June 19th Update

Our 5C international potluck will be this Thursday, June 22^nd at 11:30AM. Please do not forget, if you are planning on bringing something, we have a severe nut allergy in our class! 

We have our Weaselhead Wetlands field trip this Friday, June 23^rd – Dress appropriately for the weather. This could include wearing a hat, proper footwear, and warm layers. We will be walking outside all day, so make sure to wear shoes that are comfortable. Currently there is a slight chance of rain in the forecast for Friday, so you may need to bring a rain jacket. 

There are still some students who have not returned their forms for the Cochrane Movie House field trip on Thursday, June 29th. Please check and make sure your child brought back their form! 

In Math we have been learning about characteristics of quadrilaterals. For homework tonight, students need to complete page 96-97 in their math workbook.

Please have a look at your child's Measurement test and sign it in the next couple of days. 

Students also received their mark for Part B of their Religion Achievement Test.

Poetry

This week we started to study poetry, and we had a discussion about the ways that people use language to manipulate the ways we see the world. 

Lewis Carroll wrote a poem called The Jabberwocky, which uses nonsensical words to tell a story of a mythical creature called a Jabberwock. 

If students did not complete the following questions, it was assigned for homework this weekend:

1. What is this poem about?

2. How do you know? In what ways does the writer give you clues about the content? 

3. Choose three nonsensical words (words that were made up by the writer, and do not make sense in English) and write a definition for each. 

Jabberwocky

BY LEWIS CARROLL

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves 

      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: 

All mimsy were the borogoves, 

      And the mome raths outgrabe. 

“Beware the Jabberwock, my son! 

      The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! 

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun 

      The frumious Bandersnatch!” 

He took his vorpal sword in hand; 

      Long time the manxome foe he sought— 

So rested he by the Tumtum tree 

      And stood awhile in thought. 

And, as in uffish thought he stood, 

      The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, 

Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, 

      And burbled as it came! 

One, two! One, two! And through and through 

      The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! 

He left it dead, and with its head 

      He went galumphing back. 

“And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? 

      Come to my arms, my beamish boy! 

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” 

      He chortled in his joy. 

’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves 

      Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: 

All mimsy were the borogoves, 

      And the mome raths outgrabe.

Interior Plains

To help prepare for our test tomorrow, here are some notes we took on the Interior Plains region:

Radical Robots

This morning we had a presentation from Mad Science, which taught us about Radical Robots. Students were able to work in groups and program a robot to find its way through a maze. 

Here are some photos of students programming their bee bots: 

May 23rd

Here's hoping that everyone had a fantastic long weekend in the sun. 

We have a busy couple weeks ahead of us in 5C!
Here are some dates to remember: 

Tests

·         Friday, May 26^th – Electricity and Magnetism Unit Test

·         Tuesday, May 30 – Religion Achievement Test – Part A

·         Wednesday, May 31 – Religion Achievement Test – Part B

·         Thursday, June 1 – Social Chapter 5 unit test – Interior Plains

Field Trips

Friday, June 9th - Vivo for Div II students, in place of Play Day this year.

Friday, June 23rd - Weaselhead Wetlands

Thank you to all parents who have volunteered for this! We have had incredible parent support for this trip. Just a reminder that field trip forms must be returned by June 9th. 

Thursday, June 29th - Cochrane Movie House and Hike

Other Information

Thursday, May 25th - Twin day

Students at St. Brigid are invited to choose a friend, or group of friends and match your outfits for this day! If you would prefer, feel free to bring in a stuffie and match with them as well! 

·         Friday, May 26th - Volunteer Tea  2:30 in the Learning Commons

May 16th

Tomorrow is the day of our school play, James and the Giant Peach. The senior choir and the junior high drama students have been doing a great job of preparing for this play! 

During French class today, we played some games as a class to practice our colours and clothing in French. Here is a link to the website we used, so your students can play more games: http://www.digitaldialects.com/French.htm  

In our Electricity unit in Science, we learned today how to read a household electric meter. Ask your child to show you the meter on your house, and see if they can remember how to tell how many kilowatt hours (kWh) are being used in your home! 

Remember that as your child studies for the Religion Achievement Test, which will take place on May 30th and 31st, he or she remembers to return their achievement test duo-tang to school every day. As we continue to review the content, it is imperative that each student has their duo-tang in class so they can mark off the correct answers. 

May 15th Update

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday. 

Today was our final C.T.F. class for the year. Be sure to ask your child what they liked best about their term 3 C.T.F. option!

Just a reminder that there will be no school on Friday, May 19th OR on Victoria Day - Monday, May 22nd. I hope that everyone is able to enjoy the 4 day weekend! 

In Math class today we started our Measurement unit. Students' homework tonight was page 124-125 #1-5, 10-13 in their textbook. Tomorrow we will go through an answer these questions. 

Students also took home their Religion Achievement test duo-tang to review. In class, we have completed the Profession of Faith section, and most of the Celebration of the Christian Mystery section. Tomorrow we will complete the Celebration of the Christian Mystery, and begin the Responding to Scripture booklet. 

Fractions and Decimals Extra Practice

Use this step by step breakdown to
help find equivalent fractions.

Practice adding these decimals.

Write each decimal as a fraction.

Write each fraction as a decimal.

Write each fraction as a decimal.

Find the difference between these decimals.

How would you represent 0.351 on this thousandths grid?

May 8th Update

I can't believe we are already into the month of May! Time is certainly flying by. 

This week we have our Fractions and Decimals Unit Test on Wednesday the 10th. Here is a copy of the study guide: 
- Equivalent fractions
- Comparing fractions with like and unlike numerators and denominators
- Ordering decimals and fractions from greatest to least
- Writing fractions as decimals
- Writing decimals as fractions
- Adding and subtracting decimals
- Representing decimals and fractions on a grid

Some important sections to review in your workbooks are:
- Pages 68-73
- Pages 76-79
- Pages 86-91
Though you should have completed each page in between, our primary focus for the test will be on the pages listed here. 

Today students took home their Social Studies test on the Canadian Shield. Please sign and return this test by Friday, May 12th. 

We have started our new Demonstration of Learning (D.O.L.) in Religion, which focuses on the sacraments of initiation. As we have already spent a lot of time learning about the Eucharist, and the role of the Last Supper, students have been asked to choose either Baptism of Confirmation to present in their D.O.L. 
For this assignment, students may choose between 4 different formats:
1. Postcard
2. Written Report
3. Collage
4. Word Search
Regardless of which method students choose to present, they MUST include all parts of the assignment, as per the assignment sheet they have been given. For example, even if students choose to create a word search, they must also provide a written component, that demonstrates their understanding of their chosen sacrament. 
This D.O.L. will not be due until the beginning of June. 

We also have our Religion Achievement test coming up on May 30th and 31st. This is a 2 part exam, consisting mostly of multiple choice questions. 
In addition to the multiple choice, there is a written component, which resembles a miniature D.O.L. Students must discuss the message of a given topic, and relate it to their daily lives. 

5C in the Community

Saturday, April 22nd was Earth Day, which we celebrated in class on Friday afternoon by reading The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. As well, each student came up with a pledge, which we wrote on the chalkboard (to save paper in the spirit of Earth Day, of course). Some of of our pledges included:

"I will remember to turn off electronics when I am not using them." - Eduardo

"I will pick up garbage in my community." - Malcolm

"To not use electricity and to not waste paper." - Elle

"I will not buy things that have to much packaging." - Ashiq

"Not to use too much electricity and open the blinds more often." - Naomi

Over the past few months, a number of students at St. Brigid have been working very hard on projects for the Calgary Youth Science Fair. On Saturday, these students were finally able to share their findings and compete with approximately 600 other groups from select schools around the city - what an honour! 

Here of some snap shots of students in 5C after just having received their medals:

Hannah's dad is a firefighter, and she was curious
about researching what causes a backdraft.
After presenting to 3 different judges, Hannah
walked away from the CYSF with a silver medal!

Karen and Elisha went through many trials to
create casein plastic, by curdling milk with
vinegar. After much research and many trials,
these students received an honourable mention,
with this innovative chemistry project!

Merry Christmas?

Adults tend to grumble about snowy weather when it occurs in the Spring. As soon as we think it's going to start warming up out there, Mother Nature loves to remind us that we are in Calgary!

One of the many great things about the students in 5C is that they embrace the snow, and find ways to enjoy themselves. Here are some photos of some students and the giant snowball they made before school on Thurday:

Novel Study Chapter 9

When we read a story, we visualize a picture of each setting and character in our mind's eye. Every reader has a different picture of the same scene. The way we experience a story is unique to each person, based on our perspectives and the way that we interpret a book. 

After reading Chapter 9 in Bridge to Terabithia, students practiced visualizing a scene. We had a few different students read the paragraph aloud, and then students read it again in their heads before proceeding. 

The activity is as follows:

•       Reread the paragraph on page 88 that begins, “When they got to the bank of the creek, they stopped.” Visualize the scene.
•        Draw a detailed picture that shows how you see Terabithia after days of heavy rain. Use other details from the chapter if you want.
•        Write a caption of at least two sentences for your picture. 

April 10th Update

In Health today, students are continuing to work on improving positive self-esteem. 

Students worked today on creating a mosaic of drawings of things that impact their positive self-esteem. 

This could include any hobby or activity that makes you feel happy; things that you are good at; or something that you are working on improving. 

For homework tonight, students need to finish their drawings for their mosaic. Tomorrow they will have class time to finish colouring. 

In Math we are working on comparing fractions and decimals. 

I asked students to complete the following practice questions tonight if possible:

Happy Friday!

Good afternoon to 5C students and parents.

I want to start with a big CONGRATULATIONS to all of the performers in our 2017 Talent Show!

From our class we had Marit sing a lovely song, and Malcolm playing a captivating song on the piano. 

We also had Karen & Hannah as the MCs of the Talent Show, who were fun and enthusiastic. 

It was great to see some of the talent that we have here at St. Brigid. 

In Social Studies today, we began planning a journal entry in the perspective of a Fur Trader. 

When writing about a day in the life of a fur trader in Canada, students will choose the viewpoint of an adventurous Coureurs des Bois or a Voyageur. 

We have been learning about these two groups by comparing and contrasting the way they lived. 

In Religion we finished making booklets that show the special days that we celebrate Easter. 

Next week we will learn about the important Easter signs and symbols, and the meaning of each of these. 

In Science we examined a number of unsafe electrical situations, and each student explained what was unsafe about the situation, and what the rule was to correct the actions. 

Today, we took some notes on electrons, which are always looking for the shortest pathway to the ground. Because the human body is made of ~70% water, if you come in contact with an electrical current and the ground, YOU could become the easiest pathway, and the current will try to travel through you to the ground. 

April 5th Update

In Science we have been learning about electrical safety. Sometimes there are electrical hazards in our homes that we would not have even thought about!
Here is a website we looked at, that shows electrical hazards in the average home: http://www.switchedonkids.org.uk/electrical-safety-in-your-home 


Today in math we learned how to turn fractions into decimals to the tenth and hundredth place value.

In order to change a fraction into a decimal, the fraction must have a denominator of either 10 or 100.
Here are some extra practice questions to help your child to build their skills: 

Fraction Games

This week, students in 5C had a blast, playing games on the Chrome Books where they demonstrated skills for comparing and ordering fractions. 

The following is a list of some of the games we were playing: 

Fraction Matcher: http://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/fraction-matcher/latest/fraction-matcher_en.html

Radio Stadium - comparing fractions with unlike denominators: http://www.arcademics.com/games/ratio-stadium/ratio-stadium.html

Dirt Bike Tug of War: http://www.arcademics.com/games/dirt-bike-comparing-fractions/dirt-bike-comparing-fractions.html

Ordering Fractions: https://www.ixl.com/math/grade-5/put-fractions-in-order

Fraction Card Game: http://illuminations.nctm.org/Activity.aspx?id=4148

Fraction Sorter: http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/FractionSorter/?version=1.6.0_01&browser=MSIE&vendor=Sun_Microsystems_Inc.

Fresh Baked Fractions: https://www.funbrain.com/fract/index.html

Identifying Fractions with Lines: http://www.visualfractions.com/IdentifyLines/identifylines.html

Identifying Fractions with Circles: http://www.visualfractions.com/IdentifyCircles/identifycircles.html

Also, here are some pictures I captured of students enjoying these games:

Spring has Sprung!

Happy first day of spring to all students and parents!
Though it was a bit chilly, it was quite a sunny day overall!

in Math today, students were continuing to work on comparing and ordering fractions with different numerators and different denominators, using fraction strips as shown:

Math workbook pages 70-71 are for homework tonight. 

After wrapping up our Classroom Chemistry unit in Science last week, we are beginning our new unit: Electricity and Magnetism. 

Tomorrow we will brainstorm all we know now about Electricity and Magnetism, to establish our prior knowledge of this topic.

In Social Studies we are learning about the Fur Trade including the important people who were involved. We are currently examining the similarities and differences between the Coureurs des Bois and the Voyageurs, the two main fur trading groups. 

March 9th Update

Here are some important upcoming dates:

Progress reports go home on Friday, March 10th.

Chemistry Unit Test on Tuesday, March 14th in the morning.

Tuesday, March 14th is also Green day or Character Day. Students are invited to dress as a character from an appropriate children's book or movie, or they may wear green for Saint Patrick's Day. 

Grade 5 Talent Show auditions are on Wednesday, March 15th during lunch. Just a reminder that students must have a signed consent form in order to audition. Let's see your talents!!

Parent-Teacher Conferences are on Wednesday, March 15th from 4:30PM-7:30PM and on Thursday, March 16th from 9:00AM-12:00PM and 1:30PM-3:30PM

Friday, March 17th is a Professional Development Day, so there will be no school.

In Math class, we were learning about equivalent fractions. Here is a website to help review this concept: https://www.coolmath4kids.com/math-help/fractions/equivalent-fractions-part-1 

Here are some practice questions: 

Here is some key information about the Canadian Shield region that we discussed today:

Today in Math we had a brief introduction to our fractions and decimals unit. Take a look at this link from Alberta Education, to learn more about equivalent fractions: http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/me5l/html/Math5.html
No matter how you slice it, half of a pizza is still half of a pizza!

Important Due Dates

Thank you to all who attended our Ash Wednesday liturgy this morning. What a beautiful way to begin our Lenten season. Following the liturgy, students in 5C discussed the season of self-discipline and sacrifice that is now upon us. We wrote Lenten promises, which identify the challenging sacrifices that we will make for forty days - one student encouraged me to give up peanut butter, which I absolutely love! What a challenge it will be!

In Language Arts, we have been working very hard on creating comics about the Underground Railroad. This activity has been a combination of Social Studies, Language Arts, and Art. 

These comics are due tomorrow, and we are looking forward to seeing them all!

Our Religion Demonstration of Learning about the Last Supper, and its connections to the Liturgy of the Eucharist we celebrate today.

Tomorrow will be our last class time to work on this assignment, and it will be due on Friday, March 3rd. 

Also, if students are interested in the Jugo Juice special treat that was emailed home, these forms are due on Friday, March 3rd. 

Pink Shirt Day and Division II Dance

I hope that everyone had a restful Family Day long weekend!

Tomorrow is our anti-bullying Pink Shirt Day. 
Just a reminder: if students would like to purchase a pink shirt to support the Canadian Red Cross in their anti-bullying campaign, they may do so at London Drugs. 

Tomorrow is also our Div II dance at our school from 1:05-1:50PM. This is an opportunity for students from grades 4-6 to have some fun and practice their awesome dance moves!

Admission is free, and any loonie donations to Mrs. De Monte and Mrs. Diederichs Belize mission will be gratefully accepted. There will be snacks at the concession as well.

February 13th Update

Tomorrow is both Valentines Day and Disney Spirit Day. Students are welcome to bring Valentine treats for all of their classmates.

We have a short week this week, with no school during Teacher's Convention on Friday, February 16th and 17th, and no school on Family Day on Monday, February 20th. 

In Health, we were talking about different ways that we can keep our immune systems healthy.

Some key aspects include:

- physical activity

- eating nutritious food

- rest

- vaccinations

Tomorrow students will be demonstrating their understanding of these wellness choices, so they were asked to brainstorm and think about how these aspects affect their daily lives. 

We began to discuss the Canadian Shield region in Social Studies today, as students flipped through the first few pages of this new chapter in our textbook. As a class, we documented our first impressions of this region into the following table: 

February 7th Update

With our upcoming Social Studies test on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands region, we have been learning about the Great Migration from 1815-1850. During this time, 8 million people left Britain, Scotland, and Ireland to come to North America. Can you imagine a migration of that many people today?! 

Unfortunately many of these people became very sick on the journey across the Atlantic Ocean because of overcrowding and lack of food and water on the ships. All of the ships that were transporting these people had to stop at an island in the St. Lawrence River called Grosse-Ile where there were doctors who tried to cure the sick before they landed on the mainland. Sadly, many of these immigrants died on this island. 

In Religion, we watched a video today about the Last Supper. If you'd like to watch it at home, here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vScHI_fxJGM 

For our upcoming Demonstration of Learning (DOL), students have started their rough copies by retelling the story of the Last Supper in their own words. Think about the connection between the Last Supper and the Liturgy of the Eucharist which we celebrate in mass today. What is the significance of this part of the mass?

We recently started our patterns unit in Math class, and have been looking at 3-column tables to help visualize the connections in patterns. Here is an example question we worked through as a class:

This week in Science, we have been experimenting with the properties of water. We learned that water has a high surface tension. Ask your child about the experiments we have done to test out water's surface tension!

Good evening 5C,

In French class, we are learning about l'école (the school), and this week, students are creating booklets about different objects in the classroom. I have attached the template we created, to guide students in creating the rough copy of their dialogue for this booklet. Tomorrow we will be creating our actual booklets, using the dialogue students have already written. 

In Social Studies, we are exploring the Great Lakes Saint Lawrence Lowlands region, where the Québec Act was signed in 1774. Together, we went through a comic strip that described the history of British and French settlers in the region, and the impact of the Québec Act on the Canadiens at the time. The Canadiens were francophones who were born in New France, and whose rights were protected by this Act. This was the first step toward Canadian bilingualism.