This week, we will be starting a unit on 2-D shapes. The goals of this unit are for your child to use shapes to make other shapes, to identify shapes that are congruent (the same size and shape), to identify and compare various polygons (i.e., triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, heptagons, octagons) and sort them by their geometric properties (i.e., number of sides, side lengths, number of interior angles, number of right angles), and to recognize symmetry in shapes, designs and pictures of images. Your child should begin to notice interesting geometric designs in his or her world. You might talk to your child about how these designs have been created. Throughout the unit, you and your child may engage in activities at home such as:

• Your child can look for shape puzzles at home. Look in resources such as newspapers and puzzle books. Your child could bring a puzzle to school to display on a class bulletin board or puzzle table.

• Your child can find and list things around the house that have more than one line of symmetry, and sketch at least 4 of these items and show the lines of symmetry.

• Your child could plan a symmetrical design for one wall of a bedroom or some other room in the house. This might include the placement of pictures or posters on the wall. Your child can draw a sketch of the symmetrical design, draw the line of symmetry, and describe how the design was created.

• Your child can find something at home, such as a rug, a vase, or a bedspread, that has an interesting geometric pattern. Have your child draw the pattern and describe attributes such as congruent shapes, lines of symmetry (e.g., vertical, horizontal, diagonal), and colour. Your child should then describe how the pattern was made. This is called the pattern rule. Your child might take the real object or a drawing of the object to class to share with others.

Library is tomorrow for our students so please round up overdue library books and send them in so that your child can get new ones.

As the weather changes, it is not a bad idea to send your child to school with extra socks, mitts and possibly even a change of pants, there are slushy areas out on the yard and we want our students dry and cozy during learning time indoors.

Reminder: At this point in the school year students often run out of important school supplies – glue sticks, pencils, erasers, etc. It would be ever so helpful of you could chat with your child about what their pencil case needs to be replenished with for success.

Many thanks for the glass jars and paper tubes!!!! We still need as many glass jars as possible and paper towel tubes. We no longer need toilet paper tubes.