What makes you feel confident? Today, we read a story about the importance of looking and feeling your best. In Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, a young man shares his experiences getting his hair cut at a barber shop. The author of the story based his book on his experience going to a barber as a child, and he wanted to represent the strength, power, and joy of his racial/cultural identity.

What makes you feel confident? A great new haircut? An outfit that represents your identity? Participating in an activity or sport or Art that you love? Surrounding yourself with people who compliment you?

Yesterday, we discussed what it means to feel conflicted. We might feel conflicted when we have to make a difficult choice, when we have to choose a ‘path’ to take, or when we feel that we wish we could be in two places at once. In the story, Amira feels conflicted when she realizes Eid (an important celebration in Muslim culture) and picture day are on the same day! Amira wants to go with her family to observe the conclusion of Ramadan; she is excited to wear her new shalwar kameez and to hand out bags of candy to her friends at her mosque. However, she is conflicted because she is worried that her classmates won’t remember her if she isn’t in the class photo!

Feeling conflicted is something that many people have experienced before! Sometimes, we might even feel conflicted between our responsibilities and our hobbies (ex: I need to complete my homework, but I really want to watch the soccer game).

Have you ever felt conflicted before?

Thank you to all of our students who braved the rain on Wednesday to get involved in our Garden Club! Our students planted a variety of bulbs that should grow into daffodils and tulips in the Spring.

Don’t forget: Garden Club is at Lunch (12-12:30) every Wednesday, rain or shine. Thank you to Ms. Starling and Ms. Raven for supporting our outdoor learning!

Mr. Murray has been teaching us all about human body Science! So far, we’ve investigated how important our skeletons and skulls are for our survival.

Some discussion questions:

-Why are our bones so important?

-Have you ever had a broken bone? How did it heal? What happened?

Today, we read a book called One Boy’s Choice. This book explores the power of our choices to impact the lives of others; the child in the story must choose between releasing a fish (for the good of the environment) or keeping the fish (to show off to his friends).

What are some actions that we might take that have positive outcomes (or negative consequences) on others?

This week, we discussed methods that work for us if we are feeling anxious, stressed, or frustrated. In the book Clovis Keeps His Cool, Clovis uses breathing techniques, self-care strategies, happy memories, and companionship to help keep him from ‘losing his cool’.

What are some things that work for you if you feel overwhelmed?

This week, we’ve been discussing the important role that Terry Fox has in Canadian (and world) history! We know that when Terry Fox ran his Marathon of Hope, he was often uncomfortable and in pain because of his prosthetic. A prosthetic is a tool that someone with limb differences/amputations can use. You might also see people using a mobility aide (such as a wheelchair, cane, or walker). For example, Terry had a prosthetic leg used for walking and running:

The technology and design of mobility aides and prosthetics has improved so much since Terry Fox was alive! We are developing new ways to make these tools more comfortable and functional. Some people even get creative with their designs, such as this inventor in the video below who created a prosthetic arm out of Lego:

Some questions I encourage you to discuss at home:

-Why is important to continue developing better technology/designs for prosthetics and mobility aides?

-What is a tool or piece of technology that doesn’t exist (yet) that you think could help people with diverse needs/abilities?

Hello, learners! A reminder that tomorrow we will be taking part in our Terry Fox Run. This run helps raise funds and awareness for cancer treatment. Ms. Lynka, our school librarian, shared a video and stories about Terry Fox this week. Please feel free to watch the video below, a Canadian Heritage Minute, about Terry Fox:

Don’t forget to dress for the weather tomorrow!

Thank you SO much to everyone who has attended our welcoming conversations so far! I must apologize for our technical issues and the time limitations; I know that these conversations will be the first of many, and I wish that we were able to chat in person so that I would be able to welcome you into our classroom space!

Later this week, I will try to post a ‘virtual classroom tour’. I will also be reaching out to anyone who was unable to sign up or who had their time cut short due to our technology issues. I appreciate all of your insights and and I excited to collaborate this year!

Wishing everyone well,

Kim Ward

Today, our class discussed beauty standards and ‘white-washing’. We viewed some examples of advertisements for beauty products and makeup. Then, we compared and contrasted these videos with a recent commercial from Sephora that featured Indigenous people, models, and influencers. Check out the video below: