Week #16: Dec. 15th

Dear Families,

With warmth and heartfelt wishes, I hope you and your loved ones have a Merry Christmas, joyful holidays, and a wonderful start to the New Year!

In the midst of our busy lives, the holidays offer a chance to slow down, be present, and reflect on the people we love, cherish, and respect.

May you enjoy many well-deserved moments of quality time together as a family.

As an educator, I feel incredibly blessed to have such caring, compassionate, and kind family, friends, and students in my life!

I will certainly miss your child’s enthusiastic and vibrant spirit during the holidays, but I look forward to reuniting and diving back into our daily routine of fun and learning on January 5th 2026!

EMPATHY, COMPASSION & GRATITUDE ASSEMBLY:

What an incredible performance by my students on Tuesday! I am beyond proud of everyone for their dedication and hard work both at school and at home to prepare for this assembly. It was clear that all of our efforts truly paid off!

Even though I was seated at the front, I felt like I could have been an audience member as well because the children knew their parts so well! Outstanding job, boys and girls!

Below, I’ve shared a collection of photos of the kids in action. A heartfelt thank you to Mr. Roth for beautifully capturing these special moments! 😊

If you (parents/grandparents) were able to attend, thank you so much for your support. Your presence meant the world to the class, and I’m sure you’re just as proud of them as I am.

It was a truly memorable moment that we will cherish in our hearts for a long time ❤️

As I write this, I continue to be very moved reflecting on the incredible impact your child had on the audience - families, staff, and students alike during our assembly.

It was truly one of those “you had to be there” moments to fully feel the energy and emotion they brought to the performance.

I would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to some very special people in my life who attended our presentation.

Thank you to Mr. Roth, Mrs. Roth, Kate, (family friends), my Ma, Mrs. Boucher (my Grade 4/5 teacher), and Mrs. Engel (retired custodian of Nottawa) for coming to support us!

Your unwavering care and encouragement in all my teaching endeavours mean so much to me, always. I’m truly grateful for you all, I love you! 😊

CHARACTER AWARD RECIPIENTS:

Congratulations to our amazing Blackey, Norah & Evan for being recognized for your outstanding empathy, compassion, and gratitude.

You consistently use these qualities through your thoughts, words, and actions even when no one is watching.

Thank you for being your wonderful selves!

Choosing Students of the Month is always a tough decision because I am surrounded by SO MANY incredible kids with outstanding character.

Please know that I put a lot of thought into selecting each recipient and take care to highlight how they exemplify these important traits.

Congratulations you three! 😊 Keep shining with your empathy, compassion, and gratitude!

DONATIONS IN LIEU OF A TEACHER GIFT:

I want to sincerely thank all the families and children who so generously donated to SickKids, My Friend’s House, or shared other holiday gifts with me. Your kindness, effort, and generosity mean more than words can express! 😊

In class, I was moved as I read the touching messages from parents. These heartfelt words are treasures I will always hold close and never take for granted.

Your unwavering love and support in helping charities that truly need it shows how incredible you are 😃

Please know, I value the compassion you show each day. My students are, without a doubt, my greatest gift! ❤️

I would say this school year has been incredibly fulfilling, filled with positivity, productivity, and passion. I’m excited to create even more unforgettable memories with all of you in 2026!

I’m beyond grateful and proud to be part of our incredible Nighthawk family!

Once again, thank you to all the parents for your generous contributions to these important organizations, foundations, and causes.

Your kindness truly makes a difference! #LivingIsGiving

A GIFT OF PEACE:

The past while, we’ve spent meaningful time creating a PEACE INSPIRED GIFT BAG for our families, and the kids are thrilled to share this special holiday gift with you!

Inside each bag, you’ll find a peace dove ornament with a heartfelt message, a poem by Maya Angelou titled "Amazing Peace," a peace stone, and a beautifully handmade letter and card from your child that I know you’ll treasure!

I believe that peace is one of the greatest gifts we can give to one another, helping to ensure we continue to live in a safe, strong, and free country.

Let’s all keep striving to treat each other with love and peace, contributing to a wonderful life for everyone!

You're definitely going to enjoy these precious gifts as your child's whole heart and spirit went into it :) Enjoy!

NOTTAWA'S 12 DAYS OF GIVING:

A final and massive thank you goes out to all our amazing students and families who donated to My Friends' House, an organization close to my heart.

Your warmth and energy with the children will remain cherished memories. Meegwich 🙂 We HONOUR & LOVE YOU.

A huge thank you to Mrs. Shaw, Mrs. Mathews and the Leadership Team for organizing this initiative, packing up the donations, and delivering the boxes. Your efforts ensured everything ran smoothly and made a big difference!

I am thrilled to share that the amount of donations this year is the largest My Friends' House has ever received from a school, way to go, Nighthawks! 🎉

Our hearts are filled with joy, and I am so proud of each and every one of you for embracing the true spirit of giving.

Thank you, Nottawa Elementary, for showing the true meaning of Christmas 🎅❤️

DONATIONS:

Wednesday marked the final day for donations, and I want to extend my final thanks to each of you (the parents in my class) for your incredible generosity.

With the rising costs of so many things, your willingness to go above and beyond to ensure your child brought in donations, often on multiple days is truly remarkable!

You have shown me and our school community the power of kindness and giving. Thank you, THANK YOU, for your immeasurable support! 💖

HOLIDAY HAPPY MAIL & GOOGLE MEET WITH SUNSET MANOR RESIDENTS:

On Wednesday, we had the pleasure of joining a Zoom call with some sweet residents of Sunset Manor 🙂.

It was a meaningful learning opportunity for students to practice important communication skills, listening carefully, asking thoughtful questions, and keeping conversations going with kindness and respect :)

I am delighted to share that all of the hard work your child put into their handmade holiday card was warmly and graciously received.

The residents truly felt the love, time, and effort that went into each card, and now our students know just how much their kindness meant to the elders.

The joy on the seniors’ faces as they opened and read the cards was priceless. The students loved seeing their smiles and reactions, please check out more photos below!

This experience truly brightened the residents’ spirits during the holiday season.

One of the most memorable moments was watching my students gently and lovingly greet the residents and sing three songs for them.

As I sat back and observed, I was incredibly moved, this exchange even brought happy tears to my eyes.

My students continue to demonstrate empathy, compassion, and gratitude through their thoughts, words, and actions.

When we can make a positive difference in the hearts and minds of others especially those who benefit so greatly from our time and care, like seniors, we are reminded of the power of connection!

To me, this experience beautifully reflects the true spirit of Christmas, spreading love, light, and joy wherever we can. 💚

Way to go boys and girls!

LETTERS TO THE CANADIAN ARMED FORCES:

A special shout-out to all the students who thoughtfully wrote their holiday and gratitude letters for a member of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Your kindness will be deeply felt and remembered! The letters were heartfelt and turned out beautifully. Thank you, THANK YOU!!

I am also deeply grateful to the parents who supported their children with this writing task. As I read through these letters, I’m truly touched and excited to send them off at the D&L Variety Store!

The purpose of this activity was for my students to acknowledge and remember all the men and women who are serving our country, especially during Christmas time when they will be away from their families.

We want the armed forces to know that we are thinking of them and value all their amazing contributions to keep us safe, strong, and free.

EDIBLE CHRISTMAS TREES:

Tuesday was a fun & festive day in our classroom! The children were eager to create their own edible Christmas tree using delicious icing and toppings 🍭

Working together with partners, the kids had so much fun spreading icing on their trees and decorating them with gummies, sprinkles, candy canes, chocolate chips, and more.

The trees turned out scrumptious! Some students decided to enjoy their creations at school, my apologies in advance if your child came home a bit extra energetic (buzzing), hehe. 😊🎄

Thank you, parents, for your continued generosity in providing so many delicious toppings for your child to use in creating their sweet trees! The students truly appreciated it, too. 😊🎄

Just look at the smiles on our faces, we clearly had an amazing time! 🎄😊

BLACKEY:

Thank you Blackey for bringing in extra sweet treats to share with your classmates and friends.

You took the time to walk around the room and make sure everyone had something to put on the tree. That was very kind and thoughtful!

This is empathy in action! Anyone who knows Blackey and his family knows that they always think about other people’s feelings. We are grateful you're part of our school community!

BUSINESS FAIR:

What an incredible success our Grade 8 Business Fair turned out to be! Thanks to the creativity, hard work, and entrepreneurial spirit of the students and the incredible support of our school community, the kids raised an amazing $9,889.80

Thanks to everyone who attended and purchased items.This event showed the power of our Nottawa community!

One of the most heartwarming moments for me was seeing the care and thought behind students purchases. Many students proudly came up to me saying things like, “Ms. Gill, I bought this for my sister, do you think she’ll like it?”

These moments remind us that this experience was about more than business, it was about empathy and generosity :)

I hope you enjoy the special gifts your child(ren) brought home and feel proud knowing they were part of something so meaningful.

A huge congratulations to all our Grade 8's, their teachers Mr. Bowhey, Mrs. Garvan, and Ms. McMullen for making this Business Fair such a massive success!

CARTER & HYLA:

Thank you Carter and Hyla and your families for providing Tabs for Kids this week! I know you've been collecting these for some time and we really appreciate it :-)

As we know, the holidays are a time to support others in need and this cause needs us.

Your empathetic and compassionate ways are valued beyond measure, Carter and Hyla!

GRADE 4 WORD STUDY:

Did your child come home this week talking about the most common sound in the English language? That’s right, it’s the SCHWA SOUND! It might even be a new concept for you too (it was for me 😉).

The schwa is a very subtle and quiet sound, but it plays an important role in many words.

The video below was a great help to us in identifying these sounds. Take a listen and see what you think!

MINDFULNESS:

Please watch and share these heart warming videos which pays tribute to the heroes around us and reminds us all about the power of kindness especially WHEN NOBODY'S WATCHING! I love it :-)