Mental Math Practise Adding and Subtracting Single Digit Numbers (0-9)

January 9, 2012

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to school and Happy New Year! Bonne et heureuse année! We hope you had a restful and enjoyable break over the holidays!

We are happy to announce that special guests will be in our school the week of January 23rd. Trickster Theatre Company will be leading an artist-in-residence program. They will be working all week long with students to create performances, which will be presented at the end of January. More information will follow closer to the date.

In Math, we are exploring addition and subtraction facts to 18. To help your child at home, here are some key ideas to focus on: - mental math – practise adding and subtracting single digit numbers (0-9) - doubles addition and doubles plus/minus one (i.e. 7+7=14 therefore 7+8=14+1) - look for patterns when adding and subtracting (i.e. make a list of equations that add to 6 and find the patterns within) - explore the relation between adding and subtracting (i.e. 2+7=9 and 9-7=2) - equal and unequal (i.e. 6+4=10; 106+3) - basic practise of math facts to 18 (addition and subtraction with answers up to 18)

Please have your child verbalize what he or she is thinking when practising these math activities; it is often interesting to know why they are doing it the way they are. There are many different ways to find a solution in math. As long as your child can find the answer and explain his or her thinking, the strategy is acceptable.

Friday, January 20th, we will be going skating in the morning. This is just a reminder that students MUST have the following four things: CSA-approved helmet (hockey is preferred), skates (extra ones are available to borrow from the school – please advise immediately if you child is in need), a cloth bag to transport the skates (bus requirement – no plastic grocery bags please) and mitts/gloves for protection. If you are volunteering, please meet us at the rink. Thanks!

We are wrapping up our study of hot and cold temperatures in science. You can explore this topic around the house in a variety of ways. For example, you can explain/show your child how your home is heated in the winter (i.e. furnace, insulation, etc) and discuss how to keep it cool in the summer (i.e. insulation, deflecting sunlight, etc). Popsicles and ice cream make popular experiments. You can also go explore outside. Have fun! Our next unit will be Liquids.

Now that we are almost finished our current science unit, students in 2Jf will be creating a culminating project at home. They will be asked to create a small “cooler” that will be

1/1 able to keep an ice cube frozen. An information letter will be sent home later this week. You can use any materials you like (except ice) to keep the ice cube frozen. It will be exciting to see which insulating materials work the best! We will be sharing our projects in class on Wednesday, January 18th. Please send the project to school in the morning. Students will receive an ice cube in class and we will see how long they last in our coolers!

We will also be having an in-class science field trip on February 1st in the morning and are looking for parent volunteers to help us in the classroom. If you are interested in helping with our Liquids session, please let us know via your child’s agenda.

Sincerely yours,

Sarah Josey et Genevieve Daigle