I'd like to thank everyone for your generosity this past week. First in supporting our hamper families, then the Joshi family and finally your wonderful Christmas gifts to me. What an amazing group of families we have in our class. I'd like to wish you all a blessed Christmas and a wonderful vacation with your families.

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas!

Social Justice Project - leader application

Leader - Job Application

We are asking that those of you who requested this opportunity, complete this form before the first day of school in January.

See you all on the 9th of January.

Mrs. Hanna

4th Week of Advent

What's Up This Week?

Monday: Please remember to bring in 2 canned vegetables and a twoonie. If you've already sent these items in, thank you! The hampers will be prepared and sent Monday morning.

Tuesday: Whole school Advent Mass with Fr. Virgil in the gym at 10:45. Families are welcome to join us.

Wednesday: PJ Day! Come in your comfy pj's to sing along in the gym with our guest Jan Bentham at 1:00pm.

Friday: Last day of school.

Have a great week everyone!
Mrs. Hanna

JANUARY BOOK CLUBS

Book Clubs are coming this JANUARY!!!

This January, we will be working in book clubs to come together and chat about books. Each week, you will be responsible for reading the selected chapters and completing your role for the week. The roles will be discussed in January. On Fridays, we will grab a mug of hot chocolate, and chat about books with our book club group. Mmmmm!

For now, what I need from you is to set about 20 minutes aside to complete the following form. (Once you begin, you can't save so you need to start and finish in one sitting.) I need you to read each book summary and watch the short video clip. After each book, there is a question to answer. From this, I will do my best to set you in a book club with a book you enjoy. Please be honest with your answers. If you rush through, you may get a book you didn't really want. It would help if you have a few books you'd be interested in reading. 

Enjoy the summaries.  Groups and book choices will be announced in January. 

Deadline for the form: Friday, Dec. 23 (If you don't complete the form, a book will be chosen for you.)

January Book Club- Book Choice Form

Week of Dec.12-16

Third Week of Advent 

Please read the attached letter regarding our school-wide Advent initiative. Each student in our class is asked to bring in 2 cans of vegetables and a twoonie.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H6Ol1DSW0XGNj9VkqTrdKJgCwu8BaIg8PCVSfNhrvJg/edit

Grade 5 Social Justice Project News

On Friday, the Grade 5s met to discuss our Social Justice project in support of the Therapeutic Clown Program at CHEO. Earlier in the year, students were asked to submit their ideas on a Google form. From there, we put together some ideas for raising funds and presented them to the students. Each child is now being asked to sign up for a committee that they feel best suits their talents and strengths. Please click on the form ASAP and let us know your preferences. We will be posting the roles in the new year.

Committee Sign Up  https://goo.gl/J7dKIu


Our First Harvest
What an amazing day of harvesting, chopping, calculating, eating and friendship! Check it out!

Math

We are will into our Data Management unit. Please visit the tab above to see the goals and support links for this unit.

Language

Our authors are hard at work creating Christmas picture books. This unit takes the students through the complete writing process, from drafting ideas, to editing, and finally the publishing process. The final product method is up to the student's preference. Some are choosing to use Storybird, some Google Slides with their own images and some are creating paper books. What talented, creative students we have in Grade 5.

This week, we will be discussing our January Book Club. Stay tuned for the link of book choices!



Have a great week!
Mrs. Hanna

Nov. 27- Dec. 7

FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT: HOPE

First Sunday of Advent

Jesus, you are light even in the darkest places.

Help us to trust in you when we are lost or lonely.

Shine hope into our hearts we pray. 

Amen.

Social Justice Project: 
If you haven't already done so, please take a minute to complete the form regarding our Social Justice project in support of the Therapeutic Clown Program at CHEO. We will be closing the form at the end of the day Monday. The Grade 5 teachers will put the ideas together and all the students will come together and create a plan as a Grade team, going forward.


Math: This week, we will be wrapping up our Patterning Unit with a test on Wednesday.  Please be sure to come see me if you are struggling with any of the goals we discussed in class, and are posted on our blog.

Language: This week we will  continue our unit study on Narrative Writing. We will be looking at the elements of a plot curve. You will be asked to start your own narrative, using the plot curve to plan out your story.

Things to reflect on for your own language development. Are you reading every day? This is critical to you strengthening your reading and writing abilities. And, it's just plain awesome! There's nothing better than curling up with a good book and getting lost in the story. Another way to becoming stronger is to read each other's blogs and leave comments for one another. You are all working so hard, it would be great to support each other.

Have a great week!
Mrs. Hanna

Ideas for Raising Funds

Please complete the form to let us know your ideas for raising funds for the Therapeutic Clown program at CHEO. We will close the form on Monday.

Social Justice - Ideas for raising funds



Mrs. Hanna

Nov 21-27

Sorry for the delayed update. It's been a busy week.

Things to remember,

Wednesday: Wear pink for bully awareness

                  : Special Visitor at 1:00 for the Grade 5s

Friday: Nifty Nature day, organized by the Grade 2s. Bake sale and spirit day. Be sure to show your love of nature, in your own creative way.

Our Tower Garden is taking shape. We have planted our lettuce and later in the week, we expect to plant our herbs. We are anxiously waiting for our pokey chives to show up. Fingers are crossed!

Have you been reflecting on your Math goals for Grade 5? Based on results so far, do you want to be reassessed on any particular goal? Have you been working towards improving any math skill? Don't forget to complete the reassessment form to let me know.

Have a great week everyone.
Mrs. Hanna

Nov. 14-20

It was so nice to meet most of your parents last week. I can't believe mid-November already. This year is flying by very quickly.

This Week

Wednesday

Picture Retake Day. Parents need to email the school if retakes are required.

Mathletics : The grades 3-6 will be participating in Math challenges for most of the day. This is a fun and challenging day. Teams are formed with students from each grade.

Double Lunch Day: Please consider packing an extra lunch for those less fortunate. We will be delivering our extra lunches to the Mission. Be sure they are wrapped in disposable packaging.

LoneStar Family Dinner - 10% of dinner bill will be donated back to St. Gabriel School

Friday: School PD Day. Teachers will be participating in Math workshops for most of the day.

Have a great week everyone.
Mrs. Hanna

Week of Nov. 7 - Nov.

What an amazing weekend! I hope you took advantage of the gorgeous fall day to play outside.

What's up this week?

- I wonder how our seedlings did this weekend? I am excited to see them Monday morning. We planted, 4 types of lettuce, sweet basil, oregano, and chives. It won't be long now, they'll be hitting the towers soon.
- The link for interview times will be emailed out by the office on Monday. Please click the link to pick your 10 minute time slot.

- Thursday: Parent/Teacher Conferences. I look forward to meeting with your parents this week.
- Friday: Remembrance Day. If you are a cadet, Girl Guide, Scout.... please wear your unit. Parents are welcome to join our school ceremony at 10:30.

Math: We are wrapping up our measurement unit this week. Take a few minutes to review the goals for this unit. If there are any that you are still struggling with, please be sure to see me and ask questions.  This week, we will be starting our work on patterning. Please check out the learning goals for Patterning by clicking the tab at the top of this page.

Don't forget, to strengthen any skill, you need to practice. Math is no different! Can you imagine how much stronger your math skills would be if you practiced 20 minutes a day? There are activities set for you in Khan Academy and Prodigy.  You can make a difference in your math abilities!

Language: We are wrapping up our Global Read Aloud book PAX. There have been some tremendous conversations stemming from our book talks. We've met up twice with our friends in California, and look forward to working with them as we conclude our PAX journey.

We will continue to strength our descriptive writing with our blog posts. This week, you will be expected to put figurative language in your writing prompt.

Have a great week everyone! WHAT ARE YOU READING AT HOME?

MRS. HANNA

Week of Oct. 31- Nov. 6

Happy Halloween!

Don't forget to show your spirit by wearing Orange and Black to school on Monday.

Have you heard the news? Our class has a Tower Garden now. We will be busy setting our seeds up this week. Once the seedlings are set to grow, we will transfer them into our tour. To see what this is all about, click this link. Tower Garden

This project is funded by Canada Bread, through their Good Neighbour program. They have purchased two towers, to be used by the grade 5 students.

Stay tuned for how we plan to incorporate this tower into our curriculum. We have exciting plans coming up.

Progress Reports will be sent home on Thursday. Later this week, you will be provided the sign up for parent/teacher interviews, set for Thursday the 10th. The time slots will be filled on a first come first serve basis. I look forward to meeting with every parent.

Saturday Nov. 5th : Looking for a fun way to dispose of your pumpkins? This event is near and dear to my heart, raising funds for Cystic Fibrosis research. It is also a fabulous afternoon outdoors with the family. Using giant slingshots, you get to fling your pumpkins through the air. (They will have more to purchase if you don't want to bring your own)

Have a wonderful week. I look forward to seeing you all on Nov. 10th.

Mrs. Hanna

Oct. 24- Oct. 30

What's Up This Week?

Tuesday: Picture Day

Friday: Halloween Family Dance. Everyone is asked to bring "gently used" clothing items for the clothing drive for our sister school, St. Elizabeth.

We Scare Hunger food drive is continuing this week. Grade 5s are asked to bring in pasta and/or sauce. This will go on until Friday.

Math: We have started our Measurement Unit. The learning goals are posted above, under the measurement tab.

As our weather changes, students are reminded to dress appropriately for the weather. You will be outside for 40 minutes at lunch, so be sure you are dress warmly. You are also expected to wear rubber boots, as our yard is very wet.

Have a great week.
Mrs. Hanna

Week Oct. 17- 24

What's up this week?

We Scare Hunger - The Grade 6s are running a campaign for the Kanata Food Bank. The grade 5s have been assigned pasta and sauce. If you are able to contribute, it would be appreciated.

Math: We are continuing to work on adding and subtracting large numbers, and solving real world problems. This week, students will begin to practice using Prodigy, as well as Khan Academy. They are encouraged to practice for 20 min a day at home, at least four times a week, to build proficiency.

Language:
We will be continuing our book study of Pax this week, with the focus on "Mood and Tone".
We are also learning a new technique to make our writing come to life.

Exploding the Moment,

• What is it?
• When a moment is slowed waaaay down for the purpose of painting a frame-by-frame picture for your reader…
• Snapshots
• Thoughtshots
• Flashbacks
• Flashforwards
• Present thoughts

Be sure to check the blog to read all the great 100 word stories.

Book Reviews: Please remember to take a few minutes to recommend a book that you loved. Ify you liked it, I bet your friends will too. The form can be found in the margin to the right.

Next Week: Picture Day is on Tuesday

Have a great week.
Mrs. Hanna

Oct. 11- Oct. 16

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving weekend!

Coming Soon.... picture day is Tuesday, Oct. 25th. Book your calendars for the Family Halloween Dance on Friday, October 28.

Language: We will be continuing to read and explore PAX. On Thursday, we will be hanging out with our partner class from Somis, California. Please continue to read and comment on your friends' blogs. There are some wonderful posts to explore. You are also encouraged to read posts from Ms. McDonalds' class.

Math: We are continuing with addition and subtracting of large numbers, including decimals to the hundredth. Being able to apply your knowledge to solve real life problems, is a large part of this unit. Have you been practicing your math skills using the assigned activities in Khan Academy?

Have a great day and week ahead!

Mrs. Hanna

Week of Oct 2- Oct. 9

What's Up This Week?

Reminder to all students that Friday is a  PD Day. Monday is Thanksgiving so no school.

Math: We are beginning addition and subtraction of large numbers, including problem solving tasks. New assignments have been set in Khan Academy for you to get a head start on your learning.
Language: We are continuing with 100WC5 this week, as well as beginning our Read Aloud, PAX. Please continue to read each other's blogs and share your thoughts with well developed comments. We have a great deal of talented writers in our class. Take this opportunities to learn from one and other.

(Stay tuned for our Mystery Skype reporter, Taylor. She will be sharing a blog post about our great day. It will be posted later this week.)

Math Test Results

I was very pleased with the overall results of our first Unit test. The 4 goals are clearly laid out on the rubric.

Students with level 3 or 4 are progressing at grade level. You can continue to build your math proficiency by working through the assignments in Khan Academy and working on the links provided.

If you see level 2, which indicates "approaching grade level", I recommend you continue to practice these goals. I am willing to reassess you on these goals, if you have continued to practice. Simply complete this form, letting me know what you've done to improve and strengthen your skills, and which goal you'd like to have reassessed. Strengthening these concepts are very important to improving your math abilities going forward.

Reassessment Request

If you see Level 1on any goals, I will continue to work with you, in class. You are encourage to continue to practice at home by watching some Khan videos and working through assignments. Together, we will work to building up your math understanding.

Don't forget to have the Math Tests signed and return the red duo-tang to school Monday.


Email Subscription Problems

We seem to be having problems with the email subscription feature. I have decided to set our class up on REMIND. This is a quick way for me to send out reminders, ie "Terry Fox walk is tomorrow, don't forget permission forms", or to let everyone know I have posted on the blog, "Check out the new blog post". If you would like to receive these reminders, follow the steps by clicking this link. Students and parents are encouraged to sign up.

REMIND Invitation

Have a great week everyone.
Mrs. Hanna

Week of Sept. 26-30

Coming soon….

Global Read Aloud

One Book to Connect the World!

Stay tuned...

It was really great meeting so many families at the Open House on Thursday. What a fantastic turn out!

What's Up This Week...

This week we will be meeting our class that we will connect with throughout our book study. We will meet them via Google Hangout. But first, we have to try to find our where our friends live. Can we find them before they find us?

Terry Fox Walk will take place on Friday. Students are asked to bring in a twoonie to support our fundraising goals. You can also donate online using this link.

Terry Fox Donations- St.Gabriel

Permission forms will be sent home on Monday. All students must return their permission slip in order to leave the property and walk through the Beaver Pond. Here is a copy of the letter.

Terry Fox Walk- Permission Form

Math:  The place value unit test will be on Thursday. Students will be completing a review on Monday and we will correct and discuss on Tuesday, then they will bring the reviews home. Students can prepare and practice concepts by completing the assigned tasks in Khan Academy. Remember to have a scrap paper ready to think through your answers. Using the videos and tips will also help. You can also practice by using the links provided in the blog.

Monday: Our school Welcome Mass will be held on Monday at 1:00pm. All parents and families are welcome to join our mass.

Reminder: If you haven't already done so, please return the Student Info sheets and media consent forms. 

We will be using the rocks this week. If you haven't found a rock yet, please have one by Tuesday.

Have a great week everyone!

Mrs. Hanna

Week of Sept. 18-26

What a busy week we've had at school. Our blogs are up and running! If you haven't had a chance to visit, please do so. Feel free to share the link with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends. Our students are very talented, and love to share their work. Remember kids, the more you read, the better writer you will become. Take some time to read each other's work, and provide quality comments. On our blog homepage, you will find the links to Mr. MacKenzie's two Grade 5 classes, as well as Mrs. Gill's 4/5 Class. We also have a class from Chicago following our Blog. Feel free to visit and comment on their writing as well. Our 100WC prompt writing has been uploaded to the Global Community, now we wait for some comments from teachers around the world.

The kidblog link can be found on the right, here it is if you'd like to copy and share it with family.

Our Class Kidblog

In Math, we've been working on representing whole and decimal numbers in pictures (base ten blocks), numbers, expanded, and words.  We've touched on locating decimal numbers on a number line and will continue this week. We've also learned strategies to comparing decimal numbers. This week, we will begin rounding decimal numbers as well.
Before you know it, within the next 2 weeks, we will have our first unit test. Are you practicing these concepts on Khan Academy? Remember to do the tasks I've assigned, by clicking your name in the top right corner. You can also prepare for the test by working on the links provided in the Place Value tab at the top of this blog. 

In the afternoon Science class, we have started exploring the various types of energy. We will be focusing this unit on ways to conserve energy.

What's Up This Week?

Thursday Sept. 22 Pizza Supper / Open House : I am really looking forward to meeting all the parents and families. Remember to return the blue pizza order form. You pay for the pizza that night, but MUST order in advance.

5:00-6:00 Pizza Supper (served in the gym)
6:00-7:00 Classroom Visits

I'd like to welcome Angela Cosgrove to our class. Mrs. Cosgrove is a retired Resource Teacher from Georges Vanier. She will generously donate her time, to visit our class every Thursday morning. We are truly blessed with great support and lucky to have her as part of our team.

This week, my student teacher from Ottawa University, will begin her weekly class visits, every Wednesday. We look forward to sharing our learning journey with her.

Reminder: Many, many forms went home on Friday.  Please complete them and return them to school as soon as possible.
Activity Fee: $30 (payable online, cash or cheque)
Media Release...to sign
Personal Info....update and sign

Don't forget to follow us on twitter @MrsHannasGrade5 

Have a wonderful week. Please email me or call if you have any questions.


                 

Week of Sept. 12-18

What an amazing first week we had together. I can tell this is going to be an exciting year of learning and growing, together. The blogs are published and set to public. Click on Kidblogs to the right and read each other's welcome posts. Share our Kidblog link with friends and family as well. You are amazing writers, so let's share our talents. One way to becoming an even stronger writer, is by reading the work of other authors. We have so many wonderful authors, right here at St. Gabriel's! All the Grade 5s will be connected through Kidblogs so feel free to read the posts from other classes too.

This Week

This week, we will be working on our first prompt for our first 100 WC (Word Challenge). This writing challenge is a global community of young authors, sharing their work each week. Students will receive comments from teachers from around the globe. The creativity that flows from these posts, is truly exciting.

When your post is ready to publish, copy the URL from your post, and place in this form. (Click on WWC2)
WWC2

We will also spend some time, learning how to provide constructive feedback to our peers, as we read other blogs.

In Math, we will continue to explore whole and decimal numbers. We will explore patterns in our place value system, and use these patterns to represent whole and decimal numbers in standard form, expanded form, in pictures, and in words.

Homework:

Religion: This year, the Grade 5 religion symbol is The Rock. Please take some time this week to find a rock and bring it to school. We will be doing some activities with these rocks, so each child will need one. Please don't buy this rock at a store. Take some time to get out into nature and find that perfect rock for you! Please have them in class by this Friday.

Math: Take some time this week to practice math, using the links provided along the top of the blog. The more you practice, the easier the math will be in class. At any point, if you are struggling with a concept, take your learning into your own hands, and work on the links I've provided. Please see me if, at any time, you need extra help with any of the concepts we are working on. You, your parents, and I are a team in your learning journey. Talk to us, if you need help!

Coming Soon:

Family Pizza/Open House Night is coming soon. Please mark Thursday, Sept. 22 on your calendars. From 5-6, pizza will be served in the gym. Families will be invited to eat in the schoolyard (or gym if it's raining). Tip: bring a picnic blanket! The classrooms will be open from 6-7 for you to visit. (More information will be sent home as the date approaches)

Reminders for the Week

* Don't forget that students need a pair of indoor and outdoor shoes.
* Don't forget to send in your pizza, milk, and hot lunch lady orders.
* Don't forget to subscribe to this blog by inserting your email in the box on the right. That way, you'll be notified by email, when I post an update.
* Are you following us on Twitter yet? We'll be posting pics and thoughts from our day.
* Did you know...we are an Eco-Gold School? Please send lunches in reusable containers. All garbage will be returned home as we are a Boomerang school. We also don't allow the disposable water bottles, so if you choose to send a water bottle, please ensure it's the reusable type.

*Our schedule has changed this year. Here's what our day looks like. (Click on the image for a clearer look)

Have a great week everyone!

Mrs. Hanna

FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL

FIRST WEEK 2016 - Kizoa Video Editor - Movie Maker

What an amazing first week we had in Grade 5!!!

Welcome To Grade 5

Welcome to Grade 5. 

I am looking forward to getting to know all you wonderful students and your families this year. This blog is where you will come each week, to find out what we are doing in class, read up on reminders and gather all sorts of information. This first one is a big longer, so sit back and enjoy.

Please subscribe by entering your email in the box in the right. This way, every time I post an update, you will be notified by email.

Reminders: 
*Students must have indoor and outdoor shoes. We want to keep our floors as clean and dry as possible.

To follow the events at school, and to locate necessary forms, click the school link
ST.GABRIEL OCSB

What does our day look like?

In the morning, there are 25 Grade 5 students and we will be working on Language, Math and Religion. At lunch time, some of our friends will head off to French Immersion, and we will be welcoming some new students to our class for the afternoons.
In the afternoon, we have 24 Grade 5 students and we will be exploring French,Science, Art, Phys. Ed and Health.

Your French Teachers: Mme Boyer will teach Immersion and Mme. Novak will teach Extended French.  Mme. Novak is new to St. Gabriel and we welcome her with open arms.

I'd also like to welcome Mrs. Simpson to our class. She is one of our fabulous Education Assistants and will be working in our room at various points throughout the day. She will be circulating to assist all of us in the class, me included. Welcome Mrs. Simpson!

Welcome to our Ottawa University Teacher's College Student Teacher,  Rosalinda Ruelas de Matyas. She will be joining our class every Wednesday. This time will increase as the year goes on. She will complete a full teaching practicum in our class for 8 weeks in February and March. Welcome Ms. Rosalinda Ruelas de Matyas.
Another face you will see in our room is my daughter Emily Hanna. Emily is a first year Carleton University student and she's studying to become a teacher. Many of you are very familiar with Emily as she did a high school co-op placement in Grade 3, with many of these students. Welcome Emily!

As you can see, we are very blessed with great support in our classroom. I am really excited to get started with our year. We will be sharing our writing with a global audience, sharing our reading journey with the world, embarking on authentic learning, inquiring about topics that you are most interested in, which, by the way, leads me to your homework for the week.

Homework

What Are Five Things You Want Your Teacher To Know About You?

Please click on this link, What I Want My Teacher To Know About Me. watch the short video, and submit your responses. Please think carefully about your answers. This will really help me get to know you, and it will help guide my planning for a fabulous year together. It would be helpful to me if you can complete this by Friday.