Author: Mrs. Walji

We had our official Grand Opening of our corner store with Mrs. Kimmie present to mark the occasion!

Here is Mrs. Kimmie making it official: (click on the photo below)

We were incredibly proud of our class today.

Our students (shop employees and customers) each contributed patience, calmness, kindness, and respect to make our Grand Opening day a success. They shared their favourite moments and what exactly made this special experience memorable for each of them.

Thank you to all the families who donated items for our store. Today was filled with happy customers and excited cashiers, shop clerks, bankers, and security guards. We can’t wait for the next shopping day!

Take a peek to experience the fun of today’s opening: (click on the photo below)

*Our shop employees working together to make today (and the days leading up) a huge success! Thank you for your dedication and time!

 

We were the hosts for this year’s Primary Days of Music. Parkcrest, Rosser, Capitol Hill, and Confederation Park were our guests.

We sang our hearts out (a peek here) and particularly loved singing the song ‘Defying Gravity’ from the movie, Wicked!

It was wonderful to see and hear other schools perform their favourite songs; and it was a joyous time to sing a few songs we had all learned… together.

We had a blast learning new skills and moving beyond our comfort zones throughout our three drama sessions with Abby, our Young Actor’s Project instructor.

We warmed up with games, used our voices and bodies, and worked together in small groups to attempt new challenges. We also showed good listening skills, audience manners, and on-the-spot thinking!

We learned many things that acting requires, including how to improv and how to show something with our bodies without speaking. Some things that actors do:

“Use imagination.” -Max

“Pretending.” -Nanami

“Use emotions.” -Abeer

“Being brave to perform on stage.” -Chester

“Using items as other things.” -Elnaz

 

 

For Pink Shirt Day, our school motto this year was ‘Let your kindness grow.’

Division 12 continues to grow their kindness through deeper thoughts and action.

We are so proud of this bunch we have. And because of their hard work and regular practice, students have shared that not only is our class a wonderful place to learn and play, but also a comfortable and safe space to share ideas, feelings, and feel supported and encouraged to move beyond comfort zones when attempting new challenges together. Bravo, Div. 12!

I can make my kindness grow by…

“Saying stop if I see someone bullying someone.” ~Selena

“Checking in on others to see if they feel sad.” ~Nanami

“Complimenting each other and saying thank you.” ~Chester

“Listening to what others say and being kind.” ~Zoey

“Giving them something they like.” ~Mahdiyar

“If someone sees it.” ~Freyja

“Saying kind words.” ~Riaan

“Sharing with others.” ~Grace

In the afternoon, we walked with our Big Buddies through the neighborhood to join our school’s sea of pink parade; to continue to show and model kindness in our community. It was a beautiful day.

 

We had a fantastic day filled with acts of kindness, love for friends, Valentine treats, stories, and games! Ask your child to share which game they enjoyed playing today.

A question on the Brain Bender this morning: One thing at school that fills my heart:

“Playing with friends.”

“People saying hi to me.”

“Talking with my friends.”

“Reading.”

Happy Valentine’s Day, Division 12. We are filled with love and appreciation to be able to teach you this year.

*Thank you to those who brought in treats for the class- we were all overwhelmed with gratitude.

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

It was wonderful to see parents and children working on the numeracy Brain Bender questions together. We were sad there was not enough time to show you the many activities we do together. This was a peek into some of the skills students are learning and a few supplemental materials that are used to practice and review concepts learned.

*Your child was also excited to show you their wallet which they sewed and created themselves!

Stay tuned for Sip & See #3!

We do not always get a lot of snow- so we had to take it all in.

Flat Fritz also joined in on the fun!

Division 12 learned about Groundhog Day! And a little bit about the weather and seasons.

Ask your child to share what they learned regarding this day and how it pertains to the weather and seasons. Additionally, ask them about the song (and skiing trick on their hand) for how to remember which months have 30 or 31 days!

Div. 12: Did Phil see his shadow?

We are elated whenever our school can come together as a community- we were thrilled to see so many families for Family Reading today!

Students were excited to gather together with both their parents and peers in the gym.

Thank you for taking time to read with us today!

Div. 12 is immersed in an author study on Chris Van Allsburg!

Chris Van Allsburg is a writer and illustrator of many children’s books. He has won two Caldecott Medals for picture book illustration, for Jumanji and The Polar Express, both of which he also wrote, and were later adapted as successful motion pictures!

He is well known for his imagination, creative storytelling, and unique style of illustrations. His books present magical worlds where anything can happen.

The first story we read together was Two Bad Ants. We discussed perspective/viewpoints, character traits, and how the ants’ feelings changed throughout the book. We also discussed the art style in the illustrations. Crosshatching, stipling, and repeated lines were new techniques we learned and noticed throughout the story.

Take a peek at some of our interpretations-  drawing from the ants’ perspective:

*These finished pieces will soon be displayed on the bulletin board outside our classroom!