Don't Look - in case you see your gift before it's given to you

The students carved beautiful soapstone animals with direction from Oliver Harwood, a local sculptor.

I know some want to present the carvings as gifts.  These were sent home yesterday with directions for repairing scratches.  They are very delicate.    

A Visit by Ahmad

We were very fortunate to have Ahmad, a refugee from Syria, visit our class.  Thank you to Cynthia Bunbury who helped organize this visit.  Thank you to Tariq for translating from English to Arabic when necessary.  Tariq's family, as well as Cynthia and many others, have been supporting the family of 5 as they adapt to life in Canada.  The students asked Ahmad questions about life in Syria, his journey to Canada, adapting to his new home in Canada, what his interests are, favourite foods etc.  What they discovered is that he is a boy with the same interests and desires and needs as Canadian children.

The students presented Ahmad with the jacket we purchased earlier in the year from Jackets for Jasper.  Although his family is well supported, other refugees have great needs.  The jacket will be given to a refugee who will then be warm and cozy. Ahmad was also presented with attractive and thoughtful welcome cards that the students made.  In the cards, the students provided information about themselves and their families, places to visit in the area, useful information about our money, bus routes etc.  Once again I was very proud of the compassion the students showed.

Thank you Ahmad for answering many questions.  The students made a new friend.

Student of the Week

Congratulations Khushman!

Earth Day is Every Day

That is the message provided by the Environment Do Good Group who organized a Lights Out Lunch and introduced a presentation by FortisBC and the BC Lions called Energy Champions.

Student of the Week

Congratulations Carter!

Sutherland Math Fair

Math can be fun!  The students were challenged to solve mathematical puzzles.  The theme was fairy tales and there were 3 different levels of difficulty for each one.  Many were thrilled to tell us that they were the first or youngest to solve a particularly challenging puzzle.

Student of the Week

Congratulations Skye!

Upcoming Dance Festival

Intermediate classes will be presenting dances at the Dance Festival at Centennial Theatre.  Our class is presenting between recess and lunch this coming Thursday.  (April 14th).  You are welcome to come watch.

Student of the Week

Congratulations Claire!

Grade 4s Creating Symmetrical Designs

Happy April Fools' Day et Poisson d'Avril

The students pranked me!

They also celebrated Poisson d'Avril by sticking pictures of fish on each others' backs!

Welcome Ms. Wong

We are fortunate to have an energetic, creative, and caring student teacher.  Below is a letter of introduction from her.

Hello Parents,

I would like to take this time to introduce myself! You may or may not have heard about me from your children, but I wanted to formally introduce myself now that I will be working with your children everyday for the next 10 weeks!

I am Division 5's Teacher Candidate. I am currently in school (at UBC) working to complete my Bachelor of Education to become a certified teacher! This semester, I am lucky enough to be given the opportunity to  teach in your children’s classroom for my practicum.

Just a little bit about myself... Before entering UBC's teaching program, I worked in the not-for-profit sector at the BC Lung Association as a Special Events Associate for a year and a half. Despite the great team I worked with and all we accomplished, I decided I wanted to pursue a career teaching children - something I had extensive experience with in my early 20s and thoroughly missed. It wasn’t until my life changing trip to Peru where I volunteered at an after school-program that I made the decision to go back to school to earn my teaching license. I'm happy to report I made the right decision. I find it incredibly rewarding that I have the opportunity to shape the minds of young people while also being a positive role model in their lives.

Please do not hesitate to drop by the classroom and say hello! Also if you have any questions, I'm more than happy to answer them in person or by email. You can contact me at awong238@gmail.com.

I look forward to meeting all of you and most of all, getting to know your children!

Ms. Wong

Student of the Week

Congratulations Lauren!

Welcome Back!

Today we were welcomed back to school by a Holstein cow and her 2 month old calf.  The students learned about the care of dairy cows, where milk and cheese come from, and how a cow is milked.

It is nice to be back into the school day routine.  The children are excited to be back and share stories of their vacations.

Students of the Week

Congratulations Caeli and Elliott!

A Gift from the Students

Perhaps you remember that before Christmas the students offered to do a few more chores at home in exchange for a little money.  Well, the money was used to purchase a jacket from Jackets for Jasper - a small company based in our neighbourhood and in Nepal.  The students chose the colour.  The money spent on the jacket will help pay for the education of the children in a Nepalese family.  Liz and Len from J4J came and talked with the students and showed pictures of Nepal.  Soon we will donate the jacket to a Syrian refugee now living in North Vancouver.   Well done Div. 5 students!

Immigrants to Canada Projects

Once again the students impressed me with their enthusiasm, hard work, and great ideas.  In small teams, they researched, wrote reports, and created posters to present their findings.  The teams then presented their posters to the class.  Thank you Ms. Beleski for your help!