October 28 - November 1st

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This Week:

Monday, October 28th - Email your teacher if you would like your child to have retakes
Tuesday, October 29th - Learning Commons (Book Exchange)
Wednesday, October 30th - Photo Re-take Day
Thursday, October 31st - Dress up for Halloween!
Friday, November 1st - Non-Instructional Day (No School K-Gr 3)

This Past Week:

This week we continued to explore the concept of family by discussing and representing our respective families in our visual journals. Students discussed who is in their family, shared their thinking with classmates and brainstormed what details they might include in a drawing to produce a realistic family portrait. Paying attention to size, shape and detail, students took their time to create a family portrait. 




As part of our learning about our significant word FAMILY students went on a scavenger hunt for items in our classroom and school beginning with  the letters F and A. Students investigated the world around them in a search for sounds!

In Kindergarten, we focussed on two specific strategies this week for improving our work. First, we discussed the importance of revision and how powerful the opportunity to strengthen our work is, even when we think we are done. Second, we continued to develop our sharing skills by learning how to "turn and share" with a partner or small group of peers. This is a critical skill as we often receive ideas and feedback on our work from our peers in the classroom. Learning to engage productively with one another about our thinking and how we might move our work forward is something we will continue to work on throughout the year.


Learning through play 







Important Dates Coming Up:

-November 8th - Non-Instructional Day (No School K-Gr 3)
-November 11th - Remembrance Day (No School K-Gr 3)
-November 15th - AM Students Attend
-November 21st & 22nd - Student-Centred Conferences (NO School)
-November 29th - PM Students Attend

October 21 - 25

This Week:

Monday, October 21st: Scholastic Book Orders Due & Election Day
Tuesday, October 22nd: Learning Commons Book Exchange
Wednesday, October 23rd:
Thursday, October 24th:
Friday, October 25th: PM Students Attend

This Past Week:


Exploring our significant word: FAMILY




This past week students continued to work with the evidence of seasonal change they have been gathering to investigate why leaves change colour. Inspired by Ada Twist, Scientist, we embarked on a journey to explore our question further through experimentation. 

Using coffee filters and chromatography paper, students examined the pigment found in leaf samples taken from five different tree species. Students made careful observations throughout the chromatography experiment, describing what they saw after two hours and after 24 hours. 

The chromatography paper revealed that the beautiful yellows and oranges we see in fall are always present, even when the leaves are green. We also learned that the green we typically see in tree leaves is chlorophyll, or food, that the tree absorbs before it drops its leaves.


Song: Why do Leaves Change Colour?

As part of our inquiry around why leaves change colour, students looked at the skills, processes and tools needed for scientific work. Students made observations about science labs and experimentation in order to plan and build a scientific play centre in our classrooms.






Thank you to the families who attended our Disciplinary Literacy night on Thursday. 
Our Kindergarten classrooms featured the work we have been doing surrounding "Thinking like a Scientist."


The Process of a Scientist

Making Observations and Drawing our findings


Documenting our Findings

Look Closely... what do you see?

Making Observations... What do you see?

Experimentation - Paper Chromatography 
Research and Hypothesis

EDC Exploration Bins - Evidence of Fall


Documentation and Display


Important Dates Coming Up:

-October 30th - Photo Re-take Day
-October 31st - Dress up for Halloween!
-November 1st - Non-Instructional Day (No School K-Gr 3)
-November 8th - Non-Instructional Day (No School K-Gr 3)
-November 11th - Remembrance Day (No School K-Gr 3)
-November 15th - AM Students Attend
-November 21st & 22nd - Student-Centred Conferences (NO School)
-November 29th - PM Students Attend

Remembrance Day

Royal Oak School will be having a Remembrance Day ceremony on Thursday, November 7th at 10:30 a.m. Families are welcome to attend; please try to arrive a few minutes early to ensure you find a seat.

Holding Remembrance Day ceremonies helps pass on the tradition of remembrance and is an important way to show our gratitude to the Veterans of Canada, those currently serving and their families, for the losses and sacrifices they have suffered. Due to the solemn nature of this ceremony, families are reminded to refrain from clapping after student presentations. Students who participate in Girl Guides (Sparks, Brownies) and Scouts (Beavers, Cubs) are welcome to wear their uniforms to the assembly.

With Remembrance Day quickly approaching, Royal Oak School would like to support our Veterans by collecting non-perishable food items. These items will be collected all week (November 1-7) and will be picked up and delivered to the Calgary Food Bank. There are specific items that are more needed than others and the Calgary Food Bank has outlined these as wish list items that are greatly appreciated.


Ms. Bennett will be putting together a Remembrance Day slideshow and is inviting school families to send her photographs of family members who are veterans or current members of the Canadian Arm Forces. Please send in all photographs by the deadline of Friday, November 1st. With the photographs please include the Canadian Arm Forces veteran or current member’s name, the war or peace keeping mission they participated in, if possible, where the photo was taken, and their relationship to you ( for example great grandfather, aunt, uncle, etc.). Ms. Bennett’s email address is mebennett@cbe.ab.ca

 We would like to include a service member or veteran to speak in our assembly about the importance of Remembrance Day. If you are able to speak, please email Courtney Sticksl at costicksl@cbe.ab.ca

Kind Regards, 
The learning environment committee.

October 14 - 18

This Week:

Monday, October 14th: Thanksgiving Day (NO School K-Gr. 3)
Tuesday, October 15th: Learning Commons Book Exchange
Wednesday, October 16th: 
Friday, October 18th: AM Students Attend & Fun Snack

This Past Week:

This past week we continued to think like scientists. To learn about the scientific process, students listened to the story Ada Twist, Scientist to identify what a good scientist does:


Video: Ada Twist, Scientist 

Students learned that good scientists, observe (look closely), ask questions and document their findings. To practice these scientific skills, students each chose one leaf to examine more closely and document as evidence of fall. 

Students determined the shape of their leaf and what type of edges (margin) their leaf had. After drawing the basic shape , students added the  details by drawing veins. 


Does your leaf have smooth, toothed or lobed edges?



Once the contour pencil drawings were complete, students carefully studied the array of colours and texture within their leaves. Working with fine liner and watercolour pencil crayons, they added the vivid detail that brought their autumn leaves to life. 







Our Families


"In Kindergarten, children will explore who they are in relation to others in their world. They will be given opportunities to become aware of who they are as unique individuals and to express themselves by sharing their personal stories." - Kindergarten Program Statement

Students have continued to explore what makes them unique, and what makes them belong. To begin learning about themselves, students are examining what makes them special as part of a family.  What makes your family unique?

The Family Book - Todd Parr

Learning Letters through Significant Words

In Kindergarten, children begin to make connections among sounds, letters, words, pictures and meaning. For the past week, students have been learning about the letters in the word family.  Students have been learning about the letter sounds, building the letter with block and are now beginning to practice writing each letter on whiteboards.



Important Dates Coming Up:
-October 25th - PM Students Attend
-October 30th - Photo Re-take Day
-October 31st - Dress up for Halloween!
-November 1st - Non-Instructional Day (No School K-Gr 3)
-November 8th - Non-Instructional Day (No School K-Gr 3)
-November 11th - Remembrance Day (No School K-Gr 3)

Royal Oak School Disciplinary Literacy Night


Royal Oak School Disciplinary Literacy Night
Thursday October 17th, 6pm – 7pm

Students and their families are invited to our Disciplinary Literacy Night on October 17th from 6 pm - 7 pm. Come see how literacy lives in the disciplines as your child takes you through hands-on activities in the role of a scientist, author, illustrator, entomologist, environmental geologist, and musician. All family members are welcome!




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