This week we have been discussing what makes us feel thankful, and ways to tell others when we appreciate them. We will soon be thinking about what it means to have ‘enough’ and what we can do when we notice others who do not have enough. We discovered that helping others makes us feel good too. A trapper from Yale BC recently helped us out in an interesting way. He gave me some mountain goat bones, horns and a skull for our class to study. He was delighted to know that school kids in Vancouver would learn about animals he depends on for his livelihood. The bones are very clean and bleached white by the sun! We made thank you cards for this intriguing and educational gift. We have been creating number sentences by counting the number of feet we see in pictures of animals. It all added up to some great thinking and wonderful collaborations. In the coming days we will participate in the school Walk-A-Thon. We realized that, even if we are not collecting pledges ourselves, we can contribute and show our support by walking together. We are discovering that small things can make a big difference to other people, and there are many ways that people make a difference to us too. It all adds up!  Here are a couple of reminders/requests: Please send your children in Kindergarten through Grade 2 with some slippers or shoes that they can leave at school. We spend a lot of time sitting on the carpet and “Inside Shoes” helps us to keep our carpet much cleaner. Please send also your child with an Art Smock which can stay at school. This can be an oversized T-Shirt or apron. It will be used to keep paint, Plaster of Paris, papier mache etc. from ruining clothes. In addition to sending your child with a lunch, please send a snack for Recess as well. If any of these items (inside shoes, smock, lunch, snack) represent a financial hardship for your family, please do not hesitate to reach out to me in person as I can access some resources to help with these needs. Looking ahead: On Tuesday October 18 and Thursday October 20 we will be making and sharing a vegan friendly Harvest Soup. Please send your child with ONE seasonal vegetable. Please wash/peel/dice this vegetable into pieces that are 2cm or smaller. I will provide an organic vegan friendly broth which we will boil up and simmer all our vegetables until they are tender before enjoying the soup in the afternoon. We will just be surprised by and enjoy whatever vegetables show up! Please note that Friday October 21 is a professional day. This means there are no classes for students. On October 31, we will participate in the school’s Hallowe’en activities. Your children are welcome to wear costumes for the costume parade in the morning. Please consider sending along some individually wrapped goodies to share at our class party in the afternoon. Children who do not wish to participate in any Hallowe’en themed activities are welcome to read, draw, colour, do puzzles etc. in an alternate setting. Please let me via email know if you would like me to offer your child an alternate activity.

Are you interested in Space exploration? Artemis 1 is a planned uncrewed Moon-orbiting mission. NASA is currently targeting a launch window between 12 and 27 November 2022.    Here is an address to a site where you can find out how to watch the launch live.   https://spacenews.com/  Are you interested in the lives of Wild Salmon on the Fraser River? Here is a link to about wild salmon and the Fraser Watershed. The Watershed CPR Education Program is a FREE, self-guided, virtual learning experience designed to educate and inspire students to care for their watershed. Here is a link:  Watershed CPR Education Program