Thankful Thursdays

Thankful Thursday is quickly becoming popular with not only our classroom but with the staff and students in our school. Each Thursday kiddos in our class take the time to write a note of appreciation to a staff member or school mate. The wonderful people of our school community LOVE getting these notes. There have been quite a few happy tears. Stay tuned parents-you could be on the receiving end of one of these awesome notes soon!

Brain Bikes, Calming Tent, Fidgets

In our class we use many things to help us learn. We use fidgets and brain bikes to help focus our attention. Brain breaks (like gonoodle.com) help us get our wiggles out when we have been sitting too long. Kids also use standing desks and work around the room. Th calming tent is a popular place to work and to calm our bodies when we are feeling nervous/anxious. Ask your kiddo about their favourite learning tool today!

Zones of Regulation

We have started using the zones of regulation in our classroom. Read below for more information!

Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.     -Charles Swindoll

Self-regulation is something everyone continually works on, whether we are cognizant of it or not.  We all encounter trying circumstances that test our limits from time to time.  If we are able to recognize when we are becoming less regulated, we are able to do something about it to feel better and get ourselves to a better place.  This comes naturally for some, but for others it is a skill that needs to be taught and practiced. This is the goal of The Zones of Regulation (or Zones for short).  

What are The Zones of Regulation?

The Zones is a systematic, cognitive behavior approach used to teach self-regulation by categorizing all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete zones.  The Zones curriculum provides strategies to teach students to become more aware of, and independent in controlling their emotions and impulses, managing their sensory needs, and improving their ability to problem solve conflicts.

By addressing underlying deficits in emotional and sensory regulation, executive functions, and social cognition, the curriculum is designed to help move students toward independent regulation.  The Zones of Regulation incorporates Social Thinking® (www.socialthinking.com) concepts and numerous visuals to teach students to identify their feelings/level of alertness, understand how their behavior impacts those around them, and learn what tools they can use to manage their feelings and states.  

The Four Zones:  Our Feelings & States Determine Our Zone

The Red Zone is used to describe extremely heightened states of alertness and intense emotions.  A person may be elated or experiencing anger, rage, explosive behavior, devastation, or terror when in the Red Zone. 

The Yellow Zone is also used to describe a heightened state of alertness and elevated emotions; however, one has some control when they are in the Yellow Zone.  A person may be experiencing stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, the wiggles, or nervousness when in the Yellow Zone.

The Green Zone is used to describe a calm state of alertness. A person may be described as happy, focused, content, or ready to learn when in the Green Zone.  This is the zone where optimal learning occurs.

The Blue Zone is used to describe low states of alertness and down feelings, such as when one feels sad, tired, sick, or bored.

The Zones can be compared to traffic signs.  When given a green light or in the Green Zone, one is “good to go”.  A yellow sign means be aware or take caution, which applies to the Yellow Zone.  A red light or stop sign means stop, and when one is the Red Zone, this often is the case.  The Blue Zone can be compared to the rest area signs where one goes to rest or re-energize.  All of the zones are expected at one time or another, but the curriculum focuses on teaching students how to manage their Zone based on the environment and people around them. For example, when playing on the playground or in an active/competitive game, no one would think twice about one being in the Yellow Zone but that would not be same in the library.

Writing Idea Book

A big thing for our kiddos this year is developing ideas. Coming up with an idea for writing can be VERY challenging. I teach students that sometimes they have an idea in their head already to write about but other times they need help. That is where the idea book comes in. Kids jot notes, draw pictures/maps constantly in this book to help with future story ideas. Ask your kiddo about their idea book today!

Class Dojo

If you haven't already please make an account for class dojo! I update class dojo frequently with pictures, personal messages to students/parents and videos! Class dojo is a lot like facebook-except only the kiddos/parents in our class have access to it! Don't miss out on all of the fun!

If you don't know how to log on please contact me! So far we have all parents connected except for 2!

Picture Day

Monday September 12th is Picture Day!

Save Sam

Ask your kiddo about the team building activity we did today. The kids rated it challenging with a side of fun!

Back to School BBQ PowerPoint

FES Meet the Teacher by AshDCreamer on Scribd

Welcome Back!

Welcome Back to School!

I hope to see everyone this Wednesday at the Back to School BBQ!

Father's Day/Mr. Jones' Prank on US!

ATTENTION!

We DO have a special gift for Dad/Mom/Significant Adult for Father's Day....I just found it on my desk. :(

Sorry Dads..YOU ARE IMPORTANT! YOU WILL HAVE A BELATED GIFT!

I blame Mr. Jones. He totally threw off our day. Sneaky sneaky Mr. Jones....look what we came into today....notice anything missing?

Last night he came back to the school and hid our desks! I truly couldn't find them this morning. He managed to squeeze them all into a tiny room we use for technology! I guess he really wanted revenge for all the tricks we have pulled on him!

Plants

Today in Science while discusing the needs of plants I introduced the scientific method to our kiddos.  The scientific method  consists of asking questions, forming a hypothesis testing the hypothesis and measuring the results. Our question was: What would happen to a seed or plant if it did not have its needs met? 

From our class discussions the kids know that soil, sun, and water are three very important things that a seed/plant needs in order to survive. We set up an experiment where we planted seeds and manipulated their environment so we could see what would happen if seeds/plants were denied sun, soil, or water. One set of seeds were planted with soil, given sun but will not receive water. Another set of seeds were planted and given sun, and water but no soil. A third set of seed were planted and were given soil and water but no sun. We also planted a set of seeds and gave them all three things they need to survive (Got it?!).

Named the "chosen one" by the kiddos,,,otherwise known as the control...or as the one we gave soil, water and sun!

Denied sun...so this set is in my junk drawer....ignore the mess!

When the kids realized that the little seeds could potentially die due to our experiment...well...I was in trouble. I received A LOT of angry letters from our little darlings. I was called "cruewle" and according to Anna I was doing "an injustice to seeds" (good use of her novel study vocabulary word am I right?!). We had another talk about the importance of experiments and this seemed to help calm our kiddos. See below for a sampling of the letters I received after sending the seeds to a "cruewle" fate.

Seeds

In Science we have been learning all about plants. The children have been exploring seeds. We have been discussing how seeds spread, the parts of a seed and what they need to grow. Please find below a few pictures of the children sorting and examining seeds.

Surprise!

Well your kiddos sure can keep a secret. Yesterday was my birthday and I should have known something was up by how much the kiddos kept giggling and whispering during recess breaks. They made birthday cards, made me wear a silly hat, performed random acts of kindness as a present to me, and topped it all off with a birthday cake! What a thoughtful bunch of munchkins!

April Fool's Day Prank

Well I had a very mad class this morning. The kiddos were not impressed that I pulled a belated April Fool's Day prank on them. And since the kiddos have been home from school for about 2 hours they have probably pulled the same prank on YOU!

It won't surprise many of you that our kiddos come into the classroom at a glacial pace most mornings. I'm talking S-L-O-W. So I told the kiddos that if they came in quickly I would give them a brownie. Well they nearly caused a stampede getting themselves into the classroom. When the time came for the brownies....well I had a lot of eye rolls and confused looks tossed my way. See below.

 

Get it "brown E" not brownie!? Of course then the kids wanted to trick Mrs. Hierlihy, Mrs. Dobbin, Mrs. Buckley and Mrs. Beaudet too. Little stinkers!

GoNoodle dancing Champions!

Our class is very body smart. Most of us need to move our bodies often so we can focus. Movement helps us to learn. I'm attaching a cute video below of the kiddos dancing Bollywood style!

My boys love this one!

St. Pat's Day

I am so sad that I was absent for our St. Patrick's Day celebration at school! However they were in good hands. They had Mrs. Marley teach them all day. Their substitute teacher was Mrs. Curtis who was my student intern last year. I received plenty of photo updates from the two ladies and I thought I would let you lovely people enjoy one particularly cute photo.

Oops!

Hi families,

I forgot to send home the homework folders. I blame Monday! I'll send them home tomorrow! Luckily it is just a scholastic book order!

Pink Shirt Day

Today we all wore pink to symbolize that we will take a stand against bullying. The kiddos looked great! I challenged the kids yesterday to get all decked out in pink-and boy did they ever. Take a look at the pictures below!

Set a Goal and Make a Plan

Our sweet Chloe came to me last week with a great idea-she wanted to invite a guest speaker as her show and share. As many of you know each Friday I let the kids bring in something special from home to show to the class. Showing and sharing in front of the class is excellent oral speaking practice. Chloe wanted to bring in her cousin Anderson.

Anderson is only 15 years old but has had quite the hockey career. He came in and spoke to the class about how he sets goals and plans to reach them. He explained to the kids that he wants to be a hockey player in the NHL someday and told the kids all of the training that he goes through to make his dream a reality.

Please find an article about Anderson below as well as a few photos. Special thanks to Chloe's grampy-he kept us all entertained!

Anderson MacDonald (Quispamsis, NB / Saint John Vito’s) has been selected to Team Canada for the Youth Olympic Games. See below Press Release for full story.

January 14, 2016
NR006.16

17 PLAYERS NAMED TO CANADA’S WINTER YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES ROSTER
Saskatchewan’s Carson Focht selected to represent Canada at the Men’s Skills Challenge

CALGARY, Alta.– The Canadian roster is set for the upcoming Winter Youth Olympic Games, Feb. 12-21, 2016 in Lillehammer, Norway.

Canada’s 17-player roster includes two goaltenders, six defencemen and nine forwards, and was selected in accordance with the Youth Olympic Games’ process.

The players, born in 2000, were chosen by Ryan Jankowski, Hockey Canada’s director of player personnel, with support from regional scouts, Carl Bouchard (Quebec), Barclay Branch (Ontario), Wade Klippenstein (West), Kevin Mitchell (Atlantic), and Darrell Woodley (Ontario).

“This is a fantastic opportunity for the group of players chosen to represent Canada to compete at the highest level in international competition,” said Scott Salmond, vice-president of hockey operations and national teams. “This event is a unique experience unlike any other, and will be something that our athletes learn from and remember for a lifetime.”

Players were selected based on their permanent home residence, and players playing outside of Canada were not considered in the evaluation process. All regions (East, Ontario, and West) were ensured five players on the final Canadian roster, with the remaining two spots being awarded to the next-best players.

On Sept. 15, 2015, regional scouts submitted a long list of 125 players to be considered, before narrowing it down to approximately 60 players whose names were submitted to the Canadian Olympic Committee on Oct. 1, 2015. From Oct. 1, 2015 to Jan. 1, 2016, regional scouts evaluated players in regular season and tournament play and the final Canadian roster was compiled on Jan. 3.

The men's hockey tournament features five countries – Canada, Finland, Norway, Russia, and the United States - who will play in a round-robin format before semifinals and the gold-medal game. After capturing the bronze medal in 2012, Canada opens on Feb. 13 against Russia, and will also face Finland, Norway and the United States during preliminary-round play. A complete tournament schedule can be found here.

The 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games will also feature the Men’s Skills Challenge, where players will be able to showcase their shooting accuracy, puck-control, and skating agility. Carson Focht (Regina, Sask./Regina, SMAAAHL) has been selected to  represent Canada in the challenge, which features 16 athletes from different national Olympic committees paired in head-to-head heats for points.

For more information on Hockey Canada and the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Twitter/HC_Men.

Homework Folders

My fault parents! We were in such a rush to get to the buses that we forgot our homework folders! I'll send everything tomorrow. Don't worry about the Monday math minute portion of homework this week.

Go Noodle

Hey families! I hope you had a great break! I'm gearing up for all of our kiddos to return to school tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a busy day-we are going to take it very easy. Below please find a cute video of our kiddos "busting a move" to calm their bodies and brains. We use the website gonoodle.com for brain breaks throughout the day. By moving our bodies we are able to work and focus on our important classwork.