Author: Mrs. Walji

A whirlwind last week, but lots of fun and good spirits!

We wish you all a wonderful and restful winter break… and a very happy and bright 2025!

See you in January!

Mrs. Walji & Mr. Cholakian

 

Div. 12 was excited to perform “I Need a Winter Vacation!” for you (for two shows!)

Bravo to the volunteers with speaking parts- you were able to memorize many lines and deliver them with enthusiasm!

Thank you families for coming out to enjoy the concert. We are all grateful to Ms. Seah, our music teacher, for helping our class prepare and perform!

 

Vincent Van Gogh: A Starry Night – with a personalized winter touch.

Vincent Van Gogh was a Dutch painter and one of the greatest Post-impressionists. He was known for his striking colours, layered brushstrokes, and shapely forms. He loved painting the night skies. He had a rough life that was filled with sadness and failures. He struggled with mental health problems, including feelings of anger and sadness, and was not able to control his emotions. His paintings that no one wanted to buy are now worth millions of dollars, some of the most expensive paintings in the world. One of his most famous works was A Starry Night.

Div. 12 learned a little bit about his life and created their own masterpieces in the style of Van Gogh’s starry night skies- swirls, stars, movement, and colours.  You will find these beautifully displayed in the hallway outside of our classroom!

 

Thank you to the families who were able to join us on Friday morning for our first Sip & See event. Your children were so excited to have you as guests; we hope you enjoyed your time with them.

It was delightful to have you join us in our morning circle and to see Division 12’s morning routines, with a focus on some of their literacy activities. It was great to see parents and children working on the Brain Bender questions together. Our next Sip and See will have a Numeracy focus. Be prepared to test your mathematical skills 😄 We hope to see you at our second event!

Today, we were fortunate to learn a magnificent new skill.

We were delighted and excited to welcome Debbie Hungle to teach us how to make fused glass mosaic ornaments which involved several steps and a variety of tools. She was very concise, patient and supportive.

We learned to cut pieces of glass with mosaic nippers and to arrange and glue glass pieces to create a mosaic. The final step will see these mosaic creations being fused together in the kiln at Debbie’s studio.

We cannot wait to see our finished keepsakes! These ornaments will be very delicate, so please handle with much care when received.

 

Div. 12 read stories and discussed the significance of Remembrance Day.

Students shared their thoughts on what peace looks like, feels like, sounds like and what it is not.

A few students volunteered to participate in the assembly to showcase their thoughts through drawings, while some carried the class wreath we created with watercolour poppies to the front of the stage to join the other wreaths.

Click on the poppies below to view parts of the assembly:

We started reading about some of the habits and adventures of the fun and quirky characters who live in 7 Oaks in the book:

The 7 Habits of Happy Kids by Sean Covey

We are learning to develop positive habits in our lives.

As an extension of our study of the brain, growth mindset, and our 3 C’s school motto, these habits can change the trajectory in how we behave, interact with others, and organize our daily life. The stories and characters help us to understand real-life scenarios.

Here are the habits we have learned about so far: (in the words of Div. 12!)

Habit #1: Be proactive (You’re in charge of yourself; Amuse yourself and don’t rely on others)

Habit #2: Begin with the end in mind (Think first before acting; always plan ahead!)

Habit #3: Put first things first (Do your work first, then have your fun!)

We are thoroughly enjoying listening to the stories in the book and making connections to the characters and their relatable situations. Stay tuned for more!

Div. 12 had a terrific Halloween day at school! And thank you to all those who brought in treats for the class- we appreciated your thoughtfulness and generosity!

We had a blast showing off our costumes and dance moves during the Primary Parade and Dance Party! We also had a chance to visit our Big Buddies to show off our marvelous costumes.

In the afternoon, we played a variety of Halloween games together: Pumpkin Bowling, Ghost Races, Donut Bones, and Pass the Jack-O-Lantern! Ask your child which one they enjoyed the most!

Click on the pumpkin below to sit back and enjoy the Halloween festivities:

 

We were getting excited to see our Big Buddies again, so we prepared some materials and ideas for them a few days in advance.

When our Big Buddies arrived yesterday, we were all set to create some CANDY CORN CREATURES together as a fun pre-Halloween activity!

Do you like candy corn? We will see who actually likes it in Div. 12 next week!

 

We were excited to have the Earth Rangers present at our school. It was an inspiring, interactive presentation featuring live animals, games and trivia, and two enthusiastic Earth Ranger educators who not only teach kids about the environmental issues our planet is facing, but empower them to take action.

We met two live animals:

Nacho: A Curl-crested Aracari bird who is part of the Toucan family!

Blue: A Savannah Monitor lizard who is part of the Komodo Dragon family!

*Click on the icon below to find out more about Earth Rangers mission:

Earth Rangers are behind our school’s current Battery Blitz!

Did you know that properly recycling your batteries can help protect wildlife?

Batteries contain toxic materials that can harm the environment if they end up in landfill. That’s why it’s important to properly recycle your batteries! When you collect batteries at your school, you’re keeping them out of landfills and protecting wildlife. You’re also helping to recover valuable materials that can be re-used to make new products, like new batteries, golf clubs, and the stainless steel pots and pans! The possibilities are endless.