Dear Parents,

This year, because Hundreds Day falls in February, we'll be focusing on math concepts during our show and share. Students are invited to bring in something that shows how they use math in daily life: they could bring in a receipt, a picture of house numbers, a map,  or anything else that's sparking their imagination. If you need help with this one, please let me know, I'm happy to provide more ideas.

I'm running a little late with putting the final touches on your newsletter. Normally, I like to have it out the week before the end of the month to give you time to plan your student's special day. Last weekend, I was putting the final touches on the upcoming JK reports instead. I'll plan to start the month with Julia on Monday and Jackson on Tuesday, and should have the newsletter up and ready to go for you on the weekend.

What else is going on in the classroom? We've been focusing on maps a great deal. I have a bunch oversize gridded maps that students have been keen to draw on: telling stories  and creating their own imaginary landscapes. I've also been reviewing features of a map with students: things like compasses showing North, colour coding for types of terrain and lines to mark borders are seeping into their own work. Finally, we've been making maps of stories we've been reading as a way to focus in on a retell through thinking about the settings and events. I'll post some pictures of all those things later as well.

Moving forward, our construction workshop is evolving once again. We're shifting it to a space station. Yesterday, students spent some time drawing steering wheels and dials for the console. I can't wait to see how it looks when it's all put together.

 If you have ideas for things that would add to our inquiries around space or mapping, please don't hesitate to send them in. We always appreciate when there's synergy between home and school

Regards,

Ms. Goegan