Dear Parents,

This Friday, the students went home with their Student Engagement, Behaviour, and Social Development: Student and Teacher Reflection Sheet.  I asked the students to place this reflection in the pocket of their planners.  In addition to the paper copy in the planner, you will find a photo of the same document in their blogfolios.  It was a thoughtful process that engaged the teachers (Miss Dolinski/Mrs. Marto) and the student in a meaningful and supportive conversation about strengths and stretches.  The act of completing this type of self-assessment is humbling and powerful as it demands a level of honesty and introspection that shouldn’t be easy for such young students, but which they completed with openness and sincerity.   I know this task would challenge many adults.  Please take the time to review your child’s reflection and talk about their goals.  A good structure for the conversation is:  Two Stars and a Wish.  Identify two strengths and pick one wish from your point of view.

 Please sign the front cover sheet, so that I know you have seen this document.

Lastly, the blogfolios are always a work in progress.  There is a lot of information in the blogfolios about your child’s learning and I encourage you to also have a look at the work samples.  Occasionally, due to absences or other curricular or technical challenges, some posts might be updated a bit later.

Thank you,

Mrs. Marto

We have finished our work on our first class novel.  It was a super fun novel to do, and I used it to familiarize the students with the routines and materials that I use when studying a novel.  This is important because, as the students now move into their independent or small group novel studies, they are well acquainted with how and what to do. In addition, I used the novel to begin their learning of figurative language such as onomatopoeia and personification.  We have also taken the time to study setting in-depth and will also look at point of view (upcoming final lesson).  We are now going to write our own creepy story and use some of the tools we have learned about. 

Planners

This weekend, the planners hold a lot of information.  Some of it is the usual “bring books back for library”, but I have added a few requests for parents.  Firstly, I’d like them to share with you their setting for the ‘creepy story’ they are about to write.   We have done a lot of work on the setting, so they should all have this one figured out.  Secondly, I’ve asked them to tell you what the problem in the story will be.  This part may need some thinking aloud because we have done less prep for this.   Our first story will be shorter and more of a picture book style, so we do not need a complex story problem.  I am aiming for straightforward.

Lastly, we will be writing about a special place in nature this week.  Some students have places that are easy to describe, but other students want to talk about a favorite campground or lake etc., but can’t remember its name.  This is where I could use your help.  Could you please write the name in the planner, if your child needs it?

Thank you, parents!  I appreciate the help.

Mrs. Marto

Div. 6  Wreath

In Gratitude for the Sacrifice and Our Freedom

Hello Parents,

A few notes about Halloween this Friday.  As you may have heard, our annual school Pumpkin Carving Contest is on.   As well, the Halloween Costume Parade will take place with Covid protocols and there will be a virtual assembly.  For now, please see the reminders below.  If other information becomes available, or if I have forgotten anything, I will continue to update this website.

A couple of reminders:

• while costumes are welcome, we are asking students not to bring any of the costume’s weapons to school
• when parading through the school, students may be asked to lift frightening masks over their heads because younger children can be fearful
• I have a nut-free cupcake treat and another candy treat that I will be giving out to students in our class. If you wish to send any treats, please send them by Wednesday so that we can quarantine them before handing them out to students.  We have 18 students in our class.  
• we have a nut allergy in our class

Thank you,

Mrs. Marto

Parents,

Our Blogfolios have been quiet as of late because the students have been working hard to learn how to create their own blogfolio posts.  Technology being what it is, it has not been easy and we have encountered many challenges, but we have persevered.

As part of the Core Competencies (B.C. Curriculum), your children are endeavoring to acquire the technological skills to communicate with you about their learning through their blogfolios.  Communicating encompasses the set of abilities that people use to exchange information, experiences, and ideas, and, in Division 5, we are learning to use communication forms of all types, but focussing on technology as a way to share our learning with parents.

Student-Led Conferences 

Because of the uniqueness of this pandemic year, we will not be able to hold in-person Student-Led Conferences at the school; however, in lieu of these conferences, you will see increased activity in the blogfolios over the next few weeks with plenty of student voice under the comments section.  

*Please be forgiving of our mistakes.  While we try not to send out posts that aren’t ready, it is easy for posts to get sent out while they are still in progress.  The Word Press format is a complex system.  As well, teacher comments or student comments may be added at a later date and student comments represent how they write at this stage in their learning.  You may find that you are pinged a few times for the same post as it is updated.

Mrs. Marto

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)

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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)