To my wonderful families,

This is the final blog of the 2020-2021 school year. 

We have learned a lot, we have done a lot. We have built friendships and we have become a fabulous classroom community.

I am not going to share in the blog what we have done the last two weeks, as much of it has been review and finishing up units of study.

I can't wait to see your children on Monday and Tuesday as they are both full days of learning and gathering up belongings.

It is supposed to be very hot this week, so please remember to send a hat, and water with your child. We will be spending some time outside, but not sure how much.

Have a great Sunday!

Mrs. Mahon

 Good Friday Afternoon Families,

The last 2 weeks have been fun-filled with a lot of learning still happening in the classroom. We are moving closer to the end of the year and we still have a lot to do! We are excited to see every student, every day!

In room 16 we have been completing and starting new topics all the time.

In reading we are enjoying the book Front Desk by Kelly Yang. It is about a girled named Mia, who is an immigrant from China who lives in a motel with her parents. We are learning about topics such as racism and prejudice. We are also responding to what we are reading by answering question both out loud and in our writing journals.

In mathematics we have learned about the differences between volume and capacity and how to calculate volume. We also know that 1 ㎤ = 1 mL.  We have also been learning about about motion geometry.  It involves drawing shapes and then sliding, flipping or turning them. Using different shapes we are also combining math and art and doing tesselations.

In science we finished off our chemistry unit by doing different experiments. Out favourite experiment was watching what happens when you put a whole roll of Mentos into a 2L bottle of diet cola.When the Mentos went into the pop it became really fizzy and exploded out the top of the bottle. It could be seen from the hill to the play structure. We have started a new unit learning about plant growth. We are finding out how seeds grow. We put a bean seed in a clear plastic glass with a damp paper towel. After 4 days, some beans have started to sprout. We also learned about the parts of a plant and why they are important.

In social studies we are going to learn about forts and where they are in Alberta. We finished learning about the Famous Five. We have also had discussions about Residential Schools and the impact that they had on the Indigenous People of Canada. These discussions have focused more on the discovery in Kamloops. To remember the 215 children, today we each tied an orange ribbon on the fence closest to Madigan Drive.

In art we want to paint rocks, however, we keep forgetting to bring a rock to school. We need them for Friday. The rock needs to be no bigger than the palm of our hands.

In physical education we have learned how to throw and catch a softball. We have used a glove to help us. Next week we start soccer baseball. We are really excited.

Mrs. Mahon wants us to remember to check the weather every day. It is going to be very warm all week next week and we will be spending more time outside. She is asking us to bring a hat, wear sunscreen if we can and make sure we have plain water, as many things like juice, flavorings, etc, add sugar, and are not as thirst quenching.

It is going to be a great last 2 weeks of school.

Mrs. Mahon's Marvelous Monsters

 Hello Friends and Families,

Since we last touched base we have done a week of online learning and now a week of back to school, face to face learning.

This week we have learned about the Famous Five and really enjoyed it.

Most of us are happy to be back and we are learning more than we did when we were online.

In reading we have been learning about Front Desk, a book by Kelly Yang. We get to buddy read to read it and it helps us with words we may not know, and to understand what we are reading.

In math we have been learning about area and perimeter. We got to plan a flower garden and count the perimeter and area of each bed and total. 

When we were online we got to watch Ms. Mahon do science experiments in her kitchen. We tried to do walking water, but it didn't work. (Ms. Mahon says we will try again next week). We also watched what happens when you heat up air. We made a candle float. We found out what colours the black ink in markers is actually made of. We watched what happens when you add warm water to Skittles and started to make crystals.

We are learning new things in music. We had a quiz to remind us about what we know.

Have a great weekend,

Ms. Mahon and her Marvelous Monsters (all 11 of them today!)

 Happy Friday Families,

For the last week we have been working online. We would rather be in school, but we are making it work.

We have been reading and writing about "Front Desk" by Kelly Yang. We have met Mia, a Chinese immigrant who is working with her family at the Calivista Motel in California. She has been teaching us through her words about life as an immigrant and the trials and tribulations she is going through as a 10 year old.

In math we are learning about measurement. We have learned about lines, line segments and rays. We have learned how to draw and measure angles and the different names of triangles. We have learned about isosceles, scalene and equilateral triangles.

In science we are studying chemistry. We have learned about mixtures and chemical reactions. We did science experiments with Skittles, jellybeans, a few liquids, baking soda, vinegar and food colouring. We had fun watching chemical reactions happen. Check out what we did on Google Classroom.

In social studies we are studying the Famous Five. They are a group of women who were trying to change the laws in Canada regarding women's rights.

In art we are doing free draw, drawing optical illusions and following along with Art Hub for Kids on youtube.

Stay tuned for another update next week.

Mrs. Mahon's Marvelous Monsters

 Good Afternoon Families,

The last 2 weeks have just flown by and we have accomplished so much in the classroom. I can't believe how quickly April has come and gone.

In our Literacy block each day we read and write. In reading we often read and share our understanding of what we are reading with others. We are learning to ask and answer questions that need more thought to answer, not just finding the information inside the book.

In writing, we are beginning to do a novel study on the book "Front Desk", by Kelly Yang. It is read aloud and then we have been having some really good conversations about what we are reading. We are learning to make connections to the book from our own lives.

We are finishing up 2D and 3D shapes in Math by creating 3D shape mobiles. The will be displayed in the classroom before we bring them home. This week we will be starting to learn about measurement. We will learn about units of measure, weights and volume. These units are a lot of fun to learn as it is a lot of hands on work.

Science has us learning about classroom chemistry. We have already discussed the 3 states of matter and will be moving on to mixtures this week and next. Science experiments are fun.

We will be finishing up learning about confederation and the Fathers of Confederation in social this week. Next week we will learn all about the move west and the NWMP. 

In art we finished Leah Dorion and now we are doing some dot art. Next week we will be connecting to the land in art by doing some rock painting. Keep your eyes open for a rock that is about the size of the palm of your child's hand that they can wash and paint next week.

Iris is a program that we are using at school to help students document their learning. We have recently posted some of the work that we have done in class. By logging in to Iris, you can see what your child has been doing. 

A letter went home today regarding Disc Golf. Please ask your student for it and if you have any questions please call me at (403) 777-8110 or email me at: wjmahon@cbe.ab.ca.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Mahon

Latest Update from Room 16

Hello, Room 16 Families!  

We had a busy week of learning, finishing off some units and moving into some new ones.

In science this week, we continued learning about the sun's energy and how it affects daily and seasonal weather. We also took the time to go outside to notice signs of spring, such as the budding trees and greening grass. 

In math, we started learning about 2D and 3D shapes. We sorted 3D shapes into different groups based on the number of edges, vertices, and bases. 

In social studies, we finished off learning about Alberta by presenting our Alberta Natural Region slides in front of the class. Ask me about the natural region I researched! Then on Friday, we went on a virtual field trip to the grass land region to visit the Royal Tyrell Museum where we learned about digging up dinosaur bones and fossils! 

In writing, we used our stories from home to plan and write our rough draft of our story. We also started to draw a scene from our story in art class! We have been working on using art to tell stories, using Leah Dorain books as our inspiration. 

We have been having a blast in gym class learning and playing different games involving scoops, hula hoops, blowing pins, and bean bags! Ask me about the "Sink the Ship" game.

Mrs. Mahon's Marvellous Monsters  

 Good Afternoon Families of Room 16!

I am so excited about what is happening in our classroom. 

In literacy we continue to read and write every day. We are learning about myths, legends, fairy tales and other stories. When we get back from spring break we will be focusing on writing or rewriting stories that we have learned from our familes. A letter went home Wednesday, if you have any questions feel free to email me at wjmahon@cbe.ab.ca.

Math has focused on adding and subtracting decimals, grocery shopping using flyers and menu planning for our families. Over the break would be a good chance to let you children work with you to plan and shop using a budget. We have enjoyed this and have learned a lot. After break the focus in math will move to shapes, space and measurement.

The weather unit in science will be completed right after spring break, and I will let you know what units will happen next.

In social studies we are finishing up the section on the regions of Alberta and are ready to move on to more of the history and stories from both Alberta and Canada. We enjoyed an Alberta Online escape room that focused on using the information learned these past few weeks to help escape. We loved it.

Physical Education has focused on using hula hoops and scoops to work on both fine and gross motor skills. The students are learning teamwork, how to pass and catch with a scoop and how to use and work with hula hoops. After spring break we are hoping to do more phys. ed classes outdoors.

Art has involved sketching, painting and analyzing different pieces from different artists. We are currently focused on Leah Dorion's work. We will post pictures when they are completed. Today we took it a step further and enjoyed painting on the snow.

Conversations have happened in health around friendships, and the difference between small problems and big problems. These conversations can also happen at home. We will be moving on to hygiene and review healthy eating and activity habits after the break.

Have a great spring break and we will see everyone back on Tuesday, April 6th.