Hats on For Mental Health

On Thursday April 30 during our regularly scheduled Google Meet time at 9:00 am we will be recognizing Hats on For Mental Health. Wear your favourite or craziest hat for all of us to see while we do some sharing.

Google Meet Tips

Hello everyone,

As we continue to dive into our online learning, I would like to take a moment to share some information about everyones digital citizenship. Please remember to be cautious as you go online for your daily learning. Listen to your gut, head and heart as you proceed to access new information online, talk with your classmates and post your own work. 

From,

Ms. Adharsingh

Google Classroom Information

Dear families,

Once again, I would just like to say a quick thank you for all of your support and patience as we transition to online learning! We are lucky to have such supportive families during this time.

In regards to Google Classroom, here is a quick update on what it will look like starting next week. On Sunday, the weekly schedule will be posted. This will provide a general outline that students can use as a guide to complete each task. Most tasks will be posted on Mondays; however, some may be scheduled to be posted anytime between Monday to Friday. Hopefully this way students don’t feel too overwhelmed as they learn how to navigate Google Classrooms and complete their tasks. We may also post additional tasks that are optional for students to complete on our Blog. For example, next week we will be posting an Easter art activity. Please continue to look on our Blog for any additional updates, student learning or these additional tasks.

To find information about online class meetings on Google Meet, please refer to the weekly schedule and the specific assignments on Google Classroom. We may have a meeting with everyone, but there may be times when I will instruct small groups. In this case, students will look on the assignment under the instructions on Google Classroom to determine what time their group requires to be online (Our first small group times will be on Tuesday March 7). Please try your best to help your child be online on time to help the instructions run more smoothly as some of these sessions are short to accommodate multiple groups. The meeting will continue to be called charm15 unless otherwise posted on the assignment. If your child cannot attend an online meeting, directions will be posted within the instructions portion of assignment, or we can arrange a separate time to meet on Google Meet.

I hope this information helps. I know this new transition to online learning can feel overwhelming so if you have any additional questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to me.

Ms. Adharsingh

Project Sharing

I wanted to share some of photos that I have received from students while classes have been cancelled. If you have something you would like me to share, please send it and I will share it on our blog.

March 30 Update - Ongoing Learning

Dear Grade 1/2 Families, I hope that this communication finds your family well. On Monday, we will embark on learning in a new environment. We will work through this week to establish a connection with your family to facilitate ongoing learning according to Alberta Education guidelines. We are committed to making this process as effective as possible. What to expect in the coming days: Monday and Tuesday Contact from your child’s classroom teacher. Initial contact will be attempted via a phone call. If your child, where appropriate, is able to be part of the phone call, that would be a great opportunity for personal contact to be initiated. Your teacher will be asking for some information: Do you have access to a computer, laptop, iPad/tablet or smart phone and printer? Do you have access to the internet? Is your only option a paper-based learning package? An email from your child’s teacher as a follow-up that will introduce you to a platform through which ongoing communication and instruction will take place. This email will come to the email address(es) contained in PowerSchool. Tuesday, March 31– Friday, April 3 Ongoing communication from your child’s classroom teacher establishing common understanding of the learning platforms for the roll out of lessons Development of a plan for students requiring paper-based learning packages Ongoing updates from the CBE and from Capitol Hill via email and web site Thank you for your ongoing support and patience as we undertake this new approach to learning. Grade 1/2 Team

Spring Break 🌸

I just wanted to take a moment to tell you to have a wonderful Spring Break! Try to relax, get outside and really slow things down in the midst of this emotional and difficult time. Please take a well deserved break and focus on the little everyday things you can do together such as cooking a meal, doing a puzzle, building a fort and playing some board games! 

The hallways of Capitol Hill School are too quiet. All the teachers and support staff miss you!  💜

Ms. Adharsingh

My kids doing GoNoodle while social distancing

Interactive Mindfulness Game

Hi Parents and Guardians,

During these times, we are all really mindful about the wellbeing of our school community. This Interactive Mindfulness Game is a great resource that was shared to us by a teacher at Capitol Hill. Children may need adult support to work through it! I hope this brings some peace of mind during this unsettled time. :) 

https://storyboard.viget.com/term-4-project-17-03-20

Understanding Coronavirus For Kids

This social story was passed along to us to share with you and your students. You may print it and use it to help your child understand COVID-19 and process their emotions in this unsettled time.

A word from the author:

"Dear families and educator all over the world, 

I have created this short book to support and reassure our children, under the age of 7, regarding the COVID-19. This book is an invitation for families to discuss the full range of emotions arising from the current situation. It is important to point out that this resource does not seek to be a source of scientific information, but rather a tool based on fantasy. My recommendation is to print this material so children can draw on it. Remember that emotions are processed through repetitive play and stories read multiple times. Share COVIBOOK and help ease kiddo's anxiety all over the world."

​

With love,

Manuela Molina - the author

Math Resources

Dear Parents and Guardians,

These are unsettling times and we are uncertain of when we will return to school. In the meantime, a list below contain some great math websites that your child can use to practice some math skills. These websites are not necessarily tied to the Alberta Program of Studies and some usually
cost money to access, but for the time being, many are free and would be good for your kiddos to get some extra practice.

Brain Pop Jr. (currently not free)
https://jr.brainpop.com

Math Before Bed (free downloads at the moment)
https://mathbeforebed.com/180-math-prompts

Math Prodigy
https://www.prodigygame.com

Starfall
https://www.starfall.com/h/index.php

Math Card Games
https://mathgeekmama.com/best-math-card-games/

Math Activities
https://www.weareteachers.com/first-grade-math-games/

Classroom Update

Good Morning Parents and Guardians,

As you are all aware we are in uncertain times. We are awaiting next steps from our health minister and CBE on how to proceed moving forward. We most likely won’t be hearing information about online lessons until after spring break. We will continue to communicate through our blog as we are updated with new information but for now we would like to stress the importance of continuing with home reading, journaling about their day, and practicing basic facts through games (dice, cards). We hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy and don’t forget to enjoy the spring weather by going on a nature walk. 

 

Thank you for your patience during this unsettled time. 

We miss you!

Grade 1/2 Team 

School Closure

March 16, 2020

Parents and Guardians,

Effective Monday, March 16, 2020 all classes across Alberta have been cancelled due to COVID-19. Children are not to attend school.

A schedule will be communicated for families to pick up their child’s personal belongings in the upcoming days, the schedule will be shared via SchoolMessenger and Teachers’ classroom blogs. This schedule will be in place to ensure the health and safety of all our staff, students and their families.

Thank you for your understanding during this time of uncertainty. Parents can view information and any updates on our main webpage at cbe.ab.ca.

Capitol Hill Staff

Ice Cube Keeper Challenge

This week the students were given a challenge to create their own device that will keep an ice cube from melting. Students were asked to bring items from home that would serve as an excellent insulator for their ice cube. They have been building their prototype and then testing the capability of their insulator at home. I have heard of great success from the students! When they return to school, students make adjustments and then test again so they can see if they can make it better. The project is due on Wednesday March 17 for final testing. I can't wait to see which insulator keeps the ice cube from melting the longest!

Boiler Room Visit

Today Mr. David, our Facility Operator took us down to the Boiler Room and showed us ho

w the boiler keeps the school warm. The first thing he mentioned was the blue pipe that carries natural gas to the boiler to fuel the fire. Then the fire heats the water so it is boiling. Next the water evaporates into the white pipes as steam. The white pipes carry the steam to the all the parts of the school to warm it up. He can shut off the pipes to the boiler using the shut-off valves so when it is not working then someone can fix it safely. When we got back to class, we wrote about the process of heating the school using a boiler.

Ice Cube Keeper Project

Dear Parents and Students:

As part of our unit on Hot and Cold Temperatures, students are learning and exploring the concept of insulation and how it keeps things hot or cold. As an extension of what students have learned at school about this topic students are to create a prototype at home and at school. (Testing and adjustments can be done at home)

Your mission: Invent and build something that will keep an ice cube from melting

Purpose: To design and build a device that demonstrates how Insulation will keep an object (ice cube) cold.

 

Due Date: Wednesday March 18

Thank you for your ongoing support at home. We look forward to seeing the inventions and finding out which device holds an ice cube the longest without melting.

Thank you

Ms. Adharsingh

Pink Shirt Day

On Wednesday February 26, 2020 we were encouraged to wear a pink shirt to recognize anti-bullying day. We created our own pink shirt and wrote a kind words and slogans to help us remember to be kind to others. The message this year was "Lift Each Other Up".

100th Day Of School

On Friday February 21, we celebrated the 100th day of school. There were 4 different stations in each of the Grade 1/2 classrooms for us to participate in throughout the morning. We started in our own classroom. Ms. Adharsingh gave us a fill in the blank 100 chart to finish and then we had to go on a scavenger hunt to find the numbers around the room.

Then we went to Ms. Defoe's classroom. First, we used a 100 chart to count our Cherrios and then used them to create a simple picture.

The next station was in Ms. Kraus' class,  we made a book that was about what we might look like when we are 100 years old. We thought about some questions that she asked like What will you eat when you are 100? Or When I am 100, how many things will I have?

Our last station was making 100 day hats with Ms. Caughey. They had to have 100 items on the hat. We drew, stamped and added stickers to get to 100.

The day was really awesome! We loved all of the projects!

We can't wait until the next 100 days pass in the school year!

100 Day Of School Celebration

On Friday February 21, we will be celebrating the 100th day of school. Students will rotate through 4 different activities throughout the morning.

As part of the celebration, students are asked to bring a “100” collection from home to share with their classmates. For example: 100 pony beads, 100 buttons, 100 stickers. Students will create a picture to display their collections. Please make sure that the items are not crushable. The items will not be returned in the same state.

Gymnastics Stations

This week, the students have been engaged in our new unit for February, Gymnastics. We have been working on some of the fundamental movement skills such as  moving their bodies using different pathways and experimenting with various levels (high, medium and low) and balances that are static and dynamic. Our main focus of the week was to keep our bodies in control at all times. Starting on Tuesday next week, the stations will change into a Mission Impossible course.

 

On Wednesday February 12, Students are welcome to bring Valentines to exchange to others in the class. Bringing Valentines is an optional activity! I ask that if students bring Valentines, they bring a valentine for everyone in the class so everyone feels belonging.

Reminder: Next week is a short week! 

Thursday February 13 and Friday February 14 are Teacher's Convention!

Monday February 17 is Family Day!

Literacy Week Activities

It has been a fun week! It was great to see lots of students participating in the new event every day. We loved having a new teacher in our space to read to us. We were lucky that Ms. Dalton came to our classroom on Tuesday and read us The Balloon Tree. Ms. Adharsingh went to Mrs. Evans' Grade 3/4 classroom and read them the Antlered Ship. We also had a community guest, Constable Mark Enzie, show us his tool belt for work and read "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?"

On Wednesday, we enjoyed making bookmarks with our buddies.
Thursday was probably the most favourite day of all. We got a chance to dress up as a character from a book.






Everyday the students and teachers carried around a book just in case there was an announcement made to start DEAR time. DEAR stands for Drop Everything And Read! It didn't matter if we were doing math, playing in Phys. Ed or singing in music. Everyone in the whole school stopped the current activity and read for 10 minutes. Ms. Adharsingh loved getting 10 minutes everyday to read with us.

Literacy Week

Every year on January 27, ABC Life Literacy Canada hosts Family Literacy Day, the largest national family literacy event in Canada. Literacy organizations, schools, libraries and media groups will coordinate numerous literacy-themed events and activities across the country in honour of this special initiative.

Family Literacy Day® is a national awareness initiative created by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999 to raise awareness of the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family. News Media Canada is a proud supporter of Family Literacy Day, distributing public service announcements and editorial resources from ABC Life Literacy Canada to our members.

All Week Activities: Admin to read to classes 
D.E.A.R. time (Drop everything and read, students and staff should be carrying a book all day, every day, you never know when it will happen!). 
Constable Mark will read with grade ½ classes.

Monday- Read my Shirt Day! (Please wear a shirt with writing on it, or a shirt connected to literacy in some way)

Tuesday- Reading with other classes (will be a 15 minute block, teachers will move to a new location, check your mailbox for a schedule later this week)

Wednesday- Book Mark Making 

Thursday- Dress as your Favourite Character! And Literacy Week Assembly!  

Mystery Settings

This week, we continued our work with settings and using juicy words to describe them. Students were all given a different picture of familiar and unfamiliar places. After the students had time to write about their pictures, we shared them with each other trying to guess the places that was described. It was a lot of fun trying to figure out the clues.

For example,

" I saw beautiful mountains ahead. The water was blue. I heard two little birds chirping. I felt water splashing on my face. I smelled fresh air. I tasted fresh water."

After a great adventure in the woods in the distance I saw a beautiful giant thing. It was very large. I went inside! It was shiny! There as gold everywhere. I smelled delicious chocolate. Over the hill sat  lot of corn growed so much that I couldn't even count how many there was. I noticed a dark brown bear eating some berries. There was wine tangled to the large tower. I felt a mouse that was in the hallway."

Using our 5 Senses

Our focus this week in writing was to use our 5 senses to describe settings. We used photographs that were presented in class to write "juicy" words. The first picture was a photo of the forest in the Fall time. Then we looked at a winter picture of the Northern Lights. This time we used starter sentences to make our setting paragraphs quite interesting.

We listened to the words that described the setting in the book called Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. Ms. Adharsingh read the first and second page and our job was to sketch a picture in our author's notebook that we imagined in our minds. She read the pages multiple times while we continued to sketch.