We had a fun and enjoyable trip to our local Safeway this morning.  Luckily the weather held off for our walk there and back.

We met Pat, the community liaison, who took us on our tour.  We began with a walk around the main part of the store through the deli and bakery departments.  Pat pointed out several different sections to the students.  Once we got to the Dairy section we turned and went ‘behind the scenes’ into the Employee area.  We had a cool visit in the back of the Dairy and saw how these products are stored.

We then moved further into the Employee area and saw how they crush cardboard boxes for recycling and where the big trucks join up with the loading dock to offload their deliveries.

If we thought that the Dairy section was cool we were in for a surprise when we went into the freezer section.  Even huddled together it was very brisk!!

We made further stops (in the Employee section) to watch the butcher use his machine to wrap and label meat and to see where the produce is washed.  We then left the back to go out into the store.  We went through the Produce section, the Floral department, and through a grocery aisle to once again go back into the Employee section.  Here we went in behind to the Bakery area where the baker showed us how they turn a large slab of bread dough into several perfectly formed and uniformly sized dinner rolls.  A very neat machine!!

When we completed our tour Pat, very nicely, gave us a bag of some groceries: a brick of cheddar cheese, a box of crackers, some grapes, an apple, an orange, and a banana.  While the students were in Music this afternoon I prepared a cheese plate, a fruit plate, and a bowl of apple quarters by adding in the leftover ones from our weekly Fruit and Vegie programme.  Students enjoyed a snack while they wrote their Journal entries before going home.

It was a fun day.  I hope that all students enjoyed their walking field trip today.

We had a spectacular trip today!!  Most of us had never seen a pure white peacock before.  Isn’t it lovely?

I am sure that we are all very tired tonight after all that walking in the fresh air.  We were extremely fortunate that the weather was good.  It began cool and cloudy and then warmed up gradually over the course of the day.  By the time we left the sun was out and we were in shirt-sleeves!

We saw many interesting animals from around the world.  Part of our day was a guided tour where we looked at several different animals and discussed how they have adapted to their environments in order to survive.  Some of the ways that the animals have adapted included: camouflage, body size, colouring, or other unique features including horns (rhinos) or tail length (squirrel monkeys).

We were very fortunate to be able to see the lions and tiger being fed.  The male lion was truly spectacular.  We had to be careful to not get ‘sprayed’ as he seemed to like to ‘aim’ at the fence toward the benches where people were sitting.

While walking we shared many of our personal stories with animals.  Maya A told me how she rode on a camel on her recent trip to India.  I am not sure how this one would have like to have us riding on him!  He seemed a little too interested in just eating.

All in all, it was a great experience for all of us.  I am sure your child will share their stories with you.  Thanks to all the parent volunteers who came and enjoyed the day with us.

Last Wednesday our class joined the rest of the primary classes on a wonderful field trip to the VSO.  Students were impressed with the incredible architecture of this classic theatre – from the large chandeliers to the inlaid ceiling.

Students enjoyed hearing the wonderful music – some new to them and some that they already knew from our school’s music listening programme that Mrs. Schwarz runs for us every day.

Last Friday our class joined most of our school on a trip to Michael J. Fox Theatre to see the Royal City Youth Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker.  We travelled there via school bus.  I was very impressed by how well behaved the class (actually the whole school) was on this trip.  I had a great vantage seat to observe our class while they were watching the show.  I really enjoyed seeing how enthralled they were with the action and the music.  It was a truly spectacular show and a great experience for the students.

This Friday we are all going to the Michael J. Fox Theatre to see this ballet.  The Nutcracker has long been a Christmas tradition.  The costumes are generally spectacular and the music by Tchaikovsky is magnificent.

Mrs. Schwarz has been introducing the music – one song each day – during the Music Listening programme this week.  My personal favourite song from this ballet is the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies”.

Mrs. Levington will be reading the story of this ballet to our class during our regular library session on Thursday afternoon.  This will help the students understand the storyline as the story of ballet is told strictly through music and dancing – without dialogue.

As we will be leaving early on Friday via school bus we will be eating lunch earlier than normal.  Please ensure that your child brings lunch with them when they arrive in the morning.  A lunch delivery at noon will be too late for them to eat as we will be gone by then.

This trip to the ballet is a great opportunity for the students to experience.  I am looking forward to it and hope that the students also enjoy it.