Week #15: Dec. 11th - 15th
Dear Families,
It’s been a very busy, yet FUN & PRODUCTIVE week of rehearsals in preparation for our upcoming Character Education Assembly, enjoying Santa's Visit, making delicious Edible Christmas Trees, and connecting on a Zoom Call with our wonderful elders from Sunset Manor!
I'm sure many of the children came home this week in the evenings to share some or ALL of this with you ;)
Below, I have written in depth information about these heartfelt experiences so you can see and feel the excitement that was had :)
Thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts and taking an active interest in your child's weekly learning!
ART ACTIVITY:
Thursday was an exciting day in our classroom! Everyone was looking forward to creating his or her own edible Christmas tree with their delicious icing and toppings!
Students worked collaboratively with partners and enjoyed spreading the icing on their trees and then decorating it with gummies, sprinkles, candy canes, chocolate chips, etc ...
Check out the smiles on our faces, we clearly had a blast with this!
The trees TURNED OUT SCRUMPTIOUS and some kids chose to eat them at the end of the day; my apologies in advance if your child came home buzzing (hyper), hehe.
Thank you parents for your continued generosity and providing numerous delicious toppings for your child to use and build their sweeeeet trees! They appreciated this too :-)
EXTRA TOPPINGS:
Thank you to all the children and families who provided extra candies/toppings for students to use for their edible trees. Your thoughtfulness is valued beyond measure!
That's EMPATHY at its finest, 'Thinking about the feelings of others!' Thank you :-)
HOLIDAY HAPPY MAIL & GOOGLE MEET WITH SUNSET MANOR RESIDENTS:
This seems to be an ongoing feeling I have, but I would like to share once again just how PROUD I am of my students empathetic ways!!
Today, we had a Zoom Call with some of Sunset Manor's residents :) It was a great learning opportunity for us to gain some valuable skills in communicating with others and asking good questions to keep a conversation engaging and going.
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| Kids all set to listen attentively & respectfully |
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| Yay the Zoom Call worked, we can see & hear everyone clearly ;) |
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| Singing with our hearts :) |
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| We are patiently waiting to see who is going to be called next to meet their elder |
I am delighted to share that your child's HARD WORK that went into their handmade holiday card was graciously received! They put so much love, time and effort into these. See below!
We all now know how much the elders appreciated them!! My students are truly demonstrating EMPATHY, COMPASSION, and GRATITUDE in his or her thoughts, words, and actions.
The kids enjoyed seeing the smiles on the seniors faces as they opened and read the cards :) Check it out below!
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| Elders reading and receiving our handmade holiday cards |
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| Danica meeting her elder, she's so happy :) |
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| Lucy got to interact with her elder and talk about her pets |
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| Molly all smiles to see her elder receive & read her card :) |
This experience brightened the seniors spirits this holiday season! I have proof as Leah (PSW), emailed me later in the day with the following message:
Hello!
On behalf of all the residents here that attended today's Zoom Call, thank you so so much!
The smiles on their faces were like no other :)
You and your class truly made our day.
We can't wait to see you again in February for Valentine's Day!
From, Leah Hollingsbee & Senior Residents on Floor G1
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| Thank you to the elders for creating cards and messages for us to receive & read, we are grateful! |
Awww, this meant the absolute world to us!! Living is Giving.
It was such a memorable moment and one that brought tears to my eyes as I sat back and watched my students gently and lovingly greet and sing 3 songs to the elders.
If we can make a difference in the hearts and minds of others especially those in need of our energy and time (such as seniors), we're happy to continue to spread our love, light, and joy each day :)
To me, this is the true spirit of Christmas.
We look forward to our next "visit" (Zoom call) with our elders for Valentines Day :-)
SANTA'S VISIT & SUPPORTING MY FRIENDS' HOUSE:
Santa's visit to our school was a huge success because of all the empathetic and compassionate students and families who donated to My Friends' House (an organization near and dear to my heart).
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| Santa and his handy helper :) |
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| Grades 4-8 believe in the Magic of Santa |
Santa, thank you for taking time out of your BUSY holiday schedule to collect our donations and visit with our staff & students. They were buzzing with excitement to greet n' meet you :)
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| Look at all the children enjoying Santa! |
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| Little Madison enjoying her quality 1:1 with Santa |
Your time, energy, and personable conversations with all the children you met is something we'll always cherish and remember in our hearts! Meegwich :-) We HONOUR & LOVE YOU.
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| Finn first in line to meet Santa :) |
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| Ayden's been a good boy this year and every YEAR! |
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| Lucy, Mae, & Molly ready to donate |
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| Cara sharing with Santa about our Dec. Kindness Calendar |
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| Mrs. Newman's grade 2 & 3's |
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| Smiley Brylee donating mittens |
Thank you to Mrs. Garvan and the Leadership Team for organizing, packing up all the boxes, and for delivering our donations.
The amount of items is the most this organization has seen from a school! Way to go Nighthawks :-)
I know Santa's heart was filled with joy, too!! He is so proud of each and every one of you for sharing your gift of giving to others who need it. Thank you so much for your generous contributions :)
Here at Nottawa Elementary, we know the true spirit of Christmas! Maybe next year, Santa will be back to visit us again!
DONATIONS:
Today was our final day to receive donations and I would like to personally thank each of you (parents in my class) for your contributions especially now more than ever!
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| The donations rolled in for 12 days straight in our class, wtg!! |
As we all know, the prices for most things these days are very pricey, yet you went above and beyond to ensure your child came to school with a donation for multiple days!!! You've shown me and our school that your generosity is immeasurable :) Thank you, THANK YOU!!
GOOGLE CLASSROOM:
I request that your child please visit Google Classroom over the weekend as I have attached all the songs that we will be performing at next week's Character Education Assembly. It's going to be AMAZING!!
They are to play and practice these songs at home in a quiet area alone so they're comfortable and confident with the lyrics and their singing parts.
Please remember to also sing with passion and your bright beautiful hearts! If we do, then we will leave such an impactful impression & feeling for our audience.
I can't wait to see you shine, Shine, SHINE at our assembly next Thursday :-)
They are to play and practice these songs at home in a quiet area alone so they're comfortable and confident with the lyrics and their singing parts.
Please remember to also sing with passion and your bright beautiful hearts! If we do, then we will leave such an impactful impression & feeling for our audience.
I can't wait to see you shine, Shine, SHINE at our assembly next Thursday :-)
CHARACTER EDUCATION ASSEMBLY:
Speaking of our assembly, our class family has been working so hard in preparing for our upcoming Character Education Assembly taking place on Thurs. Dec. 21st during periods 1 & 2 (9:30 - 11:00AM).
We're sooo excited and can't wait for you to join us!! From last year's experience and feedback from the audience, I highly encourage your attendance as it'll be a performance filled with positivity, empathy, gratitude, and compassion :-)
We have a variety of speaking parts, songs, and drumming to share with you! The photos shared below are from last year to give you an idea of what our assembly will look like, sound like, and feel like.
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| Last year's attentive audience watching my class perform. Amazing experience :) |
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| Ayden sharing his compassionate words |
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| Drumming to share Our Promise for the world |
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| 1 minute meditation to get us all in the present moment |
Please note, the assembly date will also be a spirit day, so please have your child dress up in their most festive attire (red, white, green, etc ...). The gym will be filled with children shining in their Christmas colours ready to celebrate the upcoming holiday season :)
FRENCH:
Next week, your child will do a drama performance. I have posted the script on Google Classroom for everyone to readily access.
Below, you will find the date for your child's presentation.
Children are asked yet again to take some time to review and rehearse their parts. Mme and I appreciate the time and energy put forth into this presentation.
WORD STUDY:
Did your child come home this week to share the most common sound in the English language? That's right, it's the SCHWA SOUND! Perhaps it's a new concept for you too? (it was for me ;)
It's a very subtle and quiet sound. The video below really helped us in identifying these sounds within words. Give it a listen!
FINAL SPIRIT DAY OF 2023:
Next Friday (22nd), the last day before the Holiday Break, our Leadership Team has organized a movie day for all students. The junior students (grades 4-6) will get to enjoy a movie during period 3 & 4 in the gym.
Next Friday (22nd), the last day before the Holiday Break, our Leadership Team has organized a movie day for all students. The junior students (grades 4-6) will get to enjoy a movie during period 3 & 4 in the gym.
Your child is encouraged to wear his or her comfy and cozy clothing (see below)! They may wish to also bring in their favourite stuffy (e.g., teddy bear), blankie, and pillow so they’re comfortable during the movie! This'll surely be a fun way to kick off the holidays!! YahooOooOO!
JAMES & WILLIAM:
Thank you boys for sharing your heartfelt messages of gratitude with me! Your thoughts, words, and actions have touched my heart and I am grateful to teach, learn, and grow with YOU this school year.
It's been a tremendous start and I look forward to continuing to see, hear, and feel you being the best you can be ... especially when no one is watching :)
MALCOLM & FINN:
I'd like to take this moment to extend my thank you to Malcolm and Finn for demonstrating such dedication to their education and completing all their assignments even when they were away on vacation.
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| Check out Finn and his little sibling interacting with a monkey. How cute is this!! |
The boys collected their work prior to their departure because they didn't want to miss anything and brought their completed pages back to school on Monday. FANTASTIC.
I am so proud of them both! We've often talked about the importance of continuing learning beyond our classroom walls because we LOVE OUR BRAINS SO MUCH and want them to always SOAR & GROW :)
Way to go boys, you're effective 'student athletes' as well!
MINDFULNESS:
I am so proud of all the boys and girls in the primary division for participating in our Holiday Concert with their personal best! It was a day to remember :)
We enjoyed watching and celebrating the younger children's achievement on Wednesday afternoon as a whole school.
I came later in the evening as well to support Mrs. O in her grade 1 class as she played the piano for the concert. The little 1's were so sweet :-)
Parents, thank you for your positive feedback, it means a lot to the staff! It is a joy to be able to hold these special events at our school for all to enjoy!
The magic of Nottawa can be truly felt when our families get together in one space to celebrate and honour the amazing talents of our children! Way to go, Nighthawks :)
GROWTH MINDSET:
Thank you to Libby for providing this mindset message! It's a great one!!!
"Be like a TREE - strong, powerful, and RESILIENT!"
With love, grace, and gratitude,
Ms. Gill
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