Friday, October 2

 Hi parents,

We had a fun day today due to the Class Dojo Store, and of course, the spelling quiz. 

In the morning, we watched a Canada Crew video about flowers in Canada. I was disappointed that the video didn't explicitly mention Alberta's provincial flower, so we talked about the wild rose after that.

The students watched a SciShow Kids Fall Compilation video that covered all sorts of science topics related to fall. You can watch it home too if you like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB2DiiAOpCg

Although the video covers a ton of information is a short time, we'll be looking into many of the topics covered in more detail over the course of October. Maybe we'll even do some pumpkin experiments, in spite of last year's fiasco... If your child was in my class they will probably know what I'm talking about. If not, you could sum it up with four words: "rotten pumpkin juice puddles".

The students received their Visual Journal Sketch Books, which are fancy versions of their regular sketchbooks. I'd like to use these books only for school work and not for casual drawing since they have really nice paper. Today, we used them to create "Fall Pages" on which the students wrote and drew all things Autumn. We talked about seasonal changes, fall attire, important events, etc.

We went outside in the field and looked for different kinds of leaves. I challenged the students to arrange leaves in order from lightest to darkest. We also had a "biggest leaf" challenge, and a "crunchiest leaf" challenge. We saw a garbage truck that was driving way too fast. The kids thought it was cool but it was a bit scary.

At the end of the day, we did the Class Dojo Store activity. Looking back, I should've definitely spent more time practicing subtraction with the class leading up to it. Still, it was a big hit. Everyone seemed so excited about their purchases. 

Alberta Health Services Disclaimer: Students were required to clean their hands before browsing the store (which is just my desk), they were adequately distanced while lining up, and all items in the store were thoroughly sanitized. 

This isn't really related to anything, but I want to say how incredibly proud I am of the students for their patience, positivity, and resilience during this unusual return to school. They have been doing an excellent job of following the Covid protocols while also being respectful and kind to one another, and trying their best on every work choice. I was nervous that students would be disappointed about having to come back to school, and resentful of all the new rules and expectations. I was prepared for a rough September because I thought it would take weeks for them to adjust to being back in school. But they're doing an amazing job. So parents - thank you for raising such great kids!

Have a nice weekend,

Zac