Week#9: Oct. 27th - 31st

Dear Families,

I hope you and your child have a SPOOKTACULAR Halloween celebration and that the weather will  cooperate just enough to make trick-or-treating enjoyable, and I hope the rain doesn't dampen anyone’s spirits. 🎃

Halloween Day was so much fun here at school!  I loved seeing the wonderfully creative and unique costumes each student wore, check them out below! 

Thank you, parents, for putting so much love and thought into these celebrations.  I can truly SEE, HEAR, and FEEL the JOY it brings to your child!

Throughout the day, students were excited to share stories about their upcoming Halloween adventures and all the fun (and candy!) the will enjoy with family and friends. 

With all the excitement around Halloween, I want to share that we had an incredibly productive week filled with meaningful learning.  Below, you’ll see just how purposeful our week was! 

Thank you, as always, for taking the time to check in, read, and support your child’s learning journey. Your active involvement is deeply appreciated!

HALLOWEEN DANCE:

Thank you to all the students and staff who participated in our spirit day by dressing up in orange, black, and purple or a costume.  It was so nice to see everyone actively participating and getting into the Halloween spirit!

Thank you to our school's Leadership Team for a "BOO-TIFUL HOWLoWe’en" Celebration today!

It was so "fang-tastic" to see so many "gord-eous" pumpkins made into Jack-O-Lanterns.  Thank you to the teachers who came in early Thursday morning to help set up.  Your time and energy was appreciated by our students :)   

On behalf of ALL the Nighthawks, thank you and remember to keep calm and pumpkin on!

Check out our very 'spooktacular' gym in the photos below which was filled with many blow-ups and Halloween décor, it looked fantastic and so were all the costumes!  

We enjoyed dancing and spending time together with our classmates, friends, and teachers :) 

HALLOWEEN ART:

You may have noticed your child bringing home a Halloween art piece, a big mouth pumpkin folding surprise! 🎃  

Students started this in class earlier this afternoon before music class and brought it home to finish up to hopefully hang up in a window as Halloween decor.

This was a fun and creative activity, and the class had a blast working on it!  When the pumpkin is folded, it looks like a regular jack-o'-lantern, but open it up, and there’s a big, silly mouth inside!  HAHA!

We followed a step-by-step video for inspiration, carefully adding each detail to make our pumpkins unique.  The kids where encouraged to put in their own creative twists on their art to make it unique.

PUMPKIN CONTEST:

A huge thank you to our Leadership Team for their generosity in donating large pumpkins to each classroom to join in the friendly competition for BEST DECORATED PUMPKIN! 

Look at ALL the creativity below 👇🏾 Well done classes! 

This thoughtful donation each year lets us join in the Halloween spirit by decorating and/or carving pumpkins to put on display for our Halloween dance. We are so grateful!

We had some fun making our Blue Jays Fan inspired pumpkin and did our best ☺️ 

A special shoutout to Mrs. Engel who volunteered her time to come in to help support us in this fun & friendly carving contest :)

ONE BOY'S INSPIRING HALLOWEEN:

Below is an inspirational story of one boy's Halloween.  Ethan Smallwood a 7 year old from Clarke's Beach, Newfoundland is a big fan of superheroes.  

One year for Halloween, he didn't look to the Avengers or the Justice League for inspiration. Ethan was inspired to dress up as Terry Fox after learning about him at school.  

Annnnd get this, instead of getting candy, he collected donations for the Terry Fox Foundation.  How amazing 🤩 

Enjoy watching this inspiring story of this empathetic boy's journey to help make a difference! I LOVE IT 🥰 

CALI & BODEN M.:

A big thank you to Boden and Cali for their kindness and generosity this Halloween! 🎃

Cali surprised our class with fun yo-yos, and Boden shared awesome skeleton treats that everyone enjoyed. Your thoughtful gifts brought so many smiles to our classroom today!

Thank you both for helping make our Halloween celebration extra special! 🌟

WRITING:

In Writing, students have been learning how to write a Recount, a piece of writing that retells an event in sequence. 

Today, I assigned a Halloween Recount on Google Classroom, where students will have the opportunity to reflect on and describe their own Halloween experiences using what we’ve learned in class.

All instructions, with a marking scheme, and an example are posted on Google Classroom to help guide them through the process. 

I encourage students to spend a little time over the weekend working on their recount, it’s a great way to reinforce their writing skills and apply our classroom learning at home.

I can’t wait to read about your child’s Halloween adventures!

Thank you for your continued support in nurturing their learning both at home and at school. 🎃

GRAMMAR RULE #2:

This week, we dove into learning about Types of Sentences!  Your child has brought home their work to share this new learning with you, take a look and see what they’ve been working on!

Below, you'll see our students in action!  I love giving them the chance to Think! Pair! Share!  This is a process that lets them team up, share ideas, and learn from one another. 

It’s amazing to watch them grow and support each other as they explore and discover new topics together :)

NATIONAL GRATITUDE MONTH:

Did you know that NATIONAL GRATITUDE MONTH is celebrated every year on November 1st?  Yes, it's true!!  

National Gratitude Month encourages us to embrace the power of gratitude.  Fortunately for our class family, this is an ongoing practice each and every day in our learning community, and not solely focused on during November or Thanksgiving :)  

As we've learned, gratitude is more than simply saying "thank you."  Gratitude's amazing powers have the ability to shift us from focusing on the negative to appreciating what is positive in our lives.  Practicing daily gratitude gives us a deeper connection to ourselves, the world around us, and to our Creator.

Everything in our lives has the ability to improve when we are grateful.  Research has shown that gratitude can enhance our moods, decrease stress, and drastically improve our overall level of health and well-being.  

I believe if everyone practiced daily gratitude, we could change ourselves and the planet for the better!  Everyone would be much happier :)  Love would grow and hate would decrease.  The world would know true peace.

What are WE waiting for?  Give gratitude a try!  You'll be happier you did :-) 

CHARACTER ATTRIBUTE:

Speaking of November, for this month, our class will focus on celebrating the character attributes of COURAGE & BRAVERY.  

What is courage?  It's about doing the right thing even when it's difficult!  

• We use courage to find the strength to try things outside our range of comfort.
• We also dig deep and use courage when doing the right thing can be difficult!
• What could you use a little courage for and how will you use courage to try new things?

As Remembrance Day approaches, in class we will be discussing that our former, current, and future Canadian Armed Forces Members, Veterans, and the Indigenous People who went to residential schools are some of the MOST COURAGEOUS, BRAVE, and RESILIENT individuals on this Land.  

Despite facing MANY EXCRUCIATING challenges, this group of people faced their fears (F.E.A.R. = face everything and RISE) and did the right thing to stand up and protect Canada and what they believed in!!  

May we all aspire to stand up strongly, loudly (but, gently), and proudly for what we believe in to serve and protect our country, family, friends, and community.  

#Canadianproud

#BeCourageous

#BeBrave

NOVEMBER KINDNESS CHALLENGE:

A new month means it’s time for another Kindness Calendar Challenge! 😊

I’ve been thrilled to see and hear students embracing these kindness activities, especially giving positive affirmations to each other as we begin our day in the portable. 

You know who you are, and thank you for your uplifting words and support!

This month, I encourage everyone to keep up the wonderful energy by trying out the different suggestions on the calendar. 

Let’s make an effort to take these affirmations beyond our words, bringing them to life in our actions each day!  By actively showing kindness, we’re helping make our school, our friendships, and our community a better place to live, work, and play.

I have every confidence that this amazing group will rise to the challenge!  Let’s make this month full of courage and kindness! 🌟

MOOD METER:

As our school year continues and we get to know one another more deeply, it’s natural that disagreements or moments of conflict may arise. These moments, while sometimes uncomfortable, are also important opportunities for learning and growth.

In our class, we use something called a Restorative Circle to help us work through these situations together. 

This means we gather in a circle and take turns talking and listening so everyone has a chance to share their side of the story. We focus on understanding how people feel, taking responsibility for our actions, and finding ways to make things right.

I never want children to shy away from or push down their big emotions. We talk about how it’s important to “Name it to Tame it!”  When we can name our feelings, we can start to manage them in healthy and respectful ways.

Recently, a dear friend and colleague shared a wonderful tool with me that helps guide these conversations and supports emotional repair and restoration. 

We will be using this tool in our classroom to help us recognize, regulate, and restore our emotions. I’ve also posted it on Google Classroom for students and families to explore and use at home. 

I strongly encourage you to check it out over the weekend. 

By working together (students, teachers, and families), we can help children learn valuable lifelong skills: empathy, communication, and problem-solving.

MINDFUL MINUTES:

Speaking of tools to regulate our emotions, I’ve now shared all of our Mindful Minutes (Guided Meditations) on Google Classroom for students to access at home! 

Now that the children are familiar with how to use these meditations from our classroom practice, I truly believe they can become a helpful and calming routine beyond the school day as well.

Perhaps your child might enjoy choosing a Mindful Minute before bedtime to help ease their brain, body, and breath for a sweet and restful sleep 🌙 or maybe incorporating at the beginning of the day for their morning routine.  Whatever works best for them and your family.

These short guided meditations encourage mindfulness, relaxation, and emotional regulation, all skills that support well-being both inside and outside the classroom. 

I hope they bring your family a few peaceful moments at the end of beginning of your days. 💚

MINDFULNESS:

As we approach Treaties Recognition Week (November 2nd - 8th, 2025), I encourage you to watch a meaningful video featuring Ontario students sharing their thoughts on why treaties matter. 

Their reflections highlight the importance of honoring the agreements that shape relationships with Indigenous communities and deepen our understanding of history, rights, and responsibilities.

This message is especially powerful because it comes from school-aged children, speaking from their own hearts and minds. 

It’s a valuable opportunity to see how our youth are learning about and advocating for the significance of treaties in our shared communities.

GROWTH MINDSET:

“Instead of thinking, I made a mistake. Try thinking, MISTAKES HELP ME LEARN & GROW! 

With love, grace, and gratitude,

Ms. Gill