Good evening everyone!

I hope everyone had a wonderful night. Please send in the last page of your child’s report card with your comments on, if you have not already done so.

Now that the snowy weather is upon us, please ensure your child is dressed properly for recess – snow pants, hats, mitts, and winter boots. My rule is if mom and dad send it, you wear it. Please note that students will not be allowed to stay inside if they do not have the proper winter clothing.

Our annual Christmas Concert – Christmas Around the World, fast approaching! The Grade 3-8 concert will be held on Wednesday, December 20. There will be two shows; 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM. There will also be a bake sale and refreshments at each show! Students are asked to arrive at the school no later than 6:30 in order to get ready. Each performance will have a whole-group performance at the end, so we are kindly asking that you wait until the whole performance is over and that you allow the performers to make their way back to their classrooms before you pick them up. Each show should only last around one hour. The Grade 4’s are singing ‘Silent Night,’ and are asked to come dressed in Christmas colours and a Santa hat! For students in choir, please have them wear green, red, and white!

March Break Camp registrations have been sent home. If you are interested in registering you chid for our amazing March Break camp, please send in the completed March Break camp registration form, along with the $20 one-time non-refundable deposit. Please note that lunch is also included each day!

A note from our Librarian, Ms. Hayward - Our Very First Book Fair is HERE – Yee-Haw!

“Saddle Up & Read” with the first Scholastic Book Fair at St. Jude’s Academy – will officially end tomorrow at noon. If you are still interested in purchasing books, you can do so tonight and tomorrow morning!

A note from Student Council – The St. Jude's community places a lot of emphasis on giving and conducting acts of charity. In light of the Christmas season which is fast approaching, we are happy to announce that we collaborating with Peel Regional Police for their 'Toys for Tots' charity. We will be conducting a toy drive from December 7th to December 21st. Members of the St. Jude's community may donate new, unwrapped toys, cash or Canadian Tire money to make an underprivileged child's Christmas one to remember. All proceeds will be handed over directly to Peel Regional Police on December 21st. We are also pleased to announce the Toys for Tots charity is the first major project our Student Council will be conducting this academic year. Toys can be donated at the front desk by placing them under the Christmas tree. There will be a tracking sheet provided to record the student who donated. Upon collecting the toys, a police officer will allow one lucky student to pie him/her in the face. As such, it is important to record the names of each student to give everyone a chance. Alternatively, toys may be handed to class teachers. To educate our PYP students about the importance of giving, house points will be awarded for each toy donated.

We look forward to your donations, all of which will be greatly appreciated. Tis the season for joy, happiness, love, and sharing. Have a Merry Christmas!

Thank you.

Upcoming Dates & Events

Wednesday, December 6 – Thursday, December 21 – SJA Toy Drive

Thursday, December 7 – Thursday, December 14 – SJA’s first book fair

Tuesday, December 19 – Casual Day

Wednesday, December 20 – 3-8 Christmas Concert (2 and 7 PM)

Thursday, December 21 – Christmas Spirit Day and Last Day of School Before Christmas Break

MATH:

Today we focused on interpreting data. We learned how to read information form charts, circle graphs, pictographs, and bar graphs. For this test, students will be asked to conduct a survey. This survey will align with our Religion Rules unit. Students will be expected to create a question (What type of religion to you practice), survey 50 students and teachers, record tally marks, and then create both a bar and line graph. Finally, they will have to explain 4 things they learned from their survey. For example, Christianity was the most popular, and Judaism only had one vote. The question and survey will be done on Friday, December 15 and the graphs will be completed on Monday, December 18. All work is to be completed in class.

Key points to remember:

All graphs need to have a title and labels. A pictograph needs to have pictures and a key to tell what number the picture represents. A bar graph needs to have a Y axis label, a Z axis label, an appropriate scale, and bars to tell us the data.

Range – to find the range of a set of data, you subtract the least value from the greatest value. For example if the biggest value was 120 and the smallest value was 30, the range would be 120 – 30 = 90.

Mode – is the number that occurs most often in the date. For example, is the numbers in the set of date are 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5 then the mode is 2.

Mean – is the number that represents the center of a set of numbers. To find the mean, we add up all of the numbers and then divide by the total number of numbers. For example, if the numbers in a set of data were 2, 3, 3, 4, we would add them up and then divide by 4. 2 + 3 + 3 + 4 = 12/4 = 3. Therefore the mean is 3.

Homework:

-Data Management math test begins on Friday, December 15 and will continue on Monday, December 18

-MMS pg 66-67

LANGUAGE:

Today we continued writing recounts in preparation for our OWA post-assessment on Friday. Today we focused on recounting our day at school yesterday. A recount is a retelling or sequence of events that happened to the writer or speaker. A recount should include a title, a setting (where the story takes place), events that happened using the linking words first, second, third, then, after that, next, later, finally, etc, and end with a conclusion. Friday’s OWA post-assessment will require the students to recount their Christmas celebrations. If a students does not celebrate Christmas, they can recount a holiday of their choice.

Homework:

-Reading for 40 minutes

Recount!

UNIT OF INQUIRY:

Today we began to learn about Buddhism. We watched a video and started an anchor chart on the some important facts. Tomorrow we will discuss the festivals and symbols.

Homework:

-

Buddhism!

The beginning of 'A Starry Night!'

I hope you have a wonderful night!

Mrs. Hocevar J