Dec 16

Have a fantastic winter break. I look forward to seeing everyone back on Jan 3rd.

Dec 15

Today we worked with chalk pastel to create some snowman art. Some of us even made 3D snowmen!

1) Tomorrow is our last day of classes before the winter break.

Dec 14

Today, Tink our elf left us a video. You can check it out here. Wow our teachers can sure dance!

1) Hug and Go form: went home today.

Dec 13

We posted our Noah Problem on IRIS. Take a look at how I showed my counting strategies. Today we started to work on our art pieces to go with our writing "If I were an elf . . ." Ask me about the material we used to create our art piece.

1) Report Cards: went home today. Please sign the envelope and return to school. Thank you.

Dec 7

Tomorrow is our trip to ATP. Here are some things to remember:
- please pack an extra snack as students will be eating an early lunch at ATP.
- students will have a second snack upon arrival back at school. If your student receives milk at lunch, their milk will be given to them at second snack.
- Please ensure students are dressed for the weather.

Dec 6

Today we worked on the on the  Noah Problem with a partner. We focused on showing and explaining our work, proving our answer and sharing the counting strategies we used. Ask me about the two counting strategies we have been working on. Hint: I need to count the legs while pointing to each leg or I can grab the bigger number and count on.

'Noah watched the animals going into the ark. He was counting the legs of the animals and by noon he got to 12. How many creatures did he see? See if you can find other answers. Try to tell someone how you found out these answers.

1) ATP information letter: was sent home today. If you could please fill it out and return tomorrow that would be great. 

Dec 5

1) ATP field trip:

Dear Parents:

We apologize if you were outside in the frigid temperatures at the end of the day today. We were trying to get out the letter to you regarding new information about the ATP Play Slipper.  If your son or daughter did not receive a blue letter today about Slipper, attached is the letter.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

December 5, 2016

Dear Parents:

In our school community we have had a long history regarding appreciation for the arts and embracing theatre productions.  Alberta Theatre Projects has come to be a part of that appreciation.  With this in mind, we booked seats for all the students to see the production of Slipper: A Distinctly Calgarian Cinderella Story some time ago  The children of Royal Oak School are booked to attend Slipper over the next three days.  The script of the play was only recently completed as it is a world premiere of the production. I just learned that the play Slipper has some controversial content that some parents may find do not fit the values of their family.

We very much respect family values and would like to ensure that those values are upheld. Some of the reasons that we booked the play was to focus on independence as a part of our work with the Circle of Courage and in this play, Cinderella realizes that she is independent and does not need a prince in order to be successful.  In addition, some of the techniques of the theatre production used such as British pantodame (a lead woman that is portrayed by a man) reveal panto in a modern style and updates pantomime.  Also, the older students have learned in Shakespeare’s time that men played all of the roles on the stage.  In regards to Slipper some of the other parents of young children whose schools have already viewed the play have responded in a positive way.  However, we recognize that some parents will find the some of the content of the controversial. The topics covered in the play are:

·       Gender Fluidity (switching of gender roles)

·       A man dressed as a woman and a woman dressed as a woman exchange a kiss

·       A girl who has a crush on a boy and she is disguised as a boy exchanges a kiss with the boy she has a crush on

We acknowledge and appreciate parents in our tight knit community have a variety of views and we would like parents to have transparency and make a decision as to whether they would like their children to attend the play, Slipper. Any parents who are not in alignment with their children going to the play will receive a reimbursement of the cost of the ticket $18.00 from ATP and those parents who have not paid will not be required to do so.

Our apologies for any discomfort that this may content have caused you and your family. Please contact me at (403) 777-6279 if you have any other questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Lynn Sparks

Principal

If you would not like your children to attend, please fill out the section on the next page and return it to your Son’s or Daughter’s teacher:

My child will not attend the ATP performance, Slipper:

Student Name:________________________

Grade:_______________________________

Teacher:______________________________

Parent Signature:________________________

Dec 1

Today in Math the students worked on the 'Noah problem.' 

The problem said: 'Noah watched the animals going into the ark. He was counting the legs of the animals and by noon he got to 10. How many creatures did he see? See if you can find other answers. Try to tell someone how you found out these answers.

Students worked with a partner to try and problem solve how many animals Noah could have seen. Ask me one way I solved this problem. 
                                     

1) No School tomorrow
2) Please pay and return form for ATP ASAP. Cash or cheque can be sent to school. Payments are also accepted online. 
3) Stephen's Backpacks: We are still in need of items to donate to Stephen's Backpacks. Royal Oak School has committed to filling 100 backpacks for homeless children this holiday season. If you can donate any new items such as hats, mitts, school supplies etc. it would be much appreciated! You can learn more about Stephen's Backpacks here.