A Very Short Week

Okay! So this week we only have two days. Wednesday and Thursday are Professional Development days for LPSD staff, and Friday will be our Day in Lieu for parent teacher interviews.

Thank you to everyone who was able to make it out to interviews. I think it was very beneficial for all students, parents, and myself. It was great to see everyone and touch base on our goals for the next few months.

Many people had commented that they would love to have access to the blogs that we are working on, and I think we now have that ability. If you would like to visit your students blog, check out the kidblog site:

7-5: http://kidblog.org/Hyland75/

7-6: http://kidblog.org/Hyland76/

At the bottom of the list of names, you'll see "Parents". You can feel free to sign in, using the password: blms. Once you're signed in, you'll be able to read the blogs and comment on them! As there is only one generic parent account, if you're commenting on blogs, You will need to put your name in above the comment. It'll look like this:

Then you can comment away on as many blogs as you're able to read! Thanks in advance for any time that you have to blog on our writings. 

We have another blogging challenge this week that will be due the Monday that students return from their 5 day weekends, so a little reminder will be helpful for them. 

More to come, but that's it for right now! 

Blogging, Global Sim and Interviews, Oh My!

Good day all! It's again another busy week. I hope that everyone enjoyed a restful and food-filled long weekend. Students just finished creating their "Cardboard Challenge" creations last week. 7-5 was interviewed by NewCap. Check out their promo video here on YouTube. We have been blogging about our experiences. Blogging Challenge #4 is due by the end of the day tomorrow. 

In Social Studies today we began our Global Government Simulation, where students are dealing with the pressures and excitement of running one of the world's countries. We will explore a few sections of the Social curriculum through the Global Sim. We'll work on it on and off throughout the year as it connects to other things that we are doing in class.

Students have been handed back their Canada Maps with feedback on changes to make, as many expressed confusion with the expectations, as I was away while they worked on the maps. The changes are due back tomorrow, and I will re-mark the maps. I am expecting that all students should take the time to review my suggestions, make changes, and hand the maps back in. These map changes are due back tomorrow in class. 

We finished our Common Formative Assessment writings in ELA, and will be reviewing them tomorrow in class. We will be working on developing the mechanics of our writing as well as backing up statements with facts and evidence.

A few other notes:

• This Wednesday is early dismissal. Students will be dismissed at 2:00 p.m..
• Interviews are Thursday October 11 and Tuesday October 16. We expect that students are at all interviews.  If this doesn't work, please let us know so we can reschedule. 
• OLIE (Outdoor Ed Club) members are going on their first camping trip of the year this weekend, leaving Friday after school and returning Saturday night at 6:00 p.m. We have an OLIE meeting Wednesday at 4:15-5:15, and a gear check Thursday at noon. All students must have their gear with them Thursday for the check. 
• Start thinking about holiday plans: Reminder that there is no school on October 24-26, due to PD days for staff and a day in lieu due to interviews. Mr. Sklapsky and I will be sending out our gift requests for students taking holidays. (Just Joking). 

Interviews, Cardboard Challenges, & more!

Hello everyone!

We're back in another week, and it is very exciting. Our class has ALMOST had everyone hand in their chocolate money, and that means that we are nearly there to win a giant 5 pound chocolate bar. We are also currently third in total chocolate sales, meaning that if we keep selling the way we are (a few students are well into their second and third cases sold), that we could win the Subway lunch party. Great work everyone! If you need more cases of chocolates to sell, just let me know!

Nextly, interviews are coming up. Our class interviews will be on Thursday October 11, and Tuesday October 16. For 7-5, I am test driving a new way of interview sign up. If you click on the button below, it will take you to a page where you can choose the date and time of your interview. It will ask you for your name and phone number, as well as your email address. This will all be kept confidential and not broadcast on the site. We are piloting the program, so there may be a few glitches, but I have heard good things about it, so hopefully it works. ***Note: Please make sure that your student is available when you sign up for a time slot. It is essential that the students are at the meetings, so all of us can discuss the year so far. It only takes a few moments to sign up for an interview time. Here's how:

1. Click on the link below to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot (7-5 only)!
2. Enter your email address (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot).
3. Choose your interview time and sign up. You should get an automated confirmation and reminder messages. Easy! 

If for some reason it doesn't work out for you, just contact me and I can set it up for you manually.

On Wednesday, we will be participating in a cardboard challenge.  I have challenged students to create something useful, beautiful, or entertaining using cardboard, tape, and a few other supplies. IF you have connections to cardboard and can send it to school, it would be very much appreciated. If you would like me to come and pick it up from your home or business, send me an email: derek.hyland@lpsd.ca, and I'll arrange for it! If you're interested in seeing our inspiration for this challenge, check out the two videos at http://cainesarcade.com/.

Also in this update, On Wednesday, October 10th, 7-5 will be travelling to Lakeland College for a Tipi raising. More info on this will be sent out later in the week!

That's all for now! Enjoy your week!