Week of December 1st to 4th, 2025

Sunday, November 30th marks the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is the season of waiting and preparing for the birth of Jesus Christ. Throughout Advent, we will participate in weekly Advent liturgies and enjoy special activities that highlight the special meaning to this season. This week, we fill our hearts with hope as we prepare for Jesus' birth.

St. Gabriel Christmas Market

Our annual Christmas Market is returning! Students will have the opportunity to choose special gifts for their family members using donated items from our community. A minimum of $2 donation is required to participate. This contribution supports our Advent outreach project, helping families in need during the holiday season. We kindly request that donations be submitted by December 17th in order for students to participate. 

For the market, we are collecting gently used or new donations of items such as candles, decorations, jewelry, hats, scarves, books, toys, puzzles, mugs, kitchen gadgets, bath products, and wrapping supplies. 

Donations accepted in the front foyer until December 13th.

Parent volunteers are also needed for gift-wrapping on December 17th (morning & afternoon).  Sign up here

Thank you for helping us spread Christmas joy by supporting our Advent initiative!

Our Learning

Math:

We are beginning our unit about addition and subtraction. In Grade 2, we will begin by ensuring the students understand the meanings of addition and subtraction. Addition is the process of putting numbers together to find a sum. Subtraction is the process of finding how much is left or how much more is needed. We will then work on recalling and demonstrating our understanding of addition facts for numbers up to 20, and their related subtractions facts. We will practise using a variety of strategies such as using doubles, doubles plus one, doubles minus one, making ten, counting, etc. Here are some ways to show our strategies for adding smaller numbers:

Link to Grade 2 Parent Summary Letter about The Meanings of Addition and Subtraction here 

Link to Grade 2 Parent Summary Letter about Using Doubles to Add  here

Link to Grade 2 Parent Summary Letter about Making Ten here

In Grade 3, we will begin by reviewing strategies for adding and subtracting numbers less than 100 (e.g., using a number line, hundred chart, manipulatives such as counters or ten-frames, drawing objects, and using mental strategies). Later on, we will learn how to add and subtract larger numbers. We will also begin to work on solving word problems that involve addition and subtraction. We will focus on how to communicate and show our thinking (How did we determine our answer? What strategy did we use? How can we explain our strategy?). We will also learn the steps to solving a problem, including writing the final answer in a complete sentence when solving a word problem. Please have your child practise adding and subtracting at home, with an important focus on encouraging your child to explain his/her thinking. Many students find this very challenging. 

Link to Grade 3 Parent Summary Letter about Addition and Subtraction Strategies for Numbers Less Than 100 here 

Supporting Your Child in Math:

By Grade 2, students should be solidifying their memorization of doubles addition facts to the sum of 20 (e.g., 4+4, 5+5, 6+6, 7+7, 8+8, 9+9, 10+10), as well as the related doubles subtraction sentences (e.g., 8-4=4, 10-5=5, 16-8=8, etc.). Please help your child review these skills to ensure they achieve this expectation.

Language:

In Writing in both Grade 2 and 3, we will continue to practise different types of descriptive writing, using adjectives and interesting vocabulary to paint a picture when describing something or someone. In Reading, we will work on visualizing to help us comprehend what we read.

Our next UFLI phonics lesson is about the long u vowel sound as in the word use. The long vowel sound is the same as the vowel's name, u. 

The vowel u says its own name, u, when there is a silent E at the end of a word, like in the words cube, mute, and cute and also words such as flute, rule, tube, duke, and tune. The E at the end of the word does not make a sound so we say it is "silent" ("silent E" or "bossy E"). 

This week's new heart words are: one, once

Please have your child practise the heart words we have learned so far in class: the, I, a, said, to, do, of, see, he, be, me, from, you, what, have, look, book, are, was, your, want, go, no, so, goes, says, they, their, were, talk, walk, could, should, would, or, for, who, by, my, *one, *once.

New Homework: Reading Practice Folder

Beginning this week, your child will bring home a Reading Practice Folder. This folder will contain the phonics homework practice sheets that they have been bringing home since September. They will be kept on the right side of the folder. The Grade 3 students also have an additional decodable text reading practice sheet in it. The folder will also contain an additional book for your child to read with you. Please refer to the suggested questions for you to discuss with your child after reading the story together. The folder will be due back at school each Monday. Thank you for supporting your child with their reading practice. 

Visual Arts:

We will continue our exploration of warm and cool colours and the feelings which can portrayed by the use of certain colours when creating works of art. We will also learn about different types of lines and how they can be used when creating art.

Health:

Over the next few weeks, we will continue our discussions about healthy eating and the students will "create" a balanced meal.

Important Dates:

Sunday, Nov. 30 - First Sunday of Advent

Tuesday, Dec. 2 - Photo Retakes

Thursday, Dec. 4 - Library books due

Thursday, Dec. 4 - Magic show (K-6)

Friday, Dec. 5 - P.D. Day

 November 24 - 28, 2025

Our Learning

Math:

This week, we will complete our study of estimating and comparing numbers. Both grades will have an end of unit assessment task later this week or early next week. 

This week in Grade Two, we will continue to order and compare numbers to 200 using place-value (e.g., base ten blocks), hundreds charts, and number lines. We will then practise estimating a given number of items (up to 200) using known referents (a referent is a known quantity you use to help you estimate another quantity). 

Link to Grade 2 Parent Letter Explaining Lessons About Comparing and Ordering Numbers to 200 

Link to Grade 2 Parent Letter Explaining Lessons About Estimating Quantities

In Grade 3, our focus will be to use a variety of strategies (e.g., base ten block representations, number lines, hundreds charts) to order and compare 3-digit numbers, and we will practise using the greater than and less than symbols. We will then review what we learned about rounding numbers to the nearest ten and the nearest hundred before our assessment task later this week.

Link to Grade 3 Parent Letter Explaining Lessons About Ordering and Comparing 3-Digit Numbers 

Language:

Our next UFLI phonics lesson will consist of a review of the long vowel sounds we have learned so far (long a, long i, long o) as well as the long e vowel sound as in the word eve. The long vowel sound is the same as the vowel's name, e. 

The vowel e says its own name, e, when there is a silent E at the end of a word, like in the words theme, eve, and Pete. The E at the end of the word does not make a sound so we say it is "silent" ("silent E" or "bossy E").

There are no new Heart Words this week. Please have your child practise the heart words we have learned so far in class: the, I, a, said, to, do, of, see, he, be, me, from, you, what, have, look, book, are, was, your, want, go, no, so, goes, says, they, their, were, talk, walk, could, should, would, or, for, who, by, my.

*Please note that we will have our next spelling check-in on Monday, December 1st. It will consist of Heart Words, and long o / silent e and long e / silent e words. 

In Writing, we will begin our exploration of different types of descriptive writing, using adjectives and interesting vocabulary to paint a picture when describing something or someone. In reading comprehension, we will continue to practise making connections. We have been learning about how we can use what we already know (our schema) to understand what we read. Sometimes the words or pictures in a text remind us of the things we already know, which help us understand a text and make predictions.  

Our next reading comprehension strategy focus will be visualizing to help us comprehend what we read.

Visual Arts:

We will continue our exploration of the element of colour in art works, with a focus on warm and cool colours and the feelings which can portrayed by the use of certain colours when creating works of art. We will also learn about different types of lines and how they can be used when creating art.

Health:

We will continue our discussions about healthy eating and the students will "create" a balanced meal. 

Important Dates:

Friday, Nov. 28- Library books due

Sunday, Nov. 30 - First Sunday of Advent

Tuesday, Dec. 2 - Photo Retakes

Friday, Dec. 5 - P.D. Day

 Week of November 17 - 21, 2025

This week at the OCSB has been designated as Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week to help promote safe schools and a positive learning environment. At St. Gabriel, we are committed to raising awareness and learning more about what bullying looks like, sounds like, and feels like, and how we can prevent it.

Bullying is defined as a repeated, persistent, and aggressive behaviour directed at an individual or individuals that is intended to cause fear and/or harm to another person's body, feelings, self-esteem, or reputation. Bullying occurs in a context where there is a real or perceived imbalance of power.  http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/safeschools/prevention.html

Bullying can take different forms including:

• Physical - hitting, shoving, pinching, poking, chasing, stealing, or damaging property
• Verbal - name calling, mocking, teasing, threatening, making negative references to a person 
• Social - excluding others from a group, spreading rumours about a person, humiliating others with public gestures to put others down 
• Electronic (commonly known as cyberbullying) - using the internet, cell phones, email, text messaging, or social media to spread rumours or hurtful comments, intimidate, put down, or make fun of someone.
• Students need to know that they are not powerless and that they all have a voice to stop bullying and bullying behaviour.

• You can get more information at Bullying Canada

Curriculum Updates

Language:

In reading, over the next couple of weeks, we will explore how making connections to our prior knowledge, experiences, and feelings helps us understand what we read. In writing, we will soon begin our study of descriptive writing.

Our next UFLI phonics lesson will focus on the long o vowel sound as in the word open. The long vowel sound is the same as the vowel's name, O. 

The vowel o says its own name, o, when there is a silent E at the end of a word, like in the words home, bone, code, rope, and note. The E does not make a sound so we say it is "silent" ("silent E" or "bossy E"). 

Please have your child practise the heart words we have learned so far in class: the, I, a, and, as, is, said, to, do, of, see, he, be, me, from, you, what, have, look, book, are, was, your, want, go, no, so, goes, says, they, their, were, talk, walk, could, should, would, or, for, who, by, my.

Math:

We will continue our study of estimating and comparing numbers.  In Grade Two, we will continue to learn how to use place-value to order and compare 2-digit numbers. We will also learn how to compare and order numbers to 200. 

Grade 2 Parent Letter Explaining Lessons About Comparing and Ordering Numbers Using Place Value

Grade 2 Parent Letter Explaining Lessons About Comparing and Ordering Numbers to 200 

In Grade 3, our focus will be to learn how to use benchmarks, including multiples of 100, with and without number lines, to compare 3-digit numbers. We will also learn other ways to order numbers up to 1000.

Grade 3 Parent Summary Letter Using Benchmarks to Compare Three-Digit Numbers

Grade 3 Parent Summary Letter About Comparing and Ordering 3-Digit Numbers

Important Dates:

**November is OCSB Indigenous Education Month

Monday, Nov. 17 - Grade 2/3 spelling check-in

November 17-21: Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week

Thursday, Nov. 20: Parent-teacher interviews

 November 10 to 14, 2025

We Remember

Remembrance Day

This week, we will learn about the meaning of Remembrance Day, including why it is important for us to remember those who have come before us, as well as those who continue to serve in Canada in order that our country remain a peaceful and safe nation. 

On Tuesday, November 11th, we will honour Remembrance Day with a school ceremony in the school gym beginning at 10:45 a.m. 

Help Please:

The weather has certainly turned colder and wetter (snowy!) over the last few days and the forecast is calling for some very cold days this week. Your child should arrive at school in warm clothing such as a winter jacket, warm hat, mittens/gloves, and splash pants or snowpants for the wetter and snowy weather. Please send your child with extra mittens/gloves and socks and label your child's boots, jackets, mittens/gloves, etc., with their name to avoid confusion. Many children's rainboots and winter boots look the same, so labels inside the boots are very helpful.

Our Learning This Week

Math:

This week, the Grade Two students in our class will have an assessment of their learning about about the place value and representing numbers unit which we completed last week. 

We will then continue our number unit about Estimating and Comparing Whole Numbers. In Grade Two, we will be learning about several strategies to compare numbers less than 100, including how to locate numbers on partial number lines. We will also learn how to use place-value to order and compare 2-digit numbers.

Grade 2 Parent Summary Letter Locating Numbers on a Number Line link here

Grade 2 Parent Summary Letter Comparing and Ordering Numbers Using Place Value link here

In Grade 3, we will continue to learn how to round numbers to the nearest tens and hundreds. We will also learn how to build a number line using a scale. 

Grade 3 Parent Summary Letter Building a Number Line Using Scale link here

Grade 3 Parent Summary Letter Comparing Three-Digit Numbers Using Benchmarks link here

Language:

In Reading over the next few weeks, we will begin to work on strengthening our reading comprehension skills by discussing how making connections helps us understand what we are reading. We will practise using what we already know (our schema) to understand what we read. Sometimes the words or pictures in a text remind us of the things we already know, which help us understand a text and make predictions.  

In phonics, last week we learned about the long a vowel sound but ran out of time to learn about the long i vowel sound. This week, we will learn about the long i vowel sound as in the words ice, bike, side, ride, five, and kite. The long vowel sound is the same as the vowel's name, I. The vowel i says its own name, I, when there is a silent E at the end of a word. Reminder: The E does not make a sound so we say it is "silent" ("silent E" or "bossy E"). 

No new heart words this week.

Please have your child practise the heart words we have learned so far in class: the, I, a, said, to, do, of, see, he, be, me, from, you, what, have, look, book, are, was, your, want, go, no, so, goes, says, they, their, were, talk, walk, could, should, would, or, for, *who, *by, *my.

Spelling Check-In:

Please note that there will not be a Spelling check-in this week. We will postpone it until next week. 

Health and Physical Education:

We are finishing up our soccer lead-up skills unit and will begin to practise underhand and overhand ball manipulation skills in Physical Education. During our Health lessons, we will learn about the importance of healthy eating.

Next Steps from Progress Report Cards: How Parents Can Help At Home

Your child's Progress Report will be available for parents on the Parent Portal on Thursday, November 13th. Parents often ask how they can academically support their children at home. Here are some suggestions:

Math:

* Memorize doubles addition facts to the sum of 20.
Song about doubles addition facts

*Practice addition facts to the sum of 20 (e.g., 17 + 3 = 20, 9 + 8 = 17). Have your child explain his/her strategy out loud.

Reading:

*Daily reading out loud (students can access extra books via Sora on the Student Portal)

Book recommendations from the Ottawa Public Library

* After reading - ask comprehension questions such as, "Who are the main characters in the story?", "What is the problem in the story?", "Why do you think ____ happened?"; "Have you ever felt the way the main character felt?"; "Does anything in this book remind you of another book you have read?"; "What would be another good ending to this story?", etc. Have your child answer in complete sentences. Encourage your child to look in the text and show you where the answer to your question is.

Looking Ahead:

Tuesday, November 11 - Remembrance Day

Thursday, November 13: Progress Reports available on Parent Portal

Friday, November 14 - Library books due

November 17-21: Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week

Thursday, November 20 - St. Gabriel Parent/Teacher Interviews

  November 3 to 7, 2025

Treaties Recognition Week and International Inuit Day:

November 2-8 is Treaties Recognition Week in Ontario.Throughout the week, our school will explore the importance of treaties and increase awareness of treaty rights, obligations, and relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Treaties are formal, legally binding agreements (promises) between two separate nations. Treaties between the British Crown (the federal and provincial governments of Canada) and Indigenous peoples were signed and people were promised land reserves, healthcare, schools, and tools, equipment and supplies for hunting, fishing, farming. In return, the government had promises of peace, law, and order. At school, we will learn about the significance of treaty rights, treaty relationships, and their relevance today. We will learn about International Inuit Day, which is on Friday, November 7th. We will continue our learning journey throughout November (and throughout the year), as November is Indigenous Education Month at the Ottawa Catholic School Board. For more information about treaties in Ontario: https://www.ontario.ca/page/treaties

Our Learning This Week

Math:

We will soon begin our new number unit, Estimating and Comparing Whole Numbers. In Grade Two, we will learn several strategies to compare numbers less than 100 and learn how to locate numbers on partial number lines. We will also learn how to use place-value to order and compare 2-digit numbers.

Grade 2 Parent Summary Letter Comparing Two-Digit Numbers link here

Grade 2 Parent Summary Letter Locating Numbers on a Number Line link here

In Grade 3, our focus over the next week will be on rounding a two-digit number to the nearest ten using number lines and base ten materials. We will also learn how to build a number line using a scale. 

Grade 3 Parent Summary Letter Rounding to the Nearest Ten link here

Grade 3 Parent Summary Letter Building a Number Line Using a Scale link here

Language:

Our next phonics lessons will focus on long vowel sounds. This week, we will begin by learning about the long a vowel sound, as in ape. The long vowel sound is the same as the vowel's name, A.

The vowel a says its own name, A, when there is a silent E at the end of a word, like in the words made, tape, cake, and same. **Usually, when there is a silent E at the end of a word it makes vowels say their names, or long vowel sounds. The E does not make a sound so we say it is "silent" ("silent E" or "bossy E"). 

After our long a vowel sound, we will learn about the long i vowel sound as in the words ice, bike, side, ride, five, and kite. The long vowel sound is the same as the vowel's name, I. The vowel i says its own name, I, when there is a silent E at the end of a word. Reminder: The E does not make a sound so we say it is "silent" ("silent E" or "bossy E"). 

New heart words: who, by, my

Please have your child practise the heart words we have learned so far in class: the, I, a, said, to, do, of, see, he, be, me, from, you, what, have, look, book, are, was, your, want, go, no, so, goes, says, they, their, were, talk, walk, could, should, would, or, for, *who, *by, *my.

National Veterans Week: November 5-11:

We will take some time later this week and next week to read about and determine important information about Remembrance Day and peace. 

Looking Ahead:

Mon., Nov. 3- Pajama Day at St. Gabriel

November 6 - Library books due

November 7 - International Inuit Day

November 7 -  P.D. Day (no school for students)

November 8 - Indigenous Veterans’ Day

November 17-21: Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week

November 11 - Remembrance Day
November 13: Progress Reports available on Parent Portal

November 20: Parent-teacher interviews