Dear Parents/Guardians,

The Grade 3s have an exciting educational opportunity to visit the MacSkimming Outdoor Education Centre Pioneer Village on Wed., May 8th. The students will enjoy experiential learning experiences about Canada’s earliest communities, which connect directly to our curriculum. Students will have an opportunity to discuss and compare the lives of Indigenous communities to those of the European settlers during the early 1900s. Students will visit a one-room schoolhouse, build a log cabin and use some antique tools in this hands-on discovery of life long ago.

We will be looking for at least 2 parent volunteers per class. We will be traveling by bus to the village at 3700 Wilhaven Dr. leaving at 9:30am and then returning to school at 2pm for the last block of the day. Students will also have a lunch break at the Education Centre.

Please check your email for the field trip permission form to sign for your child to participate!

If you are interested in volunteering, please email me directly. I will then contact you with a trip volunteer form. Unfortunately, due to seating restrictions on the bus, we can only accept so many volunteers.

More info about the Centre below:

The Village Field Centre Information Package

This Friday is the day to cheer,

The team that you hold most dear!

It’s time to show off your favourite sports gear,

That you probably bought as a souvenir!

Whether it be a jersey, t-shirt or a hat,

Even team colours, how about that!

WEJ Wildcats will support their team,

As they shout aloud and scream!

Please note that Monday, June 3rd marks the beginning of our Grade 3 EQAO testing period. Testing will continue on Tue., June 4th, Wed., June 5th, and Thur., June 6th. (Fri, June 7th is a PD Day)  On these test days, please send your child to school well-rested and having had a healthy and plentiful breakfast. Please do not make any appointments or schedule additional activities on these days.

During the testing sessions, students will complete a variety of online assessment activities designed to allow them to demonstrate their skills and knowledge relating to reading, writing, and mathematics as described in The Ontario Curriculum. The assessment is administered province-wide and is developed by Ontario teachers and assessment experts to reflect curriculum expectations.

We are preparing the students in class and familiarizing them with the test format and the types of questions they will be asked. You can also visit the EQAO website for more information about the assessments and what to expect by clicking here.  Students and parents have the opportunity to become familiar with the digital assessment and its platform through EQAO’s online Grades 3 sample assessment (click here). (We will also be completing this sample assessment in class and reviewing and discussing the different tools available to the students in the e-assessment platform.)

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to send me an e-mail. (shaw.jackson@ocdsb.ca)

For a cross-curricular art/social studies activity, the students investigated the natural features found in the Canadian Shield as part of our unit on Living and Working in Ontario. The students were also introduced to the art of the famous “Group of Seven” painters. These artists painted numerous scenes across Ontario, but the majority of their most famous pieces were created in the Canadian Shield region. The students were tasked with choosing a photo from a collection I provided and recreating the scene in paint, employing the style of the Group of Seven. The students were also asked to write about the natural features they included in their paintings and to name the community depicted in their landscape. These paintings are currently proudly displayed in the hallway outside of our classroom. As you can see, the students did a wonderful job on this art project!

Upon returning to class after the March Break, the students were asked to write about an experience they had over the March Break. They brainstormed a few possible topics before deciding on the one topic they wanted to “zoom in” on. Next, they generated jot notes for their chosen topic, wrote a draft, and revised and edited their work. Finally, they published a good copy. I hope you enjoy their March Break highlights below!

For a recent media literacy assignment, the students were asked to design a new book cover for their chosen Robert Munsch book. We talked about how a book cover conveys a sense of the story through a combination of text and images, and how these elements should be effectively arranged on the page. Here is what the students came up with:

Show your school spirit in a colourful and vibrant way,

As this Thursday is NEON Day!

Think bright pinks, electric blues,

How about brightly coloured laces on your shoes?

Fluorescent yellows and highlighter greens,

Would look great with a pair of jeans!

Wear NEON colours to show off how bright you are,

As you will be dressed like a star!

Dress in NEON to brighten someone’s day,

Let’s stand out in the most striking way!

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a wonderful March Break! This is a reminder that the students will be giving their Robert Munsch presentations this week! I see in the student practice logs that they have been working hard on becoming familiar with their books! Thank you parents for your support and for offering regular feedback to your child.

Here is your child’s presentation date (chosen by the students):

Wed., Mar. 20th: Idrees, Maryam, Tesla, Om, Manaal, Jade, and Akram

Thur., Mar. 21st: Sophia, Ryan, Leon, Morire, Roan, and Kavya

Fri., Mar. 22nd: Adrian, Marwah, Jocelyne, Roohal, Parker, Miriam, Aarush, and Ziyi

WEJ’s Annual Spring Talent Show will be on Friday, April 19th! Interested students in every grade from kindergarten to Grade 6 can participate!

Last week, the students created bright abstract collages inspired by the artist, Alma Thomas, using coloured paper with glue. Alma Thomas was a special artist! She was an art teacher and worked in a school. She didn’t start her painting career until she was in her 70’s! She was the first Black female artist to have her work displayed in the White House and the first Black woman to have a solo exhibition at New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art. Just like Alma Thomas, the students used line, pattern, and repetition to show movement.