Two more school days...

 Hello,

As you know the weather did not cooperate for our sports day today.  We have moved it to Monday which looks like much better weather.  Please have your child wear a green shirt if they have one for this.  If they do not have one I will have green pinnies for them to wear. 

Students will be helping me plan the last day on Tuesday.  They have been asking about bringing in treats.  If you want to send something in terms of food it must be all individually wrapped.  For example, could be a small bag of chips but you cannot make cookies and send a large container to share.  This is completely voluntary.  Please make sure that there is enough for everyone if you do send in things. Thank you.

It is hard to believe we only have two more school days left.

Have a great weekend,

Mrs. Coulling 

Sport's Day Color

 Friday is Sports Day at Le Roi Daniels.  Our class is asked to wear a green shirt.  If you do not have a green shirt please do not go and purchase on we will have a green pinnies available if needed.   Fingers crossed for no rain that day :)

June 19th

 Happy Father's Day to all the dads of room 17.

We are almost at the end of the year!  Only 7 more school days left to go.

Your child's last homework was due on last Friday.  I kept the boats over the weekend as we will be taking them outside tomorrow and testing them in a kiddie pool.  Friday was just too rushed with early dismissal to have all 6 classes test their boats. I will be sending them home tomorrow.

I will start sending home notebooks and work that we are not going to need anymore by the end of the week so that they do not have to take everything home the very last day.  

Friday is Sports Day.  Please make sure that your child is dressed for the weather.  Ideally the weather will be good and we will have it outside. We will have an alternate indoor plan if needed.

In Science this past week we used foil containers to test out how cargo ships worked.  We were all surprised how many glass marbles the containers would hold if they were spread out.

In writing students have been trying some different types of poetry.  Last week they finished Diamante poems and looked at concrete poems where the poem takes the shape of the topic.  They did some group brainstorming which they enjoyed using the big chart paper.

Last week in Math we did a variety of centres to reinforce concepts learned this year.

In Social Studies, we finished research and a brochure about a Calgary Attraction.  Their brochure was sent home Friday.

Monday is formal uniform and the grade 3 farewell assembly.  The rest of the year is casual :)

Mrs. Coulling 

June 12th

 Hello,

Just a reminder your child is working on the last homework of grade 2 :).  We will be having the spelling test on Friday.  Please make sure that your child has their boat at school as well.  We will be testing them out in a kid's swimming pool to see how well they work.

We only have 2 more full weeks and 2 days left.  It is hard to believe.  The last day with students in Tuesday, June 28th (regular day).  We only have 6 more days of uniforms.  Starting Tuesday June 21st students will be allowed to wear casual clothes until the end of the year.

We have been wrapping up our boats and buoyancy unit in Science.  We made boats out of tin foil, paper, wax paper and newspaper to test which materials were best.  Next week will be exploring cargo ships and how they are able to carry such a heavy load.

In gym last week students enjoyed bowling at Toppler Bowl.  I think they all had a great time.  It is nice to leave the school and try something new.

In Social Studies, students have been working on some research.  They have chosen an attraction in Calgary to learn more about and they will be making a brochure.   This is the second research project we have done where I am looking for more independence to gather to information and decide what is important. 

In math, we have finished our look at 3D objects.  The last couple weeks will be review of the big concepts from the year.

In writing, students wrote their final climbing story.  We have now moved into some poetry writing.

Hope you all had a great weekend,

Mrs. Coulling 

Leighton Center Field Trip

 We had a great time on our field trip to the Leighton Center on Monday May 30th.  Although the weather was a little chilly we enjoyed being outdoors.

Here are a few photos 

This was an artifact table.  We got to the look at the different antlers,  Amanda talked about the different animals found locally in this area.

This is echo hill.  Students stood shoulder to shoulder and called out echo and we could hear it come back.  It is slightly windy but it still worked pretty well.

These pictures above are in the museum that we were able to go into on the property.

In the afternoon we worked on a wire sculpture art project.

Next week we will be bowling on Monday and Wednesday.  

Mrs. Coulling 

May 27th

 Hello,

Just a reminder we have our field trip to the Leighton Center on Monday May 30th.  It is an all day field trip we expect to leave at 8:30 and be back about 2:15 in time for regular buses and pick up.  A portion of this field trip is outdoors so please make sure that your child is dressed for whatever the weather is on Monday.  

Students enjoyed our in school field trip Teacher's Pet Boats and Buoyancy Thursday.  Here are a few pictures.  Students brought home the paddle boat that they constructed to share with you.

We also worked out the Science outcomes of making a floating object (a plastic container) sink and a sinking object (a rock) float.

In Social Studies students will be beginning a research project next week on a famous Albertan.  Now that we are nearing the end of grade 2 students are ready to do some more independent research.

In math we have been looking at 3D objects including their faces, edges and vertex or vertices.  Next week we will be making some 3D object using nets.  We also did some problem solving practice this week.

In writing we began looking at writing extended endings for our stories.  This will be part of next weeks homework.  Next week will be putting stories all together with an entertaining beginning, main event with a problem and 3 attempts and an extended ending. 

Have a good weekend,

Mrs. Coulling 

Art Mural

Students in room 17 have worked collaboratively to create a mural together. Students focused on making artistic decisions as a group, working to take turns, listening to each other's ideas, and making one cohesive painting.

I can statements:


I can make small group and/or large group murals.


I can work primarily with tempera paint or tempera paint with additives, using large brushes to paint.


I can show animals and plants can be represented in terms of their proportions.





Art Reflection Questions - Students were asked to reflect on their experience and here as some of their ideas.


What went well in your group?

Talking to one another because we tell each other what we are doing. S.E.


The outlines in pencil. A.D.


Drawing was good because we were doing well. D.B.


The human looked good. S.E.


We didn’t fight. N.S.


How did you contribute to the group mural?

By helping make the color lighter. D.K.


I painted the grass and other things. K.R.


I was the planner of the painting. K.M.


I did some painting and drew a deer. M.C.


What is one thing you would do differently next time?

Houses because there was too much of them and we didn’t even get to paint the houses. E.C.


Next time I would add fish to the pond and a bridge over it. L.S.


I would add more detail. D.K.


Next time I will do a rainbow. S.E.


I would do houses next time. L.R.


I would do more birds because I want to color them. N.S.

The finished murals.

This art project was challenging for students in that they were working in a group and had to come to group consensus.  In the end all three of the murals turned out well.  You can ask your child about this project if you want to hear more.

Have a great long weekend,

Mrs. Coulling 

May 13th

 Hello Parents,

We are still in need of one parent volunteer for Teacher's Pet May 26th 9 to 11 am and one parent for the Leighton Center May 30th all day.  If you have a current police clearance and are able to volunteer please let me know.

This week we went outside for some visual journal sketching time.  We took the time to sit in our sit spots and notice the signs of spring.

In Science we have started our Boats and Buoyancy unit.  This week we looked at the key vocabulary, chose a boat to research and tested if things would sink or float.

In writing students have been working on writing main events.  In grade 2, we are focusing on having a problem with 3 attempts to solve.  We have focussed on why the first two attempts do not work and then having a third success attempts. Next steps will be looking at building suspense and an extended ending. 

In math this week we look at sorting shapes by 2 attributes.  We also talked about the vocabulary of faces, edges and vertex or vertices for 3D objects.  This will continue next week.

Just a reminder that there is no school next Friday May 20th for a pd day and then Monday May 23rd is a stat holiday. 

Have a good weekend,

Mrs. Coulling 

May 6th

 Hello Parents,

It is hard to believe we are already a full week into May.  The end of grade two is going to be here before we know it!  

I have sent home the field trip forms today for the Leighton Center on May 30th.  You are asked to return the forms to school when you have them completed.  The payment of all field trips is now online.  I am still in need of one or two more parents to come and volunteer.  If you have the time and your volunteer clearance please let me know.

We also have teacher's pet coming up on Thursday May 26th from 9 to 11 am.  I have two parents for that in school field trip but would like to have one or two more.  If you are available please let me know.  

This week in Math we are circled back to 2D shapes and 3D objects.  Our focus has been on sort shapes using different attributes. 

In Science, we have finished our Exploring Liquids unit.  This week we finished water cycle diagrams, played review jeopardy and did a show what you know.  Next week will be starting our last unit of Boats & Buoyancy. 

In Social Studies, we are continuing to look at Calgary.  We have also had some discussions about what it means to be a citizen.  Many students were excited to share where they were born and tell about being citizens of two places. 

In writing, we are continuing with main events.  This week students did some writing about spilled soup.  

I was very happy to see what the students were able to write and how much detail they added.  We did some sharing and so many students were excited to share what they had written.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in room 17.

Mrs. Coulling 

Volunteers Needed

We have two volunteer opportunities coming up.  If you have your current volunteer police clearance and are able to join us for one or both please let me know at alcoulling@cbe.ab.ca

Thursday, May 26th - Teacher's Pet in school field trip from 9:00 to 11:00.

Topic - Boats & Buoyancy 

Monday, May 30th - Leighton Center - Full Day off site field trip.  Bus will leave here at 8:30 and return for 2:30 dismissal.  

Thanks for your support.

Field Trip forms for the Leighton Center will be sent home next week.

Mrs. Coulling 

April 29th

 Hello Parents,

It is hard to believe that it will be May on Sunday.  Only 2 more months of school to go!

We have a couple of events happening in May.  Please see post above about volunteering.  

This week we worked on the water cycle in Science.  This is our last project for the unit.  We will be having a unit check in later next week.  Our next and final unit will be Boats and Buoyancy.

In writing this week was focused on adding elaborative detail to a story critical character, setting or object.  This leads us into main event which will be the focus next week.

We have been practicing for our assembly on Monday.  Parents will be emailed a link to the assembly next week to view it.  As a reminder at this time parents are not allowed to attend assemblies in person.

In math we worked on problem solving this week.  Next we will be looking at 3D objects.  

In Social Studies we are continuing to look at Calgary as a community.  We will be talking about what it means to be a citizen.

Have a great weekend,

Mrs. Coulling  

April 22nd Updates

 Hello,

It was nice to see most of you in person last night at the Willy Wonka performance.  The students prepared for the night very intensely and were so excited to be at First Alliance to preform.  This week was very busy with rehearsals and being out of routines.  I think that next week will be more calm.  We will be preparing for the assembly though this is Monday, May 2nd.  At this time, parents are still not allowed to attend in person.  It will be filmed and sent out.  All grade twos will be preforming the song "That's Not Fair" so please have your child practice.

Link to the song 

Link to the lyrics 

Our class and Ms. Stephenson's class will also be preforming this rap.  Please have your child practice this is well.  Thanks. 

Here are some of the things that we have been up to in the classroom.

Writing - we have been working on great beginnings for our narrative stories.  Most students have this idea now so we are moving on to adding elaborative detail.  That is adding detail to a story critical character, setting or object.  This leads us into the problem of a story nicely.

Math - We are finishing up with measurement.  Next week we will be focusing on some word problems and circling back to double digit addition and subtraction.  I have sent home the students mad minutes from the week today for you to see and continue to practice.  We are looking for automaticity with the facts.  

Science - We are looking at the final outcomes in our unit of Exploring Liquids.  We will be focusing on the water cycle next week.  Beginning in May we will do working on our final unit of Boats and Buoyancy which logically follows liquids.  

Social Studies - We are continuing our look at Calgary and how it compares to our other 3 communities of study.

Reading - Students have been working on making connections to what they read.  

I hope that you have a great weekend,

Mrs. Allison Coulling 

April 4th to 8th

 Hello Parents,

I hope that you had a good week.  We had a busy week at school.  We are in full rehearsal mode getting ready for Willy Wonka on April 21st.  If you have not returned your ticket form and money please do so ASAP.  

When I was going over the student's homework today one thing that I noticed were a lot of students were having difficulty with the writing.  Specifically a lot of them wrote whole stories.  We are really narrowing in on a great beginning that is 4 to 6 sentences long.  The beginning is focussed on introducing the character(s) and the setting.  Students will be practicing this writing great beginnings again next week in school and in the homework.

Your child is bringing home their mad minutes from this week to share with you.  There is one for addition and one for subtraction.  This is going to be part of the homework starting Sunday as well.  In class students graph their results to look at how they have been doing over time and set a goal for themselves.  You can ask them about this. 

This week in math we continued our look at measurement.  We did centres this week which allows me to work with the students in a small group to really hear and see their understanding.   Students enjoyed trying out the balance scales, estimating and measuring each other, looking at capacity and more. 

In Science we looked at evaporation as well as looking at what happens when you put celery into coloured water.  This is intended to spark the thinking about clean water and how all living things rely on water.

In Social Studies we are continuing to look at Calgary and draw comparisons to what we know about Meteghan, Saskatoon and Iqaluit.

In art this week students learned about the famous painter Georges Seurat and his pointillism art.  Students attempted to make their own art in his style using a q tip to make the points.

 I think that they turned out very well!

Have a great weekend.

Mrs. Coulling 

March 28th to April 1st

 Hello,

It was so nice to see all of the students back on Monday.

We did a Wet Felting Project on Monday.  It was a great project and nice to work with wool.  Here are some pictures.

In Science we are continuing to look at Exploring Liquids.  This week I did a demonstration and was able to put 79 paperclips in a cup full of water before it spilled.  This reinforced the ideas of cohesion and surface tension.

In Social Studies, we have started looking at Calgary.  We will be comparing it to Meteghan, Iqaluit and Saskatoon the three communities that we have already studied this year.   So far, we have looked at the physical geography as well as the water (bodies of water). 

In math, we are continuing our look at measurement.  We have started to look at mass and making comparisons using lighter than and heavier than.

In writing we are continuing our look at climbing stories.  This week we looked at a skeleton story of the 3 Little Pigs.  Students were asked to write their own story adding more details.  Next we will be looking at the ways we can write entertaining beginnings to our climbing stories. 

We have also been practicing for Willy Wonka which will be on Thursday, April 21st at 6:30 pm.  Please go under resources to find Mrs. Hawkins blog.  Students can be practicing the songs there.

Grade 2 is also going to be hosting a fairness assembly on Monday, May 2nd.   We will be preforming the song "That's Not Fair" as a grade 2 group.  We will also be singing/rapping another song about fairness.  You can click on the 2 links below to get the lyrics.  

That's Not Fair Lyrics

Fairness Rap

I hope you all have a great weekend,

Mrs. Coulling 

March 14th to 18th

First of all I hope that all of you have a great Spring Break and enjoy the time with your family.  Looks like we are going to have some great Spring weather.

We are back on Monday March 28th and we have a special guest coming that day to work with us on some felt art.  I have 4 volunteers but I can have one more if you would like to volunteer and have your current volunteer clearance please let me know.  Our time is 9:00 to 11:00.

There will be no homework posted for Spring Break.  Homework will be posted Sunday, March 27th and due Friday, April 1st.   I sent home a copy of our class photo in your child's homework folder today.

We had a fun week at school.  Here is what we were up to:

In Science we have continue to explore water and other liquids.  On Monday, we looked at different mystery liquids to see if we could identify them.  On Tuesday we raced different liquids down a cookie sheet and discussed viscosity.  Students also got to explore water droplets using medicine or eye droppers.  You can ask them about what happens with you add drops to an already full cup of water.  We will be continuing with exploring liquids after the break.

In Math, we have been exploring non standard measurement and making estimates.  Students have been enjoying this topic as it is very hands on.

In writing, we have started looking at climbing stories.  This week focused on the parts of a climbing story.  After the break we will focusing on writing entertaining beginnings to our stories.

In Social Studies, we will be moving on to exploring Calgary after spring break as well as communities in the past. 

Thursday we gathered with all the grade 2's in the gym and we watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in preparation for our play in April.  

Mrs. Allison Coulling