June 22 to 25th, 2026

It’s hard to believe that the last week of school is upon us. I am so grateful for all the have

opportunities we've had for discovery and learning together during this school year. Congratulations

to all the students for their efforts, growth, and accomplishments

this year! Thank you to all the parents for their support!

This Week:

We will be finishing up a few activities we had previously started. We will also work on a memory bag/student portfolio in which students will bring home many special pieces of work and their notebooks. They will bring these home on Wednesday. Please send your child with an extra reusable bag on Tuesday or Wednesday to bring home their belongings that won't fit into their backback or special memory bag. Your child will bring home their other school supplies on the last day of school.

Looking Ahead:

Wednesday, June 24th: Report Cards available on the Parent Portal and sent home in envelopes

Thursday, June 25th: Last Day of School

Friday, June 26th: P.D. Day - No school for students

 June 15 - 19, 2026

It is so hard to believe that we are in our second last week of school for this school year! 

If the weather cooperates, we hope to enjoy more outdoor activities so please be sure to continue to send a reusable water bottle to school so that your child can stay well hydrated. Sun hats and sunscreen are also recommended. 

Our Learning

Language:

We will continue our learning about fictional narratives by using what we have learned about the elements of narratives to write our own narrative stories. We will also finish up our last phonics lessons of this year, with a focus on the long o sound, -oa, -ow, and -oe (see last week's blog post). On Wednesday or Thursday this week, we will have a spelling check-in on several Heart Words and words containing the sounds we've learned over the last few months.   

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, use, two, does, many, any, been, into, friend, because, woman, women, both, four, fourth, forty, people, pretty, nothing, other, another, mother, brother, father, water, today, very, above, among, again, against.

Math:

Over the next week, we will finish up our study of fractions and probability. 

Science:

In Grade 2, we will finish up our study of animals with an exploration of animal habitats and why animals are so important. In Grade 3, we will finish our study of plants. We will finish exploring the parts of a plant and their functions, and discuss why plants are so important to us. We are enjoying caring for the gladiolus bulbs we planted a few weeks ago.

Drama 

This week, we will have fun using reader's theatre activities to practise using facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice to communicate. Next week, your child will be invited to bring in simple props and costumes to add to the fun.

Important Dates:

Wednesday, June 17 - St. Gabriel School BBQ

Thursday, June 18 - Bike Rodeo by the City of Ottawa

Friday, June 19 - School Jump Rope for Heart

Sunday, June 21 - National Indigenous Peoples' Day

Tuesday, June 23 - Grade 6 School-Leaving Ceremony

Wednesday, June 24 - Report cards and IEPs available on Parent portal

Thursday, June 25 - Last day of school for students

 News for Week of June 8 - 12, 2026

We are supposed to get some very hot weather this week. Just a reminder to have your child bring sunscreen, a hat, and their reusable water bottle to school each day.

Our Learning

Language:

This week, we will learn about three vowel teams that make the long o sound, -oa, -ow, and -oe. Vowel teams are two or more letters that work together to make one vowel sound. 

The vowel team -oa says the long o sound and it can come in the middle of a word, like in the words boat, road, and coach. It also sometimes comes at the beginning of a word as in the word oat. 

The vowel team -ow says the long o sound and it can come in the middle of a word as in the words bowl and flown. It sometimes comes at the end of a word, as in the words snow, grow, and window. It comes at the beginning of a word in the word own.

The vowel team -oe says the long o sound and it comes at the end of a word as in the words toe, foe, and the name Joe.

This week's new heart words: again, against

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, use, two, does, many, any, been, into, friend, because, woman, women, both, four, fourth, forty, people, pretty, nothing, other, another, mother, brother, father, water, today, very, above, among, *again, *against.

Math

Over the next few days we will finish up our study of counting and representing money in both Grade 2 and Grade 3. In Grade 3, your child is also expected to be able to make change from various amounts of money (including bills and coins). We will also continue exploring fractions and probability.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT MONEY UNIT: Some students are having difficulty identifying the names and values of all Canadian coins. Please review these at home. There are some videos posted on your child's Workspace to help with this.

Important Dates:

Wednesday, June 17 - St. Gabriel School BBQ

Thursday, June 18 - Bike Rodeo by the City of Ottawa

Friday, June 19 - School Jump Rope for Heart

Sunday, June 21 - National Indigenous Peoples' Day

Tuesday, June 23 - Grade 6 School-Leaving Ceremony

Wednesday, June 24 - Report cards and IEPs available on Parent portal

Thursday, June 25 - Last day of school for students

 News for Week of June 1 - 5, 2026

As the warmer weather finally approaches, we encourage each student to wear sunscreen and a hat and to ensure they bring their water bottle to school each day.

Grade 3 EQAO

We would like to say a big congratulations to the Grade 3 students for all of their hard work and efforts in completing the EQAO standardized testing. The students stayed motivated and tried their best every day, and many even said they enjoyed it! Thank you to the families for helping to support their child during the preparation and assessments.

Our Learning

Language:

This week, we will learn about three vowel teams that make the long e sound, -ee, -ea, and -ey. Vowel teams are two or more letters that work together to make one vowel sound. 

The vowel team -ee says the long e sound and it can come in the middle of a word, like in the words need, feet, and keep. It sometimes comes at the end of a word, like in the words see and tree. It also sometimes comes at the beginning of a word as in the word eel. 

The vowel team -ea says the long e sound and it can come in the middle of a word as in the words mean and team. It sometimes comes at the end of a word, as in the words tea and flea. It also sometimes comes at the beginning of words such as eat and each.

The vowel team -ey says the long e sound and it comes at the end of a word as in the words money and turkey.

This week's new heart words: above, among

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, use, two, does, many, any, been, into, friend, because, woman, women, both, four, fourth, forty, people, pretty, nothing, other, another, mother, brother, father, water, today, very, *above, *among.

Math

We are nearing the end of our data unit and we will spend a couple of days reviewing what we have learned and then have an assessment toward the end of this week. Over the next couple of weeks, we will continue with our study of fractions, money, coding, and probability. 

Grade 2 MathUP Parent Summary Letter Representing Fractions here

Grade 2 MathUP Parent Summary Letter Comparing Fractions here

Grade 3 MathUP Parent Summary Letter Fractions of an Area here

Grade 3 MathUP Parent Summary Letter Fractions of a Set here

Grade 3 MathUP Parent Summary Letter Fraction Fair Shares here

Drama 

We will continue with our exploration of how to use facial expressions, gestures, and tone of voice to communicate during our drama activities. We look forward to applying what we're learning during our small group reader's theatre activities. 

Looking Ahead:

June - Indigenous History Month

Friday, June 5th - P.D. Day: No school for students

Wednesday, June 17th - St. Gabriel School BBQ 

  May 25 to 29, 2026

Grade 3 EQAO this week:

The Grades 3 will write their EQAO assessments this week, on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, in the mornings, for a total of four days. They will complete two sections each morning. We have been working hard to ensure that each child is ready for the provincial test. You can support your child by ensuring they have working headphones at school, a good breakfast, two nutritious snacks each day (one for the a.m., one for p.m.), and a good night's sleep (including early bedtime) during their testing period. Please note that we will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. and will be finished by 11:45 a.m. from Tuesday through Friday this week, so it is important that your child arrives at school by 9:00 a.m. each day this week. Thank you in advance for your help.

Our Learning

Math

In both Grade 2 and 3, we will continue to explore how to display data in a variety of graphs and interpret displays of data, as well as continue to practise counting money. Our next study will be about fractions. 

Grade 2 MathUP Parent Summary Letter Interpreting Data Displays

Grade 3 MathUP Parent Summary Letter Bar Graphs With Scale

Grade 3 MathUP Parent Summary Letter Making Conclusions About Data

Language:

This week, we will learn about two vowel teams that make the long a sound, -ai and -ay. Vowel teams are two or more letters that work together to make one vowel sound. 

The vowel team -ai says long a and it usually comes in the middle of a word, like in the words bait, mail, strain, paint, and braid. It can sometimes come at the beginning of a word as in the words aim and aid.

The vowel team -ay says the long a sound and it usually comes at the end of a word or syllable, as in the words say, sway, play, Monday, someday, and payment.

This week's new heart words: father, water, today, very

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, use, two, does, many, any, been, into, friend, because, woman, women, both, four, fourth, forty, people, pretty, nothing, other, another, mother, brother, *father, *water, *today, *very.

In Writing, we will continue to work on procedural writing (writing instructions). Examples of procedural texts or instructions are recipes, so if you are cooking or baking at home, please take the time to show your child the recipe and talk about how it is laid out (e.g., title, goal or purpose, ingredients/materials, steps, diagrams/pictures, conclusion).

Science:

In Grade 2, we will continue our study of animals. We will sort animals into the 6 types of animal groups (mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds, insects). In Grade 3, we will continue our study of plants. We will learn about the parts of a plant and their functions.

Drama: We will begin our unit on drama through a variety of games that focus on using gestures and movements, facial expressions, and tone of voice to communicate. 

Looking Ahead:
May 26-29 (a.m. each day): EQAO for grade 3 students 
Friday, June 5th: PD Day (no school for students)

 May 19 to 22, 2026

Our Learning

Language:

This week, in our phonics lessons, we will continue to explore r-controlled vowels. We will review words containing -er, -ir, and -ur. Some examples of words with these sounds are: verb, fern, girl, stir, fur, urn, turn. We will also learn about the w + -or sound, as in the words word, work, worker, world, worm.

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, one, once, use, two, does, many, any, been, into, friend, because, woman, women, both, four, fourth, forty, people, pretty, nothing, other, another, *mother, *brother.

In writing, we will continue to learn about procedural writing (writing instructions). We will practise with instructions for how to wash your hands and how to do a fire drill practice. Examples of procedural texts or instructions are recipes, so if you are cooking or baking at home, please take the time to show your child the recipe and talk about how it is laid out (e.g., title, goal or purpose, ingredients/materials, steps, diagrams/pictures, conclusion).

In reading comprehension we will explore the parts or elements of fictional narrative stories (make-believe stories). We will work on retelling fictional narrative stories using the Shape Go! Map as an organizer. 

Math:

We will continue our unit is about describing, collecting, organizing, and analyzing data. This week, we will focus on organizing data in different types of graphs (e.g., concrete graphs, pictographs, bar graphs, lot plots), as well as describing and analyzing the results of the data. 

Grade 2 MathUP Parent Summary Letter Creating Concrete Graphs and Bar Graphs

Grade 2 MathUP Parent Summary Letter Creating Pictographs

Grade 2 MathUP Parent Summary Letter Creating Line Plots

Grade 3 MathUP Parent Summary Letter Describing Data Using the Mean

Grade 3 MathUP Parent Summary Letter Pictographs With Scale

Grade 3 MathUP Parent Summary Letter Bar Graphs With Scale

We have also been practising our coding skills. In Grade 2, we learn about coding that involves sequential and concurrent events. Code that involves sequential events is a set of instructions that are executed (or performed) in the order that they are presented, for example, dialing a phone number, then hitting send. Code that involves concurrent events is a set of two or more instructions that happen at the same time. In addition to learning about sequential events and concurrent events, the Grade 3s also create and perform code to describe a set of repeating movements on a path.

Grade 2 parent letter about creating and executing code

Grade 3 parent letter about creating and executing code

Throughout the month of May, we will also continue to develop our financial literacy skills (counting and representing money amounts) while studying our other units in Math. The money curriculum in Grade 2 focuses on counting and representing coin amounts up to and including 200 cents, and dollar amounts up to $200 using combinations of bills. The money curriculum in Grade 3 focuses on estimating and calculating the change from whole dollar amounts and amounts of less than one dollar. 

Science:

In Grade 2, we will continue our study of animals this week, with a focus on exploring what animals need to survive and the 6 types of animal groups (mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, birds, insects). In Grade 3, we will continue our study of plants. We will learn ways in which plants are important to humans, what plants need to survive, and the parts of a plant.

Grade 3 EQAO:

St. Gabriel students in Grades 3 and 6 will be writing the EQAO's (Education Quality and Accountability Office) provincial assessment of Reading, Writing, and Mathematics next week on May 26, 27, 28, 29. The Grade 3s will be writing the assessment each morning on those dates. We will be completing the standardized testing online using Chromebooks during class time in the morning on these dates. In preparation for EQAO next week, please ensure your child gets a good night sleep and a healthy breakfast each day. This will help your child have the energy and alertness to feel good about their efforts. Students will complete two sections each morning. Please note that we will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. and will be finished by 11:45 a.m. each day.  

Looking Ahead:

Friday, May 22: Grade 3 EQAO At-Home practice booklet #7 due 

Friday, May 22: Freezie Friday
May 26-29 (a.m. each day): EQAO for grade 3 and 6 students 
Friday, June 5th: PD Day (no school for students)

 May 11 to 15, 2026

I hope all the mothers enjoyed a fantastic Mother's Day! Thank you for all you do. I hope you will enjoy the Mother's Day gifts that your child made with love. 

Our Learning 

Math:

This week, we will begin our unit about data. In both grades, we will explore how to sort, describe, collect, organize, and analyze data.

Grade 2 parent letter about collecting and organizing data

Grade 3 parent letter about sorting, classifying, and describing data

Grade 3 parent letter about collecting and organizing data

We have also been practising our coding skills. In Grade 2, we learn about coding that involves sequential and concurrent events. Code that involves sequential events is a set of instructions that are executed (or performed) in the order that they are presented, for example, dialing a phone number, then hitting send. Code that involves concurrent events is a set of two or more instructions that happen at the same time. In addition to learning about sequential events and concurrent events, the Grade 3s also create and perform code to describe a set of repeating movements on a path.

Grade 2 parent letter about creating and executing code

Grade 3 parent letter about creating and executing code

Throughout the month of May, we will also continue to develop our financial literacy skills (counting and representing money amounts) while studying our other units in Math. The money curriculum in Grade 2 focuses on counting and representing coin amounts up to and including 200 cents, and dollar amounts up to $200 using combinations of bills. The money curriculum in Grade 3 focuses on estimating and calculating the change from whole dollar amounts and amounts of less than one dollar. 

Language:

This week, in our phonics lessons, we will explore the -ir sounds, as in the words sir, stir, girl, and bird, and the -ur sound, as in the words fur, blur, urn, urge, turn, hurt.

This week's new heart word:  mother, brother

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, use, two, does, many, any, been, into, friend, because, woman, women, both, four, fourth, forty, people, pretty, nothing, other, another, *mother, *brother.

In writing, we will continue to learn about procedural writing (writing instructions). We will practise with instructions for how to wash your hands and how to do a fire drill practice. Examples of procedural texts or instructions are recipes, so if you are cooking or baking at home, please take the time to show your child the recipe and talk about how it is laid out (e.g., title, goal or purpose, ingredients/materials, steps, diagrams/pictures, conclusion).

In reading comprehension over the couple of weeks, we will explore the parts or elements of fictional narrative stories (make-believe stories). We will work on retelling fictional narrative stories using the Shape Go! Map as an organizer. 

Science:

In Grade 2, we will begin our last unit in Science, Growth and Changes in Animals. In Grade 3, we have begun our study of the Growth and Changes in Plants.

LOOKING AHEAD                                                 

Friday, May 15- New Grade 3 EQAO At-Home Practice Booklet

Friday, May 15- Library books due
Monday, May 18 - Victoria Day: No school

News for Week of May 4 - 8, 2026

Catholic Education Week 

This week is Catholic Education Week. There are several activities and events planned for us this week by our school board and in our school. Our Ottawa Catholic School Board spiritual theme this year is "Pilgrims of Hope: On the path to Holiness". This theme encourages us to welcome something good, such as peace, love, guidance, and grace, into our thoughts, prayers, and actions.

Education Week Activities:

Monday, May 4 - School-wide Math challenge; Recognition assembly

Tuesday, May 5: Mystery reader; Reading buddies

Wednesday, May 6: St. Gabriel Open House 8:15 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.; Clean the Capital

Thursday, May 7: School Easter Mass 10:00 a.m. at St. Isidore Church; Classroom door decorating tour and student voting

Friday, May 8: St. Gabriel School Open House 8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Our Learning 

Language:

This week, in our phonics lessons, we will explore the -er sound, as in the words her, verb, fern, under, after, better, number, never, over.

This week's new heart word:  other, another

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, use, two, does, many, any, been, into, friend, because, woman, women, both, four, fourth, forty, people, pretty, nothing, *other, *another.

Math:

The Grade 3s will finish up their unit about multiplication and division. We are exploring strategies for multiplying and dividing. We will also practise solving multiplication and division word problems. 

Link to MathUP parent letter about division strategies

Link to MathUP parent letter about solving problems with multiplication and division

The Grade 2s will continue to learn about location, movement, and coding, with more practice in describing locations on a map. 

Link to parent letter Describing Locations on a Map

In addition, in both grades we have been learning about money while studying our other units in Math and will continue to do so. The money curriculum in Grade 2 focuses on counting and representing coin amounts up to and including 200 cents, and dollar amounts up to $200 using combinations of bills. The money curriculum in Grade 3 focuses on estimating and calculating the change from whole dollar amounts and amounts of less than one dollar.

Grade 3 EQAO:

St. Gabriel students in Grade 3 will be writing the EQAO's (Education Quality and Accountability Office) provincial assessment of Reading, Writing, and Mathematics on May 26, 27, 28, 29. We will be completing the standardized testing online using Chromebooks during class time in the morning on these dates. Your child brought home their next EQAO homework booklet today. Just a reminder to please have your child return their EQAO at-home practice booklet to school on the due date even if it not fully completed as we will review it together in class to help with understanding. In this week's booklet, please remind your child to answer the open response questions using complete sentences, with proof from the text, and an explanation of their answer. This usually requires at least 3 sentences.