A great field trip and my apologies for a delay in the blog!

Hello families of Room 205s. I have to apologize for my delay in posting the blog over the past two weeks. It has been a very busy few weeks in our classroom and as Friday approaches, I have every intention of posting the blog and I've been sidetracked by other school related items. So here we are...back up and running again! I hope everyone has had a great few weeks and you are beginning to enjoy the sunshine and nice weather that seems to have finally arrived.

Also, to all our MOMS out there - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY. I hope you had a great day and were pampered with love from your family.

Field trip - On Friday May 9th, we spent a wonderful day at the McMichael Art Gallery in Kleinburg, Ontario. The students spent half the day sketching landscapes similar to those of The Group of Seven. They created beautiful water coloured paintings while paying close attention to the foreground, middle ground and background of their paintings. In the afternoon, we were given a detailed tour of the gallery and shown many of the current exhibits and valuable paintings that are housed at the McMichael Gallery. The weather was exquisite and we had a great day! I'd like to thank the following parents for joining us on this trip: Bridget's mom, Ruth, Oscar"s mom, Cheryl and Max's mom, Elyse. I appreciate you driving to the art gallery and spending the day with us.

Junior School Assembly - Our class was in charge of last week's Junior School Assembly. Our students did an excellent job in their performance of the song, One Day, by Matisyahu. This song is from the Kindness Boomerang on the Life Vest Inside website that our class checks on a regular basis. This song sends a message about peace, kindness and putting an end to violence and war. Life Vest Inside is an amazing organization that promotes acts of kindness in our everyday lives.  The students sung it with great confidence and pride to the junior school and received many compliments on their excellent work. Well done grade 4/5's, I am proud of you!

Currency Assignment - Last week the students presented their Math Currency Assignment to the class. We examined many currencies from all over the world and discussed their value in Canadian dollars. We also went on line to see the symbols used to represent the currency as well as what the currency looks like in both bills and coins. The students did an excellent job explaining their specific currency of choice and many were able to bring in samples of the money. Here are some of the currencies we learned about:

• African tagalog
• Pound
• US dollar
• Ruppee
• Mexican Peso as well as the Chilean Peso
• Euro
• Yuan
• Czech Crowns
• North Korean Won and South Korean Won

Grade 4 Travel Brochures and Postcards - The grade 4's Social Studies project on a Canadian province or territory is due on Tuesday May 13, 2014. The students have been working hard in class to design and plan their brochures and postcards. Many of them have brought their research into class and have made jot notes that they've shown me. They have also shown me their first drafts and asked for editing. I am impressed with most of the grade 4's for working hard on this assignment in class. As I told them at the beginning, I expect the research part to be done in class so I can monitor their progress and guide them along the way through the written part of the assignment.  The artwork and final design part can be completed at home.

Their presentations as travel agents promoting their province/territory will begin this week and we look forward to these. Thank you as always for your support with this project.

Grade 5 Prime Minister Posters - The grade 5's presented their Prime Minister posters several weeks ago as part of our Social Studies unit on the Canadian Government. Their work showed an excellent understanding of their Prime Minister's life and history. The student's presentations showed that they were able to effectively communicate why this person was a significant part of Canadian history and how they contributed to our country. Great work grade 5's! The posters are displayed in the hallway outside of our classroom. We are continuing with our Canadian Government unit and the students will be given a project next week on the Rights of a Child. More information will follow in next week's blog.

Please enjoy the pictures below...

Math test - The grade 5's will have their unit math test on Wednesday May 14, 2014. The test will be on Unit 6, Measurement. They will be given time in class to complete a review as well as ask any questions they may have. The next math unit is Fractions and Decimals.

The grade 4's will have a math test towards the end of next week as their unit is much longer. I will post the exact date in the next blog. The next grade 4 unit will also be Fractions and Decimals.

Reminder: There is no school on Monday May 19, 2014 as it is the Victoria Day weekend.

I HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT WEEK!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

Mrs. Mendelson