Thursday, February 21, 2008

Volunteers Needed for Healthy Living Cooking Week; Free Workshop for Parents: Tips on Reading With Your Children; Math Test on Monday, February 25th

Dear Parents and Adults at Home,

We still need volunteers to help supervise the mixing, measuring and most importantly, the slicing and dicing during our Healthy Living Cooking Week. If you can help us out in the mornings during February 26 - 29th (Tuesday through Friday), please let me know.

The recipes we will be concocting can be found on www.kidshealth.org. Follow the "Recipes" link. Here is the schedule for the week:
Tuesday: Tomato and Cheese Omelet
Wednesday: Black Beans and Rice
Thursday: Italian Vegetable Casserole
Friday: Spicy Rice

Once again we are offering workshops giving tips on reading with your child/ren. Last year, families that attended found the reading tips very helpful. Come on out... get to know new people, or bring another parent and learn together. There will be four session on four topics.

Learning to love reading... Tuesday, February 19th
Literacy is more than just books... Tuesday, February 26th
Choosing the right book and reading strategies... Tuesday, March 4th
Discussion, sharing ideas, meet the Whalley librarian... Tuesday, March 11th

These sessions will be from 1:00 to 2:30 pm in our school library. We will have child minding, refreshments, door prizes and more! What could be more important than giving your child the love of reading and a great start to success in school!

We will be concluding our second mathematics unit on measurement on Friday, February 22nd. The final test will be on Monday, February 25th. All of the concepts covered in the Unit Review on pp. 348-349 will be on the test.
Any students having difficulty with any of the mathematical concepts are encouraged to seek help. I am available after school from 2:30-3:15 pm.

Week Six: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. The students have been selecting a number of post-novel activities. There are various activities listed for each level of thinking. Please visit theliterarylink.com/bloom_questions.html if you would like to see the activities. The students have selected at least two activities from each level of thinking. These activities are due on Thursday, February 28th.

Writing Circles: The students have completed their first drafts. This past week they shared their first drafts within their writing circles and sought advice. The focus was on clarity of ideas. The rough drafts are due on Monday, March the 3rd.

Health Unit - Week Four: The students have been selecting articles from the website, kidshealth.org , to summarize and present in a podcast format. Our second podcast will focus on "Staying Healthy." We focussed on finding and representing the main idea of an article.

This Past Week's Homework Assignments
Read at least 20 minutes each evening
Health and Reading Log update
Reading Comprehension:
Black Group - Ask About: pp. 17-21
Blue Group - Survivors: pp. 105/106, 108/109, 117/118, 120/121, 123/124
Next Friday's ID test will be on Birds #1 and European countries 31-36 in the Study Guide (Students receive a bonus mark on each of their tests if they have their tests signed by a parent and returned)
Math - Measurement: pp. 346-347, 348-349

Website of the Week: Hamish X
A vey slick website highlighting both Hamish X and the Cheese Pirates, the book that we just finished reading, and Hamish X and the Hollow Mountain by Sean Cullen.
http://www.hamishx.com

Don't forget to check out my website at linktoschool.blogspot.com . It has many links to other great educational sites and safe, kid-appropriate search engines.

Important Dates in 2008

February 25 Celebration Assembly @ 1:00 pm
February 26 Workshop in the Library: "Literacy is more than just books" @ 1:00-2:30 pm
February 26-29 Healthy Living Cooking Week (am)
February 29 Divisions 1, 2, 3 and 14 - Swimming at the North Surrey Rec Centre:1-2:45pm
March 4 Workshop in the Library: "Choosing the right book and reading strategies" @ 1:00-2:30 pm
March 11 Workshop in the Library: "Discussion, sharing ideas, meet the Whalley librarian" @ 1:00-2:30 pm
March 12 Report Cards go home
March 13 Early Dismissal @ 1:30 pm for Parent and Teacher Conferences
March 14 Last day of class before Spring Break
March 26 First day of class after Spring Break
March 27 Celebration Assembly @ 9:00 am
April 21 Cultural Event - Comaigri VniDansi @ 1:00 pm
April 23 Interim Reports go home
April 29 Celebration Assembly @ 9:00 am
May 2 Pro-D #5 - District-wide - No School
May 19 Victoria Day - No School
May 28 Celebration Assembly @ 9:00 am
June 20 Celebration Assembly @ 1:00 pm
June 23 Year End Assembly @ 10:30 am
June 24 Sports Day
June 25 Grade 7 Graduation @ 10:30, Final Report Cards sent home.
Last day of school for students, early dismissal @ 1:30 pm
June 26 Pro-D #6 - No school


If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to phone or email me.

Sincerely,

Michael Link
Forsyth Road Elementary
10730 139 Street
Surrey BC V3T 5L4
Phone: 604-588-8394
mikewilliamlink@gmail.com

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Cheese Party on Wednesday, Feb. 20; Volunteers Needed for Healthy Living Cooking Week - Feb. 26-29

Dear Parents and Adults at Home,

To celebrate the completion of our read-aloud novel, Hamish X and the Cheese Pirates by Sean Cullen, we are having a Cheese Party. The party will take place on Wednesday, February 20th at 11:15 am. Participation is voluntary. If you like, your child may bring:
-their favourite type of cheese, for example Havarti, or...
-some cheese-infused food, for example cheese bread, or...
-some food to compliment cheese, for example grapes.

If your child is allergic to dairy, or does not eat cheese for any other reason, please contact me.

Parents and family members are welcome to attend.

Hope to see you there!

We still need volunteers to help supervise the mixing, measuring and most importantly, the slicing and dicing during our Healthy Living Cooking Week. If you can help us out in the mornings during February 26 -29th (Tuesday through Friday), please let me know.


The recipes we will be concocting can be found on www.kidshealth.org. Follow the "Recipes" link. Here is the schedule for the week:
Tuesday: Tomato and Cheese Omelet
Wednesday: Black Beans and Rice
Thursday: Italian Vegetable Casserole
Friday: Spicy Rice

Week Five: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. The students have been selecting a number of post-novel activities. There are various activities listed for each level of thinking. Please visit theliterarylink.com/bloom_questions.html if you would like to see the activities.

Writing Circles: We are working on our first drafts. The students have been encouraged to ponder these questions:
How does the story sound? Does it make sense?
Are the ideas clear?
Are the ideas arranged in a logical order? Could any be rearranged to make the flow of ideas smoother and clearer?
Could any ideas be expanded?
Should any ideas be deleted?
Would any sentences sound better if they were joined together?
What other ideas could be added?
Health Unit - Week Three: The students have been selecting articles from the website, kidshealth.org , to summarize and present in a podcast format. Our second podcast will focus on "Staying Healthy."

This Past Week's Homework Assignments
Read at least 20 minutes each evening
Health and Reading Log update
Reading Comprehension:
Black Group - Ask About: pp. 13-16
Blue Group - Survivors: pp. 87/88, 89/91, 95/97, 98/100
Next Friday's ID test will be on Salmon and Trout 1-8 and European countries 25-30 in the Study Guide (Students receive a bonus mark on each of their tests if they have their tests signed by a parent and returned)
Math - Measurement: pp. 336-337, 340-341
Any students having difficulty with any of the mathematical concepts are encouraged to seek help. I am available after school from 2:30-3:15 pm.

Website of the Week: Writing Tips on Writing for Children

Children's author, Bethany Roberts', website focusing on writing tips on writing for children. This is a resource we are using in our writing circles.
http://www.bethanyroberts.com/writing_for_children_tips.htm

Don't forget to check out my website at linktoschool.blogspot.com . It has many links to other great educational sites and safe, kid-appropriate search engines.

Important Dates in 2008

February 15 Pro-D #4 (Focus Day) - No School
February 19 Snowshoeing at Grouse Mountain-8:30-2:30
February 20 Cheese Party - 11:15-11:45
February 21 Cultural Event - Chinese Acrobats @ 10:45 am
February 25 Celebration Assembly @ 1:00 pm
February 26-29 Healthy Living Cooking Week (am)
February 29 Divisions 1, 2, 3 and 14 - Swimming at the North Surrey Rec Centre:1-2:45pm
March 12 Report Cards go home
March 13 Early Dismissal @ 1:30 pm for Parent and Teacher Conferences
March 14 Last day of class before Spring Break
March 26 First day of class after Spring Break
March 27 Celebration Assembly @ 9:00 am
April 21 Cultural Event - Comaigri VniDansi @ 1:00 pm
April 23 Interim Reports go home
April 29 Celebration Assembly @ 9:00 am
May 2 Pro-D #5 - District-wide - No School
May 19 Victoria Day - No School
May 28 Celebration Assembly @ 9:00 am
June 20 Celebration Assembly @ 1:00 pm
June 23 Year End Assembly @ 10:30 am
June 24 Sports Day
June 25 Grade 7 Graduation @ 10:30, Final Report Cards sent home.
Last day of school for students, early dismissal @ 1:30 pm
June 26 Pro-D #6 - No school


If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to phone or email me.

Sincerely,

Michael Link
Forsyth Road Elementary
10730 139 Street
Surrey BC V3T 5L4
Phone: 604-588-8394
mikewilliamlink@gmail.com

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Volunteers Needed for Healthy Living Cooking Week

Hello Parents and Adults at Home,

As part of our Healthy Living unit, the students will be concocting four recipes during the week of February 26 -29th (Tuesday through Friday, in the mornings). We need volunteers to help supervise the mixing, measuring and most importantly, the slicing and dicing. If you can help us out in the mornings during that week, please let me know.

The recipes can be found on www.kidshealth.org. Follow the "Recipes" link. Here is the schedule for the week:
Tuesday: Tomato and Cheese Omelet
Wednesday: Black Beans and Rice
Thursday: Italian Vegetable Casserole
Friday: Spicy Rice

Thanks,

Michael Link
Forsyth Road Elementary
10730 139 Street
Surrey BC V3T 5L4
Phone: 604-588-8394
mikewilliamlink@gmail.com

Grouse Mountain - Snowshoeing on Tuesday, February 19

Dear Parents and Adults at Home,

On Tuesday, February 19th, Divisions 1, 2, 3 and 14 will be travelling to Grouse Mountain. We will be participating in a 1.5 hour snowshoeing tour. If you can join us and help supervise students, please indicate on the permission form. We will be leaving the school at 8:30 am by bus. If your child is not on the lunch program, please send a paper bag lunch. Also, please send $20 to cover the cost of the bus and admission for the snowshoeing tour. We will be returning at 2:30 pm.

Mountain weather conditions can change quickly and are often unpredictable, regardless of the time of year. As a rule, please prepare for all weather conditions. We suggest that students, parents and teachers bring the following items:
waterproof jacket and pants
goggles/sunglasses
long johns or sweatpants
warm, waterproof gloves
fleece/sweater
hat/toque
turtleneck and/or scarf
sunscreen/lip protection
warm socks (extra pair, too)
water
backpack
flat, closed-toe shoes
Please sign and return the permisson form that your child is bringing home today.
Hope to see you on February 19th!

Mathematics:
We have started a second mathematics unit on measurement. Students will investigate concepts relating to surface area, capacity, volume and mass. Measurement is an important part of your child's everyday experiences.

In this unit, your child will:
Estimate and calculate the surface area of a rectangular prism.
Develop and use a rule for the volume of a rectangular prism.
Relate cubic centimetres and cubic metres.
Relate units of mass.
Your child will work with capacity in millilitres and litres; volume in cubic centimetres and cubic metres, surface area in square centimetres and square metres; and mass in milligrams, grams, kilograms and tonnes.

Classroom activities involving measurement build on the understanding students have developed in their daily lives.

Here are some suggestions for activities you can try at home with your child:
Compare measurements found on various packages.
Compare the surface area and volume of different rectangular prisms, such as a television or computer monitor.
Please see further details, regarding the specific mathematic assignments, below. Any students having difficulty with any of the mathematical concepts are encouraged to seek help. I am available after school from 2:30-3:15 pm.

Week Four: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. Now that we have finished the novel, the students have been choosing a number of post-novel activities. There are various activities listed for each level of thinking. Please visit theliterarylink.com/bloom_questions.html if you would like to see the activities.

Writing Circles: We kicked off this past week by looking at the appropriate way to share and respond to other people's writing: begin positively and then offer one bit of constructive feedback. We also completed our first writing assignment - a collaborative piece called, "Would You Rather.." The students reflected upon the importance of considering your audience and the importance of clear, easily understandable writing. The writing assignment was plugged into the i-Movie application and will be presented to Ms. Fetterly's class on Friday, February 8th at 1 pm. Feel free to join us.

Health Unit - Week Two: We are continuing our unit on health. The students have been selecting articles from the website, kidshealth.org, to summarize and present in a podcast format. Our first podcast will focus on "Dealing With Feelings."

Our daily homework assignment has shifted from handwriting to reading comprehension. There are two groups. The Black Group will be reading and reporting on short, high-interest, non-fiction passages entitled, "Ask About." The Blue Group will be reading and reporting on short, high-interest, non-fiction passages entitled, "Survivors." Please see below for details.

This Past Week's Homework Assignments
Read at least 20 minutes each evening
Health and Reading Log update
Reading Comprehension:
Black Group - Ask About: pp. 8-12
Blue Group - Survivors: pp. 72-73, 75-76, 78-79, 80/82, 83/85
Next Friday's ID test will be on Bugs p. 11 and European countries 19-24 in the Study Guide (Students receive a bonus mark on each of their tests if they have their tests signed by a parent and returned)
Math - Measurement: pp. 326-327, 330-331

Website of the Week: Kids' Health

A fantastic site! There are three portals to choose from: parents, kids and teenagers. We are using this site as the primary source for our Healthy Living podcasts.
http://www.kidshealth.org

Don't forget to check out my website at linktoschool.blogspot.com . It has many links to other great educational sites and safe, kid-appropriate search engines.

Important Dates in 2008

February 15 Pro-D #4 (Focus Day) - No School
February 19 Snowshoeing at Grouse Mountain-8:30-2:30
February 21 Cultural Event - Chinese Acrobats @ 10:45 am
February 25 Celebration Assembly @ 1:00 pm
February 29 Divisions 1, 2, 3 and 14 - Swimming at the North Surrey Rec Centre:1-2:45pm
March 12 Report Cards go home
March 13 Early Dismissal @ 1:30 pm for Parent and Teacher Conferences
March 14 Last day of class before Spring Break
March 26 First day of class after Spring Break
March 27 Celebration Assembly @ 9:00 am
April 21 Cultural Event - Comaigri VniDansi @ 1:00 pm
April 23 Interim Reports go home
April 29 Celebration Assembly @ 9:00 am
May 2 Pro-D #5 - District-wide - No School
May 19 Victoria Day - No School
May 28 Celebration Assembly @ 9:00 am
June 20 Celebration Assembly @ 1:00 pm
June 23 Year End Assembly @ 10:30 am
June 24 Sports Day
June 25 Grade 7 Graduation @ 10:30, Final Report Cards sent home.
Last day of school for students, early dismissal @ 1:30 pm
June 26 Pro-D #6 - No school


If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to phone or email me.

Sincerely,

Michael Link
Forsyth Road Elementary
10730 139 Street
Surrey BC V3T 5L4
Phone: 604-588-8394
mikewilliamlink@gmail.com