Week #26: Mar. 20th - 24th
Dear Families,
Happy Spring! It was so wonderful seeing my students this week, I had missed them tremendously! I hope you enjoyed a fun-filled March Break as a family. I heard so many neat experiences!
It was a bright and sunny return to school on Monday so we took full advantage and went for a mindful nature walk.
We always enjoy these as it gives us the opportunity to be one with nature and have heart to heart chats along the way :)
I would also like to acknowledge how calmly and accountably every student entered the classroom after the Break. It was like we hadn't missed a beat and continued smoothly into our learning.
With that as you can see, we're back to our regular routines and regimes! Just the way we like it ;) I bet as a parent, you're delighted by this too :-)
As you'll see and read below, it was a meaningful and productive week of learning, celebrating and recognizing some very special events such as World Down Syndrome & Water Day!
SPIRIT DAY:
Thank you to all the staff & students who dressed up for our spirit day! In class we had some Harry Potter enthusiasts, wizards, fairies, and leprechauns in green! Having our collective spirit is something that we all rejoice in and it truly brings our school family together.
Check out the photos below :)
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| Rockin' their socks for World Down Syndrome Day! |
WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY:
Did you know, March 21st is World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD)? It is the day that the Down syndrome community creates a single global voice advocating for the rights, inclusion and well being of people with Down syndrome.
In class, we regularly talk about and promote the importance of equity and inclusion. People with Down syndrome deserve to be recognized and celebrated for their amazing contributions to our society.
Each one of us has been given life and we must celebrate our differences and embrace them because it is what makes you, YOU.
Thank you to some students who ROCKED THEIR SOCKS to show your support for people with Down Syndrome. We are all unique and wonderful JUST THE WAY WE ARE.
RESPECTING PEOPLE WITH DOWN SYNDROME:
Below is a list of meaningful tips suggested from an informative book called My Life with Down Syndrome that I feel is useful for kids to utilize when they come across someone with this condition.
- Treat a person with Down syndrome like you would any person. Be friendly, respectful, and kind.
- Please don't stare at kids with Down syndrome. It is not polite.
- Expect kids with Down syndrome to follow rules, just like everyone else.
- Play and be friends with kids who have Down syndrome, just like you would any kid.
- No two people in the world are the same. Each person has things that they like and dislike. This is true for people with Down syndrome, too.
- When you meet someone with Down syndrome, say hi and ask them what their name is. You might make a new friend.
To further our learning, I shared a book called My Friend Has Down Syndrome. It helped deepen our understanding and think about ways that we can help empower these children too!
We learned that people with Down syndrome may have an extra 'gene', but they're just like US! Yes, they may look, act, or learn a little differently than others, but they are HUMAN with amazing thoughts, skills, and abilities. We can learn and grow from them too just like in the story.
WORLD WATER DAY:
World Water Day is held annually on March 22nd and is recognized every year since 1993.
World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis.
So, what can we do? Please listen to the book below and discuss as a family ways that you can conserve water in your home starting today.
I have every confidence many of you do already, this is just a friendly reminder and offering you some useful ways to save water within your homes :)
Remember, every drop counts!
Please take a moment to also watch this powerful short film about the importance of saving water.
The video we saw shows people struggling to get clean water in a different part of the world than where we live. Adults and children spend their days trying to find some water in order to survive.
It may surprise you that there are many people living in Canada, even in Ontario that struggle to have clean water.
It hurts my heart to write this, despite being one of the most water-rich nations in the world, for generations Canada has been unwilling to guarantee access to clean water for Indigenous peoples.
The water in dozens of communities has been considered unsafe to drink for at least a year – and the government admits it has failed.
Many Indigenous People are living in areas that do not have clean water or access to running water in their homes.
This is NOT OK :(
We need to do something. It is important that ALL Canadians have access to water. Let's do OUR part to raise awareness and advocate for our Indigenous communities to have the same access as we do.
Our class family cares and we will educate ourselves to find ways that we can help!
BLACK HISTORY BIOGRAPHY PRESENTATIONS:
It is with such happiness and joy that I write about your child's Black History Biography Presentation. It was amazing to see the passion and spirit that went into preparing for this special assignment. This particular topic is near and dear to my heart so I was beaming.
I loved seeing students dress up in strategic attire to match their activist and bring in props too (e.g., dressing up as a broadcaster - Arie, Jackie Robinson - Ellis, Sara Nurse - Kaia, The Williams Sisters - Mae).
I want to thank parents as well for your input and giving your child the opportunity to rehearse at home so they were well prepared and knew their speaking parts. Some even made up cue cards to refer to :-)
This is amazing because it'll serve students well as they move forward in their academic journey and having to do presentations at a higher level.
Below, you will find some images of students proudly standing next to their hard work!
I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the students for their efforts in providing their peers with FEEDBACK to help continue building upon their achievement.
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| Arie & Ellis listening attentively to their peer's presentation |
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| Working together to write FEEDBACK (strengths & next steps) |
Giving students this opportunity allowed them to use their observations to recognize the strengths and areas to improve upon for their own presentations. I hope you (parents) were able to see your child's feedback both from his or her peers and me.
Please note, I have provided a more thorough response on your child's slides via Google Classroom. Check it out :-)
MATH:
This week, we continued our learning about fractions. Below, I have posted 2 warm up activities that we used accountable talk to do a THINK, PAIR, SHARE to get our mindsets actively thinking the following question: Is It Fair or Not Fair?
We are learning the importance of creating equal groups and recognizing equivalent fractions.
I have posted a word problem below that we started in class, but please have your child work through it at home too as we will be using pictures, numbers, and words to effectively solve this next week!
KIERAN & LOGAN:
It is absolutely heart soaring when I see, hear, and feel students working collaboratively to guide and help each other in their math concepts.
Below, you will find Kieran and Logan working together today on their daily math task which consisted of multiplying and dividing.
You will notice they are using a meter stick to support their thinking because they needed to repeatedly add for multiplication and repeatedly subtract for division to find the products and quotients. Nice work boys!!
JONAS:
Speaking of helpful students, here is our Jonas who went out of his way to help his buddy learn how to tie his shoelaces.
This can be a tricky concept to get the hang of, but we have learned this year that true resilience is the ability to face a challenge and never give up until progress is made!
Thank you Jonas for being your selfless, helpful, and compassionate self! We admire and adore YOU!
MINDFULNESS:
Every year and everywhere, at 8:30 p.m. on the last Saturday of March, millions of people across the world join in raising awareness of the nature crisis facing our plant.
Could an hour change the world? #EarthHour #BiggestHourForEarth
Click the link below for more information.
Please consider joining Earth Hour with the millions of people around the world this Saturday at 8:30 p.m. local time to let leaders know we want action on climate change and biodiversity loss!!
It's time to make nature matter!
GROWTH MINDSET:
Thank you Benner for sharing this week's mindset message from the famous Oscar Wilde.
This quote has a deep meaning :) The author is trying to convey that you are ENOUGH, you are WORTHY, you are VALUABLE just the way you are.
You can be the best version of only one person in this entire world - and that is you!
Respectfully Yours,
Ms. P. Gill
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