Week 18

Dear Parents and Students,

I’m very pleased to welcome everybody back to begin 2020. I hope everyone enjoyed your break and are feeling refreshed. Our first full week of the new decade has been a busy one!

In the Classroom:

Maths

We picked up where we left off before the break, completing Topic 9, and completing the Topic Test on Wednesday. On Thursday, we began Topic 10. This topic reviews what we know about fractions, before introducing some new concepts to Grade 4, such as equivalent fractions and expressing fractions in simplest form. We will continue our study of fractions next week, with the topic test to take place the following week.

Literacy Workshop

We had fun reading Heat Wave!, which is a tall tale about how a girl saves her farm from a sudden spell of hot weather. The story is full of hyperbole and exaggeration, making us all laugh. We then tried our hand at writing our own tall tales, complete with our own hyperbole. In grammar, we have begun a new topic dedicated to adjectives.

Science

This week, we have been learning about force and motion. We watched a fascinating video of a bowling ball and a feather falling together in a vacuum, and we have discussed how mass can affect force and vice versa. We will be doing some practical assignments next week, including experimenting with paper planes!

Social Studies

We have continued with our study of the American Northeast, with a current focus on how the region looks and operates today. We also learned that one of our favourite authors grew up in the region. By what name is Theodore Geisel better known? We will review the unit next week, finishing with an open-book test next Thursday.

Other important information

Please note that this month’s monthly assembly will be brought forward to next Friday, 17^th January.

I hope everyone recovers well from our busy week back after the break, and I’ll see you all on Monday!

Dates to remember:
Thu.                Jan 16:             Social Studies open book test – Unit 2

Fri.                  Jan 17:             Monthly assembly, including a Lion Dance! – parents welcome

Mon – Wed,    Jan 20 – 22      Chinese Week

Wed.                Jan 22              Dress in RED, bring chopsticks for lunch

Jan 23 – Feb 29                       Chinese New Year Vacation