Friday, 19 June 2015

Dear Families,

I can’t believe this is my second last BLOG POST of the school year!!!  I have thoroughly enjoyed communicating our news and learning with you all (my students’ families).  I thank you for being a regular follower and supporting your child’s learning (E.g., by asking them questions about their week) and reading my thoughts!  It has been a true pleasure writing these posts each week as I get to reflect upon all the neat things we're doing as a class and this brings me immense joy, too!  

We enjoyed another jam-packed fun week of exploring, learning, and sharing!  You'll see with the abundance of photos I was able to capture :) Take a moment to find your child's lovely smile, they're precious, aren't they?!  Absolutely!  Enjoy your weekend ... may it continue to be sunny and bright!

Father's Day:
Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful Dads!  I hope you enjoy quality time together as a family.  Your child is so excited to give Dad the personalized card and letter that they created. Each student worked so hard on this during the week, I am so proud of their final products and I am confident you will be, too.  Thank you to all the families who provided a photograph of Dad to glue on the t-shirt, it turned out adorable.  I was delighted to see and hear that all my students have a special bond with their father, they lit up sharing their favourite memories!  Here are a few pictures of the Father's Day cards that students made ...
Ava and Daddy!
Kurtis and Dad
Emma's Daddy!
Brody and his Dad!
Ashlee's Dad :)
Kaden loves his Daddy!
Karina and Dad
Miika and Daddy!
Hello Mr. Knowler :)
Hello Mr. Harris
Hiii Mr. Duggan!
Conrad with is brother and Dad

General Store Visit:
On Tuesday afternoon, we walked to our local General Store for another Inquiry-Based mini field trip!  Your child gets oh so excited when we go on these little adventures.  I think it's important to have an awareness of what's in our community, and how everyone works together to keep it functioning smoothly.  We are learning lots about the various community members and their roles and responsibilities in their workplace.  Thank you to Britney the store manager for answering all our questions and providing us with a treat bag and FREE MOVIE RENTAL, so very generous!  Here are a list of some of the questions that students asked Britney:
What do customers use to pay for their candy?
Do you sell toys here?
What are the store hours?
What do you sell the most of?
What do you do when you run out of stuff?
How long have you worked here?
Walking safely and respectfully in our community
Ready for our Inquiry




Treat bags and a movie rental
Local Library Visit:
On Thursday morning, we walked to the local library.  In the fall, we had the opportunity to visit for four sessions, so the children were really enthusiastic to see Ms. Glenda again and listen to her stories and do a fun craft in the end!  It must be noted that the librarians working there noticed a huge difference in the kids as they look all grown up!  We have come a long way these past 10 months socially, behaviourally, and academically.  Way to go boys and girls :)  You represented our school family well.    

Ms. Glenda sharing 1 of 3 stories



Creating a craft accompanied with a poem

Summer's almost here, but don't forget to continue to READ!
3 books Ms. Glenda read to us!





Ms. Glenda is a thoughtful, kind, and compassionate person
Ready to participate attentively and joyously
Reminder:
This coming Tues. we will be inviting families into our learning community for our Poetry Cafe celebration.  Please ensure you sign into the office and make your way down to our classroom and find a seat.  Your child will be eager to see you!  We appreciate you taking the time out of your busy day to join us.  Please have your child wear black pants or shorts on Tues. for the Cafe.  

Spirit Assembly:  Our final spirit assembly will be on Wed. at 2:45pm.  Students are encouraged to wear their house colours to show house spirit!  Also, our final spirit dress up day is Thurs., the last day of school.  Students are encouraged to dress up for Canada Day - red and white!

Making Tie-Dye T-Shirts:
Today, students had the opportunity to work with their Grade 5 Learning Buddies to make a tie-dyed t-shirt.  Sound like fun?  Yes, it was!!  Parents who provided a t-shirt for their child to participate in this activity, thank you so very much!  I would like to extend a special thank you to Nolan's Mom for providing extra shirts for students who may have not brought one in.  It helped immensely Mrs. Reynolds as they came in handy, your generosity and kindness continue to amaze and delight US! THANK YOU!  One final note of gratitude to our Grade 5 students who were excellent in guiding and mentoring my students in helping tie elastic bands around the t-shirts tightly to securely hold the spiraled shirts in place!  Students will get to open up their dry t-shirts on Monday and see their creations! Can't wait!  I'll be sure to take lots of pics of these so you can see your child sporting his/her new tee.











Daniel's brother:
William Grade 4 is an avid nature lover
Thank you for sharing Will, your contributions throughout the school year to our science table are valued!
Students have loved asking "I Wonder"' questions when they're at the "'I Inquire" workstation.
Quote:
"Sometimes I pretend to be 'normal,' but it gets boring, so I go back to being ME!" --Mikaila


Namaste,
Miss Gill

Thursday, 11 June 2015

Dear Families,

We had another exciting and fun-filled week at school!  We were very fortunate to have bright, sunny skies and temps for our mini field trip (Tues.) and Pan Am games day (Thurs.).  Wednesday on the other hand was a different story in the morning with dark skies and rain, but the children did get outside second break.  The rain is welcomed however as our grasses need a big drink ;)
Have a great weekend!!
Favourite Cartoon Characters!  Way to go boys and girls :)
Social Studies Field Trip:
On Tuesday, our class went to Life's A Slice to learn about another community helper - pizza shop owners.  Wes and his wife were absolutely amazing with the children!  They welcomed us all openly and lovingly :)  They gave the children an opportunity to make their own mini pizzas as well with 4 toppings, yum!!  Thank you Wes for going above and beyond for my students and I, we will cherish this memory always!! As you can see from the pics, everyone was engaged, excited, and entertained from the moment we arrived to the very end.  Enjoy the pics ...
Ready for another Inquiry trip!
We've arrived and are ready to listen, learn, and create!
First thing's first, scrub our hands like Wes does numerous times when handling food.
Buckets full of delicous toppings!
Saucy
Building their personalized pizzas.
Nolan and Kaden's pizzas are in the oven sizzling away.
Toppings - pineapple, mushroom, ham, bacon - are you hungry yet?!  I AM!
Wes' adorable daughter overlooking the kids creations.

Carissa's cheesy pizza!


Waiting for their pizzas to come hot out of the oven!
Carissa & Emma - best seats in the house!
Scrumptious n' delicious!
Sizzle, sizzle!
Nom, Nom, Nom!
Pizza Picnic :)





Thank you Life's A Slice for the wonderful experience!!  We cherish you!!
Pan Am Games Day:
On Thursday, students in K-4 enjoyed a fun-filled day of rigorous exercise, amazing games, cold treats, cooling off with a fire hose, and a funny movie to celebrate the school year!  I would like to thank the teachers involved in the organization of it all and to Mrs. Kimberley's and Mrs. Morin's grade 5 students who created the games, led the stations, and groups throughout the morning.  From beginning to ending, everyone had a blast ... take a look and see :)

























Soaked by Daddy!
Daddy got you, Brody :)




Thank you Mrs. Bell for getting  us all fruit freezers!
Brothers - Ari & Miika





Sharing Poetry with Mrs. Draper:
On Wednesday, students completed their Poetry Portfolio!  Your child has now written 4 wonderful poems that he/she will share with you at our Poetry Cafe which will take place on June 23rd at noon-1:00 p.m.  They are ever so excited for this event and we are currently busily preparing for the big day by having rehearsals in class with Mrs. Czerny and I.  If your child has brought home some extra 'lines,' please ensure he/she practices them daily as I would like them to be as fluent and clear as possible so their 'Voice' and 'Message' is heard.  Thank you in advance for your cooperation and support in this endeavour.  See you all on the 23rd!

Thank you to Mrs. Draper who came into our class on Wednesday afternoon to hear some of the poems children had written.  She came to me after school and commented on just how amazing she felt the poems were and she even shed a happy tear or two as children shared their poems. Your eyes, ears, and heart are valued, Mrs. Draper!!
Layla & Mrs. Draper



Ashlee:
Congratulations Ashlee for making the year book back cover.  Your drawing will be used to decorate the back of our 2014/2015 Year Book!  You should be so very proud of your achievement.  Way to go, my girl :)  Also, thank you for bringing in family pictures to share with your peers and I on Monday.  We enjoyed hearing your stories and memories with your loving family.  Keep striving to be your best self in and out of our classroom!
Ashlee holding a picture of her sister who she loves and admires.
Quote:
"Life goes on ... whether you choose to move on and take a chance into the unknown or stay behind, locked in the past.  Thinking of what you could've been."  --Mikaila Steveson, thanks for sharing!

Namaste,
Miss Gill