Over the holidays...

Over the break, you need to ensure that you've completed at least ONE blog entry -- typed and ready to hand in on our first day back. Grade 7s, don't forget that you also have to have your art presentations ready to go.

Other than that, great job on the algebra test today and I hope you have a restful and much deserved break over the holidays!

-Mr. Charalambous

Homework Update

Check the homework page!

Helping Heroes

As the holidays approach, we are accepting non-perishable food donations for the needy. Please donate!

Signed Tests and Assignments

Please ensure that you're getting your tests and assignments signed and returned on time. Your magazine article and your class blog has been returned.

In the meantime...

A friendly reminder, 7s, you have your geography test this Friday. A review sheet has been shared with you through Google Drive under "Geography Test Review." There won't be any surprises on your test.

Next week, we'll continue with Data Management, wrapping up with Mean, Media and Mode. Grade 8s: You'll continue working on scatter plot graphs and histograms. There may be an assessment sometime next week (I will definitely let you know when). 

Similarly, we will continue reading editorials in class as we work through questioning and connecting as we read editorials on health and nutrition.

Looking forward to seeing you all when I return!

Welcome back!

Welcome back, 7s and 8s! I'll be updating any information and homework on our class blog once again :)

TBD

This is just a friendly reminder to please bring your photos if you haven't already for your art assignment. We'll be wrapping it up on Monday. If you have pencil crayons, please bring those in as well.

We'll also likely be having a quiz in math sometime mid next week. There won't be any surprises and we'll be looking at factors, factoring, prime numbers and multiples.

Also, if you have an agenda, bring it in as of Monday! 

Magazine Assignment

Dear Journalist:

We have heard about your expressed interest in starting up your own magazine. My partners and I are interested in taking you up on your endeavor. But before we decide to invest in your proposed magazine, we would just like to set out a few parameters:

Over the next couple of weeks, you’re going to create a magazine that is targeted towards grade 7s and 8s at Mackenzie Glen Public School. The articles found in the magazine will range from informational texts to editorials and reports and even fictional ads that advertise products that you think grade 7s and 8s would find appealing.

Of course, this isn’t something that’s going to come together over night. Our investors understand that! As you work through your reading strategies in the first term focusing on determining importance, making connections and questioning, those reading strategies will support your writing as you blog, pen editorials and write articles.

Each group will take responsibility for pitching their proposed magazine to their peers for “funding.” After which they will take responsibility for contributing one article, one blog and one editorial in addition to one fictional advertisement each.  Similarly, each student in their group will create one proposed magazine cover at the end of the unit which my investors and I will choose as the cover for your magazine.

Some of you might be wondering “what is the topic of the magazine?” The magazine, as was mentioned earlier, is designed to appeal to grade 7s and 8s. Therefore the content you decide to write about will likely vary. You could have an article on a current school issue and perhaps an editorial on video games. Or vice versa.

Although you are putting together a magazine as a group, you will be assessed individually according by my investors to the criteria that is develop based on each writing task (or media task in the case of the advertisement). The stronger the products, the more likely my investors and I will take a risk on your magazine.

Looking forward to seeing these potential products!

Sincerely,

- Count von Moneybags

                                            

Leadership Groups

Grade 8s you can access the google forms survey here:

bit.ly/macgleadership2015

(make sure you're logged out of gmail otherwise it will say "you need permission")

Number Sense Cheat Sheet

Factor

A factor is a number that divides exactly into another number. For example, 1, 2, 3 and 6 are the factors of 6. Each number divides into 6 with no remainder.

Prime Number

A prime number has only 2 factors, itself and 1. 2, 3 and 5 are prime numbers. 

Composite Number

A composite number has more than 2 factors. 8 is a composite number because it’s factors are 1, 2, 4 and 8.

Comment Factors

When we find the factors that are the same for 2 numbers we find common factors.

Multiples

The multiples of a number are found by multiplying the number by 1, by 2, by 3, by 4 and so on, or by skip counting. When we find multiples that are the same for 2 numbers we find common multiples..

Welcome 7s and 8s!

I'm absolutely excited to welcome everyone back! In particular, I'm looking forward to another amazing year with the new grade 7s (and some familiar faces with the grade 8s)!

I'm sure you'll notice right away that it's a bit different being in intermediate -- lots of responsibility and accountability on your shoulders now. But at the same time, you've still got the same involved and caring teachers to help you along the way.

At any rate, I'd also like to take the opportunity to welcome you to our classblog! For the grade 8s reading this, you'll notice that the design is a bit different -- but it's pretty much all the same. Grade 7s: with this blog, you'll never forget what you had for homework. At the same time though, you'll never have an excuse as to why it's not complete! ;) Sorry!

Everything you'll need to know for Hist/Geo, Math and Language will be updated under the "Homework" tab. Periodically, the "Home" page will be updated with upcoming events and news that you or your parents might need to know. There will also be a lot of good information on the homepage related to some new learning and strategies so make sure you bookmark this blog! Speaking of which, yes, your parents will and do have access to this blog as well. 

So again, welcome to the 2015/2016 school year!