Author: Mrs. Walji

We wish you all a wonderful and restful winter break… and a very happy and bright 2024!

See you back in January!

Mrs. Basso, Mrs. Walji, & Mrs. Ungaro

Division 12 added MINI HATS to their ADST skill set (ability to design, make, and apply newly learned skills to produce a final product)

Students created their mini hats using only yarn and toilet paper rolls!

They learned to cut pieces of yarn to the same length and repeat a tie-and-knot process to create several knots that cover the paper roll. They then pulled the gathered yarn through to create the ‘rim’ of the hat. And finally tied the pieces together and gave it a haircut to create a pom-pom at the top.

Students picked up the process incredibly quickly and were excited to teach others!

The rain stayed away and we had a fun adventure up to SFU!

The bus ride was a blast and we managed to get both classes together onto one bus each way. We were amazed to be on campus and to see all the buildings and student spaces.

And while some of the scientific terminology used in the session was quite advanced, students were engaged and asking fantastic questions.

For one of the experiments we timed a little car with a few trials; we learned that the harder the force, the faster it went.

Ask your child about one of the questions they were asked to hypothesize: Which would fall faster- a bowling ball or a feather- if all the air was taken out of the room? We watched a video clip that surprised us!

A big thank you to Emory’s mom for joining us today… helping to supervise and keep everyone safe.

We can’t wait for our next field trip!

 

We spoke about peace and what it means to each of us.

During our school’s Remembrance Day assembly, we listened to beautiful poems and observed a moment of silence to remember. We are forever grateful.

We were so excited to meet our Big Buddies today from Mr. Jung’s Gr. 6/7 class!

We asked a few questions to get to know one another and then chose an explorations activity to do together.

We cannot wait to see them next week for some pre-Halloween fun!

 

If you entered our classroom on Friday afternoon, you would have been delighted to see the glow of cozy forts and conversations between students fully engaged in reading.

Reading by flashlight with a buddy is something we are now looking forward to every Friday…

We are learning all about the brain and how magical it is!

Our brain is an amazing organ that can create new pathways when we learn new things, make mistakes, and take risks in learning something challenging, particularly when it feels uncomfortable. It feels like our brain is growing because we are forming new pathways and connections every single day.

We are reading the book, Your Fantastic Elastic Brain, and we have learned about some of the main parts and what their job is:

Cerebrum: “it helps us think and talk.” ~Emory

Cerebellum: “it is for balance and running.” ~Roman

Amygdala: “this is where we know our feelings.” ~Luna

Hippocampus: “it’s the filing cabinet for our memories.” ~Ema

Pre- Frontal Cortex (PFC): “it helps you decide things.” ~Cheyon

Click on the book below to read together at home!

The sun was shining for our run and it was fantastic to see the whole school community participating in this school-wide event. Thank you to those parents who cheered us on around every corner. We got our hearts pumping, and our cerebellums allowed us to move with ease! (more about parts of the brain shortly)

We learned about Terry Fox’s life and dream to run across Canada to raise awareness and money for cancer research.

We read a story written by his best friend, Doug, called Terry and Me. We gathered together with Div. 15 and shared our reflections. We then added our “Dear Terry…” notes to our school’s hallway display.

Click on the book below to read the story with your child again at home:

*Thank you to everyone who contributed monies toward our Terry Fox donation campaign. We are grateful!

As Orange Shirt Day was approaching, Div. 12 read several books; one book that resonated was called When I Was Eight by Christy Jordan-Fenton.

We learned of a young girl’s experience (her name was Olemaun) attending residential school. We realized quickly that her school experience was very different than what school looks like for our class today.

After the story, students brainstormed ideas of what Olemaun and the class had in common. They also compared the many differences. After listening to the story, Div. 12 felt grateful for being able to go to school where they feel safe, cared for, free to make choices, and to be themselves.

During our school-wide assembly, we listened to different stories and learned the importance of why Orange Shirt Day is recognized and celebrated.

*National Day for Truth and Reconciliation will be held on Monday, Oct. 2nd. (school will be closed)

Welcome to Division 12!

We are excited to begin this new school year with your children.

We use our class blog to keep families in the loop on what is happening in our classroom. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the headings along the top and the sidebar items. Our blog is updated regularly, so please refer to it often for current information.

 

September is a busy month; here are a few reminders to note:

• Please ensure your child has a pair of indoor shoes and a change of clothes, including socks and underwear (to be kept at school at all times); please label all items
• Snacks are eaten outside during recess- please pack a small and simple snack for your child that can be eaten quickly (they know to bring their wrappers/containers back inside the classroom to return to their lunchbox or throw perishables into the compost/garbage bin)

 

On the horizon:

• We will be emailing you a link to a short digital survey to help us prepare for our Parents as Partners conference on Sept. 27th; please take a moment to fill it out before your conference
• Parents as Partners conference information will be sent home next week
• Our first round of Show and Share will begin on Monday (please see the notice that was sent home yesterday).

We look forward to meeting each of you soon… welcome to Division 12!

Mrs. Basso and Mrs. Walji