The Charity Club Sale

Today was a special day in our classroom. Led by an ambitious group of 5M girls (known as The Charity Club), the class enjoyed hosting a sale with proceeds going to our World Vision child. There were all kinds of things sold: home-made bracelets, used books, glossy rocks, toys, and more! We learned a lot about how to organize a sales event and work as a team. It is hard work but worth it when you can raise $490 for World Vision! What an exciting day! Awesome!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

March 17 is St. Patrick's Day. Here is your bonus assignment of the day: learn about the history of St. Patrick's Day. Where does it come from? What do people do on St. Patrick's Day? Why is it celebrated? When you find out, post your information on the class blog! Here's a site to get you started.

I found an awesome site for online photo-editing. Give it a try; it's very easy to use. It's called Picnik. Just take a picture from your computer and explore all the ways you can change your picture and add creative effects! Here is an example, in honor of St. Patrick's Day!

The Empty Castle...

Good morning, 5M! It's a quiet Friday afternoon, and that's a bit unusual! Yesterday I spent time getting your homework ready, as well as meeting many of your parents. I always enjoy that.

You can email me (hmcmillan@cais.edu.hk) or call me through the office if you have any questions about your homework. I look forward to reading your poetry on the blog. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Exciting Developments in 5M!!!

I'm really excited about a new online project that we are starting! It is our classroom blog. This is one example of a blog. It is useful because I can communicate news and events to parents and students. However, I am the only one writing! Even though I love to write and can always use practice, it is the students who we really want to write, write, write!!! So, I have initiated a blog where every student will have their own writing space. I will be posting writing assignments that all students need to complete, as well as "STRETCH" writing assignments, for students who would like to take an extra challenge!

For parents to access our blog, go to Blogmeister. Then type in my email address: hmcmillan@cais.edu.hk.
That will take you to our blog! I'll let you know when we have student writing up. Students will have their own log-in and password.

Write on!!! :)

Welcome to 2008!

We're back in action at CAIS! I hope you had a restful and refreshing Christmas holiday. As for me, I enjoyed two weeks in Thailand with friends. It was a real treat, and my favorite part was spending 5 days in Chiang Mai. I plan on sharing more about my trip to the Elephant Nature Park with the class sometime in the near future. I learned a lot and had such a good time!

As the new year starts, we have also started a couple of new units. In Math, we are studying Measurement. In Science, we have kicked off a unit on Geology. In Social Studies, we are learning about Canada's First Nations people, as well as focusing on our Heritage through Language Arts. In Writing, we have moved on to the topic of Voice. It's time to add some zip and zest into our writing!

Students are currently selecting a book for their Book Talk assignment. Each student will choose a book and then use symbols and a decorated container to give a presentation on their book (without revealing the ending!). Book Talks will be presented during the last week of January (29-31). Most of this assignment should be completed at home, though we will take time in class to practice the delivery of the Book Talk.

That's all for today! This evening my parents will fly in to Hong Kong, so I am looking forward to introducing them to the class on Monday! Blessings to you, and best wishes for the year ahead!

What's Happening?

Thanks for asking! Here's what happening in 5M:

-Christian Ethics: Students are putting together Powerpoint presentations to represent the story of God's creation. He is truly a God of Wonders! Students are enthusiastically finding "awe-some" pictures to give a glimpse of God's amazing creation.

-English Language Arts: We're in the midst of our first writing piece- a personal memoir. After reading through examples of memoirs, students are now working through the writing process to create their own memoir.

-Teacher Read Aloud: Now this is a definite highlight. We're in the heart of a fantastic book by Canadian author Deborah Ellis. The title of the book is "The Breadwinner". The book tells the experiences, adventures and struggles of a young girl living in Afghanistan.

-Science: Our first unit of the year is focused on "Matter and Its Changes" (something like an introduction to basic chemistry). We've had some exciting experiments conducted by a most unique classroom visitor, and today we will gain familiarity with the elements on the periodic table by playing "Element Bingo".

-Social: We are continuing on our journey through Canada. This week we worked on our Canada maps, as well as learning how to sing a Canadian folk song. Next week we'll learn a bit about the Canadian Maple Leaf, as well as focusing on the physical regions of Canada.

-Math: We are wrapping up our first unit on place value with review activities, as we prepare for our test on Tuesday. Next up is a unit on addition and subtraction.

-Health: We have been discussing what it means to be healthy- not only in the physical sense but social, spiritual and mental health. At the moment we are creating collages that represent what it means to be a "healthy temple of God".

There you have it! That's the latest from 5M! Our year is off to a great start.