April 23, 2026
Happy support staff week to our wonderful staff at TRS. We cannot thank them enough for all they do to help us keep the school running.
Highlights of the Week:
- ELAL – Students finished up their poetry unit this week by creating a free verse poem all about themselves. We also did some timed story writing practice on the computer where students used an infographic based on Travel to inspire their story ideas.
- Math – We continued our work on fractions, including working with common denominators. Students were introduced to adding and subtracting fraction with like and unlike denominators. We will move into multiplying fractions next week.
- Science –
- Grade 6 – we started our ecosystem research project this week. Students chose one of the main 6 ecosystems in the world (forests, wetlands, grasslands, freshwater, deserts or arctic) and picked a specific location in the world to research. They will turn all their information into a brochure.
- Grade 5 – students finished up their Earth Systems unit this week. We had a day to review everything we learned and wrote a final test.
- Social –
- Grade 5 – continuing our learning with perspectives, students read a story shared by three different people. Each story highlighted how everyone’s details were correct, but their different experiences led to a different mood and story. Students then wrote a hamburger paragraph of why listening to different perspectives is important.
- Grade 6 – students created a visual journal page about the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Students will then pick one part to create a project.
- Homework – No homework
- Math – Work on fractions.
- ELAL – Work on identifying themes within stories, movies and tv shows.
- PD Day (No School) – April 24
- Spring Dance – April 30
- T. B. Riley Performance (walking field trip) – May 6
- Whole School Photo – May 7 **updated
- 2nd Round Grade 6 Vaccinations – May 11
- TB Riley Student Open House (walking field trip) – June 11
- ELAL Part A (Writing) – May 25 **updated date
- ELAL Part B (Reading) – June 4
- Science – June 12
- Math Part A (Computations) – June 15
- Math Part B (All Stems) – June 18
- PAT Review – we have had several comments and questions about PATs. We will begin review mid May and will be sending home review for Math and Science. You can access practice tests here: https://abed.vretta.com/#/en/public-practice
- Students will have plenty of opportunity to work on their reading and writing at school, however, here are some suggestions to support at home:
- Have your child plan a story in 10 minutes with a prompt/theme
- Give your child 20 minutes to write as much as they can towards a story
- Practice a preferred style of non-fiction writing when given a prompt and practice planning under time constraints (persuasive, comparative, instructional, friendly letter, etc.)
- What to focus on – grammar, punctuation, paragraphing, complete sentences
- Students are given 2 hours to write both a fiction and non-fiction piece of writing during the PAT. They will be given an overarching topic, such as Friendship to write both pieces on. Typically, students will take 5-10 minutes to plan and organize their writing topic for each piece and then spend the remaining time typing their pieces.
- TRS Flex Time – Wednesdays until 4pm in the library with Mr. B and Ms. Hassen
This week, students explored identity and personal voice by writing “Where I’m From” poems inspired by George Ella Lyon. They reflected on their experiences, memories, and surroundings to create meaningful and descriptive pieces of writing. In connection with Earth Day, students also learned about sustainability by creating their own recycled paper using materials from our classroom. They mounted their poems on their handmade paper, combining creativity with environmental awareness. This learning experience supported both expressive writing and an appreciation for caring for our planet.
