First Week of School - SUPERB START-UP!

Dear Families,

Did you know that the third week of November is dedicated to Bullying Prevention?  This is a cause that is near and dear to my heart as your child's teacher because I have faced racism first hand as a youngster, and unfortunately, even as an adult.

To help show my students just how important this cause (bullying prevention) is to me, I shared my personal experiences of being mistreated by my peers because of the colour of my skin.  

Please know, I want to be real and authentic with my students and how important it is to me that we all ACCEPT and EMBRACE others for who they are and never judge others based on their race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc ...  

These are the hands of my friend Lindsay and I hiking up 6th street, we found this heart!
"Love is the key to the world's problems."

My Story:

As a youngster, I attended Connaught Public School in the late 1980's and 1990's, many of the students there at the time didn't have experience with children of colour and didn't know how to relate to me.  

Unfortunately, each day in grades 2 and 3, I would come home hurt and crying because I was "different."  I would want to wash away my brown skin so I wouldn't stand out.  I desperately wanted to fit in with the other white kids and take the brown away.

Left - me in grade 2
Right - me in grade 3

But then in grade 4, my life changing teacher Mrs. Boucher entered my life!!  She was the first person who made me feel that I MATTERED.  Mrs. Boucher helped me see my differences as my strength (my SUPERPOWER) and that I should never be ashamed of who I was (a Sikh Canadian).  

Mrs. Ann Boucher (my champion, my HERO)

From grade 4 onwards, I became proud and confident in my OWN SKIN (see photo below).  Can you see the difference in my smile?  In my grade 2 and 3 portrait, I may have been smiling on the outside, but as a 4th grader, I'm genuinely smiling on the INSIDE TOO!!!  I now stand tall and proud to be an Indo-Canadian.

Thank you Mrs. Boucher for compassionately helping me through the pain and instilling the value of resilience in me!!  Despite the hurt, I never gave up on myself because I had you in my life.  

I knew from a young age of 9 that I wanted to be a change maker like Mrs. Boucher.  My greatest dream has been to help children BE PROUD OF WHO THEY ARE and use their differences as their superpower because EVERY CHILD MATTERS!!  

As a result of my hardship, I have made it my goal/mission to ensure that my students do not go through what I did.  I want to help my students BE THE BEST THEY CAN BE ... EVEN WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING!  In class, we regularly talk about celebrating our differences and IT'S OK TO BE DIFFERENT!!       

I am reinforcing the importance of creating, building upon, and maintaining happy hearts in and out of our classroom.  Your child's caring and compassionate ways are appreciated beyond measure!! 

Our Community of Learners Agreements help guide us every day - Attentive Listening, Mutual Respect, NO PUT DOWNS, Right to Participate, Right to Pass.  

We also regularly refer to these agreements as a reminder for us all to treat our peers, friends, and family with kindness, dignity, and respect.  I feel this will help in creating a happier, safer, and more caring world.

I believe in all my students and their abilities to reach out to do their part in making a positive difference for our today and tomorrows ... together we can help put an END TO BULLYING!!!

Below, I have posted a brief video about how pink shirt day got started.  This gave students an opportunity to learn where it all began and why it is important to acknowledge it every year!

Thank you to all the students who wore PINK on Thursday to show your support to help put an end to bullying now and every day!!  It meant a lot to me :)

Language Activity:

My passion for bullying prevention connected to our language focus this week too!  In class, I read aloud a story called "The Bully."  

After sharing this book, students worked on using a Venn Diagram to sort and classify the similarities and differences between the main character of the text (the bully) to themselves.

As a whole group, we brainstormed adjectives to help describe a bullied child and how bullying impacts them.  We also wrote a message / letter to a bullied child expressing our feelings and letting them know that THEY MATTER.  These completed sheets will come home next week for you to see.  Stay tuned!

Bystander:

Through our anti-bullying discussions that we’ve had in class, we also learned about the term "Bystander" and what it means. 

A bystander(s) is a person or group of people who see bullying happening yet don't do anything to help.  In other words, they witness the bullying and walk away which ultimately continues and promotes this unkind cycle.  Please listen to the story below to learn more.

My class is a beautiful, loving community of learners and it is our hope we will continue to be so and encourage each other as well as other students in our school about the importance of NO PUT DOWNS!

Grammar:

This week, we learned all about NOUNS!  We identified the difference between common and proper nouns.  Ask your child about this!  When you have time, please review the sheets that came home to help further reinforce this concept.  Many thanks!!

Math:

This week, we wrapped up our learning in geometry!  The students will complete an assessment for this unit on Monday.  

Below, I have posted a video we watched in class which I would like your child to revisit and share with you what they know about prisms and pyramids.  Try out the activity presented in the video!  

Ask:  What makes a prism a prism?  What makes a pyramid a pyramid?

Below, you will also find your child working in his or her THINK, PAIR, SHAIR grouping to complete their final geometry task which was meant to help prepare them for their upcoming assessment.  I love seeing my students collaboratively working as a TEAM to help achieve their personal best :)

Our next unit in math will focus on Patterning & Algebra!

Specific Expectations:

1.  Identify, extend, and create a repeating pattern involving two attributes (e.g., size, colour, orientation, number), using a variety of tools (e.g., pattern blocks, attribute blocks, drawings) (Sample problem: Create a repeating pattern using three colours and two shapes.)
2. Identify and describe, through investigation, number patterns involving addition, subtraction, and multiplication, represented on a number line, on a calendar, and on a hundreds chart (e.g., the multiples of 9 appear diagonally in a hundreds chart)
3. Extend repeating, growing, and shrinking number patterns (Sample problem: Write the next three terms in the pattern 4, 8, 12, 16)
4. Create a number pattern involving addition or subtraction, given a pattern represented on a number line or a pattern rule expressed in words (Sample problem: Make a number pattern that starts at 0 and grows by adding 7 each time.)
5.  Represent simple geometric patterns using a number sequence, a number line, or a bar graph (e.g., the given growing pattern of toothpick squares can be represented numerically by the sequence 4, 7, 10, …, which represents the number of toothpicks used to make each figure)
6.  Demonstrate, through investigation, an understanding that a pattern results from repeating an action (e.g., clapping, taking a step forward every second), repeating an operation (e.g., addition, subtraction), using a transformation (e.g., slide, flip, turn), or making some other repeated change to an attribute (e.g., colour, orientation)

Please note, a math note with the learning goals will come home next week in your child's agenda bag!  Stay tuned :)

FlipGive Fundraiser:

This year, fundraising for Nottawa Nighthawks is going to be so much easier with FlipGive, a free team funding app.

We earn cash back on every purchase we make all year long!  All you have to do is shop anytime with the brands you already love, like Home Depot, Walmart, Sport Chek, Indigo, Old Navy, Apple, Esso, and Loblaws.  It’s completely virtual and contactless.

Join our team now and you’ll get a $5 bonus the first time you shop: https://flipgive.app.link/teams/join?fundraiser_name=Nottawa&joincode=9MSNMR
Or enter this code: 9MSNMR

Monies raised will be going towards the Nottawa E.S Outdoor Learning Expansion.

Any questions, just ask Mrs. Beattie!

Want to learn more? Check out this 2 minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vTO_Qg4n80

Virtual Book Fair:

A  message from Mrs. Johnson our very own teacher librarian :)  

The book fair is coming November 24th - 29th at school and online!!!  YAY!  Please note, this year we are accepting cash at the Book Fair as well.   

There is also an online option for parents who wish to shop from home that will run at the same time as our in school Book Fair.  See link below :-)

https://virtualbookfairs.scholastic.ca/pages/5150860

There will be lots of amazing selections :)  Thank you in advance for supporting our school!!  

Tabs for Wheelchairs:

This week, Ainsley, Tessa, Emily, and Georgia enthusiastically came to school with SO MANY pop tabs for our class' initiative to help build wheelchairs for those in need.  I was so touched by this act of kindness and it's getting us into the spirit of giving back!  

Thank you girls for your kind and caring ways.  You are amazing!!!

Evelyn & Rose:

The Collingwood Rock Shop sure is making an impact on my students!  Check out Evelyn and Rose's stones they brought in to share with the class.  

This sparked such enthusiasm and discussion to research about the benefits of these.  Look at my students excitedly gathering and looking in a non-fiction book I have in class that's all about rocks & minerals!

Rose brought in a 'rose quartz' and this is what we found out!  I actually have one too and put it under my pillow each night for these reasons (see below). 

Aurora Light - Waves of Fiber Optic Colour:

Thank you to Mrs. West who donated a special light for our class that helps with airflow and focus.  When it's on, the colour washes with continual movement while each optic fiber drifts with airflow in the room. See photos below of the kids intrigued by this!!

When we meet for our community circle at the end of the day, we turn it on to improve airflow and listening attentively to the speaker with our eyes, ears, and heart.  It's sure working :)

I overheard Georgia even saying, "When that light comes on, it really helps me focus on the person who's talking."  Amazing, I love it!!  That's what it's there for boys and girls!

The kids are enjoying yet another little piece of ambiance and a useful tool for our thinking, learning, and growing!

Essential Oil Diffuser:

The students and I are excited to have our very own diffuser in class.  It's a multi-colour one which lights up the room and creates an aroma and ambiance of peace, calm, and clarity.

We learned all about the importance of diffusers and its meaningful benefits. 

The helper of the day is the care taker of our class diffuser.  He or she fills it up daily and pours 5 drops of essential oil in.  

This week, we had our classroom diffusing LEMONGRASS and the kids loved it, so did Mrs. Johnson who came in and said, "Wow, it smells and feels amazing in here, what is it?"  We enjoyed sharing with her and are glad she will benefit from its aromas too!  

Mindfulness:

Some kids are really drawn to Ed Sheeran as they are fond of his music, I am too!  But, if you listen to his story and how he's overcome challenges in his life, it'll leave you with an appreciation for this wonderful musician. 

Take a moment to listen to this video and think about the following questions:  

What did you learn from Ed’s wise words? How can you incorporate them in your life?

In life, unfortunately more often than not, we will all experience some form of hurt because of who we are.  Don’t let others words get you down.  Easier said than done, but trust me, let’s embrace our quirks and BE OURSELVES!  

There is only one YOU, stand UP, and shout, “I am worthy!  I am happy just the way I am!”  Together, we can make a difference and accept one another as we are!

Growth Mindset:

Thank you Finley for sharing this week's growth mind for us all to learn and grow from!!  

In class, we often discuss the importance of being in the present moment.  Being in the present moment, or the “here and now,” means that we are aware and mindful of what is happening at this very moment. We are not distracted by ruminations on the past or worries about the future, but centered in the here and now.  

Meegwich,

Ms. Gill