Grade 1 AS has been learning about polar bears since the beginning of January.  We have read fiction and non-fiction books about polar bears. We have compared our feet and hands to their paws and our heights to their height.  Finally, we worked together to build a model of a polar bear habitat.

Invisible Forces

After Christmas the students have been exploring invisible forces through magnets.

Some of our questions were:

• What is attracted to magnets and what is not?
• What does attract and repel mean?
• Are all magnets the same strength?
• What is the connection between magnets and the northern lights?
• Is the earth really a giant magnet?

Our class has been working on making our writing pieces more interesting by adding details and descriptive words. Many of our writing pieces have been inspire by December activities, traditions and images. Last week we wrote about what the most beautiful Christmas tree looks like. Some students wrote:

“I see the night sky behind the tree, I see the sparkly star on top of the tree”

“When I went downstairs, I saw the most fabulous Christmas tree in my backyard. My jaw dropped when I saw it. The tree was green, red, gold and silver. It had lights, garland, and rainbow sequins all over. I felt so jolly and merry.”

“It had shining ornaments, twinkling lights and poofy pine. The best part was the star. It twinkled and shined on the glassy window.”

“One clam December morning I got out of bed and saw the most magnificent tree ever, it had sparkly ornaments and shimmering lights. I also saw tinsel making it look metallic.”

“Suddenly, I smell the smell of fresh pine needles. I follow the smell into the living room where I find … the most spectacular Christmas tree ever! On it I see dazzling ornaments, the most sparkly tinsel ever, shiny red and green ribbon, twinkling lights and candy caned dangling from the branches.”

To go along with our writing, we enjoyed designing and decorating ornaments!

J.R. Walkof School seeks to be a place where both staff and students are caring.

Students were given a chance to write about or draw an image, on a heart, of something they care deeply about. A wide variety of responses were submitted by students and included caring about parents, siblings, other relatives and friends, pets, faith, hobbies, and many more. 

As part of our unit on Characteristics and Needs of Living Things, grade 1AS had a visit from Willow, Mrs. Seymour’s dog.  The students were extremely excited about her visit and loved every minute of her time here. After her visit, we discussed what she needs and we came up with food, water, a safe home, vet visits, grooming (she will get sick if she is not properly groomed) as her needs.  We also decided that toys are important but not needs, she just wants them. 

They are hoping she will visit again.

The combined Grade 2 and 3 choirs sang the national anthem for the Winkler Flyers on November 18, 2022. Excitement had already been building over the past weeks as our choirs prepared for our Remembrance Day ceremony and Christmas Concert but enthusiasm hit a peak as they prepared to sing “Oh Canada” in front of over 1,000 people. In looking for more opportunities and to expand our musical influence outside the school, we reached out to the Flyers and they happily booked a date for us to sing. 81 of 96 choir students were able to participate and they sang and represented our school exceptionally well!

Caleb Reimer

JR Walkof Elementary School Music Teacher

Science Design Challenge - design and create a nest using a paper bag and other materials provided to keep an egg safe from rolling away. Students created a written plan, created a nest using the materials provided and to meet the set criteria. When faced with challenges or problems students worked together and alone to try new things, support each other and solve problems. We presented our nests at the end to celebrate hands on learning!

Please come collect your child's lost items. If any of the items below belong to you, please contact the school at 204-325-7765.

We will store them for a few months and then donate.

Exploring the tires and planks while enjoying the beautiful autumn weather was a great way for us to get to know some of our hallway buddies this month! Our grade 2 class aims to meets with 1AH and 3CR twice a month to learn and explore together. Last week we met with 3CR to hunt for leaves and create Leaf Art posted in our hallway. We look forward to meeting again soon for buddy reading, art projects and other activities this school year!