Week of December 5, 2025

 

Looking Back:

Literacy:

Phonics:

Our phonics focus this week was a review of r-controlled vowels. Students practiced decoding nonsense words to build accuracy and confidence. We also introduced the prefixes in, de and non. Students searched for words with these prefixes in the stories they read each day. Please continue to look for these affixes when reading together at home.

Reading:

Our December focus is on predicting. This week we practiced making predictions every day using short clips from Americas Funniest Home Videos. Students watched part of a clip and then predicted what they thought would happen next. We also worked with holiday scenarios where students explained their predictions, shared the reasons for their thinking, and drew a picture to match their ideas.

Novel Study:

We carried our predicting focus into our read aloud, Ollies Odyssey. In this part of the story, we learned that Ollie was taken after Billy convinced his parents to let him bring Ollie to the wedding. Students made predictions about where they thought Ollie might have gone, how he could have moved from place to place, and why he was taken.

Writing:

We finished our opinion writing unit and learned how opinion writing and persuasive writing are closely connected. The homework this weekend is for your child to decide who they want to persuade and what they want to persuade that person to do. Next week we will use a graphic organizer to help plan and organize their persuasive letter. You may even find your child trying to persuade you to get a new pet.

Math:

We returned to our place value unit to spend a bit more time preparing for the next few units. We reviewed ordering numbers to ensure students have a strong understanding up to the one hundred thousand place. After that, we practiced skip counting.

There are a few songs that can help your child reinforce this at home:

• Skip counting by 3s to the tune of Jingle Bells: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgLrMOK1fXg

• Skip counting by 4s to the tune of Row Row Row Your Boat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJq7-bpgOLo

We also practiced counting by 25, which will be helpful this week as we begin our unit on counting money.

Social Studies:

Students spent time adding finishing touches to their Regions of Alberta booklets. These were turned in and will count toward their grades this term. Ask your child to share specific details they learned about each region—they should be able to name all six regions for you.

We then began learning about landmarks. Students used classroom materials to build some famous landmarks from around the world. Ask your child which landmark they created and how they built it.

Science:

Last week we learned about the role of a paleoartist, and this week we became both paleontologists and paleoartists. Students used their knowledge of dinosaur fossils and worked with peers to create their own dinosaurs using air dry clay. Each student took a role in making a part of the dinosaur, such as the skull, legs, or arms. They also considered how their dinosaur moved, what it ate, which region of Alberta it could have lived in, the adaptations it would need for that environment, and the type of teeth required for its diet.

Once the fossils were complete, students became paleoartists. They drew and imagined their dinosaurs, adding details to wings, bodies, and other features, and created a habitat based on the region of Alberta where their dinosaur might be found. Ask your child about the dinosaur they created!

Looking Ahead:

Festive Days at MTS

Now that December is here, it's time to celebrate the upcoming holidays!

Dec 11 - Grade 1 Winter Concert - 1:30pm

Dec 11 - Wear Red & Green

Dec 16 - Carolling

Dec 18 - Carolling

Dec 18 - Pajama Day

Dec 19 - Story with Dr. Slater / Oranges from Parent Council

The Magic of Christmas

Every Christmas Eve, The Magic of Christmas loads up Calgary Transit buses that are magically transformed into “reindeer buses”, with hundreds of gifts and volunteers dressed as Santa and his elves.  Then they deliver Christmas spirit into the homes and hearts of those who need it most. 

From now to December 18, students and staff can bring in a new, unwrapped donation items (not food) and place them in the boxes located in the front foyer.  

Please see the attached wish list for ideas of items to donate. 

For more information or to make a monetary donation, please visit:  www.themagicofchristmas.org/donate 

Thank you for your support!

Fun Lunch

The next Fun Lunch will be held on Wednesday December 17.

Fun Lunch is only for grades 1-4 and our EES students. 

• Go to healthyhunger.ca
• Log into you existing account or create a new one.
• Add your child’s information in the “add child” box – name, province, city, school, grade and class.
• All Fun Lunches will then populate – select the order now button!

Please make sure to send a morning snack with your child on Fun Lunch Days. Orders must be placed by the Friday before the day.

Food Support

Did you know that the Breakfast Club of Canada has shared research demonstrating that 40% of Alberta’s children experience food insecurity?  This means that 4 out of 10 children do not have access to food when they are hungry. 

If your family is experiencing challenges with providing food for your children you can find help at Brown Bagging Calgary. 

Complete this form for support and they can deliver lunches to McKenzie Towne School for your children. https://go.bb4ck.org/l/858913/2024-01-15/38fdbw You can also find out more information on their website https://bb4ck.org/

Brown Bagging for Calgary's Kids

Upcoming Dates

December 8                             Picture Retakes

December 11                           Grade 1 Winter Concert - 1:30pm

December 11                            RED & GREEN Day

December 17                           Fun Lunch - Coco Brooks

December 18                           Pajama Day

December 22 - January 2        Winter Break - NO SCHOOL

January 28                             Fun Lunch - Subway

January 28                             Heritage Park - Kruger/Wickenheiser

January 29                              NO SCHOOL for Kindergarten - Kindergarten Assessments

January 30                              Non-Instructional Day - NO SCHOOL