Awesome!!!!

We had an awesome day today......an awesome week overall......AWESOME!

The math quiz was today, and most kids finished.  Those who require more time will have time to finish on Monday.

Reminders :

Optical art is due on Monday.

HPV needles for the girls is Wednesday, October 2nd.

Picture day is Thursday, October 3rd

I hope everyone has a great weekend!


Take care,
Miss Waddell

Pictures From Island Lake

Great Week!

We have had a busy week in room 18!

Our week began with an awesome trip to Island Lake! The pond study and cooperative games were great!  The class had such a positive experience!

Pictures coming soon!

Last night we had another wonderful Open House! It was so busy...and so nice to meet everyone!  Thank you for stopping by room 18!

Curriculum updates :

In language we are working on our summarizing skills.  The students have been practicing how to take a large piece of written material and bring it down to a suitable size. Not an easy feat! We will spend a bit more time on this and then move on to some "longer" pieces of writing. This week, the reading component, and our art activities have centred around Terry Fox and his Marathon of Hope. (See below for run details).

In math we are well into our triangle (geometry) unit and have begun learning about the interior angle theory.  The kids will have a quiz on Friday, and a unit test by the end of next week.

In history our focus is still on Confederation and we will be taking a closer look at the Fathers of Confederation.

We have been working on our soccer skills in gym, and have also been playing cooperative games.  Soon, we will move into a basketball unit, and we will begin our healthy eating unit in health studies.

In art we have been designing optical illusions, and today we worked on a Terry Fox art activity that involved designing a running shoe that symbolizes his Marathon of Hope.

I have been meeting with the parents of those kid who have IEP's. If you have not received a notice regarding this, please contact me at school or drop a note in your child's agenda.

Reminders:

The Terry Fox run is tomorrow during periods 5 and 6.....

HPV needles for the girls is Wednesday, October 2nd.

Picture day is Thursday, October 3rd

I hope everyone has a great weekend!


Take care,
Miss Waddell

Island Lake!

Remember that the kids are going to Island Lake Conservation Area tomorrow for a day of cooperative games and a science-related pond study.

The weather tomorrow looks GREAT!  Please make sure the kids have snacks (lunch is provided), a change of clothes.... perhaps a pair of rubber boots......sunscreen.....

The bus leaves in the morning at 9:00 am and we return at 3:00pm.

Looking forward to it!

Miss Waddell

Updates!

We are zooming along in Room 18!

Here are some of the goings-on in our class :

In Language, we are working on writing proper paragraphs, main idea, and summarizing.  The focus this week and next week will be on Terry Fox and his run for cancer research. We have been reading news articles of the past and present, and have been discussing the characteristics of a hero.  Our school Terry Fox run will take place next Thursday - details coming very soon!

In Math, we are finishing our angle unit, with a pop quiz today and a test coming up next week :)

We will move onto Interior Angle Theory ...related to triangles.

In history, we have been discussing Canada before Confederation, and will be moving onto the Fathers of Confederation and how the influenced the dominion of our country.

In gym, we are finishing soccer, and will be moving on to basket ball.  In health, we will be studying proper nutrition and healthy eating.just a reminder that proper/appropriate clothing is required for phys-ed class. A change of shorts or pants, shirt (t-shirt or long sleeves), running shoes.... and girls need to have their hair tied back.

Next Monday, we are heading to Island Lake Conservation Area in Orangeville, for the entire day ( 9:00am - 2:30pm) to participate in cooperative games - linked to the phys-ed program, and a  pond study that will be linked to their grade 8 water cycle science expectations. Students need to dress appropriately, bring a lunch, and wear appropriate footwear. Parent volunteers are needed - please contact me if you are interested in going with us.

Reminders :

Monday, September, 23 - Island Lake trip
Tuesday, September 24 - Open House - details to come soon
Thursday, September 26 - Terry Fox Run

I have sent home notes with the students that have IEP's, hoping to discuss these plans and go over your child's learning needs. I hope to be meeting with these parents over the next two weeks.

Take care,

Miss Waddell

Wow!

Almost another week has flown by here at EPS!

The kids have been quite busy!

We have been writing, creating angles, reading humorous tales, playing cooperative games, creating funky pieces of art, honing our soccer skills....the list goes on.

The kids have a bit of homework tonight : they need to finish the good copy of their writing piece : Max's Deli.  And a couple kids still need to complete art assignments.

This week, all students have been on a school computer to log on to the network, and onto UGCloud.  The Cloud is a fantastic, safe, and multi-faceted program for the kids to use to complete assignments, communicate with teachers and peers, and to create projects online.  If you aren't sure what the cloud is, ask your child :)

Please ensure that all walking forms, lunch procedure sheets, consent forms, and Parent Brag sheets have been returned to the school by Monday.

I would like to meet with all IEP students and their parents over the next two weeks, to go over the IEP and to discuss the best way to program for your son or daughter.  I will be sending a note home soon regarding the best time and date to meet.


Take care,

Miss Waddell

Hard at Work in Room 18!

Quick Reminders....

Parents : your homework is due tomorrow :)
The Brag sheets are due tomorrow...Wednesday at the latest!

Students : maps of Canada are due at the end of our history period tomorrow.  Art assignments are due on Wednesday - many kids have handed them in already.

All other paper work is due back at school by the end of the week.  These forms include : blue walking forms, yellow lunch forms, white consent forms, and the small tear-aways requesting our school newsletter in a digital/email format.

Have a great night!

Take care,

Miss Waddell

First Week Was Great!

Congratulations to 8D on a fantastic first week back at Erin P.S.

The year is off to a great start!

Already the kids have been busy - getting to know each other, figuring out their classes and teachers, and learning the expectations of grade 8.

Thank you for sending back all forms and information sheets with the students.  A few more parents have to finish and hand in their homework : the Parent Brag Sheet - they are due next Tuesday :)


I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend,

Take care,

Miss Waddell

Welcome Back!

Dear Parents and Guardians,

                Welcome back! I hope everyone had a wonderful summer!  I would like to introduce myself to you as your child’s grade 8 core/homeroom teacher.  My name is Carolynne Waddell and I have been teaching at Erin Public School for 13 years.  I am really looking forward to teaching the grade 8’s – we are going to have an amazing year!

                Over the next few months, our goal is to meet the expectations of the Ontario Curriculum, and of course to make sure the students settle into Erin Public School routines and activities comfortably.  I will be teaching the following subjects to your child/children : Language, Math, Geography, History, Phys-ed and Drama, and Visual Art.

·         The language arts program will consist of  grammar, creative writing and reading, persuasive writing novel studies, media studies, book reports (one per term), and many other language-based activities.  The students will be working in small groups, guided reading groups, and whole-class lessons and discussions.

·         The math program will cover many areas of study – starting off with a geometry unit that focuses on line segments, rays, congruent and similar figures, obtuse, acute and reflex angles.

·         We will be covering history term one and will then move into the geography program in term two. Our first history unit will begin with a look at the Confederation of our country. The focus in social studies this year will be project-based learning. What is PBL?  According to Edutopia : “Project-based learning is a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges. With this type of active and engaged learning, students are inspired to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they're studying.”

·         In phys-ed we will begin with team-building games, leadership skills and soccer skills. The culminating task for the team-building/leadership unit will be to design, practice, and carry-out a warm-up activity and a team-builder activity to a Junior or Primary class. Health will focus on healthy body image, and healthy eating.

·         In drama, we will be starting with small comedic skits.

·         In visual arts we will explore cartooning and sketching.

                               

This term, 8D will have the pleasure of hosting a Teacher Candidate from Wilfred Laurier University.  He will be in the classroom on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  We welcome him, and I’m sure you will meet him during our open house.

During our first day of school, the students and I discussed classroom rules and expectations that will be followed over the entire school year.  Please ask your child to go over these with you.  They are posted in the room at all times.  My overall focus for the class is for the students to enjoy a happy, cooperative, and respectful learning environment.

                Each student has been given an agenda, which will be used on a daily basis to record homework.  Please look over the agenda with your child to review the day’s events, and sign in the place provided.  Agendas will be checked on a frequent basis to ensure that they are being taken home and used properly.  I will also be using these books as a means of communication with you. Please feel free to write any notes or concerns in the agenda. Another form of communication is our class blog.  At  www.misswaddell7.blogspot.com  , you can check for up-coming classroom activities and assignments.  The blog will also be updated on a regular basis.

                I look forward to meeting you at our Open House on September 24th!  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at the school or write a note in your child’s agenda.

                            

Take Care,

Miss Waddell

September 2013!!!

Welcome Back!

I hope everyone had a fabulous summer! I enjoyed spending time up north at the cottage, and running around Calgary, Canmore, and parts of B.C.!

I am very excited to start the 2013-14 school year! See you on Tuesday!

Miss Waddell