Week of June 5, 2026
June brought a new seating arrangement to our classroom, which always means a fresh start and, of course, new pencils! In addition, students who completed our cursive writing program were gifted a pen to use. They were very excited to celebrate their hard work and are enjoying the opportunity to put their cursive skills into practice with their new writing tool.
Looking Back:
Literacy:
We have continued reading The Boy at the Back of the Class. Our narrator has gone on an adventure to help his classmate. Ask your child what happened in this week's chapters and what they think might happen next!
In writing, we began a project called Autobiography Island as part of our biography and autobiography unit. Students are creating a symbolic map that represents their lives up to Grade 3. This week, they designed a compass rose where each direction represents something important about themselves: a strength, something they love, a special memory, and a future goal. They also created a weather map to represent different emotions and experiences from their lives. Next week, students will continue adding symbolic features such as mountains, rivers, canyons, and towns to tell more of their personal stories.
We are close to wrapping up our Friday letters. Check with your child and maybe see how their writing has improved over the year. They always love reading what you have written to them.
June is the final month of the Read to Win Challenge! Students are encouraged to read every day and record their reading minutes. Each completed reading log earns an entry into a draw for a free laser tag game. Thank you for supporting your child's reading habits at home as we finish the school year strong!
Math:
We continued our learning about fractions this week. Students began by comparing fractions using fraction strips from Google Classroom and an interactive tool from Toy Theatre. They used these visual models, along with reference materials in their math notebooks, to determine which fractions were greater than, less than, or equal to.
When our walk to Fish Creek was cancelled due to the weather and our Elder being away sick, we adjusted our plans and brought our fraction learning into the kitchen! Thank you to our parent volunteers who helped us make white chocolate brownies and chocolate brownies. Students chose which flavour they wanted to try, and as we cut the brownies into different fractional parts, they discovered that larger denominators create smaller pieces. This hands-on activity helped students make meaningful connections between fractions and real-life situations.
Students brought home copies of the recipes in case you'd like to try them on a rainy day. Baking is a wonderful example of how fractions are used in everyday life.
On Thursday, students learned and practised identifying and placing fractions on a number line.
Social Studies:
Science:
We started the next phase of our science learning this week. While we are still exploring living systems, our focus has shifted to plants. We began by setting up a hydroponic herb garden for our classroom after a student suggested having a class garden. Students also decorated their own plant pots and planted herb seeds. We look forward to learning more about plants and watching our gardens grow over the coming weeks.
We also had a bonus learning opportunity this week! As you may have heard, we were unable to watch Hopped on our class celebration day because it was not released until June 3. Instead, we watched Hercules, which connects nicely to our upcoming literacy unit on myths and legends.
On Wednesday, we finally watched Hopped, and it was exciting to see how many connections it made to our learning. Students explored themes of environmental stewardship and caring for the land, connected the beaver to our guided reading work, and learned about the importance of wetlands. The movie is also linked to our government unit through the mayor's decision-making and connected to our community-building projects through the proposed highway development. There were even connections to our robotics learning! It was a wonderful example of how learning from different subjects can come together in meaningful ways.
Buddies:
Looking Ahead:
Inline skating will resume next week. Our proposed skating schedule is as follows:
• Monday: 12:30–1:25 p.m.
• Friday: 10:35–11:40 a.m.
• Monday, June 15: 9:20–10:25 a.m.
Please note that these times are subject to change if necessary.
I am hoping to take the students to the park at the end of the street (the splash pad park) later this week. The exact day will depend on the weather, which is still a little unpredictable.
While there, students will participate in some outdoor sketching and a sit spot activity. Please let me know if you have any concerns about your child using the playground equipment. We will not be using the splash pad during our visit.
MTS Reminders - June 1-5, 2026 |
Farewells and GraduationsJune is the month we say goodbye to our grade 4 students and our kindergarten students celebrate their year. Grade 4 Farewell will be held on June 19 from 11:00am - 11:45am. Kindergarten Graduation will be held on June 24. Families who have students in the morning classes, can arrive through the front doors any time after 9:00am. Ceremony will start at 9:30am. Families who have students in the afternoon classes, can arrive through the front doors any time after 1:15pm. Ceremony will start at 1:45pm. If you are unable to attend, students will be dismissed at their regular time. Families are all invited to attend. Hope to see everyone there! Bus Registration for 2026-27 School YearTransportation Registration is now available through your CBE Account. Families must register each year if they require busing for their student. Families must register by Sunday, June 14, 2026 for students to be added to routes for the start of the next school year. CBE will accept registrations after the deadline; however, students are added to the closest existing bus stop with available space. Processing times for registrations submitted after the June 14 deadline will be delayed. Confirmed routes are posted in August. For those who register after the June 14 deadline, it may take until mid-October before your child is able to ride the bus. Transportation can be cancelled with no financial impact by submitting the cancellation form by Sept. 30, 2026. Fees will be added to accounts in October 2026. Fun LunchThe last Fun Lunch for the school year will be held on Wednesday June 17. Fun Lunch is only for grades 1-4 and our EES students.
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 SupportDid 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 DatesSUNDAY MTS Bottle Drive 1:00pm - 4:00pm June 8-15 Grade 3 and 4 - Alien In-Line Skating June 17 Fun Lunch - Coco Brooks June 25 Sports Day - Wear your Red & White for Team Canada!! June 26 Last Day of School |
Comments
Post a Comment