Autumn is here in all its splendor, and with it comes Soggy Socks Season!
Please send your Primary aged children with a pair of “Inside shoes” (slip-on) that they change into when they arrive at the classroom (so we can leave the mud outside rather than our classroom carpet) and with a change of socks and pants for the inevitable encounter with playground puddles. These shoes, socks, and pants can stay at school until the end of the year. Speaking of which there are some pants and socks etc. that were left behind last June. Some have been sent home. The rest was not recognized by any of the children. If you are missing some items please discuss with your child and email me about it. Items still unclaimed by Oct 22 will be donated to charity.
Since the last update our Primary students spent the past week learning about and comparing various two types of snails and what they need to survive and thrive. Ask them about the Nature Bracelets we made! Both the Primary and Intermediate groups have been learning ‘pre-writing strategies’ with which we can strengthen and deepen how we express of our thinking and ideas. This is also useful baseline information for me to use as I plan future lessons.
WEEKLY Library and Gym times: Mon/Tue students have Gym on Monday and Library on Tuesday Please send all school library books back on Tuesdays. (Books may also be renewed at that time) Thur/Fri students have Library on Thursday and Gym on Friday. Please send all school Library books back on Thursdays. (Books may also be renewed at that time)
The H.R. MacMillan Space Centre has a Blog and a YouTube Channel with videos about new discoveries about space science that may be of interest to some families: spacecentre.ca/online-resources.
Safety First! On Tuesday Oct 12 the school held our first Fire Drill of the year. We had already discussed what to expect and procedures for an earthquake and a fire. When the alarm sounded they all knew just what to do. We safely exited the building together and gathered at our designated spot for “emergency meet ups” and waited for the “All Clear” from the principal to go back inside. You will be proud to know that all our kids deserve to be complimented on their excellent safe behaviour! There will be an earthquake drill in the near future on a day when the Intermediate cohort is present.
Further to the topic of safety, Parents may be interested to know that research has brought to light that some social media platforms may be harmful to societal and individual mental health, particularly for younger people. I’ve attached links to an agency that is offering a program called “The Social Dilemma” currently available on Youtube that explores this topic further. It may be of interest to some parents. The second link is a resource for holding a deeper conversation with children about impacts of social media on their lives.
The Social Dilemma is on Youtube through Oct. 31st. new classroom debate resource