Learning More in Grade 3/4!
Ms. Barrington's Weekly Newsletter
Week of February 20th, 2024
The Week Ahead
Monday (No School):
- Family Day
Tuesday (Day 3):
- Hot Lunch: Booster Juice
- Minor Baseball Visit
- Inclusive Music
- Phys. Ed.
- Student Led Conferences (5:00-8:00 pm)
Wednesday (Day 4):
- Pink Shirt Day
- Take Me Outside (Dress for the Weather)
- Habit #4 Assembly
- Leader in Me
- Music
Thursday (Day 5):
- Hot Lunch: Mitchell's
- Reward Day: Glow Day (Wear Dark Clothing)
- Art
- Gr. 3 Tech Time
- Gr. 4 Options
- Student Led Conferences (4:00-7:00 pm)
Friday (Day 1):
- Music
- Library Leaders
Upcoming Events
- February 20th - Student-Led Conferences (5:00-8:00 pm)
- February 20th - March Hot Lunch Orders Due
- February 20th - Minor Baseball Visits
- February 21st - Habit #4 Assembly
- February 21st - FMPSD Pink Shirt Day
- February 22nd - Minor Baseball Visits
- February 22nd - Student-Led Conferences (4:00-7:00 pm)
- February 26th-March 1st - No School (Teacher Convention Break)
- March 1st - April Hot Lunch Orders Open
- March 4th - Classroom Science Fair Show & Share
- March 5th - Classroom Science Fair Show & Share
- March 6th - Christina Gordon School Science Fair
- March 6th - Popcorn Orders Due
- March 7th - Grade 3 Vista Ridge Field Trip
- March 7-8th - ECDP Open House
- March 7-8th - IPP Meetings
- March 8th - Popcorn Day
- March 10th - Ramadan Begins
- March 15th - No School (Staff PLF #10)
- March 15-16th - Wood Buffalo Regional Science Fair
- March 27th - Bee Canada Pollinator Presentation
Notes From the Office
CGSF Popcorn Days: We are gearing up for another successful fundraising year with Popcorn Fri-yays. Popcorn is $2.00, and we aim to have popcorn delivered to classrooms before 10:30 am on Friday. Last year popcorn days provided approximately $7 000 to our Fundraising Association. As our student population continues to grow, we know the support is needed more now than ever. We are working with our Hot Lunch ordering platform to hopefully have popcorn orders streamlined through that, for families who wish to do so. If you have any questions: please email Barb (cgsfundraising@gmail.com).
Hot Lunches: Ordering will be open from the 1st to the 20th of each month to order for the following month. Please note that there is no hot lunch ordering for ECDP or Kindergarten students. To open your 2023/24 hot lunch account (the system does not retain information from the previous year), follow the detailed instructions provided in the attached graphic (Digital Take Home Folder). When you log in, you may notice a new button to volunteer for hot lunch. Please consider volunteering to help sort and organize hot lunches from 11:30 am-12:30 pm. If you have any questions you can contact our hot lunch team at: cgshotlunch@outlook.com.
CG Gear: Our online store is back up and running for the year. Check out: https://christinagordon.entripyshops.com/ to order school clothing. There is a wide variety of styles, logos, and colours to choose from!
Student-Led Conferences: It is the preference at Christina Gordon Public School that students accompany parents to conferences, making them a Three Way Conference or Student Led Conference. We believe that there are benefits to both the parents and students sitting down to discuss a student's learning and progress together, which is why we have conferences involving all parents, students, and teachers, instead of a more traditional Parent-Teacher Interview. Please plan for your student to attend their scheduled conference. Our classroom will be conducting Student Led Conferences. Conferences are scheduled to occur in-person on February 20th and February 22nd. To book a Student Led Conference appointment, please go to the Christina Gordon Public School website or use the following (https://christinagordon.fmpsdschools.ca/bookings). As our classroom will be utilizing a Student Led Conference model, students are encouraged to come into the classroom before or to remain in the classroom after their scheduled appointment with the teacher. During this time, students will be sharing their learning with you by leading you through a variety of centres/stations. These centres/stations will allow families to gain first-hand knowledge of some of our classroom routines and activities. It allows your student to take ownership of their work and to share their classroom experiences with you. I understand that families may have other appointments they need to attend throughout the night (ie. siblings, etc.). Families are welcome to leave and return to the classroom as needed. You will visit the Meet the Teacher station at your appointed time. Please be mindful that these appointments are only 10 minutes in length. There is no grace period between appointments. As such, these appointments are meant to be brief, quick conversation to update you on your student's progress. You will gain more insight into your student's progress from your student, by completing the centres/stations with them. After our Student Led Conference, if you still feel that you require a longer meeting with me, a reminder that families are always able to schedule to meet with me at any time throughout the year and that I would be happy to find time to do so. Families do not need to wait for future Student Led Conferences or Report Cards to address any questions or concerns you may have.
Alberta Education Assurance Survey: Grade 4 parents and families, please make sure that you are taking time to complete the Alberta Education Assurance (AEA) Survey that was mailed to your home! School funding decisions are often made surrounding the results of these surveys so it is very, very important that all families complete the survey in a timely manner. Missing the AEA access code that was sent from Alberta Education via mail? Please get in touch with your school principal who will then guide you if you should be completing this survey, to edc.systemassurance@gov.ab.ca with your child's grade, school name, and principal's name.
Grade 3 Vista Ridge Tubing Field Trip: As an extension of our Physical Education program, students in Grade 3 will be participating in a tubing day at Vista Ridge Ski Hill on March 7th, 2024. Vista Ridge staff will be onsite and will conduct a safety talk for all participants prior to using the hill. Students will leave the school at approximately 9:30 am and will return by 2:00 pm. Students will need snow gear (eg. hat, mittens, jacket, snow pants, etc.) as well as a packed lunch. Students will not have access to the canteen in the main chalet. There are no student microwaves available at Vista Ridge. Please note that the school is not responsible for any lost or damaged items. If tubing is cancelled due to weather, all attempts will be made to reschedule. The total cost of tubing plus bus transportation is $27 per student. All payments are to be made using Parent Portal by February 22nd, 2024. Cash or cheques will not be accepted as payment. Should you have any issues using Parent Portal, please contact the main office of the school. Refunds will only be provided if a student is unable to participate due to medical reasons. All students are welcomed and encouraged to attend this field trip. Should the cost create any hardship for any family, please contact your student's teacher or the office and alternative arrangements will be made in confidence. No student would be left out due to financial hardship.
Science Fair: Christina Gordon School's Science Fair is coming up on Wednesday, March 6th. While the Wood Buffalo Regional Fair and judges are only for Grades 4-6, Division 1 students are invited to participate in our School Fair! Students who want to participate will complete the Science Fair project at home. Science Fair projects can be done independently or with one other student. Attached (Digital Take Home Folder) is a booklet to complete while doing the experiment. Students can choose any topic for their project that interests them. If they don't know where to start, we recommend Science Buddies Website: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/. For younger students, there are some good experiments here for Chirp Science: https://www.owlkids.com/chirpscience/. Students who complete a Science Fair project will first present it to their own class as practice on either March 4th or 5th. During the School Fair on March 6th, students will set up their projects on tables in the gym. Classes in the school will come to walk through the fair and the students can explain their project to other students of all grade levels! Their science project display can be done on a tri-fold board (purchased at dollar stores, staples, etc.), but it is not mandatory. Students should bring along their project booklet and experiment or pictures that tell the story of their experiment so others at school can see what they have learned. We are looking forward to seeing some great science experiments!
Alien In-Line Family Night: Alien Inline Skating is coming to a Family Night near you soon! March 19-20th. Please note the following:
- First come first served.
- All children must have at least one guardian with them.
- The guardian may skate if they want, but they do not have to.
- There are 4 50-minute slots spread out over 2 days. Families may sign up for one time only.
- When signing up, take one slot per skater. Observers do not need to book a slot.
- We do not have gear for ECDP aged children.
- Skaters may bring equipment from home PROVIDED that it is CLEAN and they have all safety equipment (helmet, elbow, knee and wrist pads).
- You still need to sign up for a slot even if you are using your own gear.
Here is the sign up link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040F4DABAF2DA2FB6-alien.
Kangaroo Math Contest: This message is to let the local school districts know about the Canadian Math Kangaroo Contest, which will be occurring on Sunday, March 24th. Information about the contest can be found here: Canadian Math Kangaroo Contest. For the Fort McMurray region, the contest will be hosted at Keyano College in the 2nd floor of the STC-wing (this is the part of the building along Franklin Ave.) from about 10 am-12 noon. More specific details, such as exact start time and the room numbers at Keyano, will be shared with the participants closer to the date of the contest. Questions about the local site information at Keyano College can be directed to matthew.morin@keyano.ca. This contest is for keen math students. The questions are very interesting but can also be very tricky. It may not look like a lot of the questions you tackle in class. (Old contests can be found here: Canadian Math Kangaroo Contest). To participate in the contest, students need to register by March 3rd. Registration is through the Math Kangaroo website. There is a registration fee: $17 (early bird) before Feb 25, $25 until March 3rd. So, if you know of strong math students that do like challenging problems, this contest may be for them.
There are six different contests based on Grade level:
- a 45-minute contest for those in Grade 1/2
- a 60-minute contest for those in Grade 3/4
- a 60-minute contest for those in Grade 5/6
- a 60-minute contest for those in Grade 7/8
- a 60-minute contest for those in Grade 9/10
- a 75-minute contest for those in Grade 11/12
Each contest is a multiple-choice test (there are penalties for incorrect answers, so sometimes if a student isn’t certain about a response, it might be better to leave an answer blank). Pencils and scrap paper are provided (no calculators or other tools are permitted). Students can also participate in the contest online, though the online participants are generally not eligible for awards. Again, information about the contest can be found here: Canadian Math Kangaroo Contest
Any questions about registration/payment, award eligibility, or most other contest information can be directed to info@mathkangaroo.com. We look forward to seeing some eager math students take on the challenge!