Spring Fever!

March has been SO MUCH FUN!!!

It seemed like there was something extra special taking place almost every day! 

After a month of fierce competition, we held the finals for our March Madness book tournament. It has been an absolute BLAST reading with Mrs. Haston's Grade 2's each day, and it was no surprise that the kids were thrilled to read every day! I couldn't be happier about having so many kids SO EXCITED ABOUT BOOKS AND READING!

Our winner? Memoirs of a Hamster! Ta da! Fantastic read aloud about the challenges of being a hamster. The illustrations are so detailed and realistic, and the writing is catchy and suspenseful. THANK YOU to the super-mom who put us on to the "memoirs" series!

If you would like to borrow our class copy of this book, please write a note in your child's agenda.

A huge focus this past month has been our Lenten Initiative, which supported the Holy Childhood Association. This week was our final opportunity to donate to "break a rule". Students brought in their money so they could watch a movie in class! 

Boy, did they enjoy an oldie, but a "goodie", The Land Before Time! Produced in 1988, this movie was one of Mrs. Beliveau's favourites as a little girl! 

The students were so generous with their donations, and while we do not have an exact total at this minute, we know we blasted our goal of $1,500 out of the water!!! The most recent count has us at $1,600!

We worked really hard, and had loads of fun, raising money for children around the world who are less fortunate. Please enjoy photos from our Lenten Journey:

To finish up the month, we headed to the rink for our last opportunity to skate! CAN YOU BELIEVE WHO SHOWED UP TO SKATE WITH US?!?!

While the kids are ALWAYS excited to skate with Mrs. Haston,
the giant bunny was the biggest hit!

As the snow begins to melt and the birds begin to sing, may the blessings of Spring be a constant reminder of God's presence in our lives!

We toured Alberta!

We enjoyed a 360 view on Jasper's sky tram, we rode the roller coaster at Calaway Park in Calgary, we explored the UFO landing pad in St. Paul, and we ooooh-ed and aaaahhh-ed at the Three Sisters mountains in Canmore. What a week! We had a ball!

Surprisingly, we never left our classroom at Holy Redeemer! We enjoyed several websites, webcams, YouTube clips, interactive sites, and more! What a fun and exciting week! Please explore below to see all of the Alberta landmarks we "visited" this week!

Zoom in on Alberta, click on a red "pin", and see an Alberta landmark! Links are included with several of the pins. Enjoy!




Thank you for preparing your child for our Alberta Landmarks Project!

March Madness!

Did you know March is Read Aloud month? 

Today we had a guest from the Strathcona County Library come and kick off March by reading a few books and sharing information about the read aloud contest sponsored by the County (log your minutes here). 

But, like any other day in Grade One, the fun didn't stop there! March Madness began today! Whaaaaaat?!?

March Madness has the primary kids going bananas for books, not basketball! We have a 16-book tournament ahead of us:

Here is a close up of the books playing off:

We asked Mrs. Haston's Grade 2 class to share in the fun, and today we read our first two books of the tournament! Mrs. Beliveau read The Pout Pout Fish and Mrs. Haston read Memoirs of a Hamster. 

Overwhelmingly, the winner was Memoirs of a Hamster! 

Mrs. Beliveau posting today's results ... and thoroughly confusing
several students with the tournament draw!

Be sure to ask your child about the books we are reading, which was his or her favourite, and why. March Madness playoffs will continue tomorrow!


March Madness idea inspired by Playdough to Plato.