Category: Continuity and Change

In our latest buddy session Rachel, Sasha, Cyrus, and Joe read-aloud, the inspiring book “I Have a Right to Save My Planet.” This engaging story empowered everyone to recognize their role in protecting the environment and highlighted the importance of sustainability, conservation, and community action.

Following the read-aloud, we transitioned into a fun Scrabble word play activity, where students formed words related to the themes of the book, such as “earth,” “reuse,” “green,” and “future.” This not only reinforced the vocabulary but also sparked lively discussions about environmental responsibility and how we can all contribute to a healthier planet.

This read-aloud and word play encouraged students to think critically about their impact on the world and inspired them to take action. Together, we are planting the seeds for a more sustainable future, one word and one action at a time!

Our Commitments to Truth and Reconciliation

To honor the memory of the children lost to the residential school system, students at Aubrey created an Origami Reconciliation Project inspired by the Japanese tradition of folding paper cranes. This artwork will serve as a symbol of our shared hopes for healing and reconciliation.

The mural’s background features black hearts, representing the profound truths and emotions we hold in remembrance of this painful history. At the center, a heart formed by orange ravens symbolizes hope and our commitment to building a better future. Each raven carries messages of healing and reconciliation, contributed by students from various divisions.

This mural stands as a powerful reminder of our dedication to truth, understanding, and justice. It calls upon our community to engage in meaningful dialogue and take action to support of ongoing reconciliation and healing.

We would also like to recognize the following students for their leadership efforts in assembling the final display: Rachel Mullin, Kaitlynn Leung, Sasha Sun, and Anna Wu.

This past week, our classroom took a deep dive into the fascinating world of government! The students engaged in a series of three virtual presentations from the Parliament of British Columbia, each designed to illuminate the intricacies of our political system.

The presenters kicked off our learning journey by introducing students to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The presentation included a rich history of the Parliament Buildings, igniting students’ curiosity about the significance of these structures in our democracy.

Next, students explored the Levels of Government. This session provided students with a comprehensive comparison of the roles and responsibilities of Canada’s various levels of government, with a particular focus on provincial responsibilities. Students learned about the distinctions between federal, provincial, and local governments. Students also learned about key positions such as the head of state, the Governor General, and the Lieutenant Governor. They also discovered the important roles played by local Indigenous governments, enhancing their understanding of the diverse political landscape in Canada.

The highlight however was undoubtedly today’s lesson on How a Bill Becomes a Law. This presentation delved into the legislative process, of how laws are made and ammended. The excitement reached a peak during the interactive mock parliament, where students participated in a lively debate on a proposed bill to ban homework. This hands-on activity not only reinforced their understanding of how a bill is presented, discussed, and voted on, but also encouraged them to consider the implications of such a law.

During this mock parliament students took on different roles within the mock parliament, learning about the various positions held by elected officials and the number of seats in the legislature. They discussed the differences between the House and the Senate and how each contributes to the law-making process. This immersive experience fostered critical thinking and collaboration as students articulated their viewpoints, negotiated with peers, and practiced their public speaking skills.

This combination of virtual presentations and interactive activities not only made learning enjoyable but also empowered students with knowledge about the political processes that shape their lives. These lessons also have them excited to learn more about the electoral process and our local candidates ahead of their Student Vote on Friday October 18th.

Recently in class students participated in a climate justice and climate change simulation.  In this simulation students learned about the consequences of climate change, the injustice, and effects of climate change often experienced by vulnerable populations around the world.
Students work in groups to build communities and attempt to develop mitigation and adaptation strategies while experiencing the impacts of climate change (droughts, tropical storms, rising sea levels, and other impacts of climate change).

Some of the takeaways were:

Climate change is affecting those who are often contributing the least. The people hit the hardest are those already living in poverty and at higher risk.

The simulation also highlighted the affects that climate change is going to have on people.

– Climate change is affecting our ability to grow food. Growing seasons are disrupted or shortened and storms, droughts, and floods all
affect harvest outcomes.

– Climate change is affecting where and how we live making people relocate and find new homes after generations of living in one area. It is also causing extreme storms, rising sea level, melting permafrost, etc.

-Climate change directly affects human health and safety and can lead to the spread of diseases (like malaria), heat waves, wild fires, air pollution.

This lesson is going to be one of many climate change lessons as we explore more sustainable ways of being and doing in our world in an attempt to protect the planet.

After Spring Break students will also be participating in Indigo’s Read for the Planet Program and as a classroom we will be exploring ways we can take action in our school and the broader community to combat climate change and keep our planet healthy for more years to come

Students are naturally curious about the world in which they live. They want to know more about their planet and are concerned with the challenges we face. Reading and learning together with your child is a safe and supportive way to develop awareness and ideas for ways to care for the planet. Reading about how to care for the planet can also help deepen connections to other people and the planet—connections critical for understanding the challenges and opportunities being faced in communities around our planet.

The attached resource was designed by the Indigo Love of Reading Foundation in partnership with our curriculum partner, The Critical Thinking Consortium (TC2) as an extension of our school-based Read For The Planet learning modules. We know that schools are just one place students learn and that home is a critical space for expanding on and practicing what happens in the classroom. This guide provides parents and caregivers with book suggestions, worksheets, discussion prompts and a template for a home-based action project all to help you and your little changemaker to get inspired through reading and have fun while learning about the environment together.

http://This lesson will invite students to examine the qualities of people or actions intended to address climate change or other environmental issues. The focus will be on helping students explore and decide what actions they might take.

Lesson Retrieved From: http://www.mcic.ca/uploads/documents/Climate%20Justice-Final%20PDF%202022.pdf

Black History Month

By: Ashley

Black History Month

By: Ashley lyske

Black History is an important part of our history that we must

Learn about, and

Acknowledge.

Carter G. Woodson started Black History in 1996

King (Martin Luther) was a well-known leader of nonviolent resistance to equal rights for all.

Hariet Tubman escaped slavery and played an important role in helping others through the underground railway

I have a dream was a famous and powerful speech by Martin Luther King.

Stop violence against all people

Treat

Others

Respectfully, kindly and how you would like to be treated

You are the change

Our Differences

By: Arielle

We are a community of varieties
But some were treated unfairly
People were tortured and blamed in our society
We couldn’t speak for ourselves clearly

Some were sold as slaves and maids
As a result, our numbers decreased
They were bruised and used in the trades
Wanting to be released

Racial Injustice/Inequality

By: Andrea

Slavery started in 1619
Back then people were controlled
Now this has changed, they are finally seen
And history has been told

We all have our differences
And that’s what makes us unique
We should stop ignorance
We have a voice, we’re not weak

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Students from Division 3 and 5 had a fun filled day at the Vancouver Convention Centre as we wrapped up our MineralsEd Rockhounds program. Throughout the day they learned more about geology, minerals, new technologies, and careers in mineral exploration and mining. They learned more about how Canada’s critical Minerals are used and why they are important to the global economy. They also had the opportunity to pan for gold with Yukon Dan and learned how geologist determine the location of mineral resources based on ice movements.

Thanks again #MineralsEd for this opportunity. We had a great time and learned so much.

It was a wet day but we had so much fun at Britannia Mines today learning more about the rock cycle, types of rocks and minerals and the mining process.

Students, teachers, EA’s and parent volunteers participated in a one hour underground tour where they learned about how copper was mined and extracted from the earth when Britannia was a working mine.

After the underground tour we participated in a lab where we learned how every rock has a story. We learned more about how rocks tell us about the history of our planet, both distant and more recent. We also learned how rocks move through the rock cycle transforming from one type of rock to another.

To wrap up our visit we ended with an international award winning presentation called Boom where we were able to discover the thrilling light, sound, and special effects experience inside the historic mill.  We experienced all 20-storeys coming back to life with a thunderous roar and even saw some Britannia ghosts 👻

Here are some pictures and videos from today. Enjoy!

Video Links:

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This week students had the privilege of learning about wild, native, and medicinal plants from Lori Synder, a First Nations Métis herbalist and educator. It was a rich learning experience and we are inspired by her teachings. We are also very excited about transforming our garden/outdoor classroom, making it a more diverse space where students can gather and learn more about native plants and indigenous ways of knowing and doing. As the season change and new plants are added, take time to observe, witness, and listen to what the garden is offering us.

In addition, students wore orange shirts throughout the week and explored age-appropriate lessons and had discussions about the meaning behind wearing orange shirts. This generation of children will have a far greater understanding of the history of residential schools, their negative impact, and the importance of reconciliation as we look critically at our country’s history and strive to do better. Tomorrow could be an opportunity to ask your children about what they have learned from their sessions with Lori and Mme Heardman this week.

After a very successful Business Fair students from Divisions 1, 2, 3 and 5 donated 15% ($607) of their profits to the Canadian Red Cross to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Congratulations everyone on a job well done at this years Business Fair and thank you all for your generous donations.