Could that be you? Yes you!

Are you staying in Shanghai over the Spring Break?

Have you always wanted a small, furry, lovable, easy to look after pet, but you haven’t wanted to long term responsibility?

Then this opportunity could be right up your alley!

All food, toys, housing provided, you just need to keep him away from the bath tub… sob sob!

Please e mail me if this is something you think your family could do over the break, my family are going away and our ayi is a little ‘anti-hamster’.

In other news…

Math News
Well done 5KP on completing your unit 7 math test this week. While the average was a little low for the class; 12 out of 19 students improved their score… Hooray! We are now a few days in to unit 8 which is on fractions and ratios.

Writer’s and Reader’s Workshop News
We are well into our Literary Essay Planning right now and the students have impressed me with their willingness to try something new and also their amazing insights into the books we have been reading as mentor texts and also in our social issues book clubs. As a writer, your child will grow by leaps and bounds during this unit. I will teach children that literary essayists pay attention to texts we read, expecting to grow ideas from this wide-awake attentiveness.

In this unit, children will learn how to do the important work of developing ideas about a text into a thesis statement and then creating an outline for supporting the thesis with evidence. I will also encourage children to think of a story as containing an external as well as an internal storyline. Your child will learn how to do research to support the thesis he or she has developed, and then your child will learn how to angle his or her writing so that the evidence directly supports the ideas he or she is trying to convey.

Music News
Exciting news! This year, a new platform called Eisteddfod, the traditional Welsh name of such meetings of artists, is being launched for students to perform solo instrumental works.

On April 21st, Gr.4-8 students will have the opportunity to perform for an external adjudicator, receive a commentary and certificate, as well as earn points for their houses.  A final concert of selected students featuring 14 soloists will then perform on April 22nd.

Social Studies News
Before the break, we will finish up our Migration Unit. It has been so rich and wonderful and I love the poems the students crafted yesterday to ‘sum-up’ their experience, these will now be made into an imovie to show the world on their blogs. Well done 5KP.

Please check out Ms Hu’s blog (linked on the right) for more details about this event!

On April 5th, 5th grade is going one day without shoes. Check out this website to read more about this event and see if there are ways you can contribute. Many of us take wearing shoes for granted, but sadly, that is not the case in many places around the world.

Have a great weekend everyone, and don’t forget, there is a hamster just waiting to come and play!!!