Week Seven and Eight in Portable Two

Friday, October 25, 2019

We just finished week seven (Oct. 15 – Oct.18) and eight (Oct. 21 – Oct. 25) in portable two and here is a little glimpse (well maybe a long glimpse … LoL) of what we’ve been up to:

PUMPKIN CARVING – Every year, each student at Waterford Public School gets to carve a pumpkin for Pumpkinfest. All of the pumpkins are donated by a local farmer. Here are some pictures of our pumpkin carving adventure in the gym:

WALKING OUR JACK-O-LANTERNS TO THE PUMPKIN PYRAMID – Each year, we walk our jack-o-lanterns over to the pumpkin pyramid for display during Pumpkinfest. We are very thankful for the Waterford Lions and Lionesses who volunteer their time and work hard to make all of this happen. Here are some pictures of this event:

FLOAT IN THE PARADE – Waterford Public School had a float in the parade. The theme of our school float was, WE THE WILDCATS. Each class was asked to choose a subject that we learn about at school and paint a pumpkin that resembled it. Our class picked the subject, Social Studies. Canada was painted on our class pumpkin and the flag for each province and territory was sticking out the top of the pumpkin (see picture below). Every student in the school made a self portrait to go on the skirt of the float. I thought the students in portable two did such a fantastic job on their self-portraits. I was very proud of their hard work. Here are some pictures:

WALK FOR WENJACK – WPS participated in the Walk for Wenjack on Monday, October 21st. Chanie Wenjack was a student at a Residential School in Kenora, Ontario. At the age of 12, Chanie ran away from the school in hopes of being reunited with his family. Tragically, one week later, on October 22, 1966, Chanie was found next to the railroad tracks. He had succumbed to exposure and starvation. To honour the memory of Chanie and all of the Indigenous people affected by Canada’s Residential School System, Waterford Public School walked together to demonstrate our commitment to reconciliation. Each student walked about one km with their colour house. Here are a few pictures of the event:

LANGUAGE  – Our class read the graphic novel, Secret Path by Gord Downie and Jeff Lemire to learn about Chanie Wenjack’s story.  The students were really touched by this story and the music that Gord Downie wrote/sang to go with it. I was inspired by each student’s ideas as to how Chanie’s story can make a difference. This is the front cover of the graphic novel:

MATH – One of our learning goals for math: I can measure length using centimetres. The grade 4s have to take it to another level and be able to measure length using millimetres. We spent some time getting comfortable with our math tools (ruler and metre stick) and measured the length of many things using centimetres (grade 3 and 4) and millimetres (grade 4 only).

FIRST ROAR ASSEMBLY – We had our first ROAR assembly of the year. ROAR stands for “Recognizing pOsitive chAracter tRaits”. The ROAR assembly is a time where all classes from grades 3/4 to 8 meet in the gym to recognize students for their accomplishments. Each teacher takes time to go in front of the students in the gym and present ROAR certificates. I actually presented my whole class with a ROAR certificate and it’s hanging in our classroom. Here is a picture of it:

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to email me at julie.pragnell@granderie.ca OR call me at school: 519-443-8942.

-Mrs. Julie Pragnell

p.s. Halloween is coming!! Please read below to find out more detailed information about Halloween in Portable Two:

Some Notes From Mrs. Pragnell About Halloween in Portable Two

• We love costumes in portable two!!! Students can come to school dressed in a costume or bring it in a bag and change into it at school. Please leave the weapons at home and do not bring any fake blood to school. The students from portable two are allowed to stay in their costumes all day if they wish!

• Students are welcome to bring snacks and treats to share with other students in portable two. Just remember, the snacks and treats need to be store-bought and nut-free. Just in case you need to know, we have 23 students in portable two.

• The students from portable two will be going to the gym from 11:15am to 12:10pm for a Halloween dance and games zone. Mr. Dumoulin’s grade 4 class and Mr. Brady’s grade 5 class will also be attending at this time. The WPS Student Leadership Committee is planning this fun event and the cost to participate is $1.00.

• Donations of non-perishable food will be collected for the Waterford Caring Cupboard at the dance. Students are asked to bring some if they can.

• A Snack Shack will operate during the Halloween dance where students may purchase items such as chips, pop, juice, and small candy treats. All items will each cost between fifty cents and one dollar. All proceeds will be used to support a charity to be determined.

• Each student will receive a colour house point for wearing a costume to the Halloween dance. If students do not want to wear a costume, they can receive a colour house point for wearing black and orange.

• There will be a costume contest at the dance where students can win for the scariest costume, most creative costume, funniest costume, or cutest costume. There will also be “dance challenges” for students to participate in.