Three Down...

Three to go.

We are halfway done the EQAO assessment. We have one more Language task on Friday, then we are working on the Math tasks on Tuesday and Wednesday.

So far, everyone has been giving a great effort and writing very detailed answers. I have been very proud of how hard everyone has worked.

A reminder that everyone needs to complete the measurement package that was handed out on Tuesday. We will be correcting it tomorrow, when everyone has completed the final EQAO language task.

Have a great night and I look forward to seeing many of you at the School BBQ on Friday.

Mr. Skinner

Let the Games Begin!

Hello,

This morning we finished going over metric conversion and area, then the students had a chance to explore some of the games I posted on Friday.

The students did a great job calculating area of a variety of shapes and then they got involved with a spirited competition, as they were all vying for the high score in the game that looked at matching measurements. Most of the top 100 scores now belong to students from our class!

During second block, we looked at some past EQAO Language packages, to get ready for tomorrow, when we begin our testing period. We looked at how writing tasks are evaluated, and how short answer reading responses are marked. We discussed the differences between level 2 and level 3 responses, and the importance of providing examples and explaining their thinking.

There is no homework tonight. The students are asked to get a good night's sleep and make sure that they are at school on time tomorrow.

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Measurement Games to Try

Hello,

Yesterday, I took several of the students from our class to a very fun day at the Peace Festival. We had discussions about what makes a good leader, worked on our teamwork skills and listened to interesting guest speakers.

Today, we continued to work on measurement in Math, focusing on metric conversion and calculating the area of rectangles, parallelograms and triangles.

This weekend, to practice these skills, I would like you to explore some of the following measurement games.

Metric Conversion
BBC Measures
Metric Conversion Quiz
Metric Length
Area and Perimeter - the Movie
Perimeter and Area
Area of Parallelograms
Triangle Area
Calculating Area of Triangles
Area of Composite Figures

In Language, we spent some time working on our Grade 6 character traits. You can follow the link below.

Grade 6 Character Traits Form

Have a great weekend.

Mr. Skinner

Music to our Ears

Hello,

This morning we were treated to some wonderful singing by the OCSB children's choir. They did a wonderful job, especially Natasha, who put in a stellar performance.

Before we watched and listened to the performance, we worked on metric conversion and calculating area of rectangles, parallelograms and triangles. The two conversion worksheets are for homework tonight.

Please remember to bring your freezie order forms and Peace Festival Permission slips (and five dollar fee). I look forward to bringing twelve of you to the festival tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Carter! Thanks for the cupcake.

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

A Great Morning

Hello,

Congrats to all the participants in the track and field events today. I was lucky enough to spend a beautiful morning with the intermediate boys, as they completed the long jump, the high jump and the running events.

All of the students gave their best efforts and performed very well. Mrs. Kalil will announce the members of the track team later this week.

There is no homework tonight, just be sure to bring your permission slips and five dollars if you are attending the Peace Festival with me on Thursday. Also, don't forget to bring in your money if you want to order feezies.

Have a great evening.

Mr. Skinner

Track on Tuesday

Hello,

I hope everyone is having a wonderful long weekend.

Just a quick reminder to everyone that we will be holding our Track and Field day tomorrow morning.

Please remember to bring your water bottles, hats and sunscreen. It will be a fun day, but it is important to stay hydrated.

Also, I wanted to let everyone know that After School Basketball will be held on Thursday afternoon this week. I will be at Holy Trinity for a meeting on Wednesday afternoon, which will be followed by my leadership development course, so Thursday will work better for my schedule.

Sorry about the short notice last week, so I wanted to get the word out earlier this week. Also, Mr. Ullrich wants to get some photos for the grad slideshow, and I am going to see if he is available this week, so the more people that come this week, the better.

Have a great weekend.

Mr. Skinner

The Ring

The Ring Evaluation

Math Centres and Conferences

Hello,

Today, we had our final book review presentation and we had a lot of great Math discussion. I continued with the conferences from the previous unit, clearing up any misconceptions or difficulties, while the students worked on twenty different activities involving a variety of transformations. We will be discussing this activity tomorrow, but the students really seemed to enjoy it and get a lot out of it.

Please make sure to complete the three Math EQAO prep sheets, which I handed out yesterday. They are due on Friday.

A few reminders:

Please bring in your cans, so we can get started on making our lanterns as soon as possible.

Please bring in your money for the bike raffle, if you want a chance to win during tomorrow's draw.

Have a wonderful evening.

Mr. Skinner

Great Conferences Today

Hello,

I had Math conference with six students today and they went very well. The students worked very hard and showed improved understanding.

While I was holding the conferences, the students worked on three EQAO Math Prep pages, which are due Friday.

Then, they worked at centres on a variety of transformation activities. We will continue this work tomorrow.

We also had two more book review presentations. Our final book review will be presented tomorrow.

Remember to bring your cans and your money for the bike raffle on Friday. There is no new homework tonight, as I know many of you are going to the Confirmation meeting, but you can work on some of the Math sheets, to make sure you don't have too much to do on Thursday night.

Sorry that I had to re-schedule After School Basketball. I will hold a session after school tomorrow.

Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner

Time to Conference

Hello,

This morning, we finished correcting our Math test, so I will have conference with any students who would like to raise their mark, by showing an increased level of understanding tomorrow.

We also went to the Learning Commons to exchange our books, listened to more book reviews, and self and peer assessed our EQAO prep activity for announcement writing.

Some students were also able to get a head start on tonight's homework. The students need to complete the grammar multiple choice activity and the Spring Sweetness reading activity. For Math, there are five multiple choice questions and one short answer question to complete.

Also, don't forget to fill out the application form for the Peace Festival, and bring in your cans for your lanterns.

Peace Festival Application

Have a good evening.

Mr. Skinner

Monday - EQAO Self and Peer Assessment Activity

Hello,

This morning we heard two more interesting book review presentations.

We also corrected some EQAO sample questions that linked to our current Math Unit - Transformations. Next, we began the process of reviewing the questions from our proportional reasoning unit. We will finish the corrections tomorrow, and begin conferencing sessions, for those who need them.

We also did some self and peer editing and assessment of the EQAO Language prep work, listed in links below.

Johnny Miles Assessment page

Trail Blazers Assessment page

Writing - Celebrity Announcement Assessment

Language - Multiple Choice Assessment

Finally, students are reminded to bring in their cans, so that they can start to construct their lanterns, and to fill out their Peace Festival Application, if they are interested in attending next week's event.

Peace Festival Application

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Open House - Tech experts

Link to our padlet page

Animoto Presentation

iMovie Presentation

Puppet Pals Presentation

Puppet Pals 2 Presentation

See You in the Morning

Hello,

We were working hard today to get ready for our visitors at the Muffin Breakfast in the morning, putting the finishing touches on our tech expert presentations.

I also had the opportunity to go through the Math tests with many of the students. There is still one student who needs to write the test, so I gave individual feedback and a plan for going forward with each student.

Please remember to complete your EQAO prep package for tomorrow morning. I will be correcting the work this weekend and giving feedback on Monday.

I will be at the muffin breakfast very early, with the coffee, and I look forward to seeing all of your smiling faces - both students and teachers.

Have a great evening.

Mr. Skinner

Confirmation Meeting Tonight

Hello,

Just a reminder about the confirmation meeting at the church at 6 tonight. I know the meeting is quite lengthy, so I won't be assigning any new homework tonight.

Today, we were quite busy, working on our app presentations, finishing up our newspaper articles, and working on our character trait activity.

It will be another busy day tomorrow, getting ready for our special guests on Friday. We look forward to seeing some of you after the Muffin Breakfast.

Here is the link that some of the students asked me to post on my blog, after showing the video in class the other day. Be warned, some of the students thought you might need some tissues after watching it.

World's Toughest Job

Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner

Tech Experts

Hello,

Today, we heard four more interesting book reviews. Next up tomorrow will be Samantha, Natasha and Adam.

This morning we also worked on descriptive words for a Character Trait Tagxedo we will be making tomorrow. Please make sure to have at least twenty words ready for tomorrow. Don't forget to use spell check.

Next, we continued to work on transformations in Math. Today, we focused on slides and reflections. Please be sure to complete the worksheet for homework.

Finally, each student, either on their own or with a partner, chose and app or program that we use in class, that they will present to parents who visit our class on Friday, after the Muffin Breakfast..

Each group will be the experts with regard to their chosen app. They will explain how it works, why it is useful and how we use it in school. Then they will walk the parents through the process of using the app or program. We will be working on these presentations over the next few days and we look forward to sharing our knowledge with parents who can attend.

Please remember to bring in your cans, so we can make our lanterns, and don't forget about the confirmation meeting at the Church tomorrow evening.

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Cleaning Up the Capital

Hello,

This morning, we had our first three presentations of our book reviews. Chelsea, Joe and Alex did a great job telling us about their books, while projecting their voices and making eye contact. We look forward to hearing from William, Carter, Michael and Justin D tomorrow.

Next, we did some self-evaluation and peer assessment of reading tasks we completed last week, using the links below.

Nobody Knows the Difference - Short Answer

Fencing - begins at p.12

Multiple Choice - Answer Key

The students looked at the level 1 to level 4 answers and discussed where their answers fit in on the continuum, and why. Then they made additions to their responses to bump them up to level 3 or level 4 answers.

We also examined some EQAO prep questions involving transformations, and discussed the possible solutions and the reasoning behind them.

This afternoon was also a lot of fun, as Mrs. Izsak's class partnered up with my SK class to help clean the yard, as part of the "Cleaning Up the Capital" event. The schoolyard looks wonderful and the kids had a great time.

Please bring in your cans this week, so we can begin to make our lanterns. Also, please be sure to show your parents the confirmation handout from the Church, that outlines the upcoming meetings, which start this Wednesday. Finally, the EQAO Prep package the students received today, is due on Friday, so students are advised to work on it each night.

Have a good evening.

Mr. Skinner

What a Day!

Hello,

Thanks so much to everyone for all of their hard work. Today's helping the hungry event was an amazing success. Thanks to everyone who participated and helped to make a difference!

Clearly I wasn't the only one who was impressed.

Amanda Kingsland - Helping the Hungry

Making Sandwiches with Mayor Jim Watson.

Thanks to the RedBlacks cheer team for their help!

Happy that the truck is packed with all of our sandwiches.

You worked so hard that I have decided to give you a little bit of extra time for your book reviews. We will start the presentations on Monday, so you have some extra time to read and write about your book.

Tomorrow, be ready to be re-introduced to a variety of transformations in Math, and to work on some reading comprehension tasks for Language.

I am so proud of all of you for your hard work coordinating the event and making and collecting all of the sandwiches!

Have a great evening.

Mr. Skinner