Week #5: Oct. 3rd - 7th

Dear Families,

Thinking of you all and wishing you a very Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving long weekend with your loved ones!  I trust you will all be surrounded with love and make the most of your family's traditions.  

In class, I look forward to hearing about your family's 'Thankful Stone' sharing experience.  Students were extremely excited to bring home their 'Thankful Bags' and share the contents that are placed inside with you!  

Many of you will also cherish your child’s Letter of Gratitude.  I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as your child enjoyed writing it this week!  The kids worked extremely hard and I know you'll appreciate this dearly :)

As I conferenced with students to offer feedback, I was so touched by their thoughts, words, and actions in their heartfelt message to you!  It brought such JOY TO MY HEART!  

From these letters, it's evidence that you're (parents) all raising gracious, caring and compassionate children :-)  

Before we left for the long weekend, we did a Thankful Stone sharing as a class family about the people we're grateful for in our life.  Students' peers and parents were a constant in the hearts and minds of your child(ren). 

GRATITUDE PLACEMAT:

Your child has also created a placement which is intended for you and your family to write down your thoughts and words about what you're grateful for.  

You will notice that your child has completed his or hers already in class to help guide the rest of the family in this friendly and meaningful task.  Enjoy the process and I hope you can keep this activity going for years to come :-)

When I was a child, this was a tradition that I used to do :)  I look back on it now and am ever so grateful as it's helped shape me into the person I am today - always striving to be POSITIVE and GRATEFUL for my life.

GRATITUDE:

We have been doing A LOT of meaningful thinking, learning and reflecting about the word and importance of GRATITUDE.  Ask your child what this term means :)  

We have also learned a variety of ways to say thank you in different languages.  In class, we are looking for ways to honour and celebrate different cultures, faiths, and religions.  

I am a proud Sikh-Canadian (East Indian, Punjabi) and perhaps your child's shared with you that I have been teaching them about my cultural practices and language :)  

In your child's thankful bag, you will find he or she has written various ways to say THANK YOU from different cultural backgrounds.  

"Meegwich" (Algonquin), "Teniki" (Cree), "Danke" (German), "Merci" (French), 

"Shukriah" (Punjabi), "Gracias" (Spanish), "Apres" (Armenian), 

"Dank Je Wel" (Dutch), "Spasibo" (Russian), "Obrigado" (Portuguese) 

Throughout the school year, there will be a regular emphasis on expressing an 'ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE" in our thoughts, words, and actions!

Also inside your child's thankful bag, you will find a bright pink note about the science behind gratitude and how it empowers our brain!  Please take a moment to go over this with your child :) 

In this gratitude note, you'll find that SEROTONIN which is known as the 'HAPPY HORMONE' because it contributes to a feeling of happiness and well-being.

Below, I have posted a read aloud that I shared in class about giving thanks (gratitude) from an Indigenous perspective.  Students learned all about appreciating and valuing nature and all that Mother Earth provides for us.   

There is science research behind gratitude and how it helps our brains.  The research tells us that gratitude is awesome for our health and well-being!  

YES, gratitude actually changes our brains :) Practicing gratitude increases neuron density and leads to higher emotional intelligence so we actually get smarter.  Gratitude is like a secret sauce for happiness :)

Being in a state of gratitude feels GOOD and it increases:

• optimism
• caring, cooperation and friendship
• motivation to work hard at school
• happiness
• calm and ready to learn!

LOOK AT ALL THOSE CHARACTER TRAITS!!

THE GRATEFUL BOOK:

"There is so much to be grateful for.  Using charming illustrations and simple text, we learn to look at the world around us through the lens of gratitude." 

Every day experiences become something to be thankful for.  This story inspires discussions between parent and child about gratitude, helping both focus on gratitude as a practice, learning that we should not take the world around us for granted. 

Perfect for even small children, The Grateful Book simplifies the concept of gratitude and grounds it in tangible and universal experience, reminding us all that we have so much to be grateful for!

Use the video below to listen to the story :)  After sharing the story, I encouraged my students to practice gratitude every night before they fall asleep.  Get into a comfortable sleeping position, think of something you're grateful for (tell WHY too), and say it aloud three times.

By doing this, I believe it sets us up for a deeper and more restful sleep.  Being grateful will help fill your life with JOY!! 

STONE SOUP CELEBRATION:

I would like to take this opportunity to extend my deepest gratitude to ALL the families who took time out of their work days to join us in our "Stone Soup" Celebration.  It was a huge success!!  

Many of you shared with me how very excited your child was to participate in this and to have you there meant the world to all of us.  When I totaled up the RSVP's to set out the chairs for you, I accounted for 30+ guests!  Your compassion and support was felt! 

Below, I will also post the many photos of  us creating the soup which lots of you commented on how delicious it was!  I agree!!  It was all the love that went into it from your child's contribution in washing, peeling, and cutting the veggies to place in our crock pots!!

As a teacher, I strongly believe in parent-child-teacher working closely together as a team to help our children rise to their highest potential!  I can say with confidence, the students certainly put in their "level 4 personal best" and performed exceptionally well!!

I am extremely proud of my students' efforts, they've lit up my heart!  At the conclusion of our Stone Soup presentation, I thoroughly enjoyed connecting with many of my students' families as well, what a wonderful opportunity to do so!  I was quite emotional, please know all my tears were of JOY!!

I have every confidence we are going to continue having a year filled with purpose, passion, and productivity!  This is the greatest gift I have received, having your child in my class :)  

LIVING IS GIVING:

It is with tremendous gratitude that I extend my love and hugs to all the families who were able to contribute to our class' food drive for the Collingwood Food Bank.  In total, we have 25 items to donate!!  AMAZING :-)

Thank you Mae & Ayden for your donations :-)  You're change makers!

It brings tears to my eyes when I think about your GENEROSITY and EMPATHETIC WAYS!!  Together we CAN, WILL, and ARE making a SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE in the lives of those who need it the most.

I am looking forward to taking our donations to the Food Bank this weekend :)  

From my heart to yours --> Merci, Gracias, Obrigado!

MATH:

In math, we continue to work through challenging tasks using the 4-Block Method.

Before I began my lesson, we watched an inspiring MATH MINDSET video to get our brains ready and inspired to use this muscle to learn!  

This short video introduces students to the powerful idea that taking on challenges can grow and strengthen our brains, and that we have the power to make our brains stronger every day!!

The guided math task that we completed in class links to our Canadian Hero, Terry Fox!  See below :-)

As a whole class, we used the following organizer (see below) to get us prepared to effectively answer this word problem.  It's a wonderful tool to set students up for success!  We will be utilizing it all year long :-)

Once every child received the math sheet, I provided students with guided instruction, where we worked through the problem step by step to UNDERSTAND --> PLAN --> SOLVE --> EXPLAIN.  

This greatly assists students with organizing their thinking before jumping into the 'solving' part which many want to do, however, it is vital to first understand (what I know, what I need to find out) and make a plan (strategies to use).

Once we completed this task, the following day, your child worked independently to complete a similar word problem using the strategies they learned!  This is working out well and I am proud of the kids efforts :)

Please note, when math work does come home in the agenda, I encourage you to please sit with your child and allow them the opportunity to THINK, PAIR, SHARE (they know what this means ;) with you to help reinforce and consolidate learned concepts. 

By talking about math at home, I have every confidence that this can, will, and does make a significant difference, helping your child increase their confidence in this subject area and for their "HIPPOCAMPUS" to learn & grow!

Thank you in advance for your involvement and support!  Please know I recognize you have a lot on the go with your home, work, and personal responsibilities so your time is valued.

TERRY FOX RUN:

Today, we had a fantastic afternoon to honour our CANADIAN HERO Terry Fox!  It brought such joy to my heart seeing, hearing, and feeling my students demonstrating their love and respect for our beloved hero.  Check out the photo below!

A special shoutout to Mr. Bridson (retired) for coming to school and RUNNING ALL DAY to show his support for cancer research and Terry Fox.  He arrived at 7:00AM and ran until 3:30PM -  AMAZING!!  

Mr. B, you're an INSPIRER and the kids and teachers at Nottawa appreciate YOU!!!  Everyone ran and ran and ran because you brought the energy and motivation for us all :-)  

#tryliketerry  #anythingispossible

In the early morning before Mr. Bridson began his run, a BRIGHT BEAUTIFUL RAINBOW SHONE DOWN BRIGHTLY on him (this gave me goosebumps) ... a tribute to his wife (late) who lost her life to cancer in 2018:( 

When there is darkness, there always comes a time to see the LIGHT, and that's exactly what happened!  Mrs. Bridson is with you always!!! The rainbow came to YOU as a symbol to show you that Mandy (your wife) is always looking out for Noa (daughter) and YOU!!!  

#shineonMr.B

ISLA:

In honour of our school's Terry Fox Run today, Isla shared her Terry experience with us. 

The Barr family went on an awesome Northern Ontario Camping trip in the summer of 2021 and the kids learned firsthand the impact that Terry had and continues to have on our country. 

Here is a picture of Isla, Cali, Gavin, Mom and Dad at the monument just outside of Thunder Bay.  Thank you Mrs. Barr for sharing this image, it's fantastic and makes me want to visit there too one day.  Beautiful!!

PICTURE DAY:

School Photo Day will be on Tuesday October 11, 2022.

Photo Day.pdf

If your child has an appointment that day, please let Mrs. Beattie know and she will make sure your child has their photo taken before or after their appointment.

November 14, 2022 is the scheduled retake day and class group photos day.

If you have any further questions about picture day, please email Mrs. Beattie. lbeattie@scdsb.on.ca

BENNER:

Thank you Benner for a sweet treat to kick off my work week!  Your Mom makes the most delicious chocolate chip banana muffins.  It was mouth watering gooooooooood!  

Your family's continued thoughtfulness is cherished and I appreciate all the special things you do for me :)  From my heart to yours ... MEEGWICH!

BRYNN & KAIA:

Thank you to our very own sweet twins and their parents for providing inspiring Terry Fox stickers that we used for our run today!  

Terry's encouraging words live on and we as a class family will always "TRY LIKE TERRY" and remember that "ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IF YOU TRY!"

THE BUIES:

Thank you Gramma and Grandpa Buie for your generous donations of your homegrown apples from your property!!  

We devoured them and have given the extras to the office so the rest of the kids at Nottawa can also enjoy this nutritious and delicious treat!!

"An apple a day, keeps the doctor away."  ;)

MINDFULNESS:

What are you grateful for and why?  Instead of counting "sheep" before going to bed, TRY to count all your "blessings" you have in your life :)  Increase that serotonin!

You'll be amazed at how many things you're blessed with!  It is my belief that reflecting upon things we're grateful for will help and can improve your sleep and fully energize your body for the next day.  Give it a TRY!

GROWTH MINDSET:

From my heart to yours ... MEEGWICH

Ms. Gill