Spring Fling

UPDATE: Spring Fling is being held June 15, 2011. Mark your calendars with this date. Sorry for any confusion with dates ( I had posted the incorrect date previously on this blog. Luckily the mistake was caught and the hard copy of the newsletter is correct). It's sure to be a fun-filled family event at General Lake. Thanks to the Parent Council for all their hard work putting this amazing event together.

May 9, 2011

May 9, 2011

Dear Parents/Guardians
I am away May 10, so the homework packages and the hard copy of newsletter will be delayed one day.

Thanks to everyone for supporting our Fundraiser for Technology. The final numbers are not in yet, but we estimate we raised about $700.00. Special thanks to Claudia and Erin for volunteering to process the orders and count the money. If anyone has any ideas for fundraising we would love to hear from you. The next Parent Council Meeting is at the end of the month.

Another great week in Core English as the students are working hard preparing for the EQAO. Students in all grades are being introduced to sample questions. For the next couple of weeks we will be working on both persuasive and descriptive writing. Primary students have been working on Persuasive Writing (Writing designed to persuade or convince) I introduced the lesson by having the kids decide whether Chippy (the Rat) would make a good Yard Patrol(Peer Mediator) and then they developed their argument either for or against. Lots of creative ideas were put forward and we enjoyed a laugh or two as we worked. Junior students have been working on descriptive writing by describing their favourite memory from this year. We spent a couple of days substituting some 'SALSA' words to enhance our writing. Instead of 'laughed' we discovered 'heehawed' and instead of 'funny' we added 'jocularity'. Again lots of fun was had with the new super vocabulary.

This week the Primary will be working on descriptive words (adjectives). Here's a copy of the funny old camp song we sang together with descriptive adjectives:
Great green gobs of greasy grimey gopher guts
Mutilated monkey meat
Little birdies dirty feet
Great green gobs of greasy grimey gopher guts
Shucks I forgot my spoon

Up and Coming events
May 3 New 'Yard Patrol' schedule has been established. Students should check outside Mme Legault's room or listen for announcements for their duties.
May 13 Dress like your favourite Superstar
May 20 Hawaiian Day and Maria Hawkins Performance (Anti-bullying theme)
May 23 Victoria day Holiday
May 27 Pyjama Day
End of the month Character assembly 'Compassion' (date to be announced): Several students in Mme Bernardin's class have been working on a cheer to present to the school during the assembly.
May 30-June 10 EQAO Primary and Junior Assessment
June 15 Spring Fling: More information to follow. But mark this date on your calendar. It's sure to be a fun filled event for the whole family.
June 21 Talent Show: More details to follow. I will probably hold auditions the week before.
June 24 Grade 8 Graduation

Homework
Grade 1 Reading/ Sight Word Worksheet
Grade 2 Reading/ Spelling Word Worksheet
Grade 3 EQAO Package/Reading Incentive Program
Grade 4 EQAO Package/Reading Incentive Program
Grade 5 EQAO Package/Reading Incentive Program
Grade 6 EQAO Package/Reading Incentive Program

Thanks for your continued support
Ms Legault

May 3, 2011

May 3, 2011

Dear Parents,

Just one last appeal to everyone to get those orders into the school for our Technology Fundraiser. The date has been extended until Friday, May 6 . Every little bit counts. Thanks to all those who have already returned their orders.

Monday was Music Monday, a day designated to promote awareness of the importance of music in the schools. Students in schools all over Canada sang the song written by Luke Doucet entitled "Tomorrow is Coming". In Core English many of the classes examined the lyrics looking for the main idea. Some students on Friday had the opportunity to create a media text (poster) to inform students, staff, and parents about Music Monday. I gave copies of the lyrics to those students who wanted. You can access the song at Itunes for 99 cents. All proceeds go back to support Music Monday. For more information see http://musicmakesus.ca/musicmonday/

Homework

Grade 1 Independent Sight words (Chosen by student) Reading Program

Grade 2 Independent Spelling words Chosen by student) Reading program

Grade 3 -6 EQAO Prep package/ Reading Incentive Program

Mme Malette's class completed their non-fiction brochure. Students are reminded to hand those in by Wednesday, if they have not yet done so. We will not be using any more class time for completion.

Thanks and have a wonderful week
Ms. Legault

April 25, 2011

Dear Parents/Guardians





I hope everyone had a safe and restful holiday.





Don't forget to return those fundraising orders in this Wednesday. The money we raise is all going toward Smartboards for the classrooms. I will continue this week adding technology to my classes. The students are very enthusiastic about these lessons, although they could be so much better with the Smartboard. I am hoping it will inspire everyone to commit to getting smartboards for the classes.





Homework


Grade 1 Sight word review (Students have chosen 8 words from the list that they need to practice. Students who have mastered all grade level words have created a list for spelling practice) Home reading program


Grade 2 Sight word/Sentence writing (Students who ave difficulty with some sight words will choose 8 words to practice for the week. Students who have mastered the words, have picked 8 words to practice spelling. Home reading program


Grade 3 EQAO work to be returned on Thursday Home Reading Incentive Program


Grade 4 EQAO work Home Reading Incentive Program


Grade 5 EQAO work Home Reading Incentive Program


Grade 6 EQAO work Home Reading Incentive Program





Have a great week


Ms. Legault

INFER SONG

The Infer Song

(Tune: My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean)

Sometimes when you're reading a story

The words are not all there for you

So being a good book detective

Will help you to find any clue

Infer! Infer!

Filling in what is not in the book

Infer! Infer!

It's taking a much closer look

Some authors leave clues in their pictures

Some authors leave clues in their text

They give you just part of the story

And want you to fill in the rest

Infer! Infer!

Filling in what is not in the book

Infer! Infer!

It's taking a much closer look

April 17, 2011

April 17, 2011

Happy Easter!

This week in the Primary Core English I will not be assigning homework due to the holiday.

Just so you know, in the Primary and Junior classes we have been discussing Non fiction writing and its features including captions, glossary, index and table of contents. Primary students had the opportunity to explore non fiction writing, while the Juniors are designing their own brochures. You can help at home by drawing your child's attention to these features and discussing their purposes.

We have also been continuing our work with inferring. Students participated in a read aloud of 'Something Beautiful' by Sharon Dennis Wyeth. This moving picture book offers a shining testament to the ability of human beings to find "something beautiful" in even the most unlikely places. As a follow up students then learned 'The Infer Song', which I have enclosed on the blog and on the back of this newsletter.

This week I have been introducing the classes to different media clips that I downloaded from the Ontario Educational Resource site that I recommended in the last newsletter. Ask your child about the technology they have viewed in the classes. The students seem to respond enthusiastically to these lessons. I have downloaded them on my laptop and I project them through my projector on the screen. These same resources can be accessed more effectively through a Smartboard and could be more interactive with touch screen capabilities.

The Parent Council is currently organizing a fundraiser to help raise money to equip the school with Smartboards. I strongly encourage everyone to support this initiative to help support our students. There's a variety of products available in the brochure and the more money we raise, the more technology we can purchase. I would love to see every classroom in the school equipped with this technology. Orders are due April 27th. If 100 people sell just twenty dollars through the holiday we'll have just about enough for 2 Smart boards. Imagine what can happen if we all participate!

Finally be sure to check on the blog for updates on our classroom visitor. Three students wrote some information about Chippy. More information to come, as I post the Primary 'Diary entries of a Rat'. Thanks to all the students for their hard work in completing these.

Have a safe and Happy Holiday!

Ms. Legault

All about our friend Chippy

Chippy is very calm. Chippy is a Russian Blue Rat. I think he is cute. People think rats are ugly. People are wrong. Rats are very smart. Emily M

Chippy is a Russian Blue rat. He is very calm. He is cute. He has a long tail. He eats seeds, carrots and lettuce. My Mom thinks rats are scary. Chippy is a boy. He is 5 months old. When he is really stressed red liquid comes out of his nose. I hope he never gets stressed at our school. Emily N

Chippy likes to play hide and seek. He likes to twitch his nose. He likes to eat a lot. He likes to climb. Chippy likes kids. He likes to go in his dome. He likes to smell kids. Jeremy

Stay tune for our 'Diary of a Rat' coming soon.

APRIL12, 2011

April 12, 2011

DEAR PARENTS/GUARDIANS,

Thanks you to all students who handed in their contest entry for the Waste Recovery Centre Recycling Contest. I will get those delivered and I will let you know as soon as I hear of any winning entries.

Just a reminder the Book fair is going on in the school this week April 11-15. Come on out and support the school by purchasing some of the excellent books available for the students.

Our character trait this month is Perseverance.

Homework

Students in grade 1 and 2 are invited to create their own journal entry/diary entry for our new friend Chippy. I have enclosed the worksheet. Students may decorate the page as they wish. I have reminded students to use their Pre-primer/Primer word lists to assist with spelling.

Grade 1 Diary entry Reading A-Z program

Grade 2 Diary entry Reading A-Z program

At a workshop on the PA day I was lucky enough to attend a workshop on the EQAO assessment and best practices. As recommended by the presenter, I am including all students in the EQAO Prep homework. It is no longer considered a grade 3 and 6 assessment, but rather a primary and junior assessment and the format and review will be beneficial to all students. I will introduce the work on the first day. Students bring it home to review with parents to give you a better idea of the expectations. Students will return their work on the designated day for review. I will then be able to address the gaps in their learning. I will begin this next week for the grade 1 and 2 students.

Grade 3 EQAO Prep/ Home reading incentive program

Grade 4 EQAO Prep/Home reading incentive program

Grade 5 EQAO Prep/Home reading incentive program

Grade 6 EQAO Prep/Home reading incentive program

Finally, another resource I was introduced to on the PA day is the Ontario Educational Resource Bank. It is a password protected web site with resources for teachers, students, and parents of students in Ontario District School boards. I will send home the user id and password in the newsletter. As it is an Ontario resource funded by the taxpayer, we have been asked to keep passwords protected. You can access the website at http://resources.elearningontario.ca.

Thanks for your support.

April 5, 2011

April 5,2011 Dear Parents/Guardians, A short week at General Lake with the PA Day on Friday. Students in the Core English classes were excited by an unexpected visitor to their class. He's furry and friendly and he seems to be adjusting well to the classroom environment. His name is Chippy and he is a Russian Blue rat and he seems very excited to be in the classroom. The students have shown great respect for his needs keeping the noise down. He is part of our introduction to nonfiction writing and text features. Text features are parts of a text that help the reader locate information and learn information. Students are learning to identify features such as captions, bold/highlighted words, glossaries, table of contents, photographs, labelled diagrams, charts, index, maps, headings, titles, fonts. You can help your child by drawing their attention to these features in their reading and discussing how they help the reader. We have finished all the sight words to the end of grade one. Please continue to review the sight words at home. Homework Earth Day Contest Entries due April 14, 2011 Grade 1 Reading Grade 2 Reading Grade 3 At Home reading Incentive Program EQAO Prep Grade 4 At Home reading Incentive Program Return 'Student in Good Standing' Form for Yard Patrol Grade 5 At Home reading Incentive Program Return 'Student in Good Standing ' Form Grade 6 At Home reading Incentive Program EQAO Prep Enjoy your week, Ms. Legault

March 29, 2011

March 29, 2011

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Students in Core English have just about completed their recounts. Hopefully I will get an opportunity to publish some of the works on the blog soon. Students also examined the parts of a recount and should be able to name several different types of recounts including a diary, newspaper account and a journal. Primary students enjoyed the read aloud of the Diary of a Fly by Doreen Cronin which is an imaginative recount of the fictitious life of a fly. We will be doing more work with this book this week, as well as creating our own Diary of a Rat. More information to follow. Yard Patrol training is now being extended to the grade 4 students. I will use some class time to be training the students in conflict mediation strategies, as well as practising some roleplays with the primary students about how they can use the Yard Patrol. Although I am the English teacher, I feel very passionate about educating students in solving their problems and managing conflict effectively. I feel this training works well in the language program by developing effective communicating and problem solving skills. I will be extending a training session to other classes (grade 4 and up) during first recess on Wednesday at first nutrition break for students interested in learning the strategies to participate as a Yard Patrol. All students involved in the program must have a 'Student in Good Standing' form returned to the school by next Monday.

Special thanks to Mrs. Lavoie and Mrs Kernaghan for all their assistance replenishing the Reading A-Z books for our borrow-a-book library. These are a valuable and well used resource to the students. Thanks for volunteering your time for the students.

Also at last nights Parent Council Meeting it was brought to my attention that parents may be interested in accessing the EQAO website in preparation for the Grade 3 and Grade 6 test. On the site there are assessment samples, as well as information for parents. The test will occur at the end of May beginning of June. Specific dates will be announced closer to the dates.

Here is the site: http://www.eqao.com/

Homework Earth Day Contest Entries due April 14, 2011 (See previous newsletter for information)

Grade 1 Reading Sight Word Worksheet

Grade 2 Reading Sight Word Spelling Worksheet

Grade 3 At Home reading Incentive Program EQAO Prep Booklet (Due Thursday)

Grade 4 At Home reading Incentive Program Return 'Student in Good Standing' Form Practice Peer Mediation Script

Grade 5 At Home reading Incentive Program Return 'Student in Good Standing ' Form

Grade 6 At Home reading Incentive Program EQAO Prep (Due Wednesday)

Ms. Spencer's class will begin a novel study next week. Students can choose to bring in a novel or one will be provided next week. Enjoy your week Ms. Legault

March 22, 2011

March 22, 2011

Dear Parents/Guardians,


Welcome back. I hope everyone had a restful March Break.


This week students are working on a recount or newstelling. Students told their story orally, then used a framework to plan their writing addressing the questions who, what, where, when and why. As a sample in the junior grades I used the crisis in Japan as a model. I posted some of the teaching resources on my blog.

Environmental Contest : Students in grades 1-3 are invited to participate in a drawing contest sponsored by the Waste Recovery Centre. Students interested in participating can pick up the template with rules from Ms. Legault. The poster should encourage recycling in public spaces or at special events.






Students in grades 4-6 invited to submit a 25 second environmental radio ad focusing on promoting recycling at special events. Students interested can pick up the entry form and rules from Ms. Legault.


All entries are due to Ms. Legault by April 14, 2011.

Thanks again to all students who submitted a Black Inventor Project to our Museum. The Museum will be set up for another week on the gym stage. Parents may check in at the office during breaks or after school if you wish to have a self-guided tour. I hope to post pictures shortly on the blog of the presentations.

Homework:


Grade 1 Sight word worksheet /Reading Program


Grade 2 Sight word spelling worksheet/ Reading Program


Grade 3 Home Reading Incentive Program


Grade 4 Home Reading Incentive Program


Grade 5 Home Reading Incentive Program


Grade 6 Home Reading Incentive Program

Teaching Resources for the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami | Edutopia

In the wake of the March 11, 2011 disaster in Japan, and the ensuing nuclear crisis, Ms Legault's classroom will be giving the students an opportunity to gain deeper understanding of their world through discussion.

I refer to the following blog post as a guide to our inquiry at each grade level.

Teaching Resources for the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami | Edutopia

ONE DROP

ONE DROP

Limericks by Mme. Malette's Class

There once was a girl named Emily

Who once got stung by a bee

She let out an ouch

She lay on the couch

And now she can no longer see

By Emily




There once was a girl named Emma

Who had a sister named Femma

Then she went on her bike

And had a big sike

She knew she would not get in that dilemna.

by Emma


One day there was a boy named Kale

Who liked to drink ginger ale

He drank it in bed

And it spilled on his head

Now that poor boy named Kale is in jail.

by Abby


There once was a boy named Kale

Who liked to go for a sail

He had a wish

To capture a fish

But then he got eaten by a whale.

By Maddy and Kale


There once wss a boy named Gared

Whose best friend was named Jarod

They were such big fools

Always near pools

Poor Gared and his dear friend Jarod


There once was a black little bat

Who was mixed with a little black cat

He tried to fly

He went bye bye

Because he was incredibly fat


There once was a kid named Cale

Who drank too much gingerale

He drunk it all

He got too tall

He had to go on sale

By Jarod


There once was a boy named Jack

Who let out a giant WHACK

He hit the ball

There was a fall

His body was blue and black

By Danielle


There was a strong boy at our school

Who acted like a fool

He pushed a kid

Oh yes he did

And then he fell in the pool

By Colby


There once was a girl named Maddy

Who always acted crabby

One day she was mad

So she acted very bad

And her new name was Baddy

By Maddy


There once was a boy named Billy

He always acted so silly

He walked to school

Because he was cool

Waiting to see his best friend Willy

by Liz

Once Billy went to his school
And he tried to act so very cool
He saw his friend Willy
They acted all silly
And they laughed a lot like a fool
By David

There once was a girl named Sarah
Who got bit by the evil fara
She went to her house
She saw a big mouse
And she named the big mouse Lara
By Sarah and Emily

There once was a girl named Alexis
Who lived in the great state of Texas
She had no hope
Till she found a jackalope
And then she drove home in a Lexus
by Alexis

There once was a girl named Danielle
Who loved her cockerspaniel
She called it Maddy
It was always crabby
She should have named it Sunielle
by Maddy and Danielle

Sometimes I wear a a bright yellow vest
And sometimes I can be a naughty pest
When I go to school
I act like a fool
But to my friends I am always the best
By Remi

MARCH 8, 2011

TWIN DAY ON FRIDAY AT GENERAL LAKE

Only a few days until March break and the excitement is definitely in the air. On Friday we will be holding a Twin day. Students are encouraged to dress alike and participate in the fun! It should be a double fun day!!

I have set up the Black History Museum in the gymnasium. Classes are encouraged to go with their teachers during their scheduled gym time to cut down on disruption to physical education classes. It will be a self guided tour and hopefully very informative. Parents are welcome to stop by during the break time or after school to view the exhibit. Be sure to check in at the office as we are trying to closely monitor all visitors in the school for the safety of our children.

In the Junior classes this week students have been working on poetry. We have focused on similes, metaphors, personification and limericks up to this point. You can read some of our limericks on the blog.

In the Primary classes, students had an opportunity to participate in centres. These include reading, writing, building, and puppetry activities. During this time I have an opportunity to listen to students read individually. Students are really progressing. It's quite a joy to see the gains the students have made. They get very excited about it as well. I will send a note with individual students as I meet with them to let you know the progress they have made. I don't anticipate I will get through all the students so if you don't hear from me, I will be continue to assess after the break.

I had the pleasure of attending the GLPA committee meeting last Thursday and I was surprised to learn that many of our current parents are stepping down in their roles due to postings and other commitments. They have done a phenomenal job in their roles porviding invaluable services to the children including pizza lunches, spaghetti dinners, and other fundraising ventures. We will miss them greatly. That being said. I was also surprised to hear that we are in desperate need of replacements to step forward in order to be ready in September to take over. From what I was told, many of these things we come to enjoy and expect at General Lake for our children may not be possible without the GLPA and the parental support. The next meeting is on March 28 at 6:00 pm (School Council Meeting is at 5:30pm) and we really need people to come out to help fill some of the postitions and to help continue providing the excellent sevices to our children. We would love to see you even if you can only provide minimal support. If we all do just a little, it can make a tremendous difference to our kids.

Finally, I will not be assigning homework this week and for the Break. Students and parents have worked very hard and I think a break is in order. Have a safe and restful holiday and just enjoy some time playing with your kids.

Grade 5 Adventures

The Shrinking Adventure by Kale

One day Zac, Braeden and I go for a walk. We see a light and we go over and touch it and we shrink. We get attacked by a monster and I get eaten and I go to its brain and make it beat itself up and then I kill it. Then we go to a scary forest and see one million monsters. We killed all of them. So after we ran I got shot, bit and stabbed. I go to the anthole. The ants heal me. We go in to look for the same light so we can grow, but then we see the light explode. Then we saw 500 pieces flying. We split up to look for the pieces then we find an army of 300 million people. We all split up to find all the pieces. We travel through poisonous swamps, deserts and oceans and a volcano.

I meet a kracken. I kill it and now we have 500 pieces. It is built. The light is a monster you have to kill it to grow back to normal size. It hammers us then we kill it. We grow back. Then out of no where gun fire. The bullet goes through my head. THE END.

The Journey of the Mysterious Frame by Elizabeth

Dear Journal, It's Ryan again. I'm really missing Ami since she moved. She moved to Hollywood to try to live her dream of being a photographer. We went on crazy adventures that no one could imagine. Like the time we went to the abandoned house of Ghost John. It was crazy and when we were there I found a map. I didn't tell Ami about it but it's probably leading to our next adventure. Well, it's 11:00 pm and I should probably get some rest.

10:00 am...Bizzz...I open my phone as I'm half asleep. Dear Ryan, I'm going to the studio today for photography class. Talk to me at 4:00 pm. I quickly text back, "Ami, I really need to tell you something. It's eating me in my sleep." She texts back, "Hurry, just tell me." "I found a map...it has a picture of a ghost with a cross. Got any ideas?" She doesn't answer. "RYAN!" my dad calls, "You have to get to the shop!"

Oh ya, my dad owns a fishing shop. I work there on weekends.

At about 4:05pm I get a text back. I explained to her how I found the map. I took a picture of it and mailed it to her with the phone. This may lead to our next adventure.

"Ryan I got it! I know what the picture is about! It's from the abandoned shack an old man who owned it with his wife. Now they haunt it and there are a lot of clues there!"

" That's great Ami! How far away is it?"

"It's actually 5 hours from where I live. It also says there is an old crate with another map in it, but people are too scared to go. Listen Ryan, tonight I'll sneak out of my house and drive there."

" Okay, but be careful!"

I'm sweating to death! I'm too scared there could be traps or worse, they could be waiting for her....Its 12:00 pm and she says she's at the shack. They're waiting for me Ryan!!They really are!! Be brave! We did this stuff before! Ya, easy for you to say! I'm the one out here freezing and they're waiting for me!

"I got it!"

" What?"

"I got the crate! I'm trying to open it. There were traps everywhere! Luckily I brought my spywear glasses!"

I started texting her like crazy. Fifteen minutes later she answers.

"I opened it and found an old picture frame. I feel like they're surrounding me! I feel like they're following me! They want this back Ryan and they want it now! Well at least we saw some history".

She then took the frame and took it to the library to research it. The librarian stared at the picture frame for a long time when I showed it to her. It was almost closing time so the librarian cleaned the floors. As she did, she slipped and the picture frame smashed to pieces, slowly sinking in the floor. Then the floor opened.

"There it is!" she cried! "The missing stones!"

After that Ami and Ryan were in the newspapers, but when Ami looked through the stones she found a map. Their journey is not over yet!

The Walk by Jasmine

One day Leslie and Fiona went on a walk. But on the way they felt like they were being watched or followed. They stopped and looked back. Nothing was there! So they kept on walking, but they heard a branch snap. But then....A dog ran out of the bush. Fiona screamed!

"Oh, it's only a dog,"said Fiona.

Leslie looked to see if the dog had a tag. There wasn't a tag so Fiona and Leslie took the dog with them. They asked everyone in the town, but no one claimed the dog. So Leslie and Fiona decided to keep the lost wild dog. The End.

A Mouse named Mousey by Zac C

Once upon a time there was a cute mouse walking in the park. That mouse was the nicest mouse in Cheeseland. But one day something bad happened to that mouse. Mousey became evil.

How did he become evil? It was at school. It was first break. There was a bad mouse named Cheddar. He was very mean and scary. Mousey was terrified when Cheddar walked up to him. Cheddar told him the worst story of his life:

"Once upon a time there was a mouse named Mousey", said Cheddar. "Mousey hated everybody in Cheeseland country. The only person he liked was Cheddar. The End:"

After hearing that Mousey changed. He became evil. Then it looked like he was transforming into a monster. He looked at everybody. He had stitches on his face. He had red eyes. He had razor sharp nails and razor sharp teeth. After a few seconds he killed everybody in the playground except Cheddar. Cheddar said something to Mousey, "If we stick together we can rule the world". Mousey said okay. To be continued....

Friendly Adventure by Emma

One day I went on a walk with our teacher Ms. Legault and my two friends Remi and Sarah. Sarah was walking with Ms. Legault and Remi and I were talking about how cool it would be to be in a jungle. At that moment we saw something in the forest. Remi and I went to check it out.

We were both walking when we fell into a hole. But it was not just any hole, it was a magic hole! We fell but when we got up from that huge fall we found ourselves in a jungle with all of these magical creatures. Remi's favourite was the frog that could fly and talk. Remi and I started walking around this magical place.

When Remi and I found ourselves where we could not find Ms. Legault or Sarah. We kept looking and looking but they were no where to be found. Then I fell into a gigantic footprint. It was Big Foots print.

Remi heard something in the bushes. It was BIG FOOT!

Remi and I ran. Finally we got away from him, but we knew he was going to keep looking for us. Emma and Remi finally were brave enough to come out of hiding. After the day and night we found him. He was sitting looking very lonely. So we went over and asked if he knew where we could get home.

He said yes. He took us to a transporting hole. He also mentioned that we could not say anything and that the people we were with won't even notice we were gone. He sent us home. But before I went, I introduced him to the frog that could fly and talk and told him to write if they became friends. Remi and I left and went home without saying anything.

But before you knew it, it was the next day and I got a letter. It was from Big Foot. He said that they were great friends and they do everything together. Now he is not lonely and everything was great. THE END.

Forbidden Island by Zack R.

In a place I like to call the forbidden island surrounded by fog, there was a kingdom with guards who always listened to the king. That's where our story begins. I'm a terrorist and I am looking for the kings crown which isn't easy you know. That's why I prepared a special team to do the right job. We have been training for months. We zoomed past the guards when they were asleep. We went in the treasure room and stole as much as we could take. Then we ran for our lives.

But they were chasing us on horses, when we were on foot, but we still ran for our lives. But they fell in a hole that led to a tunnel. They made it their headquarters and they were never seen again. Until they came out to steal yet again.

Ryan by David

Hi, my name is Ryan. I live in Bob's place. I know its weird, but I have to deal with it. Okay, one of my friends is named Sarah. We live close. She is across the street. I am fifteen and she is sixteen.

So one day we went in the forest and we found a box. It had a map. If you want to know what it had, keep reading. If not, leave! Okay we found a map. In the middle it had the name old Bob Bush written on it. Sarah and I did some research. Guess what! He was the founder of our town.

We went to California. It said to go there. Sarah went and it said go to a stop light. We found a tape and we watched it. We were scared but that is okay.

Well it had a guy who said beware of old Bob Bush and we did. So we still have a mystery.

It said watch out. He can come in your dream and kill you. Well no one has seen him. No reports either. Okay so Sarah and I went to his old house. It was abandoned. There was nothing but pictures.

So we grabbed one. It said it was taken in 1928. It is now 2008. I just came back from Protland. My parents don't care but they don't know what we're up to so I hope they don't care. My journey is not over yet.

The Curse of the Sphinx by Alexis

One day my friends Liz, Sarah, my Mom and I went on a trip to Egypt. When we got there we met an Egyptologist. He gave us an ancient box.

When Liz saw a picture of a sphinx on the top we tried and tried to open it. It was really rusty so my mom washed it and it was pure gold! The next day on our way to the sphinx we passed a line of stones. As soon as we passed it the box opened up to the shape of a star. We searched the sphinx until we found the same star on the sphinx.

We went back that night and placed the star and turned it. Suddenly Liz fell in a trap door, so we followed Liz and we saw two paths. We also saw hieroglyphs on the wall in front of us. Luckily Sarah had a hierogylphics dictionary. The path left was the emergency exit and to the right was the Tomb of Queen Arieanithiya, so of course we went right. When we got to the end of the path there was a solid gold sarcophagus. Like all sarcophagus' there was hierpglyphics on it. So Sarah translated it and it said "Here lies Queen Arieanithiya. Do not disturb or face the wrath of a deadly curse!" So instead we touched it with a stick. All of a sudden the tunnel and we heard a horrifying screech like nails scratching a chalkboard but a lot louder. Then the walls started to cave in so we ran up the stairs and took the emergency exit. When we got out we smashed the box with a hammer and burned it so that the curse would never be set free.

Forbidden Forest by Jarod W

One day my friend and I went on a walk in the forbidden forest. We walked for hours and hours until I hit a tree.

"Huh?" I said

I waited for awhile, then I looked up. I saw an old rusty treehouse called Cheeseland. So we climbed up. The treehouse looked pretty small from the outside, but its really a city of cheese in the inside.

My friend loves cheese so he began eating the cheese. He kept on running and running and he wouldn't look out so he fell in a sink hole and an army of rats took him away to a different dimension.

It was night time so I had to find a place to sleep, but I didn't want to sleep in cheese, so I walked outside and found a place to make a shelter. When it was morning, I had breakfast then I went on my adventure to find my friend. To be continued.

McDonald's Adventure

One day we were going on a walk and the trees started spinning. We thought it was a tornado, but then the whole world turned dark. When it turned light our dog Rover ran to a drive through McDonald's. The dinner guy stole Rover by tricking him.

"Rover... Where the heck can you be?" yelled Max.

"I don't know, but he's a dog. Dogs like exploring. He might show up again."

"I hope!" says Max and Stella together.

Suddenly the McDonald's place turns into a secret mansion.

"FRANKENSTEINS CASTLE" yelled Stella.

They entered . Then skulls appeared everywhere. "AHHHH!" screamed Stella.

"It's Okay", Max told Stella.

Then the floor creaked.

"Don't move!" Max told Stella.

"Let's get out of here!" said Stella.

CRACK BOOM

The floor broke and they landed on the basement floor with a loud bang! They saw Rover in a cage. They tried to get him out but then they heard a snoring sound. ZZZZZZZZ!

Stella broke a metal pipe and got Rover out of his cage. Frankenstein woke up and Rover go eaten, but a different pipe sliced Frankenstein in the head. Then the world turned back normal.

"I can't believe Rover sacrificed himself for us" said Max.

The Fight by Sam

One day Sarah, Maddy and Samantha went on a walk. Sarah and Samantha got into a fight about who Maddy likes best.

Maddy gets mad and goes home to think of a plan, but Sarah and Samantha are still fighting.

The next day Maddy comes back with a plan and it works. Sarah and Samantha stop fighting and they are best friends again. The End

War Adventure by Connor

One day my friend and I walked into the forest. We saw JB signing the a drop ship and a pelican crash landed in the park. Everyone went to see what happened. An elite killed JB with an energy sword. We looked back and 100 elite came. We thought one elite survived that killed Noah.

We said NOOOOOOOOO!

BiZZZZZ zzz from the hunter Zac!

ZZZZ

What happened?

Prepare to fire!

What?

He can take it!

I betrayed my teams confidence.

Hold your fire. You're on our team.

Yes says the armatour. Good.

Oh no another drop ship.

Come on hide.

Okay GO GO GO. Why did we have to hide.

They didn't know I betrayed them. Okay let's follow that drop ship.

Get on my pelican.

Okay

Fire, bam, bam, bam BOOM!

Yes

BOOM

That was our ship.

BAM,BAM, BAM BOOM!

We're going down!

Everyone okay.

Yup!

Good!

If you want to win you have to take out the command ship. Let's go.

There!

We're on! Let's go!

Fries. Go Kale fine

(computer) Self destruct in ten seconds

Run

Jump!

We're on Kale

Hurry

BOOM NO His helmet.

Ten years later.......

Cluck. His helmet belongs here where he died but we should go okay. To be continued.

The Soule Adventure: Book One by Jarod K

One day my friends and I went on a walk. We were walking in a forest in Petawawa. I said come here guys. Jarod, Fatso, Werdy, Heart, Silver, Gold and Bouy went to the path. Then a murderer attacked. We started to run.

We hid behind a tree. The murderer used his flame thrower and burned the tree down. I said, "Run for your life!"

The murderer threw his dynamite and TNT box and his bomb. We got away from the massive explosion. He gets out his machine gun and starts shooting at us. Nerooooo! We were a head by alot. Then the murderer got one and he was on our tail. We ran to Afghanistan in a second. Then we ran back. We were so scared. He was on our tail still. We were going faster by the minute. We were turning and turning to try to get ahead, but it didn't work. He was still right behind us. We were getting tired but it was a break with death or no break and living. We took no break and life. We tried to do a turn again. He got closer to us. He shot a bullet. It reflected off Fatso's belly and it killed the murderer. We were safe.

The Walk By Jenna

One day Kendra and I went on a walk. It started to get dark. We fell in a hole. We didn't stop falling until we saw a tunnel and we climbed in. We saw a land changing colours by the second. But they weren't colours of the rainbow. They were dark colours. Half of the land was colourful but turning dark slowly but fast. Talking animals came and said, "the person that runs this land and make it nice is making it worse by sending evil creatures everywhere to capture us animals!"

Kendra and I asked, "Well what can we do?"

"Well save us, of course" said the animals.

"Well how do we know you guys aren't bad or mean?"

"WELL GIRLS IF YOU DON"T TRUST US, WE"LL CAPTURE YOU....SHHHH'!"

"Well we don't trust any of you so we're going to leave now."

Kendra and I went back in the hole and started to fall the opposite way we fell before..

When we got back to our world we woke up and found out it was just a dream and we never talked to strangers again.

The Shrunken Mystery By Braeden

One day a man was walking in a forest. He saw a light and he was shrunk. It was getting cloudy so he found some shelter. He woke up the next day and a beast attacked him. He was eaten. Luckily he has a pocket knife and he cut the beast opened. He escaped but what happened to him? How did he shrink? Whatever the reason he was going to find out.

TEN YEARS LATER...

After years of searching he finally found something to turn him back to normal size. It was a golden apple. The juice turned him back to normal and he lived happily ever after.

The Very Scary Day by Liam

Once upon a time three friends were walking in the woods when one of the three friends had a weird feeling that someone or something was following them. About an hour later it started to get dark and they started to get scared and suddenly they saw something.

"What was that?" said Kyle.

"I don't know!" said Russell.

"Who cares!" said Liam.

"Should we start to go home?" said Kyle..

"Your such a scaredy cat!" said Liam.

"Scaredy cat, Scaredy cat," sang Liam and Russell.

"I'm not a scaredy cat!" said Kyle.

"Then prove it," said Liam.

"Fine, let's keep going ," said Kyle.

Now it was 9:30 and Liam, Kyle, and Russell were hearing bushes moving and branches crunching and they were lost.

"Do you think we should camp out here at least for the night?" said Russell.

"I guess," said Kyle.

The next morning when Kyle woke up Liam and Russell were gone. He yelled,"Russell, Russell, Liam?"

Then Kyle said, "I need to find them!" So Kyle packed all of his stuff and started his adventure to find his friends.

Meanwhile...

"Where are we", said Russell.

"We're in super man's lair! How would I know where we are!" said Liam.

"Hello", said the big bad wolf.

"Who are you. Show yourself!"said Russell.

"No, why would I. That will give away my identity." said the voice.

"But I already know who you are", said Russell. "What's your name again?"

"The big bad wolf" said the voice.

"Oh you're the big bad wolf. You're going down!" said Russell.

"Run", said Liam as they started to sprint away.

There is no escape said the big bad wolf.

"HELP!!!" yelled Liam and Russell.

Meanwhile, Kyle heard a voice. "What was that. It's coming from that direction," thought Kyle. I'm going to check it out.

Two days later its time said the big bad wolf.

"No it's not!"said Kyle and he took Liam and Russell and they escaped the big bad wolf.

The boys learned a lesson never to walk in the forest without a flashlight and they lived happily ever after.

The Heroes of the Day by Kendra

One day my friend and I went on a walk. It was very strange. We saw a bird with four wings. There were trees made of bananas, that looked good enough to eat and there were little people everywhere screaming, "Save us, save us. An evil robot dinosaur is trying to take over our world!"

After we went to a secret place to discuss it. We were determined to save the little people, but we were scared. We looked up a magical scientist on the internet to find out what the evil robot dinosaurs' weakness was.

After hours and hours we finally found it! We went to get lots of it. We went under cover as baby dinosaurs. We found it sleeping. We put its weakness beside it which was pie. We left....but we left cameras in his lair.

The next day we went back to our secret place. We looked on the magical scientist computer and saw that the dinosaur woke up and ate all the pie and EXPLODED!!!!

We told the little people we saved their world. We were the heroes of the day. THE END

Susan and Fido's Walk in the Forest by Leslie

Once upon a time a little girl named Susan and her weiner dog named Fido went for a walk in the forest. As they got deeper into the forest they realized that they were LOST. But suddenly they heard a noise that was coming out of the bushes. It got closer and closer, AND THEN!.....

It was just a squirrel. Fido chased and chased the squirrel until they realized the squirrel had led them home, YAY!

Mary and Buster by Fiona

One day Mary and her dog Buster went for a walk. They kept hearing strange noises and while they were walking Mary noticed the path was getting smaller and smaller until there was no path at all. They were lost. Mary ran with Buster but Buster had such stubby legs he couldn't run as fast. Buster finally got in front of Mary and fell down a hole. Mary tried to grab him...but this strange rabbit pushed her in. As she fell she noticed she was falling in the clouds. When she was falling her eyes were closed. So she landed on some type of wood floor. SHE WAS ON A PIRATE SHIP! She looked down and all there was were clouds! She was floating in the sky! She felt alone until Mary remembered that Buster fell down the hole first!

S0 Mary looked around and around until she found a door. The door led to a really big room where all the pirates were circled around something. She squeezed through everyone and found Buster. The pirates acted like they never saw a little girl or a dog.

"HMMMMM...hi,"said Mary. 'My name is Mary and this is my dog Buster." She asked if the pirates knew where her house was. The pirates looked at each other and nodded their heads. But one said,"I don't know but I know who would!"

So he looked at a thin pirate slave and nodded his head. The boy got whale bait but it wasn't normal bait. It was the biggest whale bait Mary had ever seen. The thin pirate slave threw the bait and a big whale came. The pirate slave told them to jump on. So we jumped on. The whale asked where Mary wanted to go. She said to 406 Prowse street in Pat Forest. The whale took her in three seconds. She finally got home. She felt happy. The End.

MARCH 1, 2011

Awesome work done in Core English! Students in grade 3-6 have completed some fine projects commemorating the Black Inventors. Work will be showcased soon on the stage in the gym. I hope to get it all set up in the next few days for the rest of the school to view. Students in Mme Bell's class have an extension until next Monday, March 9 due to insufficient time given in class to research their inventor.

Last week we began an anti bullying campaign with Pink shirt day. Emma C and Fiona have continued the work through daily announcements about the role of the bystander. We will continue this work at this month's Character Assembly on Friday. Students in the junior grades will be doing an anti-bullying presentation.

Junior grades have been working on poetry and examining poetic techniques used in writing. Mme Bell's class continues to work on the Chapter book Stone Fox. They have been presenting chapter summaries to the class using various presentation techniques. They will continue their work diving into the text more in depth and responding to questions regarding the text using the EASY method of responding to questions.

Primary grades worked on short plays using sight words, as well as continuing their work reading the story of Harriet Tubman. Students then learned a 'Sound Off' song about question words (which I will send home with their homework folders) and they developed a list of questions they still have regarding Minty and the Underground railroad. This week they will continue respond to the text by comparing their life to Minty.

Finally congratulations to Grade 3 students Abby and Tommy for being the first in their division to read and record their reading for over 100 days. These students have been rewarded with the first of the DAK bands. These bands are deliberate acts of kindness bands. They are linked to a website which has a number to register their act online. These students have received 4 bracelets to kick off this initiative. One is for them to keep for their hard work reading and acting as role models to inspire others to read. The other 3 are for them to give away to someone they recognize that is doing a good deed or act of kindness. I have registered the bands at http://www.deliberateactsofkindness.com. This is a website that tracks the bands. Students can register their act of kindness on this site, then the bands can be passed along to someone else. I will continue to reward students throughout the school with these bands and hopefully it will begin a chain of good deeds throughout the school. Watch for these bands on the General Lake community!

Homework

Grade 1 Reading A-Z Printing Worksheet

Grade 2 Reading A-Z Printing Worksheet(spelling words)

Grade 3 Home reading incentive program

Grade 4 Home reading incentive program

Grade 5 Home reading Incentive program

Grade 6 Home reading incentive program

DEADLINE EXTENDED

The deadline for the Black Inventor Project has been extended for Mme Bell's grade 3/4 class, as many students did not have the same amount of time working on the project and accessing the inventor site during class time as the other classes. Most students have chosen their Inventor and if they do not have internet access at home, I will provide time to print off some information to use in their projects. Some students mentioned that some information is limited on several of the inventors so we may need to duplicate several projects.
Some helpful sites include:

http://www.blackinventor.com/
http://inventors.about.com/od/blackinventors/a/black_inventors.htm
Thank you for your patience with this project. I look forward to displaying the students museum in the front entrance of the school.

Poetic Devices Definitions

Poetic Devices

Definitions

Tone

feelings or meanings conveyed in the poem

Not so much what is being said but how it is said

Stanza

a grouping of two or more lines of a poem in terms of length, metrical form, or rhyme scheme.

Provides order and an expectation of closure

Simile

A comparison between two unlike things using like or as.

“My love is like a red rose.”

Metaphor

A comparison between two unlike things without using like or as. Something is something else

The doctor inspected the rash with a vulture's eye.

Personification

Giving human qualities or characteristics to animals or inanimate objects

My shoes are killing me.

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds in a group or words close together

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Assonance

Repetition of a vowel sound

The eagle lived free and easy.

Hyperbole

Overstatement or exaggeration

I will just die if I do not go to the party.

Symbol

On object or idea that stands for something else.

Common symbols for love are roses and hearts. A dove is a symbol for peace.

Onomatopoeia

The use of words which imitate sound

Buzz, tweet, ping

Imagery

Words that appeal to the senses.

Creates vivid mental pictures (sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound).

Speaker

The voice in the poem (not always the poet).

Provides focus.

Oxymoron

a seeming contradiction in two words put together

Jumbo shrimp

February 21, 2011

February 21, 2011

Pink Shirt Day on Wednesday!!

On Wednesday, February 23, 2011 of this week students at General Lake are encouraged to wear something pink for an anti-bullying awareness day. This idea comes from two incredible Nova Scotia high school students and their friends who organized a high school protest in support of a grade 9 boy who was being bullied. They distributed pink t-shirts to all the boys in their school. Here's a part of the Globe and Mail article describing their idea:

“David Shepherd, Travis Price and their teenage friends organized a high-school protest to wear pink in sympathy with a Grade 9 boy who was being bullied…[They] took a stand against bullying when they protested against the harassment of a new Grade 9 student by distributing pink T-shirts to all the boys in their school.

‘I learned that two people can come up with an idea, run with it, and it can do wonders,’ says Mr. Price, 17, who organized the pink protest. ‘Finally, someone stood up for a weaker kid.’

So Mr. Shepherd and some other headed off to a discount store and bought 50 pink tank tops. They sent out message to schoolmates that night, and the next morning they hauled the shirts to school in a plastic bag.

As they stood in the foyer handing out the shirts, the bullied boy walked in. His face spoke volumes. ‘It looked like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders,’ Mr. Price recalled.

The bullies were never heard from again.”

Congratulations to all the students who participated in the Legions's Public Speaking Event on Sunday February 20, 2011. In the Primary division we were well represented by Skye, Mitchell Jeremy and Keira. In the Junior division we were represented by Tiana, Emma, and Miranda and in the intermediate we were represented by Melora, Annie and Mikayla. Many people commented to me what a great showing General Lake made this year. Special congratulations to Jeremy and Miranda for placing second in their division. Well done General Lake!!

This week the Grade 1 and 2 students are working on their plays, as well as reading the story of Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman by Alan Schroeder.

The grade 3 students have been reading a novel called Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner and they are working on a group presentation of their assigned chapter. Students have chosen a variety of ways to present their work including making models, acting it out, creating a stick pivot animation and making a picture. I am looking forward to seeing the wonderful presentations.

The grade 4, 5,and 6's have been working on an anti-bullying presentation for Wednesday, poetry work, as well as beginning their Black Inventors museum. For the inventor project, at this point most students have an idea of who they will be studying. I will provide computer time for students to print out information about their inventor. The due date is February 28. Students are asked to have a picture of their inventor (if possible), a prop as well as a short write up about their person. I modelled what I expected in class using the streetlight and the inventor Garrett Morgan. I will leave my model on display outside the classroom for students to look closely at. The write up should include who they are, when, where, what they invented, why they invented it. It should be a paragraph including a topic sentence, supporting details and a concluding sentence. I look forward to having the work on display in the school for other students to view.

The criteria for marking will be as follows:

Included an effective, interesting prop and photograph (if possible) 1 2 3 4

Writing includes all details (who what where when and why 1 2 3 4

Overall presentation is visually effective and appealing 1 2 3 4

Grade 4,5,and 6 students will be reading the poem I Rise this week by Maya Angelou and discussing the various poetic devices used in her work. Here's the poem we will be discussing.

I Rise by Maya Angelou

Out of the huts of history's shame

I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

Homework

Grade 1 Reading Printing

Grade 2 Reading Spelling

Grade 3 Reading at home program Inventor project

Grade 4 Reading at home program Inventor project

Grade 5 Reading at home program Inventor project

Grade 6 Reading at home program Inventor project

Have a great week everyone!