Attention 6A Students!

I think about you every day and I am wondering what you are doing. I am certain that some of you are playing video games, doing lots of reading, and/or baking up a storm! I have set up a Padlet page where members of our class can share. Please show your parents any pictures or videos that you intend to post and don’t forget to write your name in the title. Click here to go to 6A’s Padlet Page. 

Surreal Hand Drawings

This art project is completely optional. Check out the examples in the slideshows below. All you need is a piece of paper, a pencil, and a black marker. Trace your hand and fill it in with patterns and pictures of things that you like.

Please email me a photo of your completed project to pmmcquaid@cloud.edu.pe.ca and I will add it to 6A’s slideshow for everyone to enjoy.

Surreal Hand Drawing Examples

6A’s Surreal Hand Drawings

 

Messages from the Department of Education and Lifelong Learning

Food Insecurity

COVID–19 Support for Families: COVID–19 has impacted all of us in ways we couldn’t have expected. With our PSB schools being closed, the absence of access to school breakfast and lunch programs has put a financial strain on many families. Assistance is being provided to families dealing with food insecurity. Please contact the Support for Families lines 902-368-5155 or 902-368-6990 or supportforfamilies@edu.pe.ca with your name and contact information so we can get back to you about the supports that are available to assist you and your family at this time.

Google Passwords

Have you forgotten your computer account information? Please fill in the details at the link below. The staff at the Public Schools Branch will call the home telephone number we have on file for you or your student. We know you will be patient with us. 

https://forms.gle/7WUTPKKZjyPimwg49

Hi everyone,

To say we are in uncharted territory is an understatement. It is hard to believe it was only ten days ago I was saying goodbye to 6A, as they headed home for March Break. It certainly feels like much more time has passed and I miss them already.

As you know, the Department of Education and Lifelong Learning has announced that schools will remain closed for at least the next two weeks in response to COVID 19. The following website has links for health and well being, literacy and numeracy IF you are looking for additional learning opportunities for your child. There are plans to post additional resources on Wednesday, March 25. 

https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/education-and-lifelong-learning/home-learning-resources

This is completely optional. You do not need to try to recreate school at home. You know your kids best. Do what works best for your family and your kids over the next few weeks.  It’s a stressful time; you may be stressed and your kids may be stressed. They may be exposed to misinformation on social media or overwhelmed by what they are seeing on TV.  Arguing with them about getting work done is not going to help anyone.

Take this time to reconnect as a family. Read to them. Have them read to you. Watch a movie. Bake some cookies. Play board games. Colour or paint a picture. Build with Lego. Play a video game with them. Bundle up and go for a walk on the beach.

Over the next 2 weeks, teachers and staff will be trying to collaborate (via phone and email) to come up with ways to support students. I will keep you posted as this develops.

Here are some ideas of things students may want to explore:

• Read a book on Epic! The class code is rie7141 and it is now free for the remainder of the year. (Parents check your email.)
• Scholastic book club has a free daily set of articles and interesting things to keep students reading and engaging. Check it out. I found some of the articles quite cool. 
• Typing Club
• Do some coding at Code.org or Scratch
• Draw some pictures with Art Hub or Mo Williams
• “PEI Lego Challenge” – you can find this through Facebook. It includes daily Lego challenges that the kids can post to the group and have a chance of winning a little prize.

Unfortunately, many students may not have memorized their new passwords to access Google classroom which may be preventing them from logging in to some of the websites that they enjoy. Teachers are permitted to pick things up from schools tomorrow so I will be sure to bring the students’ new Google passwords home. Please contact me if they need this. I would also love to hear from the kids. I’m here if they need anything. They can email me at pmmcquaid@edu.pe.ca or at pmmcquaid@cloud.edu.pe.ca.

Keep up the social distancing and we’ll continue to work on how to connect together in new ways. 

Take care,

Patti

Thank you for coming to your child’s interview. It was great to have the opportunity for you to see the hard work the students have been doing and to discuss their progress.

This is a friendly reminder that cookie dough pick-up is this Wednesday, March 11 from 2:30-6:00pm.  Since orders must be refrigerated, orders not picked up cannot be held but will be generously donated to a local Food Bank. (There may be extra orders available for purchase during this time)

Please see our school website on Important Information about Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) for families:  https://edu.princeedwardisland.ca/westroyalty/

The band test for Queen Charlotte will take place on Monday, March 30 at Queen Charlotte at 3:15 pm.  There is an extra time also available on Monday, April 6 at 3:15 pm for those who cannot make the March 30 date.  

As we prepare for March Break, 6A will be finishing up a number of things this week.  In Language Arts, we will be wrapping up the Book Club “When Disasters Strike”. The class is enjoying learning about natural disasters and the role of emergency relief workers. The read aloud, “Safe As Houses” by Eric Walters, has us all at the edge of our seats! The majority of the class have completed their biographies and the remainder will be due no later than Thursday. In Math, we will complete the measurement unit and have a quiz on Wednesday.

Heritage Fair is scheduled for Thursday, April 21st. Students will be required to create a visual poster board display for the fair’s showcase. Poster boards are for sale at Staples and other stationery stores for approximately $14. Students should have already selected their topics and begun to gather some resources. During the fair, several guest judges will be invited to interview each student about their projects. We will advance a handful of students to the Provincial Heritage Fair, which will take place in May. Projects will be due on Wednesday, April 15th, as students will present their Heritage Fair projects in class in the days leading up to the school-wide fair.

The following websites have long lists of topic ideas:

http://kids.canadashistory.ca/Kids/Heritage

http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/paro_herifair_e.pdf

Additional useful links have been posted in Google Classroom.

 Dates to Remember: 

• March 10-12 – Grade 6 Family Life sessions (11:15-12:15)
• Wednesday, March 11 – Crazy Hat Day – fundraiser for Easter Seals (loonie or toonie donation) and Cookie Dough pick up
• Friday, March 13 – Be Seen in Green Day for St. Patrick’s Day
• March 16 – 20 – No School (March Break)
• Monday, March 30 @ 3:15  – QC Band testing
• Monday, April 6 @ 3:15  – QC Band testing

The following notice was sent home earlier this week:

Dear parents/guardians;

Students in grades 5 and 6 at West Royalty School will have the opportunity to learn about Gender Identity, presented by Rory Starkmen and Andrea MacPherson with Peers Alliance. This presentation has been developed with input from the Public Schools Branch and students within West Royalty School.

The topic of gender identity is being presented to students in grades 5 and 6 in response to our gender diverse population. Several elementary schools across the province are responding to the needs of their students by offering similar discussions on gender identity. The presentation will focus on gender and understanding who we are. Identifying that we are born male or female at birth and that as we grow, we express our gender in various ways. Students will learn about diversity, various stereotypes, gender expression, such as style of hair, interests, etc. The discussion will also include the language of transgender and cisgender for students to understand these terms. The focus will be on supporting diversity, acceptance, societal norms and being empathetic to others. Supports such as LGBTQ+ and various groups will be mentioned to promote awareness of students feeling safe expressing themselves and their interests. We feel this presentation will also educate our students on diversity as they enter Junior High.  It is important to note that this presentation is not sexual education and will not include discussions around puberty. Lessons on sexual education will take part in a separate unit in grade 6.

Parents will have the opportunity to view the presentation on Monday, February 24^th at 6:30pm at West Royalty School with a question and answer period to follow. Students will attend the presentation on Wednesday, February 26th during their school day.

Please feel free to contact myself or administration at the school if you have any questions or would like more information on this presentation. Please return the form below to your child’s teacher by Tuesday, February 25^th.

Sincerely,

Michelle Jay

School Counsellor

---

I consent to my child _____________________________ attending the Presentation on Gender Identity at West Royalty School.

_______________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature

Please return the forms to school by Tuesday.

As part of our speaking and listening outcomes, students are expected to give an oral presentation. This week students will be preparing a Book Talk on a novel (any genre) they have recently completed. A guideline for the presentation will be provided as well as a demonstration lesson in class this week. Students will be evaluated by their peers and teachers. A simple evaluation form will be used. The students will be receiving their organizer, the teacher example and a sample evaluation form this week. These presentations are quite short and do not need to be memorized. However, it is a good idea to have your child practice at home so they will feel prepared and be more comfortable when they are presenting to their classmates. The sheet should be completed no later than Tuesday, February 25, as we will be beginning presentations.

Brickz 4 Kidz will be coming to do a workshop with the grade 6 students on Wednesday, February 26th. This program uses LEGO® Bricks to deliver hands-on lessons correlated directly to our current science unit – Electricity. Students will design and build structures that require electrical circuits! This is a fantastic opportunity for hands-on and experiential learning! In order to help cover the cost, each student is asked to bring in $3.00 by Tuesday, February 25th. The school will cover the rest of the cost!

Parent-teacher interview times have been sent home for parents who require translators. If you are having an EAL interview with an interpreter, you do not book a time through online booking. Your time is already arranged and you don’t have to book it yourself.

 All other interviews will be set up by parents through an online system at Parent Teacher Conferences Booking Website. We would like all parents to go online and create an account and book your child(ren)’s time(s). 

ONLINE APPOINTMENTS WILL OPEN ON MONDAY, FEB. 24 FOR BOOKING. YOU CAN REGISTER AND BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT TIME ON THIS DATE UNTIL FRIDAY, FEB. 28 AT 3:00pm.

Information regarding how to register and book a parent-teacher conference time is located here: Parent/Teacher Conference Instructions. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school.

Dates to Remember: 

• Wednesday, Feb. 26 – Brickz 4 Kids   AND  Pink Shirt Day 
• Friday, Feb. 28 – PD Day – No School
• March 3 – 6 – Parent Teacher Interviews
• Friday, March 6 – No School
• March 16 – 20 – No School (March Break)

Late French Immersion Parent Information Sessions

If you are considering Late French Immersion in September 2020 you are invited to attend an information meeting to learn about the program. On Prince Edward Island, this is a program offered at the intermediate level, beginning at grade seven.

Grade Seven Late French Immersion program is currently offered in Stonepark Intermediate, East Wiltshire Intermediate, Birchwood Intermediate, Queen Charlotte Intermediate, Kensington Intermediate Senior High.

When: Registration for Late French Immersion will be open until February 28. Registration forms will be available at each of the information sessions.

Where: Information sessions will be held at each school. The dates are listed below.

Stonepark Intermediate
Monday, February 3, 7 p.m. (Storm Date – February 4)

East Wiltshire Intermediate
Wednesday, February 5, 7 p.m. (Storm date – February 6)

Birchwood Intermediate
Monday, February 10, 7 p.m. (Storm Date – February 11)

Queen Charlotte Intermediate
Wednesday, February 12, 7 p.m. (Storm Date – February 13)

Kensington Intermediate Senior High
Tuesday, February 18, 7 p.m. (Storm date – February 19)

 

Due to the surprise storm day today, we will postpone the science test until Monday. The students were told to take their duo-tangs home to study, but no doubt a few were left in their desks. This will also give us an opportunity to review the material tomorrow.

As our end of unit celebration, students will be constructing a spacecraft from recyclable materials. There are many types of spacecrafts that have been sent into orbit around the Earth and beyond. These include manned and unmanned rockets, satellites, probes, and space stations. N.A.S.A. and the Canadian Space Agency have combined to develop programs such as Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, Space Shuttle and more. This project will be a combination of Art and Science. First students must research and find pictures of various types of spacecrafts to decide what type they would like to make. Secondly, they need to collect the various materials needed to make their models, such as small boxes, paper towel rolls, or bottle tops. This will be an in-school activity, but they need to be prepared. We will be constructing our spacecrafts next week. Prepare to be impressed!

6A will be having a science test this Friday on the Space Unit. We have been exploring this topic for the past month. Students have been given an outline and we have discussed what they will be required to know to do well on their test. They will not receive any additional notes this week, but we will do some activities in class to help prepare for the quiz. Everyone brought home their green duo-tang to begin studying tonight. Please ask your child to keep their duo-tang in their kitbag so they will have access to it at school as well. 

Study Outline – Space

Explain the following concepts (include a diagram):

• Eclipses
• Spring and Neap tides
• Phases of the Moon
• Meteors, Meteoroids, Meteorites

Words to Know (Fill in the Blank, True or False) 

orbit axis waxing waning crescent gibbous rills maria

crater aqueous bulge penumbra umbra atmosphere asteroid comet constellation

List characteristics of inner and outer planets 

Dates to Remember:

• Wednesday, Jan. 29 – Zone Gymnastics meet at LMM
• Friday, Jan. 31 – Coding Workshop

Holiday Countdown Fun 

As the holidays approach, we are going to do some school spirit days during the last full week of school. These days are optional for students to participate in if they wish. There is no money being collected. These are just for fun. Please do not go out to purchase anything new. We’re hoping to see lots of creativity with homemade items on these days. 

Monday, Dec. 16 – Holiday Colors Monday: Wear red, green, gold, or silver.

Tuesday, Dec. 17 – Reindeer Games: Have fun participating in a variety of reindeer games organized by our Phys. Ed. Teachers. 

Wednesday, Dec. 18 – Ugly Sweater Wednesday: wear a tacky/ugly holiday sweater or be creative and design your own tacky sweater. 

Thursday, Dec. 19 – Holiday Hat Thursday: Rock your favorite Holiday hat; wear a Santa hat, Elf hat, reindeer antlers, etc. or be super creative and design your own holiday hat. 

Friday, Dec. 20 – Merry Friday Morning: Just wake up and come to school in pajamas.

Christmas Family Donations

A reminder that West Royalty Elementary will be sponsoring families in our community at Christmas again this year. Our contribution is very much appreciated by our Christmas families. We will be accepting donations at our holiday concerts. Envelopes were sent home with the children, and there will also be a Donation Box at the concerts. Feel free to either send the envelope back to the school or drop it off during the concert. If you are in a position to help others, your support would be greatly appreciated. 

Dates to Remember:

• Wednesday, Dec 3 – Report Cards go home
• Friday, Dec 6 – PD Day – No School
• Friday, Dec 13 – Grade 1 Beary Good Cupcake Sale ($0.50/cupcake)
• Tuesday, Dec 17 – Used Book Sale & Reindeer Games
• Friday, Dec 20 – Last Day of School for 2019