Because last week’s blog post was missed due to the Snow Day in Metro Vancouver, I will lead here with some important dates and reminders before I catch up on our In-Person Learning from the past two weeks.
#1 Interim Submissions for our Intermediate students are due tomorrow; January 25th.
#2 We are now booking appointments for the second Portfolio conference. If you haven’t already done so, email the teacher directly with your 3 preferred days. Please also indicate if you prefer a morning or afternoon appointment.
#3 Hold the Date: Class Photos will be on Monday May 13th. The Thursday/Friday group is invited to come to the school at 9:00 to have a class photo taken, and then leave right after the photo is taken.
#4 Currently collecting biscuit tins: The older students will soon be building “guitars” out of tin boxes. Please send along any tins you have on hand after the holidays. They can be square or rectangular or a circle. But they must be flat. They do not need to be fancy, (although that is nice) but they do need to have a lid.
#5 September 2024 enrollment: We are already starting to plan for next year! Students who are currently enrolled in the program, and younger siblings of students who are currently registered for September 2024 have priority. We are already almost full! Please email the teacher before noon on January 31 to let us know if it is your intention to have your child remain in the program for next year.
This past week both groups have explored important elements of Social Emotional Learning (SEL). Firstly, we have looked at the art of giving and receiving Constructive Criticism. Secondly, we have begun to look at what motivates us to learn, and how to become resilient when learning is challenging. We’ve used Art projects that take a long time to help us practice patience. Through Individual Writing Conferences, we have begun to respond to constructive criticism. Through responding to other students’ art projects and creative writing, we are learning how to offer feedback and suggestions in kind, respectful, and useful ways. I continue to be inspired and amazed by the insights and thoughtful observations these kids share with each other on a daily basis.
The oldest students may be interested to learn about a Writing Contest being offered by CBC radio. It is called “The First Page Contest” and it opens February 1st. You can find more information at CBC.ca or https://www.cbc.ca/books/the-first-page-student-writing-challenge-is-back-in-2024-1.4269274
Internet safety: It’s just a fact of life these days that many elementary school aged children have iPads. I recently came across something on social media that may be of interest to parents who are considering giving an iPad to their child: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/xe9aQvwucHTeK5yT/?mibextid=jaSYs6
Originally for January 17: Sometimes we struggle to learn a new skill, but with practice that skill can become second nature. I’ve noticed a shift over the last year or so in the way some students are struggling to form letters and numbers, and that some older students seem a bit foggy about sentence structure, and punctuation, such as quotation marks. I encourage all parents to take a close look at their child’s written work and offer frequent feedback and encouragement to do a bit more writing daily if you notice these gaps. We’ve been doing some worksheet activities on letter formation and grammar here at school just to help “prime the pump.”
We’ve been getting a “charge” out of science: It takes a lot of energy to be a kid, and also to run many of the items we use in day-to-day life. We are exploring Electricity: what it is, how we use it, where it comes from. The Intermediate students have been learning about what happens when a battery is charged, and building electric robotic devices. The Primary students are learning about different sources of energy, and how to stay safe around electricity.
Do you ever wonder where our electricity comes from? Or how it is generated? The BC Electric Powerhouse at Stave Falls offers tours to the public from March 1 onward. Adults $8, Children $7 (5 and under are free.) The powerhouse is located in the BEAUTIFUL Fraser Valley. It is located at 31338 Dewdney Trunk Road in Mission, B.C. Check out Powerhouse at Stave Falls (bchydro.com) or call 604-462-1222 or email stavefalls@bchydro.com . If you decide to take a trip out there, consider a side trip to Stave Lake for a picnic, or drive the back roads looking for the dairies and nut groves with “Farm Gate” cheese, ice cream and hazel nuts! Meanwhile, BCHydro offers lots of fun activities for students. Check out schools.bchydro.com.
We’ve also been playing lots of games to build our math skills. Are you interested in more family Math games? Check out @tabletopfamily on Instagram.