Ms. Mary's Class
Class 2C at the Elementary School, ASD, Doha.
Week 27, March 17, 2016
Lá fhéile Pádraig shona daoibh go leir! (Happy St. Patrick's Day to you all!)
We wrapped up several projects this week, including the Qatar Then and Now final poster project, the Solar Lantern project and the Reading and Social Studies units. New units began already in Social Studies on Maps & Landforms and Poetry in Reading and Writing begins next week - see parent letters below.
15 of us also began our incredible journey with Minecraft - I had a great time becoming familiar with the lingo and the creative and adventure modes! So much to learn!
Please note it's a full day on the Tuesday of our return from Spring Break!
Kind Regards,
Mary Mulqueen
Sherry Parrish, Education Consultant
We were fortunate to have Sherry Parrish in school this week to help us teachers (and some parents!) to highlight the use of Number Talks as an instructional shift designed to build computational fluency using accurate, efficient, and flexible computation strategies. Number Talks is a classroom practice that utilizes reasoning with mathematical relationships and the role of social interaction in learning by bringing students' understandings, questions, and misconceptions to the forefront. A former Assistant Professor at The University of Alabama at Birmingham and classroom educator, Sherry currently serves as a mathematics education consultant.
Upcoming Events...
March 25-April 4 Spring Break
April Poetry Month
April 5 Full Day of School
April 8 ASD Fun Day
April 11 AMA Bake Sale
April 14 LE Movie Night Fundraiser
Subject Updates
- Math: We have been practicing the Place Value with Vertical Method all week long to ensure we are competent three digit adders and subtractors before facing Grade 3!
- Reading: We have had the best time, exploring several Reader's Theatre titles, getting to know our assigned characters feelings and then entertaining our class by acting them out! We noted the lesson the author wanted to teach us as we went along too!
- Writing: We chose our favourite opinion piece to date and moved on to the Revision and Editing stage of the writing process with it. We then published it and shared it in a Celebration with our class friends.
- Social Studies: What are landforms? How many of these can you talk to your children about in the next few weeks? Island, peninsula, sand dune, oasis, cave, waterfall, canyon, hill, atoll, river, lake, bay, arch, volcano, mountain, plateau, valley, plains, glacier, marsh, rapids, basin, delta, pond, ocean.
Figuring out the author's message...
Minecraft - topic of the week!
There are different modes of gameplay available for all kinds of players, as well as a multiplayer option. Players may choose to play on survival mode, by gathering resources, building shelters and escaping monsters. They may also craft tools, mine ore, breed animals, engage in trade, and more. They can also create their own world in creative mode, or explore a world created by another player in adventure mode. There is also a powerful multiplayer mode, which allows players to cooperate or play against each other. In addition to this, players have developed a huge variety of modes, adding even more options and items to the game.
This review from http://minecraft.en.downloadastro.com/
For more information go to this blogpost from ISTE.org and see how educators are using Minecraft in classrooms...https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=653&category=In-the-classroom&article
Additional Informatoin...
Important Information from the LES Office
Nannies and Drivers are not allowed on campus until 2:45pm daily. If you are sending a driver or nanny to pick up your child throughout the school day for an appointment or other reasons you need to let the Elementary Office know by email. Please email Deb Fenley dfenley@asd.edu.qa and Swati Korpal skorpal@asd.edu.qa the following information: Who will be picking up your child, what time they will pick up and the reason for picking the child up and family ID Number which is located on your ID badge.
Gate 5 Entry Update
After 8:00am parents can enter through Gate 5 on days when there are Principal Coffee Mornings, Counsellors Coffee or Workshops and Let’s Do Math Workshops.
Parents picking up sick students can enter through Gate 5, the ES Nurses will leave the parents name with the Guard House for easy and quick access.
National Foreign Language Week, March 7 – 13, 2016 (All the World language team and classes)
Pass it forward: world language students will teach the community a word they have learned
- Selected students will say hello in different languages each day over the intercom
Hour of Code - learning to code / program
New Entry to Campus Procedures
Starting January 17th, 2016 there will be some changes for students and parents entering the ASD Campus supporting student safety. All students will be required to scan their Dragon Wristband entering and exiting the campus. It is recommended that you remind your child to wear their wristband daily. Replacement Dragon bands may be purchased at the front desk of the Administrative entrance for 50 qr. Wristbands will be distributed to Lower Elementary Students next week by their teachers. Your child's dragon band will be labeled with their name on a key tag. We kindly ask parents to keep this label on the wrist band for easy identification.
Parents and domestic staff will not be permitted through Gate 5 for morning drop off. Students may enter through Gate 5 using their wristbands and teachers will be there to supervise starting at 7:40 am. Parents wishing to accompany their children to classes are asked to enter through Gates 8 & 10.
Pick-up procedures will remain the same, parents will be able to enter and exit the campus through Gate 5 from 2:45 - 4:15 PM. Pick up procedures for PACT Tuesdays and our Pre-K Students will also remain the same, parents will be able to enter through Gate 5 at 12:15 PM. We kindly ask parents and guests to enter through Gate 8 during the school day. We thank you for your continued patience and cooperation as we work to keep our school safe and continue the improvements to the ASD campus.
ASD 2016 Calendars FOR SALE!
The 2016 ASD Calendars will be for sale in the Elementary Office starting Sunday December 6th. These make great gifts for friends and family, get yours today!
Tuesday After School Activity Pick Up
Parents picking up students from After School Activities on Tuesdays should enter through Gate 8. A kind reminder to all parents to bring and display your ASD Dragon Card at all times while on campus.
Playground Reminders
Students are not allowed on the playground equipment at Gate 5 until after 3:15 PM. Children MUST be supervised by an adult at all times. Adults must be present on the playground and be able to see your child(ren). If children are left unsupervised they will be asked to leave the playground immediately for safety reasons.
Nut Allergies
There are students in your child’s class who have nut allergies. A child with nut allergy can develop mild or severe reactions if they come in contact with the said allergen. Please take note of the following measures:
· Please be considerate of your child’s classmates when sending in snacks (avoid sending any nuts or nut products)
· Children should be encouraged to wash their hands before and after lunch, prior to returning to the classroom to avoid any cross-contamination.
· For any special occasions, please be reminded that any food brought in to the class should be nut free.
Password is Dragons.
Great Science videos here
Explain Everything movies
Explain Everything movies made to show the arrow way and place value tile/chip model strategies