November 28

The Grej of the day was the Pamplona Bull run. As this is a very dangerous event where people can get very seriously hurt, we watched a child appropriate version featuring inflatable bulls which can be seen here from about the 10 minute mark.

The clue for tomorrow is stumping quite a lot of students:

Hey,

Um...

MAN, what's a cool idea for a grej of

The day?

Owls?

Wigs?

Elephants in

Robes?

Sausages?

Today we went to the library and Ms. Neufeld was so impressed by how quite and well-behaved we all were. We came in appropriately, selected our reading books and started to read. Many of us were sharing our books with our friends. The library was amazed by our awesome behaviour. Great work, Grade 3!

In P.E. with M.Trevor we continued to practise our volley shots with our partners. We worked on finishing our letters to the soldiers. I will be posting them tomorrow after school. Please ask your son or daughter if they finished their letter. If they did not finish and they would like to send a letter in English and in French, please work on it at home to bring in tomorrow. I have envelopes and can provide the address in class.

In English we read a tale about a cow who mooooved ( sorry) to New York to become a ballet dancer. We also wrote short stories to practise our phonetics. The sound we chose as a class was the OG sound.

" The hedgehog went for a jog while drinking eggnog, but he fell in a bog!" - Zac

Nov 27

As we filled our class reward jar, tomorrow is a PJ day.

Please don't forget library books tomorrow.

Friday is crazy hat day. Hats do not need to be bought, and a crazy hat can be made at home if you wish to take part.

Clue for Grej of the Day : BULLS! RUN! ARGH!

Today we worked on our letters for the soldiers. It has been a good workout for the brain as we are writing our letters in both official languages.

In science we did an experiment with rulers at our desks. We discovered that when we twang a shorter length of ruler, it makes a higher pitched sound. A long length of ruler hanging off our desk, produces a lower sound.

We learnt that space is a vacuum, meaning no sound can travel in space. This lead us to a rather unexpected discussion. Lucky for me, grade 3 are very curious. We started to think about how something as huge as a star exploding ( or going supernova) would be silent in space.
We talked about how a star several times bigger than our sun, Betelgeuse, is expected to go supernova soon. A fact that really amazed us: Betelegeuse is about 650 light years away. That means that Betelgeuse could have already gone supernova as far back as the 1400s, but the light has not yet reached Earth. The light from the supernova would take 650 years to reach our eyes back on Earth. When the light from the supernova does reach us, it is expected to brighten up our sky for weeks or even months! More info here.

We read a book by Dr. Seuss called Diffendoofer Day. We looked at the patterns in the language and how the words rhyme. We made predictions about what words we thought would be coming up next.
We did find that Mr. Richardson's British accent meant that some of the words did not rhyme for him such as half and laugh.

We played spelling games with our mini whiteboards and even managed to solve a really tricky math puzzle on the board together.

Quick reminder that we are collecting for the Calgary food bank. Donation bins can be found outside the office.

November 26th

Hello Parents and Guardians,

Today we started to write letters for soldiers who will be stationed away from their family at Christmas. We wrote a little bit about ourselves, thanked them for their service and asked them questions such as 

" What made you decide to become a soldier?"

" What is your favourite video game?"

" What do soldiers do in their free time?"

As we did not know the language of our recipient soldier, we wrote our letters firstly in French and then we wrote it in English, and included a picture and a return address. We are hoping to get some responses.

If you would like to write a letter to a Canadian soldier, letters must be in Ontario by December 9th. The address is :

Any Canadian Armed Forces Member
P.O. Box 5004 Stn Forces
Belleville, Ont.
K8N 5W6

In science we learnt how to brainstorm as a way to unravel all the thoughts in our head. Sometimes it can be difficult to get our ideas down on a page, so we found doodling and connecting our ideas down on paper to be very useful when thinking about our new unit on hearing and sound.

Our Grej of the day was El Silbo - A language spoken on La Gomera, in the Canary Islands. If you are curious, a short informative video can be found here.

Tomorrow's clue is: Where might I be encouraged to throw a tomato at somebody?

Thursday is a library day so please bring your books back.

A reminder about the reading programme that got sent home yesterday, if you have not found the red folder in your child's backpack, please ask them about it. The folder contains strategies, an explanation of the reading programme and a tracking guide for reading.

Friday is crazy hat day at school. Donations for Calgary Food Bank are being collected outside the school office. A big thank you to those who have already donated, it really means a lot.

We read the book " Clark the Shark" and as we ate lunch we read the book " Enemy Pie".

Ask me: 

What did I learn about hearing and sound today?

What did I write to the soldier? What am I going to include in my letter?

Nov 25th

Today's Grej of the day was a 2-4-1. We had the sad story of Laika the first dog in space. To lighten the mood, our second Grej was a fabulous lady singing about baking crumble. Now, I know what you're thinking : " Mr Richardson has gone bananas". Bear with me...
The message behind this second Grej was to embrace the silly side of life. To lift others up with our kindness and words. In this video we saw a smiling, happy lady on stage who just wanted to make us smile and feel entertained by her ridiculous song about crumble. She wasn't hurting anyone with her unusual song and we felt she deserved recognition for being a beacon of joy and silliness in a sometimes dark and serious world. Our message was simple: Never dull anyone's sparkle. 

Tomorrows Grej of the day is linked with Science :  El Silbo. Hmm sounds like a superhero, doesn't it?


Red binders went home today with home reading information inside. Please read them with your child and if you have any questions I can be reached on parichardson@cbe.ab.ca.
I will be checking them next Friday Dec 6th.


In science we started our unit on sound and hearing. We asked ourselves 'What do I already know?' and ' What do I want to know?'. We played guess the mystery sounds which included paper being cut, ostriches and a kettle.

We had music with Madame Zdrill and PE with M. Trevor where we finished our self-evaluations and practised our volleying. 

We read the book ' Bad Boys', a novel about the 2 Big Bad Wolves from Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs and as part of one of our body breaks today, we did yoga.

FOOD BANK DONATIONS NEEDED

We are collecting non-perishable food items for the Mayor's Food Bank Drive until December 19.  Items can include:  Pasta sauce, granola bars, juice boxes, powdered milk, stage three baby food, peanut butter, pasta, rice, soup cans or packages, cereal, oatmeal, canned tuna, canned chicken, canned beans, canned fruit, pancake/bread/biscuit mixes, gluten-free pasta, etc.  Thank you for your support!

Nov 28th Fun Lunch

Crazy Hat Day this Friday. Please bring in a crazy hat. Students can make their own crazy hat at home to wear in school, it does not need to be sort bought.

November 20th

The clue for Monday's Grej of the Day is: Лайка . This has stumped a lot of students so far!

Today in social we started a class project on communities. We are making guides for Madame Moreau who is new to Calgary and new to our school. We looked at the quality of life we have where in the school and the city, and what information new arrivals to our community should know. We combined social and art and made hearts containing the things we hold dear and important for a good quality of life.

In English we played a game where we were given some random letters and we raced to see which team could make the most. We had really long words such as community and neighborhood. We looked at words within words such as bore, ring and boring. 
We also looked at how we can improve our score by making words plural.

Our Grej of the Day was The Palace of Versailles.  We looked at the hall of mirrors where the Treaty of Versailles was signed to end World War I and the enormous gardens. Lots of students want to visit now!

Parent teacher interviews are tomorrow and Friday, so there will be no classes on those days.


Have a wonderful weekend.

19 November

Today we went to kindergarten to meet our afternoon reading buddies. 

Our Grej of the Day was the Rosetta Stone. We talked about how it was found by French soldiers in Egypt. Our clue for tomorrow is : Where is the place of the sun king?

We read a book called the jellybean dance and ij science we made posters explaining how mountains are formed through tectonic plate movement.

We had PE with M. Trevor and music with madame Zdrill.

November 18

In English today we learned about onomatopoeia. we watched a part of an old Batman episode and created our own onomatopoeia. We read the book Sylvia-Jean drama queen!

In science today we learned about Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius. We learnt that Krakatoa made the loudest sound ever recorded that allegedly traveled 4 times around the world.

We went to the kindergarten class and read with our reading buddies. We were all so helpful and well behaved!

We also went to the library and played volleyball with M. Trevor.

Our Grej of the day was Eva Perón. Our clue for tomorrow is:  How did we learn to read Egyptian hieroglyphics ?

November 15

Our Grej of the Day was of course Rosa Parks. We had a great discussion on her protest and segregation in the USA.
Our clue for Monday's Grej of the Day is " Don't cry for me, Argentina".

Ask me: What do I think about Rosa's arrest.

We watched Bill Nye the Science guy and wrote in our journals.

Please remember that Monday is a day 5 which is out library day. Please bring books back!

Below is a note from Madame Brinson.

Times for the November Parent/Teacher Conferences

Hello families, Just a reminder that November's Parent/Teacher Conferences for Kindergarten to Grade 5 are next THURSDAY, November 21 from 8:00 am - 1:00 pm and 3:30 pm - 7:30 pm.  There is no school for students on Thursday. On Wednesday, November 20, our Kindergarten students have Student/Involved Conferences so their is no classes for Kindergarten on Wednesday, November 20.  Grades 1-5 have regular school on Wednesday. Friday is a Professional Learning Day for teachers so there is no school for students on this day. The conference booking system opens tomorrow at 4:00 for families. Please see the VAS website for a reminder of other non-instruction days throughout the school year.  This information can be found at: http://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/varsityacres/Pages/default.aspx under 'Calendar'.

November 14

Our grej of the day was of course Henry VIII.
Clue for grej of the day tomorrow: she stood her ground and refused to move.

Today we watched the original 1939 film of the Wizard of Oz. We compared the movie to the book:

"The munchkins aren't blue" - Bennet

"The slippers are a different colour" - Nila

" In the film, the Wicked Witch of the West appears sooner. In the book she only appears towards the end." - Levi


We had centers and in French we discussed and wrote sentences imagining we were superheroes with terribly useless powers:

" I would be able to control sausages"

" I would transform into a gummy bear "

November 13

Today in science we played Kahoot to review our knowledge rocks,  minerals, mining, tectonic plates, soil and the rock cycle.

We were visited by members of the Blackfoot Nation who took us on a virtual field trip using VR headsets. We learned how to introduce ourselves in their language.

We continued to work on drawing our favorite scenes from the Wizard of Oz and we also had PE with Monsieur Trevor.

Our Grej of the day was Florence Nightingale. The clue for tomorrow is the following photo:



Message from Mrs. Brinson:


Hello families,

Just a reminder that November's Parent/Teacher Conferences for Kindergarten to Grade 5 are next THURSDAY, November 21 from 8:00 am - 1:00 pm and 3:30 pm - 7:30 pm.  There is no school for students on Thursday.

On Wednesday, November 20, our Kindergarten students have Student/Involved Conferences so their is no classes for Kindergarten on Wednesday, November 20.  Grades 1-5 have regular school on Wednesday.  

Friday is a Professional Learning Day for teachers so there is no school for students on this day.

The conference booking system opens tomorrow at 4:00 for families. 

Please see the VAS website for a reminder of other non-instruction days throughout the school year.  This information can be found at: http://school.cbe.ab.ca/school/varsityacres/Pages/default.aspx under 'Calendar'.

November 12

Today we were introduced to the concept of the "Grej of the Day". Grej (pronounced grey) is a Swedish word meaning " one thing". Mr Richardson will be teaching a short ( 8 minute) lesson every day on a random topic. Our homework is to go home and retell what we learnt to someone who is important in our lives.
Todays 'Grej of the Day' was Helen Keller. A clue for tomorrow's ' Grey of the Day' are the following images:

In English we finished the Wizard of Oz and students started to illustrate their favourite parts of the book.

We had music with Madame Zdrill and we practiced our lunges and throwing in PE with Monsieur Trevor.

In science we continued to learn about tectonic plates. Our science exams were sent home today. Please review it with students and sign and return it as soon as possible. Corrections may be made if students wish to earn an improved mark.

Nov 8

Today was our Remembrance Day assembly. We sang 'Highway of Heroes'. Mr Richardson was very proud of the respect and positive behavior everyone in the class showed during the ceremony.

We wrote in our journals and read a chapter of the Wizard of Oz. Monsieur Trevor came to work with us today to show us how to use the iPads and upload our work to Iris. Our homework is to show our parents the work we uploaded and to talk about it with them.

In baby news, Madame Jean had her baby this week and Madame April has announced she is taking time away from the classroom in preparation for her baby arriving too. We wish them both all the best, and we look forward to seeing them when they come back.

VASPFS HOLIDAY PURDYS FUNDRAISER IS HERE!!!

We are once again fundraising with Purdys chocolatier for the holiday season! VASPFS will receive 25% of all sales.

To order online, go to fundraising.purdys.com and click Login or Create New Account

Then click Join Campaign. Our customer number is 28645.

All orders must be placed by Monday, November 25th.

Orders can be picked up on Thursday December 5th between 3-5pm in the school gym.

You may forward this info to any friends or relatives that would like to participate!

Any questions? Please email VASPFS@gmail.com

Thank you for your support

Nov 7

Students will be bringing home their math evaluations today. Please review the assessment with them, and return it signed to Mme April. Students can correct any errors that they made if they would like to improve the mark on their evaluation.

Tomorrow is Remembrance Day. If you are a girl guide or a scout, please feel free to wear your uniform at the service at 10:30. Parents and guardians are welcome to attend.

In science we looked at the tectonic plates in a fun way using cream cheese, crackers and rice crispies.

As part of our talks on community and quality of life, we ranked the top three things that were important to us and our quality of life. The class almost all agreed that family is the most important thing.

We continued our letters to our future selves and read a chapter of the Wizard of Oz in English. In French we discussed adjectives, verbs and nouns we could use to describe the soldiers in preparation for Remembrance Day.

Nov 6

In maths we did counting by 3s and 4s.

We sang the highway of heroes by The Trews in Music.

We wrote adjectives, verbs and nouns to describe soldiers in French.

In science we imagined we lived in a small village where the local mine had closed. We imagined what it would be like if our local mine closed and the impact it would have on the community.  We also looked at how Ayers Rock was formed.

Tomorrow is special lunch.

Friday is our assembly for Remembrance Day.

Nov 5

For our Friday November 8th 10:30am Remembrance Day Assembly students who are cadets, sparks, brownies, scouts or guides are welcome to wear their uniform and participate in the procession into the gym. 

In English we read a comprehension text about volcanos. This text was sent home as homework. Only questions 1-4 need to be completed, please ignore the final question.

We went to change our library books and had PE with M.Trevor. 

In Science we looked at how Ayers Rock was formed its importance to the indigenous people there. We asked ourselves if it was right that tourists be allowed to climb the rock given its cultural and spiritual importance for the aboriginal people of Australia. 

In French we started to write short stories " I saw a spaceship on the school field..."
Mr. Richardson is very excited to read those when they are finished. 

Nov 4

In science today we went through our exam questions and compared our answers.

In intensive French we discussed about what we had done over the weekend and we shared our Halloween adventures from the weekend.

In English, we read another chapter of The Wizard of Oz and wrote letters to our future selves : When I am grown up...
We came up with the following topics to consider:

• Do you want to get married? If so, what would your dream wedding look like? Describe your ideal husband or wife
• Do you think you will have children? What would their names be?
• Do you want pets? What type? How many?

We hope to keep the letters sealed up until we are all grown up so that we can have something fun to read as adults. The letters will be kept in school until they are all finished and will be sent in a larger envelope later on in the year.

As Mr. Richardson has epilepsy, we talked about what a seizure might look like and what to do if we witness someone having a seizure.

In social studies we are preparing a guide to our school and our city. We discussed the essential things that contribute to our quality of life. We narrowed it down to 4 topics - health, education, shelter and  security.

Ask me : What do I consider important for quality of life? What category would that come under.

Tomorrow is a library day. All students are kindly requested to bring in their books so that they may change them tomorrow.