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Nellie McClung School – ”Creating a Culture that Cultivates World Changers” 2315 Palliser Dr. S.W., Calgary, AB T2V 3S4 t | 403-777-8620 f | 403-777-8622

Website | cbe.ab.ca/b333

Newsletter | November 2019

Principal’s Message

Nellie is growing together…..

October was a very busy month at our great school. Some of the highlights were our field

trips, clubs, Federal Election and of course Halloween.

There were a number of field trips this month. Two of the most exciting were the

kindergartens first ever field trip to Fish Creek Park and of course, the ever popular grade 3 trip

all the way to Frank Slide. Nellie believes in authentic, real life experiences and our teachers

work to create trips and experiences that help student situate their learning in the real world.

This month a number of clubs started up and a number of them are in the planning and

preparatory stage. The Bridge Club is back by popular demand, our Running Club has lots of

athletes and enthusiasts strutting their stuff and our Prodigy Club is helping to challenge and

stretch our math minds. Students are encouraged to be a part of clubs program. In addition

to our lunch time clubs, our choirs have been in full rehearsal mode as we are working to

prepare for our Remembrance Day Service.

This year we had the good fortune to be a polling station for the election. This provided an

excellent opportunity for some of our students to see democracy in action. Our students were

busy interviewing electors and exploring firsthand what it means to live in a democratic

country and what responsibilities and requirements are needed to hold open, honest and free

elections.

Happy Halloween is more than just a saying at Nellie. This holiday was definitely an expression

of creativity and celebration. From the PAC sponsored Halloween Family Dance on the 24th to

the festivities on the 31st our students, parents and staff came together to have fun, be silly

and learn curriculum through celebration. From pre-day measuring, carving and estimation of

seeds in pumpkins to the parade of costumes to the Jack-o-lantern silent auction to the school

“Monster Mash”, everyone played together and learned together. Students, staff and parents

all had a wonderful time.

November is another exciting month. Our grade 4 students will be in zoo school, we have a

school-wide performance of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and of course, we will be

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hosting a Remembrance Day Service on Nov. 8th. Parents are always welcome to join us for

special events or as volunteers in the classroom on a regular basis and I would strongly

encourage you to join us as we honour the traditions of Remembrance Day through a special

service at Nov. 8th at 10:45 a.m.

Currently we are finalizing our Annual School Results Report and our new School Development

Plan. A big thank you to our School Council and staff for helping us set appropriate goals for

our school as we strive to create exceptional learning opportunities for our students. The next

meeting for School Council will be November 28th and as always, everyone is welcome. Thank

you for coming out and supporting the work of the school. Your volunteer contributions make

a significant impact on your school.

Room 17 program at Nellie…

I have had some questions about our new “Bridges Program”. This year the CBE decided to

eliminate our system “Skill” class and replace it with a “Bridges Program”. The Bridges

Program is a system funded class which provides support for students who are struggling with

mental health and present with external behaviors that make it difficult for them to learn in a

traditional classroom setting. The program is designed to support students and create

pathways for them to be integrated back into a typical classroom once they have learned

strategies to help them self-regulate and cope with the challenges they are facing. We have

been very fortunate to have wonderful staff, system specialists, parents and students who

have helped us as we transition this new program into the culture of our school.

Thank you for all that you do with and for our students. From organizing dances, to making

Fun Lunches possible, to volunteering to read with students, to going on field trips, our

parents, grandparents and --friends truly make the difference at Nellie. As always, I welcome

any feedback that you may have. If you have any questions, concerns or comments please call

me at 587-777-6331, e-mail me at dkdyck@cbe.ab.ca or just stop in for a visit.

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Cycles of Learning and Growth

Last week, we had our first “blue day” and indoor recess due to cold weather. It always seems that this first blast of winter comes as a surprise. The cooler temperatures and first snowfalls of the season remind us of the cycles of growth and change that we move with. Nostalgia about the end of the warmer season happens at the same time as we anticipate with excitement the many joys of the colder season to come. This weekend we turn our clocks back an hour, and begin to adjust to the shorter light hours and the need to come to school every day with snow pants, mitts, hats and warm coats. Already our lost and found bins are overflowing as students learn to keep track of their belongings. Please check to see if your child’s belongings have already made their way in to the lost and found bins at each school entrance.

In classrooms, cycles of learning are unfolding just like the seasons. In October we had students travel as far as Frank Slide and as close to home as South Glenmore Park, Fish Creek Park and the “forest” in Nellie’s backyard. All opportunities to take learning outside and into the community are valuable, and create opportunities for students to understand the connections between the learning that happens in school and the world in which we live. Inside the school walls, our understandings of the world are evolving too. This past month students have demonstrated their great commitment to social justice by celebrating Orange Shirt day as an action in support of reconciliation. In November, we are looking forward to hearing student voices from every classroom community as part of our Remembrance Day ceremony on November 8. The voices of children fill our circle as each grade team prepares to honor our veterans in a unique and meaningful way through song, poetry and performance. Families are welcome and invited to attend the ceremony which will begin promptly at 10:45am.

Our new AMA safety patrollers have completed their training and are now actively engaged in keeping our cross walk safe before and after school. The pride and leadership our patrollers demonstrate daily is remarkable, and we are thankful for their service. There are many other ways that our students have opportunities to contribute to and connect with the incredible community in our wonderful school each day. Running Club has been in full swing this past month, and students have represented themselves and Nellie McClung School with pride. We have been fortunate again this year to have community volunteers offer their expertise as mentors in our Bridge Club for Division Two students. It is inspiring to watch these volunteers from the community share their passion for cards with the next generation every Wednesday at lunchtime. In the coming month, look out for opportunities for our Division One students to be invited to participate in student inspired clubs such as Prodigy (Math) and Friendship Club. All offerings are posted on the board outside the main office.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our phenomenal learning community. Whether you contribute through volunteering your time in the school or on field trips, by participating in school council or by supporting our students to extend their learning in the evenings and weekends at home through conversations and activities, we are grateful. When we work together we can ensure that the creativity of every student is sparked- watch us grow!

- Kate Jones, Assistant Principal

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What's New in the Learning Commons

Arctic Adventure

Scholastic Book Fair will be at our school during the week of parent/teacher interviews November 18 - 22. The theme is Arctic Adventure - Snow Much to Read! Look for many new titles as well as old favourites. All purchases result in credit toward new books for the entire school. In order for the fair to be a smashing success, volunteers are needed. Look for a SignUpGenius email. Volunteers will receive a $5 credit that can be used toward a purchase at the fair.

Story time!

Anyone who has visited the Learning Commons since school started may have noticed the addition of new walls, which has resulted in rearranged bookshelves and furniture. We now have a story nook and several classes are participating in story time before the start of book exchange. By reading out-loud to students, we are hoping to promote reading for the sake of enjoyment and the love of the Learning Commons and books.

Tami Hopkins

Library Assistant/ Lunch Supervisor

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Fabulous Fall

A Field Trip to Fish Creek Park It was with great excitement, that the kindergarteners boarded

the school bus for Fish Creek Park for the first field trip of the

year.

Miss. Claire, our expert naturalist, greeted us

once we got to Shannon Terrace and walked us

to the in-door learning space. Several stations

with bio facts were set up for the children to

explore. The children eagerly discussed what

they were seeing and noticing while

investigating the many different pelts, skulls,

tracks, and photos/diagrams.

Before heading out in the park, Miss. Claire talked to the students about the fall

changes happening outside for both plants and animals in preparation for the colder

temperatures.

Mrs. Smith’s class got into their small parent groups and started the morning by hiking

the blue and orange trails and Mrs. Saundry’s class and parent helpers, went on a short

hike as a group with Miss. Claire.

The first activity was ‘Hug A Tree’. The students had to find

a deciduous tree that had lost the leaves. Next was a

coniferous tree, however, it proved to be a little prickly.

The first stop on the trail was the hibernaculum of the

garter snakes. We learned that there are between 700-1000

snakes who come to sleep there every fall and that the fence

is there to protect the hibernaculum from humans.

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As we were ready to move on, Claire suddenly stopped the group and

in a quiet voice, brought our attention to the grassy area ahead of us.

A doe, her twin ‘teenage’ fawns and a buck were eating right in front

of us. The children were thrilled and could hardly contain themselves.

Once we started making more noise and moving closer, the deer took

off and Miss. Claire had the children play a squirrel game. Just like

the squirrels in the park, the kindergarten students had to find

spruce cones and hide them for winter.

The children thought that it was very exciting to think that ‘unfound’

cones would simply grow into new

trees!

Next, Miss. Claire found a large

spruce tree, with long branches that proved big enough

to shelter all the students underneath. A perfect place

for a story! The story Miss. Claire told was about a

little black-capped chickadee who was looking for

shelter in a tree. The only type of tree kind enough to

protect the little bird proved to be the spruce, and, as

a gift from Mother Earth, to this day, the spruce gets

to keep its ‘leaves’ all year round.

On the grassy area, everyone got to go on a scavenger hunt for leaves in different

colors. The next stop was the Richardson Ground Squirrel homes. Miss. Claire explained

that the ground squirrels have already gone into hibernation below the ground, however,

she encouraged the children to investigate and carefully check out the tunnel openings.

Before our class got into our small groups with parent volunteers, Miss. Claire taught us

a fun game of Coyotes versus Hares/Deer. Jack got to be a coyote with Miss. Claire and

the rest of the children took off into the trees. The goal was to be able to still see the

coyotes but try and camouflage/hide in the trees. If you got called out, you had to come

and join the coyotes.

For the last part of the morning, the children had time to explore the orange trail in

small groups and investigate the park with the parent volunteers, while Mrs. Smith’s

class went with Miss. Claire.

It was a beautiful morning! The weather was crisp and clear and everyone came ready

to be outside. The parent helpers were amazing and brought lots of enthusiasm and

wonderful energy. What a great first visit to our outdoor classroom!

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Grade 1

This month has been all about color! We have been learning about primary and

secondary colors through hands on exploration in Science and Art. We continue to

practice our printing skills in preparation for expressing our ideas through “kid” writing

in stories. Our home reading program has begun and we look forward to sharing some

ideas to support your child in his or her reading on November 6th from 6:00 –

7:00pm. Grade 1’s have also been exploring counting and measuring through real life

tasks, such as pumpkin carving and daily Math games.

In October, the Grade 1’s have been preparing to present at our school wide Remembrance Day ceremony. We are excited to share music and poetry with everyone on November 9th at 10:50am.

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Important Thing About Grade Two

The important thing about being in Grade Two in October is all of our learning. We have been learning to use efficient strategies in Math. The math games we play are lots of fun. Math talks are when we share our thinking and strategies with each other. We have been focusing on collecting and analyzing data. Pumpkin Math was filled with counting, estimating, measuring and so much more. During literacy time we have been working on so many skills! Guided reading with our teacher, writing letters to friends, writing book reviews, making connections when partner reading and of course reading and answering questions on books we read on Raz-Kids. When it is writing time we have also learned how to create different kinds of poems- Acrostic, Senses and poems like the ones written in the book The Important Thing.

In Science, we have learned many new scientific words such as hypothesis, observation, materials, procedure

and conclusion. The States of Matter are about solids, liquids and gases. The many experiments using liquids have been fun and interesting. Learning all about our community has been our focus in Social Studies. Ask me about my poem about my neighborhood or about the landmarks in my city. When we go to gym we have been playing many different cooperative gym games. We have been exercising out bodies and our brains inside the school and outside. In Music, we have learned a bunch of new songs and played on many instruments. We have been challenging our brains and building new pathways each and every day! But the important thing about being in Grade Two in October is all of our learning.

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Grade 3

November Newsletter 2019

Hi everybody! This newsletter is being written on the Coach on the way to our Field Trip to the Frank Slide! We are all so excited! The scenery so far has been breathtaking! There is a panoramic view of the glorious mountains right out the front window! This trip is the culminating activity that we are taking part in for our Science unit, Rocks and Minerals. We will be visiting the museum at the Frank Slide where we will learn all about the history of the little town and the events leading up to the slide. A scavenger hunt has been planned for us that is sure to provide lots of fun! There is also a 1.5 km hike on a rustic trail that we will be taking part in. We are sure there will many wonderful sights for us to see along the way!

Our Literacy Centers will close at the end of this month. We will then dive into Guided Reading with a vengeance! Students will be divided into like groups and they will read texts together, and then answer comprehension questions related to their books. This is a terrific way for students to hear one another read, and it also assists them in practicing their fluency while reading. As well, we will begin our year-long study of writing come

November. Please stay tuned for more news as we delve into different genres of writing!

When you come and visit us for Parent Teacher Interviews in November, you will be treated to a visual display of our final math project! After examining data and graphs this past month, and then practicing what we learned, we began a data and graphing journey of our own! At first, students brainstormed different topics that could be made into survey questions. Then we gathered together and collected the information necessary to

inform us when drafting our graphs. We used tally marks during our survey session to record the number of students for each topic. After completing this task, we got to work on the meat of the matter! Students created their bar graphs using colourful pencil crayons on graphing paper. They then documented the steps they took that followed the process. After writing a short reflection on what their graph tells its reader, the final step they took was to create a two or three step word problem related to their graph. The Grade 3 Team created a Glow and Grow rubric that we will utilize for our assessment. We are also going to teach the students how to use it so they can assess their own work!

All in all, October has been a busy and stimulating month! We look forward to more learning and fun times as October passes into November.

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Grade 4 - November Newsletter Math This month in math we worked on two different topics: estimation and statistics. In

estimation, we learned three strategies , clump counting, box and count, and eye training.

For statistics, we learned the process of making a bar graph and a pictograph. For making

the bar graph we surveyed people and put tally marks in a table and put all the information

into a bar graph. We used information about Alberta food waste and the waste of certain

food items to make a pictograph (key: 1 picture = 50,000 items wasted).

The Walking Field Trip This month we went on a small walking

trip to South Glenmore Park. Once we

reached our destination we met up with a

naturalist named Gabrielle. We walked

around the park for an hour and in that time

we used our 5 senses (except taste). We felt

the smooth touch of rocks on our skin

compared to the dry, rough, pokey feeling

of soil. Our walk connected to waste in our

world, and how nature recycles.

Owl Presentation Miss K from the Alberta Institute for

Wildlife Conservation came for a visit one

morning with a presentation about owls. She

showed us different owls and discussed their

calls, habitat, diet, etc. Afterwards, we did an

activity of dissecting owl pellets to discover

the various small animals the owl had eaten.

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Social Studies

This month in

Social, we learned

about the Alberta

regions the Boreal

Forest, Grasslands,

Parklands, Rocky

Mountains ,

Foothills, and the

Canadian Shield. After learning about a specific region,

there would be a special treat that we would make

connecting to each region and our learning such as butter,

s'mores, and honey.

Nature Journaling In November, we are going to take a week-long field trip

to the Calgary Zoo for Zoo School. This month we did a lot of research of the animal

we will be observing and studying at Zoo School. We were given five choices for

animals: gorillas , giant pandas, meerkats, giraffes, and komodo dragons. We’ll tell

you all about Zoo School in next month’s newsletter!

Community Rock Circle Each Friday we end our week by

coming together in a community rock

sharing circle. Students place their

personally painted rocks within the

circle to represent how they are

feeling within our class community.

After all rocks are placed, each

student is given the opportunity to

both share why they chose the

placement of their rock and discuss

how we can work toward becoming a

stronger community.

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The Busiest Ants in Existence!

A Snapshot of Life in Grade Five/Six

It has been a tornado of activities and projects in the grade five/six community!

In social, we have been getting ready for the Federal election by learning about political parties and researching about all of them. In the end we got to make our own slideshow in little groups and present to the whole class! We also have been connecting this to math and doing amazing graphs about them comparing our Student Vote to the official Federal election votes. We found it interesting that the Student votes showed a difference of opinion. Finally, we got to be a journalist for the day and go down to the voting polls and interview people who were voting, asking them different questions about the election.

Another ongoing project we have been working on is the Poetry Anthology. I just can't explain how cool this big project was! We went from starting to learn different figurative languages to making our own little poetry books and making them pop out like a flower in the spring. A lot people have been excited to share them with the classroom to celebrate all our hard work.

Finally, in science we have been learning about the mountain pine beetle (MPB). We learned about trees and forests which was super fun and we got to do experiments learning about photosynthesis, leaves and why they change colour in the fall. Afterwards, my favorite was when we got our own tree cookies and we got to do some hands-on work as scientists by sanding them to look if they have fire

damage or a MPB infestation. I personally loved to look at the blue stain fungus that is like a hitchhiker that travels from the MPB into the tree.

In conclusion, we are a bunch of busy ants being productive working for our Queens!

By Matey M.

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Nellie November Newsletter Math Challenge

Halloween is today. Many children are dressed in costumes and tonight will be visiting neighbors and gathering treats. Please answer the following questions and bring it into the office for a chance to win the Math Challenge:

Kindergarten: Timmy went to 2 neighbour’s houses. He got 3 suckers from his neighbours on the left and 2 chocolate bars from his neighbours on the right. How many treats did he get?

Grade Ones and Twos: There are 8 girls and 9 boys in Mrs. Gifford’s grade 1 class? Each boy chose a chocolate bar and the girls each chose a bag of chips. How many treats does Mrs. Gifford need so each member of the class can have the treat they wanted?

Grade Threes and Fours: There are 5 houses on the street that give away more than one treat for each child that comes to their door. You only have time enough to visit 3 of them. Which three should you visit to get the most number of treats for your loot bag? How many treats in all will you get from the three houses you visit?

Brown House 2 lollipops and a piece of bubble gum White House 3 mini chocolate bars

Blacks House 1 bag of chips and 4 jelly tots

Orange House 1 large chocolate bar and 1 bag of chips Red House 1 package of Smarties and 1 package of pretzels

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Grade 5/6

You can go trick or treating for 30 minutes after your team practice tonight. You only have time to cover one side of the block. On which side of the block (odd or even) will you be able to gather the largest number of treats? What is the net weight, in grams, of treats you can collect?

# 4

# 6

#8

#10

#12

#4 3 chocolate bars 55 g each #9 4 chocolate bars 45 g each

#5 2 mini chocolate bars 15 g each & 1 bag of chips 75 g

#10 2 mini chocolate bars 20 g each

#6 3 chocolate bars 55 g each #11 1 giant chocolate bar 125 g

#7 2 chocolate bars 65 g each #12 1 pkg of assorted candies 150 g

#5

#7

#9

#11

#8 1 pkg of Twizzlers 100 g

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A MESSAGE FROM THE SCHOOL and PARENT COUNCILS PURPOSE: To Support and Enhance Student Learning

What a fun filled October! From the Kindys going to Fish Creek, grade threes to Frank Slide, grade four nature walk and World of Owls presentation, the Nellie running club forming speedy and healthy representation of our school at the division meets, our skilled players in the bridge club getting up and running, family photo night, pumpkin decorating and the most fantastic Halloween Dance of all time - our Nellie teachers, PAC, parents and students absolutely know how to show up to create a meaningful and exciting learning experience!

Thank you to all of you who attended the Halloween dance, which was the best attended yet and brought in the most fundraised dollars! Well done! There were many wonderful parents, and of course teachers who helped to make your child’s classroom celebration a spooky success this week! We have such a wonderful group of families in our school, and we hope that in whatever way you have space, you feel that your ideas and presence are welcome volunteering in the classrooms, the school and at the monthly PAC meetings. Your vision, voice and ideas as parents are part of what helps to create an excellent school. Please continue to speak up constructively, so we can continue to move forward with a growth mindset!

If you have not already joined the growing Nellie Facebook community, please do so! We are working hard to keep it updated with events, important messages, community / school happenings and gratitude, etc! https://www.facebook.com/groups/2057242994549323/

UPCOMING MEETINGS There are many ways to get involved and contribute to our vibrant school. Please contact us to learn more, or attend the next PAC / school meeting on November 28th at 6:00 PM. The meetings are an excellent opportunity to learn more about what is happening at Nellie McClung, and throughout the Calgary Board of Education. It is an opportunity to be a part of the vision and plan for the budgeting of 2020, and vote on key matters including school happenings, fundraising plans and events. Pizza and wonderful childcare is provided to take the stress off coordinating over the dinner hour.

We are incredibly fortunate to have a generous turnout of parents and teachers, and look forward to warmly welcoming you at upcoming meetings or events! Please contact us at councilnellie@gmail.com if you have any questions, feedback or suggestions to enrich our school community.

FUNDRAISING AND VOLUNTEERING Family photo night was a huge success, once again! Thank you to all of you who participated or helped organize this event. In lieu of the Entertainment books, we have been doing a Scholastic books fundraiser, and are very grateful to all of those families that have been able to contribute as the order booklets continue to go home in the children’s backpacks. As mentioned, the family photos were a success, and the Halloween dance couldn’t have gone better on the fundraising front! A lot of work went into planning and executing this event, so THANK YOU!

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Please stay tuned for upcoming events be it fundraising or otherwise, including the Scholastic book fair on the 20-22nd, fun lunches, the Food Drive and the beginning stages of this year’s Christmas Giving Tree for our families.

Please note that all school happenings are listed on the Nellie McClung website, as well as a monthly calendar attached to the newsletter email. The Facebook page also works to keep our families up to date!

FUN LUNCH Our next Fun Lunch will be from McDonalds on November 14th. Orders must be in by the 9th. There is no way to add orders after this deadline.

Reminder: Everyone must register again for this current school year on the healthy hunger website at www.healthyhunger.ca.

Thank you to all our volunteers who help make this monthly event happen both in planning and distributing to children. KEY CONTACT INFORMATION Website: http://nelliemcclungschoolcouncil.ca/ Council email: councilnellie@gmail.com Laurinda Penner – Chair – laspenner@gmail.com All school wide volunteer opportunities can be found on the website: http://nelliemcclungschoolcouncil.ca/sample-page-2/volunteer/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/2057242994549323

“TELL ME, WHAT IS IT YOU PLAN TO DO WITH YOUR ONE WILD AND PRECIOUS LIFE” - MARY OLIVER

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Reminders for Pick-up and Drop off

Our grade 5 and 6 SCHOOL PATROLLERS are at work to keep all adults and

children crossing the road. Please listen to and respect their directions.

The PARKING LOT is closed 15 minutes before/ after school to keep pedestrians on the sidewalk safe. Please keep parking lot clear.

Please use KISS AND DROP in the morning. Pull up as far as you can before stopping (5m before the crosswalk).

Please OBEY ALL RULES OF THE ROAD including stopping at cross walks,

keeping bus zones clear and avoiding U-turns near the school.

Thank you for keeping all our students safe!

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NOVEMBER 2019 MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

1

Non-Instruction Day

NO SCHOOL FOR ALL

STUDENTS

4

Grade 4 Zoo School

Bowman/Delaney

November 4-8

Grade 5/6 Sevrens

Scientist in the

Classroom

5 6

Lifetouch Individual Photo

Retakes

7 8

AM Kindergarten

Remembrance Day Assembly

10:45 – 11:00

11

REMEMBRANCE DAY

NO SCHOOL FOR ALL

STUDENTS

12 13

Grade 1 Leighton Centre

Field Trip 9:00 – 2:30

14

Fun Lunch - McDonalds

15

18

Grade 4 Zoo School

Wiens

November 18-21

19 20

Scholastic Book Fair

November 20 – 22

21

Parent Teacher

Conferences

4:30 – 7:30

22

Non-Instruction Day

NO SCHOOL FOR ALL

STUDENTS

25 26 27

Grades 1-6 ATP Performance

The Lion, The Witch and The

Wardrobe 11:30am

28 29

AM Kindergarten

REMINDER: TIME CHANGE NOVEMBER 3, 2019 – CLOCK BACK 1 HOUR