Week of Dec. 1 - 5 Blog 12 (Grade 5/6)

Please take note of the following:

SCHOOL PROJECT

1. We are designing a winter cabin, and WE NEED YOUR HELP! Please send in recyclable items like empty paper towel rolls, and other like items for our construction. An exemplar of what it could look like is posted in the stream tab of google classroom. Students have already started designing.

CLASSWORK

2. It is day 1 tomorrow on our 5 day cycle. Gr. 6s have instrumental, while the grade 5s have music. Grade 5 music logs should be done. Students will also be evaluated on their first performance during the Oct. 28 school assembly. In Language, we are comparing the character strengths and weakness of animal leaders in the text, Animal Choose a Leader and the Sharing Circle. Next, the reading task - Self, book and World connections is due on Friday, Dec. 5. This task is in their folders. Students have been working on it steadily at school. On Monday, Dec. 1, students will be asked to finish and submit the tally of reading strategies that they've use to support their reading comprehension. Please remember, library is on Wed. Dec. 4. Students need to return all library books to the school library please. In Writing, we will receive our final task for the year before the holiday break this week. Students will continue to work on penmanship as their bell work before the beginning of the day too. In Math, students are finishing up patterning tasks (group patterns, and relating patterns in numbers with whole numbers and decimal numbers.) We will start Data Management this week and continue to work on data management expectations up to Dec. 19 (the last day of school before the holiday.) In Socials, the grade 6s have just had their folders marked. They are looking at non governmental organizations and Canada's involvement with those initiatives. Most grade 5s have received their quizzes back for levels of government. Both classes should finish their map and group work around Take me outside Day in TDSB. 

3. Please review marks in google classroom as they are posted on a regular basis.

CLASS WORKSHOPS AND PROJECTS

4. We just finished the last module of Be the Change. Students will be collaborating on how they will be change agents in our school this year.

5. Our culminating task for Stress Posters is posted outside of the library. We made posters about how to deal with stress.

REMINDERS

6. Some students need pencils for classwork.

7. Work missed due to absences should be completed.

NOTICES

8. Please remind your child to wear a coat outdoors (at recess) during the winter months. 

9. Daily Food bank items are being received. Non-perishable items are appreciated.

Thanks,

Purboo

Week of Nov. 24 - 28 Blog 11 (Grade 5/6)

 Please take note of the following:

SCHOOL EVENTS

1. A workshop for stress and Relation Spaces has become available for families. Students are weeks into the program and now it's time for parents and our school to learn about these initiatives. The proposed parent workshop would be on the evening of Wed. Dec. 3 in the early evening. Please email me if you are able to join the online workshop. A link would be sent at that time.

SCHOOLWORK AND TEST DATES

2. We are wrapping up our learning in Patterning this week. There will be a unit patterning test on Friday, Nov. 28. The list 3 Spelling test will be on Thursday, Nov. 27. The grade 5s will be writing a government quiz on the 3 levels of government on Wed. Nov. 26. Students are currently completing a spelling activity to practice the spelling words and the grade 5s are receiving a review page about our learning around the levels of government and their varied responsibilities.

3. In other classes, students are creating holiday cards for seniors in long-term care homes. The cards will be made in Art class. Some students are finished their artwork showing their understanding of lines in our Remembrance Day artwork. In literacy, we read the story, The Sharing Circle and are now going to look at character traits (weakness and strengths) in each of the animals. Students should also be tallying the reading strategies that are most helpful to them to understand texts when reading books. This assignment is due at the end of the month. We have been reading everyday at school. Students are also completing a mini assignment, Making Connections at school too. In math, students are having lots of fun creating patterns that can be found in nature and or in everyday life with classmates in a group activity.

Thanks,

Purboo

Relations Spaces Program

Below, I have included a short overview of how the Relation Spaces program supports equity, inclusion, and solution-focused skills:

 

How RelationSpaces Promotes Equity & Inclusion

 

• Fosters unconditional belonging, self-worth, empathy, and allyship.
• Creates open, non-judgmental dialogue that challenges racism, discrimination, privilege, and oppression.
• Affirms diverse identities, histories, and lived experiences.

 

Solution-Focused Tools & Strategies

 

• Focus on best hopes and preferred futures.
• Highlight individual strengths and resources.
• Measure growth and progress.
• Spark critical thinking and new perspectives.
• Listening with intent, validating, affirming.

 

Core Principles of RS

 

1. Reflection – Encourage curiosity and collaborative problem-solving.
2. Strengths/Assets – Focus on assets rather than deficits.
3. Success – Value growth and small steps forward.
4. Action – Invite meaningful goals instead of imposing expectations.
5. Noticing – Affirm strengths and diverse voices.
6. Hope – Build resilience and optimism through solutions.

 

In short, Relation Spaces builds inclusive, strengths-based, solution-focused relationships by shifting from judgment and deficit-thinking toward curiosity, affirmation, and hopeful collaboration.

Parents have an opportunity next Wednesday Dec. 3  2025 to learn alongside their child in a similar workshop offered to parents. The mode will be online. The time TBA but will likely in the evening. PLEASE email me back at the school to let you know if you can attend.

Thanks,

Purboo

Grade 5/6 Teacher

Week of Nov. 17 - 21 Blog 10 (Grade 5/6)

Please take note of the following:

RESOURCES

1. There is math support available for TDSB families. The link can be found on the Friday flash sent by the office this week.

EVENTS

2. Note: School Spirit Wear is available for purchase now and for a limited time. See the link on the Friday Flash.

3. The Annual Cookie Dough Fundraiser has cookies for purchase this season- see the Friday Flash.

INTERVIEWS

4. Thanks for all who were available to attend parent-teacher interviews. The communication was helpful as we look to finishing Term 1 well.

CLASSWORK

5. In Math, the class is currently working on graphing number patterns. Students were also placed into groups to create a (repeating) pattern that can be seen in everyday life. We will be working on this group activity this week. NOTE: Completed classwork is currently being sent home. In Language, we launched a bulletin board entitled, Student Pick. In this space, students will share a book that they've read with their classmates. Each week, a new book will be featured to promote more reading. In Reading blocks, students continue to tally reading strategies used while reading each day. We are also comparing the themes in 2 Indigenous books at school, The Sharing Circle and The Animal People choose a Leader. In Spelling, students have written down Spelling List 3 in their agendas. I will be checking off spelling test 2 corrections on Monday. Next week will be a catch up week for Penmanship. In Social Studies, students went outside to collect data for Take me outside Day. They've received bristol boards and are now working with their peers to answer their respective question. Their mapwork is a part of this task.

Thanks,

Purboo

Week of Nov. 10 - 14 Blog 9 (Grade 5/6)

Please take note of the following:

INTERVIEWS

1. Please note that all interviews are in-person. If you would rather a phone call, please let me know. I can give you a call at your specified time. Keep in mind, the slots are 10 minutes in length. I will do my best to adhere to this timeframe. NOTE - there is no school for students on Friday, Nov. 14 as parent-teacher interviews will be occurring on that day.

CLASSWORK

2. Some students opted to write spelling test 2 on Monday, Nov. 10; otherwise student scores have been uploaded into google classroom. The fraction re-test has also been uploaded on this platform as well. In Language / Socials 6, the gr. 6s are reading Bartali's Bicycle which highlights a Tour de France rider and his efforts to help Jewish People. In Socials 6, students need to complete all pages on the United Nations in their orange folders. These pages involve research on their computers to find answers please. In literacy, the 5/6 class will be getting spelling list 3 this week. It has been uploaded into google classroom. In Writing, last week was the first week for students to tally the reading strategy that was most helpful while reading at school. It is very important for students to read everyday. Next week will be a catch-up week for penmanship practice. Hooray! we have completed the first 7 weeks of this program. In writing, students have received their spelling stories back and have recorded descriptive feedback on their writing tracking sheet. In Grade 5 socials, students reviewed the jobs of the provincial government last week. Both groups of students should have completed their maps for Take me outside. We hope to complete this learning next week, weather permitting. In math, we are working on finding patterning rules to extend number patterns in both grades. Students are currently correcting their work. Online math practice has been assigned in both grades on knowledgehook too. To support student success, we completed practice work to reinforce their understanding of finding pattern rules in number patterns last week.

ABSENCES

2. Thank you for reporting absences to the office and to myself. Students are responsible for material missed as a result of absences.

PHOTO DAY

3. Monday, Nov. 10 is the class photo day. Our scheduled time is at 10:40 am.

REPORTS

4. Progress Reports will be sent home on Mon. Nov. 10.

PLEASE SEE FRIDAY FLASH sent by the school office for info. about our Cookie Dough Fundraiser and School Spirit Wear.

Thanks,

Purboo

Week of Nov. 3 - 7 Blog 8 (Grade 5/6)

Please take note of the following:

PROGRESS REPORT INTERVIEWS

1. Please look at the Friday Flash sent to parents last week. It contains the link and sign up for parent-teacher interviews this month.

WORKSHOPS

2. The class is on the 3rd week of Stress Busters. Please see the attachment below that outlines the program. It occurs once a week.

CLASSWORK

3. Some students will be reviewing fractions this week to review their learning and then rewrite their fractions test. Later today, I will be contacting families whose child will be rewriting this test on Friday via email. Otherwise, marks are steadily being uploaded onto google classroom. This week, we are continuing work around patterning. We reviewed the unit in its totality and are steadily working through patterning expectations in class. Students are working through coding assignments online on code.org too. In Socials, the grade 6s will be pausing and looking at the book, Bartlali's Bicycle which shares about a hero to Jewish people during the war. The grade 5s will be wrapping up their learning around Indigenous governing systems this week. In Language, the class is finishing spelling story 2 corrections. We are also recording next steps about our writing too in language folders. The Grade 5/6s are reading on epic, and or reading books from the library. We are looking at reading strategies to support comprehension. I will finish reading conferences this week. We finished our work around appropriate online behaviour.

SCHOOL EVENTS

4. Picture Day is on Nov. 10.

CLASS SUPPLIES

5. We are running very low on pencils. Students are asked to bring pencils to school for classwork.

Thanks,

Purboo