Mrs. McKernon's Class Blog

1. January 21, 2021 – School Council Zoom meeting at 6:30pm

Join Zoom Meeting: https://rockyview.zoom.us/j/7422663649

Meeting ID: 742 266 3649

Passcode: OVGFBE

2.  The students have been participating in the Sound Kreations Hip Hop Program.  Enjoy the video of some of  last weeks highlights.  Look for more videos in the future!!

http://schoolblogs.rockyview.ab.ca/tmckernon/wp-content/uploads/sites/107/2021/01/uOK0enZIR9C0KQJvqx5QQ.mov

3.  This week the students will be wrapping up long division.  The grade 6 students will be learning division with decimals.  We are also starting to learn about lines, polygons and different types of triangles and angles.

4.  The Grade 5 students did a Scavenger Hunt last week and discovered some of the historical events and groups that made Canada what it is today.  We will be looking at how the unique features of the land regions in Canada affected people and where they settled.

5.  The Grade 6 students are currently working on the evolution of technology and how inventions have made life easier for society.  They picked an invention to research and will be sharing their findings with the class.  The students will also be doing a few experiments to discover some of the properties of air as well.

Welcome back 5/6M!!  I hope you all had a relaxing break.  Hopefully everyone is ready for a week of on-line learning.

All of this week’s assignments will be posted at 8:00 am each day.  I will explain the assignments during our morning Zoom sessions @ 9:00 am.

Just a reminder that we have the following Zoom Meetings:

9:00 am – Morning Zoom Meeting (Everyone must attend) – Monday to Friday https://rockyview.zoom.us/j/94786897617

**Please note that the Grade 6 students will start their Morning Zoom Meeting at 9:30 instead of 9:00 am on Tuesday.  Every other day the meeting will start at 9:00 am.  Use the following link for Tuesday only Grade 6 students:

https://rockyview.zoom.us/j/97425406581

1:00 pm – Afternoon Zoom Meeting (Everyone must attend) – Monday to Thursday https://rockyview.zoom.us/j/96652278088

 1:30 pm – Help Zoom (This is a drop-in session for those who need help with their assignments) – Monday to Thursday https://rockyview.zoom.us/j/91049453889

10:00 am Help Zoom – Friday Only https://rockyview.zoom.us/j/98636619374

Looking forward to seeing everyone!!

Mrs. McKernon

1.  It is hard to believe that it is the last week before the holiday break.  Time has really flew by!

2. In math I will be introducing, or in some cases reviewing, long division.  We will definitely revisit it in the new year, but we are going to kick of the concept this week.  

3. The Grade 6 students will be finishing up their government unit with a test.  We have a few more things to talk about with trees and will start this unit up again in the spring. 

4. The Grade 5 students will be learning about what electromagnets are and what they are used for. 

5. The students will be participating in the 25 classes of Christmas this week.  The students will be doing many festive activities related to reading, writing, science, social, art, etc.  

6. I will be sending out an e-mail with the on-line learning plan for the week of January 4th to 8th on Friday.  I look forward to seeing all of the students back at school on January 11th, 2021.

1.  School Council Meeting on Tuesday, December 1 @ 6:30.  Click on the link below to attend.

 https://rockyview.zoom.us/j/7422663649

2.  Please send a medium sized jar to school by Friday for an experiment.

3.  The students will doing Mad Minutes this week.  Make sure your child is practising their facts!

4.  In math this week we will continue long multiplication.  The students all have a good understanding of 2 and 3-by 1 digit multiplication and are ready to move onto 2 by 2-digit.  Those students that are ready will focus on multiplication with decimals at the end of the week.  Please make sure that your child is studying their multiplication facts, as while they might understand the multiplication process, they can struggle due to math facts.

5.  Most of the Grade 5 students completed their summative assessment for our “Who We Are” unit.  They presented a weather forecast incorporating all of the weather elements they learned during the unit.  They will be posting the videos on myBlueprint this week so you can see their fabulous work.  We will be starting our “How the World Works” unit this week.

6.  The Grade 6 students will be continuing to learn about government, specifically, provincial and municipal.  They will also be making study notes on photosynthesis for their upcoming quiz.  We will also be examining trees and looking at bark, leaves/buds, branches, etc and also learn about deciduous and coniferous trees.

7.  The students started making lanterns for our Diwali “Festival of Lights” project.  We will continue to work on them this week.

8.  Some Guided Reading groups have finished reading their novels and are working on their final reflection.  Other groups are still meeting weekly to discuss what they have read and answer questions that they have created.

1.  Just a reminder that there is no school Monday, November 23rd, as it is a Professional Development Day for the staff. 

2.  Math – We will be writing a quiz on factors and multiples.  We will then move onto long multiplication. 

3.  Grade 5 Unit of Inquiry – The Grade 5 students will continue to learn about weather.  The students will be testing their weather instruments this week and writing up a lab report reflecting on the results.  The students will be filming their weather forecast and making weather charts to refer to during their presentation.  We will also be learning about climate change over time by completing a Google Earth activity. 

4.  Grade 6 Unit of Inquiry – The Grade 6 students continue both their tree and government units this week.  They will be learning more about the Charter of Rights by playing a board game and identifying the rights by reading different scenarios.  We will continue to learn about photosynthesis and will write a quiz later in the week as well.  We will work on study skills at school that they can use to study with at home. 

5.  Make sure your child is practising their math facts, as we will be writing a new set of mad minutes in the next few weeks. 

1.  Your child should have brought home their mad minutes last week and a blank booklet to use for practice.  Go through each operation with them and see what facts they need to focus on.  Practising every night for 10 to 15 minutes is recommended. 

2.  Math – We will continue to learn about lowest common multiples and greatest common factors this week.  We should be having a quiz mid-week on this unit.  We will then move onto long multiplication. 

3.  Grade 5 Unit of Inquiry – The Grade 5 students will continue to learn about weather.  The students made weather instruments on Friday and will start to test them this week.  Those students who forgot their materials will need to make their instrument at home and bring them to school early in the week.  We will also be learning how indigenous people used nature to predict weather and compare it to the methods we use now.  If time permits, we will also be learning about climate change over time by completing a Google Earth activity. 

4.  Grade 6 Unit of Inquiry – The Grade 6 students will be learning about the four pillars of democracy and the Charter of Rights.  We will then move onto photosynthesis and human use of trees.  

5.  There will be no Rainbow Wall this week, as after every two sets of activities we have a one week break.  They will have a new one to complete next week. 

1.  Thank you to the parents who attended the PW Virtual Parent Teacher Interviews.  If anyone would still like to meet just send me an email and we can set up a time. 

2.  Remembrance Day – Don’t forget to join our Remembrance Day Ceremony over Zoom on Tuesday.  Please note there is a time change, as it is now at 9:30 am.  Join us using the following link:

Topic: Remembrance Day Ceremony
Time: Nov 10, 2020 9:30 AM Pacific Time
https://rockyview.zoom.us/j/96103287890
Meeting ID: 961 0328 7890
Passcode: 415386

Students who are in the Honour Guard may come dressed in their uniforms. This includes anybody in Scouts, Girl Guides, Cadets, etc.  All others students can dress in red or black to mark the occasion.

3.  We encourage all students to bring a toonie to school on Tuesday in support of the Veterans. 

4.  There is no school on Wednesday, November 11, 2020 due to Remembrance Day. 

5.  Math – The students will be working on prime and composite numbers, as well as factors and multiples.

7.  Grade 5 Unit of Inquiry – The Grade 5 students will continue to learn about weather.  They will be keeping a weather journal the next few weeks and are finding out about extreme weather.  Hopefully the students filled out their journal this weekend.  The storm gave them some interesting data I’m sure!  The students will be choosing a weather instrument to make and may require some materials be brought to school from home as well. 

8.  Grade 6 Unit of Inquiry – The Grade 6 students will be learning about democracy and the Canadian government.  They will be learning about the different branches of the government and their responsibilities.  They will have a test on parts of the tree and their functions on Friday.  We will be focusing on study skills in class, but they will still be expected to study at home as well.  If we have time, we will move onto photosynthesis and the Charter of Rights.   

9.  For our “Rainbow Wall,” which is our daily seven, the focus will be on Remembrance Day.  We will be doing reading, writing, word work, estimation, doubling, and symmetry.  This is always posted on Google Classroom and the students can work on it at home if they choose.  Some of the students are a bit behind with some of their assignments and are expected to catch up in their free time. 

10.  French – Last week the students practised basic conversations in French.  This week the grade fives will be learning about school subjects and the grade sixes will be working on their holiday unit by learning about Remembrance Day.