Friday, June 26th 2020

Dear Grade 5/6 Students, 

Congratulations on finishing the 2019/2020 school year! It’s been a very memorable year for all of us, and I would like to thank each of you for your resilience, determination and positive outlook. As a learning community, we were each successful in achieving a variety of goals, both in-class and through ongoing learning. I am so proud of all of you have accomplished.

To those of you continuing at Ramsay School next year, I look forward to seeing you again in the fall. To my graduating grade sixes, it’s been an honour to be a part of your elementary experience and I wish you all the best as you move forward into Junior High.  Please keep in touch!

All the best to each of you, and to your families, for a safe and fun summer!

Warmest regards,

Ms. McGrath

Friday, March 20th 2020

Hello Rm. 9 Parents,

As we head into Spring Break, I just wanted to remind families that all students have access to Mathletics, which currently has tasks assigned to students based on their recent and current learning. If you require your child’s Mathletic login and password, please do not hesitate to email me.

In addition, students previously utilizing Raz-Kids within the classroom should continue to access this site at home.

Also, below is a list of the current spelling words we are working on:

Before school closures, the majority of students had an opportunity to finish their ‘mini’ stories incorporating concepts of narration and dialogue. They were tasked with writing a conversation between two interesting characters (e.g. a sock and a shoe, a shark and a surfer, etc.). or they could create a conversation of their choice.  The project encouraged students to focus on descriptive writing, setting and utilizing the rules of dialogue between characters. Below are several examples of student work:  

  

  

  

I hope all families have a relaxing Spring Break.  Please take care and I look forward to connecting with you after the break.

Best wishes,

Ms. McGrath

Wednesday, March 11th, 2020

Happy Wednesday!

Today in social studies, students developed their knowledge and skills around their current online verification habits.  The guiding questions for our learning today included:

1.     Why should I verify information I see online?

2.     How can I tell fact from fiction on the internet?

Through a series of activities and an online interactive game, students had the opportunity to try and identify misinformation and disinformation.  Students were then introduced to skills that support them in identifying correct or false information. The skills including how to check the source, verify the claim, and source the original image.  Based on their work today, students could then articulate why it was important to verify information before believing and sharing it.  They could also describe and use the fact-checking skills necessary to verify the information they see online.   

   

Reminder: If you have not already done so, please sign-up for Parent Conferences on Thursday, March 19^th & Friday, March 20^th

Upcoming events:

-       Thursday, March 11^th – Animal Dragon spelling test

-       Friday, March 12^th – Belonging Day (please wear your Ramsay t-shirt)

-       Monday, March 16^th – Scoop Troup spelling test

-       Prepare new sort for Animal Dragons (#22) for Friday

Tuesday, March 10th, 2020

Happy Tuesday,

Today in math, students started learning about Ratio which is a comparison between two quantities.  Please see video for additional information. We will continue with Ratio tomorrow in addition to having students write their 6x multiplication and division quiz. 

In health, we learned about the development of mindful thinking and awareness as a means to focus our attention to ourselves within our surroundings. By consciously processes sensory input, and providing our prefrontal cortex time to process information, we can choose the best course of action.  Conversely, when we are behaving in an unmindful way, there can be risky consequences.  Students spend a few minutes drawing unmindful situations and their unintentional consequences. 

 

Reminder: If you have not already done so, please sign-up for Parent Conferences on Thursday, March 19^th & Friday, March 20^th

Upcoming events:

Wednesday, March 10^th – multiplication and division test (6’s)

Thursday, March 11^th – Animal Dragon spelling test

Friday, March 12^th – Belonging Day (please wear your Ramsay t-shirt)

Monday, March 16^th – Scoop Troup spelling test

Monday, March 9th, 2020

Happy Monday!

Today in science, students reinforced their knowledge of the water cycle and learned about different types of precipitation – rain, snow, sleet & hail. Students were required to complete a series of questions regarding formation, temperature, measurement and impact. Each group was assigned to learn about one type, which they will then share with the other groups.

Upcoming events:

Tuesday, March 10^th – Orange Oompa Loompa Spelling Test

Wednesday, March 11^th – 6x multiplication and division quiz

Thursday, March 12^th – Animal Dragons spelling test

Friday, March 13^th – Belonging Day (wear your Ramsay t-shirt)

Reminder – if you have not already done so, please return your Kamp Kiwanis field trip form. 

Friday, March 6th 2020

Happy Friday!

Today in math, grade 6 students finished their final lessons on solving problems that involve decimals. Specifically, students were practicing the division of decimal numbers greater and less than one. Students have been provided with word problem homework that is due Monday.

Students will also have a 6x multiplication and division test on Tuesday. In addition, the Orange Oompa Loompa spelling group will also have their spelling test.

Final reminder for students to return their Kamp Kiwanis field trip form if they have not already done so.

Thanks so much & have a great weekend!

Thursday, March 5th 2020

Happy Thursday!

Reminder to please return field trip forms for Kamp Kiwanis. 

Today in social studies, students were asked to think critically about the images they see.  Images can shape the way we understand people, issues and events. Developing a habit of questioning images can make us more informed citizens.

Our guiding questions today included:

How do images produce meaning?

How can I think critically about images?

To start, students analyzed images and shared what they noticed and inferred based on what they could see.  They then looked at images with a variety of different headlines and captions to assess how the addition of words could potentially change one’s understanding of the image and message. 

Lastly, we looked at how images and videos are manipulated or contrived to portray a negative or positive message – especially in political campaigns.  

Tomorrow, we’ll continue with our lesson by learning how to search for the source of online images. As well, students will apply a ‘Questioning Image’ Framework to assess the validity of images they find online. 

Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020

Happy Tuesday!

Students were provided with their field trip forms for Kamp Kiwanis.  Please ensure all blue forms are completed and returned by this Friday.

Today in Social Studies, we discussed social media algorithms and how they work in such a way that we are more likely to see content that is similar to what we already like or agree with.  Therefore, our social media feeds never give us the whole picture. As a society, many people are heavy adopters of social media and they now rely on these sites for their news.  The problem is that social media platforms were never intended to be news organizations, as their goal is to display ads. They want you to spend more of your time on their site, so they ‘recommend’ articles that evoke your emotions and reinforce your current beliefs and attitudes.  

To demonstrate this concept, students were divided into two groups and each group was provided with a booklet of social media posts.  The two groups looked at information and listed the pros and cons of a proposed solar factory being built near a school.  However, students were not told that the information booklets were different and each booklet had a different perspective of the issue.  When it came time to vote on the referendum, students were surprised when the many members of the other group voted differently than them. The activity reinforced how the information we are exposed to affects our attitudes and decisions.

 

Guided questions that students were asked to consider as a result of our lesson:

How can information impact my decisions?

What are the pros and cons of using online platforms?

Why should we be critical consumers of online information?  

Monday, March 3rd, 2020

Happy Monday!

Today in ELA, students worked to finish up their dialogue and narration story by incorporating suggested feedback improvements.  They are then adding some imagery to their story to complete and present their work. 

In math, we are currently working on the multiplication of decimals and will be looking at division of decimals within the next few days. For instructions, please see the following video on decimal operations: Math Antics

During our science lesson today we continued with our weather unit and we reviewed the pressure systems which contribute to the creation of wind.  As well, we also reviewed the instruments used for the measurement of speed and direction.  Students then had the opportunity to create and test their own wind socks outside. 

   

   

After testing our wind socks, students expressed the following observations:

·      The wind was changing directions a lot – E.d.

·      Weather changes very rapidly in Calgary – A.S.

·      Once we had turned it the right direction, we got a very strong SW wind – A.Ha.

·      The wind would consistently go in the same direction except for a few wind gusts.

·      When going slow, it would droop but when the wind picked up, then the sock would go straight out – A.He.

·      I liked how the wind socks would lift up because the wind was so strong – A.Ha.

·      The wind is coming from different places.  Two pressure systems trying to create an equilibrium – A.C.

Thursday,February 27th, 2020

Happy Thursday,

In math today, students continued to work on word problems requiring them to add and subtract decimal numbers.

In science, students had an opportunity to practice their graphic recording skills.  Watching a video about wind, students recorded important facts and drew icons to represent weather concepts related to wind.  Tomorrow, students will be constructing a wind sock to evaluate the strength of the air current outside. 

  

Wednesday, February 26th 2020

Happy Wednesday!

Today students supported Pink Shirt Day by both wearing pink and supporting this year’s theme of “Lift Each Other Up.”  In class, we read a story called Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson and discussed how little acts of kindness create a ripple effect. Students recalled situations in which they wish they had displayed support and kindness, and recorded what they wish they had done or said instead.  Students then wrote their new statements on circular ripple that will be used in an art project within the school.

Based on the concept of Kindness Cards, as described in a Kindness Ted Talk, student created their own Pay-It-Forward cards that could be performed and then passed along for another student to perform.  Our goal is to continue to with tasks of kindness throughout the year. 

Tuesday, February 25th, 2020

Happy Tuesday!

Tonight is the scheduled parent camp meeting for Outdoor School. Nick Taven from Kamp Kiwanis will be in attendance to provide parents with all the necessary information for a successful camp experience. Please meet in the gym at 5:30pm.

Today, students had the opportunity to nominate a fellow student for demonstrating kindness, helpfulness and inclusion at Ramsay School.  Students wrote their nomination on a Pink Shirt Card that was entered into a draw in the office. Prizes include 2 pink t-shirts and a collection of books.  Tomorrow is Pink Shirt Day and students will participate in a variety of activities to reinforce concepts of positive words and actions. 

Monday, February 24th, 2020

Happy Monday!

In class today, students had the opportunity to compile all of their completed work into the creation of their final animation story.  Using their created assets, students worked through their story plan and utilized the animation techniques taught in class.  Their goal being to communicate though pictures the reason why their chosen immigrant group came to Canada. 

    

  

Parents will have the opportunity to view all of the Ramsay animations at our Spring Celebration on April 30^th, 2020

Upcoming Events:

Tuesday, February 25^th: Kamp Kiwanis parent meeting @ 5:30pm

Wednesday, February 26^th: Pink Shirt Day (please encourage your child to wear a pink shirt if they have one)

Thursday, February 27^th: Scoop Troop spelling test

Wednesday, February 19th 2020

Happy Wednesday!

What a great day!  Our morning was spent in the animation studio as students learned new animation techniques to incorporate into their final project.  Students learned about animation boils and smears, as well as how to make puppets and use close-ups to convey character emotion. 

Check out a few of our practice videos from today:

Tuesday, February 18th, 2020

Happy Tuesday!  I hope everyone had a great long weekend.

This morning in math, we continued our work on decimals and students had the opportunity to describe and represent both decimals and fractions, as well as compare them to one another and create equivalent values. We ended our lesson with a ‘friendly’ competition to see which group could correctly and quickly sort the provided decimal cards from smallest to largest. 

   

In the afternoon, students worked as a group to create a collaborative story line for their immigration and animation project.  Next steps include building the images and phrases for their animation in order to effectively communicate the histories and impact of immigration in Canada. 

   

Reminder: next Tuesday, February 25^th, there is a mandatory parent meeting @ 5:30pm in the library.  A parent / guardian MUST attend in order for your child to participate in Outdoor School.   

Wednesday, February 12th, 2020

Happy Wednesday,

Today all grade 5 and 6 students travelled to Rideau Park School to attend their Jump Rope assembly in support of the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Upon arrival, students practiced their own skipping rope skills and then attended an assembly where they learned about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle – including skipping for heart and brain health. Students also learned how to identify the signs of a stroke.

  

The results of School Council bake sale are in and student have raised over $450!! Money will be sent to Australia to support the care of one Koala for over a year. Great job to our Student Council members and our families who contributed!

Tuesday, February 12th, 2020

Happy Tuesday!

Our afternoon was very busy as students began the collaboration process in order to plan a collective story for their immigration project.  Students came together to present their individual ideas, then negotiated on how to proceed in creating a group story.  Our emphasis was on planning so that team members had a clear vision of objectives before they began to build their animation assets (e.g. pictures). 

In addition to setting personal goals, and completing a self-reflection for their work today, students also debriefed the benefit of our process and learning.   

 What did we do this afternoon?

·      Writing and planning our SS animation project so that we’ll be ready for a plan ~ V.B.

·      Social Studies animation project and prepping – information and ideas for what we are going to do ~ C.M.

What did we learn during the activity?

·      Put together a loose plan ~ A.He.

·      Learned how to work together a little bit better ~ A.Ha.

·      If you can work good with your group ~ L.G.

Why was it important?

·      If we didn’t do it, we wouldn’t know what to do for our animation ~ D.M.

·      Because last time, we didn’t have a plan, and we were stressed. Now, we’ll have a plan ~ E.d.  

·      It’s better for us for next time because we are more prepared ~ J.PP.

·      If something unexpected happens, then we would be much more ready because we have that bit of knowledge ~ V.B.

·      So we don’t argue.

Upcoming Events: 

February 12^th

– Student Council is continuing with their bake sale. Treats will be on sale for $1 and all proceeds will be forwarded to the ‘Adopt a Koala’ foundation. Maximum purchase of baking items is 3 per day.

– All grade 5 & 6 students will be visiting Rideau Park School to do some skipping for the Heart & Stroke.

- Students wanting to distribute Valentine Cards can do so on this day.  

February 13th& 14th – Teachers Convention (no school for students)

February 17th– Family Day (no school for students)

February 25th – Kamp Kiwanis Parent Meeting 5:30-6:30pm. One parent or legal guardian must attend this meeting in order for their child to attend Outdoor School.

Monday, February 10th, 2020

Happy Monday!

Today students continued to work on writing and complete their final edits for their narration and dialogue scene.  Students will next be illustrating their scene for their final project submission. 

In math, we are now moving into decimals and began today with a review on decimal place value.  Next steps include describing and representing decimals, and then comparing a given decimal to a fraction and other decimal values.  

Upcoming Events: 

February 11th& 12th– Student Council is hosting a bake sale. Treats will be on sale for $1 and all proceeds will be forwarded to the ‘Adopt a Koala’ foundation. Maximum purchase of baking items is 3 per day.

February 12th

– All grade 5 & 6 students will be visiting Rideau Park School to do some skipping for the Heart & Stroke.

- Students wanting to distribute Valentine Cards can do so on this day.  

February 13th& 14^th – Teachers Convention (no school for students)

February 17th– Family Day (no school for students)

February 25^th – Kamp Kiwanis Parent Meeting 5:30-6:30pm

Friday, February 7th, 2020

Happy Friday!

Today students had the opportunity to learn from one of our parents, Sam Hester, who is a graphic recorder.  Sam shared with students some of the key components to consider when you are creating graphics in order to represent big ideas and communicate understanding. 

As part of our animation project, students are challenged to communicate the main aspects of an immigration story within a small time-frame.  They will need to succinctly condense their knowledge and highlight why immigrants came to Canada and what has been their impact on our history.  Sam’s lesson today encouraged students to think about their use of words, icons, navigation and colour as they plan their animation story and project.  

Thank-you so much Sam for coming out today to support us with our project!

  

   

Upcoming Events: 

February 11^th& 12th– Student Council is hosting a bake sale. Treats will be on sale for $1 and all proceeds will be forwarded to the ‘Adopt a Koala’ foundation. Maximum purchase of baking items is 3 per day.

February 12th

– All grade 5 & 6 students will be visiting Rideau Park School to do some skipping for the Heart & Stroke.

- Students wanting to distribute Valentine Cards can do so on this day.  

February 13^th& 14^th– Teachers Convention (no school for students)

February 17^th– Family Day (no school for students) 

Thursday, February 6th 2020

Happy Thursday!!

Today was a VERY busy day for the class as students in grade 6 went on their tour of Rideau Park school. They were on guided tours with grade 7 students and taken to a variety of classrooms, where they were provided with information regarding their option choices.  Students will receive an information package later in the year that will allow them to choose their programs for Junior High.

In the afternoon, the class attended their first animation session.  Students learned some animation terminology and gained access to the cameras and animation software to create two different short animations.  Students had several requirements they needed to follow as they created their first practice story.  Our next session is scheduled on February 19th and students will be working towards animating a story based on their research of Canadian immigration history.

   

   

Tuesday, February 4th, 2020

Happy Tuesday!

Today in science, students completed predictions on temperature within the classroom.

Students related their knowledge about air properties, along with their personal experiences, to demonstrate what they know about the changes in room temperatures and where one was likely to find warmer and cooler temperatures. 

  

  

Upcoming Events: 

Thursday, Feb. 6th– Gr. 6 students visit Rideau for orientation.  

February 11th& 12 – Student Council is hosting a bake sale. Treats will be on sale for $1 and all proceeds will be forwarded to a Australian wild fire fund.

February 12th – All grade 5 & 6 students will be visiting Rideau Park School to do some skipping for the Heart & Stroke. 

Monday, February 03, 2020

Happy Monday!

We started our day with our Reading Buddies from grade 1 / 2.  The advantages of a buddy reading program for younger students include them feeling safe and happy, as well as demonstrating improved engagement in reading. For older buddies, it can help them develop improved self-esteem, confidence reading and increased cognitive awareness.

  

In the afternoon, students started planning for our animation residency project. Students have completed their research on Canadian immigration, and they will be working in their small groups to present an immigration story. Their story will share information, values and attitudes about history, culture and heritage of a specific immigrant group. The objective of our project is for students to demonstrate an understanding of the people and the stories of Canada and their ways of live over time, and appreciate the diversity of Canada’s heritage.  Students began the next phase of their project by brainstorming possible story scripts and key points. 

  

Upcoming Events: 

Thursday, Feb. 6th– Gr. 6 students visit Rideau for orientation.  

February 11th& 12 – Student Council is hosting a bake sale. Treats will be on sale for $1 and all proceeds will be forwarded to a Australian wild fire fund.

February 12th – All grade 5 & 6 students will be visiting Rideau Park School to do some skipping for the Heart & Stroke.