Have you heard the big news?

We have gymnastics equipment for a WHOLE MONTH!

It is safe to say that everyone LOVES it. The movement during gymnastics is constant; the strength is developing day by day (some of the kiddos are really advancing with their strength on climbing the rope!); and hopefully with all this exercise everyone is sleeping a little deeper each night.

In this past week we have discovered the following:

• “Seven days without gymnastics makes one weak.” Seriously though! We are working and activating muscles some of us did not even know we had.
• “If you’re gonna eat mat, eat mat HARD!” Now don’t be alarmed, safety first! We have lots of mats for safety, and some of the kiddos are enjoying the tough and tumbles they can now experience with the cushion that the mats provide. Tumbling – that’s just some of the kiddos roll!
• We rock, tumble + roll

As we continue to explore the water cycle we are quickly beginning to realize the impact that water plays within our ecosystem, our world and the survival of all living things. The amount of water that we have on planet earth has been the same for millions of years, we are not gaining more of it. As a result, we need to protect and cherish the water that we presently have. The water that we are washing our hands with before lunch has travelled near and far to reach our hands. Once it goes down the drain the adventure begins yet again as the cycle is continuously happening around us. Where will it go next? We have an influence upon the water that shimmers along our west coast beaches. Be the change, make a difference and have a positive impact upon how we are treating, using and recycling our water.

Students are currently working on a persuasive writing piece that will evolve into a persuasive ‘radio’ message that they would like others to hear. The purpose of their persuasive piece is to convince and persuade their audience to help protect our water as it is vitally important to our planet.

Along with their very own recording ‘radio’ message, students are creating their own Water Poster to spread their message!

Please stay tuned. Radio messages will be uploaded to your child’s Blogfolio once they are complete.

In Social Studies we are talking all about communities.

What is a community? —-> Who lives in a community? —-> What is inclusion? —-> What does an inclusive community look like?

Students are working in groups to design and construct their very own community. We are in the preliminary  stages were we are (a) learning to effectively and respectfully communicate to our group members (b) actively communicating to have our ideas expressed and heard; but also to have a listening ear and open mind to others’ ideas (c) plotting out and brainstorming how our community would appear from a bird’s eye view perspective.

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Questions and criteria to consider include the following:

• include at least 5 occupations in your community, what will those be?
• include roads as a form of transportation throughout your community
• what rules/and or laws will your community live by? —-> this led to a conversation around why do we need rules/laws to live by? —-> what would our class, school, community, country, world look like without laws?
• include natural resources within/and or surrounding your community
• how will your community protect + conserve the natural resources surrounding your community?

We read the book The Big Umbrella by Amy June Bates (which is a wonderfully adorable book with a powerful message). Ask your child how the big umbrella was inclusive? How are you inclusive to others around you? How do you contribute to living in an inclusive community?

In Science we are exploring the Water Cycle. We are discovering the magic that is contained in water and the impressive journey that water takes throughout our planet.

A water droplet can go from being in a well, a typhoon in Thailand, rain in Rwanda, snow in Siberia, a lake in Louisiana, a swamp in Switzerland, a plain in Spain, underground water for hundreds of years to being our tap water that we brush our teeth with morning and night.

Students were excited yesterday to be learning about the water cycle diagram. So, we made our own! We are going to be observing and monitoring our very own exposed water and see what happens.

The Water Cycle theme has also made its way into the form of a dramatic play. Ask your child what role they will be playing, and what their job is within the water cycle.

Stay tuned!

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“Spread love everywhere you go, let no one ever come to you without leaving happier” — Mother Teresa

Yesterday, for Valentine’s Day, we had a celebration day full of love.  We exuded happiness, joy, kindness, (a sugar high) and love, lots and lots of love. In writing, we brainstormed and discussed ways that we can spread love throughout our classroom, school, community and world. We hope that these acts of love can be celebrated each and every day, not just on February 14th. With more people demonstrating acts of love on a regular basis, we hope that our world will become a better, more loving place.

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Did you demonstrate love today?

How did you spread kindness or friendship?

What act of love can you do tomorrow to let someone know that they are important to you?