WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS

BOOK FAIR this week!

Monday, November 16 Day 1

New Math Unit

Tuesday, November 17 Day 2Skating 10:30-11:40am

Student Led Conferences – 5-8pm
Book Fair – 9am – 7pm

Wednesday, November 18 Day 3Student Led Conferences – 5-7:30pm
Book Fair 9am – 7pm

Skating 2:00-3:30 pm

ELA - Narratives are DUE!!

Thursday, November 19 Day 4Book Fair – 9am – noon

Friday, November 20 Day 5
NO SCHOOL

At a Glance Week of October 26th - 30th, 2015

This week in our classroom, we will be learning about the following:

French : Présentations (French Speaking Assessment) & Faire des liens (Reading Strategy #2)

-We are currently working on presenting “Projet Passion”

-Some students chose to present their research and findings to the class and other chose to video their presentations and submit them that way.

-We will be wrapping up presentations this week
-Dictée (French Spelling): Oct. 29th. Please see DICTÉE page for words

English: Greek Narratives and Jean Val Jean - Reading/Writing/Representing

-We have just started reading the classic as told by Soloman Cleaver "Jean Val Jean"
-We will be continuing on with identifying the elements of a narrative via Greek Mythology

Math: Integers

-Grade 7: Starting to represent, add and subtract INTEGERS 

-Grade 8: Reviewing how to represent, add and subtract INTEGERS as well as starting to learn how to multiply and divide INTEGERS

Science: Reviewing CELLS (organelles and functions)

-QUIZ: Nov. 10th
-Moving on to BODY SYSTEMS

Social Studies: Our new government

-We will be exploring canadian government
-Outcome: PA 7.2 Investigate the structures and processes of democratic government in Canada.

Health: Identity and Mind-UP!
-We have completed our Identity unit with the creation of a Bio-Poem.
-Students will present their poems in an artistic fashion
-They will posted in the classroom for your viewing at Student-Led Conference time

-We will be moving on to learning about the brain, how it works and decision-making

Thank you for your continued support. Should you have any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to email or call me.

Kindest Regards, 

What's happening this week??

We have a busy week ahead of us! I will be away Monday afternoon, learning about Assessing Reading at a workshop here in Moose Jaw. There will be a guest teacher in the classroom for that time, however my students will be in PAA all afternoon. They will only be checking in with the Guest Teacher for attendance after lunch on Monday.

RETAKES!!! On Tuesday, October 27th, our class will be retaking our class photo as I was ill on Picture Day in September.

Subway lunch is on Thursday, October 29th!

Halloween Dance: 6:30-8:00 pm

Halloween Festivities: Potluck (please email with what your child will be bringing), Halloween Scavenger Hunt, BYOD (bring your own devices), Spooky Movie and glow sticks! 

Throughout the course of the year, we have various school spirit days. Our first one will be a dress up day on Friday October 30. It will be for the entire day. We ask that no masks be worn and that any gory subject matter be avoided. We would also ask that no replica weapons be brought to school. Thank you for your participation in our first spirit day!

Building a Cell

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are currently are finishing up a unit on Cells, chapter 1 in the Omniscience textbook.  We have studied all about microscopes, the differences between living and nonliving organisms as well as  the various organelles and parts of plant and animal cells and how each has a particular function.  Students have been assigned a project called, Building a Cell.  Students will create a three-dimensional model of a plant or animal cell.  We created a project rubric as a whole class. Students have the rubric in their science binders.   

Many creative ideas are available to students and some were discussed in class.  Students are encouraged to use recyclable materials and other inexpensive objects that represent by shape, size and color the various organelles that are found in the cell.  Shoe boxes work great as well as plastic containers.  In the past some cells were made out of cake or Jell-O and decorated with various types of candies each chosen carefully to represent the parts of a cell and some were made out of pizza.  Other cells have been made out of foam or Styrofoam.

This Cell project is due Thursday, November 5th.  On this day students will present and share their projects.  The classroom will be a virtual cell museum.  I call this day “Cell-a-Bration”.  We celebrate remarkable and amazing cells.  Students are allowed to eat the edible cells if they wish.  This is a really fun visual and kinesthetic activity that engages student learning of the cell as well as helping to reinforce concepts.

In addition to the Building A Cell Project, students will be writing a unit quiz on November 10^th, 2015.

 

Thank you for your continued support.

Regards,

Mme Tiffany L. Rogers

Here are a few examples of cell models:

At a Glance Week of Sept 21-25/15

Good morning! After a restful weekend, I am still not 100%, however I am on the mend. I was away ill on Friday and missed Picture Day, which I was very sad about. Photo retakes day is scheduled for October 27^th. Please remind your child that we will be retaking an class photo that day.

This week in our classroom, we will be learning about the following:

French : What is Informational Text? - Definition, Characteristics & Examples

-We are currently working on a project called “Projet Passion”

-Students chose a topic to write about and present, any topic that interests them

-Due date is Oct 14^th, after Thanksgiving long weekend

English: Living On One $ - Viewing/Representing/Writing

-Documentary about living on one dollar/day

-Students are learning to write an opinion text

Math: Patterning and Square Roots + Pythagorean Theorem

-Grade 7’s have learned about the rules of divisibility

-We will be moving on to algebraic equations

-Grade 8’s have learned square roots of numbers and perfect square numbers

-We will be moving on to determining the length of line segments

Science: Parts and Functions of the microscope

-We have learned the parts of a microscope along with their functions

-We will review what those parts and functions are this week

-We will have a quiz on Friday, September 25^th

Social Studies: Remembering 9/11

-Inquiry research project

-Students created 5-7 research questions and have been doing research on 9/11

-They are currently creating presentations to show their findings and answer their questions

Health: Who I am? Identity

-We have discovered who we are as learners

-We will move on to defining identity and talk about what shapes our identity

Thank you for your continued support. Should you have any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to email or call me.

Kindest Regards, 

Two Weeks for Terry Fox 35th Anniversary

Palliser Heights will again be participating in a school run/walk in support of the Terry Fox Foundation. The run/walk will take place on the afternoon of Monday, September 21st. We will begin with a brief assembly at 12:50 pm to discuss the significance of the event and will follow this with outdoor activities. All classes from K-8 will be participating by running/walking around the school yard or heading down the paths of Spring Creek Participark. It is early dismissal day, our walk/run will be finished at 2:20pm.

Please see the letter sent home with your child (youngest only) for details about donations.

**N.B. In case of rain or bad weather, the event will take place on Tuesday, September 22nd.

Cell Phones

Just a reminder that, turning off cell phones and placing them in the lockers is part of our Entry and Exit Routines at Palliser Heights School. There are moments in our school day that I will give the students access to their devices to use for listening to music. They are not to be using their cell phones at any semi-unsupervised or unsupervised times of the school day.

Thank you for your continued support.

Mme Rogers

FLASHLIGHT FRIDAYS!!!

Last Friday we had our first ever "Flashlight Friday" and our class LOVED it!!

What is FLF?

We shut all of the lights off in the classroom, close the blinds, find a cozy spot anywhere in the room and grab our novels and ready for 15-20 minutes with our flashlights!

They were so excited they could barely stand it, but they got right to reading!

They even BEGGED for more reading time.

It was so awesome to see them spread all over the room enjoying their books.

Flashlight Fridays will be great motivation for reading!

**Reminder**
Picture Day
Friday September 18th, 2015

Safety Day 2015

On Wednesday September 30, 2015 Saskatchewan Association of Agricultural Societies and Exhibitions (SAASE), Moose Exhibition Company, Progressive Agriculture Foundation, Community Initiatives Fund (CIF), Ministry of Agricultural, SaskPower, Farm Credit Cooperation, and Prairie South Schools are hosting Safety Day 2015 at the Moose Jaw Exhibition Grounds.  There will be 500 urban grade 7 and 8 students attending.  The day is designed for students to be exposed to safety hazards in which they may encounter through 10 interactive stations.  Curtis Webber will keynote an inspirational message.

TIME	DESCRIPTION
9:00 A.M – 9:30 A.M.	Grade 7 Arrival and Check-in – Golden Nugget
9:30 A.M. – 10:00 A.M.	Grade 7 Keynote – Golden Nugget
10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.	10 Interactive Safety Stations – Convention Centre
12:00 A.M. – 12:20 P.M.	Grade 7 Lunch – Convention Centre
12:30 P.M.	Grade 7 Departure North East doors of Convention Centre
12:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M.	Grade 8 Arrival, Check-in and Lunch – Golden Nugget
12:30 P.M. – 1:00 P.M.	Grade 8 Keynote – Golden Nugget
1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M.	10 Interactive Safety Stations – Convention Centre
3 P.M.	Grade 8 Departure North East doors of Convention Centre

**Lunch is provided– hotdogs, snack and a drink.  In case of a student has food allergies please ensure they bring their own lunch.  Grade 7 will eat in the Convention Centre.  Grade 8 will eat in the Golden Nugget.  

**All media releases signed prior to event. Everyone who attends event needs a waiver signed. Please return media release forms to Mme Rogers by Sept 18th, 2015.

Celebrate National Seniors Day

Every year on October 1st, Canadians pay tribute to seniors - the men and women who have helped make our country what it is today and who continue to enrich our lives.

We can all think of a senior who has made a difference in our lives. They are our mentors, teachers, grandparents and loved ones. They have contributed generously, building our families, communities, workplaces and country.

National Seniors Day is a great opportunity to create a strong connection between generations. As a class, we will be visiting Chez Nous Senior Citizens Home on October 5th from 1:30pm - 2:30pm.

Any parents wishing to come along with us, please contact me as soon as possible.

Thanks for your continued support!

Mme Rogers

At a glance...

Week of September 14th-18th

French Language Arts:

-We are starting to learn how to use three reading strategies : Activating Background Knowledge, Making Predictions and Asking Questions
-We have started a weekly dictée (spelling test). Dictée will be done during period 2 of each Day 5. Students will have the dictée to study at least 15 minutes per evening.
-We will also be starting to create our interactive notebooks for French grammar.

English Language Arts:

-We are starting to learn about narratives. 
-Our focus will be First Nations and Greek narratives.
-Some of the elements of narratives that we will be studying are:
1. Title of Narrative:
2. Main Characters:
3. Personality of Main Characters:
4. Distinguishing Features of the Main Characters:
5. Purpose of the narrative:
6. The Lesson or Moral of the Narrative:

Science:

-We have started our unit on Cells, Tissues and human body systems
-This week we are looking at the parts of a microscope and looking at specimens under the microscope

Math:

-Gr 8's: Square roots and the Pythagorean Theorem

-Gr. 7's: Patterning

Phys. Ed.:
-Circuit Training
-Metabolic Bursting
-Resting Heartrate, Training Heartrate, Recovery Heartrate

At a glance...

Week of September 8th-11th

French Language Arts:

-We are starting to learn how to use three reading strategies : Activating Background Knowledge, Making Predictions and Asking Questions
-We have started a weekly dictée (spelling test). Dictée will be done during period 2 of each Day 5. Students will have the dictée to study at least 15 minutes per evening.
-We will also be starting to create our interactive notebooks for French grammar.

English Language Arts:

-We are starting to learn about narratives. 
-Our focus will be First Nations and Greek narratives.
-Some of the elements of narratives that we will be studying are:
1. Title of Narrative:
2. Main Characters:
3. Personality of Main Characters:
4. Distinguishing Features of the Main Characters:
5. Purpose of the narrative:
6. The Lesson or Moral of the Narrative:

Science:

-We have started our unit on Cells, Tissues and human body systems
-This week we are looking at the first microscopes and how today's microscopes function.

Math:

-Gr 8's: Square roots and the Pythagorean Theorem

-Gr. 7's: Patterning

Welcome Back!!

The first day of school has always been a nervous, awkward yet exciting time for me. Now that I am a teacher, it is most definitely more exciting than anything else. I missed my students so much over the summer and I was so happy to see them all today. Everyone was very excited to chat and see their friends. 

Today, we sorted out some supplies, went through some classroom procedures and spent some time designing a licence plate that is unique to the child. Those will be on display on September 9th, 2015 during our open house. I will have more details on the events at the open house later this week. 

I sent home a homework contract, a middle year's contract, the health forms and the responsible use form. These are all to be signed by you and sent back to school tomorrow.

Please note the following:

Changes to Physical Education Guidelines 

Please note the following changes to the Physical Education Guidelines with respect to jewelry.  The changes will take effect for the 2015-16 school year.

• For elementary and high school extra-curricular sports, schools are to follow the guidelines set out in the SHSAA Handbook.
• For curricular physical education programs and intramurals, jewelry is to removed prior to participation. Unobtrusive plastic retainers may be allowed in place of piercings in all sports.
• Jewelry that cannot be removed for medical, religious or cultural reasons must be taped or securely covered.
• Students in grade K-4 will be allowed to tape small (stud) earrings when removal is not possible.

Please note:

1. If the wearing of the jewelry presents a safety concern, alternate activities will be assigned.
2. For jewelry that cannot be removed, proper documentation may be required. For example, proper medical documentation from a family physician.

Thanks for a wonderful first day! Looking forward to learning together this year!

Mme Rogers

Please don't forget to sign and return your child's Science Centre Field Trip permission slip as well as money for concession.

Deadline: MAY 1, 2015

Reminder!

Monday, April 27th, 2015 

Students are dismissed at 2:25pm, final bell at 2:30pm

At a glance...

Week of April 27th-May 1st

French Language Arts:

-We are going to be wrapping up our FLA unit about Poverty
-We covered learning outcomes such as: Viewing, Listening, Responding
-We also worked on the ability to express one's own opinion in french
-Next week, we will be moving on to some past tense verbs as well as some poetry in the form of tongue-twisters, acrostic poems and acronyms
-We will post some of our work on the blog for you to enjoy

English Language Arts:

-We will be continuing to work on learning activities form our ELA/Sc. Studies unit entitled “The Rights of a Child”. This is a cross-curricular unit, integrating English Language Arts and Social Studies.
-This week our focus will be on the main component of culture as well as what it means to lose one's cultural identity
**We will also be integrating some Treaty Education with this set of lessons.**

Science:

-We are continuing to study, "The Earth's Crust": Rocks and Minerals
-Working on the completion of one of their final projects
-We will start to explore our final project 

Math:

-gr 8's: Prisms & Cylinders

-gr. 7's: Circles & Area

**We will be moving on to Linear Equations next week**

Reminder!

Monday, April 13th, 2015 

Students are dismissed at 2:25pm, final bell at 2:30pm

Wishing everyone a Happy Easter!! Please remember that there is no school Friday April 3rd and that the first day back from the break is Early Dismissal.

Update on fieldtrip

Well, today was a long day for all. Although the organization of the event that we attended as a class was unsatisfactory, some enjoyed trying out a parkour relay race, face painting as well as some French music. We ended the day with a quick pit stop at Tim Hortons and some outdoor activity. 

We will brainstorm what we can do as a class next month in order to immersed ourselves even deeper into the French culture in Saskatchewan.

Rest well tonight :)

Mme R

No school!!

There is no school on Friday March 27th, 2015.

At a glance...

Week of March 23 - 27

French Language Arts:

Résultat d'apprentissage (learning outcome):

 8.VC.3 Démontrer une appréciation* pour les émissions radiophoniques, ou télévisées, ou pour le contenu d’autres moyens de communication audiovisuels d’expression française destinée aux adolescents et aux adolescentes.

-We are working on Summarizing and Paraphrasing in French

-We are currently viewing a French film "L'avion" with the goal of summarizing it.

-This will be used as a diagnostic assessment

-Over the next weeks, Mr Zagré (french language assistant) and I will be co-teaching the skill of Summarizing and Paraphrasing en français

English Language Arts:

-We are starting a new unit entitled “The Rights of a Child”. This is a cross-curricular unit, integrating English Language Arts and Social Studies.

Science:

-we are continuing to study, "The Earth's Crust"

Math:

-gr 8's: Prisms & Cylinders

-gr. 7's: Circles & Area

Student Led Conferences & Class Outing

Just a reminder that student led conferences will be held in the gym on Tuesday, March 24th from 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm and Wednesday, March 25th from 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm.

Should you and your child not be able to make it for a conference during these times, please contact me via email or phone to arrange for an appointment.

We will be leaving Palliser Heights School at 9:00 am on Wednesday, March 25th for a french cultural outing at the University of Regina.

Below are the details of the outing:

Francofièvre is the biggest Francophone youth cultural event in Saskatchewan.

On March 25, students will be able to enjoy the amazing musical talent of some of Canada’s Francophone artists showcased at the University of Regina. Mario Lepage, directly from Saint-Denis, Saskatchewan, will thrill the audience with his electric, psychedelic melodies, and students will also get to enjoy the musical explosions of Montreal hip hop group, Treizième Étage. Then prepare to be amazed by the incredible acrobatic talents of Cirque Nova Circus contortionists. To top it off, students will be able to let their inner artist shine as they participate in various visual arts activities throughout the day.

Organized by the Association jeunesse fransaskoise and partners, and emceed by Shawn Jobin, who has been nominated for two Trille Or awards this year, Francofièvre 2015 will be a day you won’t forget! 

General schedule for March 25, 2015:

10:00 - Schools start to arrive at the University of Regina.

          - Schools register at the entrance desk for the event.

10:30 - The workshops in gym #1 start. (Parkour and creative art)

11:30 - End of the workshops.

          - Announcements, lunch, move toward gym #2

11:55 - Show!

2:00   - End of show, announcement, schools prepare to leave.

2:30   - Buses leave.

          .

At a glance...

Week of February 23rd - 27th, 2015 

French Language Arts:
-We have started to study a classic french Canadian children's book
-We are targeting reading, writing and cultural appreciation outcomes
-We reviewed the narrative structure on Monday and the students have been asked to write a 1/2 page story using that structure (due Friday)

English Language Arts:
-students should finish reading Ch. 6 in "I am David"
-comprehension questions to be completed for tomorrow
-we do a weekly writing assignment following the chapter that we all read together as a class
**We are all really enjoying this novel!

Science:

-we are continuing to study, "The Earth's Crust"

-we learned about our final project for this unit today

-students and I are very excited about this unit!

Math:

-gr 8's: ratios and rates

-gr. 7's: percentages and decimals

-unit test next week

Mr Gauvin has sent this to our class and I have handed out a letter to each student in my class. In case the letter was misplaced on it's journey home, I have copied the information below:

Dear Parents:

As your child approaches high school there is a big decision to be made in regards to which school to attend and whether to continue in the French Immersion program. As you are likely aware, Central Collegiate houses Prairie South’s high school French Immersion program within the city of Moose Jaw.  It is a program we are proud to have and would like to see it continue to flourish. Therefore, we would like to invite you to a French Immersion evening we will be hosting on Thursday February 5 from 7-8 PM in our school library. There will be a short presentation on the merits of the program and how it looks at the high school level, including words from current students and parents followed by a tour of the building.  Of course such an event would require some French pastries and coffee, which will be provided.  We hope many of you are able to attend. If you are unable and would like to get information at a different time please feel free to call the school and we will gladly set something up for you.

Cordially,

Stéphane Gauvin