Week #26: Mar. 9th - 13th
Another wonderful work week for us in the classroom and I hope yours was just as productive :)
I hear from some followers of mine, "Pareen, it's amazing how much you and your students accomplish in a week, how do you do it?"
Well, truthfully there's never a lull moment as soon as your child steps foot into our learning space each morning. I do my best to ensure we seize & savour every moment.
Every second is precious and our mentality is to 'work hard and play hard!' Life's all about balance :-)
As we head into March Break, I want to wish all of my students and their families a very happy, healthy, and fun break!
I hope everyone has time to rest, play, and enjoy some special moments together. I’m looking forward to hearing all about the adventures when we return on March 23rd!
WYE MARSH:
As you know, our field trip had to be cancelled for a second time due to the weather. I know the students were really looking forward to the opportunity to learn outside the classroom in a new environment and honestly, I was too!
Thank you so much for your patience and understanding. I truly appreciate the support from our families when plans have to change because of things out of our control.
As soon as I receive a new rescheduled date, I will be sure to let everyone know right away.
Thank you again for your understanding.
PARALYMPICS:
Our class has been interested in learning about the Paralympic Games! Students have especially enjoyed watching Para ice hockey and cheering for the athletes. It has led to conversations about teamwork, determination, and how athletes find different ways to compete and succeed!
We also learned about a local para-alpine skier, Michaela Gosselin. Michaela grew up skiing at Osler Bluff Ski Club.
When she was 18, she was diagnosed with cancer and had surgery that removed part of her shoulder. Even after such a big challenge, Michaela continued to follow her love for skiing and now competes around the world. Some of our students were especially excited to learn about her because they also ski at Osler!
Learning about para-athletes is important because it helps children see that people can overcome challenges and still achieve amazing things. These athletes remind us about courage, perseverance, and believing in ourselves.
As an educator, I too have been inspired and am very proud to learn about such incredible athletes. 🏒⛷️
ROCK YOUR SOCKS FOR DOWN SYNDROME DAY:
Did you know, March 21st is recognized globally as World Down Syndrome Day, because people with Down Syndrome have three copies of chromosome 21 instead of two. This extra chromosome is what makes them so unique and exceptional!
Since March 21st falls during March Break, our school will be celebrating and gaining awareness about these amazing individuals on Monday, March 23rd, the first day back from break.
We are asking all students to ROCK THEIR SOCKS on that day! This can be patterned, colourful, striped, or mismatched socks, anything fun that shows their support.
Why socks? The movement uses socks as a symbol to celebrate differences and show that being unique is something to be proud of! 🧦✨
I will also be doing explicit teaching around this topic, which is very near and dear to my heart. I have friends whose son, Kai, has Down Syndrome, and my goal is to set up a Google Meet with Kai’s parents so the students can “MEET HIM” and learn about his awesome qualities and his experience as a 1st grader.
Stay tuned for more details, it’s going to be a special day of learning, celebration, and awareness! 💛💙
CHARACTER RECOGNITION ASSEMBLY:
Our next character recognition assembly will take place on Tuesday, March 31st at 9:30 AM.
It will also be a Spirit Day, and students are invited to Dress as Your Hero! This could be a community helper, a family member, a historical figure, an athlete, or anyone students admire and look up to.
I will also be notifying the parents of the students I have selected to receive a Character Award by email.
As always, we welcome and encourage parents to attend if they are able to. It is always so nice to see our community come together to honour the various recipients from K-8!
To help reinforce these concepts, I have assigned Knowledgehook Missions for students to practice plotting coordinates in the first quadrant of the Cartesian plane.
These activities are a great way for them to strengthen their understanding and build confidence with this new learning.
Please remember to complete the Knowledgehook Missions, boys and girls. The practice will really help these skills stick!
After our discussion, I asked the students:
✏️ If YOU had a magic pencil, how would you use it to make your home, school, community, or the world a better place?
Student's responses were thoughtful, creative, and full of kindness! 💕
These special writing pieces will be coming home soon. I hope you enjoy reading your child’s words and admiring their ideas for making the world a better place to live, work, and play in! 🌎💫
Let’s continue to celebrate strong, brave, and inspiring girls and women this month and always! 💜
#WomensHistoryMonth #KindnessMatters #OurFutureActivists
I would like to recognize the wonderful initiative shown by Norah and Rachel during our learning about the Provinces and Territories.
When I saw that Norah and Rachel had taken it upon themselves to research and take notes about a province that interested them, I was immediately impressed and very appreciative of their efforts.
The curiosity and enthusiasm of these girls is awe-inspiring and fantastic to see! This kind of initiative reflects a true love of learning :)
Keep up the great work, girls 🇨🇦✨
AYDEN & EVAN:
Speaking of taking initiative and working hard, I would also like to recognize Ayden and Evan.
These two have recently begun taking notes during my lessons to help them remember and understand the information we are learning.
I often share with my students that my goal is to help prepare them not only for the next grade, but also for intermediate grades, high school, post-secondary education, and even the workforce one day.
Learning how to take notes is a very valuable skill that can help in many situations.
I am very proud of Ayden and Evan for putting in this effort and for taking my suggestions to heart.
Keep up the great work, boys! 📚👏
CHARLOTTE:
Here is another moment of diligence displayed by another student, our Charlotte 🥰
As soon as Charlotte arrived earlier this morning, she went straight to her work folder, saw a missed worksheet, and asked, “Ms. Gill, what do I do here?” Such wonderful independence!
Not only has Charlotte been diligent in her own learning, later, she also shared, “Ms. Gill if anyone needs help, you can ask me, I will help them.”
That’s exactly what she did, helping her friend in her math and reading 🙏🏾 I loooove it!
I am so proud of Charlotte’s initiative & helpfulness! Keep up the great work habits, kiddo 💜
Some of the topics we will be discussing include:
Nicotine
Caffeine
Alcohol
Sugar
Dependency
The impacts of dependencies
Making healthy and responsible decisions
My goal is to help the class build awareness, develop critical thinking skills, and practice making safe and healthy choices in their daily lives.
For families who would like to take a closer look at what we are learning, the slide deck used in class has been posted on Google Classroom.
Students are responsible for completing the slides labeled “YOUR TURN” after we have finished learning about that specific topic in class.
These slides give students an opportunity to reflect on and apply what they have learned.
You are welcome to review the slides with your child and continue these important conversations at home.
Thank you for your continued support! 😊
GRAMMAR RULE #10:
This week, we learned about possessive nouns, which show who or what owns something.
Singular nouns → add 's (Kate's backpack, Mrs. Smith's class)
Plural nouns ending in s → add ' (the bees' hive, the boys' clubhouse)
Plural nouns not ending in s → add 's (the men's jackets, the children's classroom)
We spent some time practicing how to use possessive nouns to clearly show ownership in their writing. ✏️
Below you will see your child working with a partner on their grammar.
The Kindie room was buzzing with positivity, smiles, and lots of happy energy! 😊
Rylee shared the following message with us:
“Dear Ms. Gill and Class,
I miss all of you. On our new property we are making maple syrup with my family. I brought some to school today for everyone to try. My friends say it tastes like cake. We have electives at my new school. My winter elective was cross country skiing. I liked learning how to cross country ski. My new school owns a big forest across from our school and we get to go for walks and climb trees there.
How is the class? I love looking at the blogs to see what you guys are doing. My family says hi.”
From Rylee Ellis 🥳
Thank you Rylee for taking the time to write and update us. The students really enjoyed hearing what you have been up to, especially learning about making maple syrup on your property and getting to cross-country ski with your school!
Below is the photo Rylee shared of her and her sisters boiling down the sap they collected from the trees to make maple syrup.
Hope to hear from you again, Rylee!
GROWTH MINDSET:
This means doing the right thing all the time, not just when a teacher, parent, or friend is looking.
Integrity is about being honest, kind, and responsible, even when no one is there to see it.
For example:
✅ If you find something that isn’t yours, you return it even if no one saw you pick it up.
✅ If you make a mess, you clean it up, even if no one tells you to.
✅ If you promise to be kind, you still treat others nicely, even when no one is checking.
Integrity is like having an invisible superhero cape 🦸♂️🦸♀️ that reminds you to always do what’s right! Keep shining and making good choices, no matter what! 💫✨
******asd
Thasadfsdf
a
sdf
Comments
Post a Comment