Every Child Matters: Truth & Reconciliation

Learning about the truth of our history from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit knowledge keepers is an important part of the path to Reconciliation. This week we took time each day to learn and grow with an open heart and open mind. 

The tradition of storytelling is vital in Indigenous culture, and our week of learning is reflected in the many stories we read. 

We read a beautiful Anishinaabe story called Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox. Being connected to the land and nature is woven through Indigenous culture. We reflected on the qualities portrayed by various animals in this book and shared which animal meant the most to us. 

We shared Awasis and the World Famous Bannock! Did you try the bannock recipe together at home? 

Out on the land, we read the Cree story When the Trees Crackle with Cold, a book exploring seasonal changes. Then we got our "nature trappers" and hunted for beauty in our forest!

Inspired by beautiful Metis beading and the four colours in the medicine wheel, we made dot art celebrating our own uniqueness! These handprint pieces reinforce the message that "every child matters". 

We discussed the value of each person. We are made with love and intention, and are all children of God. We had some challenging and insightful conversations as we shared Phyllis Webstad's new book With our Orange Hearts. We discussed residential schools and reflected on how students should feel in school. We put these special words on an orange heart to post in our chapel. 

While the week concluded in our classroom family wearing orange, learning the truth about Canada's history and deepening our understanding of the First Nations, Metis and Inuit cultures has only just begun. 

Persistence, Perseverance & Patterns!

Our first Math unit focuses on patterning. We have worked hard to find a pattern, describe a pattern, continue a given pattern, and create our own pattern. Now the students are exploring how patterns can be related.

Ask your child to describe the patterns below.
How are they similar? Different?

As a class we examined the patterns below. We practiced describing these patterns using words (e.g. glue, glue, eraser), letters (e.g. A, A, B...), and numbers (e.g. 1, 1, 2...).

Then we challenged ourselves to make as many different AAB patterns from blocks as we could! We worked very hard ... this wasn't easy!

It is so important for the children to verbalize and justify their thinking. This helps deepen understanding not only in Math, but in any subject or situation. Don't be surprised if your child struggles with this skill at first. With daily practice together, we will only get better at explaining and justifying our thinking. 

The phrase we keep reminding ourselves of is "everything new is hard at first"!

I don't like them ...

 ... I LOVE THEM!

This week we combined math and art to make Pattern People Posters!

We've been working hard to learn how to draw people using shapes and details. Using the skills that we've learned, we drew ourselves with sharpies. No stick people, here!

We created a background with paper strips, and made sure we glued our coloured papers down to make a pattern. A pattern is the same thing, over & over & over!

Look at our beautiful pattern people posters! Like I told the kiddos, "I don't like them, I LOVE THEM!"

Connection Time: Building Relationships

Before we can learn and grow, we need to understand and trust one another. This is why, each morning, we begin our day with "Connection Time"! This invaluable time helps us ease into a busy day and prepare us for our best learning! 

When we gather, we sit in a circle on the rug so we can see eachother. 

Have a peek at some highlights from Connection Time:

1. Prayer
God is at the center of all we do and all we are, and we always begin in prayer. "Father in Heaven, I give You today, all that I think, and do, and say. Amen". Look at us pray with actions!

2. Say Hello!
We have learned the importance of eye contact when greeting our classmates. While we have practiced our eye contact while giving a firm handshake, we also say hello in silly ways, too, like this silly stinky shoe greeting!

3. News
This time allows the students an opportunity to share what's on their minds, thereby helping us focus on learning later in the day. News can be both good or bad, and everyone is given an opportunity to share if they wish. So far we have heard about hockey, swim lessons, cinnamon buns, shark diving, and more!

4. Social Scenario Problem Solving
To help the children develop age-appropriate critical thinking skills, they are presented with a social problem to solve. In partners, they brainstorm possible ways to solve the problem and then we come together as a large group to share and discuss. 

We talk about how some problems are "mouse problems" (smaller) or "elephant problems" (bigger), and how small problems don't require an elephant-sized reaction. 

Some of the problems we have tackled include:

• not being able to find your indoor shoe after recess
• a classmate pushes ahead of you in line
• you notice a friend crying at their desk but don't know why
• someone wants to be your partner but you don't want to work with them

It is important for the students to see that there is no one way to solve a problem and that they do not always need an adult's help. 

5. Story
We close Connection Time with a story. Each book is carefully chosen and has an important lesson. 

Here are a few we have enjoyed already:

While Connection Time seems packed, it rolls along rather quickly and sets a positive tone for our day! This is time very well-spent and enjoyed. Connection time truly is about building relationships and valuing each member of our classroom family. 

Building our Classroom Family!

Our adventure together has begun! Our focus during our first few days has been on creating a strong sense of belonging, safety, trust, and community. This is where the richest learning occurs.

We shared a wonderful story, Our Class is a Family, and each made a name bracelet! We all belong!

Then we created posters featuring how we can show kindness to our classroom family!

Our hall looks INCREDIBLE!

We'll continue to build our classroom community with intention, care, and lots of laughter. 

Meet our sparkly, energetic, and joyful Grade One family!

We are in for one awesome journey together! Buckle up and stay tuned for all of the fun that awaits!