January 16, 2026
It’s been a wonderful and warm week at TRS.
Highlights of the Week:
- ELAL – Students worked through the writing process to finish up their short stories this week.
- Read Aloud – We started a new read aloud, Barren Grounds. Students have begun exploring the characters and identifying internal personality traits.
- Math – We worked on Box Method and Standard Algorithm multiplication this week.
- Science –
- Grade 5 – this week, students were introduced to a Kite project that reflects what they’ve learned about the forces of flight. They spent time researching kite designs before building begins next week.
- Grade 6 – students worked on building spaghetti bridges this week to apply their knowledge of structural forces. They had a day of planning, building, and then testing.
- Social –
- Grade 5 – students learned how geography impacted ancient civilizations and learned specifically about Greece’s physical geography.
- Grade 6 – students listened to Hiawatha and the Peacemaker story then role played how the Haudenosaunee Confederacy comes to a consensus.
How you can support at home:
- Homework – we sent home a box method practice sheet with the math game, “multiplication squares”
- Math – Work on multiplication facts.
- ELAL – Reading out loud with your child and having them make connections to themselves, different texts they’ve read, and world events.
Important Dates:
- Elder Visit – January 21
- Branton Student Presentation – January 22 (in school)
- TB Riley Open House – January 22 @ 5pm
- TB Riley TLC Open House – January 22 @ 6pm
- Sir John Franklin Arts Centered Learning Open House – January 22 @ 6pm
- Healthy Hunger (Jelly Modern) – January 29
- Non-instruction Day (No school) – January 30
- Teachers’ Convention (No school) - February 12/13
- Family Day (No school) - February 16
Reminders:
- Alien In-line – Monday @ 8:50am
- TB Riley Open House
- TRS / Montgomery Families Open House Regular Program @ 5pm
- Annual TLC Open House @ 6pm
- Polar Tiger Club – return forms as soon as possible
- TRS Flex Time – Wednesdays until 4pm in the library with Mr. B and Ms. Hassen
Learning Intention of the Week – Writing Short Stories
Students worked through the writing process over the past two weeks to create short stories. They were provided with three photo prompts to take inspiration from. Students were provided with a planning template that consisted of beginning, build up, problem, resolution, and ending where they brainstormed ideas about character and plot for their stories. From there, students used a template to write a first draft for each section of their story. They were given parameters to include a minimum of 5 sentences per section with 1-2 pieces of dialogue. When their stories were complete, students typed them on the computer with a focus on proper formatting.
