Hello Families, It was lovely to have your children back in the classroom this week, and I think they were happy to be back! Next week we will be welcoming a student teacher, Erin Peters; she will be with us until the middle of April. This means extra support for your children, which can only be good.  This week we continued our research and discussions on plastics in our oceans. The children captured their learning in poster format, which is available for you to view in IRIS. We will continue to focus on this theme next week, investigating alternatives to plastics and solutions to the problems created by it. In math we will be moving onto fractions and decimals for the coming weeks. In writing we will be looking at fictional stories and texts, focusing on myths, fables and legends. We will continue to feature Alberta in social studies, examining the physical geography of our beautiful province. In gym, we were engaged in ball and bat skill development and cooperative games, which include a lot of running around. The class are getting a whole lot fitter and faster as the year progresses. We used our creative skills across a range of subjects, including our writing investigations into Wolves being re-introduced to Yellowstone National Park, as well as the re-introduction of bison to Banff Provincial Park.  The weather is definitely gong to worsen over the coming weeks, so please remind your children to come prepared for the ever-changing Alberta weather.  Wishing you a lovely family weekend. Libby Coldbeck and the students of Room 14 Learning Leader and Grade 4/5 Teacher Cappy Smart School Calgary Board of Education 403-777-8110   x2014