Week #1: Sept. 2nd - 5th

Dear Families,

I’m so excited to begin this educational journey with your child and YOU 💚, sharing updates, celebrations, and news of ALL our learning ✨📚, along with upcoming events 🗓️.

From our “Class Family” 🏫 to your “Home Family” 🏡, this blog will help us stay connected, informed, and united as partners in your child’s growth and success!🤝

📚✨ This blog will serve as a tool for us (teacher 👩‍🏫 – student 👦👧 – parent(s)/guardians 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦) to communicate and celebrate your child’s academic, social, emotional, and mental well-being this school year! 🌟

🗓️ Please note, I will be updating my blog every Friday. You will be notified by email about this 📧🙂

👀 Your child and you are encouraged to check out the blog at your convenience. This way, you’ll be informed weekly about what’s happening in our class 🏫 and can help reinforce learned concepts at home too 💡📖

🤝 Together, we will work as a dedicated T.E.A.M. = “Together Everybody Achieves More” 💪💚 to support your child’s academic, social, emotional, and behavioural goals. 

As a teacher, I strongly believe in the power of open communication between parent–child–teacher 🤝. By working closely together, we can help every student rise to their highest potential 🌟.

So far, I have noticed many students striving to put forth their “Level 4 Personal Best” 💪📚 in the tasks set before them. This dedication is inspiring!

I am optimistic that we will continue our learning journey with purpose, passion, and productivity ✨🔥💡, building a strong foundation for both academic growth and personal success. 🌈🌱

💐 Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the parents who have already been actively supporting and engaging in their child’s learning at home 🙌💚. 

Together, we can make a meaningful difference by collaborating closely as a team. 🌟

I truly could not do this without your unconditional love and support, it is deeply valued and cherished! 💖

📧 If you wish to communicate via email, please don’t hesitate to reach out at pgill@scdsb.on.ca. I check my email regularly and will always do my best to respond in a timely manner 🙂.

CHARACTER EDUCATION:

My goal has always been to help children grow not only as students 📚, but as the very best version of themselves as individuals 🌈.

I believe that the development of good character is a shared responsibility among our staff, students, families, and the wider community 🤝. 

When all members of society embrace opportunities to model, teach, promote, and celebrate good character, we strengthen learning and working communities that are caring, safe, respectful, and inclusive 💚.

At the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB), our values are reflected through our 23 Character Attributes, which guide our commitment to character education.

✨ 23 Character Attributes ✨

• Kindness: Being friendly, generous, and considerate 😊

• Honesty: Acting sincerely, truthfully, and with trust 🤍

• Empathy: Striving to understand and appreciate others 🤗

• Respect: Treating self, others, and the environment with dignity 🙏

• Caring: Showing kindness toward others 💕

• Helpfulness: Being ready to give and provide help 🤝

• Inclusiveness: Valuing and including everyone 🌍

• Integrity: Acting justly and honourably ⚖️

• Responsibility: Being accountable and following through on commitments 📌

• Courage: Doing the right thing, even when it’s difficult 🦁

• Compassion: Genuinely caring for the needs of others 💖

• Love: Living in peace, balance, and acceptance ❤️

• Sharing: Giving a portion of what we have to others 🍎

• Perseverance: Continuing forward despite challenges 🏃‍♂️

• Listening: Paying attention and valuing voices 👂

• Cooperation: Working together toward shared goals 🤲

• Bravery: Facing life with courage and strength 🛡️

• Loyalty: Remaining devoted and committed 🐾

• Humility: Practicing gratitude and uplifting others 🌱

• Wisdom: Gaining knowledge through dedication 📚

• Truth: Speaking in alignment with fact and reality 🌟

• Trustworthiness: Being reliable, honest, and doing what’s right 🔑

• Optimism: Maintaining positivity and hope for the future 🌈

The SCDSB’s character education attributes (listed above) were selected through consultation with students, parent/guardians, community leaders, and organizations to reflect what Simcoe County communities consider important.

🌟 In our class, these attributes will be explicitly taught and modelled every day so that we can practice using these Character Traits in our daily thoughts, words, and actions 💭💬💡.

I strongly believe that by embracing these values, your child can and will grow into the best version of themselves… EVEN WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING 💪🌈✨.

SEPTEMBER'S CHARACTER ATTRIBUTE:

Each month, our class will focus on one (or more) of our character attributes.  Character Education is a deliberate effort to nurture universal attributes that transcend racial, religious, socio-economic and cultural lines.  

It is a whole class effort to create a community that promotes the highest standards of student discipline and citizenship.  

As we enter a new school year, this month's character focus is on CARING - "We show kindness towards each other." 

There are a lot of different ways you can show somebody you care. Some use their words and some use their actions. 

In the video below, Mr. Saad talks about the different ways you can show your friends and family that you care about them.

After watching the video, please ask your child "How do you show your family you care about them?"

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

I am very passionate about Truth & Reconciliation with our Indigenous People.  It is very important to me as an educator to teach our children about our history in an honest, age appropriate, and respectful manner.  

A land acknowledgment is an act of reconciliation and respect with, and for, the First Nations People of Simcoe County, on whose land we stand.  

I am proud to share that the land acknowledgments provided below was developed in consultation and partnership with local Indigenous partners.

Here at Nottawa, we say the land acknowledgement (see image below) each and every day to offer our sincere support and that we stand together with Canada's First Nations People.  

CLASSROOM EXPECTATIONS:

Below, you will find a variety of photographs which we have worked on in class to establish our rules and routines.  

My top priority is to ensure your child feels SEEN, HEARD, VALUED, SAFE, and unconditional BELONGING. 

CLASS PROMISE:

Every day after O’Canada and the morning announcements, we as a class community say aloud “Our Class Promise” to help us set a positive intention for our school day.  

It has been going very well this week and students are saying it with pride.  There are hand actions that go along with this, see if your child can show you these as they say The Promise.

WHAT IS GRATITUDE? | HOW DO WE PRACTICE IT?  

An important ongoing theme and appreciation that is and will continue to take place in our classroom is GRATITUDE.

To help remind the students of this feeling and way of living, we proudly say aloud: "Let's have an attitude of gratitude, your life will be filled with JOY!"

Gratitude is like saying "thank you" from your heart. It's a warm feeling you get when you appreciate something good that has happened to you or when someone has done something nice for you.

It's about recognizing and feeling thankful for the positive things in your life.

In the video below, Mr. Saad explains how you can show gratitude toward people, places and things that make your life filled with joy!

I want to take this opportunity now to extend my sincere gratitude (thank you) to you (parents) for taking the time and energy to begin reading my very first (thorough ;) blog post.  

I look forward to continuing to share all our key learning accompanied with photographs with you each and every FriYAY :)  Stay tuned!

HYLA:

Speaking of gratitude, a special acknowledgment goes to Hyla for bringing in a beautiful positive affirmation entitled “I Am Thankful.” 🌟

Her words reminded us how important it is to pause and notice the many things we can be grateful for each day.  Gratitude helps us stay positive, kind, and connected with one another.

I am so proud of Hyla for sharing this powerful affirmation with our class family.  

By doing so, she encouraged all of us to think about what we are thankful for and inspired us to carry gratitude into our learning and friendships. 💚

WELCOME BACK GIFT BAG:

I hope your child enjoyed sharing his or her goody bag with YOU!  The purpose of this was to warmly welcome all my students and share some special items that have important meanings :)

When your child uses or used his or her new pencil, eraser, smarties, lifesaver, and starburst, my hope is that he or she remembers what each one represents :-)

Double click to enlarge

At the end of the first day of school, we did a sharing circle called "I'm Bursting to KNOW YOU" (see image below).  

The children had the opportunity to go into his or her gift bag, pick out their Starburst, and they were encouraged to share about a specific experience depending on what colour they had.  

BUBBLE GUM BUDDIES:

Did your child come home from school this week and share, "Guess what Mom and Dad, Ms. Gill gave us bubble gum!!"  Now I know what you may be thinking, "Is gum even permitted at school?!" 

For the purposes of getting to know our peers, I had students engage in this friendly and fun activity ;)

I am very pleased with how everyone managed their gum chewing, blowing bubbles, and respectfully walking around the classroom genuinely asking their peers about the various categories.  

We definitely had a blast with this!!  Check out the photos below to see for yourself ;)

BRAIN GYM & MEDITATION:

Perhaps your child has talked about doing “Brain Gym” and “Meditation” in class?  If so, yes we have!  

Each day after our nutrition and fitness breaks, I have been leading brain gym exercises followed by meditation.  

Mindfulness serves as a vital tool for students to exercise their brain helpers to improve their focus, concentration, and being more mindful and present in their learning.  

The photograph below shows you our mindfulness wall and students’ responses about how brain gym and meditation helps us! 

One of the "helper of the day's" responsiblity will be to lead our class in these exercises which will increase their confidence and leadership skills.  

Can your child state all the "brain helpers” and their function without referring to these images?  

If not YET, no worries, we will be referring to these all year long so students will get a greater understanding of their powerful brain and how they can TRAIN THEIR BRAIN to help them be the best version of themselves.

Your extraordinary brain has many regions which control different functions and like any great team, they work best when they work together!

In the videos below, you will take a tour to meet these regions and learn more about how they operate!

When students understand that they are in control of their brains, they are empowered to learn, to grow, and to seek out challenges for a lifetime of learning.

This year, it is my goal to help my learners foster this skill through an understanding of age-appropriate neuroscience. Check out the videos below to learn more :-)

GUIDED MEDITATIONS:

To help boost our meditation skills, we have started Mr. Boyle's guided meditations using his Dreamwalkers videos.

Here is the link to all the videos, it's terrific -->  Mindful Minutes for Schools and Kids    

Dreamwalkers is here to improve and inspire students’ mental health, wellbeing, resilience, imagination, calm and self-regulation through ✨Mindful Minute✨ meditations and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) resources.

Check out the video below as Mr. Boyle explains the immeasurable impact that meditation has on young people's overall well-being.  We've already been benefiting from them :-)

Throughout the school year, we will be using guided meditations and many children within our class have already reaped its benefits in the first week of school.  

The evidence is right there for me - many children are more focused, present, relaxed, and ready to learn after we're done our mindfulness exercises & meditation. 

Below I have also shared the 2 informational videos and 2 guided meditations that we have watched and completed so far.  It went so well!  

1 of 5 S's:  SILENCE

Mindful Minutes:  Forest Soundscape

2 of 5 S's:  SPACE

Mindful Minutes:  Stretch & Relax

I honestly couldn't imagine not incorporating mindfulness daily in our classroom.  I truly believe it's a game-changer in creating our calm & cooperative class community :)

As I finalize this portion of the blog, I already can't wait for our next week's guided meditations!  

LANGUAGE:

The story below is about KINDNESS, INCLUSIVITY, and DIVERSITY all which are and will be an important and ongoing theme in our classroom this year.

Please take some time to watch, listen, and follow a group of children through a day in their school, where everyone is welcomed with open arms.

All Are Welcome lets young children know that no matter what, they have a place, they have a space, and they are welcome in their school.

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING:

This year, there will be an emphasis on your child’s Social Emotional Learning (SEL).  

What is it?  Social Emotional Learning (SEL) helps children develop essential skills for managing emotions, setting and achieving goals, showing empathy, building relationships, and making responsible decisions. 

SEL focuses on emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills, which are vital for both academic success and personal well-being.   

By engaging in SEL, our children learn to navigate social interactions, handle conflicts, and build resilience. This creates a more positive and focused learning environment and enhances their self-awareness and emotional stability. 

Every week, students will write a SEL writing prompt in their agenda to discuss at home and write in their SEL journal

to think and reflect upon the question being posed to help build their self-regulation skills, confidence, and resilience.  

This week’s prompt was How does your body react when you're sad or angry? What helps you calm down these big emotions?

Students have started their writing in their SEL Journal 📔 

I hope your child was able to share with you his or her answer to this prompt and perhaps you were able to share also!

GROWTH MINDSET VS. FIXED MINDSET:

What is it?  "In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work.  

Brains and talent are just the starting point.  This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment." 

Studies have been done to show the significant difference in a child's confidence and belief in themselves and their abilities when they think in growth mindset ways.  Change your words. Change your MINDset.  

In our class, I have dedicated a wall that teaches our children to train their brain to think, speak, and act in ways that promote growth as opposed to fixed mindsets.  

Please listen to this creative story (below) which teaches children (and adults) the valuable lesson that BECOMING IS BETTER than being, which can open the door to a whole new world of possibilities!  

The story will soon teach you a valuable lesson and will open your mind and heart to embrace a 'bubble gum brain' (growth mindset) as opposed to a 'brick brain' (fixed mindset). 

I truly feel, if we begin thinking in positive ways, we will act in it!  We not only help ourselves achieve our best, but we create a classroom community that emits growth :)

TERRY FOX:

Terry Fox is an excellent model for growth mindset.  He taught us the importance of NEVER GIVING UP no matter the challenge or obstacle set before us.  

It's hard to believe any greater challenge to face than cancer, yet he continued to believe and his powerful messages of #courage #resilience #hope #perseverance lives on to this day! 

In class, Terry's thoughts, words, and actions will be emphasized daily :)  We can be like Terry's Mindset too, if we TRY. 

As you may have noticed in your child's agenda, each week, we will post a new Growth Mindset quote on my blog as well as in the classroom for my students to visibly see every day and they will also write it down in their agenda and share with you!  

If you and/or your child have a growth mindset that you'd like me to share with the class, I encourage you to jot it down on a sticky note, bring it to school in the agenda, and I will post it in our classroom :)  

TEAM BUILDING CHALLENGES:

This week, our class took on a fun and exciting Team Building Challenge called “The Cup Tower Challenge.” 

The goal of this activity was to strengthen our GROWTH MINDSET and skills in cooperation, communication, and confidence when faced with a challenge.

Stage 3 of the Cup Tower Challenge - oh la, la!
Can we do it?

For Stage 1, each group worked with just 2 cups and 1 index card. Their mission: successfully pull the index card so the cup stacked neatly on top of the other. With a 3-minute timer running, students earned 1 point each time their tower stacked.

We played two rounds, and the results were amazing! Every group improved their score in Round 2, thanks to stronger communication and teamwork. 

The excitement and determination in the room were incredible, just look at their enthusiasm in the photos below as they celebrated their success!

💡 Next week, we’ll move on to Stage 2 with 3 cups and 2 index cards. The students are already buzzing with excitement to take on the next challenge!

YahOoO, Iris & Carter - you did it 🎖️ 

You got this Freddy & Hyla 🙏🏾 

You got this 💪 

Ready! Set! Gooo 😃

Sooo satisfying isn’t it, Milo 🥰

Ayden & Ryker work it 🤙

Cali setting up. Ryder recorder 👌🏾 

Rylee & Eli nailed it! 

Yay Blackey, you got’r 💫 

MATH MINDSET:

For some, math can be an intimidating subject.  I know it was for me when I was in school.  

As a teacher now, I want to help your child feel success and that they can achieve their VERY BEST in math. 

Throughout the school year, I will be sharing meaningful mindset videos and math posters to shift our thinking from a ‘fixed mindset’ to a ‘growth mindset.’ 

This being, that when we make mistakes, it’s not a negative thing, instead, it helps us learn and grow our brain power!  

Check out the video below which empowers children to take risks, embrace challenges, and understand that when we struggle, it's actually our greatest opportunity to enrich our knowledge of concepts.  

Below, you will find your child in math action cooperatively working on 2 math tasks that I posed for the class.  Check it out :-)

Students worked in a THINK!  PAIR!  SHARE GROUPINGS! to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding.  We made time to consolidate (share) our mathematical processes. 

First please ask your child to explain how to play the KNOCKOUT or WIPEOUT math game.

Next, enlarge the MATH RIDDLE photo below and discuss with your child how to arrange the numbers 1-8 in the boxes without consecutive numbers beside each other diagonally, vertically, or horizontally. 

We did this in class and it will be meaningful for you to listen and learn about the strategies they used to solve this.

Overall, this was a wonderful opportunity for me to get a glimpse of HOW your child cooperates and collaborates :-)  

Please know, we will have many opportunities in class to participate in group work this year, so there will be an emphasis on effectively working in a group.  

I did a mini lesson on this and students learned strategies to constructively work with their classmates.  

See images below of the children working cooperatively as a T.E.A.M.

TABS FOR KIDS:

Thank you to my current and former students - Hyla, Iris, and Keenan who brought in tabs already this school year to help support our class initiative.  

Hyla, your kindness radiates within & beyond the classroom 🥰

My former student Keenan! Thank you for your generous contributions last year and this year too 💙

Way to go, kiddo! 

I honour you, Iris 🤗

We are learning that "LIVING IS GIVING" and what better way than to help children in need :)

Now you may be wondering, how will the tabs be useful?  Before reading below, I encourage you to ask your child about this first and see if they are able to share its importance with you :)

Our class is going to support The Robert Hampson Tabs for Kids Fund.  This organization works to raise funds to purchase accessibility devices for children. 

To learn more about Tabs for Kids, I have posted a link below :)

Pop Tabs for Wheelchairs

We will be collecting tabs for the remainder of the school year and see what amount we come up with at the end of June when I will then deliver it to the organization.  Many thanks in advance for your contributions!

ELI:

Thank you to Eli & family for donating Kleenex & paper towel for our class.  It has come in handy already and we appreciate your generosity and thoughtfulness!

EVAN, RYLEE & HYLA:

💚 A big thank you to Evan, Hyla, and Rylee for the thoughtful gifts you gave me this week, a set of pens, a bracelet, and a pocket hug sticker. Your kindness truly touched my heart!

I am so grateful for your thoughtfulness, and it means so much to be surrounded by such caring and generous students. 

Thank you for making me feel so appreciated, you really made my first week back to school extra special! 🌟

MINDFULNESS:

In this moving short film (below), take a moment to watch and hear from elementary school students learning to use mindfulness to navigate complex feelings.  

In class, we will regularly participate in mindfulness activities such as BRAIN GYM and MEDITATION.  

Students are enjoying these tools to help with smoother transitions from recess to back to in class learning.  

It truly is remarkable the profound impact it has on their focus, energy, and output in their learning.  Our classroom instantaneously becomes such a calm and peaceful environment.  

Now, please take a moment to watch the video below and ask your child the following: 

What are some of mindfulness strategies used in the video to help you calm down when you're feeling upset or unsettled? 

Just before bedtime, try sitting or laying down and meditate for 1 minute.  Try breathing deeply in and out.  Sweet dreams :)

GROWTH MINDSET:

Growing up, I became accustomed to hearing the common phrase "practice makes perfect."  As I grew older, I began to question this and asked myself "Is anybody perfect?  Should we strive for perfection or progression?"  

In my mind and heart, as individuals we can always build upon (progress) our skills with effort and I believe we are all LIFE LONG LEARNERS.  

We will be faced with many adversities, but we must look to these as opportunities to learn and grow!  

In doing so, we can and will become the BEST VERSION OF OURSELVES.

As an educator, I am not looking for any of my students to be "perfect."  Truthfully, I wouldn't even know what that looks like.  

All I ask is that your child TRIES THEIR BEST (effort) to MAKE PROGRESS (gains) at their own pace through practice, Practice, PRACTICE.

I look forward to sharing weekly mindset messages so we all can train our brains to think positively especially when faced with challenges!  

With love, grace, and gratitude,

Ms. Gill