Dear Families,
Oh what a day! Another glorious one filled with sunshine and smiles :-) Your child and I are so happy to be in class making the most of our academic, social, and emotional learning!
It was a great week as we celebrated International Women's Day, a spirit jersey day, a virtual lesson by Wye Marsh, art inspired by Barbara Reid, and more structure building and researching with Mrs. Johnson. Check it all out below :-)
A friendly reminder that the clocks spring forward on Sunday! I've forgotten in the past and that made for a speedy commute to school on a Monday morning (HAHA)!
Anniversary of the Pandemic:
Can you believe it's been a whole year since the pandemic began? I would like to take this opportunity to reflect and think about how our lives have changed.
A year ago, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic marking the start of one of the most challenging chapters in modern health history. Ontario has tragically lost more than 7, 000 lives to this virus. My deepest condolences go out to the families, friends, colleagues, and all of those impacted by these tragic losses of life.
Over the past year, I recognize the extraordinary burden this has placed on individuals, families, and businesses across Ontario. The uncertainty created by this pandemic has had a devastating impact on our collective mental health, especially that of young people (students) who have been forced to put their lives on hold, and seniors who have had to isolate themselves from friends and family.
Today during period 1, our class family had a moment of silence to send our caring wishes to everyone affected by this virus. Together, we will get through this and we cannot let our guard down and must continue to wear our masks, wash our hands thoroughly, and maintain physical distancing when ever possible.
Though we may have experienced some of the darkest moments the past year, this crisis has also been met with incredible acts of kindness, compassion and generosity. Such as, my students and YOU (parents) continuing to be supportive, loving, and understanding as educators try to navigate in-class and distance (virtual) learning the best we can. It is because of you that I have had a very positive experience and continue to do so during this trying time.
Thank you for being by my side :) I promise to always ensure your child feels safe and supported. My students are my number one priority during the school day.
Spirit Day:
On Wednesday, it was jersey day! I especially liked this one as I'm a sports enthusiast. Some of you may know this as we played basketball and/or soccer in Collingwood as high schoolers.
Thank you to all the staff and students who dressed up for jersey day!! It's an opportunity for us all to feel a sense of community and togetherness as we cannot meet as a school in assemblies. That day will come again, but for now, we'll have SPIRIT DAYS to connect us.
I proudly wore my Raptors t-shirt and hat. I saw many others sporting their Leafs and Blue Jays gear as well :-)
International Women's Day:
On Monday, the education minister Stephan Lecce used TWITTER to share my video message. It was a true honour to be asked to be part of this experience and I will always cherish this.
In class, we talked about the most important woman in our lives - our Moms. We took time to think of various adjectives to describe our Moms and this is what we came up with (see photo below). I couldn't agree more!!
Thank you Kaylee for linking this day with the sweet t-shirt you wore, I love it!! Yes, you're FLAWLESS, BEAUTIFUL and POWERFUL like your Mom :-)
I hope you enjoyed the message that came home yesterday from your child's heart to yours. I heard from a few students that their Moms eyes filled with tears of joy as they read the message. We are truly grateful for everything that you (Moms) do not only for your family, but for our greater community.
Video Message:
We were so inspired by the various video messages that we listened to in class by inspiring women in our province that I had each student think about and write down a personal message they would like to give to our school.
Students are currently in the process of practicing their message and I will record these next week. Don't worry, you will have the opportunity to view these too! Mrs. Johnson is helping me create an IMovie. Stay tuned!!
Brooklyn:
Thank you for researching and bringing in some information about other inspiring women who have made a significant difference for our country such as Carrie Best and Nellie McClung. Your contributions are valued and always get our minds to expand with more knowledge.
As we've learned, International Women's Day is an excellent opportunity for us to celebrate amazing women and their incredible accomplishments. It's a perfect time to look back and remember some of the strong, brilliant women who have helped make Canada such a great place to live, work, and play!
Wye Marsh:
Today, we had the pleasure of having a virtual lesson conducted by the Wye Marsh. It was a neat experience as we saw and learned all about a rat snake, corn snake, and painted turtles. Check out the photos below :)
Emily the instructor was very knowledgeable and keen to answer all our questions. I know it may not be the same as us going on a field trip to the Wye Marsh, but we made the most of this experience and the important thing is that we're continuing to learn and grow in our knowledge about Wildlife! Through this virtual lesson, I've learned that I have many enthusiastic scientists in this class :)
Math Homework:
Thank you to all the students who completed their area and perimeter task that I assigned last weekend. It brought me great joy knowing that most are taking the time and effort to follow through with their responsibilities even on a Saturday/Sunday. Way to go :-)
Parental support is always welcomed and appreciated. I know calculating the area was a challenge as double digit multiplication was required. Thank you for your support Moms and Dads :)
Art:
This week, we began an art project using plasticine. We were inspired by the author Barbara Reid and Ryan's enthusiasm to build and create!
In class, we have done a lot of discussions around showing our appreciation and gratitude towards Mother Earth so we decided that we would create a nature scene. My students know when I look outside our portable window, I'll often say, "Boys and girls LOOK, it's like a painting!" We truly live in the most beautiful and picturesque area don't we? So now, we are taking the time to show our appreciation for our environment and how much we care about it!!
Here's Lily's creation so far! She was very excited to get going on this project. Look at how she's blended the colours, super work!!
We'll continue working on our art next week and you'll soon get to see your child's magical piece when we're done with them in class :) Stay tuned!
Lilia:
Thank you Lilia for bringing in your example of a Barbara Reid plasticine creation for us to see and admire.
We really appreciate you giving us tips too on how to use our thumbs to smooth out the plasticine for our backgrounds. This was very important and helpful!
Ryker:
Speaking of nature, check out Ryker building and creating in the snow!! We've had a terrific winter this season which was welcomed as kids love using their imaginations and skills to make sculptures and forts.
Thank you Mrs. Huys for sharing this sweet image with me of your daughter. Aww, she's so CUTE!
Fundraiser:
A big thank you to all the families who were able to purchase Dominoes pizza on Wednesday evening to help support our school. We really appreciate this as this gives us more school supplies and technology to help our students in their academics. We raised over $600.00 - YAHOO :-)
Mindfulness:
Make it an intention to practice sitting still, silent, and smiling using this purposeful 1 minute meditation tool (see video below). You will soon realize just how relaxed and focused you are in the present moment.
In class, we regularly meditate twice daily for 1 minute after recesses to help calm our minds and bodies from playing outside. We've been using the video as the author's message is powerful :) The students and I love it and will continue utilizing it, we hope you will too at home.
Growth Mindset:
Thank you Payton for sharing this quote with us! May Jemison is an American engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut. She became the first black woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist abroad the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Her words are very meaningful and true! What an inspiration :)
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