I hope everyone had an enjoyable and relaxing Easter weekend.  Thanks to those of you who helped/reminded your child to complete their advertising booklet and commercial assignment to hand in this week.  There are a few students left to complete and hand these in on Wednesday.

We have started a short unit in math on 3 dimensional shapes, and measuring their surface area and volume.  Next week we will work on fractions, decimals, ratio and percent.  The unit focuses on how these kinds of numbers relate to each other, which is why they are all together. For example 3/4 = 0.75 = 3 to 4 = 75%.  We will have brief quizzes at the end of each unit, rather than the larger unit tests that we normally have.  Please keep checking the agenda to see those dates.  Students will also be bringing home more math homework in the coming weeks to help consolidate the concepts we are working on in class. Thanks in advance for whatever support your child may need at home.

In our Social Studies Trading Partners unit, we are currently studying Japan.  This is a timely unit with all the issues currently facing Japan.  We are having wonderful discussions in class as we take a close look at this important Canadian trade partner. A unit test will be coming up within 2 weeks.  Once again students will be given the opportunity to create a 2 sided crib note they can use during the test.

Students should be well on their way to finishing their book report novels in the next couple of weeks.  Please remind your child to make notes on the characters and plot as they read.  The follow up activities will be much easier for them if this step is completed.

Thanks to those of you who have sent back swimming permission forms.  If you have not yet had the chance, please do so a.s.a.p. as money has to be in to the office by the end of this week at the latest.  Our first swim date is Monday, May 9th, which is less than 2 weeks away!

C.H.

I think the students are happy to be finished with our multiplication and division unit....long division is tricky for most students. Many of them can use at least one strategy fairly successfully. One way to be more successful with this is to know your multiplication facts, and that takes practice!  Unit tests went home Monday for signatures.  If you could check these over, sign them and return them in a timely manner, it would be appreciated.  We are now working on area, and they are able to use calculators!! This is a short unit, so students can expect a quiz by the end of next week.

Electricity tests have also been sent home for signatures, as well as notebook rubrics.  Please send these back asap as well.  We have switched to Social Studies, where students will be learning about Canada's trading partners.

I am sending home a new homework assignment related to our media literacy unit on advertising.  A focus of this unit is to make kids aware of different techniques advertisers use to make the public buy their products, and how we can be informed viewers and consumers.  Students need to find some magazine or newspaper advertisements and use these to fill in a chart.  They are doing similar activities in class, so they will be familiar with the activities.  This will be due Monday, April 18th.  I will be assigning a television commercial homework activity next week with a similar theme.  Thanks in advance of your support to have these assignments completed and returned to school by the due dates.

Students should be well on their way with reading their novels for our book reports due later in May.  As they read each chapter, they should be taking brief notes on the plot and characters in the book.  All students should have their book report outline (blue page) to refer to during their reading.

Forms for swimming will be in backpacks in the near future.... our class dates are from the middle of May to the middle of June. It is hoped that all students will participate in the program as part of physical education, but also as an important life skill.  Fergus offers a great program where kids are placed in ability groups and receive instruction at their skill level. It is a cheaper alternative to out of school swim lessons, and it's fun!

Happy Easter to all East Gary families!

CH