Monday, August 29, 2016

Welcome back!

Welcome back! I hope all of you had a wonderful and refreshing summer. I'm glad all of you found your way to our class blog. This blog will be used to update students and parents about important events and to keep you up-to-date on the happenings in our class. Homework will be posted on our blog on a daily basis. It is an expectation that students check the blog everyday. Parents and students are able to receive instant emails when a post is made by clicking on “follow by Email. Submit your address and verify your email. This will ensure that on evenings when a post is made, you will receive instant notification. While we will post homework and due dates, the Blog is not meant to take the place of our in-class homework board or student agendas. Every student will be expected to have an agenda with them at school at all times. It is my expectation that students use the agenda and our homework board to make sure they keep track of tasks they have to complete, due dates and to ensure they bring home what they need to in order to complete their homework. 

Rotary Schedule- Great News!

Grade 7 math and science will be taught by Mr. Kaiman. Grade 8 math and science will be taught by Ms. Beckles. Students will move to the appropriate classroom during their scheduled times. 

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

The End is Here!

It is hard to believe a full school year has passed. Where did the time go? It has truly been an amazing year! We built a real classroom community where everyone looked out for one another and worked together to achieve common goals. I am really proud of the growth mindset everyone showed and I hope you carry forward your positive attitudes toward your education moving forward.

I wanted to say a special thank you to the parents and guardians of the students in our class. Thank you for accepting me into the Westminster community and in trusting me with educating your children. It is a job I take very seriously and I hope my passion for education was apparent to both you and your children.

Report cards will be coming home tonight. Please read through them and if you have any questions at all, please give me a phone call by Thursday afternoon. Otherwise, I wish all of you nothing but success next year. It has been a terrific and rewarding year and you have been a special group! Be proud of your achievements and keep striving to do your best.


Until next year,
Mr. Kaiman

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Grade 6 Field Trip Reminder

On Friday, our grade 6 students (accompanied by me) will be going to Willowgrove Outdoor Education Centre. It should be a very fun day. In going through permission forms I have noticed that 4 students in grade 6 have yet to send their forms in. If you wish to still attend the trip, please bring the form in signed as well as $11.00 dollars tomorrow. If you are not attending you will be with a supply teacher at school completing work that will be left for you and you will be the only grade 6 students who are at school so bring in those permission forms if you haven't already.

Please bring a litter-less lunch, sunscreen, a snack, a hat and plenty of water. Dress for the weather and come prepare rain or shine!

Thank you very much and I am looking forward to a fun and educational day!

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

End of May Update

Hi Parents/Guardians/Students,

Our year is starting to come to an end, but as you know, the end of the year signifies what is always a very busy time. Here are a few of the major things we will be doing as we conclude our year:

1) Concluding our Geometry unit and moving into Algebra- We are concluding our geometry unit this week with a series of mini quizzes/activities that will assess student knowledge of triangular concurrency, triangle classification, plotting points on the Cartesian Plane and transformations. We will be moving from this unit straight into our last unit which is algebra. Algebra will be assessed hand-in-hand with integers as student have now been exposed to the meaning of and adding/subtracting of negative numbers.

2) Grade 6- Solar System Activity- Next week, grade 6's will get plenty of time to start and finish the building of a model planetary solar system. They will also be creating a "Come to my Planet" tourism brochure.

3) Grade 7 Science- Students will be writing a test on Thursday of this week on heat and will be completing a brief demonstration and explanation about an alternative energy form of their choice.

4) Literacy- Book clubs will come to a wrap and students will be writing a news article on an event that happened in their novel

5) Geography/Social Studies- Students will be completing an inquiry based assignment for Mr Tamblyn.


Reminder about Fun Fair and Talent Show

A reminder that Fun Fair is this upcoming Thursday June 2nd. It will run from 4:30-7:30. As our class will be helping to sell yogurt and will be running 4 games as well throughout the evening I would ask that those students who are working the "early shift" arrive a little early to help set up the games areas.

The Talent Show will be on June the 9th at 6:30. Doors open at 6 and performances start at 6:30. As you know, our entire class is performing a piece. It has really come together and I am proud to present it to you. The kids should feel very proud of the hard work they have put in as well. Tickets to the event are free so show up early if you would like to be guaranteed a seat. A handful of classes are presenting in addition to individuals who came out for the show this year so we expect a big crowd with an increase in participation. 

Numbers for our Fundraiser

$646.15!!!! This is the amount of money we raised for the Red Cross and the victims of the Fort McMurray wildfires! As the government is matching our totals dollar-for-dollar, that number doubles to $1292.30. Seriously amazing job girls and boys!


Tuesday, May 24, 2016

EQAO and Great News!!

Hi everyone! It is hard to believe EQAO is here. The year is truly flying by! For all grade 6 students who are starting tomorrow I wanted to wish you all success! I truly believe our intense and almost weekly focus on reading comprehension though your packages as well as our focus on using the problem solving model should set all of you up for success.

Remember:
1) You can only use the space given to you to write any written responses. answers that go past the last line (unless you are completing a sentence) will not count.

2) Bring a water bottle and an extra snack! It is a long couple of days and you will want to have plenty to drink.

3) Bring a pencil, pen, highlighter, ruler, compass and calculator.


Fundraising so far

Our Yogurt and Popcorn fundraiser has been a huge success! Over 3 days of sales, we have raised more than $450 dollars for the Red Cross. This money will go towards the victims of Fort McMurray and the Alberta Fires Appeal. As the government is matching all donations, we have helped raise $900 dollars for the Red Cross. The class has been passionate and has done a terrific job. Everyone should feel extremely proud of the work they have done! With 2 more days of popcorn/yogurt sales on the way and our games initiative at fun fair, we our well on our way to achieving our goal of raising $1000 ($2000 if matched by the government).




Questions: Global Warming:


1) What are 3 things you can do to help reduce greenhouse gases and emissions?





2) What can governments do to stop greenhouse gases from being released into our atmosphere (give me 2 examples of what can be done)?

Link:

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Science Links and Homework

Science Quiz Links-

As promised, here are the links we used in class that may help you prepare for tomorrow's quiz.

Remember to take a peak at key terms and concepts such as:

- The difference between rotation and revolution
- Why we have day and night
- 2 factors that contribute to season changes
-Phases of the moon
- Waxing/Waning (moon)
- Perigee Vs Apogee (moon)
- Amount of days it takes for the moon to orbit around the earth
- Lunar/Solar Eclipse
-Equinox/Solstice
- The importance of March 21st and December 21st
- Earth and its axis
- Earth's natural satelitte

Sun Link- http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.eiu.sunbasics/characteristics-of-the-sun/

A day on Earth-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-dtBfkzyl0&feature=related

Reasons for Seasons- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taHTA7S_JGk

Understanding the Moon- http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases.phtml

Phases of the Moon- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXseTWTZlks&feature=related

Solar and Lunar Eclipse Links-

http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/SEprimer.html

http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/LEprimer.html

http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/ess05.sci.ess.eiu.totaleclipse/total-solar-eclipse-animation/

Other Homework

Math- Translation and Ordered Pair Worksheets

Geography- Begin to research topic for Natural Disaster Response Plan


Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Link to News Paper Writing article

Newspaper Feature Task
The link below will take you to the latest Toronto Star article on the Wildfire tragedy still taking place in fort McMurray. Please ensure you complete the graphic organizer for tomorrow.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/05/09/ocean-of-fire-gives-way-to-reveal-a-fort-mcmuray-still-largely-intact.html


What are class is doing to help victims of Fort McMurray

I am extremely proud to announce that our class has decided to head an initiative that will be run at our school to raise money to assist victims of the Fort McMurray tragedy. Over the next 2 weeks and on the night of our school fun fair, our class will be selling frozen yogurt and popcorn. All profits will be donated to the Red Cross who are assisting victims of the Fort McMurray wildfires. All money being donated to the Red Cross is being matched by the federal government. As we are in the middle of a news report writing unit with a focus on fairness/equity and how we can create a fair equitable world, I am so thrilled to see the enthusiasm that all students are showing in turning our words and discussions into real, positive action. I sincerely hope that getting out their and truly making a difference opens up your eyes to the many opportunities that exist to make a truly positive change in our world.

There will be more information about our efforts sent out later this week via announcements and the school blog. Please stay tuned.

Chapters for Week 2

George Clooney- 5-7
Enders Game- 6 and 7
Hugo- 5-8
We all Fall Down- 4-6
Giver-4-7

Reminder to Grade 6 Students

There is a quiz coming up in Science on Thursday! Please refer back to your Kahoots and study guide questions/packages for studying!