The Sky is Falling

When I visited Mrs. Fitchell's class this morning they were reviewing vocabulary words from, The Sky is Falling. If your son/daughter is in her class it would be interesting to review the vocabulary words from today to see how well they understand the words.

By the time I got to Mrs. Hoechstetter's class it was snack time, just before recess. It looks like parents are packing very nutritious snacks.

It is another glorious day out there. The students will really enjoy their outside time today.

Until later.

Mr. H

Math Groups

Most of the Math Groups I visited today were using manipulatives.

Mrs. Kopek was using her overhead projector & coloured tokens to work on skip counting. If your son or daughter is in her class ask about skip counting backwards by 5 and 2. Ms. Kranenburg's class was colouring the patterns, on graph paper, from the patterns they made using coloured blocks. Ms. Thompson's class was doing a similar activity, but their overhead blew a circuit. There are always electric issues in an old building. Those students in Mrs. Hourigan's class were trying to determine Myan number patterns. The students were really excited about this activity. If your child is in this class ask them about today's lesson.

I was really impressed with the engagement of our students in all classes-- It is great to see!

Until later.

Mr. H

Guided Reading

Our primary teachers have started our very successful Guided Reading Program. Ms. Karen Careless is back helping out in Mrs. Hourigan's Room again. When I checked in on Mrs. Kopek's group they were comparing fiction and non-fiction books. They were eager to let me know the difference.

It's another great day on the Sunshine Coast.

Time for recess supervision.

Until Later,

Mr. H

Soccer & Hoops

We had an action packed recess with a great game of soccer. I had a pretty good spill going for after a ball, but I survived and my coffee lid was closed so there was no coffee lost.

I had Miss Owen's class for a PE block and we work on a variety of locomotor movements and then we added hoops. We ended the class with a football type drill with the students high stepping their way through a line of hoops that were on the gym floor. It was good fun and the children worked up a sweat.

Until later.

Mr. H

Wecome Ms. Thompson

Ms. Bronwyn Thompson has joined the GES staff as a Math and Reading Support Teacher. Ms. Thompson will be working with the Primary Team doing some Guided Reading, as well as working with our Intermediate Team supporting the Language Arts Program. She will also be working with an Intermediate Math group.

Welcome to GES Ms. Thompson.

Utilizing Technology

Mrs. Klan's class was in the Computer Lab when I stopped by today. She is very impressed with the knowledge our students have regarding computers.

For your information, we have a mobile lab that compliments our regular lab nicely; our intermediate teachers like to utilize the mobile lab for project work.

It was a busy day with the K screening today. I spent time covering the K classes in the both the morning and afternoon. I really enjoy getting to know the students and covering classes gives me a better insight about the children.

It is an awesome day out there. Take advantage of the weather and spend some outdoor time with your child(ren).

Until tomorrow,

Mr. H

Kindergarten Screening & So Much More

GES has been very busy today with the Kindergarten Screening Team assessing all of our Kindergarten students today. This is really valuable for our teachers, students and parents, as the screening may find some things that may need to be addressed or investigated further. Thank you to Kirsten Deasey and her team.

I had a chance to stop by in Miss Owen's class today and I observed three students working on word recognition by playing a "Bear Word Search" game. They were having a lot of fun while learning.

I also covered Mr. Sullivan's K class so he could meet with the Screening Team. It is great to spend time with this group, as they are so full of energy.

After lunch I stopped in Mrs. Hoechstter's class and I ended up helping some students draw their hands in their individual reading books-- it looks like it will be feet tomorrow.

For your information we now have an additional teacher on staff to assist with our Reading and Math Programs; Ms. Bronwyn Thompson will start tomorrow. Ms. Thompson will have Mr. Sullivan's old room as her home base.

Until later.

Mr. H

Another nice day!!!

We have been blessed with another great day of weather. The students are really enjoying the sunshine.

As the weather changes students should make sure that they wear layers and they should be prepared for the rain.

Hopefully the nice weather will continue into the weekend.

Enjoy the weekend with your family!

Mr. H

1252 pieces of litter

Mrs. Servos-Sept's class presented their findings, regarding litter on the GES Playground, at our assembly today-- 1252 pieces of litter were collected!

It is a clear sign that our students must be more socially responsible regarding their own garbage. Many interesting discussions followed in classrooms around the school.

A big "thank you" to Mrs. Servos-Sept and your class for bringing this important information to us.

Reading Groups and Volleyball

Our primary students began with their guided reading program today. I stopped by Mrs. Hoechstetter's class just as they were beginning their first book. The children were very excited about the reading activity.

I also went to the gym and saw both Divisions 1 & 2 playing volleyball. The students were having a lot of fun while staying active in their games.

We will be having our first assembly of the year after recess. I will be introducing our staff, reviewing school rules, and talking about our recycling program. Mrs. Servos-Sept will also talk about the Littering Research Study that her class has been working on; I hope this will result in our students taking on more socially responsible behaviour regarding their garbage.

Until later,

Mr.H