Days in school: 31

Math – Students learned to round and estimate numbers and sums to 10 000 this week.  They completed a few independent and partner activities in their duotangs and also spent some time online exploring new skills and concepts.  Students will have a quiz on Monday in class, and must complete the Practice Sheet that was sent home on Wednesday.  This sheet will be collected, reviewed and discussed prior to the quiz on Monday.  Below is a copy of the quiz notice that was also sent home with students on Wednesday.

Estimation Station – There were 55 pieces of candy in the Estimation Station jar this week!  Congratulations to A.Z. in 4E who managed to guess that number right on the nose.  Outstanding job, A.Z!    
 
Science – In Science this week, students were very busy!  They completed their predictions and observations for our mini landfill experiments, and had thoughtful discussions about the rates of biodegradability.  Students observed each of the items in our mini landfills, and noted the changes.  Some items were wet, moldy and shrunken in size, while others were dry and appeared to look exactly the same as when they were put in the landfill.  Students discussed and documented what they think each of the items will look like next month and we are looking forward to next month's observation!
Students also worked in partner groupings to read an article entitled: "The Importance of Recycling" by Lydia Lukidis.  Through this article, students learned about the recycling loop, and the processes of recycling and paper manufacturing.  Students answered comprehension questions based on the reading, and also learned some new vocabulary for this unit.  I will be collecting and evaluating this article study from 4E and 4F students early next week.  
We wrapped up our busy week of learning by jumping on the laptop computers to investigate Calgary's current recycling and sorting methods.  Students learned that the Material Recovering Facility (MRF) receives the items from our blue carts and community recycling depots.  These items are delivered by truck to the MRF, and the facility is owned and operated by Cascades Recovery Inc., which The City of Calgary contracts to sort and recover recycling items.  Machines at the MRF organize the materials, but employees also remove some items by hand to make sure they are sorted properly. About 70% of the sorting is completed by the machines, with the remaining 30% handled manually by employees. Once items are sorted, they are sent to markets that turn them into new products.  Students toured the MRF online to better understand all the machines and sorting components, and also watched a video to see first-hand where our everyday recyclables go!  We will continue this learning next week, and students will also receive their final Waste and our World project task. 
 
Flex – Students in 4F continued reading "Silverwing", our current novel study, and also participated in a guided drawing activity and gallery walk (see Twitter post below).  Kenneth Oppel, the author of "Silverwing" will be in our school for a literacy presentation on Tuesday, and we couldn't be more excited to ask him questions about the book!
 
Miscellaneous – Many students are still not coming to school and/or class with their agendas and academic subject duotangs.  It is very difficult for students to complete their work, and for Mr. Brewer and myself to keep the lines of communication open between families if these items are not here.  Please ensure your child is organized and has these materials at school each and every day.  Thank you for your on-going support!

Clubs - There are currently two clubs running for grade four students: Choir and French.  These clubs will run for different durations and students are encouraged to get involved!  Grade 4 sports intramurals run in the gym with PE teachers at lunchtime (twice a week), and the Learning Commons is also open to grade four students during lunchtime on Mondays/Wednesdays.  Students need to listen to our daily announcements for locations and times for these clubs and intramurals.

​- Mrs. Ross