Dear Division 6 families,

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 31^st. 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 3^rd 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.

Grateful for you, Ms. Chan (and Mrs. Paulich)

Dear Division 6 families,

What an awesome week we had together! We really do bring each other joy when we come together at school! My heart is filled with joy anytime I get to spend my day with them!

We are good digital citizens.

Last week, we were reminded of the importance of being good digital citizens. We reviewed our THINK acronym and talked about our digital footprint and how what we post is permanent. Our words and actions today may make an impact on our future so we need to be IMPECCABLE with our words (from The Four Agreements; see last week’s post as this was discussed).

Sending emails was introduced and students had a few opportunities to compose and learn how to write a professional email. There should be short subject line, an opening (like a greeting plus a name), the body of the email, a closing, and a signature. They have been receiving feedback on how professional their emails are looking. I know this meant that I have been receiving an extra 30 emails each time we practice this but I have thoroughly enjoyed connecting with your children beyond the walls and time in our classroom! Please reinforce the importance of being a good digial citizen who is impeccable with their words. Thank you for your support at home! You can always ask them to show you their emails too.

We are public speakers.

We finished all of our All About Me presentations last week! Wow! My socks were knocked off from the presentations! They have learned so much about how to create effective slides, how to have an engaging presence as a presenter, and how to improve for next time. I have loved the honest feedback they have provided to their classmates. They truly have been impeccable with their words in their compliments and suggestions for next time. They are bang on!

I also loved how they have learned from each other. One student who went first commented on how many people copied his idea for his ending slide. The student responded, “I was inspired by you.” That warmed my heart so much!!

Many have been asking about when they will be presenting their Passion Projects. We will review the criteria again so they are clear on what is expected. Then they will review their slides and presentation independently and then practice with a friend. I will also review with them to provide feedback. My best guess is that some may be ready to present in about 2-3 weeks.

We are mathematicians.

We continued to have fun as we learned more geometry concepts. Our goal is to always understand these concepts well enough so we become confident to teach someone else. Here are some vocabulary words that your child learning to understand and hopefully be able to explain and teach!

• lines, vertex and vertices, polygon
• right angle, acute angle, obtuse angle
• triangle, quadrilateral, square, rectangle, pentagon, hexagon, trapezoid, rhombus, parallelogram
• parallel lines, congruency

I plan to have a pre-test sometime this week just to check their understanding and for them to see how well they understand the concepts. When they bring it home, it will be clear to you what concepts will need further review. Thank you so much for your support at home!

We are ALL mathematicians!

What a great way to spend an evening! I felt SO grateful to have so many families join us for our Math night! I recorded the session and will be sharing that via email to everyone to review. I realized afterwards that I forgot to explain the Making 10’s strategy. Here they can play Go Fish. Each player has 5 cards. Instead of asking if you have a matching number, you ask for the number that makes 10. For example, if I have a 6, then I would say, “Do you have a 4?” because that equals 10. The game is played exactly the same as our traditional Go Fish except you are trying to match 2 numbers that equal 10.

Similarly, take a deck of cards. As they flip each card over, they say out loud the other addend that equals 10. For examples, if I flip over a 3, I say 7. If I flip over an 8, I say 2. If I flip over a 9, I say 1. The two numbers equal 10. The faster and more accurate they get, the more confident they are! Take turns or create two piles. The person who finished the pile first wins!

Thank you again for your support at home! I already heard some feedback and it made my heart feel so happy to know that you have already been playing these games at home! I appreciate you!

If you want a refresher without having to review the video, go to our Mathematicians Play page!

We are creators.

We continued to work on our Writer’s Workshop stories and started a new document in Word. Anytime you are looking for some work to do at home, they can always work on the following:

• their story in Word
• Passion Project
• send someone an email to brighten their day!

In addition, they can also practice typing in All the Right Type and make sure they go to .ca and NOT .com. They can always practice their math facts too! Check out some games on this page.

We are kind.

We have been practicing being impeccable with our words. On Friday, I challenged them to be someone who brightens someone’s day. My heart was warmed when we shared the things we did. It could be as simple as telling a friend how thankful they are to be friends or doing something kind for someone. I hope they remembered to brighten your day over the weekend too! 🙂

Looking forward to another great week together! Should be fun seeing that it will be Literacy Week!

We appreciate you.

Sincerely, Ms. Chan (and Mrs. Paulich)

This upcoming week is Literacy week! Your child should have come home with a Family Literacy week BINGO sheet! The last day to return it will be on Monday, January 31.

On Tuesday, students are asked to bring a towel and flashlight as we will be heading to the gym to read.

On Wednesday, students are asked to wear shirts with words on it. We have a chance to win prizes!

On Thursday, it is dress up as a word day! Brainstorm some ideas and be creative!

Please see the notice about litterless lunches at Gilmore. It was sent home on Friday.

Dear families of Division 6,

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 the daily health check.

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! 🙂

Sincerely, Ms. Chan (and Mrs. Paulich)

Dear families of Division 6,

We are looking forward to seeing you back at school on Monday! An email was just sent. Thank you for your time to read it carefully. Should you have any questions, please feel free to ask. We are here to support you and your family.

We are most excited to see your children return to school next week! Please arrive at school promptly at 8:50am, thank you!

Sincerely, Ms. Chan and Mrs. Paulich