Category: Continuity and Change

Links to Student Presentations on our Burnaby North Seymour Candidates:

Liberal Party

Conservative Party

People’s Party

NDP

Green Party

This year students from Divisions 1 through 5 researched about historically significant people, places, and events in Canada.  They used inquiry processes to ask questions; gather, interpret, and analyze ideas; draw conclusions and make ethical judgements about events, decisions, and actions; and used technology and design skills to communicate their findings to their audience.

To view their Heritage Minutes click here: https://sd41-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/e19647_burnabyschools_ca/Ee-07KMR10lOklG9vyWxo4cBho8fV3IUlMMjiNCnfmHONg?e=z7TQe7

To view their posters and see who the award recipients were click here: https://sd41-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/personal/e19647_burnabyschools_ca/EVtGXh4xhQ9IhAwjp2p0KSIBa_0sgIYatIJO0djgaO_QEA?e=u5PgMr

Students did an excellent job and we learned lots from their presentations.  Well done everyone!

What a wonderful way for us to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day! Last year, we embarked on a weaving project with Coast Salish weavers Angela George and her apprentice Caitlin. They led us through a process where together we brainstormed our school values. Words such as kind, caring, our natural environment and the weaving of our French and English program were all ideas that were woven into the loom.

This weaving will hang proudly in our main foyer. We will revisit this with all of our students in the coming school year.

Special thanks to Alivia, Breton and Aaliya from Div 7 who received the weaving on behalf of our Aubrey community. Additionally, we thank our kindergarten children who so beautifully sang the Coast Salish Anthem with the arrival of the weaving.

In class this week we discussed the devastating impacts, past and present, of the residential school system in Canada.

We offer our deepest condolences to all Indigenous families and communities affected by the trauma and tragedy of the residential school system, then and now.

While we cannot change the past, we do have a responsibility for the present. With knowledge and mutual respect we can bring about changes for a brighter future.

Today we had a virtual field trip to the Legislature. We explored the Parliament Buildings and learned about their design, history and use. We learned about important symbols of the Legislative Assembly and discussed significant historical, political and social events in B.C. and how they relate to the Legislative Assembly.

We learned that the Legislative Assembly is made up of many people and learned more about the work they do and the roles they play. We also learned more about how a bill becomes law.

For homework students are encouraged to complete the participant survey below:

Survey – Participant

On Wednesday we had a virtual field trip on zero waste and circular economies. Students learned about the 3Rs and examined why it is so important to reduce and re-use our resources.  They explored the “how to” for recycling and composting and discovered solutions for sustainable waste management and how to remake materials and products to be used again and again, mimicking natural cycles in nature.

Students are encouraged to take a waste audit for homework for a chance to win a $100 gift certificate of our choice or a pizza party for our class.  To complete the audit click on the link to take the fun WASTE AUDIT or follow the steps below:

GO TO greenbricks.ca/audits/

CLICK ON the audit and complete!

This book “Let’s Talk About Race” Written by Julis Lester and Illustrated By Karen Barbour was a springboard for our in-class discussions about race, racism, discrimination, stereotypes, and inequality.  In the book Julius Lester describes how our lives are stories and the differences are merely in the details and that beneath our skin we are all the same.  Questions students were asked to consider and discuss were:

• Does your story begin when you were born? Why or why not?
• What makes up your story? …
• Is skin colour a part of your story?
• How does the color of your skin affect you?
• What is an important part of your story?
• The author says, “race is a story.” What does he mean by this?

Following this activity students then examined the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s and listened to one his his most famous speeches, which he delivered to a quarter of a million people in 1963 in Washington, DC. In his speech Dr. Martin Luther King Jr said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Students were then asked to discuss whether or not his dream has been fulfilled yet and compose an essay with evidence to support their claims.  Many students agreed that while progress has been made with regards to eliminating racism. discrimination, and inequality more still needs to be done to achieve his dream.

While it is still winter we are starting to see signs that Spring is on its way.  Can you see where the daffodil bulbs are starting to sprout? Before you know it Spring will be here and the daffodils we planted this fall should be in full bloom.

To celebrate Remembrance Day, we made acrostic poems, paintings of poppies and a wreath of poppies for Remembrance Day Ceremony. To make the wreath we cut egg cartons into poppy shapes, painted them red, added red, black and green tissue paper.  Once the poppies were complete we assembled them on to a piece of red card stock to form the wreath. To make the paintings we created a prototype of our design, drew them again on watercolour paper and painted them with watercolour paint.  These pieces of art were then put on display with our Remembrance Day poetry.

Written By: L.C and G.G