Unfortunately, this Wednesday will be your child’s last library visit of the school year, and they must return all library books, whether they are done with them or not.  

Thank you.

I would like to wish all of the moms (and grandmothers!) a wonderful Mother’s Day! I hope you enjoyed the gifts your child prepared for you. I was very pleased with how the students’ work turned out! I saw some gorgeous creations and heartfelt messages! I hope you enjoyed your day.

A big thank you to all the families who have ordered books through Scholastic this year! Your support has helped us add new books to our classroom library, and the students and I are so grateful.

Just a quick reminder: if you’re thinking about ordering some fun summer reads — including French books to keep reading going over the break and prep for next year — our final Scholastic order of the year will be placed on Friday, May 16th. Flyers went home on Tuesday.

Happy reading, and thanks again for helping spark a love of books in your child and our classroom!

Please note that Monday, May 26th, marks the beginning of our Grade 3 EQAO testing period. Testing will continue on Tuesday, May 27th, and Wednesday, May 28th. 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. (Thursday, May 29th and Friday, May 30th are scheduled as make-up days).

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

I have been preparing the students in class and familiarizing them with the test format and the types of questions they will be asked. Students are also encouraged to complete the EQAO math practice questions I assign in Knowledgehook and Google Classroom at home. We have been working on these in class, as well as a few sample reading and writing tasks. Students and parents can become familiar with the digital assessment and its platform through EQAO’s online Grades 3 sample assessment (click here). (The students will also complete this sample digital assessment in class next week, where we will review, discuss, and practice using the different tools available to the students in the e-assessment platform.) Finally, click here for a video that provides information on what students can expect when participating in the Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, Primary and Junior Division.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me. (shaw.jackson@ocdsb.ca)

Today, my students participated in a wonderful, hands-on, one-and-a-half-hour workshop about soil and plants presented by Scientists in School. The workshop introduced students to the basic concepts of seed germination, soil components, seed dispersal, and plant growth. Throughout the workshop, the students were attentive, focused, and engaged. Well done, scientists! Here are some pictures from the workshop:

Dear WEJ Students, Parents & Guardians,

This year, W. Erskine Johnston PS is taking a simple, but very meaningful initiative into our hands by supporting ‘The Kanata Food Cupboard.’ We will be accepting donations of canned foods, non-perishable items, gift cards, and monetary donations the week of May 5-9. 

The most needed items for the Kanata Food Cupboard are:

– Canned Fish (tuna fish) & canned meat
– Canned vegetables & fruit

– Legumes (canned or dried) such as kidney beans, black beans and lentils
– Cereal
– Dried pasta & pasta sauce
– Peanut butter, jam, pudding, juice boxes
– Rice, especially jasmine and basmati rice
– Canned stews & chilli

– School snacks (granola bars, crackers), pudding, fruit cups, applesauce and juice boxes  

– Dates, prunes, figs

– Soups

– Baby diapers (especially size 3-6), baby food, formula

– Shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothpaste, deodorant, body wash, toilet paper

– Grocery store gift cards

Tax receipts will be issued to anyone who donates through the fundraising page.  

Below is the link for monetary donations from our school: W. Erskine Johnston:

www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/w-erskine-johnston-public-school-food-drive-2/

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I am excited to announce that Scientists in School will visit our classroom this Thursday, May 1st. The ‘field trip that comes to us’ will present a 90-minute session on soil and plants. This interactive and hands-on presentation will complement your child’s learning for our upcoming science units on Soils in the Environment and Growth and Changes in Plants.

Scientists in School was founded on the principle that students learn best when they get to be the scientists – doing science instead of just reading or hearing about science. The name Scientists in School does not refer to the science experts brought into the classroom, but to the students themselves. During Scientists in School workshops, your child becomes a scientist in school.

The class will participate in “Get the Dirt on Plants,” a workshop that explores the exciting and interconnected world of soil and plants. Students will investigate soil layers and experiment with water retention to explore the importance of soil. They will also dissect a seed, learn about seed dispersal, and examine plant growth up close!

It should be a wonderful learning opportunity for the students!

Mr. Jackson

For a recent media literacy assignment, the students were asked to design a new book cover for their chosen Robert Munsch book. We discussed 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:

Tomorrow morning, our class will join award-winning illustrator Hatem Aly for a special virtual event from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Hatem will lead a read-aloud and interactive session centred around the book The Kindest Red by Ibtihaj Muhammad.

This event, connected to the International Day for the Elimination of Racism and our character education focus, will include:

• A virtual read-aloud of The Kindest Red exploring themes of friendship and kindness

• A hands-on art activity led by the illustrator

• A Q&A session with Hatem Aly

This engaging session is specially designed for Grades 1–3 students, and we’re so excited to participate!

Our students had a fun-filled day on Monday at the Pioneer Village in the MacSkimming Outdoor Education Centre! What a fantastic way to complement everything we’ve learned in the classroom about life as an early settler.

Throughout the day, students participated in a variety of hands-on activities. They experienced early settler chores—parents, you would have been proud! From tapping trees and carrying water and ice blocks to grinding corn into flour and using antique tools, the day was packed with engaging, meaningful learning. One of the highlights was stepping back in time to learn what it was like to be a student in a one-room schoolhouse!

A heartfelt thank you goes out to our amazing parent volunteers and the wonderful MacSkimming staff for helping make this field trip such a success!

Here are some pictures from the day: