April Newsletter
Division 5
Happy April!!! I hope you had a very relaxing and fun March break!! We’re back in the swing and ready for another busy month!
During April students will continue to work on persuasive writing and start preparing for the speech fest. Students will also be immersed in learning about First Nations peoples (Grade 4) amd Immigration (Grade 5) as part of both Social Studies and Language Arts. After some direct teaching to develop their background knowledge, students will begin a project on this topic with choices that will allow them to present what they know using the multiple intelligences. In Language Arts, students will also be starting new novels for book clubs and will continue using various reading strategies to improve their comprehension. We will be recording the amount of reading done at home in order to encourage students to keep up their home reading during the third term. Please see the attached information sheet, which includes the first home reading record sheet. In Science, the students will be learning about the circulatory and respiratory systems. Fractions and decimals will continue to be the unit of study in math this month. Ambitious students have been challenging themselves in preparation for the optional Math League Contest. Good luck to our Math League contestants!
Track and field will be starting this week, with stations in the afternoons so that students get a chance to try out the various events. Students in grade 4 are tykes. Events that they can participate in are: 80m, 300m, 600m, 800m, 4 x 100m relay, medley relay, long jump, triple jump, high jump, and shot put. Students in grade 5 are Pee Wees. Events that they can participate in are: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 4 x 100m relay, medley relay, long jump, triple jump, high jump, shot put, and discus. Interested students will receive a newsletter with more information.
Please mark the following dates on your calendar:
Tuesday, March 31st -Stand by Me presentation (sponsored by PAC)
-Early Closure for parent interviews (Please phone the school to book an appointment at (604) 596-8561).
Tuesday, April 7th -First Nations Story Telling workshop
Wednesday, April 8th -Surrey Art Gallery clay workshop (Please return attached permission slip).
Tuesday, April 14th- -SWAP presentation on waste reduction (in-class)
Friday, April 24th - Math League contest (optional)
Tuesday, May 5th -Early dismissal (Parent Interviews)
Tuesday, May 19th -Potlatch & Paper button First Nations Workshop?
Tuesday, June 2nd -Salish mini-blanket First Nations workshop
June TBA -Bear Creek water park
Sincerely,
Mrs. Colp
“A good education is like a savings account; the more you put into it, the richer you are.” Anonymous
Home Reading Program
Developing reading skills is the most important factor in student’s success at school. This is why home reading is part of your homework. Research studies attest to the importance of children reading extensively, both in the classroom and at home. The reading and writing that children see and do at home has a strong influence on how well they do at school. Students who have extensive reading materials in their homes and who read a lot outside of school are better readers and writers than those who do not. A few interesting excerpts from publications are included below.
The Rich Get Richer
Good readers are gaining a wealth of information about the world and a wealth of vocabulary. Readers who spend time reading are going to know a little bit about a lot more topics-and they will be better readers because of it. (Hirsch)
Are students reading enough outside of school?
The students who read too little are the majority of our children. The amount of book reading done outside of school by a middle level student was only 4.6 minutes per day. The struggling reader didn’t read at all. (Wilson)
Reading skills can only develop when they are exercised regularly. Learning to read is like learning to play basketball-practise, practice, practice.
It is expected that you read at home at least five days of the week. Records should be kept on a daily basis. Reading records will be collected every Friday with the weekly spelling. You will be asked to respond to your home reading in a variety of ways.
Name: _______________________
Record of Daily Reading
Date
Book Title
Minutes Read
Parent Initials
TOTAL=
EE = >210 min.
FM = 150-210min.
MM = 90-150 min.
NY= < 90
BROOKSIDE ELEMENTARY
8555 142A St, Surrey, B.C. V3W 0S6
Telephone: (604) 596-8561 ◊ Fax: (604) 599-0781 ◊ http://www.surreyschools.ca/brookside
Dear Parents/Guardians,
We have a field trip coming up! Division 5 is planning to attend the Surrey Art Gallery on Wednesday, April 8th. We plan to attend a guided tour of the gallery, followed by a World of Clay workshop. The tour is designed to help students enhance visual literacy, and critical and creative thinking skills as they respond to original works of art. In the ‘World of Clay’ workshop, students look at how clay is used around the world, including hands-on learning of surface decorating techniques. The cost of the workshop t is $3.50 per student
It would be helpful to have parent helpers to assist with supervising students walking to the art gallery as well as during the workshop. We plan to leave the school at approximately 9:30a.m. and return for the end of the day, weather permitting. This would involve having a picnic lunch at the park.
If you have any questions regarding the field trip please call Mrs. Colp at (604) 596-8561, or e-mail at: colp_s@surreyschools.ca.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Colp
_____ Yes, I can help supervise students at the Surrey Art Gallery
_____ I have enclosed $3.50 for the workshop
I give permission for my child _______________________ to participate in the walking field trip to the Surrey Art’s Center at Bear Creek Park.
___________________ ___________________
Parent Signature Phone Number
PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM TO MRS. COLP NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, APRIL 3rd!