It warmed my heart to bake maple gingerbread cookies and play floor hockey with these kids...even though "Team Australia" beat us by one goal! Featuring Star Citizens, our Arts excursion, our feats of engineering attempting to get a soccer ball (success!) and a hula hoop (fail!) out of a tree, and the disco on Thursday night... The quality of this particular clip isn't the best, but we were on a tight schedule--my old class back in Canada has their farewell assembly tomorrow, and then they're off on summer break! Enjoy our musical best wishes to them... Wherein we find the photos of our most recent Star Citizens, who've shown such kindness and generosity, along with one of that time we wheeled some kid with a hurt knee back to class from the computer room on a rolling swivel chair (that I may or may not have been coveting as another classroom chair, though I later returned it)...and of course that time we made it into the newspaper! The Advertiser staff was strict about "four kids maximum" for the photo and quotes, despite my appeal to get the whole class in there. Still, it's a pretty good article, that will be a lovely keepsake of my time here. Thank you all, once again, for so warmly welcoming me to CLG. My first experience of Enterprise Day involved lots of fun and learning. The students worked hard in the weeks prior planning, designing, and creating. On the day itself, they (and a few helpful parents!) did a terrific job at the stalls. Thanks go as well to all parents who contributed to the cost of food and drink...our class raised over $300 that day! Though we were sad to say goodbye to our beloved igloo, it's quite nice to look around our classroom and feel that it's extra spacious now! ;) I learned what Harmony Day is all about this year, as we don't celebrate that in Canada. However, Canada (like Australia) is a cultural mosaic made richer by its many waves of immigration over the years, so the message really resonated with me. I found it very interesting to hear the kids talk about their family heritage, and share some special artifacts showcasing those cultures. I hope you enjoy it as well! (By the way, your kids might be annoyed that some of their favourite bloopers were deleted, but I had to deal with the length constraints set forth by our iCloud/Youtube overlords...if it's any consolation, I cut myself out of the movie too!) March 17, St. Patrick's Day, is a celebration of Irish culture that's a pretty big deal throughout North America. This was my first St. Paddy's Day where I haven't been surrounded by kids wearing green outfits, leprechaun beards, shamrock tattoos, and the occasional hat in the shape of a giant Guinness beer (yes, really)...but I couldn't let it pass without encouraging these Australian kids to try and trap a leprechaun! On the 14th day of the 3rd month (that's right: 3.14), we celebrated Pi Day by learning how to measure different parts of circles using pi. And, of course, we also measured some sliced apples, lemon juice, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt, and baked some pie! Whether or not the kids remember the formulae from the circle song ("pi r squared sounds like area to me..."), hopefully they've gained some skills in the kitchen. ;) Many thanks to those parents who sent in pans for us to use! |
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