In Math, the students have been learning about measurement. Specifically, your child has been learning how to estimate and compare lengths in millimetres, centimetres, and metres and how long a kilometre is. The students are learning to calculate, measure, and compare areas and perimeters. We will also be comparing measurements involving capacity and mass. Throughout this time, you and your child can do some activities such as:

Your child can estimate and measure various lengths (for example, the height of the refrigerator or another appliance, the perimeter of your living room, or the distance from your house to the street using standard (e.g. cm, m) and non-standard (e.g. footsteps, paces, etc.) units.
Students should complete the assigned missions related to measurement in Knowledgehook. There are also Google Slide questions to complete and turn in in Google Classroom. They can also visit Math Three Under the Sea and complete the activities under Perimeter for review. Another good way for your child to reinforce his/her learning of these measurement concepts is to complete the practice tests at Nelson Math 3 (under Chapter 5: Measurement—Lessons 1-5). Remember, practice makes perfect!

Last week, the students worked with charcoal in art class to draw famous structures from around the world (a cross-curricular art activity – part of our study of Strong and Stable Structures in Science). We discussed how charcoal is a wonderful art tool for creating works with dark and light areas, tones (value), and shades of grey. I printed off various dramatic black-and-white photographs of famous structures that the students could try to draw. I was delighted with the striking images the students created! Here are some photos. They did a great job! These drawings are proudly displayed on the back wall of our portable.

Our school, like our country, is made more beautiful by the many different cultures and traditions we welcome and enjoy.

WEJ Wildcats are invited to participate in a Multicultural Spirit Day this Thursday, November 28th.

We invite all students and staff to showcase our school’s wonderful diversity by wearing the traditional clothing of their culture to school that day.

Don’t have anything? That’s okay! Wear colours that represent your country by wearing the colours of your flag!

Progress Reports are being emailed to parents today. (Just a reminder that the password is your child’s OEN (with dashes in the 111-222-333 format)). These progress reports cover from the first day of school to the end of October. The reports include information on how your child is progressing, teacher comments on various subjects, and learning skills comments. Please review and discuss the progress report with your child. Please remember that these progress reports represent a snapshot of your child’s academic and learning skills. It is still early in the school year, and there is room for progress and improvement. Students will receive their Term 1 report cards in early February 2025.

I took time today to discuss the learning skill indicators with my students. Students completed a learning skills questionnaire to reflect on how they think they have been doing up to this point in the school year. I have asked them to take it home. Please take the time to review and discuss this self-reflection sheet with your child and help him/her come up with specific things they can do to achieve their learning skills goal(s). This sheet will be due back to me by Tuesday. A copy of the questionnaire will be posted in Google Classroom if your child misplaces it.

Parent-teacher interviews will take place next week on the evening of Thur., Nov. 28th, and the morning of Fri., Nov. 29th. (Fri., Nov. 29th is a PD Day – no school for students). An email with the link to book an in-person interview with me will come today. I do hope to meet with as many parents as possible. Please note that there are 20 available time slots. If you cannot book a time slot that suits you, we can certainly arrange to meet (or have a telephone conversation or virtual meeting) at another time.

Sincerely,

Mr. Jackson

My students now have access to an online reading platform – EPIC SCHOOL – that they can access to find a variety of books to read online during school hours, Mon. to Fri. (7:00am – 3:00pm)

EPIC is the world’s leading online children’s subscription book service, offering immediate, on-demand access to over 40,000 high-quality illustrated books and chapter books for children ages 12 and under. I have created an Epic School account for all of my students. Instructions on how to log in to EPIC are posted in my Google Classroom.

What is EPIC?

• Free online access to thousands of high-quality books & videos from 7 am to 3 pm Monday through Friday.
• Tons of grade-specific, high-interest topics across languages & genres.
• The right books at the right level, plus extra support with tools like Read-To-Me and Dictionary Lookup.
• Available on iPads, iPhones, Android devices, and any computer, including Chromebooks.

How can students and families access Epic when school is not in session? 

After 3 p.m. local time, students trying to access Epic with their class code will be prompted to “ask a grownup to help”. To continue reading, parents can subscribe to Epic Family, a subscription plan that allows access to the entire Epic library anytime, anywhere (no more time limits!).

With Epic Family, families get:

• Access to the entire library of 40,000+ popular books,
  including Read-To-Me and audiobooks.
• No time limits! Kids can read anytime, anywhere.
• Parent tools, like progress tracking, book
  recommendations and more.

Parents can save 25% on a subscription and try it free for 7 days! Please check my Google Classroom for more information regarding this discount!

In our Science unit on Strong and Stable Structures, the students learned that tall structures are less stable than shorter ones. On Friday, the students explored ways to stabilize a tall structure. Students were organized into groups of two or three. Each group was given the following materials: two paper towel tubes, a square piece of cardboard, some dried beans, an elastic, masking tape, and some tissue paper. They were asked to devise a procedure to modify one of the paper towel tubes to make it more stable (when placed in a box lid and tilted slowly) using the given materials. The groups then tested their idea three times to see if stability in the modified tube was increased. Observations were made, and their findings were discussed. Afterwards, we did head-to-head stability tests to determine which group had designed THE most stable tube in the class!

Look at the pictures below. Which one do YOU think was the most stable design (and why)? Ask your child to explain what they learned are the best ways to increase the stability of a paper towel tube (or any tall structure)!

(Answer: Add a broader base to the tube and/or weight to the tube’s bottom!)

Here are pictures of the Remembrance Day posters my students completed last week. Some students submitted their artwork to the Kanata Legion’s Remembrance Day Poster Contest (for Grades 1-3). Thank you for filling out and returning the consent forms. I will let you know if we have any winners from our class when the winners are announced!

The students have been working on Remembrance Day posters this week. I will submit their posters to the Kanata Legion’s Remembrance Day Poster Contest at the end of the day this Friday. I have sent home an entry form today with the students that must be filled out by parents who consent to submitting their child’s poster to the contest. Please check off whether the poster is in colour or black and white, complete sections B, D, and E, and return the form to me no later than Friday. Please note that participation in the contest is entirely voluntary!

Click here for more information.

Good luck, everyone!

I hope everyone will have an opportunity today to take a moment and either sit and reflect or attend or watch one of the many Remembrance Day services that will be taking place within the city to remember our fallen soldiers. After a week of listening to a variety of read-alouds (for example, In Flander’s Fields, A Poppy is to Remember, As Proud as a Peacock), watching informative videos, and creating their own artwork, the students developed a deeper understanding of what war is really all about and the sacrifices made by those in battle.

This morning, our class will watch a virtual Remembrance Day slideshow created by our vice-principal, Mr. Davidson. This slideshow will include many thoughtful and reflective video contributions from several classes across all grade levels at WEJ. Afterwards, at 11am, the Last Post will be played over the school’s PA system, followed by one minute of silence and then Reveille. In the afternoon, the students will learn about the Ontario Farmerettes, young women who volunteered to work on farms during World War II to address labour shortages while men fought overseas. They performed essential tasks like planting and harvesting crops, contributing significantly to Canada’s war effort. We will participate in a virtual visit with living Farmerettes, who will answer students’ questions. This experience honours their service and complements our study of food origins in health and life and work in Ontario in social studies.

Click below to see the contribution from my class and Ms. Lewis’s class to today’s virtual Remembrance Day ceremony—a three-and-a-half-minute video featuring the students singing “We Remember” and showcasing watercolour silhouette art by my class and poppy artwork and tableaus by Ms. Lewis’s students.

Clubs

• The Gardening Club has been running on Wednesday mornings at first recess in our beautiful courtyard.
• The Art Hub Club meets on Wednesday afternoons and rotates weekly between the three primary grades.
• Grade Three Board Games and Card Club starts this Thursday and runs until the winter break. The supervising teacher supplies the games, but students can also bring their own.
• Chess Club will start next week (in our portable!) for grades 3-6 (a different grade each day) and run until April. Students must listen closely to morning announcements to know when it is their turn to play.

Pictures
Picture Retake Day is tomorrow. The photographer will have a list of all the students who missed the day, and they will not need a parent’s note.

If your child is unhappy with their photo and wants a retake, they need an email message, a handwritten note, or a parent’s signature on the original photo sheet (with the QR code) to give your permission.

Family Photo Night – Everyone is welcome to sign up and have their family picture taken.

Remembrance Day
From November 1st to the 11th, SchoolCash Online will be available to all families for online donations to the Kanata Legion Poppy Campaign. On November 11th, all students will be given a Poppy. For students in grade three, this will be a sticker. Poppies will also be available in the office for students who wish to make a cash donation.

WEJ Wear Fall Sale
We have an opportunity to purchase some WEJ wear. The grey T-shirt and black hoodie both have a school logo. A shirt costs $15, and a hoodie costs $50. Sizes range from youth XS to XL through adult sizes. The poster advertising the sale is below. Payments for all student orders are collected through SchoolCash Online and are due November 8th (Friday).