Hill Junior School: Weekly Parent Information

Literacy/ Social Science

While covering four chapters and respective chapter questions of their novel this week, the 5/6 class also created Hunger Games raps in partners using couplet poems as their format. I'm sure they have even impressed themselves when it came to getting out of their comfort zone to complete this assignment. The recorded videos thus far have been stellar. It's nice to see students go above and beyond expectations.  We also compared the governing bodies of North Korea to how the Hunger Games novel is portrayed. Students are encouraged to read the chapter questions before reading the chapter so they understand what to look for to be able to fully answer each question with complete thoughts.  Office hours on Monday gave the grade 7/8s a final chance to go over anything they were stuck on to complete their argument essay. Reading through their work, you can tell most have put in some time and research and must be proud of their final product. Grades will be available shortly using the rubric feature on Google Classroom.  Geography has now been a focus as we cover some social studies. Physical geography including landmasses, human geography and evolution of cities, as well as human impact are topics being explored. Math/ Science For this upcoming week the we will be having class via Zoom on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and check-ins on Tuesday & Thursday. Our Zoom classes will resemble a regular class where we will be doing most of our learning and our check in days will be full of homework checks and questions. For the 5/6's our check-in days will be meetings in groups of 3 where we will discuss our progress on our Constellations project.  Grade 5/6s This past week, the class was introduced to our final unit of Measurement. The students focused on calculating the perimeter and area of rectangles, parallelograms, & triangles, and also discussed the importance of units. Next week, we will be learning how to calculate the perimeter and area of trapezoids. In Science, we explored many things such as; how a satellite's orbit is influenced by the speed in which it is travelling around the planet and its gravitational pull, importance/risk of space exploration and technology, and how ancient civilizations identified patterns between constellations (clusters of stars that are grouped together in a pattern) and the time of year. At the end of the week, the class was introduced to their final project of the year that ties what we have learned in Patterning & Algebra, Measurement, & Space together. More information regarding the project can be found under the assignment post "Constellation Math/Science Project", on their google classroom. The due date for the Constellation Project will be the last day of class, Friday June 12th.  Grade 7/8s This past week, the class began with their Live Zoom Patterning & Algebra Quiz. After completing their quiz, the class was introduced to our final unit of Measurement. After performing some review, the students focused on defining circumference, diameter, and radius of a circle. After discussing each term, we then expanded on the meaning of the symbol pi and learned about its mathematical significance. To end the week, we learned how to calculate the circumference (perimeter) and area of any circle using algebraic equations. In Science, we focused on how municipalities clean and process their water and compared where Guelph gets most of its water versus other municipalities (Groundwater). Next week, we will be discussing the sustainability of water and thinking about/recording our own daily water consumption (Water Usage Log). French Grade 5/6s Another great week with the grade 5/6 French class. As the year is winding down, I asked the students what they are curious about. The students then took the time to select topics of interest and explore that topic. We met individually and discussed a plan of action to explore and present to the class. The students did an amazing job presenting to the class and they came up with some amazing material! We finished the week off with some Fun French Friday and I look forward to getting back at it with some year end review next week! Grade 7/8s Another great week with the 7/8 French class. The students continued to work on their culminating tasks where they each have a country that they are exploring. We met as a group, and we met individually. The students finished their scripts and will be presenting next week. BIG WEEK AHEAD! Recorded presentations are due on Wednesday. I will then be meeting with them individually to do a Q/A. Students should be dressed professionally, as this is their culminating task. My goal has always been to prepare them for the next level. This Q/A will be professional and fun. The students have put in a lot of work towards their respective culminating tasks. I can't wait to see the final product! Physical Education and Health This past week students had three live Zoom workouts, one with the whole class and two in their small-groups of four. Students have enjoyed the smaller groups and we will continue to use them to maintain motivation for these last two weeks. Students also had to submit their final movement video assignment. I am looking forward to seeing how everyone has improved from the start of the year. We've continued to be impressed by the engagement, effort and positive attitudes exhibited by the junior school students. They consistently participate in Zoom workouts and meetings, hand in assigned work and are handling this bump in the road exceptionally well!

Important Dates: Friday, June 12th, 2020- Final day of instruction in the Junior School Thursday, June 18th, 2020- Athletic Gala 6:00- 8:00pm (via Youtube Live)  Have a great week!  Sincerely,  Courtney McCracken, Jake Cook, Drazen Glisic, Luc Magnan, Tory Merrill