It has been a very rewarding start to the year with the new class of Division 10, Grade 2/3.  Everyone has settled nicely into the classroom setting and students are becoming comfortable with the routines and expectations of the space.  We began September by sharing the importance of being a Clinton Star.  S – Stay Safe T – Take Responsibility A – Act Respectfully R – Remember to be Inclusive.  So many are shining brightly in Room 15.

The Terry Fox Run raised not only an awareness of what it means to be courageous, resilient and persevere but supported cancer research with generous donations from Clinton families.

The changing of the seasons brought all of the grade 2/3 classes to Ron McLean Park for an Autumn Equinox Celebration on Friday, September 22.  We shared stories, connected with nature, learned about the Harvest Moon and acknowledged the space and place that we teach, learn and live on. It was wonderful to see the 5 classes gather together under one Sun.

Our experience then encouraged us to write a reflection related to saying Good-bye to Summer and Hello to Autumn.  We also created Fall leaves that represented student curiousities and we hung them on our Tree of Learning.

The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation was acknowledged by an assembly on Thursday, September 28.  Students wore their orange shirts and colours and took a step forward with their understanding and knowledge while never forgetting the past, remembering that Every Child Matters.  Division 10 worked with clock buddies to create Feathers of Hope and then made their own personal orange shirts sharing why they matter.

With October now upon us, this is a good time to maintain the expectations set out for the students of Room 15.  Please make sure the planner is brought to school each day and that as often as possible, the planner is read each evening.  Library days are Wednesday and one of the Clinton Star rules is to take responsibility for returning library books on time. As the cooler, wetter days of Autumn set in, please note that hoodies are not jackets and students will often be outside, rain or shine.  Math Flights have taken off and Word Work will soon be coming home.  We will be starting our Reading Stamina practice in class and students will then be encouraged to link what they have learned at school to their reading experiences at home.  Students also have 2 poems tucked into their hippocampus and are working on their third classroom carpet poem.  With Brain Ahead morning activities as well as making use of tools and strategies to support neurological development, the students of Division 10 have a goal of learning 20 poems this year.  Go Team Go!

We will also be welcoming 2 student teachers from UBC to Clinton Elementary.  We know they will enjoy their learning journey here.

Thank you, parents, for taking the time to meet with me during our Parents As Partners opportunity.  Please make use of this blog site to connect with the many learning adventures that Division 10 will participate in.

A very happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

I have been wanting to update the BLOG since May, but June has been so busy and Division 10 has been experiencing the best that the end of the year has to offer.

Sport’s Day was a great day of laughter, competition and joy.

We braved the weather and got to Queen’s Park for a picnic and time at the Sportsplex for some gymnastics fun.

We have been to Ron McLean Park for a class picnic and movie afternoon, watching Into The Spider Verse, was met with popcorn and iced tea.

A walk to 7-11 was a fantastic Slushy Slurpee experience and Math Super Hero Day was full of “Math Is Fun” experiences all day.

There are so many photos that have been taken this month but I can’t upload them all.  My apologies if you are not included in some of the photos taken on a particular day but for the most part, I do believe everyone should be included in one of the photo drops below.

It has been an absolute pleasure working with such a wonderful group of spirited 7 and 8 year-olds.  They have amazed me with their growth and perseverance to learn and explore.  It has been a most wonderful year.  Have a safe, sunny, adventurous Summer and I will see you all in September.

We have been going on nature walks to Ron McLean Park.  We have named and observed flowers, plants and trees on our way.  One Friday, we made it to the stairs of the forest that lead to the creek. 

This Friday, we made it to the bottom of the stairs and to Byrne Creek.  We loved seeing the Lady Ferns and Sword Ferns.  We saw invasive species and plants natural to our habitat.  We made sure we acknowledged and thanked the Coast Salish Nations of  Musqueam, Tsleil-Watuth and Squamish on whose traditional territories we teach, learn and live.

We also created some nature characters and had them settle into our Indigenous Plant Garden.  During the daily announcements, we  have highlighted the Oregon Grape, Bleeding Heart and Wood’s Rose plants in our garden.

Sport’s Day is on the way.  Teams have been created and are listed in our classroom.  Spirit Days are giving opportunities for points to be won before all points are tallied up on Friday, June 9.

Tropical Day was a wonderful time for students to get into the mood for summer.  At the end of the day, visors were created for some sun shade poses.

Rainbow Day brought all the colours of the rainbow out.  Check out our classroom window where many more “I AM PROUD” flags and writings are shared.  The Pride flag will be raised on Friday, June 2 right about where our Rainbow of Colours photo was taken.

We also have “BEEn” stung with excitement by the amazing world of bees.  Our nature walks in the neighbourhood have helped us see the power of the bee as we learn about flowers.  We also spied a woodpecker busy at work on one of our walks.

The Pacific Dogwood flower was also one of the highlights of our walks.

Have a lovely Victoria Day long-weekend!

Since Student-Led conferences, we have continued to be active and engaged in many activities despite the hot heat of the sun.  Here are a few moments that have been captured in the past few weeks.  From skipping to yoga, from sharing our bean planting experiments and experiences with other classes to highlighting the Oregon Grape in the Indigenous Garden, we have been showing and sharing out daily experiences.  We were happy to make gifts for our amazing Moms and be invited to watch the release of butterflies in the garden. With 6 weeks left to blossom and bloom, we look forward to many more adventures.

IMG_1552[1] Short skipping video http://sd41blogs.ca/enchelmaierj/files/2023/05/IMG_15521.mov

We have been busy bees working on so many activities related to our inquiry “What stories do the seasons share with us?”  We look forward to our Student-Led Conferences this Thursday when students will show and share their recent work.  They are ready to shine and reflect on their progress and growth as learners in Room 15.

Our Greenhouse is sprouting with growth as is our courtyard containers.  We have planted beans and lettuce.  We are also maintaining the Clinton Indigenous Plant Garden and we are the first class to highlight the featured plant of the week.  At this time, the Oregon Grape Plant is featured.  Check out the garden display box as well as our classroom window to see our drawings of the Oregon Grape.

Nature came into the classroom in the way of maple tree branches, apple tree branches and little gem branches so that students could construct and build their own bird nests.  They were inspired by the book “Mamma Built A Little Nest!”  We know that you will enjoy seeing the completed  nests on  Thursday  as  it  was  a process.

We have also been getting ready for some Spring sports by practicing our badminton skills in the gym.  There are many students with very good hand-eye coordination.  Enjoy the warmer weather and the opportunity to get out in nature, engage in some spring activities and plant some new beginnings in your gardens.  See you on May the 4th…May The Fourth Be With You!

Vaisakhi, also pronounced as Baisakhi, is one of the most important celebrations in the Sikh faith.  It is a celebration of the harvest, the establishment of the Khalsa and the beginning of a new year.

Division 10, with our buddy class Division 6, created chalk mandalas or rangoli drawings in honour of Vaisakhi.   A mandala is a design, drawing or painting within a circle.  It is an ancient art and symbolically represents life and its constant cycles and interconnections.  The Mandala is a round form that holds a story!  Vaisakhi has a story that demonstrates a time of joy and celebration and that is how we felt working together with much colour and many smiles.

Our classroom inquiry, “what stories do the seasons share with us”, brought us to the seasonal cycle of mandalas and the story of Vaisakhi.

Happy Vaisakhi 2023!

Division 10 has been so very busy and engaged in a number of Spring learning experiences.

We continued our understanding of Matter and began to mix liquids together.  We tried to see if one liquid would dissolve within another.  We tried to see which liquids would sink to the bottom and which would float to the top.  Now, we are waiting for the process of evaporation to take place so we can see the changes that take place with matter. We also experimented with air and had some balloon and bubble fun.

Despite most of the ice of the season being gone, we know that the NHL is still ongoing.  So, we have continued to be involved with the game of floor hockey.  Some exciting action has been taking place in the gym.

We have also been on many searches and hunts, not for Easter eggs, for geo-shapes and solids.  The classroom, school hallway and outside field and playground have opened our eyes to the number of shapes and solids in our every day world.  We used data collection and tally marks to record our observations and findings.

The Spring weather also gave us a day to weed out the many garden planters in the courtyard.  We hope to plant lettuce after Easter.

Where are you Skylar? You were out there, at the garden planters, doing a great job! 🙂

Our recent carpet poem is titled, “Eggs.”  We began to consider all of the animals that hatch from eggs.  It’s not just birds.  Fish, Reptiles, Amphibians and Insects/Arachnids all hatch from eggs.  We had a little fun with “Who Is Hatching?”

Our classroom inquiry question, “What stories do the seasons share with us,” led us to our Signs Of Spring.  We literally made SIGNS for the arrival of the stories of Spring.  The signs also connected to our Geometry lessons on shapes and solids. 

We also took on some applied design and technology skills to create our own Shape Cities.  We were inspired by the book, “Aliens and Astronauts” as well as “Friendshape!” 

All Aboard The Reading Train was another great Literacy experience.  Perhaps, you can get on board a reading train this weekend.

Have a lovely Easter weekend!

It is almost Spring Break and we will be springing ahead 1 hour this upcoming weekend.  Students in Division 10 are springing ahead into third term.

We have ended the term with some valuable experiences.  Our final week saw the introduction of Geo Shapes and Solids which will be a math concept shared after Spring Break.

Division 10 also invited Division 12 in to hear the story previously shared by our Guest Reader.  Everyone laughed at the “pale green pants” in the story “What Was I Scared Of!”  The motto of face your fears was evident but it was the humour of the story that gave inspiration for some pretty cool fashion pants!

We continued with Brain Ahead activities but also introduced some Go Noodle whole body movement activities.  Blazer Fresh will help us in the third term with the Water Cycle and FLEX was so well-loved that students were eager to create their own FLEX characters.

Students were able to be part of the Primary Choir and visit Kitchener Elementary School to share their voices and amazing talent at the Primary Days of Music.  They sounded absolutely beautiful and the scarves floating in the air with the song Ribbons in the Sky was the highlight of the performance.

We are thankful for the PAC contribution that will give Division 10 the opportunity to participate in an Escape Room in-school virtual field trip.  The mission is a Super Hero mission that will take us on many twists and turns with the hope that we will all escape.

Our last few afternoons are being spent with shamrocks, leprechauns and pots of gold found at the end of the rainbow.  We wish you all the luck of the Irish, a happy St. Patrick’s Day and a lovely Spring Break.  We will see you all again at the end of March!

We want to share our appreciation for the financial support we received so that our class could be part of the B.C. Mobile Museum experience.  Thank you, Ms. Gabas, for organizing this in-school field trip for our school.  We were very interesed and curious.  Here are some of our thoughts!

Andre – I was grateful that I learned about Indigenous houses of the past.   Bryan – I liked how Mr. Hardie explained the story of the artifacts.  Alana – I liked the red cedar woven basket with the bell.  Sunehra – I liked how Mr. Hardie told us about his Indigenous ancestors and how they stripped the cedar tree bark.  Lucas – I liked touching the animal skins.  Fadhili – I liked the animal furs, especially the Skunk and the Minx.  Darien – I enjoyed wearing the cedar hat.  Claire – I enjoyed touching the Sasquatch puppet and counting how many Sasquatch characters showed up on the screen. I also liked the obsidian; it had orange bits in it.  Saiya – I liked  touching the fur.  Anthony – I appreciated how Mr. Hardie passed items around and I really liked holding the deer antler.  Skylar – I learned that different animal furs feel different, they have different textures.  Ella – I liked the animal skins because they were super soft.  Megan – I liked learning about the bow and arrows because they were so interesting. I didn’t think they were real.  Albert – I liked the fishing tool with the bone hook that we got to touch.  Chloe – I think it was cool that there were stone beads. Samar – I liked the soft Minx.

Students listened intently to Mr. Hardie, observed with their eyes, browsed with curiousity asking questions throughout their wander and had the chance to touch some artifacts.

Some students asked to try on the Red Cedar woven hat!

It was a wonderful in-school field trip!