School Oratory

Each spring, our school has a school oratory.  Grade 6 is the first year that students participate in the oratory.  Each student is writing a speech on the given topic, "If I were leader of the free world, the first issue I would address would be...".  Our classroom speakoff is on Tuesday, March 15 and Wednesday, March 16.  I have divided the work up into three sections and due dates, as follows:
Wednesday, March 2- Rough Draft due
Wednesday, March 9- Final Draft due
Tuesday, March 15- Classroom Speakoff (Cue Cards Ready!)

Your child should have brought home a package outlining the assignment.  We will have limited class time to work on the speech, so students should definitely plan to work on parts of this assignment at home.  It will also be included on the report card mark in Language Arts.  The top two students in each class will be chosen to participate in the school oratory contest on Wednesday, March 23 at 1:00pm.
Parents are encouraged to help by suggest ideas, helping in the revision and editing process, and encouraging lots of practice!
Thanks for your support, everyone!  Happy speech writing!

Book Swap

We will be having a Book Swap on January 21 for Literacy Day.  Please bring any books that you would like to swap on January 17-20.

A note from Miss McMillan...

Happy New Year!  I hope you enjoyed a relaxing and fun holiday with your families.  I had a great time with my family in Calgary, with plenty of nieces and nephews to enjoy!  It is good to be back into the routine of things at school, though, and it has been a good start to 2011 in Grade 6!  Yesterday we discussed "new beginnings" and the value in marking a new year.  Today we are going to look back at our "Top Ten Moments of 2010", and then we'll look forward to our hopes for 2011.

In math we are working on multiplying and dividing decimals.  Many students are having challenges with recalling multiplication and division skills, and I would like to encourage you to help your child spend time practicing at home.  I've included a page with links that students can you use to practice.  Go HERE for that link (you can always find this link on the sidebar of this page- "Miss M's Links").  Thanks for your support!

We are starting "Project 107" in our class this week.  There are 107 school days left, and we will be taking a photo per day to capture our favorite learning moments.  One student will be responsible for this job per week, and we'll post our photos on Fridays.  We hope you enjoy seeing what we're up to, from the eyes of students in our class.

We will be going cross-country skiing twice in the next month.  Our first session is on Tuesday afternoon, and the second is on Thursday, January 27, in the morning.  Please remind your child to dress warmly!  If you would like to join us, you are more than welcome!  I really enjoy these sessions- great exercise and lots of fun together outside.  You can meet us at Douglas Park or take the bus with us from school (on Tuesday we will leave the school at 12:45pm).  

Also, I wanted to say a BIG THANK YOU for your generosity before the break.  Thank you for the awesome gift card (you must be getting to know me- Sport Chek is certainly a favorite of mine!), and thank you for the thoughtful gifts sent by many.  I am very grateful.

All the best to you and your family as you start a new year!

Miss McMillan

*FRENCH-ENGLISH DICTIONARIES ARE A MUST*

Some students have still not brought a French-English Dictionary to school.  Please ensure that your child has a Bantam New College French-English Dictionary for use in French class.
-Madame Cross

Craft Supplies

Hello!  This week we are going to create some fun Christmas crafts, and we need a bit of help gathering supplies.  If you have the following around your house, we'd be glad to add to our pile:
-old Christmas cards (rectangular shaped)
-ribbon
-leftover fabric pieces (Christmas or wintery fabric is best)
-empty, clean pop cans (355 mL)
-old (but clean!) socks

Thanks for your help!

Bye Bye Birdie- Date Change

Hello!  Campbell has asked us to change the date we will be attending their performance, Bye Bye Birdie.  We will now go the following day, on Thursday, December 2 at 1:15pm.  This works out better for us anyway, as band students will not miss their full band practice.  Thanks!

Curling!

In Grade 6, we learn how to curl!  It is so much fun!  Our sessions are at the following times, at the Tartan curling club: December 8, December 14, December 16 and December 21.  Our curling lesson goes from 10:30-11:30am.  On the last day, December 21, we have a game day.  If you'd like to volunteer to help out on this day, we would love the extra help.  Please let me know if you are available.  Thanks!

(A Note Sent Home Monday)

Dear Parents,                                    

Next Tuesday, November 2, we will be walking to Ten Thousand Villages, a wonderful store located on University Park Drive and Quance Street.  We are going to explore the many beautiful fair trade products from all over the world and listen to a presentation from the store manager.  This venture ties in perfectly with our current study on “Fairness” in Language Arts.  We will leave right after lunch (12:45pm) and return between 3-3:30pm. 

A couple of things to note regarding this trip:
-Please ensure that your child is dressed warmly, as it is a fair distance to the store (our walk will be our fitness for the day!)
-Consider sending a bit of money along with your child.  It’s not necessary, but it would be nice for students to have $5 to shop with at the store!
-Consider coming along!  If fair trade is something you are unfamiliar with, this is a great chance to get out for a good long walk with a fun bunch of kids ☺, and learn something new. 
-Please sign the consent/waiver form.  I know it’s a pain, but it is now necessary for us to receive these forms for every out-of-school excursion.  Thanks for your cooperation.

*Parents Please Note This!*

We are starting a unit in Health that I want to bring to parents attention.  It is called “ Your Body Grows and Changes”.  It discusses the changes that all students go through during puberty.  I am hoping that this unit will open up discussions at home.  Your child may have questions that they are uncomfortable discussing outside of the family.  Thank you for your input.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,
Nancy Hognestad

Field Trip Coming Up! Parent Volunteers Needed! :)

On Wednesday,  October 27, we are going on our first field trip!  We are going to explore the diversity of life (that's SCIENCE!) at Flying Creek.  On Monday we will learn more about trip details and how we can prepare for the day.  I am looking for two (or more!) parent volunteers, so please send me an email or a send a note with your child if you are able to join us for this day of exploration!! Thanks!

A Note to Parents

Please send an email sometime this week so that I have your address as a contact.  Thanks!  My address is harmony.mcmillan@rbe.sk.ca.