1B Class of 2017-18! Sept 5, 2017
Hello! Welcome to our class web page. This page and the Remind app will be my primary methods of communication with parents. I will not be sending home paper newsletters unless absolutely necessary. I do update it at least once per month, but often more frequently. If you check once per week, that should be enough. This webpage is where I will let you know about special events in which our class will be participating. Please check the school's calendar for all-school activities and events as they will not be repeated here. This year we will be using Student Planners as well. Please use planners for notes about any changes in dismissal or any major changes in your child's life this year which may affect them at school. We will be using the planners for Words of the Week, and goal-setting activities as well. I will also be using the Remind app to communicate with you frequently during the week to let you know what we have been doing that day, things you can ask your child about, and other non-urgent messages. If you have never used it before, it is a messaging system that keeps your phone number and mine private, while still allowing us to text back and forth. I will send home instructions on how to sign up this week.
Our Schedule
We have a five day school schedule this year. For the most part, our schedule will remain the same, however there will be some changes and additions as the year progresses. Unfortunately, our schedule is not finalized yet. I will know our final schedule by September 18th. For the school year schedule, please see the GECDSB website publicboard.ca for holidays, P.A. Days, and the 5-day cycle schedule for the year.
D. P. A. and Gym
We continue to have Daily Physical Activity (D.P.A. also known as "Move It!" time). This means that every day your child will be participating in activities that will require running shoes. For girls who wear skirts or dresses to school, a pair of sweat pants or shorts to change into quickly (or wear underneath) may be necessary, but for most activities, they will be able to participate as long as they can run. Please make sure your child has a pair of running shoes, that he/she can do up unassisted, labeled with his/her initials on the heels, to keep on the shelf at school. On Phys. Ed. days, please leave all jewelry at home, (stud pierced earrings are okay), unless your child can remove them unassisted. Please send a secure container to transport the jewelry home (a small plastic container will do). Your child is welcome to bring skipping ropes, basketballs, soccer balls, and soft hand balls, clearly and indelibly labeled, to play with at recess. We do have several available that we supply for recess play.
School Supplies
You will not need to purchase any school supplies for your child, other than your child's Planner, however you may have to replace his/her Book Tote if it is lost or damaged during the school year. Please supply a backpack large enough for the Book Tote, a reusable lunch box, and a reusable water bottle to keep on his/her desk. This water bottle should contain only water please. If juice, or worse, milk spills, we need to call the caretaker to bring a mop. If we spill water, we just make a clean spot! A box of tissues to share, now or later in the year, will be gratefully accepted.
There are a few items I ask you not to send to school. Please do not send markers as they soak through notebook pages. I have markers available in class for art activities. In-desk toys, trading cards, and toiletries can be very distracting to your child, who has never had a desk to look after before -- please keep these at home. A set of cool materials at home, however, will assist your child with his/her "homework" which I may send home from time to time.
Homework
Although regular homework is not recommended for children in Grade 1, your child may receive some homework on occasion. The best and most effective thing you can do to ensure your child's success this year is to read every day. Soon, we will begin a Take Home Reading Program. More on that later.
Check the Units This Month tab for tips on how to help support your child's learning at home. Three times this year, once per term, I will be assigning an at-home activity project. These are orally presented projects designed to enhance your child's learning and to allow you to be actively involved in your child's school experience. Please send in the projects any day during the week of the due date. We will share them all that week. Your child may receive a Sharing Book for reading practice or for homework activities. Please look inside it for details.
At the end of each unit of study, I will send home your child's work with a rubric attached. Please sign and return only the rubric page, with any questions or comments, so I know you have received it. These pages will be returned to you at the end of the term.
Money and Food at School
On food purchase days, or for field trips, please send exact change in an envelope or baggie and label your child's order, (eg. Beth -- 1 hot dog, or Patrick -- 1 milk card, Chocolate) or use our on-line purchasing system. Remember that funds raised through sales of milk, hot dogs, frozen yogurt, etc. all go into separate accounts, so sending in a $20 bill will cause difficulties. We often don't have change available. Please do not tape money to a card (can you imaging peeling 6 quarters off of 20 children's hot dog orders, and getting anything else done that day!) There are no food sales on no bus days. Please send a lunch if your child will be coming to school when the buses are not running. Hotdogs are $1.50 this year. Milk cards are $18 for 20 cartons of milk. Please see the school web page for other food sale items and special days.
As is school policy, please do not send edible treats for birthday or holiday celebrations.
Changes in Dismissal
Be aware that, at the end of each school day, we are making sure that approximately 500 students are getting onto 10 buses, to latch key, and/or to the correct parent/guardian for pick up within a time period of approximately 8 minutes. Sometimes, the dismissing teacher is not the homeroom teacher -- it's the prep teacher or a supply teacher who may be dismissing your child. Please make our job easier by letting us know in writing if there is any change from your child's normal dismissal. If you are picking up your child, please wait by the office or quietly in the hallway outside the classroom until dismissal time. We are still learning in those last few minutes and your presence can be distracting to your child and others if they are aware that you are waiting.
If your child has to leave early from school, or is not taking the bus or going to Latchkey as usual, please send me a signed, dated note either in your child's Planner or on a separate piece of paper. Although phone calls are appropriate when a change in dismissal comes up unexpectedly or when there is an emergency, the interruptions to our learning during that last period of the day (the office calls down to the room on the P.A. for every phone call) will be kept to a minimum if we know in advance where your child is going at 3:35. If you are picking up your child, please make sure that the dismissing teacher knows you are leaving with your child. I like the children to say goodbye to the teacher as they leave so he/she doesn't have a panic attack when we get to the buses and your child isn't there. If you are picking your child up unexpectedly and haven't sent me a note, always let the office know when you will be picking up your child, even if you send me a Remind text. Although I usually check my Remind in the morning and before the end of class, dismissal is our busiest time of day and sometimes I don't get a chance to look.
Kiss and Ride
We encourage all students to travel to and from school by bus to keep both you and your child safe, to make dismissal and arrival less complicated and worrisome for your child (and the teachers!), and to reduce traffic congestion around the school. However, we understand that there will be mornings when you will need to drive your child to school. Please make use of our Kiss and Ride drop off zone located by the Kindergarten playground. There will always be a teacher on duty to ensure your child gets safely to the playground. As you arrive at the Kiss and Ride, have your child ready to exit the vehicle, pull ahead as far as you can to allow for others to pull in behind you, help your child exit the vehicle or allow them to open and close the door independently, and look for any pedestrians as you pull away (especially if you are not in the lead vehicle).
If you need to come in with your child, please find a parking spot on school grounds, if possible. There are usually spots available in the lot at the west end of the school (next to the Kindergarten end). Parking along County Road 10 is quite dangerous at arrival time with buses and Kiss and Ride drivers pulling in and out, and other traffic passing by. Pedestrians crossing the road or the bus lanes add to the chaos, congestion, and danger of the situation. Likewise, please try to park in a lot if you are picking up your child after school. Parents and children crossing between buses make us all cringe for reasons of safety and efficiency of dismissal. For everyone's safety, please take the extra minutes to park your car in the lot. Consider any extra walking part of your daily physical activity!
I look forward to meeting you and having a fun, educational, and safe year with your child. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns by phone or in person.
Sincerely,
Mrs. P. Brush
Our Schedule
We have a five day school schedule this year. For the most part, our schedule will remain the same, however there will be some changes and additions as the year progresses. Unfortunately, our schedule is not finalized yet. I will know our final schedule by September 18th. For the school year schedule, please see the GECDSB website publicboard.ca for holidays, P.A. Days, and the 5-day cycle schedule for the year.
D. P. A. and Gym
We continue to have Daily Physical Activity (D.P.A. also known as "Move It!" time). This means that every day your child will be participating in activities that will require running shoes. For girls who wear skirts or dresses to school, a pair of sweat pants or shorts to change into quickly (or wear underneath) may be necessary, but for most activities, they will be able to participate as long as they can run. Please make sure your child has a pair of running shoes, that he/she can do up unassisted, labeled with his/her initials on the heels, to keep on the shelf at school. On Phys. Ed. days, please leave all jewelry at home, (stud pierced earrings are okay), unless your child can remove them unassisted. Please send a secure container to transport the jewelry home (a small plastic container will do). Your child is welcome to bring skipping ropes, basketballs, soccer balls, and soft hand balls, clearly and indelibly labeled, to play with at recess. We do have several available that we supply for recess play.
School Supplies
You will not need to purchase any school supplies for your child, other than your child's Planner, however you may have to replace his/her Book Tote if it is lost or damaged during the school year. Please supply a backpack large enough for the Book Tote, a reusable lunch box, and a reusable water bottle to keep on his/her desk. This water bottle should contain only water please. If juice, or worse, milk spills, we need to call the caretaker to bring a mop. If we spill water, we just make a clean spot! A box of tissues to share, now or later in the year, will be gratefully accepted.
There are a few items I ask you not to send to school. Please do not send markers as they soak through notebook pages. I have markers available in class for art activities. In-desk toys, trading cards, and toiletries can be very distracting to your child, who has never had a desk to look after before -- please keep these at home. A set of cool materials at home, however, will assist your child with his/her "homework" which I may send home from time to time.
Homework
Although regular homework is not recommended for children in Grade 1, your child may receive some homework on occasion. The best and most effective thing you can do to ensure your child's success this year is to read every day. Soon, we will begin a Take Home Reading Program. More on that later.
Check the Units This Month tab for tips on how to help support your child's learning at home. Three times this year, once per term, I will be assigning an at-home activity project. These are orally presented projects designed to enhance your child's learning and to allow you to be actively involved in your child's school experience. Please send in the projects any day during the week of the due date. We will share them all that week. Your child may receive a Sharing Book for reading practice or for homework activities. Please look inside it for details.
At the end of each unit of study, I will send home your child's work with a rubric attached. Please sign and return only the rubric page, with any questions or comments, so I know you have received it. These pages will be returned to you at the end of the term.
Money and Food at School
On food purchase days, or for field trips, please send exact change in an envelope or baggie and label your child's order, (eg. Beth -- 1 hot dog, or Patrick -- 1 milk card, Chocolate) or use our on-line purchasing system. Remember that funds raised through sales of milk, hot dogs, frozen yogurt, etc. all go into separate accounts, so sending in a $20 bill will cause difficulties. We often don't have change available. Please do not tape money to a card (can you imaging peeling 6 quarters off of 20 children's hot dog orders, and getting anything else done that day!) There are no food sales on no bus days. Please send a lunch if your child will be coming to school when the buses are not running. Hotdogs are $1.50 this year. Milk cards are $18 for 20 cartons of milk. Please see the school web page for other food sale items and special days.
As is school policy, please do not send edible treats for birthday or holiday celebrations.
Changes in Dismissal
Be aware that, at the end of each school day, we are making sure that approximately 500 students are getting onto 10 buses, to latch key, and/or to the correct parent/guardian for pick up within a time period of approximately 8 minutes. Sometimes, the dismissing teacher is not the homeroom teacher -- it's the prep teacher or a supply teacher who may be dismissing your child. Please make our job easier by letting us know in writing if there is any change from your child's normal dismissal. If you are picking up your child, please wait by the office or quietly in the hallway outside the classroom until dismissal time. We are still learning in those last few minutes and your presence can be distracting to your child and others if they are aware that you are waiting.
If your child has to leave early from school, or is not taking the bus or going to Latchkey as usual, please send me a signed, dated note either in your child's Planner or on a separate piece of paper. Although phone calls are appropriate when a change in dismissal comes up unexpectedly or when there is an emergency, the interruptions to our learning during that last period of the day (the office calls down to the room on the P.A. for every phone call) will be kept to a minimum if we know in advance where your child is going at 3:35. If you are picking up your child, please make sure that the dismissing teacher knows you are leaving with your child. I like the children to say goodbye to the teacher as they leave so he/she doesn't have a panic attack when we get to the buses and your child isn't there. If you are picking your child up unexpectedly and haven't sent me a note, always let the office know when you will be picking up your child, even if you send me a Remind text. Although I usually check my Remind in the morning and before the end of class, dismissal is our busiest time of day and sometimes I don't get a chance to look.
Kiss and Ride
We encourage all students to travel to and from school by bus to keep both you and your child safe, to make dismissal and arrival less complicated and worrisome for your child (and the teachers!), and to reduce traffic congestion around the school. However, we understand that there will be mornings when you will need to drive your child to school. Please make use of our Kiss and Ride drop off zone located by the Kindergarten playground. There will always be a teacher on duty to ensure your child gets safely to the playground. As you arrive at the Kiss and Ride, have your child ready to exit the vehicle, pull ahead as far as you can to allow for others to pull in behind you, help your child exit the vehicle or allow them to open and close the door independently, and look for any pedestrians as you pull away (especially if you are not in the lead vehicle).
If you need to come in with your child, please find a parking spot on school grounds, if possible. There are usually spots available in the lot at the west end of the school (next to the Kindergarten end). Parking along County Road 10 is quite dangerous at arrival time with buses and Kiss and Ride drivers pulling in and out, and other traffic passing by. Pedestrians crossing the road or the bus lanes add to the chaos, congestion, and danger of the situation. Likewise, please try to park in a lot if you are picking up your child after school. Parents and children crossing between buses make us all cringe for reasons of safety and efficiency of dismissal. For everyone's safety, please take the extra minutes to park your car in the lot. Consider any extra walking part of your daily physical activity!
I look forward to meeting you and having a fun, educational, and safe year with your child. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns by phone or in person.
Sincerely,
Mrs. P. Brush
Getting Ready for the First Day Aug, 2017
All those "Back to School" ads in the media are starting to make sense... it is time to start thinking about the upcoming school year and how you can get your child ready for those first days.
Firstly, make sure you and your child are still enjoying your Summer and have plans for the Fall. Please try not to make the 9 o'clock bell on September 5th the death knell to all fun. Hockey and Figure Skating season will start as well -- lots to look forward to there. Perhaps plan a Fall apple picking excursion with the family and make something delicious when you get home. Go to the beach one more time in September, even if it's just to walk in the sand, build a castle, or fly a kite. Take the family (and the dog) for a stroll down the Chrysler Greenway one evening just for a change of scenery. Celebrate the first day of school with a special dessert or dinner and hear all about your child(ren)'s day. I know September can be busy -- getting the right kid, to the right place, with the right stuff, at the right time (been there!), setting up routines and good habits, organizing the daycare / latchkey / homework schedules -- but try to maintain balance in your child's life by keeping family activities a priority.
A word about shopping -- despite what all those ads are trying to sell you, your child will not need hundreds of dollars worth of school supplies to make it through the year. Although every teacher will have different expectations, for the most part, everything your child will need to complete his/her work will be supplied by the school. In my classroom, I will need your child to have a backpack large enough to hold his/her reusable lunchbox and water bottle, library books, and notes, and a pair of gym shoes to leave at school that he/she can put on and tie or velcro him/herself and a planner. That's it. Any school supplies you purchase will be great for doing "homework" activities. A Grade One sized desk is very small, and because your child will have no experience with keeping it tidy and organized, the less complicated we can make it for him/her, the better!
Back to school nerves may be setting in with all this talk about September. Remind your child that the teacher doesn't expect your child to know everything -- it's my job to teach him/her how to read, spell, print, add, subtract, paint, and build. If your child already knew all this, why would there be teachers? What I want your child to know on the first day is that he/she is a smart cookie and can learn anything! The brain is just like a muscle -- if you lift the weights, you get stronger: if you work hard at learning, and practise school skills, you get smarter. (I'm not just being encouraging here. This concept is backed by educational and psychological research -- you can actually improve your IQ scores with hard work.)
Lastly, moving your child's bedtime closer and closer to their school year bedtime a few minutes per night will make for an easier transition and a less exhausted child by the end of the first week. You might even get a few more minutes to yourself before the September rush begins!
Have a great last week of summer vacation! See you September 5th.
All those "Back to School" ads in the media are starting to make sense... it is time to start thinking about the upcoming school year and how you can get your child ready for those first days.
Firstly, make sure you and your child are still enjoying your Summer and have plans for the Fall. Please try not to make the 9 o'clock bell on September 5th the death knell to all fun. Hockey and Figure Skating season will start as well -- lots to look forward to there. Perhaps plan a Fall apple picking excursion with the family and make something delicious when you get home. Go to the beach one more time in September, even if it's just to walk in the sand, build a castle, or fly a kite. Take the family (and the dog) for a stroll down the Chrysler Greenway one evening just for a change of scenery. Celebrate the first day of school with a special dessert or dinner and hear all about your child(ren)'s day. I know September can be busy -- getting the right kid, to the right place, with the right stuff, at the right time (been there!), setting up routines and good habits, organizing the daycare / latchkey / homework schedules -- but try to maintain balance in your child's life by keeping family activities a priority.
A word about shopping -- despite what all those ads are trying to sell you, your child will not need hundreds of dollars worth of school supplies to make it through the year. Although every teacher will have different expectations, for the most part, everything your child will need to complete his/her work will be supplied by the school. In my classroom, I will need your child to have a backpack large enough to hold his/her reusable lunchbox and water bottle, library books, and notes, and a pair of gym shoes to leave at school that he/she can put on and tie or velcro him/herself and a planner. That's it. Any school supplies you purchase will be great for doing "homework" activities. A Grade One sized desk is very small, and because your child will have no experience with keeping it tidy and organized, the less complicated we can make it for him/her, the better!
Back to school nerves may be setting in with all this talk about September. Remind your child that the teacher doesn't expect your child to know everything -- it's my job to teach him/her how to read, spell, print, add, subtract, paint, and build. If your child already knew all this, why would there be teachers? What I want your child to know on the first day is that he/she is a smart cookie and can learn anything! The brain is just like a muscle -- if you lift the weights, you get stronger: if you work hard at learning, and practise school skills, you get smarter. (I'm not just being encouraging here. This concept is backed by educational and psychological research -- you can actually improve your IQ scores with hard work.)
Lastly, moving your child's bedtime closer and closer to their school year bedtime a few minutes per night will make for an easier transition and a less exhausted child by the end of the first week. You might even get a few more minutes to yourself before the September rush begins!
Have a great last week of summer vacation! See you September 5th.
Rubrics Oct 3, 2016
Although "rubric" sounds like a new type of building toy, you have probably seen some come home from your child's Kindergarten years. They are tables that show where your child is achieving on charts of skills (y-axis) and levels of ability that your child has demonstrated (x-axis). Our first Math rubric will be coming home with your child soon. Please read over the box where I have placed a checkmark to see how your child has demonstrated his/her understanding of the four specific areas of skills -- Problem Solving, Understanding Concepts, Application of Procedures, and Communication.
Most children will achieve Levels 2 or 3. Level 3 means that your child has demonstrated appropriate skills and understanding -- your child is achieving what he or she is supposed to achieve. A Level 2 means that your child has demonstrated some of the skills and will still need some time and practise to solidify his/her understanding. Doing the activities at the bottom of the pages will give your child that extra practise.
Level 4's are rare. Sometimes a child will demonstrate more than what is expected of them due to interest, a great idea, or some extra hard work. Pressure to achieve at this level is inappropriate, although we always make those opportunities available and encourage students who are already masters of a skill to go the extra mile.
Level 1's are also rare. If your child is achieving at a Level 1, it indicates that little understanding has been demonstrated. Already, I will have worked in a small group or individually with your child, I may have accommodated your child's needs with supports such as quiet learning space, sitting in close proximity to the teacher during learning, or more guided practise time. I may also have had your child work with a peer partner or demonstrate his/her understanding by having him/her tell me about his/her thinking and scribing for your child. Sometimes, I also do an individual interview to help me assess your child's understanding. A level 1 will mean more time and practise is needed, possibly of a foundation skill, and I will be letting you know what the plan is for improvement.
Please read over the rubric, sign the bottom, and return it to me with any questions or comments. I will return the rubrics to you at the end of the term.
Most children will achieve Levels 2 or 3. Level 3 means that your child has demonstrated appropriate skills and understanding -- your child is achieving what he or she is supposed to achieve. A Level 2 means that your child has demonstrated some of the skills and will still need some time and practise to solidify his/her understanding. Doing the activities at the bottom of the pages will give your child that extra practise.
Level 4's are rare. Sometimes a child will demonstrate more than what is expected of them due to interest, a great idea, or some extra hard work. Pressure to achieve at this level is inappropriate, although we always make those opportunities available and encourage students who are already masters of a skill to go the extra mile.
Level 1's are also rare. If your child is achieving at a Level 1, it indicates that little understanding has been demonstrated. Already, I will have worked in a small group or individually with your child, I may have accommodated your child's needs with supports such as quiet learning space, sitting in close proximity to the teacher during learning, or more guided practise time. I may also have had your child work with a peer partner or demonstrate his/her understanding by having him/her tell me about his/her thinking and scribing for your child. Sometimes, I also do an individual interview to help me assess your child's understanding. A level 1 will mean more time and practise is needed, possibly of a foundation skill, and I will be letting you know what the plan is for improvement.
Please read over the rubric, sign the bottom, and return it to me with any questions or comments. I will return the rubrics to you at the end of the term.
Dress Code
With the arrival of a new school year, it is timely to review our school dress code. These restrictions have been established to help ensure a positive, safe and productive learning environment for all students.
Footwear: It is important that children wear shoes at all times. Should there be a need to evacuate, the students would be able to do so, quickly and safely, with appropriate footwear on their feet.
Students are discouraged from wearing sponge soled “flip-flops” or “Heelie” shoes as they are unsafe. Shoes with closed toes, heels and rubber soles must be worn on any equipment, and socks and running shoes are required for gym.
Clothing: Student clothing must be protective against all kinds of weather (ie: sun, rain…) and must be appropriate for the school’s
learning environment.
Clothing in which the midriff or backs are exposed (ie: muscle shirts, mesh or transparent clothing, tube or halter tops, racer back
tops, and spaghetti straps) may not be worn to school. Straps should be the width of three student fingers. Shorts or skirts must be an acceptable length: mid-thigh is appropriate. Under garments must not be visible.
Students will be asked to call home for a change of clothing when they are wearing unsuitable clothing, or alternate clothing will be provided. Repeated transgressions, or refusal to comply, will result in progressively escalating consequences.
The following items are never appropriate in the school setting: Any clothing or jewellery that contains swearing, violence, nudity, alcohol and/or drug references, racial or gender slurs, and/or negative social messages (ie: gang emblems, anti-school
messages).
Head Gear: Head gear (including hats, toques, baseball caps, bandanas and sweat bands) are not to be worn inside the school by boys or girls, other than for religious or cultural reasons or for special activity days.
Footwear: It is important that children wear shoes at all times. Should there be a need to evacuate, the students would be able to do so, quickly and safely, with appropriate footwear on their feet.
Students are discouraged from wearing sponge soled “flip-flops” or “Heelie” shoes as they are unsafe. Shoes with closed toes, heels and rubber soles must be worn on any equipment, and socks and running shoes are required for gym.
Clothing: Student clothing must be protective against all kinds of weather (ie: sun, rain…) and must be appropriate for the school’s
learning environment.
Clothing in which the midriff or backs are exposed (ie: muscle shirts, mesh or transparent clothing, tube or halter tops, racer back
tops, and spaghetti straps) may not be worn to school. Straps should be the width of three student fingers. Shorts or skirts must be an acceptable length: mid-thigh is appropriate. Under garments must not be visible.
Students will be asked to call home for a change of clothing when they are wearing unsuitable clothing, or alternate clothing will be provided. Repeated transgressions, or refusal to comply, will result in progressively escalating consequences.
The following items are never appropriate in the school setting: Any clothing or jewellery that contains swearing, violence, nudity, alcohol and/or drug references, racial or gender slurs, and/or negative social messages (ie: gang emblems, anti-school
messages).
Head Gear: Head gear (including hats, toques, baseball caps, bandanas and sweat bands) are not to be worn inside the school by boys or girls, other than for religious or cultural reasons or for special activity days.
Mindfulness Nov 1, 2016
We have begun a new school-wide initiative about Mindfulness. It has varied definitions but could be thought of this way -- "a stable, clear and alert awareness of momentary experience. In present-time awareness, we are awake and alive to the moment. We know sensory experience – sights, sounds, sensations, thoughts – and we know that we’re knowing," "a sense of cognitive-emotional balance." (Matthew Brensilver PhD, http://www.mindfulschools.org/foundational-concepts/what-is-mindfulness/).
To begin our journey, we have been trying to find stillness. We sit comfortably and then remind each body part, from toes to head, to "Be still" as we take a deep breath in and then slowly out. Having a still body helps your brain stay focussed. On Friday, we watched this video to help the students understand why deep breathing can be a very simple and effective way to find calm and get from the "Red Zone" back into the "Green Zone." For more information, please see the Mindful Schools website: mindfulschools.org
To begin our journey, we have been trying to find stillness. We sit comfortably and then remind each body part, from toes to head, to "Be still" as we take a deep breath in and then slowly out. Having a still body helps your brain stay focussed. On Friday, we watched this video to help the students understand why deep breathing can be a very simple and effective way to find calm and get from the "Red Zone" back into the "Green Zone." For more information, please see the Mindful Schools website: mindfulschools.org
Summer "I'm bored!" List July 2016
I hope everyone is having a restful, fun summer vacation. With all the time spent at the computer or table, here are some real things to do when boredom strikes.
Get out the hose
- set up the sprinkler but don't just run through it
- limbo under it
- play beach ball volleyball with the water as the net
- play water soccer (you score when you get the ball through the water tunnel)
- set up a bike wash, or a car wash (ask parents first), or a dog wash (ask the dogs first)
- play Sponge Tag
- fill up buckets with water and place them around the yard.
- everyone gets 2 sponges to start. Get them dripping wet, and throw them to tag opponents.
- make up a rule for what happens when you get tagged (you have to count to 20 before you can join back in, you have to
run all the way around the house, whatever everyone agrees to)
- you can steal your opponent's sponges that he/she has thrown at you if they miss, but it gets harder to be accurate if you
are carrying a lot of sponges
Ideas with Paper
- make an new fashioned paper doll
- take a photograph of your child in a bathing suit in a neutral body position
- print it out on stiff paper and cut it out
- trace the shape on plain paper and design fabuous outfits to colour, cut out (leave tabs of paper over the shoulders or at
the waist so the "clothes" stay on the paper doll), and dress your doll up.
- using paper, or other more impermeable materials, design and build a boat
- use Lego passengers, or if you are really ambitious, larger toys
- test them in the pool or the tub
- create gorgeous paper airplanes and go for distance, height, or trick flights.
On the Driveway
- using sidewalk chalk, empty plastic bottles or sand buckets, homemade stop signs, set up a bicycle rodeo challenge. Don't forget
to wear your helmet!
- using sidewalk chalk, draw a hockey rink and have a road hockey tournament
- using water and a paintbrush, paint water designs on the cement
- Skip! If you only have 2 people, tie one end to something and have one person turn while the other one jumps
Get out the hose
- set up the sprinkler but don't just run through it
- limbo under it
- play beach ball volleyball with the water as the net
- play water soccer (you score when you get the ball through the water tunnel)
- set up a bike wash, or a car wash (ask parents first), or a dog wash (ask the dogs first)
- play Sponge Tag
- fill up buckets with water and place them around the yard.
- everyone gets 2 sponges to start. Get them dripping wet, and throw them to tag opponents.
- make up a rule for what happens when you get tagged (you have to count to 20 before you can join back in, you have to
run all the way around the house, whatever everyone agrees to)
- you can steal your opponent's sponges that he/she has thrown at you if they miss, but it gets harder to be accurate if you
are carrying a lot of sponges
Ideas with Paper
- make an new fashioned paper doll
- take a photograph of your child in a bathing suit in a neutral body position
- print it out on stiff paper and cut it out
- trace the shape on plain paper and design fabuous outfits to colour, cut out (leave tabs of paper over the shoulders or at
the waist so the "clothes" stay on the paper doll), and dress your doll up.
- using paper, or other more impermeable materials, design and build a boat
- use Lego passengers, or if you are really ambitious, larger toys
- test them in the pool or the tub
- create gorgeous paper airplanes and go for distance, height, or trick flights.
On the Driveway
- using sidewalk chalk, empty plastic bottles or sand buckets, homemade stop signs, set up a bicycle rodeo challenge. Don't forget
to wear your helmet!
- using sidewalk chalk, draw a hockey rink and have a road hockey tournament
- using water and a paintbrush, paint water designs on the cement
- Skip! If you only have 2 people, tie one end to something and have one person turn while the other one jumps