June 2021

We have so enjoyed the warm weather in May and now we enjoy being outside in June’s sunshine! Each student in our class has a tree outside and we have been studying changes to the trees, describing if they look the SAME or DIFFERENT. We have also enjoyed a local bird study in which students selected a color to find out what bird they would paint. My last day in the class is coming up, and I have had so much fun with all of you! Serene, Sukhraj, Austin, Cohen, Linden, and Alisar - it has been so wonderful to see each of you demonstrate new skills in your communication, independence, and play! I'm excited for all the fun you will have with Colleen back in the classroom! Thank you Marion, Nicole and Kaitlin for teaching me about the kids in our class and how to better support the communication development of the learners in our school. Have a great last month of the school year and then enjoy a well-earned break over the summer! 

April 2021

Happy spring! During the month of March we learned about rainbows and rainclouds, mud puddles, flowers, and butterflies! We began some work around "Where?" by looking for birds outside and we have spotted Downy Woodpeckers and Chickadees! Students have enjoyed getting messy experimenting with fun new art forms such as using pudding to paint, corn syrup, and food coloring! They have opportunities to comment on activities and share if they liked it or not, want to do more, and how they feel. 

March 2021

Hard to believe it's already March! We recently welcomed Diana to teach in the classroom for a few weeks while Colleen serves as Acting Assistant Principal. It was wonderful meeting with families virtually during learning conferences to celebrate all of your child's achievements so far this year! We are continuing our exploration on feelings with a focus on good feelings vs bad feelings, and mad/angry. In science we are exploring what animals do to stay warm in winter with books such as "Do Frogs Drink Hot Chocolate?" and science experiments. For Pink Shirt Day, our students did acts of kindness by choosing words to complement a friend in the class and describing what they like to do together. The recent snowfall and warmer weather has made for plenty of fun outdoor play including painting in the snow, outdoor bike rides, and sledding. I hope you all have a wonderful March and enjoy the snow!

January 2021

Welcome to a New and Improved Year!  We're excited to be back to school, and will continue our self-reflections about feelings and expressing our opinions. We will also continue to explore our 'outdoor classroom' and enjoy the mild winter weather we are having. We will look forward to different activities using snow and ice, and our core vocabulary focus on WHAT?  

December 2020

Welcome Winter!  Although not our official season yet, our class has been discussing the seasonal change to winter and what that means for outdoor clothing, temperature, weather changes, and of course, our tree study!  Each student has adopted a tree in our backyard learning space, Cliffside.  We periodically check on our tree, and hunt for the other student trees that have been marked with their own signs.  We will continue with our routine outdoor learning and play time.   As well, we will focus on the core question word: WHAT and incorporate some seasonal literacy studies that highlight this question. Our team would like to wish everyone a safe and relaxing break. See you in 2021!

September 2020

Hello fall, and hello to all of our families! We have all been so happy to see one another and get to know our new class grouping. Many, many smiles all around!  We have spent class time getting familiar with new routines, and learning how to safely adapt to our new situation. Some activities we have enjoyed are Storytime and Literacy Connections outside in our beautiful Cliffside environment. It’s a challenge getting used to a new routine such as this in an area that has been so often used for free choice activities! The students are rising to the challenge though, and have enjoyed both focus books:  Picture a Tree by Barbara Reid, and Leaves, Leaves, Leaves by Melvin and Gilda Berger. This month we will also be completing activities with the vocabulary lens of WHO? in response to getting to know one another, and building our core vocabulary.  We are looking forward to many more sunny days and smiling faces this fall!