January Learning Update

Welcome to the January Monthly Newsletter!

Happy (Late) New Year! We are now halfway through the school year! 

Here is an overview of our learning from the month!

What We Learned This Month:

Science & Social Studies

  • Learned about the difference between culture & heritage
  • Learned about the past, present, and future
  • Learned about how animals move and their tracks 
  • We started our “Energy” Unit in Science & will be focusing on Calgary for Social

Math

  • Explored more about area (including height, width, length)
  • Began working on our addition and subtraction skills up to 10-20 (Grade 1) & 20-100 (Grade 2)

ELA

  • We worked on guided writing 
  • Reviewed vowels
  • Learned about FLOSS spelling rules (new for Grade 1 and more in-depth for Grade 2)
  • Learned about our digraphs 
  • Learned about story summarizing and comprehending
  • We focused this month on learning to edit our work for upper case, punctuation, and spelling. 
  • Learned about syllables. 

Ask Your Child…

  • What are the vowels in your name?
  • How many syllables are in a word?
  • What did you learn about the past, present, and future?
  • What did you like learning this month?

Looking Ahead to Next Month

Next month, we will:

  • Have two field trips: Jack Singer Concert Hall on February 3rd (Tuesday) & Telus Spark on February 25th (Wednesday)
  • If you would like to volunteer, please email and let us know as there is a process. 

Our library times are either on Monday or Wednesday. Please have your child bring their library books back in the beginning of the week for exchange. 

Have a great rest of the month!

December Learning Update

What We Learned This Month

This month was full of exciting learning! Students likely experienced their first-ever blizzard — how exciting! ❄️ 

Science & Social Studies

  • Learned about hibernation, migration, and adaptation
  • Explored how animals and people adapt to winter
  • Created their own houses as part of our classroom community
  • Learned about safety during a fire

Math

  • Finished our shapes unit
  • Learned greater than, less than, and equal to
  • Explored length, width, and height
  • Grade 2 students also learned about area

ELA

  • We worked on guided writing 
  • Learned about vowels (A, E, I, O, U) - >At least one vowel is in each word or name. 

Ask Your Child…

  • What happens during a blizzard?
  • Can you explain hibernation, migration, or adaptation?
  • Review vowels with your child

Looking Ahead to Next Month

Next month, we will:

  • Begin learning how to summarize stories and identify key details
  • Continue building math skills by going deeper into addition and subtraction
  • In Science, explore seasonal changes, weather, and how living things meet their needs
  • In Social Studies, learn more about communities, responsibilities, and how people work together 

Happy Holidays!
Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season. Have a great wrap-up to 2025, and I look forward to seeing you all in 2026!


November Learning Update

Hello Parents,

Below is our monthly update on the learning taking place in class.

Mathematics

Grade 1

Students are practicing counting forward by 2s, 5s, and 10s, and counting backward by 2s and 5s. We explored place value charts to help build number sense to numbers 20 and above. 

Grade 2
Students are reviewing counting forward by 5s, 10s, 15s, 20s, 25s, and 100s, and counting backward by 2s, 5s, and 10s. We explored place value charts to help build number sense to numbers 100 and above. 

English Language Arts (ELA)

All students begin each morning with printing practice and a daily word used for creating rhymes. We continue to work on sounding out and reading simple words.

Grade 1

  • Students create rhymes by replacing the beginning letter (e.g., cat → mat, hat, sat).
  • They continue to learn to write one complete sentence using correct punctuation and capitalization.
  • Students are applying grammar, spelling, and punctuation skills in both oral and written work.

Grade 2

  • Students create rhymes by adding, removing, or replacing letters while keeping the ending sound (e.g., cat → that, chat, flat).
  • They are practicing writing one or more connected sentences using appropriate punctuation.
  • Students continue to apply grammar, spelling, and punctuation to communicate clearly.

Science

We are concluding our unit on Matter.

Social Studies

This month, we explored social–emotional learning, Remembrance Day, and our broader theme of community.

Upcoming Learning

Next month:

  • Math: Continued work on number sense, including patterns, grouping, and skip counting; review of 2D and 3D shapes.
  • Science: Completion of the Matter unit and the start of a new topic.
  • Social Studies: Ongoing exploration of how people, places, and time influence events and perspectives.
  • ELA:
    • Grade 1 will continue building confidence writing single sentences.
    • Grade 2 is writing one sentence confidently and building confidence to write more with their own ideas. 
    • Both grades will strengthen reading and decoding skills.

Ask Your Child About…

  • What new math patterns or skip-counting skills they practiced this month?
  • Which rhyming words they created during morning work?
  • Something they learned about Matter.
  • How their class recognized Remembrance Day.

Reminders

  • Library books will be sent home in a sealed green bag. Please return the bag on Monday or Wednesday.
  • Green pocket folders contain documents that may need to be reviewed, signed, or returned. Please ensure the folder is brought back daily.
  • Please pack a lunch, a snack, labeled indoor shoes, and weather-appropriate clothing each day.
  • Continue reading with your child at home to support word recognition and decoding skills.

Homework & Home Support

Please check Google Classroom regularly for homework updates. Printed materials can be provided if requested by parents. Please contact me to let me know.

ELA Support at Home

  • Review the alphabet and practice writing all letters.
  • Encourage your child to create rhyming words.
  • Support them in sounding out words while reading and writing.

Math Support at Home

Grade 1

  • Practice reading, writing, and recognizing numbers up to 20.
  • Count forward and backward by 2s and 5s to 20.

Grade 2

  • Review numbers up to 100 and begin practicing numbers up to 1000.
  • Practice counting forward and backward by 5s, 10s, 15s, 20s, and 25s to 100.
  • Encourage backward counting from 100 to strengthen number sense.


Thank you,

Miss Khan


September Learning Update

A summary of learning from the month

This month we explored many exciting topics across subjects!

  • Math:
    • Grade 1 students practiced counting numbers up to 20 and worked on addition and subtraction. They also explored 2D and 3D shapes.
    • Grade 2 students extended their counting skills up to 50, practiced addition and subtraction, and reviewed 2D and 3D shapes.
  • Science: Both grades learned about the five senses and practiced investigation skills, which led us into our new unit on matter.
  • Social Studies: We discussed identity, culture, and community, connecting our learning to who we are and how we belong.
    • Grade 1: Geography & History - We are learning about our community by exploring familiar places like trees, parks, and landmarks. Students are noticing how places and cultures help us feel connected and remind us that we belong. 
    • Grade 2: Geography & History - We are beginning to explore Canada’s land and regions, learning how different places shape the way people live. We are also learning about diverse traditions and histories, and how they help us live well together today.
  • ELA:
    • Grade 1 students are learning to write one complete sentence with correct punctuation (periods, capitalization, question marks, and exclamation marks).
      • Students examine and apply use of grammar, spelling, and punctuation in oral and written language. 
    • Grade 2 students are beginning to write more than one sentence while practicing correct punctuation and connecting their ideas.
      • Students examine and use grammar, spelling, and punctuation in a variety of contexts to develop effective communication.
    • Both grades started using journals, explored the parts of a book, and learned the difference between fiction and non-fiction.
    • We also began practicing how to sound out words and read simple words together.
  • Art: We investigated how colors blend together and created artwork. They learned about cool and warm colors.

An indication of upcoming learning
Next month we will:

  • In Math, continue building number sense, including number patterns and problem-solving with addition and subtraction.
  • In Science, dive deeper into the Matter unit by investigating solids, liquids, and gases.
  • In Social Studies, explore traditions and celebrations in different cultures.
  • In ELA, Grade 1s will continue building confidence in writing single sentences, while Grade 2s will expand to descriptive writing. Both grades will strengthen their reading skills by sounding out and decoding more complex words.

Ask your child about

  • Can you show me how to tell the difference between a 2D shape and a 3D shape?
  • What is the difference between a fiction book and a non-fiction book?
  • What five senses do they see in their daily life?

Please note (Other Information)

  • Library books will come home in a green sealed bag. Please have your child bring this bag back to school every Wednesday or Monday. 
  • Green pocket folders will include any documents that need to be sent home, either for your reference or to be signed and returned. Please ensure the folder is returned to school every day.
  • Please make sure to pack both a lunch and a snack for your child each day.
  • Continue to read with your child at home to support their progress in learning to sound out, recognize, and read words.