Week #2: Sept. 8th - 12th

Dear Families,

✨ Wow, we’ve already wrapped up our second week of school! Time truly flies when you’re learning, growing, and having FUN together! 🎉📚

In our classroom, I strive to ensure my students feel SEEN, HEARD, and VALUED 💕. We’re making it our mission to use KINDNESS 🌟 in our thoughts, words, and actions each day. This will always be an important goal for our class family 💫. 

A big thank-you 🙏 to the families who took the time to read my last blog update! I know it was a lengthy one (oops 😅), but I promise the information I share is always connected to what your child is actively learning and experiencing in Grade 3/4. 

My hope is that the blog becomes a meaningful window into our weekly adventures together 📝🌈.

Your kind messages of appreciation after my last post truly made my day 💌! 

I’ll keep working hard to provide you with highlights and updates each week. Consistent communication and transparency with both students and families mean so much to me 🤝💚.

IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM THE OFFICE:  Reporting Student Absences

We need your help! 🙏 Some families are still calling in student absences, but the phone system 📞 does not recognize our school name and often records student names incorrectly. 

To keep things accurate and easy, please report all absences by email instead.

✨ Here’s what to do if your child(ren) will be away:

1️⃣ Email notattendance@scdsb.on.ca
2️⃣ In your email, include:
✅ Your child’s full name
✅ Your child’s teacher’s name
✅ Date(s) of absence
✅ Reason for absence

Thank you so much 💚 for helping us keep attendance records accurate and up to date!

ATTENTIVE LISTENING & ACCOUNTABLE TALK:

As we get more and more into our daily routines and academics, students will have opportunities to work with their think, pair, and share partner(s).  

When we work together, we can achieve MORE.  The goal is for students to use ACCOUNTABLE TALK (chart below).  

Click on the image below and please ask your child what this LOOKS LIKE!  SOUNDS LIKE!  FEELS LIKE!  

Great start!  We will continue to add more and more ideas as the school year progresses :)

As we've participated in this, students will be adding more and more ideas to our class chart (see above) which will be wonderful!!  Perhaps your child has contributed an idea, please ask them :)  

As a teacher, I'm not looking for a 'silent classroom,' but one in which we are 'buzzing' about the topic and task we're learning about. 

Check out the photo below of Ryanne & Evan using accountable talk in action to successfully build their tower!

A SAFE & WELCOMING COMMUNITY:

🌟 In our classroom, we’ve been working on building a Safe & Welcoming Community together. 

This week, students helped brainstorm what a safe and welcoming classroom looks like, sounds like, and feels like.

Some of their thoughtful ideas included:
✨ Looks like friends including each other in games and sharing supplies.
✨ Sounds like kind words, encouraging voices, and respectful listening.
✨ Feels like belonging, comfort, and happiness.

It was so timely that Hyla’s affirmation card aligned beautifully with our discussion 💚

Thank you Hyla for sharing this affirmation 🩵
I will always do my best to be a safe & comforting adult at school to be there for you & your classmates 💜

This anchor chart will stay up all year long, and we’ll continue to add to it as we grow together. We’re excited to keep building our classroom into a space where everyone feels safe, supported, and valued!

I PROMISE:

This week I shared a powerful story by LeBron James called I Promise.  Being a basketball enthusiast and having many others in the class as well, we were all really excited to dive into this book and learn about its message.

The book is rooted in the promises LeBron and students make to themselves, their families, and each other to be the best they can be in everything they do.  They reaffirm this commitment every day as they recite their promises together.

After listening to the story, the students and I thoughtfully wrote down one promise to help make our classroom a better place for all to learn and grow in.

Hyla 💜

Freddy & Rylee 🩵

Evan ❤️ 

I encourage you to now please listen to the story with your child and discuss what your promise is to help continue making your home the best it can be.

Click the 'play button' to enjoy this story with your child & discuss its contents

INTERNATIONAL DOT DAY:

Did you know International Dot Day is celebrated every year on September 15th? 🎉 

On this day, people around the world come together to celebrate Creativity, Courage, and Collaboration. The celebration began when a teacher shared Peter H. Reynolds’ inspiring book The Dot with his students in 2009.

My former students Ethan & Freddie <--- Nell's brother

The Dot tells the story of a caring teacher who encourages a doubting student, Vashti, to believe in herself and bravely “make her mark.” This message reminds us that each of us has the power to make a positive difference in our world. 🌟

📅 On Monday, September 15th, we will be celebrating Dot Day in our class!

To join the fun, I encourage students to come dressed in dots! Some fun ideas include:

• A polka dot shirt or dress 👕👗

• Socks, hats, or scarves with dots 🧦🧢

• DIY paper dots pinned to clothes 🔴🟢🔵

As a class family, we’re ready to MAKE OUR MARK in Grade 3 & 4, making the world a better place for ourselves, our families, friends, and community. 💚

In Language, students will write about “How Will You Make Your Mark This School Year?” and will also create an art piece to express themselves creatively. 

I’ll be sharing more about our Dot Day celebration in next week’s blog post, but until then, thank you for supporting your child in dressing up and joining us in this meaningful celebration. Can't wait to see all the Dots next week!

DAILY MATH:

This week, I provided students with math warm-up questions that we call "Brain Breakfast" which links directly to the math expectations.  

When students arrive to class each morning, they quietly get out their 5 assigned math questions.  

This gets their brains alert and ready (like our breakfast foods do for our bodies) for the day's math lesson!  See sample below.  

Please note, when we finish these assigned questions, I always make time to consolidate (think, share, and discuss) the strategies used to check for students' knowledge & understanding.  

Through this consolidation, I gain valuable data to see students' progress with their stars - "what they did well" and arrows - "what they need to improve upon for next time."

During consolidation time, I provide specific feedback for students to write down onto their sheets to help them "bump up" (add details) their answers.  

If you see that your child has written a "w.a." that indicates the question(s) was done "with assistance." 

A useful tool I've provided in class to help the children complete their work to their highest potential is the following poem entitled "How Am I Doing?"  (Refer to photo below).  

A poster for this is hung up in our classroom and I will regularly refer to it to encourage everyone to strive for a level 3 (B) and level 4 (A).  A copy of this will be provided in the agenda in the next while, stay tuned!

Your child's completed 'Brain Breakfast' math sheets will come home in the agenda after the weekend. 

I encourage you to please sit with your child at some point during the school week and consolidate (go over) their answers and have them explain some strategies or new learning from this work.  This is very helpful as you're reinforcing learned concepts from school to home :-)  

Please stay tuned for this week's sheets coming home on Monday!  Many thanks in advance for your support in our "Brain Breakfast" program!

MATH:

This week in math, our focus has been on learning that when we communicate effectively with each other, we are better able to understand mathematical ideas and concepts.

I will be successful when:

• I work with others on math problems

• I express my thinking

• I listen to the ideas of others

• I use my ideas and the ideas of others to help solve challenging problems

• I ask questions if I want to know more or need help

Thank you Milo for sharing your mindset with us 🥰

Below I have posted a math mindset video which talks about The Truth About Your Brain.

Give it a listen and learn about the ways that your child can continue developing a growth mindset not only in mathematics, but in their everyday life too :)

FIRST 20 DAYS OF MATH:

To assist all learning styles (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic), this year students will be provided with digital workbooks via Google Classroom (GC) to learn and grow from.  

In the coming days, under the math section of CLASSWORK in GC, I will be posting (next week likely) Google Slides for all our math learning this school year as well as the First 20 Days of Math.  

Please note, the slides that have a green checkmark GIF are the ones that students are responsible to complete in class and to share these at home to help reinforce learned concepts.  

Where applicable, please answer all the questions in the textboxes provided using complete sentences.

Students are encouraged to be responsible, work hard, and follow through on their commitments to get the jobs done!  #growthmindset

MATH GAME:

This week in Math, we learned how to play a fun and exciting game called Skunk! 🦨🎲 

Skunk is a game of probability, where students get to take risks, make decisions, and think critically about possible outcomes.

There are two versions of the game:
1️⃣ Teacher-led version – I rolled the dice for the class, and students decided whether to keep playing for more points or stop to keep their score safe.
2️⃣ Partner version – Students worked in pairs to take turns rolling the dice, making choices, and recording their scores together.

This game sparked lots of math talk, strategic thinking, and excitement as students discovered how probability connects to decision-making. 💡 

It was wonderful to see the class taking risks, collaborating, and building confidence in their mathematical thinking.

Ask your child to explain how to play Skunk at home, you might just find yourself in a family game night full of probability and fun! 🎲✨

Here's a video demo, check it out!

MATH DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENTS:

Before I begin teaching a new math unit, I will be providing students with a 'diagnostic assessment' which gives them the opportunity to "show what they know."  

These assessments are designed to evaluate students’ strengths, areas to improve, knowledge and skills before they receive explicit instruction from me in a particular area of mathematics.

This assessment assists me to plan meaningful and efficient instruction and can provide students with an individualized learning experience. 

Independently written by students, the diagnostic assessment is a tool for teachers to better understand what students already know about a topic when submitted before the start of a unit :)

In the next while, your child will write a diagnostic assessment to demonstrate his or her understanding of "Whole Numbers" (see photos below).  

Grade 3 Diagnostic ✏️ 

Grade 4 Diagnostic 🧮 

Once assessments are completed, I will be evaluating your child's work to help guide my instruction for our new math unit for 'Number' which I will begin teaching after the first 20 days of school :-)

Learning Goals:

For this unit, we are learning to:

• read, represent, compose, and decompose whole numbers up to and including 1,000 (gr. 3) & 10, 000 (gr. 4)  

• compare and order whole numbers up to and including 1,000s (gr. 3) & 10, 000s (gr. 4)

• round whole numbers to the nearest ten, hundred (gr. 3) , or thousand (gr. 4)

• represent and solve problems involving the addition and subtraction of whole numbers that add up to no more than 1,000 (gr. 3) & 10, 000 (gr. 4)

WORDS THEIR WAY SPELLING INVENTORY:

This week, your child wrote a diagnostic assessment called Words Their Way, a spelling inventory.

Grade 3’s writing their spelling assessment ✏️ 

Taking out learning outdoors ☀️ 

What is it?  

These spelling inventories are used to help group students by their spelling developmental stage.  

The inventory contains a list of words that were chosen to represent a variety of spelling features at increasing levels of difficulty.  These features might include consonants, digraphs, blends, short vowels, and so forth.

What is the purpose?

The Qualitative Spelling Inventory helps teachers to support students in their correct developmental stage of word study.  

Spelling Inventory: Grade 3 Words Their Way 

Spelling Inventory: Grade 4 Words Their Way

In the next while, students will be provided weekly words based on their developmental spelling stage.

Your child will come home with a duo-tang containing a list of WORD STUDY words to practice to support their vocabulary building, comprehension, and spelling abilities.  

As you can see from this student example (above), I’m not looking for ‘perfect,’ these completed inventories will provide me with valuable insight into their spelling developmental stage.

Way to go boys and girls, I am very proud of each of you for putting forth your PERSONAL BEST and working towards YOUR POTENTIAL!

S.T.E.A.M. CHALLENGES:

As learners in the 21st century, our children need to be problem-solvers to be successful in the world around them.  Our classroom is therefore embarking in a hands-on learning process known as S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math).

This is an inquiry model of learning where the students are given a challenge and are asked to work in groups to solve the problem given certain materials and a specific time frame. The problems will incorporate multiple subjects.

Students will complete various challenges throughout the school year which I am confident they will absolutely love! The purpose of these challenges is to help build our skills in RESILIENCE and GRIT using interactive and engaging S.T.E.A.M. activities :)

TEAM BUILDING CHALLENGE STAGE #2:

Last week, our class family kicked off Stage #1 of our Team Building STEAM Challenge. 

This week, we took on Stage #2, the exciting Cup Tower Challenge! 🥤🏗️

The goal of this activity was to continue strengthening our GROWTH MINDSET along with important skills in cooperation, communication, and confidence when faced with a challenge. And let me tell you… my oh my, did we F.A.I.L. (which we know means First Attempt In Learning)! 😅

But here’s the best part: each attempt helped us improve as we practiced collaborating, communicating, and believing in ourselves. 💪✨

The kids had an absolute blast, and their enthusiasm, teamwork, and connections with one another are truly soaring and growing. 🌈

You may wish to try activity at home 🏡 

Items needed: 3 red solo cups, 2 recipe cards - ENJOY 😉 

FOUR FINGER AFFIRMATIONS:

As an educator, I strongly believe in supporting my students' mental health & overall well-being.  

As adults, we know the stresses that come with life and with everything that has happened over the past few years with the pandemic, our children have been affected by some of these stresses too.  

Although we may be back to our 'new normal,' it is imperative that we continue to support our children when they do feel big emotions like being anxious, sad, worried, and frustrated.

I truly believe in the POWER OF POSITIVITY, it can transform your life for BETTER, for GOOD!  

After all, our thoughts become our words, our words become our actions, and our actions become our destiny (life)."   So why not train our brain to think and act in positive ways? 

Has your child come home and shared about the Four Finger Affirmations?  We tried this activity in class this week and the affirmations shared were awe-inspiring.  

Affirmations are positive words and phrases that, when used daily and repeatedly, can have a powerful and transformational effect in your life. 

As a teacher, I have been using affirmations and I really do believe in the power of using this practice. 

Each morning when we enter the portable, an affirmation is posted on our door such as "I am WORTHY.  I am LOVED.  I am ACCEPTED.  I am ENOUGH."

As I shared some of my examples, some students keenly started sharing their affirmations to set a positive intention for the day for themselves and their peers!  I love this!

Please take a moment to watch the video below to gain more insight in developing this exercise into your daily routine.  I promise you, it will fill your heart with JOY!

Give it a try!  As a family, share your affirmations with each other and help build each other up :) 

IRIS:

A very special thank you to Iris and her family for the thoughtful and inspiring gifts they shared with our class!

Star Jar & Positive Pickles 📝 

They gifted us with Positive Pickles – a jar filled with uplifting AFFIRMATIONS that I can share with students throughout the year to help acknowledge and encourage them. 

What an amazing way to spread joy and remind us of the POWER OF POSITIVITY, something we’ve been focusing on these first two weeks of school! 💚🥒✨

In addition, Iris blessed our class with a Star Jar, where we will collect ‘stars’ as a class family for showing strong collaboration, kind communication, and building our classroom community. ⭐ Together, these gifts will help us celebrate our growth, positivity, and teamwork all year long.

Thank you Iris, your kindness is shining brightly in our classroom! 🌟

TAPPING TECHNIQUE:

Have you heard about the "Tapping Technique?"  It's a scientifically proven technique that works to rewire the brain by sending calming signals to the amygdala, the stress center of the brain, allowing both the body and brain to release limitations from negative experiences, emotions, thoughts and much more that hold us back from creating the life we want.

Most people don't realize how big of an impact chronic stress has on their life.  It affects their health, their ability to think clearly, and their ability to be happy and to create the life they want.  It doesn't have to be this way though!

Check out the video below which gives you an explanation of tapping on the 9 regions on your body.

I'm optimistic your child can show you where they are prior to watching the video, ask them :-) 

The students and I have been using the tapping technique in our Brain Gym routine and its benefits are almost instantaneous as I noticed their brains and bodies were more calm, alert, and ready to learn.  

Please ask your child about the tapping technique (therapy) and give it a TRY at home using the Tapping Meditation below. 

May you too benefit from its calming signals sent straight to your brain (prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, cerebellum, and cerebrum).

Have a great weekend and KEEP TAPPING!

GYAN MUDRA:

This week, we learned about the benefits of Gyan Mudra a hand gesture commonly used in meditation.  It involves joining the thumb and index finger while extending the other fingers.  

Please see image below of how to sit in Gyan Mudra.

This is my friend Chaz who is a yoga & meditation instructor who is currently teaching in Thailand

This simple yet powerful hand gesture offers many benefits for our well-being:

● 🌟 Improved Concentration & Focus – Helps boost mental clarity, great for meditation or tasks that need focus.
● 😌 Reduced Stress – Brings a calming effect, lowering stress and anxiety.
● 🧠 Enhanced Memory – Believed to strengthen memory and cognitive skills.
● 🤕 Relief from Headaches – Can ease tension headaches for some.
● 😴 Better Sleep – Calms the mind, which may improve sleep quality.

Whether you’re an experienced meditator or completely new to it, anyone can try Gyan Mudra and enjoy its benefits!

Carter 🏒 

I encourage you to please try Gyan Mudra by sitting comfortably in your home using the guided meditation below :) 

I am hopeful it will help you find inner peace, harmony, and the relaxation you're seeking to quiet your mind and just BREATHE :)

Check out some of our mindful meditators this week who led our class in using Gyan Mudra 🙌 staying calm, present, and centered. 💚 

🏌️‍♂️Freddy ⚾️ 

Rachel 💜

Rylee 💛 

⛳️🧘‍♂️ MEDITATION + GOLF = SUCCESS! 🎉

Speaking of Freddy, I just have to share this amazing story about him! Last weekend, during his golf tournament at Duntroon Highlands, Freddy put his mindfulness skills into action. 

On Monday, he excitedly told me:  "Ms. Gill, I just wanted to tell you that meditation actually helped me in my putting game in golf. It was awesome!"

Not only did meditation help Freddy stay calm and focused on the course, but it also boosted his game so much that he WON 1st place in the junior division! 🏆👏

We are so proud of Freddy for using the power of mindfulness to achieve greatness both on and off the course. 🌟

Way to go, Freddy! 💚

LIVING IS GIVING:

I would like to give a heartfelt thank you to all of my students and families who donated to our very first giving initiative – The Collingwood Food Bank.

I was truly touched that just one day after sending home the note, “Living is Giving,” students arrived with their hands full of items to give back to those in need. 

This beautiful response is a reminder of the kindness and generosity that lives within our school community.

As an educator, I believe strongly in instilling the mindset of Giving Back to Our Community. As the amazing Mother Teresa said (see image below) -->

A special thank you goes out to the parents who purchased these items to support the Food Bank! Your generosity and support make a true impact. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such a gracious and giving school family. 💫

ELI:

🌟 Speaking of generosity, a special shout out and thank you to Eli and his wonderful family for their generous donation of a 5-gallon jug and a bag filled with tabs for wheelchairs! ♿💙

Class goal - fill a 5g jug with tabs! 

Your kindness and commitment to helping others will go a long way in supporting this meaningful cause. Every tab collected makes a difference, and together, these small acts of giving add up to something BIG!

We are so grateful to have such thoughtful and caring families in our school community. Way to go, Eli! 👏✨

FREDDY & MICAH:

The giving continues! A big thank you to Freddy and Micah and their families for donating boxes of Kleenex. 

With the cooler temps on their way, these will be so useful for wiping runny noses and cleaning up after sneezes 🤧✨.

Your thoughtfulness helps keep our classroom healthy and comfortable. We’re so grateful for your generosity! 🌟

MINDFULNESS:

The video below takes you through what being in the PRESENT MOMENT means. #Mindfulness is all about LIVING IN THE MOMENT, and using our BRAIN & BREATHING to help us in wonderous ways!

We live in an age of distraction and spend the better part of our lives planning over the future or ruminating over the past.

"One of life's sharpest paradoxes is that our future hinges on our ability to live in this very moment. We're living in a world that contributes in a major way to mental fragmentation, disintegration, distraction, decoherence," says Buddhist scholar B. Alan Wallace.

Life unfolds in the present, this moment is very powerful! This video's quest is to bring the wonderous "moment" to you so that you can cultivate a sense of awareness in you.

This MOMENT just needs to be STILL and you can feel the SILENCE within. All you need to do is "breathe"...

GROWTH MINDSET:

This week's mindset message ...

"T.E.A.M. - Together Everybody Achieves MORE!"

What does this mean?

🤝 Teamwork helps us reach our goals faster, makes us feel proud, and shows us that together is better!

💡 Here are 3 ways kids can work as a team:

• At home: Help with chores together, like setting the table or tidying up, so everyone’s job feels lighter.

• At school: Listen to your group members’ ideas and take turns when working on projects.

• In the community: Join in food drives or neighbourhood clean-ups, where everyone’s effort makes a big difference.

Gooo TEAM!

With love, grace, and gratitude,

Ms. P. Gill