We have had another great week together! During our community circle, we always begin with sharing our feelings. This week, we learned synonyms for happy. There is a growing understanding that we can build our emotional intelligence by building our emotional vocabulary. (Read a Forbes article about a podcast interview with Brene Brown and Marc Brackett to learn more about how children can understand themselves and others better.) Challenge your children to share how they are feeling by using different words beyond: happy, mad, sad. Model it by choosing to use different words to describe your emotions.
We are mathematicians.
Thank you for supporting your child’s learning about geometry at home. I am reviewing the Show What You Know assessments and am just so proud of how far they have come since our first assessment before we started. Remember this is not the same as a test. A “test” feels final…only ONE opportunity to show what they know. Learning is a journey so this is just a snapshot of their learning for right now. Children who need more time to learn the same concepts will continue to have opportunities to learn. Math is so foundational. My goal is for them to become proficient in their understanding because if they know it well enough to teach someone, their depth of knowledge is greater.
On Monday, your child will come home with both the pre-assessment and the one they just did. Please compare and celebrate their growth by writing a positive note on their paper, sign it, and return to school. Thank you for your support! We will be learning about measurement next.
We are scientists.
This past week, we worked with a partner to create a demonstration of our understanding of the rock cycle. They were given a choice of using the Book Creator app or Puppet Pals on the iPad. I love finding different ways for students to show what they know especially when they can use their creative and critical thinking! I am also so proud of how well they work with each other. I am looking forward to sharing their projects with you! Music to a teacher’s ears is when students say, “This is so much fun!”
We can reflect and self-assess.
Students completed a self-assessment on their attitude, work habits, strengths, and goals. They even worked on writing a report card for Ms. Chan as a midway point to provide feedback on how the year is going so far. It gives them a voice to share their views on our classroom community and how we can further improve it. I always learn so much about how they feel and I love reading about how much they enjoy coming to school!
What to do at home
If you or your child are looking for what to do at home, here’s a list:
Read daily and talk about what they just read. Talk about what you’re reading too!
Write daily (because reading and writing are both skills, it requires practice, practice, and practice).
Passion Project
Writer’s Workshop (story)
All the Right Type
Practice Math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division). We will be starting multiplication after spring break so it will be SOOO helpful if they knew their math facts before then. You can use the same games I showed you in our Math games night to practice multiplication.
Thank you for your continued support at home. We appreciate you immensely!
Guess what? We had yet another awesome week together! I really do believe our time together is full of happiness and that is planned with great intention and every single interaction is intentional to uplift your child.
I have a monthly blog series on the Teach Better Team called the Gift Better series. Each month, I share a new concept that I see as a gift. These are things that are not generally seen as gifts and we often take these for granted. Since the pandemic, I started to see gifts all around us which led me to feel so much more gratitude for the simple things in life. The more I looked around, the greater the joy I found that exists all around us. It was there my whole life just waiting for me to discover. My hope with this blog series is that others begin to see the same gifts and ones that have been waiting for them to discover.
Just today, my latest post was published called The Gift of Happiness. I share this because when you read it, it will give you a glimpse into how our days in the classroom begin and how much happiness we share every day. Helping children feel happy and learn to live a healthy life with good habits of the mind that include developing an understanding of how to live a life filled with passion, kindness, gratitude, integrity, love, and joy is my goal every day. These life skills and habits, when reinforced throughout their formative years, will lead them to a greater sense of self-awareness, self-worth, self-love, self-discipline, self-compassion, and overall well-being.
Many of the posts I write come from my experience in the classroom. Another example is The Gift of Leadership. If you would like to learn how I am developing each one of your children as leaders, then please check that post out too. I was so humbled that this post and The Gift of Gratitude were two of the most popular posts on the Teach Better website for 2021 from the 500+ blogs that were published last year!
Last week was Literacy week!
The book chosen for our school-wide theme for the week was What’s My Superpower by Aviaq Johnston. It’s one of my favourite stories! She is a young author from writer from Igloolik, but currently living in Iqaluit, Nunavut.
This is a story about Nalvana, a young girl who sees other people’s superpowers and wonders what her superpower is. We had great discussions on the strengths we all have, how we shine in this world, and what gifts we bring to the people close to us. I absolutely LOVED reading their paragraphs as they dove into just one of their superpowers. It is so important to truly know ourselves and our strengths so we keep building on them as we build on our self-awareness and sense of self-worth.
Students LOVED reading with their flashlights in the gym and thoroughly enjoyed our alphabet scavenger hunt as we found words on our shirts. We won a class prize for this…a set of books for the class! The Dress up Like a Word day was a great success with creative costumes! On Friday, we appreciated Mr. Greenwood for being our guest reader.
Reminder: The Family Literacy BINGO sheets are due on Monday, January 31st. Hope you enjoyed the activities as a family! We also hope that these family activities continue throughout the year and not just for a week!
We are mathematicians.
This past week, we continued to learn and review geometry concepts. Students were given their first formal opportunity to show what they know last Wednesday. This was just a first snapshot! They will have another opportunity next Thursday, February 3rd to show what they know again.
I highlight the fact that learning is a journey. We celebrate what we already know and focus our time and effort on learning what we don’t know well yet until they are proficient. My goal is for them to understand concepts well enough so they can teach others! This is a deeper level of understanding than being able to complete a worksheet with accuracy. So, to prepare for next week, have your child explain the concepts to you, their stuffies, or have them record the math “lesson” on an iPad or tablet to watch and review. As Einstein said, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
Reminder: Keep encouraging your child to practice their math facts daily! Spending even five minutes a day, stacked with a habit, will go a long way in building their confidence with calculating facts.
We are artists.
Mrs. Paulich does amazing art projects with the kids. Check it out!
Book Recommendation
This past week, I started reading The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson. This was a book I’ve had on my list to read for a number of years. I mention it because from what I’ve read so far, I believe it can help you better understand how your child’s brain is wired and strategies on how to effectively support their development. Now that I’m reading it, I really wish I read it when my kids were much younger so that’s why I’m sharing this with you! If you visit Amazon, you’ll see how popular this book is!
From Amazon: In this pioneering, practical book, Daniel J. Siegel, neuropsychiatrist and author of the bestselling Mindsight, and parenting expert Tina Payne Bryson offer a revolutionary approach to child rearing with twelve key strategies that foster healthy brain development, leading to calmer, happier children. The authors explain—and make accessible—the new science of how a child’s brain is wired and how it matures. The “upstairs brain,” which makes decisions and balances emotions, is under construction until the mid-twenties. And especially in young children, the right brain and its emotions tend to rule over the logic of the left brain. No wonder kids throw tantrums, fight, or sulk in silence. By applying these discoveries to everyday parenting, you can turn any outburst, argument, or fear into a chance to integrate your child’s brain and foster vital growth.
I have read a number of books since the pandemic started. Check out my list here. If there is a book on my list that you’d like to hear more about, please feel free to ask and I’d be happy to share my thoughts. Also, if there is a book that you would highly recommend, please let me know. I love hearing about what others love to read! I prefer non-fiction because I am passionate about learning new things. Thank you!
As always, we appreciate your continued support at home. I will be sharing a short survey later this week as we are approaching the midway mark. Your feedback is very much appreciated. We want to finish the second half of the year strong! We are better together and stronger together. Thank you for being our partners in your child’s education.
Oh how I have missed spending time with your children!
Click on image to watch the video.
On Monday, we reviewed the old and new safety protocols. Thank you to parents who kept their children at home this week to keep us all safe. Please continue to do the daily health check and have your child pack 2-3 extra masks to keep in their backpacks. Thank you!
Click here for information on managing Covid. Click here for information if you have Covid.
Click here for the instructions from the BC Centre for Disease for close contacts.
Black Excellence Day
Many students wore black on Friday to support Black Excellence Day. We joined in the first-ever virtual event hosted by our district.
It is a learning opportunity and celebration of Black achievements, stories, art, people, joy, love, and history.
To learn more, click here to read the Burnaby School Board’s post and a CBC article about this initiative.
We are mathematicians.
We started our new math unit on geometry by checking to see what they already knew. Let’s just say I am so very excited to see their understanding grow immensely from what they showed me on Monday! We watched a video on recognizing shapes. Click here to re-watch the video.
Homework: Finish booklet that starts with page 150. It is due on Monday.
Thank you to parents who expressed interest! Next week on Wednesday, January 19th at 7:00pm, I will be hosting a Math Games night! Children are welcome to join in! At this point, I don’t know how long it will be but I won’t keep you past an hour. I will send you an email with the link. If you are interested but have not responded to the online form yet, please just email me to let me know. I am grateful for your time and interest!
All About Me presentations
We continued to enjoy the All About Me presentations this week. If your child has not presented yet, please help them practice this weekend. We will have all of them done by the end of next week. Thank you for your support!
We are learning to type!
Students were introduced to our online typing program called All the Right Type. We are grateful to have a district license. Last year, many of my students learned how to type efficiently through this program. Imagine how much more efficient your child will be for the rest of their life if they learned how to type at their age! Consider how much time they can save if they can type proficiently. Click here to login. They brought home their login information on Tuesday. Like most skills, the more time and effort they invest, the better and faster they get.
Coincidentally, my good friend, Tim Cavey, just published a blog post about the skill of typing recently! Click here to read, if interested.
Be impeccable with your words.
Last weekend, I finished reading a book called The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. It was published in 1997 and has sold over 100 million copies.
Our overarching school theme this month is responsibility. So the timing was just right to also focus on Agreement #1:Be impeccable with your words. It is our responsibility to treat others this way as we aim to live our lives as a role model in all that we do. I also taught them to be impeccable with the words they say to themselves. Sometimes we can be hardest on ourselves but it is so very important to be kind to ourselves too!
We have always focussed on Agreement#4: Always do your best as one of our 3 main questions that we have permanently on the front board:
Will you do the right thing?
Will you do today’s best?
What will you do in service to others today?
Please ask your child what they learned about being impeccable with their words. I challenged them to notice a time when they would not normally be impeccable with their words, to stop themselves to think first before speaking.
This is something that I often share out on social media:
Is it hard sometimes? Yes! Does it take self-discipline, self-control, and self-regulation to be kind with our words? Yes! But each interaction is an opportunity to uplift one another. If you are not uplifting someone, then you are tearing them down. There is no in between. One of my favourite songs is called Speak Life by Toby Mac about the power of our words.
We are so grateful for you and your support! Please know that your children are seen, loved, valued, heard, and appreciated as they bring us so much joy each day. Thank you for sharing your child with us. They are truly a gift! 🙂
It’s hard to believe we have only been together for 3 months. Time flies when you are having fun! We had yet another productive week together!
Click on image to watch the video update
Circle Time
Every day, we meet in our Community Circle. On certain days, we started to meet on the carpet to share our feelings and answer the question of the day. It is such a wonderful time to connect with each other and learn more about each other too! We truly believe this time is well spent to build the strong caring community that we have. The longer I teach, the more I recognize that building and maintaining relationships is the biggest key to all learning–that is, relationships with self AND others.
We are writers.
We continued to practice our writing and had a wonderful time sitting on the carpet in a circle to share the one thing we are really proud of in our writing. What a fantastic way to build a sense of pride in our writing development as we celebrated our learning together. Ask your child what they shared in our Author’s Circle time!
Parent’s “Homework”
Speaking of celebrations, if you haven’t had a chance already, please log in to your child’s FreshGrade to make positive comments on their reflections on learning. This coming week, we will be spending some time reading your comments so it will warm their hearts to read your encouraging words written to them in their posts. Check out last week’s blog post for a better understanding of what you will see in each post and tips on how to respond. While these e-portfolios are a reflection of their learning to recognize strengths and further growth, I know how much it would mean to them to see comments from their parents. Thank you for your time to support your child’s learning!
We are scientists.
This week, we started our book study with a non-fiction book called Rocks and Minerals on Epic Books. We are learning about text features to help us locate information and to help us better understand what we read. At first, we read together and took sketchnotes. Then we separated into groups of 3 to continue reading and taking notes. I loved watching them in action and they worked so cooperatively. I also love how we can put them into random groups and they work well together. This is the result of the hard work we do in building relationships with each other. For that, I am so very grateful.
We are now presenters!
This past week, many of us became presenters! Me included! On Friday, I was honoured to present at my first conference in the US! It was virtual so I only travelled on Zoom. 🙂 It was great to show them my slides as an example of what to consider on their slides.
I loved seeing the incredible growth from how only a few short weeks ago, some of your children barely knew how to navigate on a laptop! Now, they are proficient at setting up a presentation in PowerPoint, creating slides, and inserting images that completely match their ideas! I love hearing all of the compliments and the invaluable feedback given as kind suggestions on how they can improve for next time.
We still have a number of presentations. If your child has not presented yet, I highly recommend they actually practice saying their presentation. It is most ideal if they can practice it at least three times before they present. This will help build their confidence in knowing what to say for each slide.
When you see the rubric sent home, please write a positive comment and assist your child in writing a personal goal for next time. Then ask them to put it back in their planner to hand in to me the next day. Thank you for your support!
Grade 5 Mathematicians
Last week, we continued to learn about decimals and we practiced addition with decimals too. Please continue to have your child practice basic math facts at home. They learned some new ways to practice using a deck of cards. If they spent even five minutes a day reviewing facts, they will improve in speed and accuracy! We will be working on addition and subtraction of whole numbers to 1 000 000 and with decimals to thousandths. Your support at home is greatly appreciated!
We are grateful.
Thank you so very much for your support of the Book Fair! Our school was able to fundraise $2000 that will go towards more books for our library! We also are so very grateful for your support for the Jingle Bell walk food drive! Thank you so much for your generous donations!
We are always so thankful for your support at home. We appreciate your time and effort to support your child’s learning at school.
