{"id":7024,"date":"2025-01-13T00:17:16","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T08:17:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/chanl\/?p=7024"},"modified":"2025-01-13T00:17:16","modified_gmt":"2025-01-13T08:17:16","slug":"kicking-off-2025-highlights-learning-and-exciting-updates-from-division-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sd41blogs.ca\/chanl\/kicking-off-2025-highlights-learning-and-exciting-updates-from-division-11\/","title":{"rendered":"Kicking Off 2025: Highlights, Learning, and Exciting Updates from Division 11!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Dear Division 11 Families,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Happy New Year! We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season filled with joy and time spent with loved ones. We had an excellent first week back, and the students really enjoyed the performance at Michael J. Fox Theatre. We were in awe of the incredible talent displayed by the performers. A BIG thank you to our parent volunteers for driving the students and staying with us on such a cold and windy day.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some of the exciting learning activities our students explored this past week:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One Word for 2025<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>Our students chose one word to focus on for this year. On Monday, they brought home a handout about their chosen word to discuss with their families. If you haven\u2019t had a chance to talk about it yet, please ask them why they selected this word. <\/span><\/p>\n

The students have written about their reasons for choosing their word and outlined some action steps they can take to achieve their goal. <\/span><\/p>\n

You might also ask them if their word and plan align with the SMART goal framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound). We will continue working with their \u201cone word\u201d next week.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Art<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>This week, our students were introduced to the artist Jasper Johns and his piece titled \u201c0 Through 9.\u201d They were inspired by how he used everyday objects in his art to challenge viewers to see them in new ways. In celebration of the new year, the students used the numbers 2, 0, 2, and 5, layering them in the style of \u201c0 Through 9\u201d to create their own piece.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Writing<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

We reviewed the writing goals we\u2019ve been working on this year. The students practiced descriptive writing by reflecting on the highlight of their winter break, using their senses to vividly capture the experience.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Social Studies<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>We learned about how New Year is celebrated around the world. Please chat with your child about whether they\u2019ve noticed any similarities with other countries they\u2019ve learned about, and please share with them any New Year traditions you know of. There are so many fun traditions, I really enjoyed researching and learning about them myself. As the Lunar New Year approaches, it would also be great to start discussions about how it\u2019s celebrated worldwide. We will dive into this topic as we get closer to the date.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Story writing<\/strong><\/p>\n

We read The Best Story<\/a> by Eileen Spinelli. Feel free to watch it read to you with your child. I absolutely love this story. I use it when I do teacher presentations on the writing process. What I love about this story is the message.\u00a0This story was to reinforce the idea that the stories we write come from our hearts. Students worked so hard on a heart map to show all the things that have a place in our hearts. They will use this as inspiration for when they write their stories.<\/p>\n

Ways to support at home:\u00a0<\/em>Talk to your child about what they wrote on their heart maps. Discuss what you would write on yours.<\/p>\n