WELCOME!!!

Hello everyone,

Welcome to Mr. McDowell's classroom blog. I am very excited to have a classroom webpage and I hope that you will find it useful. The purpose of this blog is to provide a convenient (and reliable) communication link between students, parents, the school and Mr. McDowell. I invite you to check this blog on a daily basis as I will be posting valuable information about the classroom and the school - including daily homework assignments, important dates, classroom/school news, etc.

For your convenience, you can also sign-up to receive "daily updates" from this blog that automatically gets sent to your email every day there is a new posting. Simply type in your email address into the 'submit' box found on the right side of this blog.

More importantly, if you ever have any questions or concerns about your son/ daughter, please do not hesitate to contact me via phone, email, or this blog:

M.C. Knoll School - 786-5540
Email - benson.mcdowell@gssd.ca



Friday, February 27, 2009

Classroom News - Feb. 27

Although Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down week is over, lets continue to make good choices throughout the rest of the school year...

Have a great weekend!

Reminders:
- Monday, Mar. 2 is Hockey Day at M.C. Knoll. Wear any hockey jersey you own or our Yorkton Terrier colors (orange and black) to celebrate the day.
- Grade 6 girls will be playing in a floor hockey tournament on Monday, Mar. 2 at Yorkdale. Grade 6 boys will be playing in the same tournament on Tuesday, Mar. 3.
- Please bring $2 for the "Habitat" birdhouses that we will be painting (they will be yours to keep).

For Homework:
Social - Pacific Rim Country Reports (redo) (due Monday, Mar. 2)
Spelling 6 - Spelling Lesson #11 and Test (due Monday, Mar. 2)
Spelling 7 - Spelling Lesson #13 (due Monday, Mar. 2)
Math 7 - Page 47 (#1-9) Comparing Fractions (due Tuesday, Mar. 3)
LA 6 - "Anastasia on the Job" questions and definitions (due Tuesday, Mar. 3)

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Classroom News - Feb. 26

Reminders:
- The last day of Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down Week is tomorrow. Lets continue to make good choices not only tomorrow, but throughout the rest of the school year!
- Grade 6 hockey permission forms need to be handed-in by tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 27).
- Grade 6 and 7 students will be toboganning tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 27). Please dress appropriately!
- Monday, Mar. 2 is Hockey Day at M.C. Knoll. Wear any hockey jersey you own or our Yorkton Terrier colors (orange and black) to celebrate the day.


For Homework:
Art - Six (6) 30 minute Sketchbook Drawings (due Friday, Feb. 27)
LA - Journal Entries (x4) (due Friday, Feb. 27)
LA - Superhero Descriptive Writing Story Good Copy with Title Page (due Friday, Feb. 27)
Career Guidance 7 - Time Management Log (due Friday, Feb. 27)
Career Guidance 6 - Contracts re-signed and Reflection write-up (due Friday, Feb. 27)
Math 6 - Page 137 (#1-35) and page 139 (#1-35) Estimating 2-digit divisors (due Friday, Feb. 27)
Math 7 - Page 47 (#1-5) Comparing Fractions (due Monday, Mar. 2)
Social - Pacific Rim Country Reports (redo) (due Monday, Mar. 2)
Spelling 6 - Spelling Lesson #11 and Test (due Monday, Mar. 2)
Spelling 7 - Spelling Lesson #13 (due Monday, Mar. 2)

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Square Dancing

Here are a couple of 'action shots' from today's exciting square dancing experience!



Classroom News - Feb. 25

Reminder:
- The students at M.C. Knoll should continue to make good choices during Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down Week.
- Ask your son/daughter about the Square Dancing activity they participated in today. Maybe they can show you a couple of 'moves' too!
- Grade 6 hockey permission forms need to be handed-in by Friday, Feb. 27.

For Homework:
Art - Six (6) 30 minute Sketchbook Drawings (due Friday, Feb. 27)
LA - Journal Entries (x4) (due Friday, Feb. 27)
LA - Superhero Descriptive Writing Story Good Copy with Title Page (due Friday, Feb. 27)
Career Guidance 7 - Time Management Log (due Friday, Feb. 27)
Career Guidance 6 - Contracts re-signed and Reflection write-up (due Friday, Feb. 27)
Social - Pacific Rim Country Reports (redo) (due Monday, Mar. 2)
Spelling 6 - Spelling Lesson #11 and Test (due Monday, Mar. 2)

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Classroom News - Feb. 24

Reminder:
- Please refer to the "Upcoming Events" heading in the blog for many new activities that were recently added.
- Ask your son/daughter about the Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down Week.
- Students should put on their dancing shoes tomorrow as they will be introduced to 'square dancing' put on by various community members!

For Homework:
Math 6 - Page 132 (#1-28) Short Division (due Wednesday, Feb. 25)
Art - Six (6) 30 minute Sketchbook Drawings (due Friday, Feb. 27)
LA - Journal Entries (x4) (due Friday, Feb. 27)
LA - Superhero Descriptive Writing Story Good Copy with Title Page (due Friday, Feb. 27)
Career Guidance 7 - Time Management Log (due Friday, Feb. 27)
Social - Pacific Rim Country Reports (redo) (due Monday, Mar. 2)
Spelling 6 - Spelling Lesson #11 and Test (due Monday, Mar. 2)

Monday, February 23, 2009

Classroom News - Feb. 23

Welcome back everyone,

As usual, I hope that you had a terrific break. I am glad to see everyone again and I believe the same can be said for the students and staff alike. It is amazing to think that we are already nearing the end of February and that means report cards are coming very soon - Friday, March 13 to be exact!

Please refer to the "Upcoming Events" heading in the blog for many important dates that were added today.

Ask your son/daughter about the Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down Week!

For Homework:
LA - Superhero Descriptive Writing Story Rough Draft and Editing (due Tuesday, Feb. 24)
Art - Six (6) 30 minute Sketchbook Drawings (due Friday, Feb. 27)
LA - Journal Entries (x4) (due Friday, Feb. 27)
LA - Superhero Descriptive Writing Story Good Copy with Title Page (due Friday, Feb. 27)
Career Guidance 7 - Time Management Log (due Friday, Feb. 27)
Spelling 6 - Spelling Lesson #11 and Test (due Monday, Mar. 2)

Friday, February 13, 2009

Classroom News - Feb. 13

Have a wonderful holiday break! We will see you again on Monday, Feb. 23.

For Homework:
LA - Superhero Descriptive Writing Story Rough Draft and Editing (due Tuesday, Feb. 24)
Art - Six (6) 30 minute Sketchbook Drawings (due Friday, Feb. 27)

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Classroom News - Feb. 12

Tomorrow, our last day of school before February Break, will be "Red, White, and Pink Day" in celebration of Valentine's Day.

Also, bags of popcorn will be sold tomorrow at lunch time. Bring your spare change!

Just a reminder to the grade 7 students - I created a new "Fractions" section on the sidebar of the blog. Please refer to the websites listed for some additional math help...

For Homework:
Science - Invent a Plant Project (creation, written, and presentation) (overdue Thursday, Feb. 12)
Art - Magazine Name Tag (overdue Thursday, Feb. 12)
Social Studies - Jan./Feb. "What in the World" worksheets (x3) and Using Scale to Determine Distance questions (due Friday, Feb. 13)
LA 7 - English Lesson #9 (Plural Forms) (due Friday, Feb. 13)
Art - Six (6) 30 minute Sketchbook Drawings (due Friday, Feb. 27)

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Classroom News - Feb. 11

Although our ski trip to the Asessippi Ski Area was cancelled today, we all made the best of the situation and had a great day. The ski trip has been rescheduled to Wednesday, March 4.

There is early dismissal tomorrow at 2:30 (Thursday, Feb. 12).

Just a reminder to the grade 7 students - I created a new "Fractions" section on the sidebar of the blog. Please refer to the websites listed for some additional math help...

For Homework:
LA 6 - "The Crystal Ball Sees All" questions, definitions, and letter (due Thursday, Feb. 12)
Science - Invent a Plant Project (creation, written, and presentation) (due Thursday, Feb. 12)
Art - Magazine Name Tag (due Thursday, Feb. 12)
Math 6 - Division pg R97 (due Thursday, Feb. 12)
Social Studies - Jan./Feb. "What in the World" worksheets (x3) and Using Scale to Determine Distance questions (due Friday, Feb. 13)

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Classroom News - Feb. 10

I think everyone is ready for our grade 6-8 ski trip to the Asessippi Ski Area tomorrow (Wednesday, Feb. 11). The departure time is at 7:30 a.m. - do not be late. Also, we are expected to arrive back in Yorkton at about 4:30 p.m. Be sure to be "overprepared" than "underprepared"!

Also, for the grade 7 students, I created a new "Fractions" section on the sidebar of the blog. Please refer to the websites listed for some additional math help...

For Homework:
Math 6 - Page 131 (#1-15) (division) (overdue Tuesday, Feb. 10)
LA 6 - "The Crystal Ball Sees All" questions, definitions, and letter (due Thursday, Feb. 12)
Science - Invent a Plant Project (creation, written, and presentation) (due Thursday, Feb. 12)
Art - Magazine Name Tag (due Thursday, Feb. 12)
Math 7 - Scaffolding Getting Started Activity (pg 42/43) (due Friday, Feb. 13)
Social Studies - Jan./Feb. "What in the World" worksheets (x3) and Using Scale to Determine Distance questions (due Friday, Feb. 13)

Monday, February 9, 2009

Classroom News - Feb. 9

Hello everyone - I hope the weekend was relaxing and enjoyable. We have a very exciting week ahead of us with our grade 6-8 ski trip to the Asessippi Ski Area scheduled for Wednesday (Feb. 11). I can sense the students are quite eager for this experience.

Also, today we began our new Math 7 unit on Fractions. To help facilitate the learning process with this sometimes challenging concept, I recommend visiting the "Destination Math" link on the sidebar of the blog along with the following links:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/numbers/fractiondecimalpercentage/

http://www.jamit.com.au/welcome.html


For Homework:
Career Guidance 6 - Helping Others Contract Good Copy (overdue Thursday, Feb. 5)
Math 6 - Page 131 (#1-15) (division) (due Tuesday, Feb. 10)
Math 7 - Ch. 2 Fraction "Review" (pg 3/4) Worksheet (due Tuesday, Feb. 10)
LA 6 - "The Crystal Ball Sees All" questions, definitions, and letter (due Thursday, Feb. 12)
Science - Invent a Plant Project (creation, written, and presentation) (due Thursday, Feb. 12)
Art - Magazine Name Tag (due Thursday, Feb. 12)
Social Studies - Dec./Jan. "What in the World" worksheets (x3) and Using Scale to Determine Distance questions (due Friday, Feb. 13)

Friday, February 6, 2009

Classroom News - Feb. 6

Have a great weekend!

Reminders:
- The grade 6-8 ski adventure to the Asessippi Ski Area is on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

For Homework:
Career Guidance 6 - Helping Others Contract Good Copy (overdue Thursday, Feb. 5)
Math 6 - Page 129 (#1-37) (division) (due Monday, Feb. 9)
LA 6 - "The Crystal Ball Sees All" questions, definitions, and letter (due Thursday, Feb. 12)
Science - Invent a Plant Project (creation, written, and presentation) (due Thursday, Feb. 12)
Art - Magazine Name Tag (due Thursday, Feb. 12)

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Classroom News - Feb. 5

Today's post is a little earlier than usual as I am away from the school in the p.m. Nothing new to report though.

Reminders:
- Please bring a Thesaurus for our Language Arts classes ASAP.
- The grade 6-8 ski adventure to the Asessippi Ski Area is on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

For Homework:
Career Guidance 6 - Helping Others Contract Good Copy (overdue Thursday, Feb. 5)
Science - Ecosystems and Basic of Life Unit Test (Friday, Feb. 6)
Math 6 - Page 129 (#1-37) (division) (due Monday, Feb. 9)
LA 6 - "The Crystal Ball Sees All" questions, definitions, and letter (due Thursday, Feb. 12)
Science - Invent a Plant Project (creation, written, and presentation) (due Thursday, Feb. 12)

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Classroom News - Feb. 4

Reminders:
- Please bring a Thesaurus for our Language Arts classes ASAP.
- Grade 6 Track and Field Forms were sent home earlier this week. They are to be filled out and returned to the school sometime before Friday, Feb. 6.
- The grade 6-8 ski adventure to the Asessippi Ski Area is on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

Ask your son/daughter about the 'chocolate bar' activity.

For Homework:
Spelling 6 - Lesson #10 and Test (Thursday, Feb. 5)
Spelling 7 - Lesson #12 and Comprehensive Test (Lesson 7-12) (Thursday, Feb. 5)
Career Guidance 6 - Helping Others Contract Good Copy (due Thursday, Feb. 5)
Science - Ecosystems and Basic of Life Unit Test (Friday, Feb. 6)
Math 6 - Page 129 (#1-37) (division) (due Monday, Feb. 9)
LA 6 - "The Crystal Ball Sees All" questions, definitions, and letter (due Thursday, Feb. 12)
Science - Invent a Plant Project (creation, written, and presentation) (due Thursday, Feb. 12)

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Classroom News - Feb. 3

Reminders:
- Please bring a Thesaurus for our Language Arts classes ASAP.
- Grade 6 Track and Field Forms were sent home yesterday. They are to be filled out and returned to the school sometime before Friday, Feb. 6.
- The grade 6-8 ski adventure to the Asessippi Ski Area is on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

Grade 7 students are (re)starting the Practical and Applied Arts Program tomorrow (Wednesday, Feb. 4) at Yorkdale.

Ask your grade 7 son/daughter about their Math Tests (Number Relationships)

For Homework:
Math 6 - Page 123 (#1-23) (estimating division) and Page 125 (#1-30) (estimating division) (due Wednesday, Feb. 4)
LA - Descriptive Writing Story "In The Wild Jungle" with Good Copy (due Wednesday, Feb. 4)
Spelling 6 - Lesson #10 and Test (Thursday, Feb. 5)
Spelling 7 - Lesson #12 and Test (Thursday, Feb. 5)
Science - Ecosystems and Basic of Life Unit Test (Friday, Feb. 6)
Science - Invent a Plant Project (creation, written, and presentation) (due Thursday, Feb. 12)

Monday, February 2, 2009

Classroom News - Feb. 2

Welcome to February and Happy Groundhogs Day!

Speaking of Groundhogs Day, it looks like we will have another six weeks of winter ahead us thanks to our friend the groundhog...

Reminders:
- Please bring a Thesaurus for our Language Arts classes ASAP.
- M.C. Knoll February Newsletter was sent home today. Be sure to read it!
- Also, Grade 6 Track and Field Forms were sent home today. They are to be filled out and returned to the school sometime before Friday, Feb. 6.
- The grade 6-8 ski adventure to the Asessippi Ski Area is on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

For Homework:
Career Guidance 7 - PowerPoint Timeline Project and Presentation (overdue Monday, Feb. 2)
Math 6 - Page 123 (#1-10) (estimating division) (due Tuesday, Feb. 3)
Spelling 6 - Lesson #10 and Test (Thursday, Feb. 5)
Spelling 7 - Lesson #12 and Test (Thursday, Feb. 5)
Science - Ecosystems and Basic of Life Unit Test (Friday, Feb. 6)
Science - Invent a Plant Project (creation, written, and presentation) (due Thursday, Feb. 12)