February 2015
Principal’s News
We have started heading over to the rink for a few noon hour skating days on Tuesday. Friday is
the next scheduled time. There is stick and puck on a portion of the ice. Thank you to those parents and students who assist with the tying of skate laces, it increases the amount of time students get on the ice. A reminder that helmets are required and if playing hockey, a face guard is
also necessary. When travelling with your skates on the bus, please ensure that the skates are in
a secure bag – for safety reasons. There will be more definite skating days shared with students next week.
I would like to remind everyone about student drop off and pick up. Thank you to everyone who is assisting keeping 5 th
avenue clear during the designated times. We are striving to make these times of the day the best fit for all – once again
for student safety.
Mrs. Slashinsky
The Parent Group has purchased
mini sticks, nets, and sleds for
students to use during recess. A
huge thank you is extended to
the Parent Group for once again
adding to student activities at
Rapid City School.
Please note:
The February hot lunch is February 26
not February 12 as in the Parent
Group letter.
February is I Love To Read month.
Watch for lots
of fun reading
activities
throughout the
month.
Classroom
Kindergarten
February is going to be a short and busy month in Kindergarten. Since we only have 8 Kindergarten days this month, we
are going to have to pack them full of new learning and fun! In math we are working on our numbers from 1-20. We have
been using 6 sided and 12 sided dice for lots of new math games. In science we are getting started on our colours unit. This
unit is a lot of fun for us. We will get to learn how to mix 2 colours to make new colours. You may notice that books will be
coming home in Ziploc bags. These are books that we have been reading during literacy centers. Have your child read these
books to you, they are really great at it! We also decorated pointer sticks that may be sent home to help your child to track
the words. If your child has not brought books home yet, they will be soon! Please make sure these books are sent back the
next Kindergarten day so they can bring home new ones to read to you. As always, please remember to send lots of warm
clothing for your child. With the warm temperatures that have been popping up on us, it doesn’t hurt to send extra pants,
socks, and shirts too!
Miss Lobreau
Grade 1/2
We will be starting a new unit in Science on the properties of matter. The students will be investigating solids, liquids, and gases. We will be using a variety of materials to discover similarities and differences. In Math, we are
continuing to work on understanding numbers. I would like to encourage the students to practise their math facts
(gr. 1 numbers to 10; gr. 2 numbers to 18), so any extra help they can get at home will be beneficial. There are a
number of events happening in Feb. so I'm sure it will go by quickly. On Feb. 12 we will be celebrating our 100th
day of school. I will be sending home a note with more details about this event. One of the things we will be doing
is making a 100-day trail mix. If every student could bring 100 of something edible (ie. cheerios, raisins, minimarshmallows, etc). Please count this out with your child and send to school on or before Feb. 12.
If you have any questions, please call me at the school.
Mrs. Armstrong
It has been a busy month . We enjoyed out pancake breakfast. Thank you farmers! We have begun a unit on penguins. We have made a list of things we already know and have come up with a list of things we want to know. Now
we are reading and writing and researching to learn as much as we can about penguins!
Mrs. Nykorak
Grade 3/4
In Math, students have been working hard at completing the activities for this unit. Students have
learned about faces, edges, vertices, congruency, nets, skeletons, and the list goes on. This unit
will soon come to an end and students will then begin more intense work on Fractions and Decimals.
Mrs. Slashinsky
Mrs. Hrymak
Communication
Grade 5/6
The school days are flying by and we are trying to maximize our learning opportunities. Arrangements are being made with
Gavin Reynolds, through Junior Achievement, to speak to the class about owning and operating a small business. Everyone
is looking forward to hearing his presentation.
Language Arts
New home reading logs will be sent home during the first week of February. I expect everyone in the class to set a reading
goal and return the form at the end of the month showing that they have achieved their goal. Practicing the skills and strategies being taught in Guided Reading will help to improve reading fluency and comprehension. Students will receive weekly writing prompts for February. The writing pieces will be due on Mondays instead of Fridays because of all the short
weeks of school. TUSC meetings will continue for the month of February.
Math
Both grades will be working on decimals in the next unit. There are only 5 people out of 16 who have become fluent in
multiplication facts. The rest are slowly learning the multiples. Please help your child/children practice at home so they
won’t have to rely on multiplication grids or skip count on their fingers.
Social Studies
Students have been learning about the first French settlements in Canada and the impact these settlements had on the Aboriginal people living in Canada. The next chapter introduces the British to Canada and the problems incurred amongst the
Aboriginals, French, and British over control of the land.
February is I Love to Read month. Enjoy a good book or two!
J Hardy
Grade 7/8
In Math - we are wrapping up our current unit. Please stay tuned for the test date. Extra work is available for those who need
extra practice at home. Our next unit is Operations with Fractions (Grade 7) which involves adding and subtracting fractions,
and calculating common denominators. The Grade 8 class will be working on a Percent, Ratio, and Rate unit. When we are
working with fractions, it is vital that students have a strong knowledge of multiplication facts. This is something that you can
practice at home each night to perfect those skills. ELA - Everyone has been working SO hard on their weekly spelling assignments. There has been a big improvement in the quality of work, and the ability to finish the assignment on time. Great job
everyone! During the month of January we were working on individual novel studies. We will be exploring photo essays when
we wrap up our novel studies. Science - we're midway through our optics unit. Social Studies - we are still studying Ancient
Greece and Egypt. Phys. Ed has been an interesting mix of a lot of different sports and activities this month. We had an opportunity to take the cross-country skis out for a run a few times, we travelled to Rivers for curling, and we also started basketball. Just a reminder that changing clothes for gym is not optional, so please ensure you always have a change of clothes at the
school. During the month of January, we have had several discussions about the importance of due dates, deadlines, and taking responsibility and accountability for your work and assignments. Students are given an ample amount of class time to complete assignments,
however sometimes homework is inevitable. Please ensure that your child is
bringing their planner to school each day, so they have a way to organize
themselves and important dates. Several deadlines were missed for important assignments this month. Please support your child with time management to ensure they aren't falling behind with their work.
Miss Hofer