Hi all, 

Below is a short video on depression. As we end term 2 and begin term 3, I want to look ahead at mental illnesses as part of our career and health education unit. 

What is depression?

It’s normal for kids to feel sad, down, or irritated, or to be in bad moods from time to time. But when negative feelings and thoughts linger for a long time and limit a child’s ability to function normally, it might be depression.

Depression is a type of mood disorder. The main sign is when kids are sad, discouraged, or irritable for weeks, months, or even longer. Another sign a kid might have depression is negative thinking. This includes focusing on problems and faults, being mostly critical and self-critical, and complaining a lot.

Depression can interfere with energy, concentration, sleep, and appetite. Kids with depression may lose interest in activities and schoolwork, seem tired, give up easily, or withdraw from friends or family.

When kids have depression, it’s hard for them to make an effort, even when doing things they used to enjoy. Depression can make kids feel worthless, rejected, or unlovable. It can make everyday problems seem more difficult than they actually are. When depression is severe, it can lead kids to think about self-harm or suicide. 

Recognizing Depression

It can be hard for parents and other adults to know when a child is depressed. An irritable or angry mood might seem like a bad attitude or disrespect. Low energy and lack of interest might look like not trying. Parents (and kids and teens themselves) may not realize that these can be signs of depression.

Because depression can show up in different ways and might be hard to see, it helps to let a doctor know if feelings of sadness or bad moods seem to go on for a few weeks..

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you know anyone who has had depression? This could be a family member or someone famous. 
2. How has this affected their lives?
3. How can we fix this? 
4. Watch a video of my favourite hockey player Rick Rypien. He played for the Vancouver Canucks and he suffered from this mental illness. He ultimately committed suicide and now he leaves behind a legacy. 

Please read the following article. Why do you think that BC hasn’t had a snow day in over a decade?

https://bc.ctvnews.ca/kids-celebrate-vancouver-s-first-snow-day-in-a-decade-1.4294469

Think of some reasons why you think Vancouver doesn’t experience the same amount of snow as it did 10 years ago. (Hint: Global warming, by the water, etc.)

Hi all,

Grade 6’s, since we are away today I would like you all to work on this post today. Please watch the video then write a short story on the following topic. Remember, we are practicing our story writing skills like we did on Friday, so type it out on Word or Google Docs first, then paste it into this post.

TOPIC: What is the purpose of having schools? What is the purpose of education?

Hi all,

I bet y’all are happy that today is the end of the week. I was in bed last night and reading the news when I saw a Montreal student ‘enrol in gaming high school’ and I thought to myself … what has the world come too. But then I thought to myself how, we study business to be an accountant, we study medicine to be a doctor, we study water and electricity to be a tradesman, so why can’t we study gaming to be a gamer? I did some research on how much ‘gamers’ can make from tournaments and sponsorships and here is what I got:

• 1. Saahil “UNIVeRsE” Arora| America | earned: $1,964,038.64| 39 tournaments
• 2. Peter “ppd” Dager| America | Earned:$1,961,183.29| 33 tournaments
• 3. Kurtis”Aui_2000″ Ling| Canada | earned: $1,881,147.04| 47 tournaments
• 4. Clinton “Fear” Loomis| America | earned: $1,735,983.84 USD| 44 tournaments
• 5. Zhang “xioa8” Ning| China | earned $1,662,202.73| 44 tournaments

This is well over what I will make in my lifetime…

READ THIS ARTICLE BY CLICKING HERE: CLICK HERE

I want you to read this article and try to convince me why we should have schools specifically for gaming or YouTubing or whatever the next technology fad is for making money. 

Hi everyone, 

Please post your short stories here (2-4 paragraphs). Pick one of the topics befow: 

• A Great Accomplishment 
• Someone You Admire

Good morning y’all,

This weekend I questioned myself as to what the difference is between a ‘good’ teacher and a ‘great’ teacher. So, I made a list:

• Great teachers set high expectations for all students
• Great teachers have clear, written-out objectives
• Great teachers are prepared and organized
• Great teachers engage students and get them to look at issues in a variety of ways
• Great teachers form strong relationships with their students and show that they care about them as people
• Great teachers are masters of their subject matter
• Great teachers communicate frequently with parents

Please watch the video and then comment as to what you think makes a great teacher, so that I can read it and set goals based on what your expectations are for me.

Have a great week! Learn lots!

Hi all, please use this to post your speeches and to receive constructive feedback from your peers and myself. Remember everyone, this is a rough draft and that every speech is a work in progress. Here is a sample intro I wrote today in class. You may start by giving me any suggestions or things you want me to include as I continue to write this speech:

I may be young but I have so much to teach the world. Have you ever been told that you were too young to do something and that you’ll never make it? I was… I was told that I was too young to be a teacher and that when or if I ever became one, I would NEVER be a good one. Hi my name is Justin and I proudly stand here today as a Grade 6/7 teacher at Cascade Heights Elementary. Perhaps I was told that because I came to school with ripped jeans and a Lakers jacket. Or maybe it is because I wore a hat in school, knowing fully that the school rules state that we are not allowed to. Or maybe it was because I spent my mornings and breaks with the kids instead of spending it in 4 walls surrounding myself with teachers gossiping. Does that make me a bad teacher or person, because of what I wore and how I spent my ‘unpaid’ breaks? Was I ignorant or was I just being myself? My authentic self. When I got into this field, I told myself that I wanted to be the same person in the classroom as I am outside the classroom – the goofy, sarcastic, hardworking and driven individual.

Happy writing everyone!

Here are two word problems. Figure it out please! Best of luck!

1. Addie bought $9$ candy bars and ate 1/3​ of them.
   Frannie bought $6$ candy bars and ate 2/3 of them.
   Who ate more candy bars?
    
2. There are 24 hours in a day and scientists tell us that we
   should sleep for 3/8 of the day. How much time should we
   spend sleeping?

Good Morning my wonderful class,

I was so tired this weekend that I slept through this blood moon thing. I have no idea what causes the moon to be this colour but it reminds me of Mars. Okay, my guess-timate is this: I think that this happens every 7 years when the moon gets close to Mars and the colour from Mars gets reflected onto the moon. 

Please read the article below and explain to me what a “Blood Moon” is. I have no idea what it is and it is your time to teach me … Huh! How the roles have been reversed. Please share what you’ve seen and what you thought caused this to happen. 

CLICK ME: ARTICLE

Hi all,

Since we are talking about homelessness in our next film study video, I thought it would be important for you to understand homelessness in our own backyard. As many of you may know, homelessness is most prevalent in the Downtown East side, close to Main and Hastings area. Anyways here is a video of a man trying to live in and survive in that environment for 30 days. 

When you are done, I want you to think about these questions and then respond with a thoughtful post. I will try to read them over the weekend and respond to your comments.

Discussion Questions:

• How does someone become homeless?
• Are they a bad person? Were they uneducated or didn’t finish school as they were growing up?
• Why doesn’t the government give them a place to live and give them money?
• Are all homeless people addicted to drugs?
• Do they all have diseases?
• How can they get out of poverty?
• What can we do to help them out? (Think of fundraising ideas that we can do).