Our final term of the 2021-22 school year was very productive. Students consolidated their learning in the curricular areas and participated in several place-based learning activities. They planted a vegetable garden in the spring and many weeks later, harvested a crop of tender greens for a salad day celebration. They also built an Indigenous species garden in our outdoor learning space which first involved moving a huge pile of soil and bark mulch. They started to learn about the importance of cultivating and protecting native plants in sustainable ways. This knowledge was deepened during our recent trip to Central Park where students had the opportunity to taste salmon berries and search for native plants.
In science, students worked collaboratively in small groups to research and create PowerPoints on a variety of body systems. In math, students continued working with fractions and decimals and studied the attributes of polygons and 3D geometric shapes.
In language arts this term, students read a selection of novels in small groups and shared their understanding using reading strategies such as connecting, questioning, visualizing, inferring and transforming. They also continued the process of making their writing clear and interesting by writing and sharing imagination stories.
In PE, students performed different stands and balances on the gymnastics equipment. They also learned the key skills of Ultimate frisbee, such as backhand, forehand and catching, as well as the importance of, “spirit of the game”. They monitored their screen time and identified strategies to make sure they were on screens for a maximum of two hours a day.
In French, they learned how to express what they liked and didn’t like (J’aime…Je n’aime pas...) and the amount (beaucoup de, un peu de...) using pizza topping vocabulary.
They attended Music for eighty minutes a week with Mrs Nordstrand, focusing on the elements of music – tempo and playing the guitar. Students experienced Music through discussion, videos, movement, listening, playing and
singing. Studying the Guitar students have learned to strum and play different chords. They had to learn to have the correct formation but also have the correct tension in order for the strings ring.
In art, Ms. Mudry continued teaching a variety of media (chalk and oil pastel and watercolour) and students created pieces based on things they could observe in nature.
Finally, students used their block programming skills from earlier in the year to program a small, robotic sphero. Working with a partner, they were able to design a plan involving a theme and multiple destinations and program their robot to travel independently, following the plan.
Even with all the ups and downs of the pandemic, this was a wonderful year, full of rich learning experiences and personal development. I wish you all a safe and joyful summer vacation.
