Week #19: Jan. 22nd - 25th

Dear Families,

We've completed our final full week of January, can you believe it?!  Time sure flies by and I hope you were able to enjoy the snow as it was beautiful seeing it all over our school yard.  The kids have been loving building snowmen, structures, and playing snow soccer.

Check out the photo below that I took just outside our portable.  Isn't it like a POSTCARD or PAINTING?!  Wowie, the views of our school yard during the different seasons are remarkable and I feel so HAPPY sitting contently and admiring it.

I hope everyone's PA Day went well!  I really enjoyed collaborating with my colleagues to plan and prepare meaningful lessons/reports for my students!  

Here at Nottawa, we truly are surrounded with supportive staff who value the importance of working together to create a school climate that is safe, welcoming, and child centered.

SPEECH PRESENTATIONS:

I would just like to acknowledge and extend my gratitude to everyone who presented their speech this week in front of the class!  

You ALL did your personal best and I could tell so many of you prepared for this experience at home.  It certainly paid off!

Our first presenters set the stage and helped inspire their peers 

Thank you for adding props & dressing up specifically for your speech

Mae captivating her audience by getting them involved with a question

Elle's speech was about her pet rabbit Oreo :)

Libby's speech was about her pet hamster Puff :)

For many people, public speaking is a fear, and I can whole-heartedly empathize with my students as I too get the jitters when I have to speak in front of a large audience (e.g., assemblies, workshops, Stone Soup).  

In class we've learned that F.E.A.R. has two meanings.  In tough situations, we get to choose.

Face 

Everything

And

Run

OR

Face

Everything

And

Rise

What will you choose to do, RUN or RISE?

Stepping outside of our comfort zones can be quite challenging, but when we do, we often realize potential in ourselves we never saw or embraced in ourselves.  

It's good to try new things, even uncomfortable ones because we can rise to new heights and develop our potential higher and higher :)

Looking forward to the final speech presenters next week!

BELL LET'S TALK:

Mental illness is a very common form of human pain and suffering. Being a good listener and asking how you can help or simply just being there for people you care about can be the first step to recovery.

On Wednesday, we had a class discussion about the importance of being educated about the stigmas surrounding mental health.  Many students were not aware of this topic so it was an excellent opportunity for me to touch upon this and you know, I will definitely be reinforcing mental health throughout the remainder of our school year.

We carefully watched and listened to the very informative videos below.  It gave us a clearer understanding about this topic and we have a greater appreciation for those who are affected by mental health.

Ask your child the 5 ways someone who suffers with mental health can BOOST THEIR WELL-BEING.  HINT (see image below too):  Connect, Give, Learn, Present, Active).  

We as a class family are so fortunate that we participate in these wellness suggestions each and everyday!

Taking care of our mental wellness is equally as important (if not more in my opinion) as tending to our physical well-being.   

MINDFUL WALK:

Speaking of taking care of our well-being, on Wednesday, we went for a mindful walk and utilized the 5 steps to well being by connecting with our peers/teachers, being active, taking notice of our picturesque surroundings, giving gratitude, and being in the present moment.  

As you can see below, this experience filled our brains and hearts with tremendous joy!

Check us out as we relish, reenergize, and rejuvenate in the fresh open crisp winter air :)  WE LOVED IT!!

LET'S CREATE REAL CHANGE:

Our class family is joining in and committing to take meaningful action to create real change in mental health.

Since 2011, Canadians and people around the globe have joined in the world’s largest conversation around mental health on Bell Let’s Talk Day. 

Together we have taken big steps to reduce the stigma around mental health issues, inspire one another to take action, and help create a Canada where everyone can access the mental health support they need. But it is clear more needs to be done.  Real change is needed!

Let’s create real change. Take action all year long.

This year’s Bell Let’s Talk Day campaign highlights ways we can all create meaningful change and take action by doing one or more of the following:

• Choose a mental health organization to learn about or support

• Help a friend struggling with their mental health by learning how to support them

• Ask about how your school, workplace or community is creating change for mental health

• Nurture your own well-being by practicing and learning mental health strategies

• Get involved in a mental health initiative or organize an event to support mental health

• Engage in conversations about mental health to fight stigma

Share your actions using #BellLetsTalk and help inspire others.

You can find resources and learn more about organizations providing mental health supports and services throughout Canada at Bell.ca/letstalk. You can also download the Bell Let’s Talk toolkit for tools to get the conversation started and to create real change at home, school, or in the workplace.

Let’s kick off a year of action together and show support for all those who live with mental illness. Together, we can create a Canada where everyone can get the mental health support they need. 

SELF-CARE JOURNAL:

As part of the Health Curriculum and our focus, students have been given a Self Care Journal as a tool to think about, reflect upon, and act on creating safe and nourishing ways to help support their mental health & well-being.

Click the images above and ask your child what writing prompt they chose to complete in their journal this week and what they wrote about :)  

ART & FRENCH #1:

This week in French & Art, students learned about the 7 Grandfather Teachings.  These values are explicitly modelled and taught through our class discussions, media presentations, and the SCDSB Character Attributes. 

We as a class family are doing our best to embrace & embody these core values daily :)

• Turtle - Truth. 
• Buffalo - Respect. 
• Sabe - Honesty.
• Wolf - Humility. 
• Beaver - Wisdom. 
• Bear - Courage. 
• Eagle - Love.

After the lesson & discussion, students selected a core value and drew its accompanying spirit animal.  Please ask your child what they chose and have them speak in French about the message that they wrote :-)

ART #2:

In the next while, we will also connect our learning about mental health & well-being to an Anishinaabe twospirit artist named Lucia Laford.

The title of the two pieces are called Aki and Nibi which are the Anishinaabemowin words for Earth and Water. 

These pages are about expressing the connection to Aki (Earth) and Nibi (Water) as Indigenous people. 

Lucia Laford is an Anishinaabe twospirit woman and the art is Woodland style.  The theme for the  pages are Indigenous views on mental health and well-being. 

The two pages were created together to share teachings from two important aspects of the Indigenous way of life. 

They are meant to be hung up side by side and reflect each other, reminding us of the need for balance and harmony.  

As Indigenous people, embracing ceremony, community and cultural teachings are vital to holistic mental health.  Each page depicts many sacred symbols, beings and teachings.

The Aki page (see below) has Giizis (Grandfather Sun) in the top right corner that is shining down upon all creation.  

This page tells the story of our connection to Mother Earth and all the medicines she provides.  It reminds us that traditional healing is essential in the path forward and honours our beliefs as original caretakers of the land.

The Nibi page (see below) has Nokomis Giizis (Grandmother Moon) in the top left corner and she is surrounded by Water. 

This page tells the story of our connection to Water. Water is life and is essential to our wellbeing and mental health. We must take care of the Water, and in doing so will become healthier and build stronger communities.

I am excited for the children to take the time, energy and heart to learn, understand, and honour this important art activity.  As always, we will complete this mindfully as it will support our mental health.

SELF-CARE ACTIVITIES:

Earlier this week, I sent home 2 activities that I encourage your child and family to try out!  Thank you to the children who have participated in these already!

1.  Practice mindfulness with the Bell Let’s Talk mandala!

Many mental health professionals recommend colouring as an effective way to practice mindfulness. 

If your child hasn't already, have them complete this over the weekend in a quiet & calm space with their favourite snack or drink.  It can be their self care time :)

Mandala, meaning "sacred circle" in Sanskrit, is a circular art form often containing geometric and repeating designs.  Similar to meditation, it focuses your attention on the present moment and away from worries and stress.  

2.  Do an act of self-care, you deserve it!

Practicing self-care means taking the time to participate in activities that bring you enjoyment or a sense of calm and peacefulness.  Activities can include things you do on a day-to-day basis or new activities. 

Self-care can promote positive mental health and well-being, keep us grounded and reduce the effects of stress in our lives. 

Challenge yourself to complete as many self-care activities as you can.  For each activity completed, fill in the talk bubble in that square

MATH:

Did your child come home and share with you about the concept of Prime & Composite Numbers?

If so, great! If not yet, that's a-ok, now's the opportunity to discuss ;)

So what makes a number prime? What makes a number composite? Before watching the video, please ask your child and see if they can remember from my lesson and articulate this for you :)

After watching the video together, please have your child come up with 3 PRIME NUMBERS and 3 COMPOSITE NUMBERS and they must list the factors for these.

E.g., 11 is a prime number because its factors are only 1 and 11 (2 factors).

E.g., 36 is a composite number because its factors are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18 and 36 (9 factors).

SCIENCE:

Students will be having a quiz for our science unit on February 5th.

I will share some guiding questions (see photos) below that your child can answer at home on a sheet of paper to help prepare.  

Remember, students also have sheets that they completed in class and brought home, those can be studied as well.  I encouraged them to keep these in a safe place so they could use them to refer to :)

If your child has his or her notebook from notetaking in class, they may use that during the quiz and any study notes they prepare!  

After all, I'm not looking for memorization of facts, but utilizing and creating resources that are helpful to be used.  

Notetaking is a skill that I've encouraged in the children to help set them up for future success because it becomes essential as they move forward in their academic journey - to high school & university/college, and the workplace.  

Below are some examples by the children, I'm soooo proud  :-)

Best of luck studying and creating study sheets everyone!!

JONAS:

On Wednesday, Jonas had a hockey game in Collingwood and at the end of the game, he was awarded Player of the Game.  What a fantastic achievement!  

I'm so proud of YOU not only for your athleticism, but your outstanding character on and off the ice :)  

Remember, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take," (Wayne Gretzky), keep on shooting Jonas!

MINDFULNESS:

In life, we will not agree with everyone, and that's OK!  In fact, it's better than ok, it's what makes our world so bright, innovative, and interesting!  

But, what I've shared with my students especially in collaborative situations at home (with siblings) and school (with peers), we must always be considerate of others thoughts, feelings, and opinions.  

If you don't agree with someone, please remember to RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE.  We all have a voice, it needs to be heard in a kind, caring, and respectful manner.

"Let's treat people like they are PEOPLE, people! There's a lot of disagreeing going on in the world right now. So, it's time to teach us kids how to disagree with people without making someone feel terrible."

Here is Kid President's 6 Steps to learning how to disagree with people. "Remember, just because we disagree about which is better, dogs or cats, doesn't mean I can't be a good friend and listen to all the reasons why you like cats." #KidPresident #SoulPancake

GROWTH MINDSET:

Thank you Mae for this week's mindset message! 

"Flowers may bloom in the sun, but they GROW in the rain."  - Mae

No rain, no flowers means that sometimes you have to endure challenges in life to get to the good. This design means that although today may be hard, there are always opportunities for good things ahead.  So true :)  

With appreciation & respect,

Ms. Gill