Gerald McShane School News - English Montreal School Board

Gerald McShane School News
April Edition
Issue 8
Principal’s News
Spring Fling Dance
Fundraiser
Our third fundraising event will be a
resounding success. Please make sure
to come and dance with your child(ren)
on April 10th at Gerald McShane School.
The parents of the PPO have been
working very hard at looking for
sponsors and organizing this wonderful
event!
Ped Day Added to
Calendar
Please be advised that since we have
not lost any days this year due to
school closure, we must schedule a
Ped. Day in May. This day will take
place on Monday, May 4th . Daycare
services will be available.
School-Wide Literacy
Contents
Principal’s News
1
Upcoming Events
1
End-of-Cycle Exams Schedule 1
Community Learning Center
2
Test-Taking Strategies
2
How to help improve writing at
home
Cycle I News
3
Cycle II News
3
Cycle III News
4
Other Important Dates
4
Contact Us
4

Spring Fling
Dance

End-of-Cycle
Exams
During our Literacy Week, in early
March the students began their project
with a school wide book writing
project.
Daycare News
2
Pre K and Kindergarten News 3
Upcoming
Events
Dans ma cour d’ecole is this year’s
literacy project. The students are in
the process of creating their own vision
of Montreal North. .
Welcome back from a well-deserved
spring break! On March 13th we had
the B.A.S.E. staff host the
Destination Imagination day and the
students really loved it! March has
been a fantastic month filled with
St. Patrick’s Day activities and an
outstanding day at Cabane a Sucre
on March 20th.
I'm glad that I had the opportunity
to spend this past year and a half,
working in an exceptional school,
such as Gerald McShane. I would like
to thank all the students, staff and
especially the fantastic DAYCARE
STAFF, for having made this
experience so memorable….thank
you! I will miss all of you……xoxoxo
Morning Lates
This is a reminder that students must
be at school by 7:55.
The 10-minute homeroom period from
7:55 to 8:05 allows students to get
settled in, copy their homework and
begin their school work.
Using the 10-minute homeroom period
to drop-off students should not be a
daily occurrence, as is the case with
some parents. Please keep in mind
that a child who arrives during
homeroom time may be missing almost
an hour a week of valuable class time!
End of Year Exam
Schedule
April 27th –June 5th
Students must be present during
the exam period. Since specific
days have been assigned to the
various exams, students who miss
school for 2 or more days without
a medical note may not be given
extra days to complete their
exams.
A copy of the exam schedule will
be sent out once school board has
finalized the dates.
School Newsletter
Page 2 of 3
Cycle News
Community Learning Center News
ALWAYS
NEW AND
EXCITING
NEWS
Finally, Spring Has Sprung!!
Spring is right around the corner and we are preparing for the community garden. The green team will resume after
Easter to see what they will be planting this year. Thanks to Julia from Base daycare we will start to plant seedlings
indoors so that we can progress in our harvest.
Mother Goose program has begun and are held on Friday mornings at 9:00 am in the CLC ROOM. If you wish to register
please call the school at 514-321-1100.
Here are some of the events that you should write in your calendar:
Upcoming events May 13th East End Eats!!! Intergenerational Cookbook put together by Gerald McShane students.
The project is shared with Laurier Macdonald and John Paul I. The proceeds of this event is going to the Alzheimers
association. A letter has been sent home and the interested parties should submit their recipes soon.
Get Up and Move will take place on Friday, May 8th from 2:30-7:00 p.m.
More info will be sent home in the weeks to come. Parent participation is greatly appreciate, you can contact us at
school if you can get prizes to raffle, give your time, and or any other contribution you can bring to the event.
Thank you all.
Ms. Kathy Vella
Test-Taking Strategies
1. Listen carefully to all of the teacher’s directions. Ask
questions if you do not understand.
2. Look at the entire test before you begin.
3. Read all the directions carefully. Read all the questions
and answer choices completely.
4. Do the easiest questions first.
5. Check all parts of true/false questions for incorrect
details.
6. For multiple choice questions, first eliminate all the
answers that cannot possibly be correct. This reduces
the number of available answers.
7. If there is time, reread and check over your finished
test.
How to Help Improve Writing At Home
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Discuss print in the environment, e.g. advertisements,
street signs.
Demonstrate how you use writing in your daily lives e.g.
messages, shopping lists, letters.
Write messages for your child to read and respond to.
Provide a special place to write, include a variety of
writing materials such as paper, greeting cards, envelopes
and a variety of pens and pencils.
Encourage your child to make and send greeting cards to
relatives and friends.
Encourage your child to use writing to express feelings.
Develop consumer awareness, when appropriate, have your
child write a letter to a company whose product they were
satisfied or unsatisfied with.
Marlene Colacci (Resource Teacher)
Physical Education & Health
On March 31st and on April 8th our cycle 2 & 3 students will be taking part in Nutrition workshops given by our
own school board nutritionist, Miss Pamela Yiptong. They will be learning how to read food labels and how to
distinguish between real fruit juices and “imposter” juices.
Lunchtime hockey will continue this month for gr. 5 and 6 students. There is also a Hockey Playday scheduled
for April 30th. It is a competitive tournament for a select group of about 10 students, chosen from grades 5
and 6.
Grades 4, 5 and 6 will be participating in the Halo Run this year. Practices have begun during Phys. Ed periods
and at lunchtime too. The race is on May 14 th, on Mount Royal. Let’s hope we get nice weather by then.
Ms. Karine
School Newsletter
Cycle News
Page 3 of 4
Pre Kindergarten and Kindergarten News
March has been a fun month for pre-k! A leprechaun visited our class on St. Patrick’s Day and he left us clues to find the
treasure and we did…chocolate!! We have been learning how to feed our bodies healthy foods through various nutritional
activities…we made a smoothie, fruit salad and veggie salad…yummy! Finally we celebrated the first day of spring reading books
and talking about the things we see in the spring time…even though the snow hasn't melted yet! We look forward to an April
filled with spring activities, special egg hunts and lots of outdoor play as well as an upcoming field trip…more details to follow.
We will discuss farm animals as well as insects! My pre-k students are ready to SPRING into action…Woohoo!
Pendant le mois de mars, nous avons exploré le thème de la nutrition et appris comment bien nourrir notre corps en se référant
au guide alimentaire du Canada. Un lutin a visité notre classe et nous a laissé un trésor…du chocolat! Nous avons parlé du
printemps et nous sommes prêts à faire plusieurs activités dehors ainsi qu’une sortie de classe…plus de détails suivront. Pour le
mois d’avril, nous allons discuter les animaux de ferme et les insectes. Mes élèves de prématernelle sont excités pour le
printemps…Youppi!
Ms. Melissa
Pendant le mois de mars, nous avons exploré le thème de la nutrition et appris comment bien nourrir notre corps en se référant
au guide alimentaire du Canada. Nous avons goûté une bonne salade de fruits et nous avons appris à la faire. Nous avons aussi vu
des animaux de la ferme, et nous nous sommes amusés à imiter leurs sons.
Au mois d’avril, nous allons aborder le thème du printemps, on va observer grandir les plantes que nous avons planté en mars.
C’est aussi le temps d’aller dehors, donc nous ferons une sortie au Centre des Sciences de Montréal. Vous recevrez une lettre
avec tous les détails pendant la première semaine du mois d’avril.
Nous vous remercions de votre collaboration. Joyeuse Pâques et joyeux printemps!
Mme Mima et Mme Laurice
Cycle I News
Le patinage est maintenant terminé. Merci aux parents bénévoles qui nous ont beaucoup aidés.
Les examens de fin de cycle commenceront bientôt. Il est important que les enfants soient le moins absents possible et
en pleine forme pour bien terminer cette dernière et importante étape de l’année scolaire.
En première année le thème des fruits et des légumes est maintenant terminé. Les enfants ont présenté leur projet à
toute la classe. Leur travail est affiché sur les murs de l’école et ils en sont très fiers. Nous commençons le thème du
cycle de vie ou nous parlerons des saisons, du temps qui passe…
En deuxième année, nous travaillons en équipe dans des ateliers ayant comme sujet les dinosaures. Bientôt, les élèves
commenceront un projet sur un dinosaure qui sera fait en classe et ils auront la chance de le présenter à leurs
camarades et à d’autres classes.
En lien avec le thème de nutrition, nous encourageons les enfants à toujours manger des collations bonnes pour la santé
et à garder de bonnes habitudes de vie comme faire de l’exercice et d’avoir de bonnes nuits de sommeil. Ces bonnes
habitudes vont les aider à bien réussir à l’école lors de cette dernière étape de l’année scolaire.
Mme Naccarello et Mme Sonia
Cycle II News
Dear Parents,
March came in like a lion and left like a lamb!? We worked feverishly to complete Literacy projects and have finally
completed them!
For April, we will continue working on literature circles, geometry and multiplication.
We wish you all a Happy Easter!
Cycle 2 Teachers
School Newsletter
Cycle News
Page 4 of 4
Cycle III News
The grade 5 students continue to be engaged in a variety of
pertinent activities in areas of: reading, writing, listening,
speaking, and mathematics.
They have been busy like bees writing riddles and are
currently also enthusiastic in becoming actors for several
realistic plays which integrate literature and language arts.
Each play offers students the opportunity to: express
themselves creatively, cooperate with one another, and
explore various thoughts, feelings, as well as situations.
In math, they have been learning about fractions and
multiple problem-solving strategies. Presently, they are
identifying geometric solids with their special
characteristics, followed by the construction of geometric
solids from diverse interesting nets.
Congratulations to all of the students who worked extremely
hard during the second term. Your work ethic and
cooperation was inspiring!
Finally, we would like to remind parents to foster the love
of reading in their children and to document participation in
this endeavour, in the Daily Reading Log. Doing so, can only
enhance your child’s academic success. On a similar note,
excellent work habits can help your child prepare for the
upper grades. Please encourage your child to work diligently
and to fully realize his/her potential.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a
wonderful spring with all its festivals, warmer climate,
vibrant hues and nascent vegetation.
Ms. Mirarchi and Ms.Varano
Les élèves de cinquième font présentement la lecture
collective du roman Sophie vit un cauchemar. Tout au cours
de la lecture du document, les élèves doivent élaborer un
résumé sur chaque chapitre (en classe). La construction
d’un bon résumé nécessite un bon esprit de synthèse. Il faut
écrire les détails IMPORTANTS de l’histoire.
Très bientôt, nous terminerons la lecture du livre et nous
entamerons la préparation d’une petite pièce de théâtre
basée sur cette histoire. Chaque élève incarnera un
personnage du récit.
Au cours des prochains jours, nous ferons notre concours du
« Réceptoeuf ». Il s’agit d’une petite compétition amicale
au cours de laquelle chaque élève apporte une boîte
décorée et remplie d’un matériau spécial choisi par chaque
enfant. Le défi consiste à lancer un œuf à l’intérieur de la
boîte sans qu’il casse!!!!! Nous vous informerons des
gagnant(e)s de cette petite épreuve scientifique.
Je vous souhaite un très beau mois d’avril ensoleillé!
Mme Geneviève
This month, in English Language Arts, grade 6 students will
be working in literature circles. They will be analyzing
different texts and discussing them in their literature
circles. They will also present their favorite recipe to the
class.
For math, continue to practice the basic facts
(multiplication tables) with your child. Keep using Reflex
Math! The students have increased their fluency with
the basic facts and in order for them to be completely
fluent, they must continue to work with Reflex Math. We
will continue to work on problem solving skills,
measurement and using different capacities. They will
learn about circle and its properties, the cartestian plane,
reflections, translations, rotations, and tesselations.
Together we need to get them prepared for the end of
year exam in May. It is important that the students
understand that every minute of class time is valuable.
Homework is an extension of class work and it allows the
students to practice what they have learned. If they do
not understand a concept being taught, they need to ask
questions in class before the test. For tests, they will be
allowed to use a memory aid. However, the memory aid
must be prepared in advance. The memory aid can be
one page (8.5 x 11). Both sides of the sheet can be
written on. Please remind your child to ask questions in
class, be attentive in class, and do homework on a daily
basis.
In Ethics and Religious Culture, we will be analyzing
different scenarios in order to determine proper decision
making. They have had several sessions with Bartimeus
about the transition to high school. They will continue to
learn skills and strategies that will help them to prepare
for their transition to high school. They will also learn
about the importance of healthy relationships and body
image. We will have class discussions with the school
nurse.
Mrs. Scalia
Les enfants ont raconté de merveilleux contes et légendes
en classe. Ils ont, aussi, présenté leur livre ou leur film
préféré. Merci de prendre le temps de bien les préparer
pour les présentations orales.
En sciences, nous commencerons le thème : « Roches et
minéraux ». Votre enfant découvrira comment la terre
s’est formée et sa structure interne. Il apprendra
pourquoi il y a des tremblements de terre et des volcans.
Il saura la différence entre les roches et les minéraux. Ils
fabriqueront des cristaux de sel ou de sucre, à la maison.
En univers social, ils découvrent comment vivaient les
habitants de la province de Québec vers 1980. La
composition de la population, l’agriculture, les loisirs et
les moyens de transports sont quelques-uns des sujets
abordés dans cette section.
Ils continuent les ateliers pour se préparer et faciliter
leur transition au secondaire.
M. Lemaire
Other Important Dates
Friday, April 10th
Gerald McShane Spring Dance Fundraiser
Monday, May 4th
Pedagogical Day/ Daycare Services Available
Friday, May 8th
Lève toi et Bouge
Tuesday, May 12th
Denim day Breast Cancer-$2.00 per student
Wednesday, May 13th
East End Eats!! – Intergenerational Cookbook
Thursday, May 14th
Grades 5-6 Halo Run- Mount Royal
Monday, May 18th
Holiday
“We are committed to
the development of the
whole child…”
We’re on the Web!
www.geraldmcshane.ca