A New Addition!

Hello,

I wanted to share some wonderful news. Our baby came five weeks early and was born at the end of April.

Nora Rose Skinner is small, but strong. She was under observation for six hours, and we were in the hospital for a few days, but thanks to the amazing nurses and doctors at the Civic, she has been at home with us for a week.

She is happy and healthy and my wife, my daughter Stella, and I are delighted. We are thrilled to now be a family of four!

Time for me to go change a dirty diaper. Have a great day!

Mr. Skinner

Time to Share Some News!

Hello,

I wanted to share some news with my former students who still might happen to follow this blog.

Next month, I will be changing schools again because I am starting a new job!

As of February 2, 2016, I will be the new vice-principal at St. Stephen School in Stittsville. I will be sad to leave my current Grade 3 class in the middle of the school year, but I am very excited to take on this new leadership opportunity!

Also, several of you have asked me if I will be attending the Holy Redeemer BBQ this year. I would definitely like to attend, and get Mr. Ullrich to take our family photo.

However, it might not work out this year because my wife is pregnant and our baby will be born right around that time. We will have to see how things work out.

And yes, Stella is very excited about becoming a big sister!

So, big changes for me in the next few months! I hope everything is going well for everyone at Holy Trinity!

All the best.

Mr. Skinner

Congrats!

Hello,

I just wanted to send a quick congratulations to everyone. The EQAO results have been released and you did amazing! Just like I knew you would!

You should receive your individual results at Holy Trinity soon, but the overall school results have been released and you excelled.

You can find the information at: http://www.eqao.com/en/assessments/results

Also, I'm sure many of you have seen this amazing article about Mr. Mendoza, but I was very proud to tell people this week that I have had the privilege of teaching three kids from this wonderful family.

ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/a-new-beginning-in-a-safe-place-ramon-mendoza-no-longer-looks-over-his-shoulder-to-see-whos-following-him

All the best!

Mr. Skinner

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello,

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends!

I also hope you've enjoyed watching the Blue Jays win the last two games!

Have a great evening and Go Jays Go!

Mr. Skinner

New Adventures

Hello,

I'm about to go to sleep, a little bit nervous, but excited about facing a new challenge and experience tomorrow. Sound familiar?

I know that everyone will have a great first day at Holy Trinity and I know that my first day teaching Grade 3 at St. Anne's will be pretty cool too.

Good luck guys! Work hard, try your best, and don't be afraid of new things. Sign up for clubs and teams. Say hello to the person sitting next to you (even if they didn't go to Holy Redeemer). You never know, you could be meeting one of your new best friends!

Have a great day!

Mr. Skinner

More Links - Vimeo videos, Dopbox Downloads and Slides used in Leaving Ceremony

Hello,

I have some more links to share. Please let your friends from Mrs. Boudrias' class know that they can access these links as well.

Mr. Ullrich has made a final version of the outtakes video.

https://vimeo.com/132183770

Also, if parents and students are interested in downloading the full slideshow, the outtakes, and the Rockets dance performance onto their computers, they can be found by following these links to Dropbox.

If the video starts playing when you click these links, right click on the screen and "save video as..."

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31193642/2015%20Grade%20Six%20slideshow%20June2015%201080p.mp4

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31193642/2015%20Grade%20Six%20outtakes%20June2015%201080p.mp4

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31193642/2015%20Dance%20on%20stage%20May2015%20-720p.mp4

Here are the links to the slides used in the leaving ceremony.

Link to Power Points from Leaving Ceremony

Finally, Mr. Ullrich shared some wonderful photos with me, that he took throughout the year. I shared the Google Drive folder with all of my students. I will give you access to this folder for the next week, so you can download some great photos of yourself, if you want them.

I hope you all have a great Canada Day tomorrow.

Mr. Skinner

Thanks

Hello,

I'm a few days later than I had planned, but it took a little longer than I expected to go through nine years worth of stuff.

After cleaning out my desk and cabinets, getting rid of a few things, and moving the rest to St. Anne's, my time at Holy Redeemer has officially come to an end.

When I arrived at Holy Redeemer, I had three years of teaching experience, I was recently engaged and still living with my parents.

Now, I leave Holy Redeemer, ready to celebrate eight years of marriage with my wife, and our daughter's fifth birthday, this month. I think you might have heard me talk about her once or twice, her name is Stella.

A lot has changed in my life, but one thing hasn't: my love for the Ottawa Senators.

Ok sorry, two things haven't changed, my love for the Sens and of course, my passion for teaching.

We had an amazing final week, with the leaving ceremony, talent show, and end of year slideshows. It's been a great time to look back on the year.

This year has been another wonderful experience for me and I hope my students learned as much from me as I did from them.

I have the greatest job in the world because I look forward to teaching my students every single day. I look forward to hearing their stories about the games they played the night before, or seeing their excitement when they master a skill in Math class.

I am so proud to meet former students and see all that they have accomplished already, in their studies and even the work world (yes, I have now been teaching that long). It fills me with so much pride when they tell me that I inspired them to do their best.

I want to thank all of you, students and parents, for being my partners on a learning journey this year. We have all worked hard together and the students have achieved great success this year because of it.

This past week I have received some very thoughtful gifts, none of which were necessary, but all were definitely appreciated. I am most thankful for the amazing notes from parents and students. Thanks so much for your kind words. I am overwhelmed and humbled each year by the feedback I get from parents and students.

Next year will mean new challenges for all of us.

We will all be moving to new schools.

Rest assured, when I am teaching my Grade 2/3 class on the first day of school next year, my thoughts will drift to you, probably at lunch time, when I have some time to reflect. I will wonder how you are doing, and if any of you got lost or forgot your locker combinations, but I will remain confident that we will all be successful at our new schools. Why? Well, because I think we are all pretty awesome!

I will miss all of you, but I definitely plan on seeing you at various Holy Redeemer events. At the very least, my family will have to attend the BBQ, so that Mr. Ullrich can take our annual family photo!

I will post a few things this week, including downloadable versions of the slideshows from the Leaving Ceremony and of Mr. Ullrich's amazing video.

Have a wonderful Summer.

Mr. Skinner

Links to the Slideshows

Hello,

We just finished the best after school basketball session of the year! A special thanks to Dee's Dad for joining us, taking the kids through some fun drills, and challenging them to some games of "Bump".

Report cards should be coming home with the students today. Everyone did a great job! Please go over their evaluation with them, and feel free to praise them for a job well done!

I will write a longer post tomorrow, wrapping up the events of the week, but for now, I wanted to give you access to the slideshows.

School Slideshow

https://youtu.be/XDEta6thrqM

Three Versions of Mr. Ullrich's Grade 6 Slideshow (if asked for a password, it is x)

Full Slideshow

https://vimeo.com/131595217

Seven Minute Version

https://vimeo.com/131649653

Two Minute Version - Farewell Message

https://vimeo.com/131648054

Have a great night and enjoy the videos!

Mr. Skinner

Probability Games and Planting Trees

Hello,

This morning, the students had the chance to play and explain their probability board games to their classmates. They had so much fun playing these incredibly creative games, that we are going to play them again on the last day of school!

Probability Board Games

Later, we also had the opportunity to help dedicate the new trees that were planted in our school yard and witness the Kindergarten classes release their butterflies. It was a wonderful opportunity to get in touch with nature.

The students are reminded to practice their parts for the leaving ceremony this weekend. Don't worry if you forgot your paper at school. Just follow this link.

We will be doing a full practice on Monday, so it is very important that every student is present.

Have a great weekend!

Mr. Skinner

The Verdict is in!

Quirky is... NOT GUILTY!

Thanks to everyone who participated and did such a great job. It was a very interesting process!

A reminder that we will be playing and presenting our probability board games tomorrow morning. All students should make sure their games and instructions are ready to play.

We will also be practising the leaving ceremony liturgy tomorrow. If any students have misplaced their parts, they can find a copy at this link.

Have a great evening.

Mr. Skinner

Mock Trial Thursday!

Hello,

Our mock trial has been moved up one day, so it will be taking place tomorrow.

All of the important information for the mock trial process can be found at this link

Our students have the following jobs:

Zirky - Conrad
Mr. Jones - Jayden
Constable Chen - London
Crown Prosecutor - Katie
Defence Lawyers - Claire and Eden
Court Clerk - Chris
Press Members - Bryah, Isaiah and Tim
Bailiff - Austin
Artists - Ayai and Gina
Assistant Judge - Allison Martinko
Jury - Emma, Connor, Ashanti, Ive, Dakarai, Renee, Patrick and Allison May

This morning, we prepared for the mock trial and we finished working on our probability games and instructions. With the date change for the mock trial, we will move our Board Game showcase day to Friday.

It was also an exciting day because we received our "Class of 15" t-shirts and several students represented the school at the Track and Field meet. Every student received their shirt, if they ordered one, so hopefully they all make it home today.

Finally, I shared some news with the students today. This will be my final year at Holy Redeemer. When our Grade 6 students leave for Holy Trinity, I will be moving on as well, to St. Anne, where I will continue to work with Mrs. Campbell.

Thanks so much for making my time at Holy Redeemer so special. It has been an amazing nine years!

Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner

Last Call for Permission Forms

Hello,

I am still waiting for permission form from three students for Friday's field trip. Allison, Isaiah and Evanks, please make sure you bring in the forms on Thursday. Time is running out!

This morning, the students continued to work on their probability board games. They are using cards, dice and game boards to create fun games involving probability. Once their games are completed, the final step is to type or write out their instructions, which explain how to play the game and how probability plays an important role in their games. We will continue to work on this task tomorrow.

Next, the students finished their candle art with their cursive writing names. They really look fantastic.

This afternoon, the students had the chance to try playing Gaelic football, then they had their third-last after school basketball session. It's hard to believe there are only two Wednesdays left in the school year, after today. Time sure does fly!

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner

Probability Board Games and Pat Venditte

Hello,

This morning, the students continued to work on their probability board games in their groups. They are coming up with some great ideas and it looks like it will be a lot of fun to play the games when they are completed.

We also had a discussion that combined Math and sports. Ask your child if they can explain the diagram below and how it connects Math to the sport of baseball.

Next, the students showed some real creativity when they designed lantern pictures, using their names written in cursive writing. I won't post any pictures because we are going to use them in the Farewell Ceremony.

Finally, Austin, Ive, Isaiah, Evanks, Tim and Allison still need to bring in their permission forms for the Y Camp trip on Friday, and the hiking trip on Monday. If those students could bring their signed forms tomorrow, it would be much appreciated.

Have a great evening.

Mr. Skinner

Some Amazing Talent!

Hello,

This morning, we were treated to some amazing musical performances in the Learning Commons. I am so happy that Allison, Claire, Eden, Ayai and Julianne will all be able to showcase their considerable talents at the school talent show in a few weeks.

Next, the students chose their seating plan for the rest of the month and we made sure that everyone had completed the "what they will miss about Holy Redeemer" paragraph for the Farewell Ceremony.

Then, the students volunteered for the readings during the Leaving Ceremony Liturgy. The students will receive hard copies of their readings tomorrow.

Finally, we had a discussion in Math about probability, involving dice, and started to plan in groups of 2 or 3, to create our own probability-based board games, which we will play in the class when they are completed. 

Please remember to return the permission forms for the two field trips and to return any overdue library books. Thanks.

Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner

Reading over Submissions

Hello,

I was just taking a break from working on report cards to review the submissions I have received so far, regarding what students will miss about Holy Redeemer, and what would be the main ideas of their farewell address.

The submissions have been very well done. In fact, they are so good that I'm struggling not to tear up as I read them. I must need to clean my desk in the resource room. It must be dust in my eye, right?

Anyways, they are very touching paragraphs that you have written so far.

Please remember to make your submission by 2 PM, by following the link in the previous post.

Thanks,

Mr. Skinner

Getting Ready for the Farewell Ceremony

Hello,

Could all Holy Redeemer Grade 6 students, please fill out the form below by 2 PM on Friday.

Farewell Ceremony Form

The students are asked to list the one thing they will miss most from Holy Redeemer. Their response will be used as part of the farewell ceremony. Please be sure to explain your choice.

Also, a number of students indicated they were interested in reading during the liturgy, or presenting the farewell address with a partner. Any student who is interested in being considered for the honour of presenting the farewell address needs to answer the second question and explain what the theme of their speech would be in a paragraph.

Finally, a reminder that there is no school this Friday, as it is a PD Day. On Monday we will be holding our talent show tryouts, first thing in the morning, so make sure you bring all of the materials that you need. I'm looking forward to seeing some amazing performances!

Have a good weekend.

Mr. Skinner

Filming Tomorrow

Hello,

A few other quick notes for you.

I was talking to Mr. Ullrich after school today and he will be coming in tomorrow morning to do some more filming for the Grade 6 Farewell video.

He is also still hoping to get more throwback photos and videos of the Grade 6 students when they were younger.

Please send the photos and videos to redeemerslideshow@bell.net

Thanks.

Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner

Say Cheese!

Hello,

This morning, everyone finished their EQAO testing. All of the students gave an amazing effort for their final EQAO Math assessment. Everyone worked very hard.

Once we completed our work, we had some fun outside. We brought out the iPads and took some selfies and group photos that might be used on the Grade 6 slideshow. I uploaded all of the photos from the iPads and many of them were very funny.

There is no homework tonight. I just want the students to get a good rest tonight after completing EQAO.

Next, we will be working on some fun culminating tasks for Math and Language and we will start our preparations for the Grade 6 Farewell Ceremony.

Finally, the permission form for the Grade 6 Y Camp trip will be coming home tomorrow.

Have a great night.

Mr. Skinner

One More to Go!

Hello,

This morning, the students completed the first Math section of the EQAO test. For those students who have been here each day during the EQAO testing, there is only one section left.

The students gave a great effort today. For tomorrow, they are reminded to take their time, read over each question carefully and show all of their steps when answering the short answer questions. It would not be a bad idea to review some of the practice multiple choice questions tonight, which we have been doing, to get ready for the EQAO evaluation.

Sample Math EQAO Questions for practice

Just in case you didn't see it on the school website, here is the Holy Redeemer newsletter for June. It contains some big news. Mrs. Campbell is being transferred to St. Anne, to become the principal there.

Holy Redeemer June Newsletter

As promised, here are a few more student-made invitations for the Grade 6 farewell ceremony.

Ayai
Christopher
Allison
Conrad
Evanks
Jayden
Isaiah

Have a wonderful evening.

Mr. Skinner

Deadline Extended One Day

Hello,

Thanks to everyone who brought in their t-shirt orders today, as requested.

There are a few more students who really want to order a Class of 15 t-shirt, so I have extended the deadline one day. The representative of the company is coming to the school to pick up the order at noon, so tomorrow morning is the last chance for students to bring their order form and money for the $13.00 shirt.

This morning we worked in pairs on a variety of multiple choice Math questions, from various strands throughout the year. The students worked very hard and had some great ideas. If any students had trouble deciding between possible options, I would support them and give them an opportunity to discuss possible solutions with me.

Tomorrow, the students will be completing the first of two Math sections for the EQAO testing. They may use their own calculator, protractor and ruler, or I will provide one of each for them. It is important that each student gets a good night sleep, so they are thinking clearly in the morning.

Here are two more invites for the Farewell Ceremony. I will post more tomorrow as well.

Bryah
Dee

Have a good night.

Mr. Skinner