Category: We are artists.

Dear Division 11 Families,

Our hearts were warmed by your presence at our Families as Partners conversations last week. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting you in person and learning more about your child through your stories. Thank you for your investment of time to share as we journey and work alongside each other this year.

Patterns
In Math, we continued to learn about different varieties of patterns. For example, a pattern can be different by shape, colour, size, and rotation. We started our Patterns booklet where we got to create our own book cover and demonstrate our understanding of repeating patterns including identifying the core pattern. Next steps: Learn how to identify, create, continue, and describe increasing patterns.

Way to support at home: When you are outside, look for patterns in nature. At home, take out items to create varying patterns that change by shape, colour, size or rotation.

One of our core competencies is personal awareness and identity.

We read a story called I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont. Watch the animated video on YouTube of the story. The goal of reading this story was to critically think about our strengths, core values, and character traits we appreciate about ourselves. This isn’t an easy task even for some adults! Students had an opportunity to respond to this story by writing about what they like about themselves.

Learning requires exploration of one‘s identity. – First Peoples Principals of Learning

This principle reflects the importance of identity in relation to learning. Identity is what connects people to each other, to communities, and to the land. The exploration of one’s identity includes developing an understanding of one’s place in the world, in addition to being able to identify all the factors that contribute to how people see themselves. These factors include their strengths and their challenges, their innate abilities (gifts) and capacities to learn. In addition to using this understanding to help one grow in life, knowing one’s own strengths and challenges is a part of the responsibility a person has to his or her family and community, as a people are considered to have a duty to use them to contribute to others (family, community, and land). Taken from https://firstpeoplesprinciplesoflearning.wordpress.com/learning-requires-exploration-of-ones-identity/

We are each unique and beautiful but together we are a masterpiece!

Ways to support learning at home: Have a conversation about what they wrote in their writing books. Help them extend understanding of themselves by helping them see some of the positive characteristics they have. Support them in seeing the examples (or receipts in their lives) that demonstrate these positive traits that you see. Developing a positive self image through awareness of strengths and core values is one of the first steps in building a strong foundational relationship with themselves. When they know who they are, what they stand for, and what brings them joy, then they can anchor into these when faced with adversity or challenges. If you were to model this, what would you say to your child?

We are scientists.

Big idea: All matter is made of particles.

You may have seen a yellow sticky note come home in their planner with the word “matter” written on it. We went around the room and in the hallways to “label” everything we saw as matter to demonstrate our understanding that matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. They were asked to tell you what we did with the sticky note and show you examples of matter in your home.

We also talked about atoms. Their minds were blown away when they learned how many atoms are on the top of a pinhead!

Orange Shirt Day

During our Orange Shirt Day assembly on Friday, we learned about why we wear orange shirts. Why? An orange shirt was taken away from a residential school Survivor: Phyllis Webstad. This day raises awareness of the residential school system in Canada. Wearing orange reminds us of the impact of residential schools still felt today. We also went for a short walk around the school.

On Monday, September 30, the school will not be in session for National Day for Truth & Reconciliation. This is an important day of reflection to honour Survivors, families, communities, and remember the ancestors that never made it home. For me as a mother, I can’t help but feel emotional when I think about children being separated from their families. Some children may have emotions about this too when they try to empathize. Please have a conversation to help them understand our history and why National Day for Truth & Reconciliation is an important day. Thank you.

Ways to support at home: Please feel free to visit the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation website to continue the learning and reflection at home. Feel free to watch the video we also watched at our assembly.

Scholastic Book Orders

One of the ways we have built up our classroom library is through the Scholastic Reading Club. The books in these flyers are generally wonderful and are very reasonable. Teachers are awarded points to use toward books and classroom supplies when students place orders. We will be sending home flyers regularly. Learn more.

Our class code: RC235868

Some of our class books were donated by previous students. This is so appreciated! If you have books at home that your child is no longer interested in, please consider donating them to the classroom. Children need an interesting variety of books to be motivated to read and we do a lot of reading! If we cannot use them, we know many new teachers who can. Any unwanted craft supplies, puzzles, or games are also greatly appreciated. 

Thank you for your support at home. If you returned the student information forms that went home last week, thank you! If you have not yet, then please return this week.

Looking forward to another great week at school!

With gratitude, Ms. Chan

A message from Ms. Kim

This week in art, our students learned about the artist Keith Haring. We explored the concept of pop art and discussed his unique style. Next week, the students will create Keith Haring-inspired family portraits and learn about complementary colors through his artwork.

We spent a significant amount of time in class discussing Orange Shirt Day and the importance of this day. This year, the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation event will be taking place on Sunday, September 29th, 2024 at Memorial Peace Park in Maple Ridge, beginning at 10am until 3pm. This will be a good opportunity for students to learn more about the significance behind this day.

In math, we are continuing our work on data analysis. The students have been developing their own survey questions to gather and display data.

In Social Studies, we read a wonderful book called A Family is a Family is a Family by Sara O’Leary. This book celebrates all types of families, and we will continue our conversation about families into next week, eventually exploring family traditions from around the world.

As always, I am thankful for your support in your child’s learning journey.

Kindly, Ms. Kim

Dates to Note:

• Wednesday, October 2: Picture Day
• Friday, October 5: Painting our fish for Stream of Dreams; send children with clothing appropriate for painting just in case. I am not sure if the paint is washable. These fish will replaced the ones currently on the fence along Gilmore Ave.
• Every Friday: Conversation Circles for English Language Learners newer to Canada. Come practice your speaking and make new connections at school!
• PAC fundraiser: Apples! Last day to order is October 9.
• Friday, October 18: Family movie night. Save the date!

This was our writing and art about our names! Look at all of the cool designs we made with our names!

Dear families,

These weeks are going by so quickly! There is so much to savour in our last few weeks. It has been such a sweet year together with your sweet children.

We can reflect.

One of our core competencies is reflective thinking. One of my favourite quotes is by John Dewey “We do not learn from experience … we learn from reflecting on experience.”

There is so much to learn about ourselves, our self identity, and how to continue to grow. One of the best ways to do this is through reflection. Last week, your child had an opportunity to reflect on their learning this term, share what they are proud of, and to set a couple of goals for next year. Please feel free to ask your child what they wrote. What are you curious about in terms of their reflections on learning? Ask them!

This week, they will share what they think will help me be a better teacher and what they think have been the biggest life lessons I taught them. I love asking this question! It tells me a lot about whether my core values come through in my teaching. I am constantly in pursuit of betterment. I love learning and reflecting on my learning. Even after 25 years, I am still curious about being a better teacher and leader in the school so I read a lot, listen to a lot of podcasts, and follow people who inspire me to be better every day. If you have any feedback for me, please share with me too. I would be open to learning about what you see as my strengths and areas to improve. Thank you for your time.

Invitation: Ask your child what are the top three life lessons you taught them. I asked my young adult children this a couple of years ago and it was very interesting to hear their answer. Their life lessons learned were different from me and my husband. I wonder what they would say to you about what they learned from you so far in their young life.

We are mathematicians.

We are learning about money. I know many people don’t carry or use money as much as we used to but it is helpful for your children to understand financial literacy.

We sang the song “Canada in my Pocket” by Michael Mitchell and watched “How Money Is Made“. Feel free to watch together at home and have some conversations about money.

We are scientists.

Don’t blink or you may miss this!

We recorded our observations in our ladybug journal.

We are artists.

• Their beautiful and brightly coloured copper thunderbird paintings inspired by the Canadian Indigenous artist Norval Morisseau
• Hand drawn mandalas, which were an excellent practice in symmetry, adding fine detail, and staying patient through the process
• Paper sea collages, which were inspired by their recent trip to the aquarium and involved using their fine motor skills and lots of by imagination! Students created starfish, axolotl, sea otters and more, and as always, they went above and beyond with what they created.

Field Trip

• Fri. June 21 – Revs Bowling and Burnaby Lake picnic (All families are welcome!) We need more parent volunteer drivers, please. If you can drive for a part of the day, please let me know. Perhaps we can share the load. Please email me if you can drive us to the bowling alley OR from the bowling alley to the park OR from the park back to the school. Thank you to the parents who already volunteered. We appreciate you!

My heart is full of gratitude for your support at home.

Gratefully, Ms. Chan

Dear families,

Every time I sit down to reflect on the past week, I can’t help but have a heart full of gratitude for the blessing to be your child’s teacher. The love and joy we share along with the enjoyable time we have as we learn together is truly priceless.

Sports Day

Friday was a fun day of teamwork and cooperation through physical activities. For those who were able to see some of the fun, thank you for joining us. We hope your child went home talking about how much they enjoyed their day!

We are readers.

Students have been enjoying reading books on our iPads using EPIC. This is a website that has over 40,000 high interest books to read. Just a reminder that if your child is sick or at home, they can access their account anytime from 7AM to 3PM. Our class code is ycr9510 and their passcode is the first four digits of their pupil number. That’s the same number they use to login to laptops.

We are mathematicians.

We continued to solidify our understanding of perimeter. This week, we were introduced to the concept of how to measure area and how it differs from perimeter.

How to support at home if your child needs extra support for perimeter. Watch this video together and measure the perimeter of some items around the house.

We are researchers.

We started our research on an animal we saw at the Vancouver Aquarium. We were given a partner and everyone worked so hard during their first work period!

We are artists.

From Ms. Kapusta: This week, we finished our Norval Morrisseau art. We painted our copper thunderbirds (last week we learned that Norval’s artwork always involved animals and nature and his Indigenous name, which he received during a healing ceremony, was “copper thunderbird”). We painted with tempura paint and used bright, bold colours, thick black lines, and left no white space – just like Norval’s style. As we painted small details and focused on doing our best job, the class was reminded that learning involves patience and time. No one was born painting like Norval Morrisseau or Pablo Picasso. I’m proud of how they all turned out and the passion the kids bring into making their art continues to bring me joy!

Sorry, with all of the Sports Day fun, we forgot to take a picture of the new bulletin board but we can share next week!

Last Field Trip 

We will have our last field trip on Friday, June 21. We will be going bowling at Revs (5502 Lougheed Highway by Holdom skytrain station) at 10 AM. We will leave the school at 9:40 AM.

After bowling, we will be heading to Burnaby Lake Park (behind Bill Copeland Sports Complex) for lunch and until the end of the day. We will return to school before 3 PM.

We will need parent drivers to bowling, to the park, and back to school, please. All families are welcome to join us for the day to watch them bowl and socialize at the park! We will be joined by Ms. Tai’s and Ms. Santorelli’s class. More details will be listed on the field trip notice when it is sent home.

This Weekend! Family Opportunities at Rosemary Brown Recreation Centre (7789 18th Street, Burnaby)

The City of Burnaby is offering some programming this weekend! Rosemary Brown Drop-in Schedules

Toonie Skate

• • Monday, May 20th at 11:45 AM to 1:15 PM

Family Ringette & Hockey Drop-in (4 – 12 years + adult)

Families can enjoy the sport of ringette together! Space is provided for shoot & score and participants are welcome to play small area games. The maximum ratio of children to adults (16rs+) is 3:1.  All participants must wear a helmet with a face cage and protective gloves. Additional safety equipment is encouraged. Hockey helmets with cages are available to borrow at no cost from our skate shop. Participants may wear hockey face masks to this program.

• • Sunday, May 19th at 3:00-4:00pm
  • Monday, May 20^th at 9:15-10:15am

Family Lacrosse (4-12 years with adult)

• • Monday, May 20^th at 9:45-10:45 am

Family Ball Hockey (4-12 years with adult)

• • Monday, May 20^th at 11 am-12 pm

Community Events

• Wed. May 22 at 6 PM – Kitchener Community Dinner (potluck). All families are welcome! Please RSVP using this link. I am looking forward to seeing you and your family there! The intermediate choir will be performing and we have an art activity for children to enjoy.
• Fri. May 24 from 4:30 to 7:30 PM – Burnaby North Secondary. Free carnival games, face painting, etc. Click here to learn more.
• Sat. June 1 from 9:30 AM to 4 PM – Hats Off Day. Click here to learn more about this great annual event that happens along Hastings street.

I am savouring all the moments with your children. They make me smile and fill my heart with so much joy. I appreciate how each one contributes their gifts and their heart to our community. I can’t help but light up when I see them or share with others about how much I love them anytime I have an opportunity. Thank you for sharing your beautiful children with me this year. 🙂

Grateful to be a part of your child’s learning and development at school, Ms. Chan

Dear families,

I could use this blog title every week because every week feels like a fond week! 🙂

I am so grateful to end a lovely week at the Vancouver Aquarium on a beautiful day on our field trip. Deep gratitude to our parents who generously offered their gift of time and effort to supervise a group. We are grateful to Maissa’s mom, Enma’s mom, James L.’s dad, and Senara’s dad for your help! Check out the images of some of the animals and creatures we saw there!

Thank you to the fundraising efforts of our PAC Executive, more than half of the cost of this field trip was covered.

Our next steps will be choosing an animal or creature we would like to learn more about through research.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of our lovely mothers!

We hope you enjoyed your special day!

From Ms. Kapusta: This week, we worked on a special art project: cards for Mother’s Day! We challenged ourselves by making 3D pop up cards using paper, recycled scraps, cardboard, and sharpie. We also challenged ourselves to draw different kinds of flowers. We ended off by writing a special message to our mothers. We also talked about the importance of all caregivers in our lives, including fathers, grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings, etc. as every family is different and unique. We couldn’t be happier with how our cards turned out! You can tell that students put a lot of time and effort into their work and wanted to their best jobs. I hope you all have had a happy Mother’s Day this weekend! Mothers and caregivers, thank you for all that you do for your children.

We are artists. From Ms. Kapusta

April 30:

The students learned about a new Canadian Indigenous artist this week: Norval Morisseau! Norval was also called “Copper Thunderbird” and he was part of the Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation. We observed some of his different artworks and discussed what we noticed, like his depiction of nature and animals and use of thick black outlines and abstract style. We also compared and contrasted this contemporary Canadian Indigenous artist’s work to some of the Coast Salish art we looked at last week. You can look at some of his work here and ask your child what they learned. We then began our very own Norval Morisseau art! We drew a copper thunderbird in sharpie and tried to emulate Norval’s abstract style through the use of soft shapes, curved lines, and symbols of nature. Next week we will be painting our work! The students were really excited about their copper thunderbirds and we can’t wait to see how they turn out once we add some bright, solid colours!

Butterflies are free!

We had a great opportunity to join Ms. Rinaldo’s class on their butterfly release at Willingdon Park on Wednesday. These were painted lady butterflies.

One of the butterflies was not able to survive because the wings did not expand to dry properly so their wings did not develop the way they should have. We did a farewell to honour its life.

On the Trapline

We read a picture book that celebrate Indigenous culture and traditions. Then we had an opportunity to write our own connections to the story.

This is taken from Amazon: The Governor General Award shares a story that honors our connections to our past and our grandfathers and fathers.

A boy and Moshom, his grandpa, take a trip together to visit a place of great meaning to Moshom. A trapline is where people hunt and live off the land, and it was where Moshom grew up. As they embark on their northern journey, the child repeatedly asks his grandfather, “Is this your trapline?” Along the way, the boy finds himself imagining what life was like two generations ago — a life that appears to be both different from and similar to his life now. This is a heartfelt story about memory, imagination and intergenerational connection that perfectly captures the experience of a young child’s wonder as he is introduced to places and stories that hold meaning for his family.

How to support at home: What were some of your stories of spending time with your grandfather or grandmother? Share some fond memories with your child.

“Fond” was one of our new words this week. Many didn’t know what the adjective meant so using this word in your vocabulary this week can help solidify their understanding of the word fond.

We are mathematicians.

This week, we learned about measurement and the relation between centimetres and millimetres. They learned how to convert a measurement from cm to mm.

Then we extended this by learning about perimeter and how to measure it. Please feel free to review perimeter with your child at home. We will continue this week and move into learning about area as well. You are welcome to look for videos on YouTube that can help your child review this new concept.

Word Work

For our work work last week, we practiced past tense and learned that with regular past tense verbs, they ALL end with “ed” even though they have the /d/, /id/, or /t/ sounds.

Wondering Wednesday

We joined Ms. Santorelli’s class and Ms. Tai’s class on our shape search walk. They had so much fun looking and tallying all sorts of shapes in our environment.

This upcoming week

We have Sports Day on Friday! We will be telling students more about what to expect this week. There will be an early dismissal at 12:30 pm. Students on the hot lunch program will receive their hot lunch on this day. Your child is welcome to bring a lunch as well or eat at home after sports day is over. Families are welcome to attend and cheer students on!

Thank you so much for your continued support at home. You are an essential part of our learning and we appreciate you!

With much gratitude, Ms. Chan