Field Trip Monday and Tuesday

Don't forget - NO SCHOOL TOMORROW

FIELD TRIP on Monday and Tuesday!
Wow!  Our second group's turn for going on the field trip to Ralph Klein Park is already here!  A yellow reminder is going home with student, of some things to remember.  We look forward to seasonal temperatures which will definitely still allow us to be outside and enjoy some of the aspects the park has to offer.  Please ensure your child is dressed for the weather.

Dear Parents/Guardians:

We would just like to remind you that your child will be going on a field trip to Ralph Klein Park on Monday, February 3rd  and Tuesday, February 4th. To ensure your child is prepared, please make sure your child has:

• A leak proof water bottle that is filled and ready to go
• A packed lunch and snacks
• Dressed in layers
• Outdoor boots
• Mittens or gloves and a warm hat
• Warm winter jacket

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher.

Walk to the Pond - Monday and/or Tuesday
The group of students that is not going on the field trip will hopefully be getting outside as well.  Ms Cose and Ms McDougall are planning to take their classes outside and to the pond on either Monday or Tuesday, so please ensure your child is dressed for walking and being outside for both days.

STEAM CLUB
Steam club will be canceled on Feb 3^rd and 4^th due to the grade 2 Ralph Klein field trip. STEAM club will resume on Feb 10^th and 11^th and the Monday group will make up the day they missed on Feb 24^th and the Tuesday group on Feb 18^th.

Writing Sample
As Sample of your child's writing is coming home with them today.  This is from our work on poetry.  You will see teacher feedback that your child received before their poem was marked with the rubric.  Take time to share and discuss their poem and writing with them.  Here is the inspiration of our poem.  

Decades Day!

Here are some of the highlights from the day:

In Science we looked at an experiment of what would happen sugar when it is heated and it got burned and it caught on fire.  - Jade 

Here are the videos, if you want to take a closer look:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFSW4Dm2PbM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikZHT6UvLMc

In Phys Ed we played Bridge Tag and we also played Bowling Bocce to get a bean bag as close to the pin as possible - Grace T

In writing we recorded notes about jobs in the Arctic and we learned about tourism and people were by glaciers and taking pictures of different places and sliding down ice slides - Grace D

We worked with a partner to find and record more information about jobs in the Prairies, East Coast and Arctic.  Ask your child what they learned and know about jobs in these 3 places

Decades Day Tomorrow!

Don't forget about Decades Day tomorrow!  Which decade is your favourite?

Here are some of the highlights from the day:
In Phys Ed we played a tag game and a bowling game and you had to get as close as you could to the bowling pin but not knock it down.  If you knock it down the other team gets a point - Muhammad 
We learned about jobs in the Arctic and there is diamond mining and it takes a lot of tools.  We also looked at tourism in the Arctic and we saw people adventuring near a glacier - Grace D
Today choir started - Brooklyn

Field Trip Forms!!

Please return field trip forms ASAP!!!!

Today was a busy Monday that seemed to just fly by. 
Today we talked about unique jobs in the East Coast.  Ask your child what the different jobs were.  Can they list all 4??  Why are those jobs important?  
Here's a picture clue!

Poem Celebration

Field Trip Forms
Still have some friends who have not returned the updated field trip form for Ralph Klein Park.  Please return ASAP

Learning Commons Books Overdue
There are many overdue books from the Learning Commons.  Please return and exchange next week!

Today were shared and celebrated our poems that we have been working on that highlighted what we learned about poetry.  We hope to send these home as well to share with you very soon too!  

Here are a few more highlights from Friday:
In Phys Ed we did fitness stations and team tag and the skill we are learning about is fitness - Grace T

In Daily 5 I exchanged my books - Jade 

Water Rangers - Day 2 of CPAWS

Field Trip Forms
Thank you to those who returned their field trip forms.  Please return your forms ASAP so we are ready for our rescheduled field trip.  

Today was had our second presentation from Ms. Vanessa from CPAWS where we learned about our rivers and where our drinking water comes from and how we need to protect and take care of this water.  Ask your child what their highlights were from the presentation:

Climate Change and CPAWS

Updated Field Trip Forms:
An updated field trip form is going home with those students who will be going on Feb 3 and 4th.  Please fill out and return the bottom portion of the form.  Thanks!

Today we had our first of two very special presentations from Ms. Vanessa from CPAWs (Canadian Parks and Wildlife Society).  Here are some highlights from the presentation today:

We worked together with our group of 4 or more to write one word together with a whiteboard marker on a plastic sheet of paper - Grace T
We learned about the dire wolf and why it died and why the grey wolf did not die - Cayden
The dire wolf went extinct because of the climate changing during the ice age and the plants died and their food source also died so the dire wolf couldn't survive but the grey wolf lived in a different place so it didn't die - Grace D
The grey wolf didn't die because it had more different foods in it's diet that it could eat.  They ate plants and meat - Aykut
We explored the grey wolf and the dire wolf and we each had a different box to learn about them.  I learned about why they died and it was because of the cave men and the water turned into ice (ice age).  - Zoie
I looked at 2 skulls of a dire wolf and a grey wolf and I saw that they both had sharp teeth - Ms. G

Room Temperatures around the School

In Science we measured different room temperatures of different rooms around the school.  We learned that some rooms had different temperatures than others.  Ask your child what rooms we measured the temperature of.  What room was the coldest?  What room was the warmest?  What was something interesting we noticed? 

Tomorrow we look forward to a special presentation from CPAWS (Canadian Parks and Wildlife Society).  All the grade 2 classes will be getting a one hour presentation to learn more about the environment.  This will be a starting point for us and our work as EcoLeaders and our work towards Mayor's Expo in June.  

Hot and Cold!

Today we talked more about our body temperature on noticed what happens when we go in a cold place.
Ask your child where we went and what their body did.

Here is a cool video about sweat (kind of gross!) and how our body's regulate their temperature

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1AkkLovLo6HnXs19VJrsgFHXMR-iQ5W4kmK3deAG8tk8/edit#slide=id.g7c4b2f5cd8_0_25

Ms Gardner also did something super cool with boiling water and throwing it up in the air outside in the extreme cold.  Ask your child what happened.  If your child wants to try it at home, they need a responsible adult to help with throwing the boiling water up in the air.  

We know it's been a long week of mixed up schedules and being inside.  We made a promise that when it warms up on Sunday we will GO OUTSIDE so we are ready for school on Monday.

Stay warm and have a great weekend

Snow pant mystery to solve.  HELP US!  
We have some snow pants that no one in our class seems to think belongs to them, although they were left one day by the coat hooks.  If these belong to your child please TELL them or send me an email so I can make sure they go to the right person.  

Date Change for Grade 2 Celebration of Learning

Today we were back together in our classroom once again!   

Field Trip Rescheduled:
We are happy to let you know that our field trip to Ralph Klein park has been re-scheduled for the other half of our class and we will be going on February 3rd and 4th.  If you are available to volunteer on one or both of these dates, please let me know.  A formal letter will be going home soon to update you of this change as well.  

Celebration of Learning: Date Change
A note is going home with each child today regarding our Celebration of Learning.  Here is what it says:
Dear parents/guardians of grade 2 students,
As a result of the postponed field trip to Ralph Klein Park the grade 2 team has decided to change the date of our Celebration of Learning evening from January 30th to February 27th. This will allow our students who have not attended the field trip the opportunity to attend on February 3rd and 4th and still be able share their learning from this unique experience. The trip was always intended to play a big role in our sharing during this evening and we want to ensure that every student has that opportunity. 
We apologize if this has caused any inconvenience and look forward to seeing you all from 6:30-7:30 on February 27th.
The Grade 2 Team

What are we doing in all our winter clothes?
Today for Science, while learning about hot and cold, we discussed our body temperatures.  Ask your child what they were doing with all their winter clothes on and what they noticed.  

Book Orders Home Today

Today was a catch up day.  We spent the day in other Grade 2 classrooms and spaces, to give everyone a change to finish up work or get caught up on activities that were missed while students were on the field trip.  We are now going to be ready to come back together as our class and move ahead with our work. 
Here are some of the highlights from our day:
This afternoon I finished up my Ton Shulten art piece - Aiden R
I was in Ms. MacDonald's room and their day was very similar to our day and routine except their snack was at a different time and Phys Ed was at a different time - Muhammad
I was in Ms Seymour's classroom and I was finishing my Ton Shulten art and I finished my painting and then I was colouring the building - Jade 

Book orders are going home and please have them returned by Jan 23.  




Here are some helpful tips and reminders about how to dress for the different temperatures.

Field Trip Cancelled

Ralph Klein Trip Cancelled

Due to the forecasted temperatures dropping into the minus 40 degree range for the next two days we will need to postpone the grade 2 Field Trip to Ralph Klein Park tomorrow and Thursday. Although the students can remain indoors at the site we do not want to risk any potential mechanical failures with the bus that would put our students at risk of exposure to the weather for a prolonged period. We are in the process of trying to reschedule our trip and will advise parents as soon as we have new dates. Sorry for the inconvenience. The Grade 2 Team

Family Travel Survey: Please fill out this quick survey in Survey Monkey so that we can help to understand how the majority of families currently travel to-and-from school: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K6TYN3B

Baseline Family Travel Survey: New Brighton School New Brighton School is taking part in an Active School Travel project, Stepping Toward a Greener Tomorrow, that will improve school journeys for our students.Through School Travel Planning, parents, students and school staff will work with municipal, school board and public health officials to reduce congestion, address traffic safety issues and encourage more students to walk and cycle for ... www.surveymonkey.com

 . The survey will be open for the rest of the month of January.

Ralph Klein Park - Day 1

Here are some of the animals we learned about at Ralph Klein Park:

coyote
great horned owl
badger
bald eagle
red tailed hawk
beaver
muskrat
great blue heron
deer mouse
chickadee
red-winged blackbird
swallow
ground-squirrel
ducks
crow
raven

Our group looks forward to Day 2 at Ralph Klein Park. 

Field Trip on Monday and Tuesday for Half our Class!

A reminder is going home with students who will be going on the field trip on Monday.  Here is what it says:

Dear Parents/Guardians:

We would just like to remind you that your child will be going on a field trip to Ralph Klein Park on Monday, January 13 and Tuesday, January 14.  Even though the weather is expected to be cold, as long of the buses are running, we will still be going.  Adjustments will be made to our programming to ensure that students remain inside if the temperatures are below -20C.  To ensure your child is prepared, please make sure your child has:

• A leak proof water bottle that is filled and ready to go
• A packed lunch and snacks
• Dressed in layers
• Outdoor boots
• Mittens or gloves and a warm hat
• Warm winter jacket 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me: algardner@cbe.ab.ca

Students that will be remaining at school on Monday will be joining another Grade 2 class at the school for the day, as Ms. Gardner will be going with students to Ralph Klein Park on Monday. They will be in our classroom with Ms. Gardner on Tuesday, as the students on the field trip will be going with Mrs. Cose and Mrs. McDougall.

Pajama Day Tomorrow

Don't forget it's Pajama Day tomorrow!

Volunteers for Wednesday and Thursday's field trip!
We are still needing a few more volunteers for our field trip.  If you can help us out, that would be greatly appreciated.  

Return your forms for STEAM club.  

We worked on thinking of specific words for describing nature and with a group, brainstormed words to describe a picture.  We focused on words that describe the touch/texture, sound, feelings, colour, light.  

In our nature journals, we worked more on developing our drawing techniques.  We practised creating texture and shading.  Ask your child to show you 1 way that they can create texture or shading.  

We also started thinking about taking photographs.  We learned the reminder of FLABS of things to think about while taking a photo.  Then we got to try it out.  Ask your child what they took a photo of.  

Field Trip Volunteers

Field Trip Volunteers!
Thank you to those parents who have confirmed that they will be able to join us for our field trip next week.  We are still needing a few more parents.  If you are available Monday, Wednesday or Thursday and have your police clearance we would appreciate having you join us very much!  Please let me know ASAP by emailing me: algardner@cbe.ab.ca

STEAM Club forms - 
The grade 2 STEAM club will be starting soon and forms are going home with those who are interested.  Choir will also be starting soon and there may be a conflict with both of the groups running on the same days, so some students may have to make some choices.

Please note for Fun Lunch next Thursday:
There is a Fun Lunch scheduled for Thursday, when some students in our class will be on our field trip.  The lunches will NOT be delivered to Ralph Klein Park.  Please cancel your order and send a lunch with your child.  You must cancel before THURSDAY of this week to get a refund.  

PLEASE make sure your child is dressed appropriately and has gloves and a hat for going outside for recess. 

Report Card Envelopes
To help with organizing and saving paper, if you could please return your child's report card envelope, that would be greatly appreciated.  

Highlights from the day:
In Phys Ed we did the circus activities for the second day and I got to go on the mats and I did a cartwheel - Grace T
We worked on being Nature Journalists and we worked on our cover page and then we worked on different types of lines on the first page to improve our drawing techniques. - Zoie

Happy New Year 2020

Welcome back to a new year!  It is an exciting time as we move forward with the next part of Grade 2!  The new year offers us a fresh start and since our discussions from Parent Teacher conferences in December, it is a time to make new goals!
Already it is going to be a busy week and month.  

Ralph Klein Park
Volunteers NEEDED!
Our field trip is quickly approaching!  At parent teacher conferences I discussed with many of you the possibility for you to hopefully join us next week.  If you are available for one or both days that your child is going and would like to join us, please let me know ASAP, as we need to ensure we have enough parents to support us for each of our days!   You can email me directly at algardner@cbe.ab.ca  

Nature Journaling:
To build some of our skills for exploring Ralph Klein Park next week, we are hoping that we can work on our sketching and nature journaling skills.  If the weather cooperates for us this week, it is my hope that we could go outside and possibly walk to the pond on THURSDAY, though the weather forecast is looking like it might be too cold.  Please make sure your child is dressed for the weather this week, as we will also be exploring our school yard as well. If the weather is too cold, we will not be doing this, but my fingers are crossed.  

Happy New Year 2020!

Welcome back to a new year!  It is an exciting time as we move forward with the next part of Grade 2!  The new year offers us a fresh start and since our discussions from Parent Teacher conferences in December, it is a time to make new goals!
Already it is going to be a busy week and month.  

Ralph Klein Park
Volunteers NEEDED!
Our field trip is quickly approaching!  At parent teacher conferences I discussed with many of you the possibility for you to hopefully join us next week.  If you are available for one or both days that your child is going and would like to join us, please let me know ASAP, as we need to ensure we have enough parents to support us for each of our days!   You can email me directly at algardner@cbe.ab.ca  


Nature Journaling:
To build some of our skills for exploring Ralph Klein Park next week, we are hoping that we can work on our sketching and nature journaling skills.  If the weather cooperates for us this week, it is my hope that we could go outside and possibly walk to the pond on THURSDAY.  Please make sure your child is dressed for the weather this week, as we will also be exploring our school yard as well. If the weather is too cold, we will not be doing this, but my fingers are crossed.