:

·      Mon, May 4^th  – Spelling Test

·      Thu, May 7^th – Maths Test – Topic 17

·      Sun, May 10^th – Mothers’ Day

·      May 11-15 – Iowa tests

·      Mon, May 18^th – Mid Semester Break

·      Tue, May 26^th – Art Exhibition

Field Trip (more photos to come next week)

Water for Everyone Bazaar (more photos to come next week)