January Learning Update
Hello Families,
Our focus on well-being continues with our school wide self-portraits to represent identity and belonging and with our artistic representations of well-being on our doorways.
For the month of January, the students have been:
- Practicing reading news articles to determine the 5 W’s and recording jot notes to summarize articles
- Designing multi-media presentations with an awareness of audience engagement to represent understanding of current events
- Developing coding skills, such as loops, conditionals and abstractions, with a robotics program from Telus Spark
- Studying the Earth and our solar system, including moon phases, the reason for the seasons, space exploration and the use of technologies
- Describing the location of points on a coordinate grid (Gr. 5)
- Identifying relationships between the sides and angles of a polygon (Gr. 5)
- Representing arithmetic sequences and pattern rules utilizing a table of values and algebraic expressions (Gr. 5)
- Characterizing how volume takes up space (Gr. 6)
- Analyzing and expressing Algebraic equations (Gr. 6)
Next month, we will be:
- Examining the historical, social and cultural text to determine how changes in context affect actions, behaviours and characters in text through a guided novel study of The Red Pyramid
- Writing to inform, explain and persuade for a variety of purposes and audiences, including composing an expository text connected to the study of a planet in Science.
- Understanding statistical representations such as stem-and leaf, frequency tables, double bar graphs to determine frequency and mode and frequency (Gr. 5)
- Combining like terms in algebraic equations (Gr. 6)
- Modeling algebraic equations (Gr. 6)
Ask your child:
1. What is important for you to learn in this new year?
2. Teach a family member how to design a simple galaxy game by using Scratch.
Please note:
- Practice Mathletics to review daily lessons at home. Ask your child to share their log-in information.
- Communication about school choices for students entering Grade 7 next was sent home at the beginning of this month and should be reviewed before the Open Houses begin in January.
- No School on Friday, January 30. It is a Professional Development Day.
- National Geographic Presentation at Jack Singer Theater on February 3.
- Science Field Trip on February 10.
Respectfully,
Mr. Taven and Mrs. Gualtieri
Grade 5/6 Teachers - L & L Teacher
December Learning Update
Hello Families,
We have been very busy with our drama residency with Trickster Theater Company. Our representations of belonging demonstrated our commitment to well-being in our school community.
For the month of December, the students:
- Practiced reading comprehension strategies, such as utilizing text features to locate main ideas
- Learned about moon phases to acknowledge winter solstice
- Used online simulations to learn about the earth’s rotation and how the seasons occur
- Were introduced to coding skills in anticipation of our robotics experience in January. Students used Scratch Coding to create a night sky.
- Practice standard algorithms to multiply (3X2 – Gr. 5)
- Factored different numbers (Gr. 6)
- Were introduced to exponents and exploring the ways in which they affect equations and numbers (Gr. 6)
- Continued our discussion of ancient civilizations (Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt)
Next month, we will be:
- Practicing reading news articles to determine the 5 W’s and recording jot notes to summarize articles
- Designing multi-media presentations with an awareness of audience engagement to represent understanding of current events
- Developing coding skills, such as loops and conditionals, with a robotics program from Telus Spark
- Studying the Earth and our solar system, including space exploration and the use of technologies
- Describing the location of points on a coordinate grid (Gr. 5)
- Identifying relationships between the sides and angles of a polygon (Gr. 5)
- Characterizing how volume takes up space (Gr. 6)
- Analyzing and expressing Algebraic equations (Gr. 6)
Ask your child:
1. What does respect look like, sound like and feel like?
Please note:
- Winter break begins on Friday, December 19. School resumes on Monday, January 5, 2026.
- Robotics lessons from Telus Spark as guest teachers for the first two weeks of January
- No School on Friday, January 30. It is a Professional Development Day.
Respectfully,
Mr. Taven and Mrs. Gualtieri
Grade 5/6 Teachers - L & L Teacher
November Learning Update
Hello Families,
For the month of November, the students:
- Composed a persuasive writing passage based on Canadians with Heart and make our world a better place
- Examined the historical origins of words in the English language, including Greek, Latin, French, First Nation, Metis and Inuit words
- Read a class novel entitled, The Red Pyramid (Rick Riordan), developing reading comprehension through character analysis of the protagonist
- Reviewed place value of numbers larger than millions and basic facts fluency (Gr. 5)
- Applied multiplication and division processes to whole numbers and decimals (Gr. 6)
- Experimented with conservation of area in parallelograms and triangles (Gr. 6)
- Explored decimal numbers through the use of a number line (Gr. 6)
- Studied the fundamentals of Democracy and decision making and how that connects to different types of government, as well as ancient civilizations
Next month, we will be:
- Practicing reading comprehension strategies, such as utilizing text features to locate main ideas
- Focusing on jot notes and key vocabulary to record specific information and create summaries for non-fiction text
- Learning about living systems and moon phases
- Practicing standard algorithms to multiply (3X2 – Gr. 5) and divide (3÷1-Gr. 5)
- Factoring of different numbers (Gr. 6)
- Introducing exponents and exploring the ways in which they affect equations and numbers (Gr. 6)
Ask your child:
1. What is ‘mindfulness’? How do you practice this skill? What do you do as a calming strategy?
2. What is happening so far in “The Red Pyramid”? What challenge is the family facing?
Please note:
- There is no school on Friday, November 28. It is a System Professional Development Day.
- Parent – Teacher Interviews are on Thursday, November 27 from 4:30 – 8:00, virtual interviews will be available on Friday, December 5 from 1:00 – 3:00.
Respectfully,
Mr. Taven and Mrs. Gualtieri
Grade 5/6 Teachers - L & L Teacher
September Learning Update
Hello Families,
Thanks to the families for attending the ‘Meet the Teacher’ evening on Thursday, September 18 and the Outdoor School Parent Information Meeting (Grade 5 and 6’s).
Each month you will receive a classroom update. This will provide an overview of topics and concepts covered in class and will outline learning activities for the upcoming month.
For the month of September, the students:
· Created our classroom learning community through discussions and activities based on our overarching idea of, ‘Well-Being is…’ by connecting this idea to the Indigenous Medicine Wheel
· Learned about the important parts of the brain and how each directly corresponds to personal learning needs
· Reviewed basic facts and place value by playing games
· Designed a self-portrait utilizing fractional Math and a variety of collaging techniques
Next month, we will be:
· Practicing reading comprehension strategies, such as making connections and predictions and identifying character feelings through class read alouds
· Focusing on using descriptive words, figurative language, voice and hooks in persuasive writing passages
· Developing understanding to represent numbers within 10 000 000 (Grade 5) and 1 000 000 000 (Grade 6) including developing basic fact fluency, 12X12 (Grade 5) and prime factorization (Grade 6)
· Learning about living systems and investigating the impact of plants and trees in ecosystems
Ask your child:
1. What is ‘mindfulness’? How does this relate to learning and our brains?
2. What is well-being? What are the four different components of well-being connected to the Medicine Wheel?
Please note:
· We will be going on a community walk on Friday, September 26, in honour of Orange Shirt Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
· There is no school on Monday, September 29. It is a Professional Development Day.
· There is no school on Tuesday, September 30 for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
· There is no school on Monday, October 13 – Thanksgiving Day and Monday, October 20 – Municipal Election.
· School Photos are on Tuesday, October 14.
· Please return the Acknowledgement of Risk forms for Outdoor School.
· Grade 5/6 Outdoor School October 27 - 31.
*L & L Students will be learning the same or similar concepts throughout the curriculum with personalized learning levels.
Respectfully,
Mr. Taven and Mrs. Gualtieri
Grade 5/6 Teachers - L & L Teacher