Friday Forecast

What's coming up?

Orange Shirt Day

Monday October 1st is Orange Shirt Day. Please send your child wearing an Orange Shirt. The Orange Shirt Day legacy grew from the story of a young girl having her shiny new orange shirt taken away on her first day of residential school, and it has become an opportunity to keep the discussion on all aspects of residential schools happening annually.

One World Drum Co.

One World Drum Co. has a residency at Cambrian Heights School over the course of the next two weeks! The Class will be attending 45 minute drumming lessons on October 3, 4, 9, 10 and 11.

It is One World Drumming's desire to create community using the drum.The art of drumming improves our understanding of the arts, mathematics, language, social interaction & personhood. Drumming simultaneously feeds mind, body & spirit.

Their mandate is:

• To use the drum as a social medium that connects our lives on a global and local level; bringing about global unity, understanding and respect.
• Celebrating diversity and cultural understanding through the power and unity of the drum.
• Operating with a strong organizational structure that ensures the company's artistic stability.

Professional Learning Day

There is no school for students on October 5th 2018; however, teachers will be at school engaged in professional learning opportunities.

Sept. 24 - 28

This Week in The Class

Science 
Exploring Light & Shadow
This week we learned that light travels through objects in different ways:
Transparent objects let ALL the light from a light source to travel through it (like windows!). Translucent objects let SOME light through (like tissue paper!)
Opaque objects let NONE of the light through (like wood!)
On Thursday, students went on a scavenger hunt around the classroom to find as many objects in each category as they could! Here are some photos of our learning in action!

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 Language Arts 
Fablehaven 
When Mrs. Andrews comes to visit, she reads Fablehaven to us!

" For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic in a cynical world. Enchanting? Absolutely! Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite . . .

Kendra and her brother Seth have no idea that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws give relative order among greedy trolls, mischevious satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken, an arcane evil is unleashed, forcing Kendra and Seth to face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save her family, Fablehaven, and perhaps the world, Kendra must find the courage to do what she fears most."

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Body Break!
Just Dance! 
Teachers can help improve academics and student behavior by incorporating physical activity breaks into their daily classroom routines. Students in the class can't sit for long! Mrs. Pal plans for body breaks when we transition between subject areas. Each body break looks different. Sometimes we use GoNoodle, sometimes we do BrainGym, other times we participate in a good old game of 'follow the leader'. This week we experimented with Just Dance during, and students really got into it! Here is a photo of us busting some moves!

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Community Activity Day
Rollercoaster Architects!
Cambrian Heights School plans Community Activity Days 1-2 Fridays per month. Students are given an opportunity to attend a learning session put on by a teacher other than their own. This Friday, The Class students attended Mrs. Deschant's S.T.E.M design challenge. We got to plan a design for our own rollercoasters! Our challenge was to design and build a rollercoaster that could move a marble from one end to the other and include at least one turn. We came up with a plan, and developed a list of materials. Next Community Activity Day we will be building and testing our designs!

Orange Shirt Day

Orange Shirt Day: Every Child Matters, held October 1st this year at Cambrian Heights School, campaigns annually to keep the discussion going around all aspects of residential schools. This day is an opportunity to pause to remember and honor residential school survivors, and those whose lives were ended too soon. We take the opportunity around this time to reflect on history, legacy and implications, discuss stories of survival and strength, and share ways we can work together toward reconciliation.

Please have your child wear an orange shirt on Monday October 1st.

Morning Meeting

 Building Community in our Classroom

Each morning, your child enters our classroom and sits at our ' family table': this is where we hold our morning meeting. Around this table, we connect over a healthy breakfast. Above you can see this morning's offerings: fresh fruit and cereal snacks.

Breakfast is a great way to give the body the refueling it needs. Kids who eat breakfast tend to eat healthier overall and are more likely to participate in physical activities — two great ways to help maintain a healthy weight.

Skipping breakfast can make kids feel tired, restless, or irritable. In the morning, their bodies need to refuel for the day ahead after going without food for 8 to 12 hours during sleep. Their mood and energy can drop by midmorning if they don't eat at least a small morning meal.

It's important for kids to have breakfast every day, but what they eat in the morning is crucial too. Choosing breakfast foods that are rich in whole grains, fibre, and protein while low in added sugar may boost kids' attention span, concentration, and memory — which they need to learn in school.

Kids who eat breakfast are more likely to get fiber, calcium, and other important nutrients. They also tend to keep their weight under control, have lower blood cholesterol levels and fewer absences from school.

Friday Forecast

Hello Families!

Happy Fall! The weather is changing, and it is getting colder outside. Please remember to send your child with appropriate clothing for cold weather, as we spend time outside everyday.

This week we continued to review and practice routines and expectations. We are totally winning at our morning routine:

1. Line-up quietly
2. Take our outdoor shoes off on the mat
3. Hang up our outdoor clothing and shoes neatly
4. Put on our outdoor shoes
5. Hand in our communication journals
6. Sit at the family table for our morning meeting and breakfast

Learning at a Glance

Math: Working at our own level and at our own pace,  we have been exploring place value in mathematics. This past week we learned that we can express numbers in different ways: expanded form, standard form, written form, and symbolically (in pictures). We also learned how to identify even and odd numbers. Next week we will work on ordering and comparing numbers.

Reading: Students continue to develop their "Read to Self" reading stamina. Mrs. Pal is reading 1:1 with students to assess their reading levels.

Writing: This week we started exploring Word Work Centers. Some of us used letter tiles to spell out assigned words, some used play dough to make the shape of lower and uppercase letters in the alphabet, some of us practiced sight words with Mrs. Pal, while others completed spelling workbooks. Next week we will continue working with words, and try out different centers.

Wellness: This week we learned about breathing and the brain. We watched the short video below, and learned 2 different breathing strategies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVA2N6tX2cg

Ask your child to show you how they can "Blow out the Candles" when they are upset.

Terry Fox Run

Dear Parents/Guardians:

On Monday, September 24th, 2018 all students in grades K-6 will be taking part in the annual Terry Fox School Run. The event will begin with an assembly in the gym at 9:00am where we will be watching a short video and warming up for the run with upbeat music. Parents are welcome to join us for the event by running with or cheering on our students. PM Kindergarten will have the opportunity to run in the afternoon at starting at 1:00pm in the gym with the support of the Grade 5/6 students.

Through our participation in this annual event we hope that our school community can see them selves as active citizens with the ability to make a positive impact on the lives of all Canadians. Terry Fox is a shining example of how one person can make a difference, and we hope to extend his legacy of raising money for cancer research.

For more information or to donate directly please visit the Terry Fox Foundation

We will be encouraging students to bring a “Toonie for Terry.” All monies raised will be forwarded to The Terry Fox Foundation.

Welcome to The Class!

Hello!

My name is Paige Pal, and I am The Class Program teacher at Cambrian Heights! I am SO excited to be working with your child this year! It's going to be a year full of growth, adventure and new discoveries.

During the first two weeks of school, we have enjoyed getting to know each other, learning about our new school, and practicing classroom routines. We have delved head first into the Zones of Regulation (a framework for fostering self-regulation and emotional control), and we are currently learning about what is happening in the brain when we are not in the "green zone" (because MENTAL HEALTH IS BRAIN HEALTH). 

An email was sent out to parents on Saturday September 15th requesting parents sign up for Parent Conferences. Parent Conferences are being held at Cambrian Heights School on Thursday September 20th and Friday September 21st. I am encouraging all parents to schedule a meeting with me. Gathering parent perspective is critical to school success, as parents know their children best.

Currently we are booking hour long conferences. 

• Thursday (Sept. 20) we have availability beginning at 4:00pm, with the last conference beginning at 7:00pm.
• Friday (Sept. 21) I have availability beginning at 8:00am, with the last conference beginning at 12:00pm.

Please email, text, or call me with your preferences. I will try my best to accommodate your first choice. I look forward to hearing from you,

Please continue to check back on this blog each week to see what The Class is doing throughout the school year! 

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Paige Pal

The Class Teacher, Cambrian Heights School

Calgary Board of Education | cbe.ab.ca

Email | pnwinfield@cbe.ab.ca

School | 403-777-6150         Cell | 403-966-0006