Friday, September 20, 2019

We just finished week three in portable two and here is a bit of what’s been going on:

Meet the Teacher Night – Thursday night was Meet the Teacher Night. It was great to see everyone that was able to make it. I hope you enjoyed the tour of our classroom from your personal tour guide. The students were excited to show you our classroom and what they’ve been up to.

Remembering Alice Trusdale – On Friday, we walked to WHAM (Waterford and Agricultural Museum) to learn about a brave and hard-working community member named, Alice Trusdale. Alice grew up in Waterford. She was born in 1892. Alice attended Waterford Public School and Waterford District High School. After graduating, she attended Guelph to become a nurse. Alice served in the First World War as a nurse.  She died in September, 1919 (100 years ago). Alice didn’t die during the war, she died while working in a military hospital in Kitchener (one of many facilities set up across the country to care for the thousands of sick and wounded soldiers coming home from the war). While she was working at the military hospital, she caught a disease from the soldiers and died.

James and Catherine are the curators of the museum and they did some activities with us in honour of Alice Trusdale. Some of the activities included, watching a short video, viewing photographs, seeing artifacts and memorabilia, and making a wreath lay at her grave stone. After our trip to the museum, we all walked to the cemetery in Waterford to lay the wreath at Alice’s grave stone. Since Alice was in the First World War, she has a special grave stone to honour her time in the war. We did a pastel rubbing of the grave stone and it is now hanging in our classroom to honour Alice. Below are some pictures of the event:

Math – This past week we learned about division (up to 100 divided by 10) and the inverse relationship of multiplication and division. The cheerios came out to help us make arrays to represent a variety of multiplication and division fact families. We also practiced writing multiplication and division equations on our white boards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reading –  Reading is just one part of our language program at school. So far, we have been developing our independent reading skills, listening to read alouds, and learning to pick just right books. Our classroom library is filled with books on topics that we’re studying and books that we’re interested in. Our classroom library is organized into three basic categories: fiction books (books made up by an author), non-fiction books (books that contain true, factual information), and poetry.

Writing –  Students were introduced to part of our writing program this past week called, Independent Writing. During Independent Writing, students can write their own books. They can choose between writing fiction, non-fiction, or poetry books. They can also choose between writing chapter books, picture books, graphic novels, comic books, scripts for plays, journals, diaries, and a lot more. The possibilities are endless. It’s exciting for me to watch their excitement come alive as young authors.

Waterford Public School Makes the Newspaper – Click on the following link to see the article that was written in the Simcoe Reformer about the buddy benches at our school: https://www.simcoereformer.ca/news/local-news/waterford-students-make-buddy-benches

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

Friday, September 13, 2019

We just finished week two in portable two and here is a glimpse of what we’ve been up to:

Bucket Drumming – This past week, each student received a pair of drumsticks that they will borrow for the year. For our first lesson, we practiced how to hold the drumsticks properly and how to follow the conductor. We also played some simple rhythms by striking our sticks together and on the carpet. During our next lesson, we will get our buckets. I can already tell that this group is a talented bunch and I’m excited to compose/perform alongside them this year.Math – By the end of grade 3, students need to know how to multiply numbers up to 7 x 7 and by the end of grade 4, students need to know how to multiply numbers up to 10 x 10. This is why we have been learning about basic multiplication facts for the first two weeks of school. One thing that we learned was how to play a game called, How many squares can you fill in? This game is a fun way to practice our basic multiplication facts. By playing this game, we learn about the connection between multiplication, skip counting, repeated addition, and arrays. This game also gets us to practice multi-digit addition (when we add up the score). I like to teach this game at the beginning of the year because it’s a game that students will play occasionally, throughout the year. It’s so important for students to find ways to practice their multiplication facts all year long in order for them to become familiar with them (not just during a two week unit). If you are interested in playing this game at home with your child, let me know. 
Compost Crew – One thing that our class is doing to help the earth is collecting the compost at our school. Each student was assigned a job this past week and we started collecting compost from each classroom. The compost is eventually used for our school garden. If you haven’t seen the beautiful sunflowers in our school garden, I suggest you drive by the school on Duncombe Road to check them out. They are beautiful.

Language – We have been busy writing and reading in our back to school activity booklets. Some of what the students have been sharing is their favourite books, their favourite songs, what they did in the summer, and what they like do in their spare time.

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

Friday, September 6, 2019

It has been a great first week and I am very proud of how hard the students are working to learn the expectations in Portable Two! We have also been getting to know each other and what it means to be part of a learning community. After four days with this crew, I can tell you that it’s going to be a great year!

One thing we spent some time working on was designing a hot air balloon for our classroom mural. The title of the mural is, Let’s Soar to New Heights in Grade Three/Four!!!! Each student got their picture taken and decided on a way to make it look like they were floating in the sky with their hot air balloon. I’m really impressed with all of the creative ideas in this classroom. The mural looks amazing and it represents a team effort. I can’t wait for you to see the mural at Meet the Teacher Night (on Thursday, Sept. 19th from 5:30-7). Each balloon is very unique just like each student is. Here is a picture collage of each student’s design:

I’m looking forward to Week Two in Portable Two!!! Talk to you soon.

-Mrs. Julie Pragnell

September 3, 2019

Hello Everyone,

Thanks for joining me! My name is Mrs. Pragnell and I am excited to be teaching grade 3/4 this year at Waterford Public School. There will be lots of learning going on in our portable and I will write news updates for you on this blog.

Please follow this blog by email (the “follow” link can be found by looking to the right of your screen if you’re on a desktop computer OR scrolling down to the bottom of the screen if you are on a tablet or phone). Subscribing by email will allow you to get notifications whenever there is a new post.

Sincerely Yours,

Mrs. Pragnell

Monday, July 22, 2019

Hello Everyone!!! I hope your summer is going well. I just wanted to give you a quick update on our school garden. The sunflowers that we planted are growing beautifully. Here are some pictures:

I’m excited to see what they will look like in September.

Talk to you soon,

Mrs. Pragnell

 

Friday, June 28, 2019

Grade four (2018/2019) has officially come to a close in portable two. What a great year it was! Thank you for such an awesome year! Here is a glimpse of what we were up to during the last four weeks of school:

WDHS Concert Band and Choir – We travelled to the highschool to see a performance from the band and choir. The students really enjoyed it. See pics below:

Track and Field Assembly – We had an assembly to present the Track and Field medals. See pics below:

Bike Rodeo – We travelled to the arena for the annual bike rodeo. See pics below:

Maths – Students worked in partners to solve math problems that involved two-digit by one digit multiplication as well as two-digit by one-digit division. Then, we went on a gallery walk to discuss the math. See pics below:

Rugby Lessons – Jackson Scott from the Norfolk County Harvesters volunteered his time to come and teach us how to play rugby. See pics below:

Old Town Hall Art Gallery Visit – We walked to the Art Gallery to see/discuss Beverly Hawksley’s work on display. The picture below is of Claire Senko talking to us about the art exhibit and answering our questions:

Musical Performance from Mike Hogg and Patrick Campbell– The students enjoyed an acoustic performance from these talented musicians. We sang along and listened to stories about the songs and their instruments. See pic below:

Bucket Drumming at the Volunteer Tea – We did our bucket drumming performance for the volunteers at the annual volunteer tea. The students did an excellent job. You will see a picture below of us waiting to perform:

Yummy Popsicles – Here is a picture of “the fabulous fours” enjoying some popsicles on a hot, sunny day:

Medieval Times Field Trip – It was a great field trip. Waterford Public School was cheering for the red knight. Unfortunately, he didn’t win but we still had a great time! See pics below:

Helping out The Old Town Hall – The rainbow flag was stolen from the Old Town Hall so, Waterford Public School decided to help them out by making a whole bunch of flags and planting them on the front lawn of the Old Town Hall. See pics below of our adventure:

Planting Giant Mammoth Sunflower Seeds in our Pollinator Garden – We collected compost all year. Then, we shoveled the stinky stuff into the garden boxes. We added some other nutrient rich soil and now we have a nice bed for our seeds. The seeds have been planted and by the time we come back in September, they will be really tall and blooming proudly. Here are some pics of the fabulous fours sitting by the garden boxes:

Sincerely Yours,

Mrs. Pragnell

p.s. What’s on your summer reading list? Here are some of the books your child may be interested in taking out from the Waterford Public Library this summer:

Friday, May 31, 2019

We just finished week 36 (May 27th to May 31st) in Portable Two. Here is a glimpse of what we have been up to:

Soccer Baseball: In gym we have been learning how to play soccer baseball and the students really enjoy it. We are pretty lucky to have some nice baseball diamonds close by. Here are two pictures of the students playing soccer baseball on the diamond near our school:  

Reading Our Writing Out Loud – Students took some time to read the story books they’ve been writing out loud to a partner. Reading our writing out loud to another person helps improve our writing because it helps us notice things that we didn’t notice before, produce more ideas, and get feedback from someone who didn’t write it (they notice things we don’t). Here are some pictures of the students reading the story books they’re writing out loud to a partner:

Drama and Dance– Our trip to see the performance of Lion King Jr. inspired us to do some drama and dance of our own. We’ve been working hard to understand the plot of the Lion King Jr, the characters, and the setting because it’s important for actors/dancers to do their research before they act/dance in role. This allows them to really get into the role they are playing and become the character  This past week we split up into groups and acted out random scenes from the Lion King Junior. The audience had to guess what scene each group was acting out. During another class, we learned how dance can communicate messages to an audience. We demonstrated this by acting like Scar as we danced to one of the songs he sings in the Lion King Junior called, Be Prepared. We worked to make our movements match Scar’s evil character and the dark mood of the song. We are so lucky to have one of the actual actors/dancers/singers from the Lion King Junior in our class. Her name is Edith and she plays the role of Timon. Edith brought in her script and has been there to guide us/answer any questions we may have.

Maths – Our focus for math this past week was dividing two-digit numbers by one-digit numbers (with and without remainders). We practiced by playing a game with a partner where we had to write down the division equation in standard format and make an array to represent the division equation as well. Arrays allow students to see what’s going on when it comes to multiplication and division. Having a visual/hands on component to math lessons (whenever we can) really helps to enhance a child’s understanding.

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

Friday, May 25, 2019

We just finished week 35 (May 21st to May 24th) in Portable Two. Here is a glimpse of what the students have been up to:

Lion King Jr. – On Tuesday, we walked to the Old Town Hall to see the Town Hall Kids perform a musical called, The Lion King Junior. One of the students in our class (Edith) played the role of Timon and quite a few other students from our school were in the play. It was an incredible show. We were all very impressed with the sets, costumes, singing, dancing, and acting. I’m grateful to work in a town full of hard-working people that are dedicated to creating experiences for children to engage with the arts.

Waterford Heritage and Agricultural Museum (WHAM) – After our trip to see Lion King Jr. we walked to the Waterford Heritage Agricultural Museum. We ate our lunch there. James Christison (curator of the Waterford Heritage and Agricultural Museum) had a quick talk with us and then we went on a self-guided tour of the museum. Fun Fact: WHAM is located in one of Waterford’s best known industrial landmarks: The Pickle Factory.

Performing at the Legion – After our stop at WHAM, we kept on walking to the Legion. The students performed their bucket drumming routine at the senior citizen’s monthly luncheon. They did a fantastic job and the seniors really enjoyed the show:

Maths – Our focus for math this past week was multiplying two-digit numbers by one-digit numbers. We practiced by playing a variety of games with a partner. One game that we played involved two decks of cards. One deck had two-digit numbers and the other deck had one-digit numbers. Students were to both pick a card from each deck and multiply them. Whichever student had the highest amount got a point for that round.

Mrs. Pellizzari’s Last Visit – On Wednesday, Mrs. Pellizzarri came for her last visit with our class. Each student received a certificate for completing the course and we played Jeopardy to review what we’ve learned. The categories for jeopardy were Feelings, Problem Solving, Making Friends, and Responsibility.

Language and the Arts – After seeing the musical, Lion King Junior, we took time to review the elements of the story (characters, setting, problem, solution, plot) with a specific focus on the plot. This story will be used as a springboard for drama and dance class as students explore the use of drama and dance to tell a story. Here is a picture of a scene from the Lion King Jr. at the Old Town Hall:

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

Friday, May 17, 2019

We just finished week 34 (May 13th to May 17th) in Portable Two. It was my first week back since April 10th. I am feeling great and have recovered well. Thanks for your support during my time off. Here is a glimpse of what the students have been up to for the past six weeks:

Swimming – Students wrapped up their 8 weeks of swimming lessons at the Annaleise Carr Aquatic Centre. Each student received a report card at their last swimming lesson. I am very proud of the student’s hard work and bravery during swimming lessons. BIG THANKS goes out to all of our community sponsors who help to fund it.

Reading – The class read a chapter book together called, Tut Tut by Jon Scieszka. The book is just one of many in a series known as The Time Warp Trio. The Time Warp Trio consists of three friends (Sam, Fred, and Joe) who live in Brooklyn, New York. Joe receives a mysterious blue book from his magician uncle for his 10th birthday. The book transports the trio to a variety of places in history.  For example, in the book we read called, Tut Tut the book transported them to Ancient Egypt.  The only way the boys are able to return to present-day is to find The book within whatever time period they are in. While reading this book students did various activities to improve their comprehension strategies (e.g., making connections, making predictions, asking questions, making inferences, examining the elements of a story, and summarizing).

Writing – Reading Jon Scieszka’s book (Tut Tut) has provided inspiration for students to write their own stories starring themselves in a Time Warp Trio. Students planned out their story on a graphic organizer. This helped them to be sure they included all of the elements of a story so that it makes sense for the reader (Characters, Setting, Problem, Solution, Plot).

Early Societies –  The students have been exploring Ancient Egypt as part of our social studies learning. There is so much to learn about the Ancient Egyptian culture like The Great Pyramids, The Social Structure, Mummification, The Nile River, Gods, Goddesses, The Afterlife, and Pharaohs. The students have been fascinated and really interested in learning about how their lives compare to the lives of Ancient Egyptians.

Track and Field – The track and field meet was on Tuesday, May 14th. Grade four students competed in the mandatory events: 100m, 200m, 400m, long jump, and ball throw. Grade four students had the choice to participate in the 800m, 1500m, high jump, and triple jump (they weren’t mandatory). We still have to train for high jump and run the 1500m race and that will happen this upcoming week. The grade fours were in the junior division for track and field where they competed against grade fives. The grade fours held their head high and did the best they could. I am very proud of them. Here is a picture of the junior boys running in the 800m race:

Maths – One of the things that students have been learning about in maths class is geometry. In grade four geometry, students learn about angles, three-dimensional figures (pyramids and prisms), two-dimensional shapes (triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, etc.), symmetry, and parallel lines. One of the video series that we watch to compliment our math learning is called, Math Antics. The creator of the video series provides excellent visuals and does a great job explaining things so that it makes sense for students with a variety of learning needs. The videos are free to watch and can be found at this website: http://www.mathantics.com.

Jump Rope For Heart – Our school raised $4800 dollars for Jump Rope For Heart this year. That is so fantastic. Here is a picture of the students participating in the event on Friday, May 17th. The weather was beautiful and the students had a lot of fun travelling from station to station with their colour house leaders:

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

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to send a picture of Mrs. Hunte. I met with her today after school and she is looking forward to spending some time in Portable Two.

-Mrs. Pragnell