As we prepare for our Winter Break, we have been reflecting on how fortunate we are to live in a city safe from flooding. Thank you to all who have contributed to the Beaconsfield Coin Drive which raised funds for Flood Victims up in the interior. Many students realized that it feels good to help others. Meanwhile, we have enjoyed making Story Mats, doing crafts, and decorating our space in a “West Coast Winter” theme. Some of us did an “Elfie photo” and the Primary group enjoyed a Camp Read Winter Party complete with goodies and PJs on Tuesday. The Intermediate group get their turn on Friday.

Early in January the Primary Group will begin having “Show and Tell” times. For those children that wish to participate, this is a chance to practice oral language and build confidence with ‘public speaking.’ Each child will be offered several turns throughout the term. On these occasions, please help your child make an appropriate choice   Please help them think about what they would like to say about the item while they are ‘the center of attention’ (for under a minute please). After they finish their “Tell” they may invite a few classmates to ask questions. The item will be kept safe in the classroom at Recess and Lunchtime. But accidents can happen. Please do not send breakable irreplaceable heirlooms as the school does not take responsibility for breakage or loss.

Rough Play has started to become an issue for some students over the last week. Together as a class we have reminded each other about what to do if you don’t like the way someone is playing outside at Recess or Lunch (or anytime for that matter). We discussed that one should use their words to clearly say “Please stop that”, or “I don’t Like that”. And that one should seek help from an adult if the behavior does not stop. We also discussed that accidents could still happen, and to apologies if you accidentally hurt someone while playing. But we also stressed, that if someone tells you they don’t like the way you are behaving, it is your responsibility to stop change what you are doing. Please find a time to reinforce this Social Responsibility concept at home.

Wooly Winter Challenge: Each student has received/will receive a small amount of washed but unspun raw wool. They are invited (challenged!) to experiment with it over the Winter Break. The goal is to discover household item(s) that will dye the wool. (Beets? Coffee? Turmeric? Onion skins?) A small amount of material makes a light colour. A larger amount of material will make a darker colour. The process is simple. First place the wool and the dye material in a plastic or glass bowl and cover with enough very hot water to just cover the wool and dye material. Soak it overnight. Next, add about a quarter cup of vinegar to the wool and dye (to helps ‘set’ the colour so it won’t wash out.) and let it soak for a few more hours. Then, lift the wool out of the dye and place onto something to drain. Finally, gently squeeze out any excess liquid and leave the wool to dry. Try not to handle the wool too much during this process to avoid shrinking it into felt. Bring it to school so we can spin it and weave with it later in January. Have Fun!