Our Week at Zoo School!

What a spectacular week of learning at Zoo School! From exciting demonstrations and up-close animal encounters to behind-the-scenes tours and so much more, the adventures never stopped! What a wonderful opportunity to explore, discover, and learn!

TUESDAY

We hit the ground running with a behind the scenes tour of the seals! We learned why the zoo trains animals to learn behaviours. The keepers showed us how Isadora and Misha, two northern fur seals, are trained to have their teeth brushed. We had a giggle at their toothpaste flavour ... salmon!

Each day we take part in animal observations. Today the students broke into their small groups to observe and sketch the gibbons, seals, and lemurs!

Our day wrapped with an up close encounter with 16 year old Bob, the central Asian tortoise. Tortoises live on land and cannot swim. Bob is a herbivore and especially enjoys lettuce! Tortoises are solitary, so Bob prefers to live on his own at the zoo. 

WEDNESDAY

Today we visited the commissary. This kitchen feeds all the animals at the zoo! We learned about carnivores, herbivores, and insectivores. We were excited to see the foods the zoo uses to feed the animals, peek at the animals' menus, walk through the grain area, and examine the insect room!

We crossed paths with Lucy, the Asian elephant. At 51 years old, Lucy is fully retired and is not out on exhibit for public viewing. She does go for walks to exercise and we were lucky enough to catch her special stroll!

Wednesday wrapped up with our daily animal observations! Groups observed the same animal as yesterday, noticing differences in behaviours from day to day. 

Despite the shorter day, we made lots of miles!

THURSDAY

Our day kicked off with an up-close encounter with Pepperoni, the blue-tongued skink! We learned that Pepperoni is a lizard who loves warm weather because she is cold-blooded. This means she relies on outside sources of heat, like the sun or a special heat lamp, to keep warm. Pepperoni is also an omnivore, enjoying bugs, plants, and even the occasional mouse! But here’s the most fascinating fact of all: Pepperoni uses her tongue to help her smell. How amazing is that?

We popped into the nocturnal area and were excited to see the fruit bats in action! Their neighbours, the sloths, barely moved a muscle. What a perfect opportunity to compare two very different nocturnal animals. 

We kept the learning going as we observed and journaled new animals today! 

A special guest speaker, Anna, visited us. She is a marine biologist and a shark expert. We peppered her with marine questions and were fascinated to learn about her field work!

Zoo School offers special opportunities to go behind the scenes. Today we got up close with the red pandas. They are incredibly fluffy herbivores who are arboreal, meaning they live in trees. These pandas climb down trees headfirst! Their claws help them grip and their tails provide balance. 

As the day wrapped up, we reflected on the animals we have seen, sorting them into the areas they live. We've learned so much!

FRIDAY

Today was our visit with an urban farmer! We had prepared questions in our journals and were excited to learn about farm animals. Our favourite part was hearing the roosters cock-a-doodle-doo!

We examined x-rays of a variety of mystery animals at the zoo. We discussed what the animals might be and where they might live using information in the images. This was tricky but fascinating!

We made many miles exploring today! We enjoyed a little extra "free" time to visit our favourite animals.

Zoo School was truly amazing and we came home absolutely exhausted every day! Yes, all of the walking was tiring and we also got a tonne of fresh air, but a huge part of WHY we were so tuckered was because of HOW we learned. We explored, wondered, compared, observed, problem solved, predicted, and learned so very much. 

As we prepare to return to our classroom, we are so thankful for the opportunity we had to learn at Zoo School. Thank you to all of the adult helpers to supported our week, the incredible zoo staff, and our students, who rose to the challenge each and every day!

Read In Week 2026

Welcome to Read In Week! While we read each and every day in our class, our goal this past week was to make reading EVEN MORE exciting, enjoyable, and engaging! 

MONDAY - Guest Reader Constable Baugh

We kicked off the week by welcoming Constable Baugh! He read The Leaf Thief to us, a funny story about a squirrel who is convinced someone is stealing the leaves from his favourite tree. 

After the story, Constable Baugh taught us about his job, explained his uniform and equipment, shared about the specially trained dogs he works with, and even demonstrated how a robot can be used in dangerous situations.

We are so grateful to Constable Baugh and his team for the important work they do to keep our community safe!

TUESDAY - All in the Hall

"All in the Hall" was fantastic fun! For 15 minutes, each and every student and staff member in St. Nicholas piled into the halls to read! It was so relaxing!

WEDNESDAY - Read My Shirt

We wore wonderful words and read each other! Look at the shirts we chose:

THURSDAY - Teacher Swap

We enjoyed a terrific "teacher swap". Mrs. Beliveau waved goodbye and read to the Grade 3's. Our class headed to the Grade 3 room where Pani Malko read her favourite, "Something's Wrong"! So many giggles and joy! 

FRIDAY - Admin's Favourites

We rounded out an amazing week hearing Mr. Kucy and Mrs. Comartin’s favourite stories!

May we always help our children discover the joy of getting lost in a good book. What a gift it is to watch these children fall in love with reading!

Walking Together: Truth & Reconciliation

Learning Canada’s true history means listening with open hearts to the voices and experiences of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples. As we continue our journey of Reconciliation, we are learning how to listen, understand, and care for one another, just as Jesus calls us to do. Over the past few days, we took time to learn, reflect, ask questions, and grow in kindness, understanding, and respect.

Reading Phyllis Webstad’s With Our Orange Hearts led to heartfelt conversations about belonging and the importance of every child feeling safe and valued. We brainstormed words that describe how children should feel at school, and created a beautiful collaborative display.

Inspired by the Cree calendar book When the Trees Crackle with Cold, we became “nature trappers,” noticing God's beauty around us with new eyes. Our Treaty 6 land is a beautiful gift in all seasons!

The Cree story Awasis and the World-Famous Bannock inspired us to try making bannock ourselves! The story has many Cree words that we practiced saying. What a fun way to measure, work as a team, and enjoy a tasty, traditional treat!

Delicious!

Father Jim popped in during our weekly clergy visit. He reminded us that we are infinitely loved by God and created unique and special. Father Jim encouraged us to look for Jesus in everyone we meet.

We crafted beautiful glowing orange lanterns, reminding us that we all hold immense value. Every child matters.

Our journey of learning about reconciliation and Indigenous culture is just beginning. We look forward to continuing to grow in understanding together.

We Learn from Eachother

This school year, we are blessed with many opportunities to learn from a variety of special community members. This past week, we had the chance to connect with two wonderful people!

Miss Sara, Mental Health Capacity Builder

Miss Sara has a special role in our school. She works alongside our staff to help students strengthen their social-emotional skills and develop the tools they need to navigate their emotions and relationships.

We will have regularly scheduled visits with Miss Sara, and we loved getting to know her during her first visit this week! We learned that she has a big dog named Floof, loves playing UNO and board games, and is creative and artistic.

During her visit, Miss Sara read us The Color Monster, a story that introduced us to a variety of emotions. We look forward to learning more about our emotions and growing as empowered, flexible thinkers!

Father Arun, Associate Pastor at OLPH Church

Throughout the year, we will have regularly scheduled clergy visits as we welcome priests and deacons from OLPH into our school and classrooms. These visits give us a wonderful opportunity to connect, build relationships, and grow together in our faith.

Our first visit was this week, and we were so happy to meet Father Arun! Father Arun is from India and has been in Canada for just three months. He told us how much he loves being at OLPH, but he has never experienced a cold, snowy Canadian winter. We promised we would take him outside when the snow arrives!

Father Arun shared his love for Jesus with us and encouraged us to work hard, learn, and use the gifts God has blessed us with. We also discovered that Father Arun loves math! He has a degree in engineering, with a focus on electronics and communications.

As we got to know Father Arun a little better, we learned that he speaks Tamil and English, his favourite food is chicken biryani and rice, and he is excited to continue getting to know our school community.

We are so grateful to have Father Arun and the other clergy from OLPH as part of our school family. We look forward to many more opportunities to learn, laugh, pray, and grow together!

It's a FAIL-a-bration!

Learning isn't always easy. It includes challenges, setbacks, and often failure. 

This week we explored what it means to fail. 

After lots sharing and listening, we discovered that failing isn't something to fear. Failure is part of life and an important part of learning. Through stories and discussions, we explored perseverance, trying again, and seeing mistakes as opportunities to grow. 

To celebrate this mindset, we held a FAIL-A-BRATION! Wahoo!

To kick off the fail-a-bration, we shared times we've failed and reminded each other that mistakes help us learn. From falling off the monkey bars, spilling our yogurt, or getting mixed up at bus transfer, we proudly celebrated our mistakes. We all make them!

As we prepared to decorate cookies for the party, we had a laugh when we saw the treats! Mrs. Beliveau had planned to make us round cookies, but when they came out of her oven, they were funny-looking blobs. A few even got a little too toasty around the edges. But really, what better treat for a fail-a-bration?

Cookies, banners, balloons, and a disco-light dance party made our fail-a-bration so joyous and set a positive tone for our school year and how we'll handle mistakes. 

Our classroom is a safe place to take risks. We will be challenged, and when things feel hard, what matters is how we respond. In Grade 1B we will fail together, succeed together, and grow stronger together! 

We aren't aiming for perfection, we're just trying our best to be a little better than before. 

Thank you to Laurie MacIntosh for inspiring this celebration!

Connection Time: A Positive Foundation for Our Day

Each morning begins with Connection Time, a meaningful routine that allows us to gently ease into the day and prepare ourselves for our best learning.

We gather in a circle so everyone is seen and heard. 

1. Prayer and Land Acknowledgement

We always begin in prayer, remembering that God is at the center of all we do and all we are:

“Father in Heaven, I give You today, all that I think, and do, and say. Amen.”

Simple actions, led by our Prayer Leaders, accompany our words, helping us to pray with both heart and body.

Following prayer, we share our child-friendly acknowledgement of land and people.

2. Greetings

A warm hello, eye contact, and using someone’s name can go a long way in helping others feel seen, welcomed, and like they belong. We practice different greetings, including really silly ones, like this much-loved Stinky Shoe Hello!

3. News

Students are invited to share what is on their minds, whether joyful or hard. We’ve already heard about movie nights, lost teeth, lake trips, swimming, and more!

4. Social Scenario Problem-Solving
To build problem-solving skills, students are presented with real-life social situations. In pairs, they brainstorm possible solutions, then come together as a group to discuss. Scenarios have included:

• You spill your yogurt drink on your pants

• A friend is crying at their desk, but you don’t know why

• You forgot your lunch at home

We're exploring the idea that problems can be “mouse problems” (small) or “elephant problems” (big), and that a small problem doesn’t need an elephant-sized reaction. 

6. Story
We end Connection Time with a story, carefully chosen for its message.

Though full, Connection Time moves along and sets a joyful, intentional tone for the day. This time is valued, not only for the learning it supports but for the way it builds our relationships and helps us see Christ in one another.

Our First Days Together

Our journey is off to a joyful start! In these first few days, we’ve focused on creating a space where everyone feels safe, knows they belong, and feels connected. When children feel safe, valued, and connected, that’s when the best learning happens!

As a team, we set out to create a colourful, collaborative beaded window hanging! Each student created their own strand, choosing their favourite beads and adding their name with letter beads. 

What a wonderful way to practise so many important skills! Little fingers were busy strengthening fine-motor skills, while problem-solving, following directions, literacy, and numeracy were woven into the fun! Look at our collaborative masterpiece! 

Together, our individual strands became a beautiful reminder that we are all an important part of our classroom family. It shines and sparkles in the morning sunshine and we are incredibly proud of what we made together. 

It has been a joy to see these children already growing together and becoming the hands of Christ through their kindness, compassion and care for one another. We have been abundantly blessed with a sincere, engaged, and clever crew. Look at these bright, joyful smiles!