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