Happy Holidays!

Friday, December 13th

Castlefrank Elementary School in Kanata closed today due to power failure. Classes resume Monday.

Dear Parents,

 

You are invited to our WINTER CONCERT.  We will be holding performances on Friady, December 13^th at 9:00 am and a second representation at 1:50pm. Please be aware that admittance FOR EVERYONE IS FREE.

 

School council is hoping to raise money to support student life at Castlefrank. Some ways of showing this support are through buying playground equipment, supplementing the cost of class trips, and providing funding for arts events.

 

Bake Sale and Cake Walk: School council is asking our class, as well as some others, to provide a selection of baked goods for the bake sale. These six classes would help this time, and other classes would be called upon in March for our next bake sale. Please send cookies, cupcakes or squares (nut free please) to school with your child on Thursday, December 12.  You or your child can bring them to the foyer before class on that day.

 

Students will be invited down by class to purchase a treat at the sale; cupcakes will be sold for $1 and cookies/squares for 50¢. In addition, students may purchase tickets for the cakewalk for 4/$1 in which they may put their names in the raffle boxes for the cake of their choice. The winning tickets will then be drawn later that afternoon and the parents contacted so that you can make arrangements to pick up the cake either Thursday after school or Friday at the Winter Concert.

 

Have a good afternoon,

Mme Marie-Christine

Holiday concert Dec 13 - more information to come

Jersey day - Thursday, November 21st

Poppies

Friday morning (between 8:50 and 9:10) donations will be collected for poppies.
 

Yaki has a bad cold!

Yaki's performance has been rescheduled for Monday, November 4th. 

Calling all the “Mo Bros” of the Castlefrank E.S. community!

On November 1^st we will be kicking off Castlefrank’s first-ever Movember campaign to show our support for men’s health!

 

We are reaching out to the dads, step-dads, uncles, grandfathers, older brothers and other important men in our Castelfrank community to participate in our Movember Moustache Mania contest!!!

 

To participate, send a photo of your clean-shaven face to Rebecca.Taggart@ocdsb.ca or show up at the school between 1:15 and 2:00pm on Friday November 1 to have your picture taken. Your ‘mo-less mug will then be posted on the main entrance bulletin board with your first name and child’s name and grade to show how you are supporting this great cause. Our very own Mr. Henry and Mr. Phil will be representing the Castlefrank family J

 

Every Friday in November – November 8, 15, 23 and 30 – we will ask for an updated photo to show your mo’s progress. On the final day of November, a panel of judges (students, teachers and parents) will decide on the winning ‘stache! The winner will receive a special prize for participating in the contest as well as the glory that comes with the title of the first ever winner of Castlefrank’s Movember campaign!

 

If you ‘moustache’ a question, please email Mme Taggart at Rebecca.Taggart@ocdsb.ca or call the school at 613-592-8071. Once all participants have been confirmed, Mme Taggart will be in touch throughout the month to provide updates on the event and photo reminders.

 

When sending in your photo, please include your full name, the date the photo was taken, the name of your son or daughter and his/her teacher.

 

Thank you for supporting Castlefrank as we launch this exciting event to show our support for men’s health issues.

 

To learn more about the Movember initiative, check out http://ca.movember.com!

 

Good luck to all our participants!

 

The Castlefrank Movember team

Science Project

 

UNDERSTANDING STRUCTURES AND MECHANISMS

Dear Parents,

 

For the past several weeks, we have been studying simple machines in science. As part of this unit, students discovered; movement is a change in position of an object, simple machines help objects to move, mechanisms are made up of one or more simple machines, simple machines and mechanisms make life easier and more enjoyable for humans.  

 

To solidify your child’s learning, he/she is asked to create a new machine whose job will be to complete an everyday task. This is a at home project. Please let the final product be your child’s own work.

Your child can build their own machine out of different materials you have in your home. Your child must include at least 3 different types of simple machines in his/her design.  Your child will need to record or write down the order of steps of your machine from start to finish.

Example:

When you slip on ice, your foot kicks paddle (A), lowering finger (B), snapping turtle (C) extends neck to bite finger, opening ice tongs (D) and dropping pillow (E), thus allowing you to fall on something soft.

 

 

If your child is looking for inspiration, he/she can search Simple Machine Project on YouTube. This project is due Wednesday, November 13^th. Students will be presenting their machines to different members of our Castlefrank community.

 

 

Simple Machines we have studied are;

ü  Inclined plane (plan incliné)

ü  Screw (vis)

ü  Wedge (coin)

ü  Lever (levier)

ü  Wheel (roue)

ü  Pulley (poulie)

 

 

The students are very excited about this project and I am eager to see what their creative minds can produce.

Sincerely,

Mme Marie-Christine

 

Criteria	Level 4	Level 3	Level 2	Level 1
Understanding of simple machines (Different types of simple machines (levers, pulleys, inclined planes, screws, wedges, and wheel and axles))	demonstrates thorough understanding of simple machines	demonstrates considerable understanding of simple machines	demonstrates some understanding of simple machines	demonstrates limited understanding of simple machines
Transfer of knowledge and skills (concepts (simple machines) and processes (creating a machine help to move objects) to unfamiliar contexts	transfers knowledge and skills to unfamiliar contexts with a high degree of effectiveness	transfers knowledge and skills to unfamiliar contexts with considerable effectiveness	transfers knowledge and skills to unfamiliar contexts with some effectiveness	Transfers knowledge and skills to unfamiliar contexts with limited effectiveness
Use of conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline in oral, visual, and/or written forms (levers, pulleys, inclined planes, screws, wedges, wheel, axles, lift, push,weight etc)	uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with a high degree of effectiveness	uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with considerable effectiveness	uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with some effectiveness	uses conventions, vocabulary, and terminology of the discipline with limited effectiveness

Entertainment Book payments and Unsold Books are due Tuesday, October 22nd!

Have a great long weekend!

Dear Parents,

Our class will be visited by a truly original performer the last week of October. His name is YAKI and he has performed at over 60 schools in Ottawa. His songs are funny, appropriate and easy to sing along to. He will be coming to perform for us on October 28^th in the morning. A voluntary donation of a twoonie would be appreciated.

http://www.yakimusic.com/about.php  (WELCOME TO YAKI’S WORLD!)

Merci,

Mme Marie-Christine

In science, we are investigating simple machines. If you have any of the following items at home that you are no longer using could you please send them to school (straws, paper towels rolls, toothpicks, toilet paper rolls, yarn string, plasticine, milk cartons, cardboard, plastic bottles, toy cars, expired rice, expired cereal and shoebox lids). They will be used for our science experiments.

Un gros MERCI!!!

Picture Day oct 10th

MERCI!!!

Dear Parents,

Thank you for attending 'Meet the teacher' last night. I enjoyed meeting with all of you. If you did not receive an outline or were unable to attend and wish to have an outline, please let me know.

 

Have a great weekend,

Marie-Christine

Sept 27

This week

      Descriptive writing (literacy)

      Read the book Moi c’est moi (literacy)

      Growing patterns (math)

      Lines (art)

      Families (Social Studies)

      Lear about Terry Fox (Social Studies)

      Lear about the Franco-Ontarian flag(Social Studies)  

Don’t forget Friday is the Terry Fox Run! Wear school colours (Red, yellow and blue.)

This is a link to the song was have been practicing for the run. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwpzXxU7VWk

Joyeux jour des franco-ontariens

Meet the teacher date has changed. Meet the Teacher is now on Thursday, September 26 from 4:30 - 6:00 pm.

 

Math talk

In Math, we are learning about patterns. Here are things you can do at home to help.

Listening for Patterns

•  Clap your hands and stomp one foot in a sequence (such as clap, clap, stomp;  clap, clap, stomp; clap, clap, stomp). Have your child repeat the same sequence.  Then together create variations of the pattern. •  Have fun teaching your child simple dances that include a sequence of steps  and movements.

Patterns at Home or in the Neighbourhood

•  Your child will find patterns in clothing, in wallpaper, in tiles, on toys and among trees and flowers. Encourage your child to describe the patterns found. Have your child try to identify the features of the pattern that repeat. •  With your child, try searching for images on the Internet by using such keywords as “patterns around us.”

Charts, tables and graphs are some ways to highlight patterns.

•  Lay a row of nine spoons so that each handle points up or down in a pattern with a core of up, up, down (up, up, down; up, up, down; up, up, down).  Ask your child to extend the pattern.

•  Make this task more challenging and ask your child to describe and say the  patterns aloud:      

•  Make the pattern core longer – for example, up, up, down, up; up, up, down, up;  up, up, down, up.  

    •  Change one of the elements in the pattern core – for example, up, up, down, sideways; up, up, down, sideways; up, up, down, sideways.

•  Explore growing patterns with your child by using toothpicks or straws.  Ask your child to keep the pattern growing.  What comes next?

Source: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/parentGuideNum.html

HOMEWORK NEWS!

Dear parents,

The homework reading program, scheduled to commence Monday September 9^th, will be postponed to a future date. French reading material from Katimavik are still in the process of be sorted and catalogued.

Math homework will commence Monday September 9^th and is due on Friday September 13^th. Please refer to the class Website for the question of the week.

Thank you for your patience,

Mme Marie-Christine

Family trees

Next Tuesday, we will be making family trees in class. Mapping out a family tree can be a great opportunity for younger children to learn more about where they come from. Please send pictures (not originals as they will be glued onto construction paper) of individual family members (mom, dad, brothers, sisters, grandmothers, grandfathers) by Tuesday, September 10^th.  

Bienvenue! Welcome to Grade 2!!

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and your child to our classroom.  I am looking forward to an exciting year full of adventures along the way! It is a privilege to partner with you during this important time in your child’s life.