Merry Christmas!

We had a festive last day at school today! This morning we enjoyed a Christmas Carol Sing-along in the gym and then it was movie time with popcorn and pj's this afternoon! Wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a restful break!

Popcorn. PJ's and Movie Day!

A reminder that tomorrow is another spirit Friday at SMY! Popcorn will be on sale for $2! After lunch, there will be three different movies showing in the Learning Commons, Primary and Junior atriums - students can choose which one they'd like to watch!

Christmas Concert!

Congratulations to everyone involved (that's all of SMY) in the school play and concert today! The Nutcracker musical was a real hit! The actors were incredible (not to mention the sets, costumes and special effects) and the musical interludes by all the classes were fantastic. Congratulations as well to all the choir kids - you brought smiles to our faces and joy to our hearts! HUGE gratitude to Ms. Morris, Mrs. Armstrong, Mme Micheline and Mrs. Davidson!

Below is a pixelated video of the Grade 3 students singing The Dance of the Reed Flutes!

Week at a Glance

Christmas Character Day!

Tomorrow is another Spirit Friday at SMY! Students and staff are invited to dress as a favourite Christmas character!

Stress Busters!

Today's focus during Mrs. Stanton's visit to our class was to explore various strategies we can use to manage our stress. She taught us a a variety of deep breathing exercises and then asked the students what they like to do when they feel emotionally overwhelmed. Check out some of their answers. Such wise children!

Good Times!

There were cozy pj's, adorable stuffies, delicious snacks (thanks to Cameron, Ava & Emily and their Moms), disco lights and electronics! The kids enjoyed their afternoon reward!

Coding Workshop

We started the day with a coding workshop brought to us by two students from the engineering faculty of the University of Ottawa. Nathalie and Gavin guided us through a hands on coding lesson using the app Scratch.

Tomorrow's the Big Day...

On Wednesday afternoon, 3W students will be celebrating the completion of the Paper Clip Chain (our whole class reward system)! Students are invited to wear their PJ's, bring a stuffie as well as a handheld electronic device to school. The classroom door will be locked when we are not in class so the electronics will be safe and sound. There will also be Chromebooks available for students who don't bring in any devices. Students are also welcome to bring in other non-electronic games and activities that they might want to play!

Visit from Mrs. Stanton

We started the day with a visit from Mrs. Stanton who spoke to us about our brains and stress. She also started to read a story entitled Wilma Jean the Worry Machine. Mrs. Stanton will return on Thursday morning to follow up with strategies on how to deal with stressful situations!

Week at a Glance

Mad Science with Nyah!

Nyah brought in some supplies (liquid soap, food colouring) from home last Friday and treated us to a classroom Mad Science session about buoyancy! Her classmates were fascinated! Thanks Nyah!

Christmas Sweater Spirit Day!

Tomorrow is Christmas Sweater and Turn Down the Heat Day at SMY! We will be cozy and festive while being good stewards of our earth!

Christmas Gingerbread Cookies!

Thank you to Parent Council and to the parent volunteers (Davio's Mom!) who provided the students with delicious gingerbread cookies to decorate today. The kids were thrilled!

Magical Christmas Art

The students' festive, sparkly and snowy Christmas art adorns the walls of the hallway leading to the classroom. This project involved a few steps including tissue paper, Modge Podge and watercolours. The results are truly magical! These masterpieces will find their way to your homes for Christmas!

How to Sneak...

Last week to launch our procedural writing unit, we watched Canadian author Chris Francis read his book How to Sneak your Monster into School on YouTube. We discussed the importance of proper sequencing when writing a procedure. The students then wrote their own How to Sneak procedures. I better keep my eyes peeled for vipers, unicorn kitties, tarantulas and pandas - just to name a few!

Area and Perimeter Creations

Using grid paper, the students completed a variety of creatures today. They also had to calculate the perimeter and area of the head, body, legs and arms of their creations.

Week at a Glance

Just Dance!

We got to break out some dance moves for gym class today as the gymnasium was in use all day. Our classroom turned into a dance studio - disco lights and all!

Christmas Spirit Day!

Tomorrow the students can show festive school spirit by wearing red, green and white! Students who bring in a canned food donation will receive a candy cane!

Perimeter Challenge!

Today's measurement math challenge consisted of drawing houses using specified measurements. Once the pairs figured out the perimeter of their houses, they got busy decorating them for the Christmas season!

Greenboro Library Outing!

We had a fun trip to the Greenboro Library this morning! Angela, the children's librarian, informed us that books are not the only items that can be borrowed from the library! The students were thrilled to hear that DVD's, music, video games, knapsacks and museum passes are also available! After telling us about the library's services, Angela gave us a tour of the first floor. We then participated in a scavenger hunt! The students from the winning team were each given a book to take home! We will definitely plan another visit in the near future. Thanks to Nyah's Mom Rachelle for volunteering on this soggy morning!

Week at a Glance!

Singing Sensations!

The 3W singing sensations entertained a captivated audience last Friday afternoon with their message of standing up to bullies! They were terrific! Check them out by clicking the link below!

Stand up to Bullies!

Mom Deserves It!

Congratulations to Elroei and her Mom who won the United Way Mom Deserves It Basket!

Bullying Awareness Assembly

Tomorrow the students are encouraged to wear pink to show support for Bullying Awareness Week. Each class has prepared an activity/song/skit to present at the assembly tomorrow afternoon. The 3W crew has prepared a song to the tune of Boomdiyadda! We might even attempt to sing it in rounds!

How Long Does It Take to Walk 1 km?

This morning the two Grade 3 classes gathered to ponder this question...

After the students had brainstormed some predictions, we set out on our one kilometre adventure. I have an app on my phone that tracks distance and time.

Above, Lucas approaches the finish line.

Recovering in the soft snow!

Consolidating our learning with Mrs. Frangione in our outdoor classroom.

It took us about 15 minutes to walk 1 kilometre. We started our walk in the primary yard. We then did two laps of the soccer field and then walked down the path next to the primary yard. We discussed how we can use this information to estimate how much time it will take us to walk to the Greenboro Library next week. More information about this outing will be sent home tomorrow!

Science Duo Tangs and Tests

The students brought home their green Science duo tangs today. Your child's duo tang contains information on a variety of activities about forces that we completed this fall. The last page in the duo tang entitled Study Notes (pasted below) is a summary of what we have learned. Your child is encouraged to review these sheets as homework this week and to complete any incomplete sheets (there are quite a few of these). Students will write a test about kinds of forces this Friday. Please make sure your child's brings his/her duo tang back to school on Friday. Thank You!

Week at a Glance

Blast from the Past!

Katherine and Ava dressed up as little toddler versions of themselves today for our United Way Spirit Day! Ava even brought in the picture that inspired her outfit choice!

More Measurement Inquiries!

This morning the students learned that 1 metre is about the same length as one giant step. In pairs, they found objects around the class that they estimated to be close to 1 metre in length. The partners then checked their estimates using a metre stick.

Time Travel Thursday!

Tomorrow's spirit day theme for United Way is Time Travel Thursday!