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2024-02-24 06:27:31.826 +0000 UTC

Winter Pond School

This week we took our learning outside again to further our connection to community and place. Going to the pond every day encourages learning on the land by noticing changes all around us. Building an appreciation of our community leads to understanding and acknowledging the land that we live and play on. 

Each day students had a different focus for the walk to the pond and an activity at or near the pond. Below are some examples of activities that classes participated in:

Tuesday - We read ‘Over and Under the Pond’ to learn about what lives on top and under the snow. What do you notice about the world you are walking on, what is under your feet? 

Wednesday - Students kept track of man- made/ nature sounds and graphed their findings.

Thursday - Students were looking for signs of systems around them- water cycle, life cycles, food webs, etc. Students used magnifying glasses to find snowflakes and notice natural things with symmetry.

Friday - Students noticed landmarks on their walk and created an event map.

We can’t wait for the next Pond School which will be happening later in the spring.

 

Pink Shirt Day - Feb 28

Pink Shirt Day was inspired by two Nova Scotia high school students who organized their fellow students to wear pink in support of a Grade 9 boy who was being bullied for wearing a pink shirt.

On Wednesday, Feb. 28, you can show your support for welcoming, caring, respectful, safe, and inclusive school communities by wearing a pink shirt or anything else that you may have that is pink. It is a day to raise awareness and encourage everyone to stand up to bullying when they see it in schools, communities, workplaces, at home and online.

Promoting inclusion is something that occurs at University School everyday. We remain committed to advancing equity and antiracism within the school system through the work of CBE CARES (Collaboration for Anti-Racism and Equity Supports). This requires open conversation with staff, students, and community. Let’s take care of one another and promote healthy relationships.

More Information and Resources:

 

Intro to Circuitry and Coding

Grade 6's participated with Robogals a volunteer group from the University of Calgary, in a 90-minute session introducing students to the basics of Arduino. This was an introduction to circuitry and coding with the Arduino computer. This covered the basics of electronics, electric safety, what Electrical and Software Engineering is, and allowed students to wire and code their own low-voltage circuit. Coding was completed with a block coding program similar to Scratch. Below is what the students wrote for their weekly update:

Learning Targets:

  • I am learning how to create different codes with coded puzzle signals.
  • I am learning how to connect wires onto different parts of the board.
  • I am learning how to connect different wires to create a light in a transmitting bulb.

On Tuesday, we’ve started coding with a program called Arduino. This program teaches us many different kinds of separate parts that connect onto a board, with negative and positive signals. One of the activities we were directed to do was to put different wires onto a breadboard, with is a board that includes positive and negative sequences, which are used for experiments. We were directed to put them in different rows and columns to create a jumble of wires that transmit electricity. Then, we were told to connect the machinery to a computer, to create pieces of codes for the machine. Then, our first experiment was created with circuits, which is what we did in the picture.

This basically teaches us how to program, and that helps because programming and coding can help you to create video games and stuff like that. It also was so fun because we got to experience how it feels to code and program, plus each member of the group had to do something so you never got bored. 

Quincy - "I think it was fun learning a new skill I’ve never learned before.”

 

Spring Concert

We are getting ready for our annual Spring Concert! It is the time when families get to see the work that our students are doing in music class, from Kindergarten to Grade 6. Students have been working hard, learning songs and playing instruments to share with you all!

Date: Thursday, March 14th, in the school gym

Time: We will be doing two concerts on this day: 

  • Matinee/dress rehearsal at 1:00 pm AND 
  • Evening performance at 6:30 pm

For the evening, we ask students to arrive at the school at 6:00 pm. Doors for the gym open at 6:00 pm to families and the concert will begin at 6:30 pm. To honour the work that all students have done, please plan to stay for the entire concert, which will end by 7:30 pm.

Please plan to attend one of the concerts only - we encourage any families that can attend the afternoon concert to try to, as the evening concert fills the chairs, leaving standing room in the gym and the upstairs galleries to be used as well.

With musical performances, all children are part of the team. Please plan for your child/children to be at both concerts. 

I am so thrilled that we get to share our work with everyone, live and in person! See you on March 14!

Mrs. Copithorne

 

Kindness Wall

Mrs. Gunn and the Kindergarten students came up with the idea to do a Kindness Graffiti Wall on the long whiteboard wall. With the help of Ms. Do, students began adding drawings, words, and thoughts on the board. 

The hope is that other classes will add their own art, words, quotes, and messages to help share in Kindness at University School as we acknowledge Pink Shirt Day.

 

Exploring Climate Change

Students in Room 18 began studying Climate Change by listening to the novel Two Degrees by Alan Gatz, listening to young activists, and doing scientific experiments aimed at helping them understand what Climate Change actually is, how the Earth is being affected, and positive ways to take action. 

Their first scientific hypothesis was aimed at simulatng the within a makeshift dome constructed from hula hoops and a parachute, symbolizing the Earth and its atmosphere. The objective was to observe whether the absence of oxygen-producing systems like trees would lead to an increase in temperature and CO2 levels within the enclosed space, mimicking the effects of global warming. Equipped with a sophisticated CO2 monitor generously provided by a parent, capable of real-time data visualization, the students started their experiment.

With the awareness that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have surged by over 100ppm in the past five decades, the students initiated their experiment. After assembling the dome with the assistance of generously contributed zip ties for stability, initial measurements revealed a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius and a CO2 level of 449 ppm, within the acceptable range ("green zone").

When students entered the dome, the CO2 levels went to over 2000 ppm ("red zone"), while the temperature increased to 20 degrees Celsius in under 20 minutes. This increase illustrated the rapid and alarming consequences of human activities such as pollution and deforestation on the delicate balance of the environment.

As the students continue to examine this extremely complex topic the will be looking for ways to make positive and lasting impacts for the environment.

 

 

Alberta Education Assurance Survey - Grade 4 Families

This is the last week for Grade 4 families to complete the Alberta Education Assurance Survey as it closes on Friday, March 1, 2024. Only 30% of Grade 4 families have completed teh survey so far. Alberta Education uses the Assurance Survey as a way for school authorities to measure their success and assess their progress towards meeting their learning goals.

If you are hte parent of a Grade 4 student and you did not receive a Random Access Code (RAC) in the mail then please contact the System Assurance Branch using the email address or phone number listed below. Once you receive the RAC you can complete the survey here (https://public.education.alberta.ca/APOS/)

Parents requiring a replacement RAC are to contact System Assurance Branch directly at EDC.SystemAssurance@gov.ab.ca or (780) 643-9193 (dial 310-0000 for toll-free access). Parents are to provide the name of the school, school authority (or principal name) and grade of the student. No personal information about the student (name, age, or ASN) is required.

 

This Week

Monday, February 26

  • Photography Residency continues

Tuesday, February 27

  • Photography Residency

Wednesday, February 28

  • Pink Shirt Day - Students and Staff are encouraged to wear pink!  
  • Whole School Morning Assembly
  • Whole School Evergreen Theatre Presentation (PM) - Snow White and the Seven Regions
  • Cardboard Club at lunch

Thursday, February 29

  •  Photography Residency

 

Month Ahead 

Mar 4 - 7 - Photography Residency

Mar 6 - School Council and Parent Associatoin Meeting (6:45 pm)

Mar 14 - Fun Snack - Kernels Popcorn

Mar 14 - Spring Concert - More Info to Come 

Mar 21 - No School for Kindergarten

Mar 21 - Student Learning Conferences

Mar 22 - No School - Student Learning Conferences

Mar 23 - Apr 1 - No School - Spring Break

 

Dates of Significance

March - Alberta Francophonie Month

March - Irish Heritage Month

Mar 8 - International Women’s Day

Mar 10 - Ramadan Begins

Mar 11 to 15 - Substitute Teachers’ Appreciation Week

Mar 14 - Pi Day (3.14)

Mar 19 - Spring Equinox

Mar 19 - Persian New Year (Nowruz)

Mar 20 - French Language Day

Mar 20 - World Story Telling Day

Mar 21 - International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination