Happy December!  It is so hard to believe that we only have one month left of 2023.  What an exciting month it will be.

Students continue to put forth their personal best as they develop and improve both their academic and social skills.

Please keep in mind that Math Flight and Word Quiz activities will soon come to an end but working with numbers and letters can continue each day.  The spelling menu has been added to the Weekly Expectations Page above. Students have built up their reading stamina to 30 minutes.  They are now encouraged to read daily at home and use the strategies they have learned in class when independently reading.

Some of the activities that will be taking place this month are:

Friday, December 8 – Wear your favourite Christmas, Holiday, Winter Hat

Monday, December 11-Friday, December 15 – Hip Hop Lessons – Performance on the afternoon of Friday, December 15 – Parents welcome to attend to watch the performance

Thursday, December 14 – Festive Sweater Day

Tuesday, December 19 – Report Cards Home

Thursday, December 21 – Pajama Day, Pancake Breakfast, Last Day before the Holiday Break

JUST A REMINDER:  THE READING ADVENT CALENDAR WENT HOME YESTERDAY! STUDENTS WILL BE SHARING SOME OF THE ADVENT IDEAS OVER THE P.A. FOR OTHERS IN THE SCHOOL TO ENJOY.  PLEASE TRY TO DO SOME OF THE FUN ACTIVITIES SHARED ON THE DECEMBER ADVENT CALENDAR.

• Next post will share images related to our work with Emily Carr, our creative thoughts related to Pancakes and some of our Festive Fun!

Peace has been at the forefront of our recent lessons.  Students created Pieces of Peace Poppies (thank you, Eugene, for the title of our project) by tearing and ripping apart a variety of colours of red paper to create the poppies on our door.  Students worked together with kindness and care, through the chaos and shredding of paper, to gain an understanding that there are times when things seem torn apart but together we can find beauty in the moment.

After reading the book, I Am Peace by Susan Verde, Division 10 students shared their thoughts on what peace is to them.  Please check out the classroom window to see their thoughts displayed.

The Peace Pledge was the poem of the week.  Students shared a recorded version of this over the P.A.

Click on the link to hear their words.

https://sd41-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/e13432_burnabyschools_ca/EegzurSUStpHvJfEl1oyYQYB8TCccn39EUi_jUWgLDtUDA?e=kZ7zME

During our number sentences to the date routine, we have mixed things up a bit by not only working with “We’re on a roll with Math!” but we have also accessed personal white boards to create our number sentences.  We continue to encourage, “Math Is Fun!”

Our visual art lessons have taken us on a journey through the Aesthetic Window of the elements of design.  Students have been working with LINE.  Inspired by the book, The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds, students created their own art gallery of art featuring LINE!

Ms. Hossack read a Diwali fiction story to us on Wednesday.  It did share many elements of the celebration of light and we lit Diyas in our class today.  We shared information on the P.A. about the traditions and meaning behind Diwali and many of Division 10 students were eager to share their knowledge of their cultural festival.

Special thanks to families for supporting students in Division 10 with math flight practice, word list activity sheets and word quiz preparation.  Linking what we do in class with activities at home really makes a difference.  It has also been a pleasure to see students arriving on time and also being dressed for the weather.  Much appreciated.

Have a lovely, peaceful, long weekend full of light and love.

Good afternoon Division 10 Subscribers:

2 Blog Posts have been created with you as subscribers attached.  Unfortunately, I do not believe the posts were making their way to you.

Therefore, this is a test to see if you are receiving the Division 10 Blogs as they are posted.

I have left the Comments Box open.  If I receive even one comment for this post, I will know that all is working as it should be.

Thank you and hopefully you will also take a look at the previous few posts that have been created since we started the 2023/2024 school year.

Thank you,

Mrs. E.

We have had a “spooktacular” few weeks here in Room 15.

All students at Clinton School helped to create our Diversity Tree that is displayed in the upper hallway.  “The leaves are changing, so are we; what kind of person do you want to be?” Our hands became the autumn leaves of our tree rooted in kindness and care.

We have been progressing with our math knowledge and it was so fun to be On A Roll with Math!  Our rolled paper gave us the opportunity to explore our Number Sentences to the Date!

We also had some fun with Pumpkin Coding and Making Glyphs (pictographs) as part of our STEM activities (Science,Technology,Engineering,Math)

With the chill in the air, it was time to winterize our Garden.  Division 10 and Division 17, Ms. Cheung’s K class, collected leaves to make a leaf blanket over the garden soil.  “As the temperature drops and the leaves start to fall, October is the ideal time to tuck in your school garden for winter! Mulching a garden bed has a multitude of benefits. Spreading a thick layer of deciduous leaves or straw on the surface of the garden keeps soil from freezing and protects the roots of any plants that are overwintering in the garden. In areas with heavy precipitation, a layer of mulch prevents nutrients in the soil from washing away and depleting soil of organic material. Mulching will also prevent many weeds from taking over your garden, as the thick layer of leaves or straw blocks sun from reaching the surface of the soil.”

During our Garden Winterizing, we came across a very unique garden spider with the colour of a pumpkin.  You never know what wonders you’ll find when working out in nature.

We also got to meet our Division 6 Buddies from Ms. Benson’s class.  We did a few Ice Breaker activities and prepared for Halloween Buddy Bingo.

Halloween brought out our goblins and ghouls!  We began our day with the Halloween Assembly.  Division 10 presented a Creepy Countdown with confidence and flair.  Our morning continued with the excitement of Buddy Bingo followed by an afternoon of Ghostly Games.  Click the link to see the rehearsal of the Creepy Countdown performance!  https://sd41-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/e13432_burnabyschools_ca/Ea9W_9m6jbZGuQWMEXi5xNoBJnl7BrvHCEnKxDqaqbJAPQ?e=GxGClb

We hope that your Halloween is safe and full of fun.  Ms. Minoza and I are looking forward to welcoming every one back tomorrow, November 1, as we consider peaceful ways to move forward with the month.

Have a “booooo-tiful” day!

We began October considering all that we are thankful for.  Our Make It Meaningful Mondays give us opportunities to share what we are thankful and grateful for while taking time to appreciate.  We try to add to a gratitude journal from time to time.  Our window display shared appreciations for the wonderful people in our lives and all the experiences we are thankful for.

We also posted our predictions related to our taste test with cranberries.  Many students thought that they would like a raw cranberry until they tasted the sour, tart taste.  Once we added sugar and made cranberry sauce in class, we found cranberries to be much more pleasant.  During our time with this fruit, we learned about bogs, harvesting and flooding the fields to release the red berry named after the bird called a Crane.

During our first few weeks of October, we made use of our permanent markers (Sharpies) and oil pastels.  We made Autumn trees and pumpkins for our Pumpkin Patch. 

We have begun our reading stamina sessions and it is such a peaceful moment in class when all Division 10 students are focused and engaged in their independent reading. 

Students are also getting comfortable with the P.E. warm-up.  One student facilitates the warm-up and all other athletes follow along.  It is nice to see the teamwork taking place.

As we approach mid-October, we look forward to working with our buddy class (Ms. Benson), inviting Ms. Minoza into our room for two full weeks beginning Monday, October 23 and getting ready for Halloween.

We are now fully immersed into our Math Flights and have begun working with our Word Lists.  Students are thankful for the home support and excited to continue working toward their personal best.  Please look for our I Am Poems that will soon be displayed in our classroom windows and thank you for arriving to school on time with the morning bell ringing at 8:55 and the final bell ringing at 8:58.

It has been a very rewarding start to the year with the new class of Division 10, Grade 2/3.  Everyone has settled nicely into the classroom setting and students are becoming comfortable with the routines and expectations of the space.  We began September by sharing the importance of being a Clinton Star.  S – Stay Safe T – Take Responsibility A – Act Respectfully R – Remember to be Inclusive.  So many are shining brightly in Room 15.

The Terry Fox Run raised not only an awareness of what it means to be courageous, resilient and persevere but supported cancer research with generous donations from Clinton families.

The changing of the seasons brought all of the grade 2/3 classes to Ron McLean Park for an Autumn Equinox Celebration on Friday, September 22.  We shared stories, connected with nature, learned about the Harvest Moon and acknowledged the space and place that we teach, learn and live on. It was wonderful to see the 5 classes gather together under one Sun.

Our experience then encouraged us to write a reflection related to saying Good-bye to Summer and Hello to Autumn.  We also created Fall leaves that represented student curiousities and we hung them on our Tree of Learning.

The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation was acknowledged by an assembly on Thursday, September 28.  Students wore their orange shirts and colours and took a step forward with their understanding and knowledge while never forgetting the past, remembering that Every Child Matters.  Division 10 worked with clock buddies to create Feathers of Hope and then made their own personal orange shirts sharing why they matter.

With October now upon us, this is a good time to maintain the expectations set out for the students of Room 15.  Please make sure the planner is brought to school each day and that as often as possible, the planner is read each evening.  Library days are Wednesday and one of the Clinton Star rules is to take responsibility for returning library books on time. As the cooler, wetter days of Autumn set in, please note that hoodies are not jackets and students will often be outside, rain or shine.  Math Flights have taken off and Word Work will soon be coming home.  We will be starting our Reading Stamina practice in class and students will then be encouraged to link what they have learned at school to their reading experiences at home.  Students also have 2 poems tucked into their hippocampus and are working on their third classroom carpet poem.  With Brain Ahead morning activities as well as making use of tools and strategies to support neurological development, the students of Division 10 have a goal of learning 20 poems this year.  Go Team Go!

We will also be welcoming 2 student teachers from UBC to Clinton Elementary.  We know they will enjoy their learning journey here.

Thank you, parents, for taking the time to meet with me during our Parents As Partners opportunity.  Please make use of this blog site to connect with the many learning adventures that Division 10 will participate in.

A very happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

I have been wanting to update the BLOG since May, but June has been so busy and Division 10 has been experiencing the best that the end of the year has to offer.

Sport’s Day was a great day of laughter, competition and joy.

We braved the weather and got to Queen’s Park for a picnic and time at the Sportsplex for some gymnastics fun.

We have been to Ron McLean Park for a class picnic and movie afternoon, watching Into The Spider Verse, was met with popcorn and iced tea.

A walk to 7-11 was a fantastic Slushy Slurpee experience and Math Super Hero Day was full of “Math Is Fun” experiences all day.

There are so many photos that have been taken this month but I can’t upload them all.  My apologies if you are not included in some of the photos taken on a particular day but for the most part, I do believe everyone should be included in one of the photo drops below.

It has been an absolute pleasure working with such a wonderful group of spirited 7 and 8 year-olds.  They have amazed me with their growth and perseverance to learn and explore.  It has been a most wonderful year.  Have a safe, sunny, adventurous Summer and I will see you all in September.

We have been going on nature walks to Ron McLean Park.  We have named and observed flowers, plants and trees on our way.  One Friday, we made it to the stairs of the forest that lead to the creek. 

This Friday, we made it to the bottom of the stairs and to Byrne Creek.  We loved seeing the Lady Ferns and Sword Ferns.  We saw invasive species and plants natural to our habitat.  We made sure we acknowledged and thanked the Coast Salish Nations of  Musqueam, Tsleil-Watuth and Squamish on whose traditional territories we teach, learn and live.

We also created some nature characters and had them settle into our Indigenous Plant Garden.  During the daily announcements, we  have highlighted the Oregon Grape, Bleeding Heart and Wood’s Rose plants in our garden.

Sport’s Day is on the way.  Teams have been created and are listed in our classroom.  Spirit Days are giving opportunities for points to be won before all points are tallied up on Friday, June 9.

Tropical Day was a wonderful time for students to get into the mood for summer.  At the end of the day, visors were created for some sun shade poses.

Rainbow Day brought all the colours of the rainbow out.  Check out our classroom window where many more “I AM PROUD” flags and writings are shared.  The Pride flag will be raised on Friday, June 2 right about where our Rainbow of Colours photo was taken.

We also have “BEEn” stung with excitement by the amazing world of bees.  Our nature walks in the neighbourhood have helped us see the power of the bee as we learn about flowers.  We also spied a woodpecker busy at work on one of our walks.

The Pacific Dogwood flower was also one of the highlights of our walks.

Have a lovely Victoria Day long-weekend!

Since Student-Led conferences, we have continued to be active and engaged in many activities despite the hot heat of the sun.  Here are a few moments that have been captured in the past few weeks.  From skipping to yoga, from sharing our bean planting experiments and experiences with other classes to highlighting the Oregon Grape in the Indigenous Garden, we have been showing and sharing out daily experiences.  We were happy to make gifts for our amazing Moms and be invited to watch the release of butterflies in the garden. With 6 weeks left to blossom and bloom, we look forward to many more adventures.

IMG_1552[1] Short skipping video http://sd41blogs.ca/enchelmaierj/files/2023/05/IMG_15521.mov