We had a positive day Friday in our classroom. Our routine of coming off of the bus to our classroom for tea continues to help students regulate and connect with one another (and the adults) in positive, prosocial ways. It has quickly become one of my favourite times of the day as I can connect with students before we dive into the business of the school day.
Today we were able to get up to Nose Hill for our 4th hike of the year. Despite the rain and cold, students were excited about all the exciting things today which included an honorary classroom pet. "Ruby the cat" followed us for a solid 5 minutes before darting away to chase something. We also stumbled upon a dead mouse and some beautiful woodpeckers. We collected some unique samples of plants on Nose Hill that we will research and explore over the next few weeks. The hope is that we can continue to explore Nose Hill weekly. It was great to see students prepared for the weather and excited (as always) to get outside and explore. A few reminders: Monday is Orange Shirt Day! We will be discussing the significance of Orange Shirt Day that morning. Parent-teacher interviews are happening next Thursday evening and Friday. I'm looking forward to connecting with families as we set out the path in which we will work together to support your child. Have a great weekend! Mrs. Maheu
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A few reminders about the rest of the week:
1. The Terry Fox run is happening tomorrow afternoon. Following our short assembly, we will head outside for our run. Students will need to remember their running shoes. We spent part of the morning today learning about Terry and completing a small research project about his life. 2. We are planning for a hike Friday morning. As the weather is turning towards fall...maybe even winter...students will need to bring a good jacket, toque or gloves if they can be located so early in the year.:) As always, students who demonstrate community behaviour on buses (and in our classroom in the morning) are those students who join us on the hike. We really work hard so that all students can be part of our hikes; however, students must also work themselves to listen, follow instructions and be regulated enough to safely be in the community. Thanks for your support in this! Hello Parents,
Picture Day is coming on Tuesday, October 8. After Picture Day, order your pictures on mylifetouch.ca using your Portrait ID and Access Code which can be found on your Picture Day order form. Life Touch Photography Healthy Hunger Fun Lunches/Snacks are back! Your Parent Association is pleased to once again offer parents the opportunity to purchase a lunch or snack for their students once or twice per month. The funds raised go to supporting you school through Parent Association initiatives.
Please log into www.healthyhunger.ca Healthy Hunger It's so simple to order school hot lunches online. No more keeping track of paper order forms, or sending cash to school. Organize lunches for all your kids with one account. If you do not already have an account, please register. ff you do, log in and add your students again and attached them to their teacher. Payment is required at time of ordering. Any questions, please use the help button on the healthy hunger website. Friday snacks are available to all students in the school. The lunch option is only available to those students at school over the lunch hour, including kindergarten students at Topp Kids. Friday October 18th JUGO JUICE snack at recess time Thursday October 24th SUBWAY lunch Friday November 15th KERNELS popcorn snack at recess Thursday November 21st EDO JAPAN lunch The Terry Fox Run will take place on Thursday, September 26. We will begin with a short assembly at 1:30pm followed by the run out on our field.
Students are encouraged to bring in Toonies for Terry to donate to The Terry Fox Foundation in support of cancer research. Please come dressed for the weather! It was a busy day in our classroom today as students were working hard on their academics but also on making positive choices and focusing on themselves.
We begun our patterning unit in Math with a pre-assessment around what students already knew about patterns. Math vocabulary like repeating elements, extending a pattern, increasing/decreasing patterns and pattern rules will thread throughout our unit. Students had an opportunity to explore with the pattern blocks following our assessment. We will begin to explore patterns of 5 elements tomorrow. We will continue our reading assessments this week as students will be grouped according to reading levels during our Guided Reading time. I will be sending home the Raz kids account information this week so that students can access that from home. That being said, I will be sending home reading books home for students who don't have access to a computer. The more students can read at home the better! During Health we spent time thinking about how our bodies feel when we're upset/frustrated and students wrote and painted in their visual journals to depict this. We also started talking about school-appropriate strategies students can access when they are feeling dysregulated. This will be ongoing work in our classroom as we work together to build those regulation toolboxes. We are planning a hike on Thursday afternoon so please make sure your child has good walking shoes and a water bottle that day. We've already had two successful hikes this year and it's been great to get outside with the boys and enjoy Nose Hill! Mrs. Maheu We have been slowly but surely getting back into the rhythm of school.
CommuniTea time off of the bus has been a regulation strategy, one which helps students prepare for their day. Buses can be a long and dys-regulating way for students to start their school day. CommuniTea time also serves the purpose of community building within our classroom, and gives me an opportunity to connect with everyone. This routine has gone a long way to help build relationships in our class. We have been able to begin our Spelling program with Guided Reading starting soon. We have also completed some assessment pieces around Math and Writing. I have been very proud to see students working hard and using strategies when prompted or as they feel they need them. Students have also now completed their All About Me Abstract Art projects. It is always interesting to see what students write about themselves as well as the creative ways in which they painted their wood blocks. Health has focused on regulation and strategies to support that regulation. The goal is always that students move from co-regulation (needing support from a trusted adult) into self-regulation (independently accessing strategies). Music with Ms. Hartley is in full swing, and Phys Ed continues to be outside as we wait patiently for the gym to re-open soon. Tomorrow we will head for our 2nd hike of the year as students made positive choices in the community last Friday. "Feel Good Fridays" will also begin this week. As we talk about belonging and what it means to contribute in positive ways, students have been brainstorming ways to give back to North Haven. Picking up recycling from classrooms is our task this week as we demonstrate to others, as well as ourselves, just what positive leaders we can be. Mrs. Maheu Nose Hill Park is within walking distance from our school and we like to take advantage of its close proximity to us. Being outside and connecting with nature can help students regulate. We also use that time to connect as a group.
Our goal this year is a weekly hike to Nose Hill Park, taking into account weather and group dynamics. Our first hike of the season will be Friday, Sept. 6th. Students should wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a water bottle to school. I'm looking forward to bringing our learning outdoors as we explore the neat stuff around this community. Mrs. Maheu It's been a nice transition for students in room 7 as they've been getting back into the swing of things at school. New students to our classroom have been working hard to learn all the routines and expectations of our classroom, and our returning students have been stepping up to model how things are done in here and be welcoming. It's really been great to see that growth.
We've been focusing on getting to know each other these past few days, and students did a fabulous job of their abstract art All About Me projects. We've established our classroom manifesto, and it's clear that students see the importance of our space being a calm, welcoming and great place to practice those "expected" student behaviours. As we get to know each other, and other classrooms build their own communities, we'll gain a better understanding of where our students will be most successful in integration. Our overarching theme this year will center on Character, with a focus on specific veins within that. As we begin the year, belonging is at the forefront. I very much look forward to working with our group of students and their families this year. I think it's going to be a great one! Mrs. Maheu All parents and guardians are invited to the North Haven Parents Council and Association Annual General Meeting this Monday, September 9th at 6:30pm at the school. Coming to our monthly meetings is the best way to get the inside scoop from the Principal and Teachers, as well as what’s coming up on school events and planning.
Your voice counts! Monday night, we will vote on committee positions, review our 2019/2020 budget, and get to know our Topp Kids Program Coordinator in addition to our regular agenda (School reports, fundraising, and financial updates). Its going to be a fun night connecting with everyone after a long summer break. Even if you can only come for part of the meeting, we hope to see you there! |
Mrs. Maheu
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