Author: Mrs. Walji

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.

Division 12 has added MINI HATS to their ADST skill set (ability to design, make, and apply newly learned skills to produce a final product)

Students created their mini hats using only yarn and toilet paper rolls!

They learned to cut pieces of yarn to the same length and repeat a tie-and-knot process to create several knots that cover the paper roll. They then pulled the gathered yarn through to create the ‘rim’ of the hat. And finally tied the pieces together and gave it a haircut to create a pom-pom at the top.

Students showed an impressive growth mindset with this task- it was very challenging at first to loop and tie knots, but they ALL persevered. I am so proud of them!

They are now excited to teach others and to also create hats for all their classroom stuffy friends 🙂

In Science, we have been learning about MATTER – the definition of matter, the three states of matter (solid, liquid, or gas), and how matter changes states.

Matter is ANYTHING that has weight and takes up space.

BIG IDEA: All things are made of matter and matter is made of particles (molecules).

Div. 12 acted out what particles look like in each state. Can you guess which states they are in?

Review what we have learned in class at home by watching the videos again together! *click on the images below to watch the videos:

More about PARTICLES next week… and a fun and yummy experiment!

Henri Matisse: THE CUT OUTS

During the last decade of his life Henri Matisse deployed two simple materials—white paper and gouache—to create works of wide-ranging color and complexity. An unorthodox implement, a pair of scissors, was the tool Matisse used to transform paint and paper into a world of plants, animals, figures, and shapes.

Div. 12 learned a little bit about his life and created their own masterpieces in the style of Matisse’s cut outs.  You will find these displayed in the hallway outside of our classroom!

 

We were so excited to meet our Big Buddies today from Mr. Jung’s Gr. 6/7 class!

We asked a few questions to get to know one another and then chose an explorations activity to do together.

We cannot wait to see them next week for a collaborative activity!