Microsoft TEAMS Activated

Hello All,

I just want to update you and tell you that I have activated TEAMS now, so the program should now be visible in their Office 365 accounts. Most of our class has completed the one question survey by Survey Planet, letting me know you have read the important document I sent out by emails to parents regarding how to access and rules etc. This will ensure that we all have a positive learning experience using TEAMS. If you haven’t yet, please do so.

Also, I just want to inform you about a change in the information I sent you. Grade 3 Parents, I found out that while your child has an email and password they will not have an email account. Only our Grade 4-7s can, which is a district policy. Not to worry as I’ve figured out in TEAMS that having an email account is really unimportant. All children can just do everything in TEAMS. As we use this program more, I am sure we will discover much more about how we can use TEAMS well.

Each morning, it would be good practice for your child to log in to Office 365 to read messages from me regarding assignments, class video meeting times and other information.

Please have your child send a POST to me to say Hello on TEAMS, so I know they have indeed gotten access. Please email me if she/he is experiencing a problem. Thanks for your patience!

On wards we go….we are all in this together!

Ms.G

Our New Learning Experience

Hello Div. 7,

Welcome to our class blog! I hope you are all doing well, keeping healthy, and managing the many changes in your lives right now. I have been thinking about all of you and wondering how you have been coping. You may be experiencing many different emotions and these are all normal reactions to this abnormal or different situation. I believe you are all doing a lot by keeping yourselves and others safe by social distancing, washing your hands often, getting a good sleep and eating properly.

As this is a class blog, I am encouraging you to interact with it as much as possible. Below this post you will find an area where you can leave a comment. You will soon be given an ID and password sent through your parent’s email. Please add these to your planner on a special page, so you can find it and have your parents write it down for safe keeping. Then you can start posting your thoughts and answers.

Please make a comment and let me know what you have been doing to keep healthy! What kinds of interesting things have you been doing at home? Outside? Let me know! Your comments will not automatically post. An e-mail will be sent to me to be checked before it is allowed to be made public.

This will be a new learning experience for you and I. I want you to know that it will be quite different than when we were attending all together in room 11, but I will try and make it just as fun! I am hoping to continue to interact with you through blog posts, through small group meetings in Microsoft Teams, which you will be notified about soon and through Office 365 where you will continue to share your work.

We will go about this in “baby steps”, so it does not add tons of pressure on us or overwhelm us. Since many of you need to share devices with siblings and even parents, teachers will be trying to create activities that can be done at any time during the day or evening. It’s also important to make sure you aren’t always stuck on a “device” and that you make time for other activities like exercising, writing, reading and art. Don’t forget to comment on some other interesting things you have been doing to keep yourself from getting super BORED!

Love,

Ms. Gabas

BLOOMZ and BLOGFOLIOS!!!

Hello Parents/Guardians,

As you know in September, I started using the Bloomz app to post pictures and student work throughout the year, so you can see all the wonderful things Division 6 has been doing. I decided not to use my class blog as I have done in the past as the Bloomz app enabled me to easily communicate what I wanted and I enjoy trying new applications. However, starting soon, I will be having the students use blogfolios. Each student will have their own username and password to access their own private blogfolio. The blogfolios will be essentially an on-line portfolio of each student’s work. Parents, you will be sent an e-mail notice each time your child submits something for you to view. We encourage all parents to make comments on the work you see. Words of praise and questions to further conversation are just examples of comments that would be appreciated. Teacher comments may also be viewed. Each child’s blogfolio is private, so you, your child and the teacher will be the only people who can see the work. Once a Blogfolio is created, it will follow the child to the next year’s teacher, who will hopefully continue the blogfolio. It will be a compilation of your child’s work over the years to be enjoyed.

You will be sent more information about blogfolios soon!

Ms. Gabas

Museum of Anthropology

Dear Parents and Students,

We had a fabulous day at the Museum of Anthropology. The children reinforced their knowledge about Potlatches and got to hold and learn about special ceremonial regalia doing presentations about them and sketched carvings and learned about the different realms. They enjoyed exploring the whole museum, discovering beautiful and interesting artifacts held in deep drawers and looking at ancient totem poles and magnificent mask and canoe carvings, traditional clothing, blankets, jewelry, sculptures, dishes, statues etc. not just from the aboriginals in Canada, but from every continent in the world. What a day! We thank our parent volunteers for accompanying us that day and for all your support making this field trip happen. Here are some photos we would like to share!

Work and Play

Hi All,

Here are some great photos of Division working and playing over the last few months. It is so wonderful to see them interacting with each other so well, exploring, learning, and sharing. In this album, you will see photos of them during the dance assembly where they rocked their number and had skating lessons in January, the Valentine’s day Party and working on the Cardboard Challenge in February, playing basketball during some free time, a birthday photo, their trip to Burnaby South to see the Science Fair, their art submission for Arts Alive and pictures of them sharing their group stories. What great memories! : )

Exploring Biodiversity!

Here are some photos of Division 3 exploring our local diversity with Ms. Eng’s class at Ron McLean Park in November. They had so much fun working with their buddies to complete a Biodiversity Bingo sheet where they had to locate living things in the area. What were some of the living things and some non-living things you found. Can you tell any connections between living things and between living and non-living things? Division 6 worked so hard to build a Stopmotion movie to represent biodiversity and teach a lesson about how everything on Earth is connected, how everything on Earth has a purpose, and Everything on Earth should be embraced. Through talking about these Aboriginal perspectives and looking at biodiversity, the students really learned about how important it is to be protectors of our Earth.

December Magic

Hi Boys & Girls,

December is always a fun month. Not only did the children work hard practicing for the Christmas Concert, they were busy like elves making winter art and making presents. So many people loved seeing you as a French Choir in Paris as you all looked so cute. The poster made me smile. You created such whimsical scenes of trees in snow and worked carefully to assemble your votive candle holders and cute toilet paper roll penguins for gifts. Also, I am so proud of you all for showing kindness and caring for others. You all did jobs as a fundraiser to help provide lunches for students at St. Stephen Children’s Centre in Uganda. You should be so proud of yourselves for raising $ 168.55!

Here are some index photos:

September and October Snapshots

Hello Everyone,

Wow! It’s incredible how time flies! We are in November already and Division 6 has been very busy indeed. Typically, by now I would have already had several posts up and students commenting on blog posts. Unfortunately, we are still waiting for the students’ passwords and usernames from the technology department in order to start. Normally, we would have them by now, so hopefully we will receive them soon.

I want to share with you some great snapshots of happenings of our first two months together. Enjoy!

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Last Term Photos

Dear Students of last year: Division 5,

Here are some photos of our last term . We had a fabulous year together Division 5! You were so much fun to teach as you were keen and motivated! I will truly miss you all.

Here is the video of you singing, “See You Again” for our Grade 7 students and leaving staff, especially Ms. Sakic! It was very special!

Hope you enjoy looking back at last year and keep shining, my Clinton Stars

!!! Come visit me and my new class!

Love,

Ms. G apple

It’s Astonishing! It’s April Already!

Hello Everybody,

March seemed like a blip in the school year, having had two weeks off for spring break. The boys and girls are continuing on in 3rd term, knowing the routines so well by now. I will include some photos taken before the holidays.

Track season has started and I am thrilled that the majority of my class were interested in joining. They have been training well and have learned to pass a baton and sprint and run longer distances. Thanks to parent volunteers all students were able to attend our first after school track meet. What a fun time it was! images

Division 5 was introduced to, “The Greatest Love of All” by Whitney Houston, the song they will be performing in May. It has such an important and beautiful message. Boys and Girls, please practice! Don’t forget to think about what you will be wearing! ; )

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Click on the song title above!