Necessity is the mother of invention: students wanted another chess set, so they built one out of Lego! Super inventive!
Category: Community (Page 2 of 3)
Class code: RC377163
Phyllis Webstad from the Stswecem’c Xget’tem First Nation
This week Division 5 has been talking about Orange Shirt Day and, more broadly, the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. Truth and reconciliation is an ongoing process that requires reflection and action. In an interview, Phyllis Webstad, the person whose experience inspired Orange Shirt Day, noted that there will come a time when the people who lived through the experience of residential school will be gone, and we are dependent on our youth to carry forward the knowledge of Canada’s history.
Many students already have some background knowledge about residential schools and are continuing to learn challenging truths of Canada’s past. Reconciliation starts with a willingness to listen and learn in order to restore positive relationships for affected communities.
The Honorable Justice Murray Sinclair, chief commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, said that “education is what got us into this mess, and education is what will get us out of it.” On Saturday September 30, I hope you can take some time to learn and reflect.
Here a couple videos shared with students today:
Below are some links to support you in your truth and reconciliation journey:
- Orange Shirt Day – the story behind why we wear orange
- Native Land – learn about whose land you live on
Original Artwork by Hawlii Pichette
- 94 Calls to Action – a child-friendly document to learn about important steps still needed to be taken towards reconciliation (did you know that this Day of T&R is #80 of the 94 calls to action?)
- Raven Reads – blog post about National Day of Truth and Reconciliation; check out the blog for more interesting reads
- Iron Dog Books – feeling like you need some new pages? Check out the “Indigenous Reads for Kids” section!
- Medicine Wheel Publishing – books and resources
- Namwayut: We Are All One – Video about Chief Robert Joseph
- 5 Things You Need to Know About Truth and Reconciliation – Video by Len Pierre
- Dear Younger Me – Video (spoken word) by James Thunder
- ‘Making money off of our trauma’ – CBC News Article: Indigenous artist says her orange shirt designs being stolen, sold (be aware of who you’re purchasing your orange shirts from)
Click for more information on the Survivors Flag
Do you enjoy buying your own books? Check out the Scholastic Book Club for titles you might be interested in. When you buy a book through Scholastic, using our class code, we get points to use towards purchasing books for our class library and other classroom-related items. It helps me to refresh and update what I have to offer in the classroom. The books are shipped to University Highlands, and I distribute to the students who ordered. (And who doesn’t get excited for mail day?! Woohoo!)
Our class code is: RC377163.
A new flyer comes out every month. Paper and online versions will be available. Check out the September flyer here (paper version not available at this time):
Dear Division 3 and Families,
The end of June is always bittersweet. We say goodbye to friends who might be moving schools, or moving on to high school, and we get nostalgic over the memories and experiences we’ve had together. We are also excited for summer breaks that may be less scheduled and more relaxing, or full of exciting opportunities for exploration and travel. Whatever you are doing this summer, I hope it brings you joy.
Thank you to everyone who has supported our students throughout the school year. Building relationships with students and their families is my absolute favourite part of teaching. When I was working in my district position a few years ago, that was a part of teaching that I really missed. I’ve enjoyed getting to know the students of Division 3–the sports they play, who is in their families, their favourite foods (including the contentious issue of whether pineapple belongs on pizza), their pets’ names and funny antics, and their strengths and passions. While grade 6/7 can be a rollercoaster of a year, I’ve appreciated my time with this group and I’ve been honoured to see how they’ve grown and changed.
I talked about change in my grade 7 leaving ceremony speech, and how embarrassed some students were looking back on the letters they wrote to themselves at the beginning of the year. Through all the groans and eye rolls, Division 3, I hope you can look back at how you’ve grown and changed with pride in your accomplishments. Success isn’t always marked by medals and trophies. It’s in the small victories of handing something in on time, adding more detail to your drawing, or trying something new. Success and growth take courage, and they take time.
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow. ‘” – Mary Anne Radmacher
Wishing you all the best for a wonderful summer with your friends and families. 🌞
❤ Ms. Coutts
Please enjoy these photos from our year!
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Division 1, 2, and 3 have been working hard over three months developing their drama skills. For the past month they have been rehearsing for their reader’s theatre performance of Project Ice: The Ice That Breaks the Night. Our final performance is on Thursday June 8 at 6:30pm in the University Highlands gym. We hope to see you there!
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Hi Division 3!
Ms. Coutts in Kindergarten (Did I cut my own bangs? We’ll never know.)
EDIT: We are going to be going in a different direction than what is communicated here. You are no longer required to save photos to your OneDrive.
Humans all over the world define our knowledge, values, culture, and worldviews through the language we use. Today Division 3 looked at Inuktitut syllabics and listened to the language.
Inuktitut includes many different dialects, and is written today using two methods: Qaniujaqpait (syllabics) and Roman orthography. Many Inuit communities are working on revitalizing and continuing to teach/learn Inuktitut to maintain traditional knowledge. Inuit use their language to describe places, phenomena, and relationships unique to them. This is reflective of the deep relationship they have with the land, as well as the complex understandings about nature they have learned from their environment. Like in other languages, Inuktitut ties Inuit to their ancestors, family members, and neighbours. It is a way for them to unite and ensure that their cultures endures for generations to come.
Check out some of these games made for children (and really anyone) to develop some understanding of Inuktitut.
Throughout February, Division 3 celebrated Black History Month by researching various individuals of note and summarizing who they are and what they do/did into one to three PowerPoint slides. Students discovered a wide range of Black Canadians that have contributed to our country through sport, politics, art, activism, education, and more.
Students collaborated on a shared PowerPoint file, each person adding their set of slides to the overall composition. Division 3 has been learning how to communicate information effectively. In their slides, their goal was to use visuals and point form to communicate the main ideas clearly.
Please check out their work with this link: Black Canadian Excellence
In the spirit of community-building, Division 3 built Valentine’s robots for our Grade 1 buddies!
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