Bikes Are HERE!!!

Big THANKS to Brennan Caverhill for lending us these fantastic Self-Regulation bikes. They just arrived at Holy Spirit and we are excited to set them up after the March Break.

 

Christmas Cards

This Christmas Charity Inquiry has by far been one of my all time favourite inquiries. I asked students to think of a way to raise funds for a charity of at need. The only limitations were we had no money and we had to get the whole school involved. 

After a lot of brainstorming and pitching ideas students decided we could have a Christmas Card Contest for each grade and feature the winners on cards that would then be sold back to the school.

Students divided into groups based on their talents. Some focused on writing to students and making posters/school announcements and a letter that would go home to inform everyone of the contest. Others wrote to parents convincing the to buy. And the third group researched, phoned/emailed businesses that printed cards for donations and prices. 

I want to thank Toronto Printing House with being so supportive and patient with our students as they learned how to write clear emails, perfected speaking on the phone and a million other real life skills. From start to finish the students in my class created this initiative and saw it through. Spending countless hours of recess, after school sales and more. The students were able to take the lead and worked through more math, language and Social Studies than I ever could have imagined.

By the end, they were able to raise funds that went to helping students in the Hospital over Christmas. The funds went directly to supporting Sick Kids.   

Be The Change

For over a month we have been studying Global Issues affecting Canada and the world. We have studied very heavy issues that have left students at times sad and frustrated about the world. Children are not content and complacent in the world; they spot the problems and challenge it.
Lately, we have been moving into a place of asking; we identify the problem and ask what is the world doing. We have been studying NGOs and looking at various not for profits. Going forward students will be creating their own mock charities based on an issue they are passionate for.

To make our learning real, we spent the morning google chatting Diana from Masaya Mission. She shared her inspiring story and the mission of Masaya Mission. The students asked great questions and learned a lot about the in and outs of running a charity. The most important thing we heard from Diana was to lead with your heart.

I want to Thank Diana for inspiring the students and sharing the morning with us.

Albion Hills: Environmental Leadership

Each year certain schools are invited to participate in the Outdoor Environmental Leaders of Tomorrow Program. This year my class visited Albion Hills learned about biodiversity and the importance of environmentalism.
Students learned survival skills in the forest by building shelters and building a fire to brew hot chocolate. They also studied green house gas emissions through fun activities. Finally, I am very proud to say that while students were on this 3 day trip, they achieved zero food waste -students left zero food uneaten. This was an extremely hard task, but the students embraced the challenge and won!

Library Field Trip

Inspiring a love of reading is one of the most important things we can do as teachers. With such a diverse collection of texts out there for students, there really is a book for everyone.

One of the first field trips I like to do is walking to the library. Students get to see all the re sources from books, computers and even fun after school classes they can take part in. Here are some pictures from our visit.

Project-Based Learning(PBL) Class Walls

I recently same across Project based Learning Connections which is a great website to learn more about PBL. They have some incredible resources ranging from launching, planning and assessing PBL in your class. One of the ideas that really intrigued me was the Dynamic Project Walls. The website lists 8 competencies and a rubric to reflect upon the creation of your own Project Wall. The walls may look cluttered, but are a great way to scaffold and document the learning process. The notion of the Third Teacher argues that students learn from their environment; this can mean geographically, socially, creative field trips or even the physical layout of the classroom. We need to optimize what we put on our walls and ask is it really helping or just distracting our students? I can't wait to try this in my class. Updates to come once it is up.

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Showing Off

Just wanted to quickly share the work my Holy Spirit's Helping Hands group has done.
Click here to see the student created blog to help raise funds and awareness for those affected by Yolanda in the Philippines.

Royal Canadian Agricultural Winter Fair & Fight Bullying Contest

This past Thursday The grade 5 and 6 classes attended "The Royal Canadian Agricultural Winter Fair". The kids took knowledge from the Science program and made connections to the real world. The grade 6 students saw first hand the affects of biodiversity and the impact farms have on the world. From observing livestock to different foods students eyes were opened to many real life examples of what they had been studying. 

I also had a great encounter with the one and only Captain America. Cap shares my passion to stop bullying and make this world a better place for everyone. Marvel has teamed up with The Royal Canadian Winter Fair to put on a contest. Students are asked to submit a story illustrating how to make this world a better place for all people. See more details.