Week of: Nov. 16th - 19th

Dear Families,

It was amazing to virtually meet with ALL my students' parents this week!  Thank you for taking the time to attend, celebrate and enjoy all your child's achievements thus far in the school year!

I am extremely proud of all my learners as they clearly, confidently, and calmly led his or her conference by sharing their self-assessment (Progress Report), personal goals, message of peace, and their art activity “Behind the Mask.”  It was your child’s chance to shine and they certainly lit up our hearts and minds!! 

Throughout the conferences, I experienced some heart-warming moments with parents and I really appreciate and value all your positive and constructive feedback.  I will use it to continue to provide my best as an educator for your child's academic, social, and behavioural needs.  

Meeting the strengths and needs of my students is of utmost importance to me!  I will always work hard to ensure they receive a compassionate, caring, and safe environment to learn in.

Again, thank you for your continued support, cooperation, and understanding in all the expectations that are set out for your child in grade 3. 

If you have any further questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at the school or via email pgill@scdsb.on.ca 

PINK SHIRT DAY:

This week was dedicated to promoting and acknowledging Bullying Prevention!  

This is an issue that is near and dear to my heart as your child's teacher.  To help show my students just how important this cause (bullying prevention) is to me, I shared my personal experiences of being mistreated by others because of the colour of my skin.  

As a youngster, I attended Connaught Public School in the late eighties and nineties so many of the students there at the time didn't have experience with coloured children and didn't know how to relate to me.  Unfortunately, each day in grades 2 and 3, I would come home hurt and crying because I was "different."  

But then in grade 4, my life changing teacher Mrs. Boucher entered my life!!  She was the first person who made me feel that I MATTERED.  Mrs. Boucher helped me see my differences as my strength and that I should never be ashamed of who I was (a Sikh Canadian).  

From grade 4 onwards, I had been proud and confident in my OWN SKIN.  Thank you Mrs. Boucher for helping me through the pain and instilling the value of resilience in me!!  Despite the hurt, I never gave up on myself because I had you in my life.  

My greatest dream has been to help children BE WHO THEY ARE because EVERY CHILD MATTERS!!  This photo of Ryan always brings a smile to my face ... yes, ALWAYS BE YOU!!!

As a result of my hardship, I have made it my goal to ensure that my students do not go through what I did.  I want to help my students BE THE BEST THEY CAN BE!!  In class, we regularly talk about celebrating our differences and IT'S OK TO BE DIFFERENT!!       

I am reinforcing the importance of creating, building upon, and maintaining happy hearts in and out of our classroom.  Your child's caring and compassionate ways are appreciated beyond measure!! 

Our Community of Learners Agreements help guide us every day - Attentive Listening, Mutual Respect, NO PUT DOWNS, Right to Participate, Right to Pass.  We regularly refer to these agreements as a reminder for us all to treat our peers, friends, and family with kindness, dignity, and respect.  I feel this will help in creating a happy, safe, and caring world.

"In a world if you can be anything, BE KIND!"

I believe in all my students and their abilities to reach out to do their part in making a positive difference for our today and tomorrows ... together we can help put an END TO BULLYING!!!

Below, I have posted a brief video about how pink shirt day got started.  This gave students an opportunity to learn where it all began and why it is important to acknowledge it every year!

Thank you to all the students who wore PINK yesterday to show your support to help put an end to bullying now and every day!!  It meant a lot to me :)

Language Activity:

My passion for bullying prevention connected to our language focus this week too!  In class, I read aloud a story called "The Bully."  

After sharing this book, students worked on using a Venn Diagram to sort and classify the similarities and differences between the main character of the text (the bully) to themselves.

As a whole group, we brainstormed adjectives to help describe a bullied child and how bullying impacts them.  We also wrote a message / letter to a bullied child expressing our feelings and letting them know that THEY MATTER.  These completed sheets will come home next week for you to see.  Stay tuned!

Bystander:

Through our anti-bullying discussions that we’ve had in class, we also learned about the term "Bystander" and what it means. 

A bystander(s) is a person or group of people who see bullying happening yet don't do anything to help.  In other words, they witness the bullying and walk away which ultimately continues and promotes this unkind cycle.  Please listen to the story below to learn more.

My class is a beautiful, loving community of learners and it is our hope we will continue to be so and encourage each other as well as other students in our school about the importance of NO PUT DOWNS!

Grammar:

This week, we learned all about NOUNS!  We identified the difference between common and proper nouns.  Ask your child about this!  When you have time, please review the sheets that came home to help further reinforce this concept.  Many thanks!!

Math:

We have wrapped up our learning in geometry!  The students all did their personal best in their assessment and I am very proud of their efforts!  These tests will come home in the next while J

Below, you will find the students working in groups to complete their final geometry tasks that helped prepare them for their assessment.  They loved building the mini 3D figures using nets (2D shapes).

Our next unit in math will focus on Patterning & Algebra!

The Expectations:

1.  Identify, extend, and create a repeating pattern involving two attributes (e.g., size, colour, orientation, number), using a variety of tools (e.g., pattern blocks, attribute blocks, drawings) (Sample problem: Create a repeating pattern using three colours and two shapes.)
2. Identify and describe, through investigation, number patterns involving addition, subtraction, and multiplication, represented on a number line, on a calendar, and on a hundreds chart (e.g., the multiples of 9 appear diagonally in a hundreds chart)
3. Extend repeating, growing, and shrinking number patterns (Sample problem: Write the next three terms in the pattern 4, 8, 12, 16)
4. Create a number pattern involving addition or subtraction, given a pattern represented on a number line or a pattern rule expressed in words (Sample problem: Make a number pattern that starts at 0 and grows by adding 7 each time.)
5.  Represent simple geometric patterns using a number sequence, a number line, or a bar graph (e.g., the given growing pattern of toothpick squares can be represented numerically by the sequence 4, 7, 10, …, which represents the number of toothpicks used to make each figure)
6.  Demonstrate, through investigation, an understanding that a pattern results from repeating an action (e.g., clapping, taking a step forward every second), repeating an operation (e.g., addition, subtraction), using a transformation (e.g., slide, flip, turn), or making some other repeated change to an attribute (e.g., colour, orientation)

IXL:

Thank you to the students who are working hard at home and school to complete the various math questions that I recommend on this program.  We have achieved an important certificate (see below).  What a remarkable achievement!!  Way to go boys and girls :)

I'll be posting more recommendations for you to complete as we get into our patterning and algebra unit to help reinforce these concepts.  Stay tuned!

Clara:

Thank you Clara for presenting and sharing with the class some very important family members who served our country!!  I could sense your pride and it was wonderful for us all to learn about your family's history and their remarkable contributions!!

Brooklyn:

Thank you Brooklyn for bringing in the book "A Poppy is to Remember."  The information in this story really helped us learn and value the importance of the poppy and why we wear it every Nov. 11th.  I really appreciate you sharing various books from home and bringing them to school for us to learn and grow from.  You've been doing this regularly and it means a lot to us!

Lily:

Check out Lily below researching and collaborating with her Dad!!  Lily was inspired by one of her reading comprehension tasks about "A Worm Composting Factory" that she wanted to make one at home!!  Isn't this amazing!?  

I was overjoyed when I received an email from Lily's Mom.  When my students make connections from their school work and apply them to their daily lives, it brings me immense joy!!  Lily's enthusiasm for science and how she can help protect our planet is inspiring!!  Way to go :)

Mindfulness:

Some kids are really drawn to Ed Sheeran as they are fond of his music, I am too!  But, if you listen to his story and how he's overcome challenges in his life, it'll leave you with an appreciation for this wonderful musician. 

Take a moment to listen to this video and think about the following questions:  

What did you learn from Ed’s wise words? How can you incorporate them in your life?

In life, unfortunately more often than not, we will all experience some form of hurt because of who we are.  Don’t let others words get you down.  Easier said than done, but trust me, let’s embrace our quirks and BE OURSELVES!  

There is only one YOU, stand UP, and shout, “I am worthy!  I am happy just the way I am!”  Together, we can make a difference and accept one another as we are!

Growth Mindset:

Thank you Ryker for sharing this quote with us this week!  Malala is one of my personal heroes whom I admire and respect so much!  Her thoughts, words, and actions have left an impact and it is up to us to live by them to help make our world brighter and better!!  We ALL HAVE A VOICE, it needs to be heard!!

Miigwetch,

Miss Gill