Dear Division 11 Families,

Hello from Ms. Kim!

We had a fantastic first week getting to know each other and building our classroom community through collaborative art and teamwork challenges. I can already tell we’re going to have a great year together!

In Social Studies, we are diving into learning about our identity by exploring self, family, community, and the land, as well as how they are all connected. This week, the students will focus on themselves, and we will be exploring the story behind their names. On Tuesday, they will be bringing home a handout with a few questions about their names. Please help them by answering these questions and talking to them about where their name comes from, who chose it, and any special meanings or stories behind it. Thank you in advance for your support with this activity.

• Learning requires exploration of one‘s identity. (First Peoples Principles of Learning)

In Math, we will be diving into data analysis. We’ve already been learning a lot about each other through surveys and data collection, and I’m excited to continue.

I look forward to seeing all the students again on Tuesday. Thank you!

Greetings from Ms. Chan!

We start every morning with a soft start which we call Heart time because they get to fill their heart with things that bring them joy. I love seeing new friendships begin!  I remind them to thank the people who brought them joy as they clean up before our morning message and community connection circle time. This is our regular daily routine to start us off just right!

During community circle time, we typically share how we are feeling plus a question or statement for the day.

• On Mondays, it will typically be sharing about something they feel grateful for experienced on the weekend.
• On Thursdays, it will always be “Thankful Thursday” where they share gratitude. Sometimes this will be specific and sometimes it will be more open to share about what they feel grateful for in the moment.
• On Fridays, it will usually be sharing about something they are looking forward to that they are also grateful for.

How you can support at home: Knowing that these are regular things we will be sharing during our connection circle time, please feel free to have a conversation with your child about what they may want to share. This gives them an opportunity to think about and perhaps rehearse what they would like to share. This also gives you a glimpse into what they are feeling grateful for! 🙂

Gratitude

If you haven’t noticed already, one of my core values is gratitude. There is much research that says there is a link between gratitude and happiness.

We also know that happy kids get along better with others and those that get along better with others have better a social-emotional well-being because they feel more connected. We are all hardwired for connection so in everything we do, we aim for students to be self-regulated learners who work and learn well with others.

Relationships

Another one of my core values is relationships. I see every relationship as a gift. The relationship I have with your child and your family is a precious gift to me and one that I already treasure from the moment I met them (and you)! It is very important to me that every interaction is grounded in love, kindness, and gratitude with the goal of uplifting them and making them feel seen, heard, valued, respected, and loved.

• Learning is holistic, reflexive, reflective, experiential, and relational (focused on connectedness, on reciprocal relationships, and a sense of place). – First Peoples Principles of Learning

All About Me Bag

One of the most effective ways we can have strong relationships is by first getting to know each other better. So this is one reason why your child was asked to bring a bag with three items that help us get to know them better. Another reason is so they can practice overcoming nervousness about speaking to their classmates early in the year. Effective communication is one of the core competencies I value deeply and encourage regularly.

How to support at home: Help your child create a script for each item. Practice, practice, practice reading it so when they present, they can fluently read what is written.

I will be assessing them on their presentation using a single point rubric. This is a starting point and an opportunity to receive constructive feedback.

Math Thoughts

The very first thing we do in math is to talk about our mindset and attitude towards math. Even at this young age, many students already have certain ideas and feelings about their identity as a mathematician. Here are some of my goals by the end of the year:

• Help them see that productive struggle is a good thing. This is where we grow the most!
• We get to practice our growth mindset (and the power of YET!).
• Develop our critical thinking skills through determination and perseverance with a positive attitude
• Take initiative to try more challenging questions.
• Learn how to collaborate and communicate with our partners on questions and to explain our thinking, including justifying our answers.
• Feel pride as we celebrate small wins!

Our first lesson involved writing a letter to me. They were asked to share how they feel about math, what parts of math they like/dislike, what they want to learn, and end with drawing an emoji that reflects their thoughts.

Thank you for joining us on our journey together as we support your child’s learning at home and school. I truly believe we are partners. Anytime you have questions or concerns, please bring it to our attention. We are better together and stronger together!

Your children bring me so much joy and I feel so very blessed! I am looking forward to another week with them!

With a heart full of kindness and gratitude, Ms. Chan

Reminders & Notes

• Please go to School Cash Online to pay $8 for planners and $30 for our shared school supplies.
• Please return the Families as Partners Information Form. Thank you to families who already completed and returned!
• Wed, Sept 18 at 7 PM: Meet Your Teachers Night! You will receive a link in your email after school. We hope to see you all there! 🙂
• Thur, Sept 19: Terry Fox Run will begin with a kickoff assembly at 1 PM. The school will be walking to Willingdon Park to run on the grass field.
• Fri, Sept 20: The school will have our first Pro-D day so students do not attend. Enjoy your long weekend!
• Wed, Sept 25 & Thur, Sept 26: Families as Partners Conferences (Come meet us in person!)
• Feel free to bring an extra change of clothes to keep at school (sometimes they just fall and get wet!) and an extra pair of shoes especially on rainy days. It is harder to wear heavy boots all day.
• We have gym on Tuesdays and Wednesdays so please ensure they are wearing comfortable clothing and appropriate shoes for fun physical activity with Mr. Ho. Thank you!
• We have Library Book Exchange on Tuesdays with Ms. Solomon.
• We are already planning our field trips! Here’s a hint for one: It’s something I love to do on frozen water. We hope to do three sessions!