I wonder....
*if in the future that people will have to have their own landfills in their backyards (J)
*if Calgary will solve the problem of being able to decompose the garbage in the landfills (E)
*if we will solve the problem of leachate in the ground water (C)
*if landfills will get smaller over the years (A)
*why there are only 3 landfills in Calgary (B)
*where we will put our waste in the future (A)
*if leachate will get into Calgary's water system (Z)
*if Calgary will become as clean as Singapore (K)
*if one day the black, blue, and green bins will become 1 (B)
*how much garbage Calgary produces in 1 day (A)
*what the first landfill looked like (L)
*when the first landfill was constructed (T)
*if the people of Calgary will ever stop littering (M)
*what happens when there is no more space for waste (M)
*if they will put a dome over the landfills (D)
*if the students will start to be more aware of what they put in their bins (C)
*if there will be the need for landfills in the future (D)

Today was Pink Shirt Day at Maple Ridge School. The students and I read a story titled Only One You and discussed the importance of being unique and standing out from the crowd when appropriate. We also spoke about acceptance and showing kindness to all that surround us, even though we may not necessarily agree with everything that is said or implied.

It would be greatly appreciated that a further discussion at home over dinner about kindness and acceptance be had by all families. I also spoke to the students about how one should be kind to others everyday and that waiting for Pink Shirt Day is necessary.

Please ask your son/daughter about the kindness task we did with the rocks this afternoon that I asked students to bring in. My request for rocks will hopefully be clear to you then after their explanation. Students are encouraged to bring in more rocks to paint on tomorrow!

Students have been working on constructing and interpreting both bar graphs and pictographs. We can spoken a great deal on the criteria required for a bar graph, weather is is vertical or horizontal. Please ask your child the criteria necessary for a graph (ie. title, legend, scale, labels). Today students gave each other feedback on their first attempt of creating a pictograph.

We have also taken our data collected from our Fish Creek field study and constructed a large Venn Diagram, visible to all! From there, we created a bar graph to illustrate the benefits to humans, nature, and both of having a park located in an urban area.

Tomorrow is Pink Shirt Day! Please wear pink (or related hue) to support the day. We will be looking at how to spread kindness among our classroom peers and school community. If possible, could your son/daughter please bring a rock to school tomorrow afternoon.

Please ask your child to tell you about our Artist in Residence and the topic of focus (photography).

All grade 4 students also had a presentation from Green Calgary. Please ask your child about their experience during the presentation. Students completed a writing task this afternoon for me as I wasn't in attendance for the presentation. They were asked to include at least 5 scientific words that were discussed during the presentation.

Our next field study is Tuesday, March 10th - we are heading to the Central Library in the morning and the students will be completing a downtown scavenger hunt in the afternoon. If you can volunteer, please let me know. Please email me at tdgiffen@cbe.ab.ca.

During the week, students in Room 4 have been reflecting on their time at Fish Creek last week. We have been specifically exploring the benefits of a park within an urban area to both nature and man. Students have completed the first part of a Venn Diagram and will be continuing this work in the weeks to come.

We have also completed our charcoal sketches that were initially started at Fish Creek. The sketches indicated how natural systems and man-made systems are interconnected. Students were also asked to come up with one word that described their personal experience AND one scientific word that related to our BIG questions or to waste.

In Math, students have been working on how to properly interpret data within a bar graph and pictograph. Personal surveys have also been our focus during this week and discussing the purpose/reason behind a survey question. Please ask your child what personal survey question they decided to ask their peers. We will be taking this data and completing a horizontal bar graph to represent our findings.

Tomorrow we will be celebrating Valentine's Day since the actual day is on Friday. Please have your son/daughter bring a board game to play for the last 45 minutes of the school day. If you would also like to bring Valentine's Day cards, please do so for tomorrow afternoon.

There is No School Thursday and Friday as it is Teachers Convention. There is No School Monday as well since it is a Family Day holiday. 

If students would like they can wear red, pink, or white for our Valentine's Day celebration.

What I enjoyed the most during our Fish Creek Field Study today:

-the sketching portion
-exploring the park
-climbing the fallen trees
-walking around in nature
-sketching nature and human systems
-looking in nature
-wondering around in Fish Creek
-finding the garbage
-completing the Venn Diagram
-the quick snow
-seeing animals in nature
-picking up the garbage
-interacting with my group
-spotting the deer on the drive in
-seeing the river
-drawing the campfire pit

The students had an amazing visit to RT yesterday afternoon. They visited several grade 5 and 6 classrooms, exploring the various Science Fair topics. They learned a great deal more about how to follow the steps required within an experiment, such as creating an appropriate hypothesis, testing conditions, and a conclusion based on the data. The afternoon was well organized by both the staff and students of RT.

We will be giving students time to exchange Valentine cards on the afternoon of Wednesday, February 12th from 2:30-3:30pm. Students are welcome to bring a board game from home to enjoy with their peers during this time. I will be sending home a list of student names on Monday for those who require them for the cards.

Field study to Fish Creek takes place Tuesday, February 11th in the afternoon. Be sure to dress according to the weather. We are forecasted to receive 2-4 cm of snow!!!!

Good Afternoon,

I thought I would send you a message letting you know about what is coming up in the next couple of weeks for the Grade 4's.

All grade 4 students will be heading out for a community walk on Wednesday, February 5th. Please dress according to the weather as we will most likely be outside for about an hour. Students will be investigating examples of both natural and man-made systems within our community.

All grade 4 students will also be heading over to R.T. Alderman on Thursday afternoon. The grade 5 and 6 students have completed their projects for the school's Science Fair and were gracious enough to invite us over.

Our next field study will take place next Tuesday, February 11th. Please find the field study form in your child's backpack. If you are able to volunteer for this afternoon only field study please let us know as soon as possible.

Thank you and enjoy the rest of your day.
Teresa Giffen