Good afternoon everyone!
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!
Just a reminder that this week begins our fall fundraiser. Students will be fundraising for St. Jude’s, which in turn helps us purchase things like math manipulatives and other resources for our school. Students who bring in a minimum of $40 will be able to attend a trip to Glow Zone. Tomorrow is Popcorn Day, so any students who paid their $2 for tomorrow will receive a bag of popcorn for every $2 paid.
A few quick reminders:
· Tomorrow is a Day 3.
· For anyone who ordered Hot Lunch, payments were due on the 13th of September.
o If September balances are unpaid, October lunches will not be able to be ordered.
· The hot lunch site is open for the month of October and will close on Wednesday, September 25th at 3:00 p.m. The special for October will be pancakes with vanilla cream and syrup (optional).
· Letters were sent home last week for the Caribou math contest. Any students looking to participate must bring the letter back signed. The month of October is a free test for all grade levels as a trial – this is an optional commitment.
· Fall Fundraiser trip permission forms and pledge forms were sent home today.
Inquiry into Energy – We started our day with an inquiry into energy. Up until now, we have been discussing current electricity, which is electricity that flows in a circuit. But what happens when electricity does not flow and stays on an object?
All matter is made up of tiny little particles. These particles possess protons (positive charge), neutrons (no charge), and electrons (negative charge). When an object has more electrons than protons, this item has a negative charge, and vice versa is a positive charge. When these electrons are staying on an item and are not moving, we call this static electricity.
Conductors allow electrons to flow very easily, which is why these items rarely hold a charge. Insulators are not good conductors of electricity, and therefore, hold on to their electrons. So for example, a plastic comb is not a good conductor of electricity. When we comb our hair, this plastic comb holds on to the electrons, creating a negative charge, and leaving us with a positive one. Then, when we come into contact with a metal (like a doorknob), we get shocked! The electrons travel to our body in an attempt to restore balance and leave us with a neutral charge.
When this occurs in nature, we see lightning (the clouds trying to restore balance to their charge).
We watched a few videos, and then we conducted an experiment of our own! Here are the videos:
Students were reminded about their UOI test next Wednesday, October 2nd.
French – Right after this, we had French with Mme. Stella, which you can read about on her blog (https://stjudesfrench-stella.blogspot.com).
After lunch, we had an assembly for the Fall Fundraiser which is taking place this week! Each day has a different activity which students would have brought in money for. The events are: Popcorn Day on Tuesday, Ice Cream Sandwich Day on Wednesday, Wacky Thursday, and a 1-hour electronics party on Friday. We will also have daily prizes for the top fundraisers. They are:
· Tuesday – Student will choose a teacher to be silly stringed
· Wednesday – Student will apply make-up on Mr. Oliver
· Thursday – Student will style a teacher’s hair
· Friday – Student will choose a teacher to pie in the face
Today, one of our Grade One students has earned the privilege of sitting in Mr. Foster’s chair ALL DAY tomorrow by raising $100. Can’t wait to see who will be silly stringed tomorrow!
Gym – After the assembly, the students had gym with Mr. Orr, which you can read about on his blog (http://tysonorr.blogspot.com).
Inquiry into Energy: Science Fair – After gym, we began taking about the Science Fair! Students are going to begin collecting recyclable materials (bottles, bottle caps, etc.) for their cars. They will be doing 3 thumbnail sketches this week to design their car. By the end of the week, we are hoping to have one chosen to do a pre-construction design.
Here are the videos students were given to watch over the weekend (as a reminder of what they can create):
Inquiry into Math – At the end of the day, we took up homework from Friday’s lesson and the mid-unit review. I am encouraging students who are having trouble with this unit to come and speak with me this week for additional math help in preparation for the test on Monday.
At the end of the day, we discussed International Day. We are beginning to brainstorm which country we will be researching for International Day. We are going to vote on Friday. We are trying to ensure that we do not choose a country someone has done in a class in the past, and we are trying not to choose a country that is the background of someone in the class (that way we ALL have an opportunity to learn about a new culture).
Homework:
We do our best to complete UOI and Language work in class. In the event this is not possible, it will go home for homework.
As always, please feel free to email me with any questions.
Mr. Conte
