Dear families,

We have had another fantastic week getting to know each other better, learning how doing small things make a difference to others and our community, how having perseverance and a growth mindset helps us overcome obstacles, how we need to be brave sometimes to step out of our comfort zone, and how using our cooperation and group work skills lead to great effective partnerships. All of our activities are followed by reflections on our experiences – some verbal and some written.

“We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.” – John Dewey

To give you a glimpse into some activities, here are the tweets I posted this past week with some extra comments:

MONDAY: Got to know each other better with inside outside circles. Ex “I can…” statements: I can listen to other people when they are talking. I can share my own ideas and speak clearly. I can give the gift of attention. Students noticed how communication improved with repetition. To learn more about Inside Outside circles, click here. 

We also learned about comfort zones and how being in our “Stretch Zone” is most ideal for learning and personal development. When asked, this was a new concept for all of them. We discussed how it is important to get out of our comfort zone and how they will be gently pushed into their stretch zones for various areas like critical and creative thinking, communication skills, personal and social/emotional development, for example.

TUESDAY: “The key to creating or transforming community, then, is to see the power in the small but important elements of being with others.” -Peter Block. We used yarn to create a spider web. Students took turns to share an example of a small yet simple act that would make someone’s day brighter. #Interconnected

I asked one person to shake the yarn in the web (which represents one kind act) then asked another to do same and another until all did so they can see the positive effect of each small kind act for building community. Then we did the opposite. Doesn’t take much if one person does or says one negative thing to affect all in the community. #PowerfulVisual 

Click here to check out Isaac and Yunsoo’s reflections on our spider web activity!

WEDNESDAY: Class community coming together wonderfully. Each day, we have 1-2 community building activities. Today, we got to know each other better by finding commonalities using @poppletny. All shared an appreciation for why partnership worked well. Ex: took turns, shared ideas, cooperated, laughed with me.

We also wrote a reflection after our final tennis lesson. Click here to read Eva and Liliana’s reflections!

THURSDAY: A simple thing but offering choice makes quite a difference to some students. Used these picture prompts. Used Milling to Music strategy for many opportunities to share story ideas first. I can tell we are going to have a blast writing creative stories this year! To learn more about Milling to Music, click here.

We started our day taking turns to share appreciations for each other and those in our school community. Read a book called Louder, Lili about finding your own voice and being courageous to speak up.

FRIDAY: Talked about importance of brain breaks. Had tons of fun playing a version of rock, paper, scissors but instead bear (roar with hands up like claws), salmon (bloop bloop with hands together like a fish), mosquito (bzzz with two index fingers together). Start by saying hi and name first. Stand back to back. Count 3-2-1, turn to face, action plus sound. Then find a new partner. Check out podcast to learn more examples of brain breaks.

Notes for Parents

Donations: Please continue to collect donations for the Terry Fox foundation. On Thursday, September 26th, we will have a Celebration of Learning and our Terry Fox run will follow. Please have your child dress appropriately for the weather. They are encouraged to bring a water bottle.

Earbuds: Please send earbuds with a microphone to school in a labelled Ziploc sandwich bag. It generally has a volume control with a little small hole on the back; that’s the mic. The microphone will help your child record their learning without picking up ambient noise in the classroom. You may find it at a dollar store. No need to buy an expensive pair. Thank you.

Shoes: Send a pair of inside shoes, please.

Parents as Partners Conferences: I am looking forward to meeting with you this Thursday, September 19th. Click here to view the notice from the school office that provides more details.

To inform me of your preferred conference time, please click here fill out the online form.

We had a great start getting to know each other last week. To capture some of our moments, I tweeted it out every day last week. Here is a glimpse into our week:

MONDAY: Meeting new students at #Brentwood Park made my day. Students chose a special rock. Interesting how they asked for it back after recess & lunch. By end of day, names were on them. Students found it soothing and calming to hold. I do too. One said it’s comforting in a new environment. #NewPetRock

TUESDAY: We started our morning with tennis lessons at #Brentwood Park. It was the perfect segway to our growth mindset lesson that followed. Oh, we have a long way to reach our 10,000 hours before we become an expert! Such power in the word YET!

WEDNESDAY: Started Math lesson hearing lots of mumbling about not liking or not being good at it so I asked students to write down thoughts, feelings, fears in Math journal. Goal is to change their mind about Math by end of year. If my son can change his attitude about Math in grade 11, so can they!

THURSDAY: Warmed up our brains by learning about SMART: strategies to increase creative thinking. Then a hands-on challenge to build the tallest structure. A group had tower lying on its side but most powerful reflection, “no one was being left out so we reached our goal of all working together!”

FRIDAY: Our class talked about making mistakes. Why are mistakes important? What can we learn from them? Students each shared a story about a mistake and what was learned. Some funny stories were told and we realized that learning and laughing about them can both be great results from making mistakes!

September forms: Please return all the forms and pay online. Special note: Please consider the great opportunity for students to attend the Young People’s Concert series. The shows are not all concerts but vetted quality performances presented at our Michael J. Fox Theatre; all students in intermediate classes (including our grade 3’s) can enjoy! Please let me know if you need another form.

Allergies: We have students in our class with life threatening peanut and tree nut allergies. Please refrain from sending food items that contain peanuts or tree nuts. This will avoid possible cross contamination and keep your child’s classmates safe. Thank you for your cooperation.

Plastic cutlery: Students sometimes come to school without a utensil to use in order to enjoy their lovingly packed lunches. If anyone has an excess of forks and spoons, please feel free to send it to school. We will keep a stash for anyone who may need one. Thank you.

To learn more about our classroom about arriving early, Planners, and Scholastic orders, click here to go to our About our Class page.

Dear families,

Welcome to Division 9! I am so excited to be your child’s teacher this year and to be a part of your child’s learning journey. Eight years ago, I taught here at Brentwood Park so I am absolutely thrilled to return after holding a position on the Staff Development team in Learning Technologies and spending one year at University Highlands. It has been such a warm welcome back.

I believe in building a strong community by making your child’s school experience safe and enjoyable, filled with many opportunities to learn about themselves, each other, and the world around us. I am committed to making this year a positive and memorable one where they will be cared for, valued and respected.

I am looking forward to meeting you and to work as partners in your child’s education. Please save the date as we will have Parents as Partners meetings on Thursday, September 19th in Portable 27. More information will be shared soon. There will be an early dismissal at 2:00 pm this day and on September 20th as well.

In the coming days, I will be sharing more information. The blog will be the primary place to learn more about what is happening and what we are learning about. I see it as a one-stop shop for everything you need to know. A number of notices have gone home today. To view a checklist of what is to be returned, please click here.

Hope to meet you very soon,

Ms. Chan

During last Friday’s assembly, students had an opportunity to proudly showcase our process of inquiry on various sea creatures. It all began with asking questions and lots of them. Then with access to resources like books, websites, videos, and a visit to the Vancouver Aquarium, students researched information together with a partner. They took notes on paper and then organized them using Kidspiration:

Click to enlarge.

which helped them publish their writing:

Click to enlarge.

and eventually, supported their formal presentation. Here is one by Isla on Starfish (click on image):

Click on image to view Owen’s presentation.

Click on image to view Riley’s presentation.