Month: April 2021

Today we said farewell to our salmon.  After four months of nurturing our salmon from eggs to fry, Div. 5 had mixed feelings about the release.  We were sad to see them go, but happy to see their journey continue.

A great big thank you to Mr. Lee for walking with us and being a part of our special day.

(I will soon be posting a photo of your child by the creek to each of their blogfolios)

Prev

1of6

Next

As we continue to make our way down the Fraser River, our most recent stop was Prince George.  Our discussion of Prince George and Quesnel has centred around natural resources.  We talked about the railway coming to these two towns and how it supported the resource economy.  We have discussed clear-cuts, sawmills (still to come, the Gold Rush), and the environmental impacts associated with some of these industries.  We have been discussing the impact that barge fires on the Fraser, wash-outs from the clear-cuts, and even chemical and oil spills from barges and railway cars might have on the salmon.

A few weeks ago, the students ran a simulation of an oil spill and used materials such as skimmers (spoon), cotton and sponge absorbing booms, and chemical dispersants (Dawn dishwashing soap).  The red Lego piece represents a turned-over railway car.  The objective was to keep the oil from getting to the rock (beach/riverbank) on the far side.  It was much harder than the students thought it would be and one of the surprises was how much garbage we created in trying to soak up the oil.

We’re all grown up!

Before

After

Div. 5 will be walking to Beecher Creek Thursday afternoon to release.

• Tomorrow, in class, they will be instructed on how to properly release our small “fry” to the creek.
• Mr. Lee will be walking with us as added supervision
• Please make sure that they are wearing comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing.  Also, the banks of the creek are sometimes muddy, so it’s not a bad idea to have older shoes that you don’t mind getting a bit dirty or wet.
• Upon returning from the creek which is approximately a twenty-five-minute walk, the students will be close to the time for going home, so they shouldn’t be too uncomfortable if their feet get a little wet.

Many of our Fraser River and Salmon activities will be coming to a close in the next few weeks.

The TAPS Program

One of the Big Ideas of the Physical and Health Education Curriculum is: adopting healthy personal practices and safety strategies that help to protect ourselves and others.

• in consultation with Mrs. Blair, our school counsellor, Div. 5 is using this Vancouver Coastal Health Resource (Boundaries Program) to facilitate class discussions about personal space and boundaries.  Included in this program, is a “touch” and “talk” component that continues to support a climate of respect in our classroom while building social/emotional language to enable clear communication with each other.

Since we can’t go on field trips, we are doing the best we can to ‘experience’ the river.   In addition to learning about the river, we are learning that indigenous knowledge and history are traditionally passed down through oral history and collective memory.  We have decided to parallel that tradition by telling stories to learn about the Fraser River.  A short summary of those stories is being attached to their ‘large’ Fraser River maps. (see photo April 1st post)

Our first location was the headwaters of the Fraser River at Mount Robson in the Rockies.  Our first story was of Fin Donnelly swimming the entire length of the Fraser River from Mount Robson out to the Salish Sea.  He did this not once, but twice.  His purpose was to raise awareness of this important resource in our backyard.

Did You Know?

• that archaeological evidence shows that aboriginal people had seasonal settlements near the present-day Alex Fraser Bridge at the Glenrose and St. Mungo cannery sites over 8,000 years ago.  (source:  Delta Optimist: Nov. 30, 2018)

Parents,

Please be aware that our class has students with peanut and tree nut allergies.  Please do not send any products containing either allergen to our class.  Thank you for helping to keep our kids safe.

Mrs. Marto

Three new students have joined Div. 5.  We’d like to welcome them and their families to our class and, in some cases, to their new school community.  Our current students have shown their best selves by being welcoming, supportive, and helpful.  It might take a little time, but we hope to soon have everyone feeling at home.

This is both a welcome back and well wishes for a Happy Easter break.

As well…

Div.5 got off to a great start this week, starting our new novel, Flood Warning, about the Fraser River Flood in 1948. I can’t thank Orca Books enough for publishing local stories/histories such as this.  It is a perfect match with our theme.

We also continued with our Geometry Unit and the hands-on building of a large map of the Fraser River.  We will continue to add to it and learn its stories as we travel down from its headwaters at Mount Robson.

Just because I could, I threw in some geometry-our city signs our triangular prisms and the Rocky Mountains are tetrahedrons also known as triangular prisms!