Week #8: Oct. 20th - Oct. 23rd
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| 🥎 Let’s Go Blue Jays ⚾️ |
This is a friendly reminder that Simcoe County District School Board schools are spaces where we value student inclusion and diversity every day of the year!
With Halloween approaching, it is a time when we need to remind our students that “Culture is not a costume.” #IAmNotACostume
Though dressing up at Halloween is fun and exciting, depending upon the choice of costume we choose to wear, it also runs the risk of being offensive to other cultures.
As parents and guardians, Halloween is the opportunity to discuss costume choices with your child. It is important not to inadvertently mimic culture by culturally appropriating racial, religious or ethnic groups.
Some critical equity questions to ask yourself about your costume. Am I reinforcing stereotypes with the image I am portraying? Is my costume a form of exploitation of another culture?
Check out the link below for more information → How to celebrate Halloween WITHOUT cultural appropriation or racist stereotypes – Parents for Diversity
Any further questions about this, please direct them to the office and speak with Mrs. Mortimer who has kindly asked us to share this information.
Any further questions about this, please direct them to the office and speak with Mrs. Mortimer who has kindly asked us to share this information.
Earlier this week, our class family had a lovely time collaborating with the kindergartners on a fun interactive art activity - leaf art 🌳 🍁
This experience allowed the older students (my class) to mentor the younger children while demonstrating this month’s character attribute COOPERATION.
Everyone worked together cooperatively to create beautiful artwork 🌞
As you can see from the images, we truly savoured the moment!
We can't wait for our next learning buddy session in November!
Thank you to Mrs. Shaw for collaborating with us and everyone who participated in making this activity a success!
MATH:
This week, our class has been working on solving math word problems using our 4 Block Method graphic organizer, a great tool that helps students organize their thinking step-by-step!
Here’s how it works:
🟩 UNDERSTAND – What do I already know? What do I need to find out?
🟦 PLAN – What strategies will I use to solve the problem?
🟨 SOLVE – Show my thinking using pictures, diagrams, and number sentences.
🟥 EXPLAIN – Use words to answer the question in a sentence and explain how I know my answer makes sense.
Students used this method to solve a fun problem called “Pizza Counting” (see image below 🍕). They worked with a partner to discuss, plan, and show their thinking clearly in all four blocks.
👉 Ask your child how he or she solved this problem with their partner.
What strategies did they use? Did they draw a picture, make a table, or write equations?
Please note, we also took this problem up together as a class to share ideas and celebrate all the creative ways to approach problem-solving!
ART:
This week, my young artists created beautiful Leaf Art using oil pastels! The focus of our lesson was learning about warm and cool colours, and how artists use the Elements of Art: line, shape, colour, and texture to bring their work to life.
Each student designed their own fall leaf composition, blending and layering oil pastels to create stunning visual effects. The results were absolutely fantastic vibrant, expressive, and full of creativity! 🍁
Their masterpieces will be coming home in the next little while, so be sure to check them out!
Next week, we’ll continue our art journey by learning about the famous Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, also known as “The Dot Princess.”
We’ll be creating a dotted pumpkin inspired by her playful and bold techniques. I look forward to introducing and getting this project started! 🎃✨
In Social Studies, students are learning about Heritage & Identity. I have listed the specific expectations for each grade :)
Please note, I have posted an interactive digital workbook for your child on Google Classroom with all the lessons I will be providing and the accompanying activities to complete.
I encourage families to check this out over the weekend so you can see what we will be learning about :)
You will notice that answer slides are given in the slide deck, however, I encourage the children to first try the questions on their own after my mini-lesson, and then check their answers for understanding.
Grade 3's:
Strand A. Heritage and Identity: Communities in Canada, 1780–1850 (Nov. to Feb.)
compare ways of life among some specific groups in Canada around the beginning of the nineteenth century, and describe some of the changes between that era and the present day
use the social studies inquiry process to investigate some of the major challenges that different groups and communities faced in Canada from around 1780 to 1850, and key measures taken to address these challenges
identify some of the communities in Canada around the beginning of the nineteenth century, and describe their relationships to the land and to each other
Strand A. Heritage and Identity: Early Societies to 1500 CE (Nov. to Feb.)
compare social organization (e.g., social classes, general political structure, inherited privilege, the status of women) in a few early societies, including at least one First Nation and one Inuit society (e.g., a slave-owning and a feudal society; a matrilineal First Nation and a society in medieval Asia)
compare aspects of the daily lives of different groups within a few early societies, including at least one First Nation and one Inuit society (e.g., the work, family life, education, food, dress, and/or housing of a slave and a senator in ancient Rome; women of different castes in medieval India; a serf and lord in feudal England; a man and a woman in medieval China or in early Mohawk society; a merchant and noble in Renaissance Italy), and explain how differences were related to the social organization of that society
describe some of the ways in which their daily life differs from the lives of young people from different backgrounds (e.g., wealthy, poor, slave, urban, rural) in a few early societies, including at least one First Nation and one Inuit society (e.g., with reference to family life, education, leisure time and recreation, responsibilities, work)
compare a few early societies, including at least one First Nation and one Inuit society, in terms of their relationship with the environment (e.g., with reference to seasonal rhythms, use of land and resources, differences between urban and rural communities, religious and spiritual practices/beliefs with respect to the environment), and describe some key similarities and differences in environmental practices between these societies and present-day Canada
This Wednesday, students from grades 4–8 who qualified for the Cross Country County Meet showed incredible dedication and spirit!
A special shout-out goes to Carter and Eli, who represented our class family for this special event! They faced tough competition and finished the race giving their very best effort. Your hard work, determination, and sportsmanship are inspiring! 👏
I am thrilled to share that Nottawa placed 1st in both the team and a few individual categories, what an amazing achievement! 🏆
We are truly surrounded by incredible athletes and many of whom I have taught when they were in either grade 3 or 4 :) Below are some of them ... I'm beaming!
Congrats Geirer Girls!
Grade 6 Girls Placed First!
Great job to Iris' older sister Tessa on her race!
Finley, you are such a good kid & athelete!
What makes me even prouder, though, is the humility and grace our young runners displayed throughout the competition.
Gosh, I am so proud of all our runners, congratulations!
Many would have received a message about Meditation Mondays on SchoolCashOnline, my 4-week fall session for students in K-8 to learn and practice guided meditations.
Here are the details:
🎯 What: Guided Meditations for K-8
🎯 When: Oct. 20, Oct. 27, Nov. 3, Nov. 10
🎯 Time: 8:45 – 9:15 A.M.
🎯 Where: Ms. Gill’s Portable
🎯 Why: Mindful Monday
🎯 Sign Up: On School Cash Online (permission required to participate!)
Earlier this week, I was so thrilled to have 10 little meditators join me on Monday! It was such a peaceful and joyful way to start the week.
I can’t wait to see even more students this coming Monday at 8:45 A.M. in my portable.
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| Loved having Norah, Charlotte (and her sis), and Freddy's lil' bro Cal join us! |
Parents: Please drop your child off at the front of the school, and they can make their way to my portable for our session.
Let’s start our Monday's with calm, focus, and a little mindfulness together! 🌟
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