Last year on a Pro-D Day, Ms. Francis attended a clay workshop through the VSB. This allowed her to learn about clay, and it gave our class access to a clay kit. The clay kit arrived this week, so both classes spent some time exploring this new art medium. Look at some of the things we made!

The primary cohort had two special guests helping them with this activity: Ms. Francis’ daughter and her friend volunteered to assist the Home Learners and two other classes with their clay projects. We were very grateful for their help and expertise.

Part of our clay explorations involved making a “pinch pot”. After rolling the clay into a ball we stuck our thumb in the middle and gently pinched the sides. We repeated this motion as we spun the ball around until we formed a little pot!

On Monday, there was a Remembrance Day Assembly. Beaconsfield’s Grade 7s shared a special presentation about the unsung heroes from various wars. They brought to light the important jobs Indigenous, Chinese, Japanese, and People of Colour had during the war. They also spoke about the contributions of women. The Grade 7s did a wonderful job highlighting all the people who fought for peace.

This week, both classes learned more about Daffodils. We even had the chance to dissect a bulb and look at a cross section under the microscope. We noticed the bulb looked like an onion with all the protective layers. See the diagram that shows what is happening to the daffodil bulb underground during the winter.

Community Events:

MetroVancouver has several K-12 resources that follow BC’s curriculum. Check something out at your grade level! https://metrovancouver.org/school-programs/k-12-resources

Burnaby Village Museum will have their holiday lights up starting November 22! Grab a hot chocolate, and stroll through the village and holiday lights. Ride the carousel and tour the railcar. This is a fun site during the festive season, and is free (except for the carousel). If you can’t get there in person, Burnaby Village Museum has online activities that you can do at home! https://www.burnabyvillagemuseum.ca/EN/main/what-s-on/online-activities.html

REMINDER: There will be no blogs during Portfolio Meetings the next two weeks. See you again in December!

This week we started planting our daffodil bulbs. We learned we needed to dig the holes 15cm deep. We also learned about the bulb coat and roots. The coat protects the bulb from the cold. The roots will grow slowly over the winter.

This week we took our graphing to the next level! We created our own graphs and collected data from our class. We formed our own question, added a title, and choices for each bar. After gathering our data, we then used the math language chart to write about what we discovered. Look at the photos to see what we learned!

This week, we started Four Square Writing. This is a method for helping us to organize our writing. Four Square writing teaches us how to start with a topic sentence, add three details about the topic, and end with a closing sentence. Here’s a glimpse of us exploring this new writing strategy.

Community Events

Join the Everett Crowley Park Committee for our fall planting event to help plant native shrubs and learn more about the unique history and ecology of Everett Crowley Park. Gloves, tools and light refreshments are provided. Please dress appropriately for the weather and wear sturdy, close-toed shoes. Weather permitting. Please pre-register. Meet at the front entrance to the Champlain Heights Community Centre (3350 Maquinna Dr).

• Saturday, November 8 – session full, but you can be added to the waitlist
• Saturday, Novembre 22 – open for free registration

The Stanley Park Ecology Centre hosts many events in the Park. Check out their events page at https://stanleyparkecology.ca/events/

The City of Vancouver has a Biodiversity Strategy. Read about it on their website, where you will also find links to your local park or beach. https://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/biodiversity.aspx

We found two ways to make math delicious!

Take a look at this jar. Can you estimate how many candies are in it? What’s your strategy for figuring this out? Discuss your plan and be prepared to make your estimate this week!

This week we extended our graphing skills with Skittles! We each graphed our own Skittles package and used math language to analyze the data. Yum!

Can you try this at home and use the following math words to describe your graph? Here are some examples.

• Most (Most of the candies are red)
• Least (I have the least number of purple candies)
• More ….more than… (I have more yellow candies than green. How many more yellow candies than green?)
• Less (I have less purple candies than green).
• Equal (There are equal numbers of yellow and blue candies.)
• Total (How many candies in total?)

The primary cohort was inspired by our intermediate class, and wanted to try creating silly self portraits too. They did a fantastic job persevering, being funny and creative. Can you find your child’s silly portrait?

This week we picked up our pumpkins and did many fun activities. We measured the circumference and weight. We also did a pumpkin poem and learned how to draw a 3 dimensional pumpkin!

Last Thursday, the intermediates attended the Writer’s Festival, and listened to David A. Robertson speak about writing the last book in his six-part series called “The Misewa Saga”.

After, they all had the chance to meet him and ask him questions. Here is part of the Q&A:

Class: How do you become a writer?
Author: Two words….. You begin. You just need to start writing.

Class: Do you ever want to stop writing even though you are part way through a book?
Author: Yes, sometimes I get stuck and don’t want to write, but I always keep going. I never give up, and I never quit. (David A. Robertson clearly has a “Growth Mindset” like us!) Even when things are hard we lean into the challenge and we keep going.

Class: What tips would you give us to be better writers?
Author: Read, read and continue to read as many books as you can. Great writers read many, many books.

Community Events:

Vancouver Public Library Programs – There are many programs and events available at your local branch. Check out this project to send cheer to those in Care Homes: Caring Cards | Vancouver Public Library

In preparation for our trip to the Writer’s Festival we’ve been exploring books by one of the author’s we will meet. David A. Robertson is an award-winning Indigenous author who has written several books for young readers.

Yesterday we met three amazing authors at the Writer’s Festival. It was a special experience to hear them read their newest books and for the authors to share how these books came to be.

We learned “Shark Girl” written and illustrated by Kate Beaton was inspired by her hometown of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Living by the Atlantic Ocean inspired her to write about sustainable fishing practices in this children’s book. Kate has been cartooning since she was a child. This has inspired us to keep cartooning in class!

“Lena the Chicken But Really a Dinosaur” was written by Linda Bailey who is a local author.  Her story came to be when she helped take care of her friend’s chickens. Her love of chickens and dinosaurs are combined in this story about bravery and being yourself.

Lastly, David A. Robertson’s story called “Little Shoes” was inspired by his son James. James always asked questions and one night he asked his parents who hugged the kids at residential school when they were scared. That one questioned resonated with David, and he wanted to answer it in this book so everyone would know.

David asked the audience for a show of hands if they had learned about Residential Schools. He was moved to see every hand up! It made him feel proud that we are all learning about this important piece of Canada’s history. Some of his family members attended Residential Schools, and it was part of his family’s story growing up.

The three writers at the Festival gave us some tips for our own writing. We learned that professional writers read and write every day! They encouraged us to do this as well.

Ms. Francis noticed that all their stories were linked to a real experience they had. Can you and your children make an event in your lives into a story? If so, bring it to class! We can have our own Writer’s Festival!

This week we received our bread donation without wrappers. This gave us the opportunity to put our Growth Mindset to the test. We discussed how to solve the problem as a group, decided to use gloves and brown paper bags, and voila….it worked! We are learning to lean into new challenges because this gives us the chance to think outside the box and come up with creative solutions.

Do you remember we mentioned that students wanted to improve their wacky self-portrait art by implementing some tweaks in the process? Last week, we spent some time making new portraits. We are learning to love mistakes because they teach us how to grow and improve. We know that mistakes happen to everyone, and they are not a reason to panic! Ms. Francis also learned how she could take better photos of her students, so she is learning too!

The intermediates also had the chance to work on computers. We talked about riddles as a form of writing, and typed out a riddle to go with our art. Can you figure out who these home learners are?

Community Events / Home Learning

**Sierra Club BC: “Join us for our spookiest Learn to Draw of the school year! For this webinar, we will talk about the only true venomous snake species in British Columbia: the western rattlesnake.

Join scientific illustrator Dr. Julius Csotonyi and Sierra Club BC on Wednesday, November 5th at 1 p.m. (PT) for an art lesson where we will learn how to draw these spicy slithering snakes that are one of many threatened species in the Okanagan!

These snakes thrive in rocky outcrops in the valleys of British Columbia. Despite popular belief, these rattlesnakes are non-aggressive in nature. And it is very rare for humans to die from an attack by a western rattlesnake.

Scientific Illustrator Dr. Julius Csotonyi will walk us through a detailed drawing of these snakes, while talking a bit about the importance of this species to their ecosystems. We will learn more about rattlesnakes and form deeper understandings of the pressures they face. This event is open to learners of all ages.

Register here to join us as we weave art and science together on Wednesday, November 5th at 1 pm!

If you can’t make it don’t worry, we’ll be sending the art lesson recording to everyone who registers.”

Here is another Link: Learn to Draw: Western Rattlesnakes – Sierra Club BC

**Let’s Talk Science: “In celebration of the International Year of Quantum we’re helping you to introduce the mindset and skills that set students up for future success in quantum and beyond with:

• Hands-on learning that sparks imagination
• Activities that build critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration
• ‍ Events that connect classrooms with world-leading Canadian researchers

The future belongs to those who can think differently. Solve problems no one’s solved before. Imagine what’s possible if we think outside the box.”

Link to activities: Quantum Science – Let’s Talk Science

Art in the classroom has started! The intermediates have been exploring silly self portraits using acrylic paints and clear film paper.

The primary cohort has been busy cartooning. So far we have learned how to cartoon people and a dog. We will build on this by adding more characters throughout the year.

Some of our students have been doing their own work in exploring Indigenous authors. This is one of the books they brought in to share. Shawna Davis is an Indigenous author and artist. Her beautiful beadwork is showcased throughout her book.

This year we are focusing on having a Growth Mindset.  “A growth mindset is the belief that abilities, intelligence, and talents can be developed through dedication, hard work, and persistence.

This is in contrast to a fixed mindset, which views these traits as innate and unchangeable. People with a growth mindset are more likely to embrace challenges, see effort as a path to mastery, learn from setbacks, and be open to feedback.” (AI)

 Photo source: lifehack.org

“Research has shown that having a growth mindset can lead to better academic performance. Students who believe that their intelligence and abilities can be developed through hard work and dedication are more likely to put in the effort and persist through difficult tasks.

But it’s not just in academics where a growth mindset can be beneficial…

Beyond personal benefits, a growth mindset can also have a positive impact on society as a whole. When individuals believe that their abilities can be developed through hard work and dedication, they are more likely to take on challenges and work towards making a difference in their communities. They are also more likely to embrace diversity and seek out new perspectives, leading to more inclusive and innovative solutions to societal issues.

It’s important to note that developing a growth mindset is not always easy, and it requires intentional effort and practice. However, by embracing challenges, seeking out feedback, and persevering through obstacles, individuals can cultivate a growth mindset and reap the many benefits that come with it.”

Source: Mentorloop https://mentorloop.com/blog/growth-mindset-vs-fixed-mindset-what-do-they-really-mean/#3

Having a growth mindset will allow us to seek out challenges, understand life is about learning from our mistakes and about continually shifting our thoughts and behaviour from lessons we learned.  The intermediate cohort has already been showing signs of developing their growth mindsets.  Last week when we did our art project, one of the students said we should do it again because they noticed some ways to make improvements.  So, this week we will do the art activity again and implement the changes.  Learning from what went well and what didn’t go well helps us shift our practice and learn from our mistakes.

The intermediate group also made several changes to the Community Bread Program after experiencing chaos on the first day.  We discussed what went well and what we needed to change. Before the second week of our bread program, we reminded each other about the changes we wanted to make.  This was so successful!  We went from complete chaos to a well-run program just by noticing what changes we needed to make.  We will continue to shift what we do throughout the year, so we are constantly building on what we’ve learned.

Community Events:

• Robert Burnaby Park Volunteer Opportunities November 6 (Registration Open & Required):

https://iscmv.ca/events/robert-burnaby-park-planting

• Home Depot Workshops:

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/ideas-how-to/workshops.html

We have been busy with our in-class learning!

The primary cohort is working through a “Book About Me”, and the intermediates are learning how to write a written response using a variety of transition words.

In class, we have been reading and discussing Indigenous books. The primary group has been focusing on books written by Monique Gray Smith, while the intermediates have been learning more about life in residential schools.

Both cohorts have been diving into math everyday they’re at school. We’ve been focusing on math language. The primary cohort has been using math language when analyzing graphs, and the intermediates have been looking at math terms (sum, difference, product and quotient) in word problems.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

The Harvest Celebration at Freshroots Farm! (TODAY!)

Wednesday, October 8th from 4–7 PM at the Vancouver Technical Secondary Schoolyard Farm (2600 East Broadway – behind the school)! This is a free community event, so bring your friends, family, and neighbors!

Fort Langley Cranberry Festival

October 11 – 30th Annual Fort Langley Cranberry Festival – Celebration, Outdoor Events – Tourism Langley

Free (or Inexpensive) Skiing/Snowboarding!

SnowStart Kidz Pass™ – GoSkiingGoSnowboarding

Epic SchoolKids – Whistler Blackcomb | Whistler Blackcomb (Deadline TODAY!)

Diwali Festival

October 18 – Diwali at Marine Gateway • Diwali Fest • Light Your Spirit

Family Movie Night – Cineplex

Cineplex.com | Family

We are happy to be back to in-person learning!

We hope that you were able to take part in an event for the National Day of Truth & Reconciliation yesterday. There are many resources available on this subject BOOKS & MOVIES FOR NATIONAL TRUTH & RECONCILIATION DAY – Healthy Family Living in Metro Vancouver so check some out today!

The Intermediate group cut, cooked, strained and canned some apples from Ms. Francis’ tree. The applesauce was delicious!

The class also participated in the Terry Fox Run. Thank you to our class for helping the school raise over $500 for cancer research!

The Primary Group had their first in-person day on Monday, and spent some time meeting new students and reacquainting themselves with our “Cozy Corner” Reading Nook!

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Kids’ Market at Granville Island – October & Fall events

KIDS MARKET on Granville Island Vancouver

Welcome back!  It was wonderful to meet with all the families over the past two weeks.  Thank you for all the hard work that was put into the Student Learning Plans.  It was exciting to see all the ideas everyone has for their child’s learning at home.

One of my favourite things from the meetings was seeing all the students again!  I am looking forward to our year together, and I am excited to start in-class sessions this week.  We also have several new families we want to welcome to our program.  I know our returning students will be great mentors to our new students.

The past few weeks I have also been busy finding opportunities, workshops, and field trips for the year. Both cohorts have a lot to look forward to! I know we are going to have a fabulous time learning and exploring together.

The fun is about to start right away!  We have the Terry Fox Run, photos, and applesauce!

Tuesday is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.  This is a wonderful opportunity to find a local event where we can continue to expand our learning of Indigenous ways of life. Our first couple of days in class we will read books, have rich discussions and broaden our knowledge of this part of Canada’s history. I hope you and your family can take part in a community activity on this special day (see some suggestions below).  I have personally committed to learning as much as I can about Indigenous ways of life and culture with my own family.  This journey has opened my eyes, mind, and heart.  I am deeply moved by the generosity and kindness I have experienced when I am learning from Indigenous people.

LEARNING AT HOME & IN THE COMMUNITY

Various Dates                UBC Botanical Garden            Events & Activities – UBC Botanical Garden
Oct. 22                             Take-Me-Outside Day             Welcome to Take Me Outside – Bringing Learning Outdoors

Various Dates                Science Learning                        https://letstalkscience.ca/all-programming-info#ES

Various Dates                Stanley Park Ecology                 Events from September 24 – October 30 – Stanley Park Ecology (SPE)

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Sept. 27 – National Tree Day – Stanley Park                Tree Canada’s National Tree Day Stewardship Event in Vancouver Tickets, Sat, Sep 27, 2025 at 1:00 PM | Eventbrite

Sept. 28 – World Rivers Day – Burnaby Village          Home | Burnaby Village Museum

Sept. 30 – National Day for Truth & Reconciliation National Truth & Reconciliation Day – Sep 30 or Vancouver Events to Commemorate National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | Destination Vancouver

Here is the last blog post for the 2024-25 school year! I can’t believe how fast the year went!  We’ve had some fun and learned a lot!

Last Friday was filled with the “Science of Slime”. Slime is typically made by combining a polymer (glue) with a substance that acts as a “cross-linker” (like borax), causing the polymer molecules to link together and creating a gooey, elastic substance.

Check out how stretchy our slime was!

This week we harvested our garden veggies and made a delicious salad. Thank you everyone for your contributions. Together we create a wonderful meal that we all enjoyed.

Here is the salad dressing we made at Fresh Roots.  It was a big hit with the class and many of you were asking for it. Fresh Roots Salad Dressing Recipe

Have a great summer, everyone! We will return to weekly blogs again in September.

Librarian visit

Last week we had a visit from the Renfrew librarian. He was at Beaconsfield promoting the Summer Reading Club. I hope most of the Home Learners can join this program over the summer break and visit some of the amazing events the public libraries are hosting. Check out their website for more details. https://www.vpl.ca/kids/programs

Fresh Roots Farm

This week we’ve been taking our learning outdoors! We sketched and labelled our plants in the school garden, and we visited Fresh Roots Farm for the last time.

At the Farm, we harvested some of the food we planted this year and made a delicious salad. It was so good that we licked our plates clean!

We played a “Bee Pollinating Game.” This taught us how bees collect pollen and nectar from flowers. This helps the plants produce fruits and vegetables for us to eat.

We also made art by pounding flower petals and stems onto cardstock. Check out how they turned out!

Mason Bees homes 

Our mason bee homes were ready to be hung in our school garden. The intermediate cohort had to figure out how to place these securely in the school garden. Using tape, wire, and a sturdy branch, they were able to place the bee homes in our apple tree. We even put a bit of clay beneath the home, so the bees could build their walls within the tubes we made. Please visit our school garden to see the mason bee homes and our school garden.

This week, both classes picked oregano and chives.  We chopped it, and added melted butter. Then, we spread it over some Terra Bread sourdough and had a mini feast! It was delicious!

Butterflies

All our caterpillars have turned into a chrysalis or butterfly now. The intermediate cohort had to figure out how to carefully transfer the chrysalis into the butterfly habitat. The students worked as a team to hold, problem solve and pin the papers to the net. The chrysalises are now safely hanging from the top. Luckily, we did this in the morning because, to our surprise, a butterfly came out in the afternoon!!!! By the time the primaries were in class, we had several butterflies flying around.

Learning at Home Opportunity – Tomorrow

Sierra Club BC – Online event: “Is a River Alive?”

“Around the world, rivers and other bodies of water are being impacted by pollution, drought, damming, tanker traffic, and more. But a movement is also underway to recognize the rights of rivers and other bodies of water, and to re-imagine our relationships with them.

Join us on Thursday, June 19, at 2:30 PM, for an online event featuring author Robert Macfarlane and the launch of his new book ‘Is a River Alive?’, which explores the idea that rivers are not mere matter for human use, but living beings, who should be recognized as such in both imagination and law.” Registration required, no cost.

Community Events

National Indigenous Peoples Day is coming up on Saturday, June 21. Find out what is happing in your community to celebrate: Celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day in Vancouver – YouTube

In-Class Excitement

Just before our portfolio meetings, the Home Learners had the opportunity to join the school in Sports Day. It was a day filled with teamwork, challenging activities, and FUN!!! A huge thank you goes out to Lord Beaconsfield for including us, and to all the Grade 7s who created the games at each station. We are grateful to be part of such an inclusive school!

The past two weeks have been busy with Portfolio meetings. It was incredible to see how everyone has been getting through the B.C. Curriculum at home. I loved hearing all the creative ways our students are learning. From hands-on projects, workbooks, field studies, online classes, to outings full of discovery! Thank you for your thorough reports and keep up the amazing work!

During the time away from in-person learning, students had the opportunity to go to the Children’s Festival to watch an Indigenous show and explore the Activity Zone. We were gifted these tickets by donors who believe all students deserve the chance to be immersed in art. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to learn more about Indigenous culture, songs, and history. We will be spending this week making thank you cards to everyone who helped make this special day happen.

Our caterpillars have arrived! We are excited to have Painted Lady caterpillars in our classroom. Over the next three weeks, we will watch their life cycle. As we observe them, we will notice how large they grow, how they hang in the letter “J” just before they turn into a chrysalis and wait for them to morph into a beautiful butterfly. We hope to release our butterflies in the last week of school!

This week, we were so surprised to see most of our caterpillars have already turned into a chrysalis! When we took a closer look, we saw one caterpillar, one about to turn into a chrysalis, and all the others starting the process of metamorphosis. In just 7-10 days we hope to have some Painted Lady butterflies in our classroom!

Our school garden is thriving!!! Everything we planted has grown, and we can even start to harvest some of the vegetables soon.

Over the summer, we are looking for volunteers who can help water our school garden. We have purchased hoses, water guns and a new rain barrel. Even if some families can volunteer one to two days over the summer that would really help. It could be a beautiful way for the Home Learners to give back to Lord Beaconsfield School. Perhaps a playdate or picnic at the school while watering the garden would be a great way to see friends and help our school community. Please let Ms. Francis know if you’re able to volunteer.

Volunteer Opportunity in the Community

Sierra Club BC is currently looking for volunteers to help serve at this year’s Sierra Supper Club in Vancouver on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. Contact gabrielle@sierraclub.bc.ca

Location: Sole Food Street Farms, Vancouver (299 W 1st Ave)

Date: Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Time: 5:00 PM – 9:30 PM

As a volunteer server, you’ll play an important role in creating a warm, welcoming, and memorable evening for our guests. This family-style, farm-to-table dinner supports Sierra Club BC’s work to protect lands, waters, and climate in BC.

Your role would include:

• Helping set tables and prepare the space
• Serving food and beverages
• Checking in with guests throughout the evening

No formal experience is needed but Serving It Right or Special Event Server Certification is an asset.

Community Events

The VIMFF (Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival) is hosting free Summer Fest on Monday, June 30 starting at 4:30 PM in North Vancouver. Check out their site for more information: https://vimff.org/ “VIMFF connects our global outdoor community with international filmmakers, creators and speakers, so that we can inspire, entertain and bring mountain adventure into the homes of our viewers. We offer mountain film screenings, live multimedia presentations, photography exhibitions, workshops, seminars & other special events.” Registration required. https://vimff.org/summer-fest/

MetroVancouver has several interesting activities happening over the summer. Some are free, and some have a fee. Events happen across the region, from Pacific Spirit Park, to Maple Ridge, to Surrey. If interested, have a look at their offerings and find something that enhances your learning plan. (Note the age restrictions on some activities.) MetroVan

Sphere Art in the Classroom

Last week the intermediate class had another incredible art lesson with one of our Home Learner artistic families. They guided our class through the steps to make a sphere pop out from the page through shading. They taught us how to pay attention to dark spaces, light spaces, and gradients. This takes a lot of practice, patience and perseverance. We were incredibly grateful for their guidance and expertise in this classical art lesson.

Keeping with the art theme, the primary class explored watercolour art via a contemporary artist named Robin Mead. Robin’s art is often a vibrant and colourful depiction of nature. Our focus was to create an explosion of spring flowers to go with our seasonal poems. We used watercolour pencils, paints, and sharpies for these pieces.

Chicks

This week we had the chance to learn about the lifecycle of a chicken. Two students have been watching   eggs for close to one month. Seven days ago, the eggs hatched, and we had the chance to meet the chicks! We were so excited to hold them and to watch their behaviours. They were cuddly and full of energy. The two students also shared what they learned through this process.  What an exciting topic to explore!

Community Events:

• May 26 – June 1, 2025 – Vancouver International Children’s Festival
• May 31, 2025 – Free Swap City of Vancouver

• Makemobile Events https://www.makemobile.ca/events.html

Science World Activities:

Girls & STEAM Sumer Livestream

https://www.scienceworld.ca/event/girls-and-steam-summer-livestream-2/

Sustainability Saturdays

https://www.scienceworld.ca/event/sustainability-saturdays-cloud-forecasting/

Nature Spotting

https://www.scienceworld.ca/event/bioblitz-nature-spotting-at-science-world/

Yesterday we went back to the Fresh Roots Farm for our monthly visit. It was extraordinary to see all the changes that happened in one month! The garlic leaves are so tall, the peas are about 10 cm now, the lettuce is sprouting, and the flowers are starting to poke through the soil. It was such a delight to notice all the changes that come with spring.

This week we have been busy experiencing Spring all around us.  Both cohorts have spent time in the garden every school day.  This gives us a chance to tend to our fruits and vegetables, water our plants, and watch the changes. We have noticed many of our seeds sprouting, and our peas will soon need some poles to cling onto.

We have also started deadheading our daffodils.  We learned this helps the energy go back into the bulbs instead of the dying leaves and stems.  To deadhead, Ms. Bordon taught us her family trick.  We have been braiding the leaves and stems and twisting them into a bun. Later, when they are dried out, we will remove them, and our bulbs will multiply and be ready to grow next year!

The primary cohort is finalizing their Spring Poems this week.  We used our senses and carefully-chosen descriptive language to create poems we are proud of.  We spent a lot of time stretching our sentences, so you could visualize each sentence we wrote. Be prepared to be impressed at the Portfolio Meetings where you see all the work we have accomplished this semester.

The primary group has also been exploring estimation.  We have learned estimation is a calculated mathematical guess. Every morning, students look at the Estimation Jar, and write their estimate.  After, we talk about strategies to help us form calculated guesses. Finally, we empty our jar and count by twos or fives, and we notice how close we were to the actual number. Maybe you could start an estimation jar at home too!

The intermediate cohort has been busy working on their second research project.  Each student looked at the BC  Curriculum at their grade level.  They chose what subject and topic they wanted to learn more about. This time the students were given a lot of choice how they were going to present their work.  They could work in groups, pairs or on their own. We have some students creating Kahoots, while others are making a poster board or a PowerPoint presentation to show all their research.

The intermediate group also had the chance to participate in the District wide earthquake drill last week.  This gave us a chance to remind ourselves what to do in an emergency.  We had a valuable discussion of where to go, what to look for, when to leave a building, knowing our meeting spot and planning to be outside for up to 72 hours. Please ensure you have this discussion with your family, so you are prepared in case of an emergency.

We are coming down to the last few weeks of the school year. There are many events taking place, both in the classroom and out on field trips, so make sure you refer to our calendar and emails frequently. We will be receiving some butterfly larvae during portfolio time, so students will have something exciting to watch grow and change when they return to the classroom. The class will have a butterfly release celebration in our garden near the end of June!

Suggested Activities at Home:

Learn to draw a LYNX with Sierra Club BC. Registration for the one-hour webinar is required, but will be recorded if you want to watch at a later date: Tuesday, May 27 at 1 p.m. 

https://sierraclub.bc.ca/learn-to-draw-lynx/?mkt_tok=Nzg4LVlCRi0yOTYAAAGaB63S0H0QaMwqD227VnAS9N_1l8K-XZTrCc2X0GdaB0vdZ-xfd4zOFga_uB5i5hTsP3TpZZ6MpdFTCdqQ1q0_4Q71L-q9-nnMxJhhhEVN

Community Events:

Hyack Festival New Westminster, May 24.

https://www.hyackfestival.com/hyackparade

City of Vancouver Swap Meet, May 31.

https://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/calendar-of-events.aspx?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D181711673

Museum of Anthropology (UBC)

“Nuxalk Strong” Exhibit on now until January 2026.

https://mpmgarts.com/media/campaigns/moa-nuxalk-strong/

This week, Maria & Growing Chefs taught us the importance of trying new foods.  It helps develop our pallet and expands our exploration of new flavours. We tried fennel as a way to put this into action. Fennel was a new vegetable for many of us. We were surprised the flavour has a licorice taste.

We also discussed cultural foods. We had the chance to share some meals that are special to us, our cultures, and families. It was wonderful to hear the variety of meals we are eating and enjoying. Through our discussion, we discovered several Asian cultures eat noodles on special occasions because it is believed that long noodles equal a long life.

Lastly, we each planted a pea or bean seed for us to continue learning about plants.

This week we extended our learning on transplanting. We transplanted several strawberry plants into our school garden. We also learned blueberries and strawberries are perennials. This means they will grow back every year! We are excited to eat fresh berries at school for years to come.

The primary class have been working together to build mason bee homes. This took a lot of patience, trying and retrying. However, with perseverance, the students are becoming experts in building mini homes for these amazing pollinators.  We can’t wait to hang some of these homes in our school garden!

Community Events:

National Geographic Live: The Untold Story of Sharks (May 8)

https://vancouver.ca/news-calendar/calendar-of-events.aspx?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D182266350

Mother’s Day Traditional Pow Wow at Trout Lake (May 9-11)

https://troutlakecc.com/event/mothers-day-traditional-pow-wow/

Fraser River Discovery Centre (May 10 and other dates)

The Fraser Reach – May 2025☀️

Birding for Beginners (May 10)

https://coquitlam.libnet.info/event/13099920

Cineplex Family Movies (select dates and locations)

https://www.cineplex.com/events/family

Douglas College Urban Institute visit

On Thursday, Naomi visited our class to talk about Mason Bees and the life span and dangers they face. We all know bees are important for our ecosystem and the propagation of plant life in our region. We must do what we can to protect all bees so our environment can be healthy.

After we learned about Mason Bees, we made bee houses with our plastic bottles. We rolled paper into tubes for bees to lay their eggs in. Here is a photo of the bee houses in progress. We plan to install a few of these in the school garden.

Growing Chefs visit

On Friday, Chef Maria visited our class again and taught us how to make a salad and homemade dressing.  We needed an acid (vinegar) and an oil (olive oil) for our dressing.  To mix these two ingredients together, we needed to add an emulsifier.  An emulsifier, in foods, are chemical additives that encourage the suspension of one liquid in another, as in the mixture of oil and water in salad dressings. The emulsifier (honey) enabled us to keep the acid and oil mixed together. For the salad, we chopped several vegetables, cut the radish tops and added in our pickled food from the other week.  Check out how beautiful this delicious meal looked!

School Garden

Our school garden is already starting to sprout carrots, lettuce, radishes, and peas! We’ve been in the garden several times each week tending to the seeds we planted, watering daily and weeding a bit each time.

This past week we also planted something new. Look at the blueberry bushes each cohort planted. We learned about transplanting, root systems and giving each bush enough space to grow.

Lastly, we planted potatoes! We learned that we don’t need seeds to grow potatoes, we just need to plant the whole thing. Each potato plant will give us several potatoes.

We’ve also been taking the tongs and buckets with us while we are outside. This gives us a chance to take care of our school community by cleaning the school grounds. Thank you, Home Learners, for making a positive difference!

WALK-A-THON

Thank you again for your participation and donations to the Walk-a-Thon. Our contributions to the school community are appreciated.

Learning at Home

Learn to draw a LYNX with Sierra Club BC. Registration for the one-hour webinar is required, but will be recorded if you want to watch at a later date: Tuesday, May 27 at 1 p.m. 

https://sierraclub.bc.ca/learn-to-draw-lynx/?mkt_tok=Nzg4LVlCRi0yOTYAAAGaB63S0H0QaMwqD227VnAS9N_1l8K-XZTrCc2X0GdaB0vdZ-xfd4zOFga_uB5i5hTsP3TpZZ6MpdFTCdqQ1q0_4Q71L-q9-nnMxJhhhEVN

We have had many classroom experiences recently, that we would like to share:

Walk-A-Thon

Yesterday, our Primary group did their Walk-A-Thon. Their goal was to do a “Power 60” walk, but they ended up doing a “Power 86 minutes!” on their walk to and from the Renfrew Ravine. A special thank you to those who have donated funds for the Walk-A-Thon, which will go to the school’s technology fund. We greatly appreciate you contributing to the Beaconsfield community, as they have been so welcoming and gracious to the Home Learners.

The Intermediates will be doing their Walk-A-Thon tomorrow with the rest of the school. Remember to bring your donations in on Thursday or Friday. The Primary group can still bring in donations up to Tuesday, April 29.

Growing Chefs

We have been learning more about growing our own food. Our radishes are thriving, and the radish greens will be made into salad this week.

We’ve also learned how to pickle foods. We cut and jarred various vegetables and fruit and made our own pickling juice. Here is the recipe:

• 1cup vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar (optional, might not need for savoury pickles)

This might be a fun activity to try at home.

Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society

Mikaila returned to discuss the identification of several local birds through their sounds and appearance. We went for a walk through Renfrew Ravine and saw several animals that we had discussed in the classroom: American Crows, American Robins, Anna’s Hummingbird, Bushtit, Chickadees, Gulls, Flickers. We even saw a bushtit nest! Did you know that crows congregate together and when you see a large group of crows, it’s called a “Murder”. Woodpeckers, including the Flicker, have xygodactyl feet – this means their footprints are like an “X” which helps them to cling to branches and tree trunks.

Community Events

With Earth Day being yesterday, there will be an event this coming Saturday to celebrate taking care of our Planet. Fresh Roots is expected to be there, along with many fun and sustainable-themed booths and family-friendly activities. The event is free, from 11 am to 3 pm. See more information in this link: https://champlainheightscc.ca/earth-fest-2025-april-26/

Volunteer Opportunities with Fresh Roots Farms! Earth Day reminds us why we do what we do: helping young people grow food, care for the planet, and connect with community, one schoolyard farm at a time. This is what Earth Day and every other day looks like at Fresh Roots. Do you want to get involved? Come volunteer with us this spring! Whether you’re a seasoned grower or just curious to learn, everyone is welcome to dig in with us.

We’re hosting 2 Big Help volunteer days in the next two months, and we’d love to see you at one (or both!) of them:

Wednesday, May 7 – Register here

4:00–7:00 PM – Vancouver Technical Secondary School Farm

Saturday, June 7 – Register here

10:00 AM–1:00 PM – Vancouver Technical Secondary School Farm

Last week we put squash seeds and snap peas in a wet paper towel and ziplock bag. We taped the bags to the window, so the seeds would get lots of sunlight. This week we checked them and many of our seeds sprouted! We then moved them into our school garden, and we will watch them grow in the coming weeks.

Our daffodils are in full bloom, and we’ve continued our weekly measurements of their growth.

We are also conducting a science expert with our radishes. Another class has radishes in their classroom without music and ours have music playing to them. Will this affect their growth? Do plants like music? Let’s find out in the next few weeks!

On Friday, we had Mikaila from Northwest Wildlife Preservation Society take us on a nature walk around Trout Lake. We learned so much about healthy ecosystems, water quality testing, turbidity, pH, pond insects and birds! We now know Trout Lake is a thriving habitat for a wide variety of plants, birds and insects.  This demonstrates that the environment is well balanced.

Under the Microscope

The pH of the water is around 7.2 (pH means “potential hydrogen”) and the turbidity is medium (around 40 NTU – Nephelometric Turbidity Unit). The temperature of the lake water was 14 degrees Celsius. Another fun fact we learned was that the term “Seagull” is actually incorrect. There are no seagulls, just gulls that live by the sea! What we think of as a seagull is actually a “Glaucous-Winged Gull”. There are several types of gulls that live in our geographical area, but this is the most common.

The next time you are at Trout Lake, have your child tell you about what we learned!

Learning Opportunities in the Community

‘When a Tree Falls’: A Celebration of BC’s Beautiful Nurse Logs by Sierra Club BC.

When: Thursday, May 8, 2025, 6:00 PM

Where: Patagonia Vancouver — 1994 W 4th Ave, Vancouver, BC, V6J 1M5

Join us for an all-ages forest story time and craft as we come together to celebrate the launch of an amazing new B.C. book! WHEN A TREE FALLS: Nurse Logs and their Incredible Forest Power is a lyrical, gorgeously illustrated love letter to the fallen giants in coastal forests.

The book’s author, Kirsten Pendreigh, will do a reading and delve into the fascinating science of nurse logs with Sierra Club BC’s education team as we share drinks and snacks and make a forest craft to take home. This is the perfect early evening activity for adults and kids. Copies of the book will be available for purchase, with partial proceeds going to Sierra Club BC. There will also be plenty of great door prizes for both kids and adults, with all proceeds going to Sierra Club BC.

Registration link: https://whenatreefallsnurselogs.splashthat.com/?mkt_tok=Nzg4LVlCRi0yOTYAAAGZ2lJF91CVY9SySjCVczlaGIMt0rZBn6-feZ02EhPpQMdxsriJFkbFe09D4rBgRuXwPQ0AIqQNo-e9GW4QL2DkBEQFfvz4BwiLQdOmcDzn

Community Events

https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/events/67ba628eb412794100666d11

https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/events/67ba628eb412794100666d11

https://vancouver.kidsoutandabout.com/event-list/2025-4-18

Our seeds have arrived, so we started preparing the school garden. The intermediate students tilled the soil, weeded the garden, made signs, and built a barrier to protect the seeds. As the weather warms up, we will have both cohorts planting more seeds in the school garden. Stay tuned….

Staying with the gardening theme, our primary class ventured out in the rain yesterday to Fresh Roots farm. Once we were there, we planted cosmos, lettuce, and beets. We also learned how to paint using nature as paintbrushes. We painted with flowers, leaves and petals! Check out the interesting paintings we created.

We also had the chance to see the garlic we planted in the fall.  Our garlic is sprouting tall, and it will hopefully be ready for us to harvest at the end of June!

Lastly, our field trip was a perfect day for us to practice positive self-talk.  We started our day with having an open mindset knowing that we were about to walk in the rain.  As the day went on, many of us were freezing and wet, so we used our positive self-talk to remind ourselves how lucky we are to live in a temperate rain forest, or how fresh the air is when it’s raining, and how we can do this!  As we were walking home, I overheard one student reminding their friend that we have to use our positive self-talk, and that they will be ok.  It was such a wonderful day for us to practice this amazing tool!

In the classroom, we continued our exploration of open and closed circuits. As we build and try new circuits, we are discovering what works and what doesn’t. Each attempt teaches us more about how electricity travels. When something doesn’t work it gives us the opportunity to try something else. This is helping us build an open mindset!

Circuit_Whirl

We have started “Number of the Day” in some of our grade groups. We are using manipulatives to represent and understand the number. We will be doing this every day. Feel free to try this at home too!

Community Events

Watch Fisheries stock Rolley Lake in Maple Ridge with 1600 trout! On Thursday, April 10 (tomorrow) from 10 to 10:30.

Research Projects

The Intermediate students chose a topic of interest from their grade core competencies. They learned how to take notes, organize their notes, form paragraphs, edit, publish and present their work.  The projects were creative and informative! Great job!

Social-Emotional Learning

This term, we will be learning about Zones of Regulation. We will focus on naming our emotions and positive self talk. 

Letter Writing

We are learning how to write letters using the date, greeting, a body, a closing, and signature. We used this format to write letters to Terra Breads to learn more about how they distribute extra bread to our local community. Over spring break, they wrote us back! It was fascinating what we learned!

• Did you know Terra Breads donates 10-15% of all the bread they produce every day?
• Did you know that walnuts turn the bread purple during the sourdough fermention process?

Thank you, Terra Breads, for writing back to us and teaching us more about your products. 

Circuits

One of our students led the class in a lesson on open and closed circuits. They provided the supplies and instructions to build models to demonstrate how circuits work in a fun way. We appreciate the thoughtfulness and leadership shown! (See video clip of the models in action – we hope it works! If not, there is also an image to view.)

Video Clip: Circuit_Fun

Math & Science Contest/Workshop

Elementary Math Contest – Elmacon – May 3rd at UBC – registration until April 18

Elementary Math Contest (ELMACON) ELMACON_School Poster

ELMACON is one of Canada’s most exciting and prestigious math competitions for students in Grades 5, 6, and 7. Each year, hundreds of bright young problem-solvers gather at UBC to take on one of the most challenging—and rewarding—math contests at the elementary level.

Date: May 3, 2025
Location: University of British Columbia
Registration is now open and closes on April 18, 2025.

More information can be found here: https://elmacon.org

Community Events:

Cherry Blossom Festival https://vancouver.kidsoutandabout.com/content/richmond-cherry-blossom-festival-0

Kids First is an opportunity for families of all kinds to create an in-house art project, based on the exhibitions being shown in the Gallery. Kids First takes place on the first Saturday and Sunday of the month. The projects are geared towards children ranging in age from 5 to 12 years old. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Admission is by donation

https://vancouver.kidsoutandabout.com/content/kids-first

Today we celebrated Pi Day with a special treat!

March 14th (3rd Month, 14th day = 3.14).

We had a mini contest to see who could memorize the most digits in Pi. In less than 24 hours our Home Learners memorized up to 70 digits! How many do you know? Way to go, class!!