Here's wishing all of my campers and Parents as very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I will be attaching some pictures and videos from our Christmas performance and camp luncheon, however, my wifi signal isn't very strong out here in Belle River, so if I am unable to upload today, I'll try again when I am at school our first week back!


Thank you to all of the very thoughtful gifts this Christmas!  I was a very spoiled teacher this year!

Sincerely,

Counsellor Wilson

Hello Parents and Campers!

Sorry, I´ve been lacking in the blogging department....this week has been extremely busy!  Tomorrow, is our Christmas performance!  Please help your child to dress in festive Christmas colours for this special occasion!  If anyone wants to wear a pair of headband antlers, or any other props, please feel free!

There are 2 more days to go! 



I have asked certain students to RETURN their black independent reading pouch for tomorrow so I can track and record their reading progress in our reading challenge!  Some students will need to read over the Christmas break in order to catch up on their minutes.  By now, students should have read for approximately 1500 minutes in order to meet our 3000 minutes challenge.  Please make sure these pouches are returned tomorrow.

Also, reminder that Friday, I am treating students to a camp luncheon consisting of pasta, rolls, salad and juice boxes.  Send regular snacks for morning and afternoon. 

Cousellor Wilson

SECRET QUESITON:  What does the pink candle in the third week of Advent represent?

Hello Parents and Campers!

So, we are in our final week of school for the 2019 school year!  This week, things will be a little lighter...

1.  No THRoW this week. (Stop cheering)
2.  No WOW test. (Really, stop cheering)
3.  Social Studies test on Tuesday.  (Ok, I'll stop cheering, too) I'll send home the duo tang for review.

             In our unit test on the First Nations and Early Settlers, students will be asked to answer the following question:  How did the relationship between the First Nations and Early Settlers CHANGE over time?  We discussed this at length in class and learned about these changes through a series of journals that you will see in your child's duo tang.
            In short, the relationship between the First Nations and Early Settlers started off great.  The First Nations helped the Early Settlers adapt to their new land by showing them many survival skills.  The relationship was cooperative as the Early Settlers depended heavily on the First Nations' help.
         Over time, more and more settlers can to settle on the First Nation land which impacted their way of life.  They no longer had open fields to enjoy, the Early Settlers did not always respect their culture and beliefs.  Their relationship became strained and they no longer trusted one another.
      There are many examples that your child can pull from in the journals.  Please go over this with them in preparation of our test on Tuesday.

Remember, in lieu of THRoW, your child is expected to practice 2 or 3 songs on the recorder and review for Social Studies.

Until later this week!

Counsellor Wilson

SECRET QUESTION:  What special meal will we all share together on Friday as a final meal in 2019 in Camp Wilson?

IMPORTANT DATES:

Thursday, December 19th @ 1:30pm in our School Gym.  Camp Wilson will be performing three Christmas classics on the recorder; Jingle Bells, Ode to Joy and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.  You will NOT want to miss this, plus it makes up for the   

Friday, December 20th @ 12:00 pm.  Pasta Lunch as  gift from MOI to my amazing campers for a terrific first half of the year.  We will be sitting down together to enjoy a meal as a camp.  I will provide pasta, salad, chips, juice boxes and great conversation!  Please send in the usual morning and afternoon snacks.

As for our usual business, I am planning to assess Math tomorrow and Social Studies next Tuesday, December 17th.  

The end of this 2019 school year is fast approaching...

That's all for now,

Counsellor Wilson

SECRET QUESTION: What is Mrs. Wilson's favourite sport to watch/play/coach?

Dear Parents,

        Tonight, your child is coming home with a new task for THRoW.  We have been learning about letter writing and the features of a letter.  I have asked them to write me a letter consisting of two paragraphs.  The first is to be anything they would like to tell me about themselves.  The second paragraph should be about 3 questions they would like to know about me!  I will be replying to their letters, so let the questions begin! 

Counsellor Wilson

SECRET QUESTION:  Which crayon from the text The Day the Crayons Quit was stubby from being overused?

AM 800 Cans for a Cause Pictures

Well, AM 800 Cans for a Cause was a HUGE success!  Students in grade three wowed us in the morning of our walk and managed to bring our total can count to 715!!  That's incredible!  Congratulations to everyone who made this possible - especially YOU parents! 

Enjoy the pics below...

Counsellor Wilson

SECRET QUESTION:  What special treat did WE ALL enjoy after returning from that challenging walk in the cold?

Dear Parents and Campers,

Thanks to the amazing support of all of my amazing campers and parents, we have collected a total of ...


drum roll...

263 CANS!!!

It's incredible...we

HAVE REACHED OUR GOAL!!!  

Campers in Camp Wilson have raised a total of 263 cans for the needy!  That means that in total, the grade 3s here are St. Christopher School have collected almost 600 CANS  to donate to St. Vincent de Paul Society through AM 800 Cans for a Cause tomorrow!

I couldn't be more proud!  Great job everyone - especially the parents who were SO very generous!

So, our plan is to leave first thing in the morning, however, rain is predicted for most of the morning.  If that is the case, we will try to wait out the rain.  We can leave as late as 1 pm if needed.  Any parents planning to accompany us on our walk, please check in with the school first.  Our departure might be delayed.

ENSURE YOUR CHILD WEARS:

• WINTER COAT
• TUQUE / WARM HAT
• SCARF
• GLOVES
• BOOTS
• SNOWPANTS (Optional)
• Umbrella

and bring your back pack, as we will be using it to carry the cans.

Thank you very much and I appreciate your flexibility with our 'wait and see' approach to our departure depending on the rain.

Our language quiz has been postponed until next Friday.   There is simply too much going on! 

Thanks again for all of your support!

Counsellor Wilson

SECRET QUESTION:  Which class raised the most cans:  3W or 3D?

Ok, parents and campers, our total CANS or NON-PERISHABLE count to date is...

drum roll please....

But, we can't stop now...we are still short of our goal of 210 cans! So, if you haven't yet brought in your cans, please do so tomorrow or Thursday!  We only have 2 more days to bring in cans and we still need 51 cans!

Students should be working very hard to earn extra cans by doing odd jobs around the house!  Parents, be sure to take advantage of this offer while it lasts!  

Also, PARENTS ARE WELCOME TO WALK WITH US on Friday.  If you would like to brave the weather, come along to help supervise and participate in this wonderful gift of giving!  It's because of YOU, parents, that this giving is even possible!  I thank you!

Counsellor Wilson

SECRET QUESTION:  I have 4 vertices, 2 pairs of parallel sides and 4 equal sides.  What 2D shape am I?

Terrific week this week campers!

This weekend, campers will be practising away on their 2 very important Christmas Songs; Jingle Bells and Ode to Joy.  Please encourage them to spend 10 minutes or so each night practising. 

Monday - Music Assessment on Jingle Bells.  Students will be asked to play Jingle Bells on Monday to determine their seating position in our concert.  As in a professional orchestra, the most accurate players will be seated closest to the conductor.  I would LOVE it if I had a full first two rows!!  Good luck practising!

And remember....keep those cans coming in!  We are currently at a total of 91 cans!  Great job, but we haven't met our goal yet!  Our goal is 210 cans!  We CAN do it!

Have a terrific weekend!

Counsellor Wilson

SECRET QUESTION:  On what note does the song Jingle Bells begin?

Hello Parents and Campers!

Coming home today is your child's Math duo tang to review for TOMORROW'S test on Measurement. Please go over and see where your child may need additional review. 

Our CANS are coming in!  Thank you to those parents who have already kicked off our can drive by sending in cans!

WE CAN DO IT!

Counsellor Wilson

SECRET QUESTION:  What is the longest length below?
A.  1 m 32 cm
B.  233 cm
C.  2 m
D. 1 m 288 cm

Launch of our Advent Season with Cans For a Cause

Dear Parents and Campers,

      Today at school, we read a book titled "Maddi's Fridge" by Louis Brandt.  It was about two best friends,  Sofia and Maddi, who live in the same neighborhood, go to the same school, and play in the same park, but while Sofia’s fridge at home is full of nutritious food, the fridge at Maddi’s house is empty. Sofia learns that Maddi’s family doesn’t have enough money to fill their fridge and promises Maddi she’ll keep this discovery a secret. But because Sofia wants to help her friend, she’s faced with a difficult decision: to keep her promise or tell her parents about Maddi’s empty fridge.

This endearing story brings about awareness of how some people in our very own communities, even our very own class, may be struggling with hunger.  

                      As a launch to our Advent season fast approaching, Camp Wilson has decided to put our words into action by participating in ... drum roll please....

THE 16TH ANNUAL 

CANS FOR A CAUSE

 

 Our goal is to bring in a total of 200 canned goods/non-perishables as a Camp!  That would be 10 cans per  campers!  I think we CAN do it, do you?!  So, beginning Monday, campers are asked to take on some jobs around the house to possibly earn some cans.  We have discussed that any giving is giving, so please support this great cause!  The BEST part is, WE, CAMP WILSON, will be packing our backpacks and WALKING these cans down to Devonshire Mall OURSELVES to make the donation!  Yes, we will need to bundle up, fill our back packs and walk our cans down to the mall on the morning of Friday,  December 6th.  This is the day AM800 will be accepting donations at Devonshire Mall from 5am to 10pm.  

So, let's all pull together and say together...

WE CAN DO IT!

Let the can collecting begin!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Counsellor Wilson

SECRET QUESTION:  How many years has AM800 been hosting Cans for a Cause? (Hint: the answer is on this page)

Language Quiz tomorrow:

Focus on...

• Writing your personal information correctly (Full name, address, postal code, city, province, phone number, birthdate)
• Use of their/they're/there
• Use of a/an
• Use of two/to/too
• Features of a paragraph:  1 Topic Sentence, 3-4 Detail Sentences, 1 Closing Sentence
• How to write a topic sentence

Happy Reviewing!

Counsellor Wilson

SECRET QUESTION:  What was the name of the First Nation guide that led Mary Ellen's family to upper Canada?

Dear Parents and Campers,

THRoW:  This week's THRoW is on paragraph writing.  I have put a modelled example in your child's THRoW duo tang for you to go over (again, we did today) before writing your own paragraph.  Students are to use the same topic sentence as I did..

"I enjoy spending time with my family."

Then they are brainstorm 5-6 things that they could potentially include in their paragraph in a web.  Students know how to make a web.  This is to be done FIRST.  Then, they are to select and number their top 3 or 4 choices and number them from the most important to the least.  These will be their detail sentences.  Finally, they restate the topic sentence in a creative way to end the paragraph; this is called their Closing Sentence.

Remember - Web for brainstorm, then paragraph.  Then I'd like students to 'STOPLIGHT' it, which means, underline the topic sentence in green, the detail sentences in yellow and the closing sentence in red.  See my modelled example.

I look forward to reading these paragraphs on Friday!

Counsellor Wilson

SECRET QUESTION:  What is the job of the topic sentence?

Social Studies Quiz Results:

       Parents, I would like to take this time to go over what I expect students to do when they take home their duo tangs in Social Studies or Science to review.  We recently had a quiz we had on how the First Nations helped the Early Settlers.  We've discussed this for several days and even created chart paper webs on this  topic as a class. However, the results of the quiz were not great. Students are expected to use the specific vocabulary in each unit.  When I asked students about how they reviewed the vocabulary or material at home, many of them admitted that they did not.

      I do my best to prepare students as much as possible during the course of the day on subject specific vocabulary and course content, however, that being said, when I send home the duo tang for review with a focus on TWO pages for the quiz, I would hope students would spend time going over the vocabulary.

I spoke to the class about what it means to 'review'.  I modelled ...

Step One:  Read the sentence:
"The First Nations taught the Early Settlers how to hollow out logs to use for buckets to carry water."
Step Two: Cover the sentence that you  just read and try to say it out loud.
Step Three:  If  you were able to use the specific vocabulary when you restated the sentence, move on.  If you didn't use the relevant vocabulary, repeat steps 1 and 2 until you can.
Step Four:  Go on to a new sentence.
Step Five: Go back and try to recall the first two points.  Repeat.

I explained to students that they NEED to review at home as well in preparation of a quiz.  There is a great deal of vocabulary in Social Studies and the only way to learn it, is to review it.

Personal Information: (Full Name/Address/City/Province/Phone Number/Birthdate)
             On the same  note, I noticed that the same students continue to struggle to write their personal information correctly each week on our Language Quiz. They are not reviewing at home, and so many of them are making the same errors.  Please ask your child if they are one of the 8 students who continue to be unable to write their personal information correctly.  If they are, please review.  See back side of last week's language quiz for areas in need of improvement.

Monday, I will be sending home the language quizzes and Social Studies quizzes to be signed and returned.  I will be having a couple more quizzes this unit, so be on the look out!

Counsellor Wilson

SECRET QUESTION:  What is the name used for dried buffalo meat that the First Nations took with them on long journeys because it was light and very nourishing?