Dear Families,

I hope you have an enjoyable Family LONG Weekend!  It will be amazing to have that ‘extra’ day off on Monday to spend quality time with all your loved ones.  I do my best to appreciate and value my time off with those that I care deeply about.  

Here are some of the activities that I hope to get up to with my family and friends - go out for dinner at one of my favourite restaurants in Collingwood, hike through the woods, drink delicious lattes by the fireplace, and get in as much relaxation as possible.  Being a big sports fan, I’ll also be tuning into the Olympics and the NBA All-Star weekend.  Wishing you all a tremendous weekend too with your family!

Science:

Another FUN week of science!  I love seeing students taking their enthusiasm for learning something in class, and then applying it at home.  This is exactly what Carson and Alex did!  Carson built two structures at home and then shared them in class.  We talked about the difference between a strong and stable structure and compared it to a less stable one.  It was a meaningful discussion!  

Check out Alex!  Last weekend, Alex decided to build his own igloo at home.  He discussed the procedure, techniques he used, and what the pros and cons were of his building.  Way to go Alex!  I’m so happy you had fun with this activity!

Art:

We have a new art teacher for my class!  Ms. Mitchell the former art teacher got a full time job at Cameron Street Public School and we wish her well in her career.  She did a fabulous job!  The students new art teacher is now Ms. McNichol who has thoroughly enjoyed being in our class on Day 4’s from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m.  Art is such an amazing subject and we are fortunate we have Ms. McNichol with us who is so passionate about it!  She creates lessons which are engaging and brings out the creativity of her students. 

Check out some of the pieces from Ms. McNichol's lesson of the Northern Lights!!  

Olympic Inspired Art:
This week, students are creating Olympic inspired art!  You may wish to ask your child about this! 

Celebrating Valentine’s Day:

On Wednesday, we celebrated Valentine’s Day with our class community along with the rest of the primary division at the Bowling Alley!  Thank you families who took time, energy, and love to purchase cards, gift bags, and yummy treats for all of US to enjoy!  I was deeply touched by the gifts I received too, it meant a lot to me!  Thank you Faith and Bailey for the adorable gifts.  I will cherish them!

A special thank you to Bailey and Kody who brought in sweet treats from home to school for their peers and teachers!  It was delicious!!

We had an absolute blast celebrating Valentine's Day at the local bowling alley.  This is an annual tradition which they all enjoy!  Thank you to the primary division for organizing this event for the children, it was a memorable experience :)  Check out Paige and Carson's expression/body language in the pictures, they both got a STRIKE!!  YAHOOOOOOOO!

 When we returned to class, we discussed the importance of demonstrating kindness, caring, and love in our daily actions!  We all agreed that we must celebrate LOVE (not just on Valentine’s Day) all year around, it is what makes the world brighter and beautiful!  I am a fortunate one to be surrounded with such loving students who care and are kind to one another.  It was heart-warming to watch your child give and receive with gratitude.

Grade 4 Field Trip:

As part of our Physical Education (Active Living), Science (Habitats & Communities) and Health (Healthy Living) learning, our class is participating in various activities up in Duntroon at Highlands Nordic.  I am so delighted we are having this experience as it is purposeful, meaningful, and FUN!  Many snow-shoed and cross-country skied for the first time, it was a highlight seeing some of my students stepping outside of their comfort zone and persevering with these challenging activities!

REMINDER: Our next trip to Highlands Nordic is this coming Tuesday after the Family Day long weekend!  If you can, please provide your child with extra socks and mitts/gloves as they are outside all day and want to ensure students are warm and dry.

Report Cards:

This evening your child will have brought home their Term 1 report card.  I thoroughly enjoy writing these as it gives me the opportunity to intently reflect and think about all the wonderful achievements your child has attained!  We all have next steps, including ME, and I have stressed to the children that it is important to remember to celebrate ALL their achievements and that we always strive to reach our individual potential.  Goal setting is another important aspect of our learning and I had them set goals for the next few months.  Take a moment this weekend to ask them what some of their goals are.  One more term left, I can't believe I'm writing this!!  Time flies when you're having FUN!!

Olympics:

Perhaps your child has already directed you to this awesome site, if not, please visit it over the weekend!  See link below.  It focuses on the Olympics in a child friendly manner.  In class, we have been tuning into the Olympics and I’ve been teaching them about some sports which they are less familiar with such as Nordic Combined, Skeleton, Biathlon, and the Luge.  We are proud Canadians who are cheering on our athletes!  Go Canada Go!

http://www.cbc.ca/cbckidsolympics/
https://olympics.cbc.ca/

Message from the School:

Parents invited to information sessions about special education!!!
The SCDSB is hosting a series of information sessions for parents and guardians to learn about special education in the SCDSB, and how to support students with special education needs.

Feb. 26

• Transition Planning Grade 8 to 9

March 19 

• Accessing Supports in the Community

April 16 

• Understanding Alternative/Non-Academic IEP Goals

Character Recognition Assembly:
When:  Fri. Feb. 23rd during period 5 from 1:45 - 2:30 p.m.
Why:   celebrating this month's character trait:  Inclusiveness

PINK SHIRT DAY:
At this assembly, students are asked to wear PINK (next Fri.) to stand up against bullying and support love!

Nate:
Hi Nate!  Guess what?!  I shared your first 2 blog posts with our class!  Your friends cheered when they saw you had 2 entries!!  We really enjoyed reading about and seeing your adventures!!  Thank you for wishing us all a Happy Valentines Day.  We had so much fun at the bowling alley, but we definitely missed you too.  Don't worry, I've saved your Valentines from your friends and you'll get them when you're back with us!  We hope you enjoyed your Valentine's Day and the sweet treats.  Below is a picture of our class and you're in the background (screen), but the quality isn't great, sorry!  You are always with us in spirit!

We loved watching your cheetah video and all those amazing pictures!  Your writing is superb as we can hear your voice through it ...you're so descriptive and use expression!  We can also visualize your neat experiences!  We can't wait to hear your speech on Cheetahs when you return!

Also, we think it's so coooool that you're 7 hours ahead of us in Namibia!  So when you're sleeping, we may still be eating dinner!  Hope you adjusted well to the time change.  Are you watching any of the Olympics?  South Korea is 14 hours ahead of our time, imagine that!

Keep those posts coming!  We are excited for you!  What a fabulous experience.  Bailey said yesterday, "'I'm going to see if I can ask my Mom if we can go to South Africa! Nate's Mom and my Mom are friends, so it can be great!" 

Here's Nate's address for his blog again for you all!
https://natesafricanadventure2018.blogspot.ca/

Jackson:
Thank you to Jackson's family for bringing in cupcakes for us ALL to enjoy to celebrate his 9th birthday!  Guess what?!  It is also Nathan's birthday!  He turned 10 today!  Two students birthdays in one class - coooooooooool!

Growth Mindset:

"Be safe!  Don't do things to bother or harm others!"  - Faith

Namaste,

Miss Gill