Mrs. Spreen's Class Blog

Where has the time gone?  It seems like just yesterday we were packing to leave the old portable and here we are settled in and working away.  Thank-you to everyone who offered to help us move in.  We were fortunate enough that we did not require any extra hands as the maintenance department handled most of the heavy lifting for us, and the students assisted with the smaller, lighter loads.  Many hands definitely made lighter work.  We had a very successful learning period even though we were in the midst of a lot of changes.  We have been continuing to learn about Waste and Our World in our Science unit.  The students have done a lot of research into packaging and have created beautiful, educational flow charts of how both a product and its packaging go from raw materials to disposal - and disposal doesn't always mean the garbage.  We are continuing to work on types of garbage as we move through biodegrading/composting and other creators of waste.  It is my hope that we will be

Hello! Thanks to all who ventured out for our Parent-teacher-student meetings.  It was great to get a few minutes to visit with you and show you what we have been working on thus far.  To those who have not yet managed to pop in, please email me and I will try to accommodate your schedule. In Science, we have completed the Light and Shadows unit with the final test which you should have seen come home on Friday for most students - I still have 6 on my desk.  These were to be reviewed with you and then signed and returned to school. Thanks to those who have already returned them! We have just started the unit of Waste and Our World.  We have begun this unit with defining what garbage actually is, and what should be/could be re-cycled, re-used or re-purposed.  We have also discussed raw materials, pre-consumer waste and manufacturing.  We will be continuing with post-consumer wastes and moving in to durable, non-durable and disposable goods.  One of the best things about this unit is

Hello! Welcome to the beginning of the season of layering clothes!  Please make sure your child is dressing appropriately for the weather.  I try to ensure that students wear what they are sent to school in; however, I do not see everything and they can sneak out quickly.   As we are going outside for recesses and PE and, sometimes, Healthy Hearts, students should be dressing to go outside for long periods of time. Next week this may change as the weather is supposed to get warmer again... Some people have been inquiring about Current Events articles for their students.  Currently, we are working through the articles that I provide in order for students to gain the skills required for them to summarize their own articles.  Students will be required to bring their own article for Friday, October 27.  Please refer to the parent handbook for details of Current Events. Students should have brought home an order form from the De Simone Farms. This is the fundraiser we lovingly refer t

Hello! We have almost completed one full month of school! We've been very busy learning our new routines and remembering some old ones.  We are still in the old portable, but there seems to be some progress happening, and hopefully we will be part of the whole school before the snow flies (to stay!). In Math , we have been working on Patterns and Relationships.  This includes topics such as identifying and extending patterns by adding on or counting back from a set number.  It also includes completing t-tables, identifying and extending shape patterns and identifying different attributes to make a pattern.  We will be continuing this topic for a few more weeks. Social has had us discovering where in Canada Alberta is located.  Many of you have seen, signed and returned your student's quiz on Canadian provinces and territories.  Thanks to you for doing that promptly!  We are now discovering and researching the 6 physical regions of Alberta.  Each student is recording int

Welcome to a new school year! If you are reading this post, you have found 4C's (Mrs. Spreen) blog.  There will be more written shortly, but I just wanted a quick note for those who've been adventurous!  Please watch for our Parent Handbook to be coming home - hopefully on Friday.  Enjoy your day!

We hope you have a great summer and we look forward to seeing everyone again in September!  You will receive an email from your child’s new teacher in August. The first day of school is on  Tuesday, September 5 .  This will be a full day. Please call the school if your child is going to be absent that first morning. This is very important as we juggle changes in our registration numbers on that first day. School supply information can be found on our website at     http://rbes.blackgold.ca/ parents/school-supplies/    You can order packages throughout the summer, however, there is an additional charge of $5 after the August long weekend. Additional Summer and September Information can be found on our website on our home page. During the summer, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Principal, Mrs. Kloschinsky, by email:  kathy.kloschinsky@blackgold.ca

Hello, Unfortunately, we will NOT be going to Fort Edmonton Park this year.  There has been a clerical error, and we cannot book busing at this late date.  We are all disappointed.  The grade 4 teachers will be meeting shortly to make a new end of year/ last day plan.  Please wait for the details...

Hello, Can you believe that it is nearly the end of the school year? Me, neither! In Science we have finished our Wheels and Levers unit - which you saw pictures of in my last post. We have also completed the Building devices unit which many of you saw the various project  during our student -led conferences in March.  The students had a great time with their toy prototypes, and a few groups finished all four tasks of combining the marble track and vehicle and having the vehicle move the 2m before stopping.  These projects were awesome!   All of the students gained a vast amount of knowledge about constructing a mechanical device for a designated purpose using materials and design suggestions provided.They were also able to explore and evaluate variations to the design of a mechanical device demonstrating that control is an important element in the design and construction of that device.   We are currently working in the plant unit, and will be continuing with this until the e

 How many pulleys can we string together?  The girls' pulley experiment!  Pulleys, again. Trying to untangle the rope to string together some pulleys. February 15 Science class - mixed groups in Pulleys, Rollers, K'Nex and Gears stations.  So much fun in Science today! We are having a lot of fun applying the knowledge from our latest science unit.  We will be having a unit test on this material next Friday.  Please help your student remember to review his or her notes before then!

Happy New Year! I trust that each of you has enjoyed having your student at home for the last two weeks and were very sad to see this morning roll around when your child had to go to school.  I know I was enjoying my family time! We will be working hard in the next 6 months to complete all of our curricular outcomes - expect your student to be tired at the end of the school day! A few upcoming events of which you need to be aware: It is early dismissal this Wednesday - the 11th. January 18 is Beach Day - more details will be shared as it becomes available. We are skating the week of January 23 - 26.   We will need helpers both on the ice and off.  Our schedule is: Monday 1:15 - 1:45; Tuesday 2:15 - 2:45; Wednesday 11:10 - 11:45; Thursday 9:30 - 10:05; Friday No skating.  If you are able to help with skating, please let me know which days and whether you will be skating or not.  Thanks in advance! January 30 is Report Card Day - watch for it in your student's bac