This Saturday, November 29th. We are in spot #44 this year. We are located on Battle Street behind the Coast Hotel.
Students are to arrive at 10am, parade starts at 11am. It takes about a 1/2 hour to walk through the parade (give or take 5/10 minutes on either side).
Breanna O'Brien's parents are donating and driving their truck and trailer for some students to ride on!! Thank you so much Mr & Mrs O'Brien.
Students that are able to have been requested to wrap and empty box and bring it to school to help decorate our float.
Float decorating will happen at Breanna O'Brien's house from 3 - 4pm on Friday afternoon.
Dress warmly for the parade, gloves, hats, scarves, thermal/long underwear!!
See you Saturday!!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Farewell to our Student Teachers
Tomorrow is Mrs. Fehst and Ms. Campbell's last Wednesday with our class.
They will be missed. They have done a fabulous job engaging students in the reading lessons they delivered.
Good luck Mrs. Fehst and Ms. Campbell!!
They will be missed. They have done a fabulous job engaging students in the reading lessons they delivered.
Good luck Mrs. Fehst and Ms. Campbell!!
FACEBOOK SITE "KICK GINGER DAY"
Newsletter sent home today by Kamloops - Thompson School District Superintendent Terry Grieves. Please read over and discuss with your child.
From Canada.com where perspectives connect. Webpage address at bottom.
RCMP investigating Facebook group over 'Kick a Ginger' day
Catherine Rolfsen and Mike Barber , Canwest News Service
Published: Thursday, November 20, 2008"They say blonds have more fun, but it was redheads who might have got a bigger kick on Thursday, dubbed by some as Kick a Ginger Day.
Across the country, school boards had to contend with a joke from an episode of the satirical animated show South Park that has spiralled into a day of promoting violence.
RCMP in B.C. are investigating the 14-year-old administrator of a Facebook group called "National Kick a Ginger Day, are you going to do it?"
The Vancouver Island boy said the group, which had nearly 5,000 members from across Canada and internationally, was only a joke and he is sorry.
The page, which urges members to "get them steel toes ready," had garnered hundreds of messages. Many were from people claiming to have already kicked redheads that day; others expressed outrage.
The page's teenage administrator said he didn't make the group, but inherited it after its original creator got in trouble.
"It was a joke," he said. "I'll message everybody and say I'm sorry that this offended people."
Comox Valley RCMP Const. Tammy Douglas said the group is being investigated and those involved could face charges.
"We do treat this sort of thing seriously," she said. "This is sort of inciting hate. It's a hate crime really."
Ironically, the day falls in the middle of the international Bullying Awareness Week.....
n the episode of South Park in question, Ginger Kids, one character - Eric Cartman - begins a campaign against red heads, calling them soulless and inherently evil.
Brenda Morrison, a criminology professor at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, B.C., said she was "shocked" to find out about the day.
Morrison, who has written extensively on bullying, said social networking websites such as Facebook or MySpace provide conduits that make bullying in school much easier, as they allow for information to be spread rapidly and with little supervision from adults or authorities.
"Anything that legitimizes (bullying), we should take care to control, as a community, as caring adults," she said, noting that her husband and son are redheads. "
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=49022ee5-66d1-46e0-a057-7707de6e140b
Friends for Life
We are starting a new unit in Health and Career Education. It is called FRIENDS for Life.
Rationale:
FRIENDS for Life was created to assist children and youth at an appropriate developmental level to learn important skills and techniques to cope with and manage anxiety.
The symbolism drawn from the word FRIENDS is based on the following principles:
* The words FRIENDS helps children and youth to remember each of the skills taught throughout the program (i.e. each letter stands for a new skill learned)
* Our body is our FRIEND and tells us when we are feeling worried or nervous by giving us clues.
* It is important to learn to be our own FRIEND, and rewards ourselves when we try hard.
* It is important to make FRIENDS, so that we can build our social support network and feel happier.
* FRIENDS can help us cope with difficult situations more effectively.
There are 3 components that are taught in the FRIENDS for Life program: Learning, Cognitive, Physiological.
Skills taught:
* problem-solving skills
* coping skills
* awareness of body cues
* identification of inner thoughts
* use of positive self-talk
* techniques for challenging negative self-talk
* peer support, etc. etc.
Rationale:
FRIENDS for Life was created to assist children and youth at an appropriate developmental level to learn important skills and techniques to cope with and manage anxiety.
The symbolism drawn from the word FRIENDS is based on the following principles:
* The words FRIENDS helps children and youth to remember each of the skills taught throughout the program (i.e. each letter stands for a new skill learned)
* Our body is our FRIEND and tells us when we are feeling worried or nervous by giving us clues.
* It is important to learn to be our own FRIEND, and rewards ourselves when we try hard.
* It is important to make FRIENDS, so that we can build our social support network and feel happier.
* FRIENDS can help us cope with difficult situations more effectively.
There are 3 components that are taught in the FRIENDS for Life program: Learning, Cognitive, Physiological.
Skills taught:
* problem-solving skills
* coping skills
* awareness of body cues
* identification of inner thoughts
* use of positive self-talk
* techniques for challenging negative self-talk
* peer support, etc. etc.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Math Problem Solving Circles
Today we implemented math problem solving circles. Every Thursday, students will work on word problems dealing with math concepts that they will be learning/reviewing throughout the year.
Students were given a list of strategies to solve math problems. They are to read over the strategies for next Thursday.
We will also be learning about the numeracy performance standards using them in our lessons.
Students were given a list of strategies to solve math problems. They are to read over the strategies for next Thursday.
We will also be learning about the numeracy performance standards using them in our lessons.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Mastery of the Basics Math Program
I feel that there is some confusion as to Mastery of the Basics (MotB) math program.
The goal is to have students keep working the basics of math all year long (addition, division, numeration, fractions, etc. etc.).
The Grade 7 program is a big step up from the Grade 6 program from last year. Students might not have all the background knowledge in order to do all of the Tests (for example, we haven't learned integers yet).
Students need to choose one of the subject area's to test on and study for it. They are to do the practice test and then mark themselves with the provided answer key. Another way to improve comprehension is to write their own mini-test and try to answer it or have a friend answer it and they answer one their friend wrote.
Parents are encouraged to be involved with this program (students have a yellow duotang with a number on the front - they're responsible for the duotang for the year).
From what I am seeing in class, there does not seem to be a lot of studying going on. Students are arriving on Friday not sure what they want to test on and they're trying to guess at what they think will be the easiest for them to do.
Once I have marked the tests, then I spend time with each student and give them some extra help on areas they did not understand.
Every Friday is a Mastery of the Basics Test. Tomorrow is another one. Students, please ensure that you study and that you arrive prepared.
The goal is to have students keep working the basics of math all year long (addition, division, numeration, fractions, etc. etc.).
The Grade 7 program is a big step up from the Grade 6 program from last year. Students might not have all the background knowledge in order to do all of the Tests (for example, we haven't learned integers yet).
Students need to choose one of the subject area's to test on and study for it. They are to do the practice test and then mark themselves with the provided answer key. Another way to improve comprehension is to write their own mini-test and try to answer it or have a friend answer it and they answer one their friend wrote.
Parents are encouraged to be involved with this program (students have a yellow duotang with a number on the front - they're responsible for the duotang for the year).
From what I am seeing in class, there does not seem to be a lot of studying going on. Students are arriving on Friday not sure what they want to test on and they're trying to guess at what they think will be the easiest for them to do.
Once I have marked the tests, then I spend time with each student and give them some extra help on areas they did not understand.
Every Friday is a Mastery of the Basics Test. Tomorrow is another one. Students, please ensure that you study and that you arrive prepared.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Monday, November 3, 2008
Forms needed in
YPC permission form
Skating permission form & $9.00
Milk for December
Hot Lunch Form
Hoodie Form
Skating permission form & $9.00
Milk for December
Hot Lunch Form
Hoodie Form
Internet Safety
Today in class, we had two 2nd year Teacher Candidates from TRU come and do a presentation on Internet Safety. Students discussed and learned the difference between personal and private information and how important it is (especially with an adult) to sit down and set their privacy settings on all public accounts (facebook, my space, etc.).
Students learned some questions to ask when they visit a site:
1. What kind of website is this? What is it's purpose? (ex. to make money)
2. What decisions do you have to make? What information do you have to give? Who has access to that information?
3. What should you be looking out for?
4. Why or Why not?
It is very important to be aware of where they are on a site and who has access to their information and pictures.
We are also reading in class at this time a book entitled "Dear Jo". It's written from Max's perspective. Max's best friend, Leah, met someone online and decided to meet him in person and has gone missing. At the point we are at in the novel, Leah has been missing for the past 6 months. Dear Jo stands for Dear Journal as Max is supposed to write in her journal about how's she's feeling.
Students learned some questions to ask when they visit a site:
1. What kind of website is this? What is it's purpose? (ex. to make money)
2. What decisions do you have to make? What information do you have to give? Who has access to that information?
3. What should you be looking out for?
4. Why or Why not?
It is very important to be aware of where they are on a site and who has access to their information and pictures.
We are also reading in class at this time a book entitled "Dear Jo". It's written from Max's perspective. Max's best friend, Leah, met someone online and decided to meet him in person and has gone missing. At the point we are at in the novel, Leah has been missing for the past 6 months. Dear Jo stands for Dear Journal as Max is supposed to write in her journal about how's she's feeling.
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