Week of November 20-24
Hello families!
This week in grade 4 we welcomed our student teacher Mr. Alex! He will be part of our learning community for the next two weeks! He is excited to be with us and the students are looking forward to learning basketball skills from him next week during our physical education time!
This week we in physical education, we have been working on our throwing and catching skills by using scoops and balls. We have also been working on being able to work as part of a two or three person team in order for our throws to be caught by our partner.
We have been strengthening our reading comprehension skills in social studies and in science. We are learning how to read for information and to identify key information. Students are learning to write about they are learning in social studies and science. Students read and watched videos to learn more about waste in our world; composting and recycling. We watched a video about composting and then created notes about what we learned. In social studies we learned together about the natural region; the Rocky Mountains. After reading the passage together, we generated key information and jotted them down in our visual journal. Students then drew a picture that illustrated what they felt best represented this region.
We listened and discussed the story; "My Mouth is Volcano" and are learning about how we can be in control of our impulse to shout out or move about immediately. Students were excited to work in their visual journals to draw a picture of themselves and then write about number of interests and ideas that they would talk a great deal about!!
In math we have been working on taking our understanding of place value and applying it to adding larger numbers. Students have been reviewing and using their strategies in order to solve addition equations. Ask your child to share with you how they may solve the following equations: 892+471; 356+264. We also looked at a word problem together, read the problem, came up with possible questions that could be asked and then worked on how we could best solve these problems. Students will continue to work on strengthening their abilities to add and subtract numbers larger numbers, reading word problems to understand what is being asked and to figure out what they need to do in order to solve the specific problems.
Students have been learning a new core routine of using our school courtyard for circle. We used circle in the courtyard to welcome Mr. Alex into our class. We will be continuing to strengthen this routine, as well as visiting the park directly adjacent to our staff parking lot throughout the week. We hope to make it outside this week to decide on sit spots in that adjacent field. Please help to ensure that your child comes to school dressed and prepared to be able to be comfortable and dry while outside. We will be outside for our lunch and class recesses as well as for learning times that may include longer periods of sitting or being in one location.
Our Google Classroom has been updated to include some of the resources we have or will be using in science and social studies. It also includes links to some literacy resources such as Epic Reading (during school hours); fly leaf books (decodables); typing club; typing tutor; and code.org. Students know how to log into their google classroom and into the various sites that are accessible.
Important dates:
- Friday, December 8th- No school- Non- Instructional Day
- Saturday, December 16th- Fun Lunch orders due (Edo Japan)
- Thursday, December 21st- Fun Lunch (Edo Japan)
- Friday, Dec. 22: Last Day
- Friday Dec. 22- Winter Celebration assembly
- Performance 1 – 10:00 — 10:30 AM — Grades 4, 5, 6
Performance 2 – 11:00 — 11:30 AM — Kindergarten, Grades 1, 2, 3
- Dec. 23-Jan. 7: Winter Break (No classes)
- Monday, Jan. 8: Classes Resume
Reminders:
Winter Clothing: Please ensure your child is dressed for snowy and cold weather. I recommend gloves, hats, warm jackets, boots and snowpants. Students are outside at least twice a day for recess breaks, with temperatures down to -20C. If you need support with wither clothing, please let us know.
***Check out what has been happening in our classroom on Instagram @glenbrookhandelsman
Week of October 23-27th
Hello families!!
Students were excited to meet their buddies!! We have buddied up with grade 1 and 2 students in Mrs. Cudmore's Class! They worked with their buddies to assist them with their inquiry project and understanding what the instructions were for their part of the collaborative monster!! Back in grade 4, students worked on how they can add detail to their writing through the use of adjectives. They worked with partners to generate adjectives (triple scoop words). They also learned how they could use a thesaurus to help build their vocabulary and word choice for their writing. After listening the to the story "How I Met My Monster", students created their own monsters. They labelled and designed their monster while thinking of different words they could use to describe what the monster looks like as well as some of their character traits! We are hoping to take their characters and create a mini story or poem next week!!
In math, we began learning about decimals this week, beginning with the tenths place. We looked at different visual examples of fraction wheels and ten-frames to help us understand the concept and related it to fractions. See the following visual example. The first rectangle shows 1 whole and the other shows 2 tenths. That’s 1.2, or one and two tenths, or 1 2/10.
Health
We continue to focus on building a caring classroom where students feel as though they belong, can make connections, understand that mistakes are OK and take risks with their learning. We continue to work on building and strengthing our learning stamina, when reading, writing, working on math and on tasks that require sustained focus. On Friday, we worked in groups to create posters that represent how can show care for ourselves, for our learning, for our place and for each other. Working together in a group can be difficult. Finding ways to share ideas and to listen to others share theirs is a difficult and important skill. Students persevered on this task and were able to get ideas onto their posters!
Social Studies
Understanding the Seven Sacred Teachings:
Before we dive into the concept of honesty, let's briefly recap what the Seven Sacred Teachings are:
- Wisdom (Nbwaa): The ability to make decisions that are beneficial for yourself and others.
- Love (Zaagidiwin): The act of caring deeply for all living things.
- Respect (Mnaadendmowin): Treating others, the environment, and oneself with reverence.
- Bravery (Aakode'ewin): Having the courage to face challenges and stand up for what is right.
- Honesty (Gwekwaadiziwin): The commitment to truthfulness and integrity in all aspects of life.
- Humility (Dbaadendiziwin): Recognizing our place within the world and being humble in our actions.
- Truth (Debwewin): Upholding the value of sincerity and staying true to oneself.
Honesty is represented by Sabé, also known as Bigfoot or Sasquatch. The Honesty teaching is symbolized by Sabé because Sabé is believed to be a spiritual creature that knows who it is, and accepts itself. The Honesty teaching tells us that it is important to not lie, gossip, cheat or steal. We must be true to ourselves and others. When we live honestly, we have more peaceful and happy lives. Honesty doesn't just mean telling the truth; it also means taking responsibility for one's actions and learning from mistakes. We believe that by nurturing a culture of honesty, our students will develop strong moral compasses and grow into responsible and trustworthy individuals.To represent their learning, students created a Four-Square reflection describing what Honesty looks like, sounds like, feels like, and honesty is… Ask your child to share their understanding with you.
We are also looking deeper in Alberta and learning about the different natural regions. We have listened to information to learn about the differences within the regions and will be working on creating our own maps to represent the different areas.
Important reminders and dates:
With the snow and winter weather returning, please ensure your student is:
- Arriving at school wearing winter clothing (hat, mitts, snow pants, boots, co
We are reminding students the following:
- Snow stays on the ground (no snow balls, throwing snow in someone's face)
- The slide on our playground can be slippery so we must be extra safe and diligent when the weather is cold
- Outdoor boots are taken off at the door
- Outdoor clothing is to be put into boots (mitts or hat) or sleeve of coat
- Please put your child's name on their clothing. We have many items that go missing through out the school year and would love to return them to their rightful owner
Students who would like to dress up in a costume on Tuesday, October 31 are welcome to arrive at school wearing their costume. We ask that students wearing a costume follow these rules when dressing up to celebrate:
- Halloween masks that cover the face are not allowed
- No weapons or gore is allowed
- No costume accessories...wands, gloves, broom, canes
- No outside or homemade treats or food to be brought into the school as there will be no sharing of food
- Students must still be able to participate in Phys-Ed classes and all other learning opportunities
- Students must dress appropriately for outside weather
Thursday, November 9-Tuesday, November 14: Fall Break, No School
Week of October 10-13
Hello families!
We have had a busy week in grade 4!! Students have been working hard on finishing up their writing projects. The "The Best Part of Me" and "I am Grateful for". They listened to stories, "The Best Part of Me" and "The Grateful Book" for inspiration. Using graphic organizers, they expanded their sentence writing to help their readers visualize what they are saying. They are also using laptops to type up their work, and were then able to edit for punctuation and grammar! They are very excited to share this work with you at conferences next week. Ask them about what they felt their best part of themselves was.
In math, we have been working on strengthening our number sense. After spending some time working on place value and understanding the value of the digits in a number based on their place, we are now working on understanding why and how we round numbers. Ask your child to share with you a reason why we may choose to round numbers.
Students learned an art technique of Zentangles; using patterns to create art. We looked closely at some of Artist Charles McGee’s sculptors before working on creating our own. Using white paper and black sharpie, students worked on to create their own piece and were proud to see their work on display in the classroom!
For the month of October, the Sabe is our focus as part of Seven Sacred Teachings. The Sabe represents honesty. Students are learning the importance of being honest, both with others and with themselves. One way of being honest with ourselves is to be able to recognize and identify the different feelings we have throughout the day. Through stories, videos and discussions, students are learning more about the brain and how responds to different situations. We are also learning about different strategies we can use in order to regulate our emotions, be in control and make good choices.
Reminders
- Glenbrook School has been selected to participate in the 2023 Indigo Adopt a School (AAS) Program – a partnership between the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation and Indigo Books & Music Inc. The fundraiser runs from October 10 – 31. During these three weeks, our partner store will fundraise on behalf of our school and our school can also fundraise by collecting cash donations or through our school’s online fundraising page linked below. Our partner store this year is Indigo Signal Hill located in the Signal Hill Centre S.W. You can also donate in person at the store if you shop there. Please share this link with family and friends and help us achieve our fundraising goal. All funds will be used to purchase books for our school library.
Glenbrook Elementary School — Indigo Love of Reading Foundation (givecloud.co)
- Parent Teacher Conferences will occur on Thursday and Friday next week. They will be 15 minutes long, and are an opportunity for families to meet with Mrs. Woods individually to discuss your child’s strengths and stretches in school this year. It is also an opportunity for you to ask me any questions you have. Bookings open Friday (today) through your child’s myCBE account. If you are having trouble booking, please send me an email with a few preferred times and I can book you in.
- The Downie Wenjack Walk occurs next week. This walk honours families affected by residential schools, and aids our collective reconciliation journey through a combination of awareness, education, and action. Our class will be walking on Thursday, October 19. Students are encouraged to wear purple on Thursday to show their support.
Upcoming Events:
· Oct. 13: PowerSchool Bookings Open at 8:a.m.
· Oct. 10-31: Adopt a School Fundraiser
· Oct. 16-19: "Take Me Outside" Challenge
· Oct. 18: Picture Day - Class and Individual Pictures
· Oct.19: Fun Lunch & Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences (4:30-8:00)
· Oct. 20: Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences (No Classes) (8:00-1:00)
· Oct. 27: Twin Day (more details to follow. This is being led by the Leadership Club in Division 2)
· Oct. 31: Virtual Mayor Read-Aloud & Halloween
Week of September 25-28
Hello families!
We had a short but busy week in grade 4. This week we focused a lot of our teaching and learnings about Truth and Reconciliation. Students listened to stories, watched videos, participated in lessons and discussions, worked on writing and creating works of art to help strengthen and deepen their understandings. Ask them to share with you something they have learned from this week. After listening to different stories, such as "Shi- Shi Etko", "When I was Eight", and "When we Were Alone", students worked on a school wide collaborative art piece in honor of Orange Shirt Day. Students traced and created their own hand print, thought about "Every Child Matters" and came up with words that best described why they matter. Students wrote about what they learned about Truth and Reconciliation and responses to the following questions: "Why do we recognize orange shirt day/truth and reconciliation day every year?" and "What can you do to ensure every child is treated with love and respect?"
In math we finished up our work for the moment on data. Students worked on creating their own survey questions, collecting data and then using pictographs to record and share their data. Next week we will begin to dig deeper into number sense as we explore place value and our understandings of solving different addition and subtraction equations. We also spent some time working through our first math talk using an Esti Mystery. Students worked on strengthening their estimation skills and then adjusting their estimates as new clues were being provided.
In science we have started to explore and dig into waste in our world, by first thinking and recording about what we know and wonder about on the topic. Next week we will explore how we can take care of our world by working together in our classroom and in our school to ensure our compost, recycling and waste options are being used appropriately.
This month, we began learning about the Seven Sacred Teachings. Each teaching is represented by an animal, and teaches us how we can live our lives respecting animals, people and the environment – every living thing. This month, we have focused on the teaching of Respect. We connected this to the CBE Indigenous Framework, learning and sharing how we can respect our bodies, minds, spirit and hearts. Ask your child to share one thing they have learned this month regarding respecting themselves, others, or nature.
Important reminders
- Please sign and return the Student Health Plan and Eye Exam forms ASAP. If you require an additional copy of these forms please send me an email
- Please remind your child to not bring toys or valuable items to school. Items from home can be a distraction not only for your child but for the many other children in the classroom.
Upcoming dates:
Monday, Oct. 9: No School- Thanksgiving
Tuesday, Oct. 10: Parent/School Council at 7 p.m.
Week of Oct. 16-19: "Take Me Outside" Challenge
Wednesday, Oct. 18: Picture Day - Class and Individual Pictures
Thursday, Oct.19: Fun Lunch & Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences in the evening
Friday, Oct. 20: NO SCHOOL- Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences
Please be sure to check out our class page for some pictures of what has been happening in our class and in our school!
https://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/glenbrook/teaching-learning/classes-departments/teacher-pages-blogs/pages/handelsman.aspx
Ms. Handelsman
Week of September 11-15th,
It has been a great and busy first few weeks of school! Students are developing friendships and building their understandings of routines and expectations while at school, in the classroom and out on the playground.
In math we have been digging deeper into data. Students generated questions to ask their classmates, recording their responses using tally marks. We then took this initial data and transformed it into a pictograph and building an understanding of what range each picture represents. Currently we are using a scale of 1:1. This is a great strategy when the data sample is small, but we want to ask students in the other grade 4 class questions and we also want to create questions to collect data about the entire school population. Next week we will explore how we can use a many to one correspondence to help us better conduct a survey and collect data over a larger population.
In writing we have been working on writing personal narratives. We have begun a mini writing project based of the book, “The Best Part of Me”.
Students have been working hard on building up both their reading and their writing stamina and are looking forward to signing out a book next week from the learning commons!
Students were thrilled to spend time on Friday with their peers from grade 4B! We met together in gym and played an exciting game of bench dodgeball. We then headed back to join 4B in their classroom to work on an art project for International Dot Day. We listened to the story “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds and learned about the artist Kendinski. After looking at his piece, Squares with Concentric Circles we worked on making our own. Each grade 4 student used pastel crayons to create their own concentric circle. We then each decided on a word that best describes who we are and wrote and glued it onto our piece. While we made individual circles, we will be putting them together as our first grade 4 collaborative piece of art! Be sure to check it out on Meet the Teacher night!
Both grade 4 classes are planning to head outside to spend some time learning on the land. We will head to the small field adjacent to the staff parking lot to build one of our core routines: learning and being on the land. We will spend time making and recording our observations about the various trees in the park.
Terry Fox Run:
The Terry Fox Run is more than a fundraiser; it's a lesson in courage we impart to our students. Terry's indomitable spirit, despite his battle with cancer, serves as a powerful example. Our school's annual run isn't just about laps; it's about resilience, determination, and unity. The run sparks conversations about empathy and will be held on Monday Sept. 18th. If you wish to donate please click on the link below.
https://schools.terryfox.ca/30501
Reminders:
- Several forms havecome home both this and last week, please, read, sign and return these forms as soon as possible. Students need to have the Digital Citizenship form signed and returned before using technology.
- The weather is changing. Please ensure that your child is dressed for the weather. We go outside often throughout the day; for lunch recess, for our natural break, for learning on the land and on occasion for physical education.
- Indoor Shoes: Please ensure that your child has indoor runners. Students must wear runners during gym class. We are working hard to keep our classroom clean and neat and help support our facility operator, Mr. Bazinet.
- Please bring a water bottle. Please do not send Gatorade or soda pop. Water is the best beverage for our students.
Important Dates:
Monday, September 18th -Terry Fox Run – Classes will go out together as a class
Thursday, September 21st-Subway Fun Lunch
Thursday, September 21st-Meet the Teacher Evening
Friday, September 22nd. NO SCHOOL-Non-Instructional Day
Thursday, September 28th Orange Shirt Day – We will be wearing orange to create awareness of the individual family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools.
Sept. 25-30: Truth and Reconciliation Week
Sept. 29: No School
Week of Aug 31-September 1 2023
Hello grade 4 community!!
Welcome our our class page!! Here you will find updates on our learning journey together!! We will also include important information so please make sure to check back here often!!
My name is Ms. Handelsman and I am very excited to be teaching your child in grade 4!! We have spent the first two days of school getting to know each other, re-aquaint each other with familiar friends and making some new ones!! We are also working hard on learning the routines and expectations of the classroom and of the school! Did your child tell you about our new format for lunchroom? If not, be sure to ask them about this new routine! (PS we eat first and play second).
Students worked on writing letters to their future selves and on drawing self portraits. We also had a special visit from Mr. Kowalchuk who taught us a music challenge in our classroom!! Here are some pictures of our journey so far.
Important dates:
Monday, September 4- NO SCHOOL Labor Day
Thursday, September 14th- 6:00-8:00PM Family Food Truck Event
Thursday, September 21st- FUN LUNCH
Thursday, September 21st- EVENING Meet the Teacher Night
Friday, September 22nd - NO SCHOOL Non-Instructional Day-
Friday, September 29th- NO SCHOOL- National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
