SEPTEMBER 2012

Welcome               September 26, 2012

Dear Parents,

 My name is Ms. Debbie Legault and, due to some necessary reorganization, I will be your child’s English teacher for 2012-2013 school year. I am very excited to be teaching the Intermediate students again and continuing some of the valuable work we had begun last year. I have consulted extensively with Ms Graham to continue the work she had begun and to provide a seamless transition.  I believe that by all of us working together we can make this a very successful year. I consider it of prime importance that you be an active part of your child's education. You are invited to phone me any time that you have a question concerning your child's progress or email me at legaultd@renfrew.edu.on.ca.  To keep you informed I will send home regular newsletters, as well as feedback of your child’s work. My classroom blog is www.mslegaultsclassroom.blogspot.com where I post the newsletters as well as other information pertinent to my classes. I have four basic classroom rules or Agreements which are to demonstrate mutual respect; to show attentive listening; to have the right to participate and sometimes pass; and to show appreciation only to others/no putdowns allowed. We will be reviewing these Agreements during our initial classes, as I get to know your child or in many cases get reacquainted with your child.  My program centers around many Social Justice issues which together we explore, discuss and often debate.  I consider it a great privilege and responsibility to be your child’s teacher and I look forward to meeting you soon.

Sincerely yours,

Debbie Legault

Have a Great Summer

June 13, 2012

Dear Parents/Guardians,
What a great year we have had in the Core English.  We have accomplished so much together and I think we have had fun too.  It has been my pleasure to work with all the students.  Special thanks to our guest teacher, Mrs Leclair, who stepped in when I was unavailable to be with the classes, to provide a seamless English program to your child. In the next couple of weeks, I will post a list of activities on the blog of activities you can do with your child to prevent loss of learning skills over the summer.

Jk/Sk We have been working on identifying sight words, as well as reviewing our sound symbols when trying to decipher words.  I have sent home a book for students to keep entitled 'William'.  These books talks about the importance of washing hands in the prevention of illness.

Grade 2 We have completed their media study and they are currently completing a poster to advertise our up and coming Talent Show on June 22.

Grade 7/8  Most students completed and handed in their book reports.  We are now working on developing a slideshow for the character assembly, as well as decorations for the up and coming Talent Show and Grade 8 Graduation Ceremony on June 26.


Have a great summer

Ms Legault and Chippy

May 14, 2012

May 14, 2012
Dear Parents,

Thanks to everyone who supported our Education evening event on May 10th.  Studies show that if parents demonstrate that they value education and support the school it has a positive effect on student achievement.  It was a wonderful fun-filled and informative event compkete with pizza, fitness, our cheerleaders and superdogs as well as facepainting and mini manicures.  Lots of prizes were awarded and families had a chance to view our bookfair.  Thank you to everyone for  making the event successful. 


JK/SK Students continue to work with sight words. I am using the instructional program outlined by Mary Lou McKinley that focusses on word families through the Chalk and Sock strategy. I am sending home our latest shared reading called At The Farm'. Please practise reading this book with your child. I have introduced a new book called 'I'm Glad I'm Me'. Students are also practicing their printing using the Handwriting Without Tears' Program.  We are in the process of assessing your child's reading skills and I will send home some information shortly.


Grade 2 Students in Group 1 have completed all the word family work through the Chalk and Sock Strategy.  All of the students are now using this strategy to work on spelling sight words. We have begun exploring the features of different forms of text including a narrative (Robert Munsch books) Non-fiction text and a Recipe. Please take some time to explore this genre with your child and draw their attention to these text features. We are in the process of assessing your child's reading and I will send home information shortly.



Grade 7/8 Students have completed their  fiction novel by Caroline Pignat called 'Egghead'. Students have been exploring characteristics of fiction including characters and conflict.  Students will also have an opportunity to pick their own fiction novel to read. Students have been given information about the culminating task.







Thank you and have a wonderful week.









Debbie Legault

APRIL 16, 2012

April 16, 2012

Dear Parents,

This week is National Volunteer Week. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the parents who volunteer their time in the school. You are a valuable part of our community and you send a positive message that you consider school a worthwhile cause. This week in the Core English program we will be taking some time to discuss volunteerism and the power of volunteers to make a positive change.

Next week April 22-27 is Earth Week. Students will have the opportunity to participate in a number of activities to help the environment. Activities are posted on the General Lake blog at http://www.generallakenews.blogspot.com/, but two activities your child may be interested in include:

1)Taking a pledge for the planet. Students make a pledge to do something to help the planet for the week. At the school level sudents can post their pledge up in the main hallway on April 23. If your child wishes to take it a step farther, they can register their pledge at http://www.ecokids.ca/.

2) Recycled creation contest. Students can build a creation out of recycled items. Creation is due April 24. Creations will be judged for prizes and then display in our mini gallery on the gym stage April 25-26.

In the next couple of weeks I will be using the Ontario Education Resource Bank to present some of the online lessons on the smartboard. You can access this website at https://resources.elearningontario.ca/. It has a password which I will send home in the newsletter. This is an Ontario Ministry of Education resource and it is password protected.

JK/SK Students are almost finished all their Jolly Phonics sound program. We will continue working with sight words. I will also begin using an instructional program outlined by Mary Lou McKinley that focusses on word families. I am sending home our latest shared reading called 'Animals At Night'. Please practise reading this book with your child. I have introduced a new book called 'At the Farm'.

Grade 2 Students in Group 1 continue to work on word families and sight word identification. We have been working on parts of speech including nouns, verbs, and adjectives. We have also begun exploring the features of the non-fiction text such as an index, glossary, table of contents, bold fonts, subtitles, graphs, maps, labelled diagrams, headings, and facts. Please take some time to explore this genre with your child and draw their attention to these text features. We will continue this work.

Grade 7/8 Students are organizing 'Five Days of Freedom' for this week. Five Days of Freedom is an action plan to promote awareness to the four obstacles to freedom—exploitation, poverty, thirst and disease. Students are also completing their book report of 'Free The Children' which is due April 30th. A rubric has been given to the students to show them how I will assess their work. Our next reading will be a fiction novel by Caroline Pignat called 'Egghead'. Students will also have an opportunity to pick their own fiction novel to read. More information to follow about the culminating task.

Thank you and have a wonderful week.

Debbie Legault

March 26, 2012

March 26, 2012

Dear Parent/Guardians,

We are now in the third term and students continue to work hard at their various activities in the Core English.

JK/SK Students: Students have completed 2/3's of the Jolly Phonics Program. The following sounds are what we will be working on the this last term: z, w, ng, v, short oo, long oo, yx, ch, sh, voiced th, unvoiced th, qu, ou, oi, ue, er, ar. Students have also begun reading a new book called 'Animals At Night' and completing various activities related to this book. I will send home the book next week for review at home. Students are working on the Read Aloud 'Chicka, Chicka, Boom Boom' by Bill Martin. The following is one of our chants:

I said a boom chicka boom.

I said a boom chicka boom. (echo)

I said a boom chicka boom.

I said a boom chicka boom. (echo)

I said a boom chicka rocka

chicka rocka chicka boom!

Uh huh!

Uh hu!

Oh yeah!

Oh yeah!(echo)

A little bit softer now...(repeat song)

Grade 2: Students are exploring the genre of adventure story through books such as 'Puff the Magic Dragon' by Peter Yarrow and 'How I became a Pirate' by Melinda Long and David Shannon. Students completed various activities including a story map using the triangle, rectangle and circle to represent beginning, middle, and end, as well as creating a map to illustrate the setting of the story. Student are now beginning to work this week on their own adventure story. I am hoping to get all their stories published this week on the class blog. Students are also working on identifying parts of speech including nouns, verbs and adjectives.

Grade 7/8: Students continue to explore main idea and how to recognize it through the 'answering four questions' method. We have almost completed 'Free The Children' and as a final book report students are asked to choose from one of the following ideas:

• GRADE 7 - 8 STUDENT BOOK REPORT IDEAS


• I) Write a poem about an episode in the book.


• II) Create a public service announcement regarding the theme/content of the book you read.


• III) Make an illustrated timeline to retell the story. Include a minimum of twelve events.


• IV) Develop a web or mind map of the themes contained in the book you read.


• V) Create a flow chart of the sequence of events in the book you read.


• VI) Write about something you would like to share after reading this book. It could be something that book has inspired you to learn more about or something you would like to do.


• VII) Personal Opinion: What did you think of this story? Why did you or didn't you like it? Would you recommend it to others for reading? Give at least 2 reasons for your answers. Don't just say, "I liked this book".


• If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to send me a note or call the school at 613 687 2404.


• 
  

READING STRATEGIES

February 27, 2012

February 27, 2012

Dear Parents/Guardians,

It was a busy month in the Core English department. Students in Grade 2 completed their storytelling of 'Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock' and Grade 7/8 students completed their speeches. Congratulations to Samantha (Grade 2) and Klara (Grade 2) for representing their class in the schoolwide event. Congratulations to Jeris (Grade 8) and Melora (Grade 8) for representing the school in the Petawawa event. Public speaking is a key skill necessary as we move into the 21st century. Students in all classes had a taste of storytelling through the Salamander theatre group on Friday Feb 24th with the presentation of Tales From the Valley.

This week in honour of Dr Seuss's birthday we will be exploring the books of Dr Seuss. You can explore more information at home at Seussville.com. On Friday students are encouraged to dress as their favourite Dr. Seuss character.

Students reading ability has been assessed. In the Kindergarten students are assessed for Sound letter recognition as well as sight words. One assessment resource that is used at the Primary level students is PM Benchmarks. PM Benchmarks is a comprehensive Reading Assessment Resource using 30 unseen levelled texts used to level students reading and give information regarding programming needs. Also, as requested here is a list of the reading levels and their corresponding grades. Grade 1: 1 to 17; Grade 2: 17 to 22; Grade 3: 22 to 27. Remember this is only a guideline. Many children vary between these levels. At the Junior/Intermediate level one measure used for assessment is the CASI assessment. CASI or Comprehension Attitude Strategies Interests is used to diagnose student strengths and learning needs as well as to inform planning and instruction for the individual student. In the CASI Reading Assessment a level of performance is assigned as the teacher assesses the quality of student responses and rates the student’s work according to a set of predetermined criteria using levels 1-4 for each response. Students are expected to achieve level 3 and above for their grade level.

Finally in the school, students in grade 1-8 have been offered the opportunity to participate in a school-wide Science fair. Students can prepare their projects at home and register by March 8 to participate in our event in the gym. Forms are available to register their projects. Our School-wide event will be held on March 22 at 12:05.

In the classrooms:

JK/SK In the Jk/SK the students have been talking about ways they can be 'fancy' as they enjoy the books in the Fancy Nancy series written Jane O'Connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. We have also been exploring some non-fiction texts as we talk about dinosaurs through our read aloud of "Dinosaur Days" by Daina Manning and review the days of the week. Students were introduced to a traditional Hawaiian dance/song called the Hukilau. Here is the lyrics:

The Hukilau Song Jack Owens © 1948

Oh we're going to a Hukilau A huki huki huki huki Hukilau Everybody loves the Hukilau Where the laulau is the kaukau at the lû`au We throw our nets out into the sea And all the `ama`ama come a-swimming to me Oh, we're going to a Hukilau A huki huki huki Hukilau What a beautiful day for fishing That old Hawaiian way Where the Hukilau nets are swishing Down in old Lâ`ie bay

Students continue with the Jolly Phonics. We have covered the English sounds s, a, t, i, p, n, ck, e, h, r, m, d, g, o, u, l, f, b, ai, j, and oa. We have reviewed colours and days of the week. Our read alouds for the next couple weeks will include 'Cat in the Hat' and 'One fish, Two fish, Red fish, Blue Fish' by Dr Seuss.

Grade 2 Students participated in a read aloud of 'Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day' by Judith Viorst. Students have begun writing their own original story of a bad picture day. Students have created their own original catch phrase. I look forward to publishing their original stories in the near future on the blog. Group 1 continue to review word families and sight words. Group two is continuing to explore frequently misspelled words and practise spelling correctly. I have moved away from having a weekly spelling test as I know it creates anxiety in some students and my purpose is to make them aware of their mistakes, take ownership and correct them in their daily writing, rather than memorize a list of words to achieve perfect on a test. I have included a master list in the students English folder for them to refer to, as well as to practice at their leisure. As we work together I will have students highlight the words that they consistently spell correctly. You can assist by practising these words at home. A few students have demonstrated a keen interest in spelling. You can download resources online from the Canspell website or send me a note and I will send home lists to practice at home. I am hoping to expand our Spelling Bee competition next year to include Primary students.

Grade 7/8

Student continue to develop leadership skills through participating and organizing a variety of school activities. Students have organized the next character assembly to include a new student led anti-bullying initiative. We are continuing to be inspired by our reading of 'Free the Children' and examining the various literary techniques within the text. Students completed their second CASI Assessment. Students will continue to be involved in the marking of this assessment and looking at the criteria to bump up their marks in written response questions.

If you have any questions or concerns you can contact me by calling the school, sending a note in your child's agenda or email me at legaultd@renfrew.edu.on.ca.

"Kindness can change the world."

February is 'Random Act of Kindness' month at General Lake. In the next few days, students will be given ideas as to some of the things they can do as 'Random Acts of Kindness'. The front entrance bulletin board will offer a range of ideas provided by Mme Bernardin's and Mme Katherine's classes. Once students complete one of the acts they may sign their name on the display hearts. Let's see the power kindness can have at General Lake Public School!

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.
Leo F. Buscaglia

PEANUT FREE SCHOOL

Just a reminder that General Lake is a Peanut Free School. We have some students with life threatening allergies. It is imperative that we provide a safe school environment for all students, which means all lunches must be nut free. With the approaching Valentines Day celebration, many treats will be coming into the school. Please ensure that these treats are nut free. Also a reminder that Tim Horton's does not guarantee peanut free with their products, so please refrain from sending in their products to the school. Thanks for your attention to this matter.

February 3, 2012

Dear Parents /Guardians,

Students have been working very hard in the Core English program. Up and coming events in the school include pink and red day on Wednesday, February 14, public speaking on Feb 15 and 16 and Storytelling in the Valley presentation on February 24. As part of our February character work students brainstormed ideas for unexpected, kind things to do for people. Each idea was placed on a heart, then placed on the front bulletin board. When a student completes a RAK(random act of kindness) they can sign their name on the act that is posted on the front bulletin board.

JK/SK Students have reviewed the letters/sounds of s a t i p n c k e h r m d g o u l f b. We have added the sounds of ai. We have reviewed colours and completed a read aloud of Fancy Nancy. Sk's continue to practise their sight words.

Grade 2 We have begun working with the read aloud Fancy Nancy. We will be looking closer at the Super vocabulary and apply this to our written work. Storytelling evaluations will begin next week. I will then select a couple of students to present in the school wide event on Feb 15 at 12:05. The following is the rubric I will use to assess the work.

Name: _____

Grade 2 Storytelling rubric:

Interesting start: 1 2 3 4

Volume: 1 2 3 4

Story Elements: 1 2 3 4

Expression/gestures: 1 2 3 4

Grade 7/8 Students have completed their speeches on topic of choice. Assessments will begin next week, then I will choose a couple of students for the school-wide event on February 16 at 12:05. A rubric was sent home with students with their assignment guidelines.

Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock

ANANSI AND THE MOSS COVERED ROCK

Once upon a time, Anansi the spider was walking, walking, walking through the rain forest, when something caught his eye! It was a strange, moss-covered rock!

"How interesting!" Anansi said. "Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock!"

KABOOM! Everything went black &endash; Down fell Anansi, fast asleep!

An our later Anansi woke up, his head was spinning. He wondered what had happened!

"I was walking along the path when something caught my eye, I stopped and said "Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock."

KABOOM! Down fell Anansi again! But this time, when he woke up an hour later, he knew what was happening.

"Aha!' He said. "This is a magic rock! And whenever someone come along and says the magic words, "Isn't this a strange hmm-hmmmmm hmmmmm?" down they go! This is a good thing to know." said Anansi. "And I know just how to use it!"

So Anansi went walking, walking, walking through the rain forest until he came to Tiger's house. Tiger had in front of him a nice variety of food! Anansi loved all the food he saw before him, but was always too lazy to find them himself. Anansi said to Tiger, "Hello Tiger! It is very hot today. Don't you think so?"

"Yes, Anansi," said Tiger. "it is terribly hot!"

'I am going for a walk in the cool jungle," said Anansi. "Would you like to come?" "I certainly would!" said Tiger.

So Tiger and Anansi went walking, walking, walking through the rain forest. After a while Anansi led Tiger to a certain place.

"Tiger! Do you see what I see??'

"Oh yes Anansi!" said Tiger. " Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock!'

KABOOM! Down fell Tiger! Anansi ran back to Tiger's place and made off with all Tiger's food!!

An hour later, Tiger woke up, His head was spinning! Anansi was no where in sight. And when he got home, he found that every single bit of his food was gone! Tiger was very sad!

But Anansi was very happy! He couldn't wait to play his trick again! Once more Anansi went walking, walking, walking through the rain forest. This time he stopped at Elephant's house. At Elephant's feet was a great pail of bananas! Anansi loved bananas, but was always too lazy to pick them himself. So he said to elephant, "Hello Elephant! Isn't it hot today!" "It is!" Elephant agreed. "I am going for a walk in the cool forest" Anansi said "Would you like to come?" "That sound nice," aid Elephant "Tank you for inviting me Anansi!"

So Anansi and Elephant went walking, walking, walking through the rain forest. After a while Anansi led Elephant to a certain place. "Elephant! Look! Do you see what I see?"

Elephant looked. "Yes I do Anansi! Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock!" KABOOM! Down fell Elephant. Anansi ran back to Elephant's house and made off with the bananas!

An hour later Elephant woke up, His head was spinning! Anansi was nowhere in sight. And when he got home, he found that every single one of his bananas was gone! Elephant was very sad!

But Anansi was very happy! He couldn't wait to play his trick again!

He played it on Jaguar

He played it on Snake.

He played it on Fruit Bat.

He played it on Turtle.

He played it on every single animal in the rain forest! But all this time, watching from behind the leaves, was Little Spotted Deer. Little Spotted Deer is small and shy and very hard to see. She watched Anansi play his wicked trick again and again on all the other animals. Little Spotted Deer decided it was time for Anansi to learn a lesson!

So Little Spotted Deer went deep into the rain forest to where the coconut trees grow. She climbed a coconut tree and threw down a great many coconuts. She carried the coconuts home in a basket then she sat down beside them to wait.

In a little while, along came Anansi. Anansi's eyes lit up when he saw Little Spotted Deer's coconuts! Anansi loved coconuts, He loved to eat the tender while coconut meant and drink the sweet coconut milk inside. But he was much too lazy to gather the coconuts himself.

Instead he said "Hello Little Spotted Deer! It is so hot today!" Little Spotted Deer smiled, "It IS very hot, Anansi!" "I am going for a walk in the cool rain forest, would you like to come?" "Yes I would!" said Little Spotted Deer.

So Anansi and Little Spotted Deer went walking, walking, walking in the cool forest, After a while Anansi led Little Spotted Deer to a certain place. "Little Spotted Deer! Do you see what I see??" Little Spotted Deer knew all about Anansi's trick. She looked. "No Anansi, I do not see anything!" "You must see it. Look very carefully!" Little Spotted Deer looked. "No I still do not see anything' she said.

Anansi began to get angry. "You must see it! Look over here! Look right where I am pointing. Do you see it now?' "No, Anansi," said Little Spotted Deer. Anansi stomped his legs "You see it!! You just don't want to say it!"

"Say what?" said Little Spotted Deer. "You know!" "Is that what I am supposed to say?" 'Yes!" said Anansi. "All right. Then I will say it to make you happy. 'You know' " said Little Spotted Deer. "There! I said it! Are you satisfied?"

"NO!" Anansi shouted. 'You're not supposed to say 'You know!'"

"What am I supposed to say?"

"You're supposed to say, 'Isn't this a strange moss-covered rock!'"

KABOOM! Down fell Anansi.

Little Spotted Deer rain and got all the other animals. Together they went to Anani's house and took back all the good things he had stolen from them.

An hour later Anansi woke up. His head was spinning. Little Spotted Deer was no where in sight. And when he got home, he found his house was as empty as it was before.

But if you think Anansi learned his lesson, you're mistaken. Because he's still playing tricks to this very day!

January 10, 2012

Dear Parents/Guardians,

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I hope everyone had an enjoyable holiday. As you have probably heard General Lake experienced a tremendous loss at the sudden death of our Core French teacher Mrs. Grant. We will be holding a memorial service in the coming weeks to celebrate her life and the great impact she had through the work she did at General Lake. The date for the service is tentatively set for January 20.

Mme Haddad's French classes will be going ahead this week on Wednesday, as planned. If you are still interested in registering please do not hesitate to call the school and leave a message for Mme Haddad. This is an excellent opportunity for our parents to gain skills in speaking French.

Finally our November/December character assembly for initiative and caring has been rescheduled for this Friday, January 13th at 2:40. January's habit of Mind is respect.

In the kindergarten: Jk's and Sk's continue to use the jolly phonics action to recognize the letters s a t i p n c/k e h r m d g o u l f. Sk's have begun using the chalk and sock strategy to develop sight word recognition as well as to explore word families. We have begun reading together the predictable book Brown Bear, Brown Bear and we will be creating our own version to be sent home for the students to read with their families. We also had a shared reading of the following poem:

Grade 2:

Students in the grade 2 have begun a retelling of the story of Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock. Students are completing story boards to accompany their retelling. We are using this book in anticipation for the Public Speaking event that occurs every year at General Lake. I will post this story and students will have a copy in their English folders. I will choose several students from the class to participate in the school-wide storytelling/speech contest. Students will be judged and one student from each level will be chosen to represent our school at the Legion in their Public Speaking event. I will send a rubric in the next newsletter to outline my expectations for the oral storytelling activity.

As you are probably aware I have divided the class into 2 groups to better focus on their needs. One group is focusing on word families and sight words. The following is a list of the word families we are covering: AT, AP, AM. AN. AG, IG, IP, ID, IM, IB.THe following is the sight words the, of, and, a, to, in, is, you, that, he, it, was. The other group is focusing on spelling. Here are the words that we are covering: because, when, like, they, went, too, said, there, house, know, with, have, very, friend, my, would, are, want, friends,were, people, about,

play, was

Grade 7/8

Students in Grade 7/8 continue to work on their novel study of Craig Keilburgers Free The Children. We have begun focusing on grammar activities, as well as writing a speech on a topic of interest. All students will be expected to create a speech. I will choose several students from the class to participate in the school-wide speech contest. Students will be judged and one student from each level will be chosen to represent our school at the Legion in their Public Speaking event. I will send a rubric in the next newsletter to outline my expectations for the Speech.

December 12, 2011

December 12, 2011

Dear Parents,
This will be my last newsletter before the New Year. We have had an awesome year in the Core English up to this point. You may have heard about the little visitor that came to class this week. He is a Russian Blue Rat and his name is Chippy. Last year he inspired many story telling activities in the class and he is always a big hit with the students. The next couple of weeks are busy with holiday activities. On Wednesday we have registration at 4:30 for a French Course given by Mme Haddad. The cost is $60 with all funds being returned to the school. Thursday, at noon, is our Annual Christmas Concert. Parents and visitors are encouraged to bring in a canned food item to help support the local food bank. On Friday a grade 8 student, Jeris, and her General Lake theatre group will be presenting A Christmas Carol in the gym at 2:40pm for parents. Next week the fun will continue with a holiday sing along and slideshow on Tuesday and Thursday at 2:40. The English classes will be exploring The Mummer’s Song by Bud Davidge and rumour has it a mummer or 2 may appear at our Singalong. Our November/December character awards will take place on Wednesday at 2:40. Finally, Friday we will hold a red and green spirit day encouraging all students to wear red and green with points being counted for each class.

In the classes:
Kindergarten: Students are continuing to develop their sound symbol correspondence with the Jolly Phonics program using the letters s, a, t, I, ,p,n,c/k,e,h, r, m, d. We continue to work on the days of the week and numbers to ten. Sk’s have become working on sight word identification and phonics activities using Chalk and Sock activities. The sight words are the, of, and, a, to, and in.
Grade 2: Students continue to work on their levelled books and recording their books in their home reading journal. They have participated in a shared reading of The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. I have separated the class into two groups. One group is working on reading and comprehension type activities, while the other group is working on development of sight words and phonics activities to increase their reading level. They have completed work with the sight words the, of, and, a, to, and in and they have worked with words in the following word families: at, ap, am, an, an, ag.
Grade 7/8: Students have been continuing their reading of Craig Keilberger’s Free the Children. Students have been exploring the main idea of specific chapters and practiced recording the main idea through a CASI type question. Students will then work on examining the answers to their questions and marking the answers to gain insight into what makes a level 3 and 4 response.. The students have also been completing some Elf duties within the classroom and exploring the parts of a friendly letter.
Have a safe and happy holiday. I look forward to seeing everyone in the New Year.
Ms. Legault

November 28, 2011

November 28, 2011

Dear Parents,
Thank you to all the parents who stopped by during parent teacher interviews. It is wonderful to see so many supportive parents. If you didn’t get a chance, and have any concerns please feel free to contact me at the school and we can arrange a meeting. I am very pleased with how everyone is doing and I am enjoying all of my classes. It is a pleasure to teach all of the students. Around the school we had a very successful anti-bullying awareness week and a family event with Maria Hawkins. To promote awareness of Children’s Rights our Grade 7/8 leaders have organized a Vow of Silence to take place on Wednesday. More information can be accessed on the school blog. We are starting to get the holiday spirit beginning with the well attended Gift and Craft show on Saturday. It was great to see so many our our families out. Thanks again to our wonderful Parent Council for organizing this event and making it possible. On December 9 we will have a Spirit day, where students can dress as their favourite holiday character. On December 15 General Lake will be holding their Holiday concert at 2:00pm. The following week will be filled with various activities including singalongs, a slideshow and our combined November/December character assembly on Dec 21.

In the classes:

Kindergarten: Students are continuing to develop their sound symbol correspondence with the Jolly Phonics program using the letters s,a,t,I,,p,n,c/k,e,h. We have now completed work with the Hungry Caterpillar and I am sending home a book for the students to share at home. You can encourage reading of this book by drawing attention to the words by pointing. You can also try echo reading whereby, you read a line then your child repeats after you. More details about Echo reading are posted on the blog. We have also been working on the Days of the week and we sing a little rhyming song that goes like this to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star:
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday too.Wednesday, Thursday just for you.Friday, Saturday that's the end .Now let's say those days again!Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday!
Days of the week (to the tune of "The Addams Family") Days of the week, (snap snap)Days of the week, (snap snap)Days of the week,Days of the week,Days of the week. (snap snap)
There's Sunday and there's Monday,There's Tuesday and there's Wednesday,There's Thursday and there's Friday,And then there's Saturday.


Grade 2: Students have been working on building a paragraph using a topic sentence, three supporting details and a closing sentence. Students have also been doing work applying capitalization and punctuation to their work. You will notice when I am marking their work I am using an apple.or heart to show what they did well, then a tree symbol to show what they can work on the improve (room to grow). This week we will be doing work around Children’s Rights. We will be watching a video produced by Unicef called ‘’Children First’ that talks about the Rights all children as established by the United Nations. We have begun our home reading program. Students should receive 2 books at their approximate reading level to practice for the 2 weeks. I have also sent home sight words for certain students who need to practice.
Grade 7/8: Students have been continuing their reading of Craig Keilberger’s Free the Children. I have been drawing their attention to the various literary elements used in the book including similes and metaphors. We will continue this work examining the symbolism, imagery, paradox, irony and foreshadowing that is used throughout the various chapters. The students are also excited to be leading the Vow of Silence, and they will soon have the results tallied and organized of the Climate survey they distributed on November 17.
Have a great week Ms. Legault

ANTI-BULLYING WEEK

November 14, 2011

Dear Parents,

An exciting event-filled week here at General Lake culminating in a special family performance with Maria Hawkins on Thursday Night at 6:00. Throughout the week the students will be involved in a number of activities designed to bring awareness to the problem of bullying. Among the activities students will make trace a hand to be displayed in the front foyer; participate in a student led presentation about bullying on Wed; and wear pink and be part of a group picture in the shape of a peace sign outside on Thursday.

Thanks to students for completing a card of the person they wished to honour. All cards are displayed prominently on the front bulletin board. At our Remembrance Day Service students breathed a quiet thank-you as they proceeded back to their classes.

Also a reminder that our Book Fair is taking place in the library from November 14 -18.

Finally any parents wishing to speak with me on Friday should return the bottom form to ensure a time. I will be available for most of the day in the office. I will post my schedule outside the office.

JK/SK Students have been completing their retell of the Very Hungry Caterpillar and sharing with the class. Students are encouraged to use the words first, next, then and finally in their oral retells. Students also participated in a reading of 'Have You filled a Bucket Today?' by Carol Mc Cloud. The story talks about filling everyone's imaginary buckets by doing good deeds and positive actions everyday. More activities will follow particularly in December when the Habit of Mind is caring.

Grade 2 Students have participated in an echo reading of a hilarious story called Pigs APlenty, Pigs Galore. Students should have this text in their green folders and I encourage you to practise reading the text at home using the echo reading technique. Echo reading is basically where a skilled reader models small chunks of text and then the student echoes the model by reading the same line. It is designed to improve fluency and expression while eliminating the pressure and frustration of reading an entire passage. I will post more information shortly on this blog about this technique. Students also participated in a Read aloud of "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" by Carol McCloud. The story talks of filling everyone's imaginary bucket by the things we say and do towards others. More activities to follow during December when our Habit of Mind is Caring.

Grade 7/8 Students are working on a short presentation designed to educate a younger class about bullying. Students identified the success criteria for their presentation, then they used the information from last weeks presentation from the Rec Plex, as well as the parent information brochure to develop their own presentation suitable for their audience. On Wednesday groups will present to their respective classes.

Here is the Interview Request Form for Friday November 18 in Ms Legault's office.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Interview Request Form: (Ms. Legault will confirm your time either via note or by phone)

Student Name: ________________________

Grade/Teacher: _______________________

Parent Name: _________________________

Phone Number: ________________________

I would like to attend an interview with Ms. Legault at the following time on Friday, November 18, 2011.

Time: ___________

November 1, 2011

November 1, 2011

Dear Parents/Guardians,
A number of things are happening school-wide. First we will be having our Remembrance Day assembly Friday, November 11 at 10:30. Parents are always welcome to attend our service. In preparation, students are encouraged to fill out an information card about someone in their family they would like to honour on this day because of their Military Service. More information should go home with your child or is available on the school blog at http://www.generallakenews.blogspot.com/.

The following week November 14-18 is our Anti-bullying week. Please mark off your calendars for the evening of November 17, as General Lake will host a Free Performance by our favourite Blues Lady Maria Hawkins. Maria visited our school last year and the students were so enthralled with the performance that we invited her back for our family event. Students should wear PINK on this day in support of anti-bullying.

Also during that week we have a Bookfair throughout the week, as well as Parent/Teacher Interviews on Thursday, November 17 from 4-6pm and Friday, November 18 during the P.A. Day.

Jk/SK: Students compared the book of Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown and the Halloween parody Goodnight Goon by Michael Rex. This week students will be exploring The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. Students continued to work on the Jolly Phonics activities as well as the review of sight words. Students practiced a Remembrance Day song entitled This Little Sign of Peace (to the tune of This Little Light of Mine).

Grade 2: Students completed their Pigs and photos were taken of the little stuffies. Students participated in reading the Story of the Three Little Pigs. You can practice reading these at home. In a couple of weeks students will complete written instructions about how to make a Pig, but we took a break from the Pig activities for Halloween. Students used a Venn Diagram to compare the book Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and the Halloween parody Goodnight Goon by Michael Rex.

Grade 7/8: Students have continued their reading and discussions of Craig Keilburger's Free the Children. Interesting discussions have taken place around where our clothing has been manufactured and what the possible implications for the people if we choose to boycott the manufacturer. As part of the Anti-bullying week activities students in this class will explore the different types of bullying. They will be involved in educating other students about bullying and surveying the school to see its prevalence.

October 17, 2011

October 17, 2011

Dear Parents,

Welcome to the third edition of the newsletter. Students are continuing to work hard and to get into the habit of bringing home their folders. Its a bit of a challenge with the Kindergartens as they are only here half time but I think we are starting to get into the routine. A couple things to note around the school we had a Ned presentation last Wed. Students were inspired with the message to Never give up, Encourage others, and Do the right thing. As part of the presentation students can purchase Yo-yo's. They will be on sale until next Wed. Proceeds go back to the Ned company. Grade 7/8 students are organizing a Food Drive called Halloween for Hunger for the local food bank. You can send along your canned foods anytime or on Halloween you can watch for the students as they trick or treat for canned goods. Finally, if you are not aware General Lake also has a blog designed to keep everyone up to date with the events happening around the school. You can access this at www.generallakenews.blogspot.com.

In the classes:

Kindergarten: Students are continuing to develop their sound symbol correspondence. We have now completed work with S,T, I, E. For the next couple of weeks we will work on P, N, C, and K. We have been working on identifying the sight words including the, I, am, as, it, you can. You can reinforce this at home during your read alouds, by drawing attention to these letters, as well as the sight words. Here's one of our favourite songs we refer to as 'serious business':

Arubisha, Arubisha, Arubisha, Sha Arubisha, Arubisha, Arubisha, Sha: Feet Together, Head up, Arubisha, Arubisha, Arubisha, Sha; Arubisha, Arubisha, Arubisha, Sha, Feet together, Head Up, Shoulders back,....It continues adding different actions each time. Ask your child about the last action. It will definitely put a smile on their face.

Grade 2: Student have continued their author study of Phoebe Gillman. We began making a sock pig which we will continue to work with throughout the week creating profiles as well as writing using the procedural writing format to describe how we made the pig. You can assist with this by asking your child to explain how they made their pig including list of materials and steps involved. We also will be doing mini-lessons involving syllabication and review of vowels and consonants. This will reinforce some of the work done in their Immersion class.

Grade 7/8: Students are pretty excited about the up and coming 'Halloween For Hunger'. Students are asked to collect canned food instead of trick or treating for candy this year as part of their 'WE day' promise to act locally. Students are also continuing to read Craig Keilburgers 'Free The Children' book sparking many interesting conversations, as well as written activities. You can reinforce the work in school by talking with your child about the issues we have been discussing including children's rights, child labour and poverty. Students in this class have been responsible for the morning announcements and will take a leading role in our up and coming Character Assembly on October 31st.

Thank you for your continued support. Hope to see everyone at the Parent Involvement Committee symposium on October 22 at Fellowes High School. More information and registration available at www.renfrew.edu.on.ca

Have a great week Ms. Legault

October 5, 2011

October 5, 2011

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The Kindergarten Core English program continues to focus on the Jolly Phonics program. We have now covered the first six sounds including s a t i p n. Students have also been exposed to the Pre-primer sight words of I, am, as, it, you, can, so which we will continue to practice through poems. One of our favourite songs is:

Hello neighbor

What do you say? (clap!)

It’s going to be a happy day!

Greet your neighbor

And boogie on down

Give ‘em a bump,

And turn around!

Students are also excited to be singing “This Little Sign of Peace’ which we hope to present at an assembly soon.

The Grade 2 Core English classes have been reading Jillian Jiggs text by Phoebe Gilman. Students have continued their work with retells and they are going to work on a comparison of two books using a Venn diagram. The students have expressed an interest in making a sock pig. I have included a copy of the instructions. Students may bring in the necessary items to make their own pigs or complete their pigs at home. I would love to have the students then explain how they made their pig as well as create profile details about their pig including name, birthday, favourite food, favourite activity etc...

I have completed most of the sight word testing for the Grade 2 class. Your child’s results is inside his/her folder. Once I complete all the reading assessments I will send home books for you to read together.

The Grade 7/8 Core English class is getting into their ‘Me to We’ work by planning their first initiative of Halloween for Hunger. Students are collecting non-perishable food items for the local food bank. Please send along any items you may have right away or on Halloween Night be prepared when the grade 7/8 students come by trick or treating for canned goods, instead of treats. Thanks in advance for your support. The students are also involved in a novel study of Craig Kielburgers book ‘Free The Children’. This non-fiction book was given to the students during their recent trip to Toronto and chronicles the story of the Free the Children initiative.

Thanks Ms. Legault

September 19, 2011

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Its been a great couple weeks in the Core English class and the programs are starting to get into full swing. The Kindergartens and the Grade 2's have been working on different retelling activities around the book 'The Kissing Hand' by Audrey Penn. The grade 7/8 class have been busy doing peace related activities including a comparison of the speeches The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln and "I have a Dream Speech" Martin Luther King" They have also been discussing and preparing for their class trip to Toronto coming up September 26th and September 27th for Free the Children "Weday". More information available at www.weday.com. They also did a fabulous job leading the school in our school wide cheer leading event on Friday September 16th. Since the programs are varied, I will be dividing the newsletter into sections Kindergarten. Grade 2, Grade 7/8, from now on, so its easier to read what is happening in your child's classroom. Homework will not be given until October. I look forward to meeting everyone for the Open House on Wednesday September 21.

This week in

Kindergarten: Jolly phonics sound/letter activities S, A, T

Sight words: am as my can you so Read Aloud Jillian Jiggs by Phoebe Gilman

Grade 2 : Author study Phoebe Gilman Jillian Jiggs Rhyming word activities Sight word review continued PM Benchmark evaluations

Grade 7/8 Free the Children awareness activities to prepare for Monday's trip. Permission forms to go home early in the week.

See everyone on Wednesday.

Thanks Ms. Legault

Here We Go Round the Letter Ss Kindergarten

Here We Go 'Round the Letter Ss
Tune: Mulberry Bush
written by Mrs. Jones


Here we go 'round the letter Ss,
Letter Ss, letter Ss,
Here we go 'round the letter Ss,
Ss-Ss Ss-Ss-Ss Ss Ss


Sun begins with letter Ss,
Letter Ss, letter Ss,
Sun begins with letter Ss,
Ss-Ss Ss-Ss-Ss Ss Ss


Soap begins with letter Ss,
Letter Ss, letter Ss,
Soap begins with letter Ss,
Ss-Ss Ss-Ss-Ss Ss Ss


Seahorse starts with letter Ss,
Letter Ss, letter Ss,
Seahorse starts with letter Ss,
Ss-Ss Ss-Ss-Ss Ss Ss


Seal starts with letter Ss,
Letter Ss, letter Ss,
Seal starts with letter Ss,
Ss-Ss Ss-Ss-Ss Ss Ss


Saxaphone starts with letter Ss,
Letter Ss, letter Ss,
Saxaphone starts with letter Ss,
Ss-Ss Ss-Ss-Ss Ss Ss


Sunflower starts with letter Ss,
Letter Ss, letter Ss,
Sunflower starts with letter Ss,
Ss-Ss Ss-Ss-Ss Ss Ss


Sombrero starts with letter Ss,
Letter Ss, letter Ss,
Sombrero starts with letter Ss,
Ss-Ss Ss-Ss-Ss Ss Ss