Our guest blogger today is Isobel

Today was a fun day for div. 3. We started our day with a book called ”Shin- chi’s Canoe.”  It was about some First Nations children who had to go to a residential school. It was very sad because their experience at school sounded terrible, nothing like school today. In the book, Shin-chi and his older sister Shi Shi Etko must go to residential school again. Chin-chi has never been to residential school before. Before the children leave, they ask their father for a dug out canoe. He also gives Shi Shi Etko a small canoe as a little keepsake.Before they get to the school, Shi Shi Etko gives Chin-chi the canoe. At school Chin-chi cannot talk to his sister. He makes a new friend, and together they steal food because they are so hungry. Chin-chi often visits the river because he knows that when the Sock eye salmon return, it is time to go home. One day he floats the canoe down the river because he knows that it will get home. My class was very confused by this because that canoe was very special to him. Maybe he thought that the canoe would remind his family of him. Finally, the Sock-eye salmon returned and it was time for him to go home. He was greeted by lots of hugs, and their dad was in the workshop finishing off their very own dug-out canoe! Some observations my class made were ”Maybe the canoe was a symbol of the culture she needed to keep hidden” which is a big thought because I think that was a key point in the story.   by Isobel

We also had a guest with us today, Val from the YAP (Young Actors Project).  She taught us some drama skills. Ask your child what they got to act out and what they learned!

Reminder we are going to Wildplay in Maple Ridge next Wednesday .

Some of you still need to complete the online waiver and return your permission slips.

Remember, Monday is a pro-D day for the teachers. Have a great long weekend!