CBE UPDATED --NOTE--- MARCH 30

Hi Grade 2 Families,

Please keep an eye out for an email from me this afternoon outlining some of the next steps for learning adventures. I will also be phoning students over the next couple of days to check in and respond to any questions from the email. You need to know that you are missed at school but we are really excited about what lies ahead for us, and we will be sharing details with you through this coming week.

HELLO!

March 20th, 2020                                                  

HELLO!

I sure have been thinking of all of you this past week, and missing each and every one of you!  I would love to hear from all my kiddos - feel free to email me at: alheagy@cbe.ab.ca to let me know how you are doing!  

Updates on Learning from Home:

• Parents- check out this link from CBE for ways your child can continue learning from home.  

           Learn from Home CBE 

• As well - you can continue to use Raz Kids & Math Prodigy! 

• Each week I will post learning! (listed below).   The next update will be Monday March 30th.  
• 
  
• The province and CBE is providing information to teachers on how best to support learning from home.  I will work hard to make sure I can support the Grade 2s and parents to the best of my ability.  Please feel free to email me if you have questions. 

Math: 

-work on your mental math skills: adding and subtracting numbers 0-20 using Think Addition (click for video) and here is a blog post with a fun game:  Make Subtraction Efficient - game ideas

-word problems:  

Joshua was making a lego boat.  The instructions said the kit had 43 pieces, but when he counted all the pieces he only counted 37.   How many pieces were missing?   Use think addition to solve.  Remember to use numbers, a math equation, a math picture and write a sentence!

Reading: 

-Reading Rockets is a cool resource that gives a brief explanation on some of the core literacy skills.  Reading Rockets. Choose the module you feel is best, I suggest working on fluency, vocabulary, spelling and comprehension. 

-For spelling we have mainly focused on different patterns.  Try out Spelling Games

Writing:  

Writing Format:

-we are using brainstorming webs to write down our ideas. 

-using an introduction sentence to share with the reader what we are writing about

-Write about 3 ideas from your web

-use details when writing

-edit using COPS editing (edit for capital letters, organization/ordinary words, punctuation, spelling)

Research: 

-reading information from books, texts, and the internet to find answers to research questions 

-using bullet points 

-The Learning Circle. Choose a legend from The Granddaughter who was eaten by a big fish and answer the questions after the story (part 2. Discussion) and try out one of the activities.  

--visit kid stop and go to "Learn About".  Choose one topic you are interested in, and do 5-10 "Wow! Facts" about the topic.

Science: We have been studying boats and buoyancy.  Check out the last two boats we were going to construct.  Then after experimenting, design what you think is the best boat that will: 

1. float, 2. balance, 3. hold up to 10 pennies, 4. move  Alberta Science Curriculum Grade 2  

Assignment: 

After you have built a few boats to try, design your own SUPER BOAT.  

Take a picture of your boat & a design pictures (including labels). 

1. Describe what worked well on your boat.   Why did this construction work well? What materials worked well? Why? 

2. Describe what didn't work very well.  Did you have to make changes?  Did it improve your boat?

Resources: 

Some info for parents:

-Boats and Buoyancy Float or Sink?

Neat video:

-Cool video- but kids won't be able to build some of this on their own- but might be fun with parent help!  Cool boat projects with adult help or just to watch! 

Projects:

- build a sailboat to see how to balance a boat, and see how wind power can help our boat move. 

Make a Toy Sailboat

Cool ideas sailboat

-build a motorboat to explore various ways to make a boat move 

Rubber band powered boat

rubber band power

Social: 

We were studying the Inuit.  Visit Canada's Inuit People

Questions to research: 

1. what animals did the Inuit hunt?

2.What weapons did they use to hunt?

3.How were these animals important to the Inuit's daily life?

Fun Links: Try out some of the games! Kid Stop 

Spelling Words March 16-19

Spelling Pattern: 

ee/ea

/ea/  and /ee/ have a long /e/ sound. 

There are a few oddballs though!  

This sound pattern has a lot of homophones, and some homonyms.  Can you figure out which ones are homophones? Are any words on your list homonyms?  

Friday March 13, 2020

Dear Families,

We had a wonderful Friday!  Everyone loved the movie 'Wonder'!  We got to do some Daily 5/math centers, and enjoyed a math/art/mindfulness activity with our buddies. Ask your child what activity we did.  
We did a spelling face off at the end of the day, and decided to wait until next week to share our Haiku poems.


FYI
-parent conferences cancelled next week
-next Thursday will still be a half day & Friday is no school
-please bring in used books you would like to donate for our fundraiser


For Homework:
Tell your parents about Wonder.  What happened first, next and last?  Who was your favorite character?  How was the movie different than the book?  Remember to bring in your precept if you haven't already.

Thursday March 12th, 2020

Dear Families,

After school at a staff meeting we were informed that the CBE has send all families with students at Hawkwood a notice that Student Conferences are cancelled at this time. Please check your email to make sure you have read this important notice.


FYI
-Dress as your favorite book character tomorrow
-we are watching the movie Wonder tomorrow
-parent conferences cancelled next week
-next Thursday will still be a half day & Friday is no school
-please bring in used books you would like to donate for our fundraiser


Our Learning:
-We finished our Haiku's!
-We are almost finished our Arctic Research
-in math we worked more on using Think Addition (this is a toughie- and students will be needing ongoing practice with this strategy).
-We did our Tin Foil boat experiment
-in gym we are continuing to learn how to be the best soccer players ever
-in social we looked at the Inuit artifacts, and found out what they are called. We then picked one that we are the most interested in that we would like to research.

For Homework:

How many pennies did your boat hold? Did you think your boat would hold more or less pennies than what it did?  Why?

Coronavirus / COVID-19

Dear Families, 

For the most up to date information  the Calgary Board of Education has been provided about COVID-19 please visit the main CBE website at https://www.cbe.ab.ca/about-us/school-culture-and-environment/health-and-wellness-in-school/Pages/coronavirus.aspx 

School staff, including teachers are receiving them same information as what has been found on the main CBE website.  This site, along with AHS provides the most up to date information.   I have included links at the bottom of the page.

As posted on the CBE website: "We are taking all direction from AHS. If you have further questions, please call Health Link at 811. School staff are unable to answer medical questions."



Our Classroom

Student Illness
-If your child has a cold, flu, or any illness it is best to keep them at home and call the school attendance line to inform staff of the absence

COVID-19 (confirmed, exposed, or suspected):
-if you suspect, or are concerned that you or a family member has been exposed to COVID-19, please contact Health Link at 811
-If your child or immediate family members of students enrolled at Hawkwood School are exposed to COVID-19 please contact Health Link at 811 for advice on how to proceed

Pre-existing Medical Conditions
-Parents with children that have pre-existing medical conditions that have any concerns are encouraged to contact Health Link at 811. 

Community supplies
-I am switching out our community supplies and providing students with their own supplies to the best of my ability.  We will still have to share certain items.  You are more than welcome to send a small pencil case with their own supplies (clearly labelled) if you choose to do so.
-along with increased measures by custodial staff, I am doing extra cleaning of our classroom in the mornings.
-students who use classroom regulation tools are washing their hands prior to using the item, and wiping down certain items prior to use (example: noise reduction headphones,  kinetic sand, the breathing sphere, etc.)

Student Supplies/Personal items 
-students are still expected to not share food
-I have asked students to no longer bring in fidgets such as silly putty or chewing gum.
-you are welcome to, (but not obligated) provide your child with their own personal sanitizer to be kept in their own desk, and clearly labelled.
-please encourage your child to bring their water bottles home daily so they can be properly cleaned.  I will do my best to remind students.

Hand Washing
-Students (along with all staff) are being asked to wash their hands frequently.  (Please check you child's hands for signs of dryness such as chafing, redness, or cracked skin and provide relief as advised by a health professional.)

Questions? Concerns?
Please don't hesitate to contact me, or the administrative team at Hawkwood school if you have questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Ms.H



Information Links:

Calgary Board of Education website: https://www.cbe.ab.ca/about-us/school-culture-and-environment/health-and-wellness-in-school/Pages/coronavirus.aspx

Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA): https://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/cema/Pages/home.aspx?redirect=/cema

Alberta Health Services: https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/topics/Page16944.aspx

Reading is Giving

Wednesday March 11

Dear Families, 
Apologies for the late blog!

FYI
School Council meeting Wed @6:30 (all parents welcome!)
Dress up as your favorite character Friday 
"Wonder" the movie, Friday 
Conferences March 19&20 (half day Thurs/no school Friday)
Spring Break March 23-27
Fun Lunch March 30th


Our Learning: 
Literacy
-Students have been finishing their haiku's and will be practicing them in class.  I will not post them on blog, instead - students will share their poem with parents at Student Led Conferences.
-Read-A-Thon has been happening at Hawkwood this week where we all STOP and DROP what we are doing to read!
-Our class has been engaged in the Scholastic "Reading is Giving" program with the goal of reading 100 books by the end of May.  Scholastic will then donate 100 books to children in need across the country!  Visit https://canadaclubs.scholastic.ca/s/rco-ca/en/classrooms-care-participation for details and I am including the 'Parent Letter' on blog. See below.
Math
-In math we looked at neighbor numbers and continue to work on think addition strategy when subtracting.
Science
-we made paper boats yesterday, and today we got to do some predictions and test our boats to see if they were able to float.  We realized that the shape of the bottom of the boat is important, and that paper boats sure don't last long in the water!  Ask your child why!  We then tried to see if some of the boats could hold pennies.
-We talked about waterproof/absorbency, stability, buoyancy, water displacement, strength, and purpose of boats.
-We made tin foil boats today, being aware that the shape of the hull matters when building a boat to carry items.  We hope that the boats we built will be able to handle lots of pennies tomorrow!
Social
-We worked on Wow! Facts for our Arctic animal research.

For Homework:
Remember to bring in boat building supplies and 2L cartons - thanks!

Monday March 9th, 2020

Dear Families,

We finished Wonder!  We are so excited to watch the movie Friday!  Remember to bring your 'precept' to school to discuss!
This week we will continue to explore boats & buoyancy; and we will build our boats this week and into next week. Please remember to bring in building supplies :)


FYI
School Council meeting Wed @6:30 (all parents welcome!)
Dress up as your favorite character Friday 
"Wonder" the movie, Friday 
Conferences March 19&20 (half day Thurs/no school Friday)
Spring Break March 23-27
Fun Lunch March 30th


Our Learning:
"I liked learning about making boats!"-Maha
"I liked sketching our sailboat."-Leina
"I liked playing soccer in gym"-Beckett & Hope
"I liked doing the tricks in gym."-Aengus
"I liked sketching our motorboat."-Ale
"I liked social."-Nora
"One: I learned something interesting in a book! The guy who played Ironman won a dogsled race. Two I learned different parts of a boat."-Emmett
"I liked sketching the sailboat."-Malik
"A mast holds a jib and the main sail on a sailboat."-Aahana
"I liked sketching the boat.
"We finished the book Wonder."-Kolby
"I know port is left and starboard is right on a boat!"-Sydney
"I am excited for the movie Wonder!"-Charlotte
"I liked cracking ice with my friends at recess."-James
"I liked everything!"-Yusuf

For Homework:
Ms. Heagy forgot to hit the post button for blog- free pass on homework!

Spelling Words March 9-13

Long and Short Sound Pattern:   OA and OW

*Telling the difference between homophones helps us to know the correct spelling.  

o-e and oa 

  (example: rode vs road)

ow 

/ow/ is often found at the end of words, and makes a long /o/ sound (example: snow) 

 .......but there are some exceptions when in a word that ends in an  L  (i.e. owl, fowl) as well as words that have -er endings (i.e. flower, power). We will be looking at ou words in the coming weeks (sour, flour). 

Activities to try:

Words sorted according to rules & games: https://www.spellzone.com/unit07/page18.cfm

Worksheet based: https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/word-family-ow.html   

Green Group:

homophone*fowl (poultry/bird); the homophone is: foul (illegal move/bad smell/make dirty)

homophone*road (noun) meaning a way to travel; rode (conjugated verb 'ride') past tense meaning  travel on or in vehicle or animal. 

homonym *bow (front of the boat or a curved weapon used with an arrow, by Inuit to hunt);  

homophones and homonym examples: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bow) 

Yellow:  

 -ing, -y

-consonant blends: fl, fr, gr, fl, kn, sn

Purple:

-double consonants (pp, rr, ll)

*Homephones: same sound, different spelling & meanings

**Homonyms: same sound, same spelling, different meanings

Friday March 6th, 2020

Dear Families,

The Calgary Opera treated us to a live performance this morning- and it was awesome!  What a privilege to see such talented singers.  It really helps to inspire us as we move ahead with practicing and putting together our own show in May.


FYI
-New spelling words will be posted Sunday
-Poetry Party- we will be writing a Haiku this week, and perform next Friday.  (Haiku's are short, so we will not be sending them home, but poems will be shown at conferences.)
S-tudent Led conferences March 19th &20th 
*half day on Thursday March 19th due to parent conferences
-Scholastic orders due March 20th.  (past order was put in, we are just waiting for its arrival)
-Spring Break March 23-27th
-Fun Lunch March 30th



Our Learning:

"On Monday when we finish Wonder, we get to plan our movie day! "-Leina
"I liked when the mice destroyed the books in the opera."-Wyatt
"I liked coloring with our buddies. It was fun!"-Kolby & Maha
'I loved when the Cat and the dog were fighting in the opera."-Beckett
"I loved when the cat and the dog were trapping the robber!"-Amara
"I think Debbie might be nervous in the opera!"-Aengus
"I loved mindful coloring with buddies!"-Hope


For Homework:
Remember your precept!  (check Thursday blog for more info).

Thursday March 5fth, 2020

Dear Families,
We had so much fun with Mad Science! We got to construct our own lego boats, just like real engineers!  Also: See our homework below!



FYI:
NO new spelling words this week  - review
Poetry Party- we will be writing a Haiku this week, and perform next Friday.
Student Led conferences March 19th &20th 
*half day on Thursday March 19th due to parent conferences
Spring Break March 23-27th
Fun Lunch March 30th





Our Learning:
"I loved Mad Science!"-Beckett
"I learned how to build a lego boat."-Kolby
"In gym I saw a few different soccer tricks that were interesting."-Emmett
"I liked seeing how people could do different tricks."-Leina
"I liked building the boat out of lego."-Jacob
"I loved gym!"-Aengus
"We loved silent soccer."-Aahana & Maha & Nora
"I liked reading Wonder."-Hope
"I n wonder I liked that they got a new puppy!"-Charlotte
"I liked my snack, it was crackers with jelly.   I had cucumbers for my rainbow food."-James





For Homework:
Reading Wonder we learned about the word PRECEPT.  It is a saying about life, for example: "Treat others as you want to be treated."

Discuss your precept with your family and write it down, be prepared to share next week.

Wednesday March 4th, 2020

Dear Families,

Tomorrow is MAD SCIENCE boat building!  woohoo! don't be late!


FYI
Mad Science Thursday morning (Boats & Buoyancy)
NO new spelling words this week  - review
Poetry Party- we will be writing a Haiku this week, and perform next Friday.
Student Led conferences March 19th &20th 
*half day on Thursday March 19th due to parent conferences
Spring Break March 23-27th
Fun Lunch March 30th



Our Learning:
"Today I learned to be kind and careful while playing!"-Beckett
"I liked free choice when I was done my work."-Jacob
"I liked doing parts of boats."-Leina
"I liked making our igloos."-Ibraheem
"Did you hear that mom!? we can't be late!"-Debbie
"I have think the bottom of boats are made from shark skin."-GAbriella

.... and there went the bell!


For Homework:
What are some parts of boats that we learned about?  (example: starboard)

Tuesday March 3, 2020

Dear Families,
We have been very busy doing tons of science experiments!  So much fun!


FYI
Mad Science Thursday morning (Boats & Buoyancy)
NO new spelling words this week  - review
Poetry Party- we will be writing a Haiku this week, and perform next Friday.
Student Led conferences March 19th &20th 
*half day on Thursday March 19th due to parent conferences
Spring Break March 23-27th
Fun Lunch March 30th

Our Learning:

I liked soccer in gym- Malik
I loved loved playing soccer in gym - Aengus
I liked doing sink and float experiment - Gahanna
I liked music.-Hope
I learned what floats and sinks!- Joey
I liked doing lunch, music and gym.  Especially dodgeball. - Leina
I liked reading books and seeing my art up.-Jacob
I liked watching the arctic fox video. -Ibraheem
I liked building my igloo. I am looking forward to watching Wonder.-Maha
I liked hearing about what we are doing with boats.-Debbie
I liked making our igloos. -James
I liked doing gym and our experiment.-Amara
I liked learning about Inuit artifacts.- Gabriella

For Homework:
Show your parents some examples of things that sink, and things that float.

Monday March 2, 2020

Dear Families, 

We have been powering through tons of awesome learning!  Great job Grade 2, we are seeing such amazing growth!


FYI
Mad Science Thursday morning (Boats & Buoyancy)
NO new spelling words this week  - review
Poetry Party- we will be writing a Haiku this week, and perform next Friday.
Student Led conferences March 19th &20th 
*half day on Thursday March 19th due to parent conferences
Spring Break March 23-27th
Fun Lunch March 30th


Our Learning:
This morning we started our Arctic animal research, looking into physical characteristics.  We are using resource non-fiction texts to find our information.

After recess, we got to check out some Inuit artifacts. We sketched 3 different artifacts and labeled what materials we thought they were made of.  Tomorrow we will do some predictions about the artifacts, and we will choose 1 that we want to research and find out the actual purpose.

In gym we enjoyed choice time!  Students had so much fun, and were so creative that Mr. J had students demonstrate different activities and games.

We worked further on our sugar cube igloos - it sure is tough making them round and giving them a roof!

Lastly, we did some fun experiments with a variety of materials to discover what materials were waterproof and which are absorbent.


For Homework:

Tell or show your parents some examples of waterproof verses absorbent materials.  What does it mean when a material is waterproof? What does it mean when a material is absorbent?

What are some uses for materials that are waterproof? What are some uses for materials that are absorbent?

Be prepared to discuss your thinking tomorrow during our circle time!