February Learning Update
Hello Families,
Our focus on well-being and inclusivity continues, as we enhance our understanding to connect to our week - long experience at Healthy Living School at the beginning of March. Our study for excellence this month was centered on an awareness to current events, including the importance of the Olympics and space exploration with the future launch of Artemis 3.
For the month of February, the students:
- Examined 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
- Wrote to inform, explain and persuade for a variety of purposes and audiences, including composing an persuasive text connected to the study of space.
- Studied statistical representations such as stem-and leaf, frequency tables, double bar graphs to determine frequency and mode and frequency (Gr. 5)
- Divide 3-digit by 1-digit natural numbers using standard algorithms. (Gr. 5)
- Express a quotient with or without a remainder according to context. (Gr. 5)
- Combined like terms in algebraic equations (Gr. 6)
- Modeled algebraic equations (Gr. 6)
Next month, we will be:
- Connecting well-being to the heart, body, mind and spirit through journaling activities at Healthy Living School
- Studying the origins of Democratic values from the perspective of the Iroquois Confederacy
- Comparing the perimeters of various rectangles with the same area (Gr. 5)
- Expressing the area of a rectangle using standard units given the lengths of its sides (Gr. 5)
- Analyzing and graphing functions utilizing algebraic expressions and equations (Gr. 6)
- Adding and subtracting fractions with denominators within 100 (Gr.6)
Ask your child:
1. What / who inspires your well-being?
2. What is your opinion on the exploration of space? What about habitation of Mars? Why or why not?
Please note:
- Practice Mathletics to review daily lessons at home. Ask your child to share their log-in information.
- No School on Friday, February 27. It is a Professional Development Day.
- Healthy Living School at the Rocky Ridge YMCA is from March 2 – 6 (Room 3) and March 9 – 13 (Room 1)
- Parent-Teacher Conferences are on Thursday, March 19 and Friday, March 20.
- Spring Break starts on Friday, March 20 - Monday, March 30.
Respectfully,
Mr. Taven and Mrs. Gualtieri
Grade 5/6 Teachers - L & L Teacher
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