June 27, 2018

Remember that tomorrow students will be dismissed at noon - for the summer! The first graders will be bringing home an envelope with a report card, registration information for next year, a school supply list for next year, a journal, a gift book (keep reading, everyone!!), and their locker's magnetic photo. Please check the lost and found (in the school gym) before you head home with your child for the summer, and ensure that your child's locker is empty and that their shoes have been brought home. Thanks.

I want to thank parents and students alike for all their hard work this year; the students have come a long way! Have a super summer, everyone!

June 22, 2018

Please remember that Monday there will be a Summer Fun Afternoon here at JES! Students should bring a water bottle, a squirt toy (if they have one!), and a bathing suit and towel - to save getting clothing wet on the slip and slide that's planned.

If anyone has not returned the permission forms for next Tuesday afternoon's pool party and next Wednesday afternoon's playground tour, please do so before Tuesday. Thanks.

The school is clearing out old cross country ski equipment. If you're interested, come to the gym anytime between 8:30 and 4:00 next Monday to Friday and, for a donation (which will go to the Right to Read Society), go shopping for some skinny skis!

The first grade students have no formal homework anymore, but I hope that everyone has caught the reading bug and that there will be lots of books read - this weekend, and all summer long!

June 19, 2018

Thanks to everyone who returned playground tour and swim permission forms. It would be great to get all of these in asap ...

We will be going to the public library again tomorrow afternoon for our final visit this year. If you'd like your child to check out library books, please send his/her library card. Thanks!

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Thanks to everyone who sent library cards for our visit to the public library today.  Students who signed out books need to have them back to the library before 3 weeks are up.

I'm hoping everyone will take advantage of our school's new mini-library. It's set up in front of the school, near the corner of Geikie and Elm. If you'd like to donate books to the library, or to take any from it, please feel free to do so! The library was set up in honour of one Jasper Elementary's former teachers: Vonna Arsenault. Vonna passed away last year and her daughter Felina designed, created and installed the library in Vonna's memory. What a lovely tribute!

June 12, 2018

Our Grade One/Two class will be visiting the public library tomorrow afternoon. If your child has a library card and you'd allow them to check out books, please send the card to school with them tomorrow. Thanks.

Thanks to everyone for completing and returning the emergency contact sheets. Hopefully we'll never need to use them!

June 5, 2018

Remember that we'll be going to the public library tomorrow afternoon, leaving just before 2:30 and returning before the afternoon dismissal bell. Also, tomorrow is Wacky Walking Wednesday, a day when everyone is challenged to arrive at school without getting a ride in a vehicle. Some students will walk, some will bike, some may skip, some may arrive in a wheelbarrow ...  L

June 4, 2018

Our class will be heading to the public library this Wednesday afternoon. We'll leave the school around 2:30 and will return before the afternoon dismissal bell. There is no need to send library cards this week, as we'll not be signing books out.

May 31, 2018

Please remember that class photos are scheduled for tomorrow morning. Also, book orders are due tomorrow morning.

May 29, 2018

I'm sorry for neglecting this blog for such a long stretch; I'll try to post more regularly!

Practice your smiles for class picture day, which will happen this Friday, June 1. When the weather permits, the photos are taken outside, which makes for lovely pictures.

The first graders are bringing home some treasures today: bracelets that they designed and created with Miss Murphy, and name plates that they designed and created as a science/architecture project. Enjoy!

Here are some photos of the first grade students with another art project. Thanks so much to Mrs. Zaniol for cutting out all those lizards!

May 10, 2018

Please remember that tomorrow we'll be joining the rest of the school on a field trip to Lake Annette. Thanks so much to Jake's father for volunteering to come along and help us out!

The high school is putting on a performance of "Annie" tonight and tomorrow night. Doors open at 6:30 and the performance will start at 7:00. It should be a great night! Adult tickets are $10.00.

The first grade students have a spelling test tomorrow.

May 9, 2018

There will be a snack sale tomorrow at morning recess. Snacks, as usual, will cost 50 cents each. (Do I smell the opportunity for some math challenges here? How many snacks could you buy with a loonie? With $2.00?)

The first graders were given trees to take home and plant today. All the necessary instructions are on the bag that the tree came home in. What a great opportunity to be environmentally considerate! We talked about the importance of picking an appropriate home for the tree, and the possibility of naming it, the potential it has to grow along with a first grade student ... great life lessons abound!

Thanks to everyone who returned the field trip permission forms for this Friday's trip to Lake Annette. We will be leaving around 11:45 and plan to return by the end-of-day dismissal bell. Please remember to send a garbage-free lunch and a water bottle in a backpack and to ensure that your child is dressed and prepared appropriately for the weather. Thanks. Thanks to Jake's mom and/or dad for volunteering their time to assist us with this day!

May 7, 2018

Remember that there is a presentation/open house regarding emergency preparedness at the Emergency Services Building (firehall/ambulance building tonight), beginning at 4:30.

Thanks to those parents who have returned permission forms for this Friday's school outing to Lake Annette. If you haven't already returned your child's form, please do so asap.

Keep those energy cube challenges going, everyone! We had some pretty impressive results from week one! Remember that if your child does some activity with a family member, they get to double the cubes they get to colour.

Thanks to those who accepted the challenge of a Screen Free Week last week; we even went screen-free here in Room Four. There are lots of great alternatives to playing video games and watching computer, ipad, and television screens; it was great to hear how students spent screen-free time last week.

Last Friday was our student teacher's last day with us. Here's a shot of her with our amazing first graders!

April 26, 2018

Remember to return your Screen-Free information sheet asap! Those who have returned their sheets (and have signed on to remain screen-free for 7 days) will be given a pledge sheet and an activity log sheet to complete. Look for these in students' agendas tomorrow (except for Braiden - yours is in your backpack already!)

Monday (weather permitting) we are planning a nature walk on the town trail - starting across from the CIBC bank and continuing until the town trail meets Connaught - just before the train overpass. We plan to leave shortly after morning attendance and should return well before recess.

There will be a Zumba dance assembly next Monday morning, as well, to kick off Screen Free Week. Students are invited to dress in 80's "aerobic wear" - shorts over top of bright leggings, headbands, leg warmers ... that kind of thing - if they'd like. Should be fun!

There is no spelling test for first grade students tomorrow morning.

The first grade students will be walking to Freewheel Cycle tomorrow morning at about 11:15 to deliver a thank you crown for Freewheel's volunteer efforts for our school. Everyone will be back at school well before the lunch bell.

April 25, 2018

Notes regarding a screen-free challenge went home yesterday; check your child's agenda and return the note at the bottom of it asap!

Student-made crowns went home today for all our parents, to express our thanks and appreciation for all you've done - and do! - for us! Volunteers rock!

April 23, 2018

We've been working through a pirate theme here in Room Four, and so (naturally!) looked up pirate names for everyone and took some pirate photos. Aargh!

Roger "Scarface" Blackheart

Captain "Sharkbait" Deckswabber

Oliver "Dubloons" Hornblower

Patrick "Grog Swiller" Jones

Liza "Peg Leg" Scuttlebutt

Jack "Cannonball" Parrotlips

Harold "Hurricane" Keelhauler

April 16, 2018

There will be a noon dismissal for students this Friday.

We talked about Friday the 13th being an unlucky day, as last Friday fell on the 13th. Following that, the students wrote about bad luck that they'd had - and created sad photo ops to match:

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Welcome to Jake, our new first grader! It's nice to have a new face in our class - and nice to have a name twin for Jacob!

Just a quick reminder: the school's side doors will be locked during the day; the front door will remain open, though.

An announcement was made just before school dismissed this afternoon, inviting students and staff to wear sports jerseys tomorrow to honour the Humboldt Broncos hockey team.

April 9, 2018

Welcome back, everyone! It was great to see so many smiling faces this morning!

Notes regarding a fund raiser went home in the students' agendas today.

We've been told that the side doors will be locked during school hours, and that parents and visitors should enter the school through the main entrance at the building's front. The change is being made to comply with divisional policy and to help ensure student safety.

The first grade students will resume their daily reading and writing home learning today; thanks again for your support with this.

March 23, 2018

Have a wonderful spring vacation, everyone! We'll see you all back here bright and early on Monday, April 9th!

I kept the first graders' agendas and reading envelopes here for the holiday and sent home some art projects instead! Check your child's backpack for and Easter egg and for a shaggy snowman (a souvenir of winter 2018) - woop woop! Here are some photos of the snow people and their proud owners!

March 21, 2108

The tin can "Squawkers" went home today - sorry, everyone, for the noise they create.  If you wet the string at the bottom of the can and then squeeze it as you pull down on it, it does make a cool sound, though!

If anyone is still interested in setting up an interview with me, please come and see me in Room Four; the link to book online has been taken down.

The first graders are doing excellent work with their at-home writing and reading! Keep up the great work, everyone!