Daily Update:
We began the day on the mat, watching the morning announcements. After a quick review of yesterday's work, we practiced our Halloween song again. We talked about how giving our best in practice will make for a fantastic performance! Our spelling word was “championship,” and today’s “Show, Not Tell” phrase was “He went skating for the first time.” We completed our Heggerty listening games, followed by a quick ghost doodle (hot chocolate included!) at twice our usual pace. Next, we jumped into an intense two-minute workout before taking a healthy snack break. One of our students celebrated a birthday today, and her mom brought us a fruit tray—no way we could wait until recess to dig in! After fueling up, we started our literacy rotations. Mrs. Hill joined us for Work on Writing, and I think today’s prompt, “My favorite food is…,” made her extra hungry! We also reviewed “ck” sounds and began working with the “sh” sound in UFLI.

Math:
The Grade 1s and 2s practiced skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s, plus some Halloween mural coloring for added fun! Our Grade 3 group used concrete materials to explore the meaning of zero in numbers, practiced mental math, and worked on bridging to friendly numbers like 10, 20, and 30. They ended math time with some DreamBox practice.

After Lunch:
In the afternoon, we colored sections of our Halloween mural and had some fun with Just Dance Halloween songs! After cleaning up, we got bundled up for outdoor PE.

PE:
We took advantage of the nice weather with basketball drills on the outdoor court, practicing dribbling, passing, and shooting. It looks like these late summer days may be wrapping up soon!

Day End:
To finish the day, we added to our Book of Gratitude with today’s prompt, “One thing I am grateful for at school today is…” After checking our morning books to ensure everything was complete, we signed our Home to School sheets, and each student received a Timberwolves ticket!

Picture of the Day:
That fruit tray didn’t stand a chance until recess—it was way too tempting to wait!

Daily Update:
We started our morning gathered on the mat, tuning in to the daily announcements. Afterward, we quickly reviewed our work from yesterday and practiced our Halloween song. Our spelling word today was "subtraction"—that tricky "shun" sound at the end continues to catch us! For "Show, Not Tell," we worked with the sentence “She was shy.” We completed our Heggerty listening games and doodled a ghost holding a hot chocolate for fun. During Work on Writing, we tackled the prompt “The thing that makes me happiest is…” In UFLI, we focused on spelling words with a “ck” ending.

Math:
In math, Grade 1 students practiced breaking apart numbers and using doubling strategies. Grade 2 worked on fact families and doubles as well, while Grade 3 represented 3-digit numbers in different forms—using materials, pictures, and digits.

After Lunch:
We headed to the library where Mr. Whalen helped us continue working on our Halloween song. We recorded a few more lines and rehearsed for our live performance. It’s hard to believe Halloween is just around the corner!

PE:
For PE, we took to the basketball court. We practiced dribbling around pylons, passing, and taking some shots, getting in some good skill-building drills.

Day End:
To wrap up, we added to our Book of Gratitude with the prompt, “I enjoyed playing with…” After that, we double-checked our morning work, signed our Home to School books (including the attached Halloween memo), and even got to record some of tomorrow’s announcements. The day finished with some free choice time on the iPads.

Picture of the Day:
Mr. Whalen was working hard to bring out the best in each of our singers!

Daily Update:
We kicked off the day on the mat, tuning in to the morning announcements. Our spelling word was “chimpanzee,” and the "Show, Not Tell" sentence was “She drove fast.” Some students really got into this one—I’m guessing they’ve seen a few speedy drivers in action! We worked through our Heggerty listening exercises and had fun doodling a ghost sipping hot chocolate. After a quick two-minute workout, we tackled our Work on Writing prompt: “Over the weekend I...” In UFLI, students also engaged with a brief reading passage for practice.

Math:
In math, the Grade 3 students explored how to represent numbers using proportional concrete materials and explain their equivalence. They also sharpened their mental math skills by bridging to friendly numbers. Grade 2 students focused on applying mental strategies for addition facts up to 18, emphasizing the doubles rule. For example, if 5+5=10, then 5+6 can be thought of as 5+5+1=11. Meanwhile, Grade 1 students represented numbers up to 20 using a variety of manipulatives.

After Lunch:
After lunch, we dove back into *The One and Only Ivan.* We discovered that Ivan once dressed up in a tuxedo, took photos with people at the mall, and even slept in Mac’s bed! He was excited about his new home with a tire swing, unaware he would be stuck there for a long time. In science, we discussed the purpose of the skull. It doesn’t just give our face structure—do you remember what else it protects?

PE:
We tried our hand at capture the flag today! Some of the rules were a bit tricky to follow, so we experimented with a few different versions of the game to make it more fun for everyone.

Day End:
To finish off the day, we reflected in our Book of Gratitude, using the prompt: “A new thing I learned today was…” Then, we signed our Home to School books and enjoyed a bit of free choice time before heading to the buses. We also received two notes—one about skating and another regarding hot lunch orders (see attached).

Picture of the Day:
Today marked the first day of floor hockey at noon, and Case was giving it everything he had!

Daily Update:
We kicked off our day by watching the morning announcements while gathered on the mat. Our spelling word was “Thirty,” and the "Show, Not Tell" phrase for today was “She was angry.” Afterward, we jumped into our Heggerty listening games, followed by doodling some quick sketches of leaf characters. For art, we started with a background painting so that the first layer could dry by the afternoon. For our Work on Writing, the prompt was “One day, I woke up and my room was filled with…”

Math:
The Grade 1s focused on counting sets of objects, rearranging them, and practicing group counting. Grade 2 students worked on their counting-on strategy for two-digit and one-digit numbers. Meanwhile, the Grade 3s tackled representing numbers in various ways—standard form, place value, pictures, and manipulatives. Some of the Grade 3s were assessed by me while others worked in Dreambox.

After Lunch:
We enjoyed garlic fingers for lunch, a treat from Home and School as a thank you for all the support with the ticket sales! After recess, we listened to more of *The One and Only Ivan*. Ruby was having trouble sleeping and asked Ivan to tell her a story, but he struggled to recall his childhood. We learned that Ivan had a twin sister and that his name wasn’t always Ivan. Can you remember the names of the baby gorillas? We also managed to finish up the top layers of our paintings before heading to gym.

PE:
We went outside to play soccer baseball. It’s getting pretty chilly during the mornings, at lunch, and during PE, so don’t forget to bundle up in warm layers!

Day End:
To close the day, we reflected on our Book of Gratitude with the prompt “Today I am grateful for….” Afterward, we signed our Home to School books and spent a few minutes choosing activities responsibly. We also synced the iPads with the SmartBoard to make sure our Grade 3s are keeping up with their skills.

Picture of the Day:
Painting in our classroom is serious business—whoever said it’s relaxing hasn’t seen the focus here!

Daily Update:
We began our day watching the morning announcements on the mat. I completely forgot to check over yesterday's work—oops! Today's spelling word was "Utilize." For our "Show, Not Tell" prompt, we worked with the phrase "She was tired." We then moved on to our Heggerty listening games, followed by doodling some cute leaf characters. We added the final coat of paint to our 3D prints before putting them by the window to dry. During literacy rotations, we practiced writing, with the prompt, "If I could visit anywhere in the world, I would go..."

Math:
The Grade 1s and 2s updated their calendar and practiced representing numbers in multiple ways. The Grade 1s focused on writing numbers in word form and counting sets, while the Grade 2s tackled basic addition. Meanwhile, the Grade 3s practiced front-end counting, ordering 3-digit numbers, and played some DreamBox games.

After Lunch:
This afternoon, we welcomed Mr. Blakley for guidance, where he talked to us about mental health. What do you think it means to take care of your mental health?

PE:
For PE, we headed outside to play a game of soccer baseball. The game was challenging today because we were a bit distracted by some huge planes flying overhead and landing nearby!

Day End:
At the end of the day, we added to our Book of Gratitude, reflecting on the prompt, "Someone who made me laugh today was..." Afterward, we signed our Home to School books and enjoyed a few minutes of responsible choice time before getting ready to go home. Be sure to bundle up—the days (and especially mornings) are getting cooler!

Picture of the Day:
Our class had a blast playing soccer baseball today, even with the distraction of the planes soaring above!

Daily Update:
We kicked off the day by gathering on the mat and reviewing our progress from yesterday, with a focus on improving just a little more each day. Our spelling word for today was "telescope," and we practiced "Show, Not Tell" using the phrase: "He was sick." After playing our Heggerty listening games, we doodled another spooky scarecrow silhouette—this time even faster! For exercise, we did standing toe touches, which got us moving. During literacy rotations, we tackled the writing prompt: "The best thing about being a kid is…" and focused on blending and segmenting sounds. We also reviewed words with the "ff," "ll," "ss," and "zz" endings that have double letters but make one sound.

Math:
In math, the Grade 1 and 2 students worked on updating their calendar and practiced representing numbers in multiple ways. Grade 2 also did some skip counting, and everyone joined in to work on friends of ten. We wrapped up with some technology-based activities, using iPads to interact with the Smartboard. The Grade 3 students worked on representing numbers using manipulatives and pictures.

After Lunch:
After lunch, we cleaned up some of our 3D prints and started filming a few clips for tomorrow’s morning announcements. Then, we had our highly anticipated Fire Safety Assembly! The Miramichi Fire Department gave us a fantastic presentation, teaching us key safety rules. They also showed us what a firefighter looks and sounds like in full gear—so we won’t be afraid if we ever need their help during a fire. We got to meet Sparky the fire dog and watched a fun video. It was such an informative and engaging presentation!

Day End:
We wrapped up the day by writing in our Book of Gratitude with today’s prompt: "The best part of my day was when…." Afterward, we signed our Home to School books and enjoyed a few minutes of free choice time before getting ready to head home (and off to the soccer game!). Don’t forget—the Home and School draw is tomorrow, so make sure to return all tickets by then!

Picture of the Day:
After demonstrating the "Stop, Drop, and Roll" technique perfectly, some students were rewarded with junior firefighter shirts! How "paw-some" is that!

Daily Update:
This morning started off a bit differently—announcements weren’t over the intercom but done on video instead! You can check them out here. Great job to the Grade 4 & 5 students who made it happen! Afterward, we stayed on the mat to evaluate our work, aiming to improve just a little more every day. Our spelling word for the day was "gigantic," and our "Show, Not Tell" sentence was: "He was old." We also did our Heggerty listening games and doodled another creepy scarecrow silhouette—this time, we sped it up a bit from yesterday. Our exercise for the day was jumping jacks followed by scissor jacks, keeping us moving. During literacy rotations, we worked on the writing prompt, "My favorite…", and challenged ourselves with some 5-letter word blending and segmenting. It was definitely tougher! We also focused on hearing sounds in words and writing them in sentences.

Math:
The Grade 3s practiced mental math strategies, using a bridge to a friendly number. They also represented numbers as expressions and spent some time on DreamBox math games. The Grade 1 & 2 students focused on place value, working with base ten blocks to represent numbers symbolically. We also worked with Smart Notebooks on tablets and had some teacher-guided practice.

After Indoor Lunch:
After lunch, we headed to guidance with Mrs. Robichaud. She talked about recognizing dangerous situations, how to react safely, and making choices that increase personal safety. I wonder how much of this will come in handy when the fire department visits later this week for their safety presentation!

In PE:
With rain keeping us indoors, we focused on basketball skills—working on dribbling, passing, and shooting drills. It was a great way to stay active inside!

Day End:
At the end of the day, we reflected on gratitude by writing in our Book of Gratitude with today’s prompt: "A friend who helped me today was…" Afterward, we signed our Home to School Books and enjoyed a few minutes of free choice time before the buses arrived. See you all tomorrow!

Picture of the Day:
We had a quick round of the Minions memory game at lunch. I don’t remember Case wearing glasses before, but maybe my memory is slipping!