February 26 - March 1st, 2024

As we continue with Black History Month, we continue to learn about and honour the contributions of Black Canadians to the history and development of Canada. This week, we will learn about Viola Desmond, and read stories written by or about Black Canadians for young children. We will also learn about the history of the underground railroad. Earlier this month, we learned about the Honourable Jean Augustine and some influential Black Americans such as Martin Luther King Jr.

Pink Shirt Day Wednesday, Feb. 28th:

Students are encouraged to wear pink on Wednesday, February 28th to support anti-bullying. The aim is to raise awareness and educate children about how their words and actions can affect others, negatively and positively, and to foster children's self-esteem. For more information, please visit  https://www.pinkshirtday.ca/about

Our Learning

Math:

In Grade 2, we will review what we've learned about how to use non-standard and standard units to measure length. We will end our unit with an assessment of learning task this week.

In Grade 3, we continue to learn about measurement concepts. We will explore how to estimate and calculate the perimeter of various polygons in centimetres. We will also learn how to find the area of a variety of two-dimensional shapes using non-standard units of measure.

Grade 3 MathUP Perimeter Parent Summary Letter link here

Language:

Our next UFLI phonics lesson will be about the digraph sound, /ch/, as in the words chin, chip, chest, check, chat, rich, such, much, lunch, bench.

New heart words: talk, walk

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.

Spelling Check-In Friday:

On Friday, March 1st, we will have our first spelling test, or spelling check-in. Your child be expected to know how to spell the heart words learned in class so far during this assessment. At home, please help your child by saying a heart word aloud and having them write it without help. For example, "Write the word goes." "Write the word want".

During our reading comprehension lessons, we will focus on inferencing skills. In Writing, in the next couple of weeks, we will explore the elements of persuasive texts and have fun exploring how to convince or persuade others that our opinion of a topic is correct.

Religion:

We will continue to discuss the meaning of Lent as a time to ask for forgiveness, with a focus on prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. 

Looking ahead:

Wednesday, February 28th: Pink Shirt Day
Sunday, March 10th: Daylight Savings time begins
Spring Break: March 11 - 15

  Week of February 20 - 23, 2024

This week is Kindness Week in the Ottawa Catholic School Board:

Our Learning

Math 

We will continue to explore measurement concepts in Grade 2 and 3. In Grade 2, we are learning about linear measurement and how to estimate, measure, and compare lengths using centimetres (cm) and metres (m). 

Grade 2 Parent Letter #1 Introducing the Centimetre and the Metre

Grade 2 Parent Letter #2 Estimating Length

Grade 2 Parent Letter #3 Measuring Length

In Grade 3, we reviewed how to measure the length of objects using centimetres and metres. We have begun to learn about the kilometre, its appropriate use, and its relation to other standard measurement units such as metres. This week, we will focus on choosing the appropriate measurement unit (millimetres, centimetres, metres, and kilometres) to measure, and comparing different lengths.  

Grade 3 Parent Letter Choosing Measurement Units

Grade 3 Parent Letter Estimating and Comparing Lengths

Language:

Our next UFLI phonics lesson will be about unvoiced /th/. Here is a video explaining unvoiced /th/ (also called "voiceless th").

New heart words: were

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.

We will also continue with our reading comprehension practice. *See last week's blog post for details. 

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

February 20-23: Kindness Week (see above for daily theme)

Tuesday, Feb. 20: Wear school colours (purple and grey)

February 23: Crazy Socks and Jersey Day

February 28: Pink Shirt Day

 Week of February 12 - 16th, 2024

Ash Wednesday: 

Wednesday, February 14th is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the season on Lent. During Lent, we will learn about what it means to sacrifice things we enjoy in order to better understand how difficult it was for Jesus before He died for us. We will focus on the three pillars of Lent: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (giving to those in need). 

Our school will be having an Ash Wednesday service on Wednesday at 9:45 a.m. in our school gym. Parents are most welcome to attend.

Lunar New Year 2024

The Lunar New Year is celebrated by many East Asian communities around the world, including Vietnamese, Chinese, Koreans, Indonesians, and people from the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, among others. This year it is observed on February 10. It is a 15-day festival that begins with the new moon that occurs between January 21 and February 20 according to Western calendars. Festivities last until the full moon. The term Lunar New Year originated because the dates of celebration follow the phases of the moon. The Spring Festival was originally a day to pray to the gods for a good planting and harvest. People also pray to their ancestors. During the celebrations, people honour their ancestors and hold traditional ceremonies. People get together and welcome the new year with customs that will bring good fortune, happiness, wealth, and prosperity. In class, we will learn about some of the history and traditions of Lunar New Year. Wishing all of our families who celebrate the Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year a very happy new year!

Valentine's Day - Wednesday, February 14   

Just a reminder that on Wednesday, February 14, we will celebrate Valentine's Day at school. Your child is invited to wear red, pink, or white and is welcome to bring in Valentine cards to hand out if he/she wishes. Your child should bring in a card for each student in our class if he/she chooses to bring in cards.

Link to our class list for Valentine's cards here

CALL FOR HELP: Scientists in School Thursday, February 15th

As an extension of our Grade 2 Science program, Scientists in School will be visiting the Grade Twos in Ms. Beyer’s class and Mrs. Maidment’s class to give a hands-on workshop entitled I Like to Move It! The workshop will investigate movement, pulleys, wheels, and inclined planes as we learn to combine these simple machines to create an awesome mechanism that helps us move objects.

This workshop will take place at St. Gabriel School on Thursday, February 15th, from 1:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. 

Scientists in School is a Canadian charitable organization whose goal is to inspire elementary students to explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) through fun and exciting hands-on workshops. During each half-day workshop, students become scientists in the classroom by participating in investigative STEM activities that meet specific expectations of the Ontario Science and Technology Curriculum.  You can read more about “Scientists in School” at www.scientists in school.ca.

We will require 4-5 volunteers for Thursday’s session. If you are able to volunteer to help us in the classroom during the workshop on Thursday, February 15th from 12:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. and you have completed your Criminal Reference Check, please email me directly at christine.maidment@ocsb.ca

Thank you for your continuing support. We look forward to this experience!

Our Learning

Language:

Our next UFLI phonics lesson will be about another consonant digraph sound. A consonant digraph is two consonants that come together to make one sound. This week, we will learn about voiced /th/. Voiced /th/ comes at the beginning of a word, such as in the words then, that, this, them.

New heart words: they, their

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.

To develop reading comprehension, since the fall, we have been working on strategies such as making predictions while reading, identifying the important ideas and supporting details in a text, making inferences by using stated and implied ideas as evidence, making connections to our own ideas and experiences, visualizing, asking questions, and using text features to find information in a text. 

In both Grade 2 and Grade 3, the Ontario Language curriculum, and your child's evaluation and report mark, includes his/her ability to demonstrate, both orally and through written responses, comprehension of a text. Reading comprehension includes being able to reflect on and understand the deeper meanings in a text and answering comprehension questions about that content, even when the "answer" is not written explicitly in the text. This ability to infer meaning is extremely important.

In Grade 2, your child begins to learn how to provide written responses to comprehension questions about texts read. An emphasis is placed on learning how to find the answer in the text where appropriate, and then to use words from the question to begin their answer, followed by writing their answer in a complete sentence. 

In Grade 3, the students are expected to clearly explain their thinking using evidence and details from the text to support the answer, as well as his/her own ideas and experiences. This can be a challenging skill for many students, but an important skill which they will continue to use for years to come, into high school and post-secondary education.

Math:

This week, we will begin our units on measurement. The Grade 2s will spend a bit of time reviewing non-standard measurement learned in Grade 1. We will measure the length of objects using non-standard units such as paper clips, snap cubes, toothpicks, etc. We will then learn about the standard units of measure, the centimetre and the metre. 

Link to Grade 2 Parent Summary letter about non-standard measurement

The Grade 3s will spend some time reviewing the standard units of measurement which were learned in Grade 2 - the centimetre and metre. We will then learn about the kilometre, and explore when these units are best used to measure length. At home, you can help by reviewing how to use a centimetre ruler to measure length, with an emphasis on starting at the zero on the ruler for accuracy. 

Parent letter about the centimetre and metre here

Parent letter about the kilometre here

Important Dates:

February - Black History Month

Tuesday, Feb. 13 - Shrove Tuesday (pancake breakfast for those who placed an order)

Wednesday, Feb. 14 - Ash Wednesday (liturgy at 9:40 a.m.)

Wednesday, Feb. 14 - Report Cards and IEPs available on Parent Portal

Thursday, Feb. 15 -Grade 2 Scientists in School Workshop 12:45-2:45pm

Feb. 19-23 - Kindness Week

 Week of February 5 - 9, 2024

Black History Month - "Boldly Me, Diverse We: Shaping Our Collective Future"

Every February is Black History Month in Canada, a month during which we are invited to recognize and commemorate the numerous, important contributions of Black Canadians to the settlement, growth, development, and history of Canada as well as to celebrate their various achievements.

Our theme this year is "Boldly Me, Diverse We: Shaping Our Collective Future". The Ottawa Catholic School Board acknowledges and recognizes that Black History is not an event that is remembered only in February, nor is it only for Black students. We celebrate Black History Month because it is our Canadian History. As a Catholic community, we are called to live in solidarity, which requires us to learn from and about each other in Christ. Let’s stand alongside and support our Black students in their needs to feel affirmed; to have Black role models; to understand the social forces (including systemic racism) which have shaped and influenced their communities and identities; to learn about the contributions made by Black people in Canada in order to feel more connected to their educational experience.

In our class, we will celebrate and honour the contributions of Black Canadians to the history and development of Canada. We will learn about Viola Desmond, and read stories written by or about Black Canadians for young children. We will also learn about some influential Black Americans such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. Some of the books we will read can be found on the Epic Book site we use in class.

Lunar New Year 2024

The Lunar New Year is celebrated by East Asian communities around the world. This year it is observed on February 10. It is a 15-day festival that begins with the new moon that occurs between January 21 and February 20 according to Western calendars. Festivities last until the full moon. The term Lunar New Year originated because the dates of celebration follow the phases of the moon. The Spring Festival was originally a day to pray to the gods for a good planting and harvest. People also pray to their ancestors. During the celebrations, people honour their ancestors and hold traditional ceremonies. People get together and welcome the new year with customs that will bring good fortune, happiness, wealth, and prosperity. In class, we will learn about some of the history and traditions of Lunar New Year.

Our Learning

Math:

In Grade 2, we will continue to explore how to sort, classify 2-D, describe, compose and decompose shapes using their geometric properties (e.g., sides, corners/vertices, angles).

In Grade 3, we will continue our exploration of how we can describe, sort, and compare 3-D solids according to their properties (e.g., faces, edges, vertices, angles, congruence), as well as compose and decompose them. 

Language:

Reading/Spelling: This week, our UFLI phonics lesson will be about the digraph sound, -sh.

We will continue to work on our reading comprehension skills by reading another story and answering comprehension questions in writing (using the APE steps). Some questions will be multiple choice and some will be long answer questions, in which your child must write in complete sentences and use evidence from the text to support his/her thinking.

Science

The Grade 3s have begun our unit about structures. On Tuesday, February 6th, our class will participate in an in-person Scientists in School workshop with Mrs. Bean's class. The workshop is about strong and stable structures, in which your child will build their own structure using what they learn. The important idea for the workshop is that a structure has both form and function, and that structures need to be strong enough to withstand forces acting on them.

The Grade 2s will soon begin their new science unit about movement and simple machines. They will learn about the forces of push and pull, how we can make objects move, and different types of simple machines. The Grade 2s will participate in a Scientists in School in-person workshop about movement and simple machines on Thursday, February 15th.