Thank You!

I can't believe the year is over. It feels like just yesterday I was welcoming these little strangers into my classroom. Now my 23 friends are all ready for grade 1! It has been an awesome year of adventures and I hope you all have an amazing summer.

All dressed up for the farewell assembly.

I want to say thank you to all of my room 8 friends for teaching me this year! We learned so many things about polar bears, penguins, plants and pelicans (strange that they all start with P).  You have all become readers, writers and artists. You have cared for each other and helped each other out like a real team.  I am so proud of each and every one of you!

Receiving and award for being an outstanding volunteer.

I also want to say a big thank you to all of the parents for your support this year through your comments on the blogs, volunteering to come along on field trips, attending school events, reading with your children, preparing and sending healthy snacks, and all of the many other things you do to help your children to be successful at school.

Just some of the extremely thoughtful gifts from Room 8 students and families.

Summer Reading Books and Jelly Bean Tabloid Day!

Today was an awesome day at Stevenson School!

In the morning, we got to pick out our first 3 books for the summer reading project. Our school has partnered with "First Book Canada" to purchase books for every Stevenson student.

       "Research shows that students who do not read daily over the summer, can lose skills they have learned during the past year at school. It is referred to as the "summer slide". We want to help you "battle" against the "summer slide" this year.
       Every student from K-5 will choose at least 5 stories to take home to read with you. These are your books to keep! There is no expectation for you to return these books in the fall. Feel free to give the books to others when you are finished with them. If, at the end of summer, you would like to return/exchange the books, or others you have at home, bring them to the Reading Corner in front of the office at the school. We currently have a Parent Book Exchange there. Now we will start a Student BOGO (bring one, get one) Book Exchange."
                                                                                 -Stevenson School

There is more information on the school blog.

www.stevensonelemblogspot.ca

In the afternoon we had Jelly Bean Tabloid day. Students were free to participate in 35 different activities, both inside and outside of the school building.

For every activity they participated in, they received a jelly bean.  The students had lots of fun. 

Here's what some of the kids had to say about the day:

My favourite part of the day was going in the lunch room and playing the music game. - Dante

I got to get a freezie and I played games and sports. - Cassie
My favourite part was taking the books and getting freezies. - Denise
My favourite part was playing hockey! - Jacob
I liked playing with the net. - Jericho
 I loved when I got to pick out a book from the library. I also loved when I got a freeze, and games and jelly beans. - Bryce
I liked playing the game in the lunchroom - Carlitos
My favourite part was when I got the freezies and the video games in the lunchroom. That was fun! -Jahmar
My favourite part was playing Just Dance in the lunchroom. -Ethan
I liked taking books in the library and I liked going to the music room - Journey
I liked playing on the play structure - Caleb

ColAR App

Today we tried a new app. It's called ColAR Mix and it's an Augmented Reality app.

http://colarapp.com

Mrs. Lowe went to www.colarmix.com and printed the colouring sheets (some are free and some you have to pay $2.99 for the upgrade to view). After we coloured the sheets we used the free ColAR Mix app (free) to watch them come to life!




We are working really hard at colouring in the lines and using lots of different colours to create a masterpiece.

The Story of Pelly

It is no secret that our class loves using social media. We have a blog, a Twitter account and an Instagram account. These spaces give us a way of communicating and building relationships with people from all over the world.

One of the teachers we have come to know through Twitter is Ms. Fynes. Her class is located in Mississauga Ontario.

A while ago I posted some photos of pelicans and learned that Ms. Fynes loves pelicans but has never seen one in real life. Our class learned that we have lots of pelicans in Manitoba and we sent Ms. Fynes some videos.

Her class then sent us a beautiful package of beach glass that Ms. Fynes collected from a beach close to her house. They also sent us some instructions for how to use the beach glass.

Right away we sent a tweet thanking the kids in Ms. Fynes class for the gift but we felt like we should also send something to them in return. One of the students suggested we send our friend Pelly. Pelly is a stuffed pelican that I had bought for the class only a couple days before. All of the students agreed that this would be a nice way of thanking them for their gift but they were also a little bit sad to lose Pelly.

A PicCollage that was made the day we got Pelly.

We decided to throw a going away party. On Wednesday last week we planned the party. The students helped to compose a list of all of the things we would need. Then they helped to prepare everything.

Creating a slideshow.

The next day many of the students brought cards that they had written at home (this melted my heart, of course). We spent time in the morning decorating the classroom. It really looked like a party!

In the afternoon we read our cards to Pelly. We also read books we thought Pelly would like and even had some Goldfish snacks in Pelly's honour. We watched a *slideshow that one of the students created using an iPad. Some of the students were so touched that they had tears in their eyes. We also had some cupcakes, because it wouldn't be a real party without cake!

*Mr. Miller visited and helped us to compose an original song to go with the photos. We all learned how to use Garage Band.

I was so touched by all of the thoughtful gestures the students made and their giving spirit. Friday was a day I will never forget.

Pelly has now been sent to our friends. We can't wait until they get their surprise!

You never know what will happen when you choose to follow your student's lead.

Fire House

Today we got to visit the fire safety house. They taught us about how to exit a house if there is a fire. We even practiced with "smoke" in the air.

We learned fire safety and we learned that when there is smoke we need to get down low and get out quickly. - Cassie

We learned that we cannot hide when there is a fire because it is not safe and you could get hurt your mom and dad won't be able to find you. - Tayna

I learned that when you hear the alarm you don't plug your ears. You go out as quick as a flash. - Dante

Don't play with matches or lighters or you could start a humungous fire. - Jahmar

I learned that you don't have to cough when there's smoke, just follow the instructions of a grown up or a teacher (there was fake smoke and some kids were being silly). - Elryck

When the door is hot you don't go in there. -Denise

If someone is giving instructions, don't yell and scream you might not hear someone talking. - Ellie

When Ms. Couch or someone from the office is talking, don't plug your ears. You might not get safely out. - Bryce

I learned there was a pretend fire. - Carlitos

Don't jump out of the window. -Caleb

If there is a fire in your house do not hide so the fire men can find you. - Gabriel

You can't hide if there's a fire. -Essence

I learned about fires today and they're big and small and we decided if the fires were bad or good fires. - Leah

If there's a big fire, run away. - Jericho

Zoo Field Trip

Last Friday our class went on a field trip to the zoo. We had beautiful weather and a great time learning about all the animals and looking for some geocaches along the way.

Bald Eagle

Snack Time

Geese and their goslings. We had to be really quiet so we wouldn't scare them.

A big camel that we got to pet. 

The lions.

Walking back to our bus at the end of the day.

Here's what the kids had to say about their visit to the zoo:

There was a big polar bear and tiny ones. The mama polar bear had a baby under her tummy. - Cassie

I liked seeing the buffalos - Chase

I really liked the lions because they run fast- Dante

I like the play structure and also I liked the tigers - Denise

I liked the play structure and I liked the red pandas, polar bears, lions, tigers - Bryce

The cockroaches are so big. They are so big and they are chamoflauged in the red light - Elryck

My favourite part was seeing the cockroaches and the tigers and the play structure. -Gabriel

I liked seeing all the baby animals - Journey

I liked seeing the horse and the lion - Ken

I liked when we saw the bats and lions - Essence

I liked the butterfly field - Tayna

I liked seeing the buffalos because they run so fast- Danica

My favourite part was the play structure and the polar bear - Nevaeh

I liked the two slides at the play structure - Caleb

My favourite part was seeing the red pandas - Autumn

I liked seeing the horses - Jahmar

I liked the sheep - Carlitos

My favourite part was the red pandas and the snakes and the turtles and the bats. - Leah

I really liked seeing the Lions, they have really pretty eyes - Mrs. Lowe

Zoo Field Trip Reminder

 Tomorrow (June 6) we will be going on our field trip to the Assiniboine Park Zoo. The bus will be leaving shortly after nine so it is very important that all students are on time for school (8:40 AM).

It looks like the day should be warm and sunny but please check the weather in the morning so that all students will be dressed appropriately. 

Checklist:

¨ lunch (in plastic or paper bag)

¨ healthy snacks

¨ water bottle

¨ hat

¨ sunscreen

¨ comfortable shoes for walking (we will be doing a LOT of walking)

If you have been confirmed as a volunteer, you will need to bring your own lunch. The school will pay for your admission to the zoo. Please arrive at school at 8:40 AM with your child. We will be getting back to the school around 2:30.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at the school.

clowe@sjsd.net

Mrs. Lowe

Our Great Big Outdoor Adventure Pt. 3

I think I've said this every day but today was the best day yet!!

We did our usual morning routine and then we walked across the street to Discovery Childcare Centre.  Mr. Wesselius our librarian came with us. He is a tree expert and actually planted several of the trees at Discovery. We learned that a tree expert is called an arborist.

Mr. Wesselius brought some cool things to show us including a tree "cookie", a burl, some seeds and even a piece of petrified wood.

Then we went on a walk and looked at some of the trees around the yard at Discovery.  Last, we got to PLAY! It was so fun watching the students working together with each other and their Room 3 buddies.

Then we went back to Stevenson and set up our shelters. Today we added another large tarp so we had even more room in the shade. 

In the afternoon we continued to read from our chapter book in the shade. Some students were laying down and got so relaxed they almost fell asleep! Outdoor learning is hard work for our brains and our bodies. 

Before recess, Mrs. Hamm took the students to "The Learning Circle" in the front of the school. She showed them a talking stick and read them a lovely story about a Loon Grandma. Please ask your child to tell you about it. 

Later in the afternoon Mrs. Lowe read "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. The story is about a boy and his tree. The tree gives everything it has to the boy to make him happy. In the end all that is left is a stump for the boy to sit on. Some of the students thought the book was a little sad, but they liked the story anyway.

After the story we took our clipboards and pencils and chose a tree from our front yard to sketch. The students were very focused on "looking and drawing" like real artists.

We ended the day with some sidewalk chalk and outdoor painting. It's hard to believe we did so many things in one day! It has been really nice to move from activity to activity on our own time and not have to worry about schedules or school bells.

The weather looks a little unpredictable for tomorrow. We have decided not to put up our shelters just in case the weather changes quickly. We will stay close to the school in case we need to go inside quickly.  If there is thunder, lightning or heavy rain, we will move our learning back to our indoor classroom.

Our Great Big Outdoor Adventure Pt. 2

Yesterday was an amazing day in our outdoor classroom. We started the same way as yesterday with O'Canada around the flag and signing in on our "Nature Smart Board."

By repeating the same activities each day we are creating routines and traditions. I observed that the students were much more calm, organized and focused on the second day outside.

Yesterday we started setting up the shelter by ourselves because our buddies were not out yet. I was SO proud of the kindergarten students! They were taking turns using the mallet to drive tent pegs into the ground, gathering supplies for each other and really working as a team.

The students who chose not to help with set up found comfy spots on a tarp and visited together quietly.

When the Room 3 kids came out they helped us set up the big tent and some of the kids organized games for everyone to play together. It was amazing to see the big kids take on this leadership role.

In the afternoon the Kindergarten students got their turn to be leaders and teach the Room 3 kids all about geocaching.  We even took them to our favourite park to help them find their very first caches.

Here's a video with the highlights from the day.


Yesterday I came across this blog post about the "Two Week Outdoor Challenge." Which is a longer version of what we are doing. Mrs. Mackay and I thought for our first year participating we would try one week and see how it goes.  I would love some feedback on how you think it is going for your child and whether you see value in this experience.

Also, if there is anything I could do differently next year to make the experience easier for parents, please give me your suggestions.

-Mrs. Lowe

Our Great Big Outdoor Adventure Pt. 1

Well, it might have been a rainy day but we sure made the best of it!

We started our morning by singing O'Canada around the Canada flag.


Then we did our sign-in on our "Nature Smartboard."

The question today was "What do you like more, crow or red winged blackbird?" The students use rocks with their names on them to answer the question. Then we count each column and add them together to find out how many students are at school all together.

Our next big adventure was setting up some shelters.  We knew it looked like rain so we wanted to be prepared.  The students worked together and used their problem solving skills to build a great structure.

A highlight of the day was after lunch when it was really pouring, we all got cozy under our shelter and read the beginning of a new chapter book called "The Giraffe, the Pelly and Me." It was fun listening to the rain on the tarps and the students can't wait to find out what will happen next in the story.

Snack time under our shelter.

We did have to go inside for a little while to get out of the rain but we were back out playing by the end of the day.

Mr. W. reading another awesome book for library outside.

Thanks so much for helping this day to be successful by sending appropriate rain gear, warm clothes and healthy snacks. For the most part, students were warm and dry.

The weather looks sunny and warm tomorrow but it may still be cool in the morning. Please make sure that students have everything on their checklist, just in case.