Decorating Gerry's Christmas Tree

For anyone who does not know the story of Gerry's Garden, here it is.  It's kind of sweet.  Gerry is in his 90's and can still be seen shovelling soil etc. in the garden.  His wife Molly is in her 80's.  Her job is to keep Gerry from overdoing it - not an easy task.   Both are lovely and have been married for more than 60 years.  Gerry started the garden when he was in his 70's.  Without city, district, BC Hydro, or NVSD approval, he and a retired custodian from Brooksbank started hacking away invasive blackberries, ivy etc, and they built a tiny flower garden next to the school.  People in the community noticed and offered extra soil and plants they had kicking around.  The garden grew and evolved.  Gerry placed a bench next to one of the paths.  It has a plaque in memory of his son who had died.  Eventually the city started helping out by putting in a source of water for them, bringing in pavers etc. There are now a few dedicated volunteers as well. Students, dog walkers, bicyclists, even horses and riders pass through the garden and stop to sit and admire it.  

Last Thursday, students from several classes took turns decorating a pine tree in the corner of the garden near our classroom.  At 3:00, Gerry and Molly, volunteers from the garden, Brooksbank staff, parents, and students enjoyed listening to the Brooksbank choir and the senior band while mingling.  It was a beautiful sunny snowy day!

Fun in the Snow

Student of the Week

Congratulations Alex!

I Can Make a Difference Projects are Almost Complete

... and now it's time to put everything together and present them to the class.  Below you will find the criteria for the poster and the oral presentation.

Part 7: poster or power point

includes: 

• an appropriate Title in large, bold print
• your Name(s)

• the Problem: a clear description of the problem including facts
• visuals to support this

• the Plan in Action: a clear description of what you have done to make a difference
• visuals to support this

• the Results of Your Effort to Make a Difference : a clear description of the success of your actions and what you might do differently if you were to do a similar project again
• evidence of your actions

overall appearance:

• type is large enough so it can be read easily
• typing is edited
• sub-topic titles are included  

• items are evenly spaced
• edges are trimmed and glued carefully
• attractive - effective use of colour, borders, etc.

oral presentation: 

includes:

• an interesting introduction

• a clear description of the problem

• a clear description of your efforts to make a difference

• a clear description of the results of your efforts to make a difference

the presenter(s):

• speaks in a loud clear voice

• makes eye contact with the audience

• has appropriate posture

• refers to the project, does not read it

Math Fair at Sutherland

Students in Divisions 4 and 5 walked to Sutherland School where the Grade 9 Math class presented us with Math problems and puzzles.  The Grade 5s were challenged while having fun with Math.

Student of the Week

Congratulations Dede!

Health Fair

Last week nursing students visited our class.  Students moved from station to station learning about healthy snacks, the importance of exercise, body image and the media, and the dangers of smoking.  (Of course, Lucas A and Alex were already experts on this subject, because their Health and Career project is about NOT smoking.)

Student of the Week

Congratulations Amreen!

Hallowee'en Fun

The students created and performed safety skits for their Grade 1 buddy class.  Later we joined the parade and danced to the Monster Mash.

Student of the Week

Congratulations Aidan!

Student of the Week

Congratulations Lukas!

Compassion Project - I Can Make a Difference

We have been reading about, discussing, and completing activities related to our school code of conduct - compassion in thought, word, and deed.  Now it's time to research problems and take action.

The students should have brought home an outline of their compassion project - I Can Make a Difference.  Parts 1 and 2 are due on Monday Oct. 24th.  Please read through the outline with your child and sign your name. (Part 1).  Part 2 requires a brief explanation of the problem.  Please  encourage your child to choose a problem that interests him/her.  (We have discussed this in class and many have chosen problems already.  A number have chosen cancer and the SPCA, which is great to see, but more variety would be even better.

The next step (Part 3) is researching the problem.  Guiding questions have been provided on the outline.  The students will be given time to work on this next week.

Many students have already jumped to the 4th part of the project - taking action.  Here again, I would like to encourage a variety of actions.  (At this point many seem keen to raise money, which again is great, but it would be wonderful to see different actions as well.)

The project outline is included below so you can refer to it if your child's Health and Career duo tang is at school.  I will assign due dates weekly, which will appear on the green outline, on this post, and on the Tests and Projects page of this blog.

Thank you for supporting your child with this.

Compassion Project - I Can Make a Difference

Part 1 due Mon. Oct. 24th / 2

Read the following outline to your parents.  A parent’s signature is required at the end of this outline to indicate he/she has read this with you.

Part 2 due Mon. Oct. 24th                           / 3

Do some research to help you choose a problem that interests you.  This can involve animals, people (young, old, etc.) or the natural environment which connects us all.  It can be a local problem, a problem in a different country or anywhere in between.   Describe the problem briefly below.

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________ 

Part 3  The Problem rough draft due  Monday Oct. 31st                                                  / 5

In a paragraph, describe the problem in more detail.  You will need to do some research.  Use the following questions to guide you. 

• What is the problem? (a disease, habitat loss, wildlife encounters, warming temperatures etc.)
• Who or what is affected by the problem? (children, adults, groups of people, type of animal, area of the community or world)
• Use numbers to describe how large the problem is (number of people, number of animals, area of land, oceans etc.)
• Where does the problem take place (a local stream, tropical rain forests, on farms etc.)

Choose a few visuals to illustrate the problem (photos, graphs, maps etc.)  I do not need to see these yet.

Complete the Reference page provided by Ms. Reichert. / 3

Part 4  Your Plan to Make a Difference detailed rough draft  due Monday November 7th             / 5

Describe what you will do to make a difference.  In a paragraph, describe your plan and goals. (an amount of $ you will raise and how, what you will do with the $, an amount of garbage you will collect, Where you will volunteer, a letter to a member of government, a pamphlet you will design to raise awareness etc.) How will you know you have reached your goal to make a difference?

Part 5  Your Plan in Action due Monday November 21st

Document yourself in your efforts to make a difference.  This can include a journal, photos, charts, videos etc.  When you have completed the action, please ask a parent to sign below.  I do not need to see anything for Part 5 at this time.

parent’s signature:  _________________________________

Part 6  Results of Your Efforts to Make a Difference rough draft due Monday November 28th   / 5

In a paragraph describe the results of your efforts.  Use these questions to guide you.

• Did you reach your goals?  
• How do you know you made a difference?  
• Are you pleased with the difference made?  Why or why not?  
• Would you do anything differently another time? 

Part 7   Project Presentation due Friday December 9, 2016 / 10

Put it all together.  You may present this to the class any way you wish.  This could include a poster, video, power point etc.  Your presentation will need:

• a title and your name 
• a description of the problem with visuals to illustrate it (see Part 3)
• the reason you chose the problem
• a description of your plan to make a difference (see Part 4)
• evidence of your actions to make a difference (see Part 5)
• the results of your effort to make a difference (see Part 6)

Final work should be typed and edited.  

I have read the project outline with my child.  I understand further information will be given by Ms. Reichert, class time will be provided to work on this, but some work will need to be completed at home.  I know my child and I can contact Ms. Reichert with questions and concerns as they arise.  

Parent’s Signature:  ____________________________________________________________________________

The Jacket We Bought Is Warming a Refugee from Somalia

Last year the students in Division 5 (Ms. Reichert's class) earned money to purchase a down jacket from Jackets for Jasper.  By doing so, they helped a Nepalese family who made the jacket.  I want the students to know who finally received the jacket.

Bugare Ali Salat is a 25-year-old, blind Somali refugee who arrived on Monday to live in North Vancouver.  He was born in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital city, and has a very large family there.  He went blind as a teenager after a head injury when he was 11 years old.  He fled the war in Somalia and crossed alone into Kenya, where he lived in a refugee camp for about 7 years.  He is very bright, speaks Somali, Swahili and a bit of English.  Here, he is enjoying listening to CBC Radio, going swimming at Karen Magnessen pool and hearing the sea down by the beach in Dundarave.

He faces many challenges as a blind person, but will have many more opportunities here in Vancouver than he would have had in either his home country or in Kenya.  It is wonderful he will have a brighter future here.

He appreciates the jacket very much, as he adjusts to the cooler temperatures.  Thank you all again for your kind donations.

Ms. Reichert

and Ms. Bunbury

Learning Math Facts

Students who know their Math facts are more confident and can spend more time learning new concepts and less time on basic operations.  Your child brought home information about a Math program which has been recommended to me by teachers and parents as an effective means for  learning Math facts.  Please consider enrolling your child and having him/her spend a few minutes a day practising.

Thanks for your support with this.