Firstly, apologies. I had intended to give you all more class updates, but got sidelined by my car, the ferries, a storm, and... well.... a pandemic. I like writing about our class, and I intend to do it lots.
Needful details first:
1. Transportation is still weird, so keep doing your best. I take attendance before 8:45, so if you're running late just make sure to have kids sign in at the office.
2. Attending: If kids aren't sick, please encourage them to be at school. We're doing a lot of really fundamental things this time of year, and unnecessary absences really affect learning.
3. Student Information and Permission Forms: Thanks for getting those in. I'll start emailing those who haven't next week. If it didn't make it home, please ask sims@sd64.org for a replacement.
4. Covid Rules: The more that kids take it upon themselves follow our protocols, the less I need to remind. The less nagging I do, the more time we have for learning. Our biggest challenge right now is getting kids to avoid physical contact. While they are intelligent young people, they really want to be a pile of puppies sometimes. Please talk to your kids about this... I truly hate nagging kids for doing what would be, under normal circumstances, caring friendly behaviour. Overall, they're doing a great job of following the plan.
5. Meeting the Creature: Email me to set up a time! Zoom, email, phone, and outdoors meetings work great. We'll keep this up throughout the year.
It really is a lovely class, and I'm so happy to be teaching here. It's year 27 for me, and it's just getting more fun. This is what we're up to this week:
Math: Integers (new for 6, review for 7). We can add and subtract using both positive and negative numbers. Next steps: 2-4 digit addition and subtraction with integers, then multiplication and division. We're relying on number lines to visualize.
Literacy: We have 2 routines running so far: Morning grammar/spelling/parts of speech, and reflective writing. Our reflections are going into Classroom, so your child can share those at home.
Science: Forces and Scientific Process. We're working through Newton's Laws, momentum, inertia, mass, and acceleration. I've done some demos for discussion, including Galileo's Canon. Next, we're building physics carts out of toy cars (10-40cm long with free-spinning wheels, just in case you can send one for Monday) that integrate MicroBits for sensing. Kids will write the code for these, then zing them down inclined planes, into things, and probably off small cliffs. We'll use the data to prove Newton's laws.
Socials and Art: Mrs Allan is taking the kids through an awesome unit on the dawn of human society, including some hands-on history. I'll try to send out pictures of their work - it's pretty impressive!
PE: We have 2 units running: Circus props and Volleyball. We do juggling, plate, diabolo, and other props to build bilateral integration (short version: it helps them read) and understand how we learn, set goals, and build skills. It's also something we can do just about anywhere, which helps with our jammed gym and busy schedule.
It seems like a lot, but we're actually being pretty incremental and careful: I really don't want anyone feeling left behind this early! This means there's some wait time between tasks for the quick writers, and they should always have a fun book, quiet craft, or sketchbook at hand. Eventually we'll have enough long-term projects that kids can pivot to them easily, but I don't want to overload folks yet.
So, there we are! I'll put this on the blog, but I'll keep emailing everyone for now.
Have a great weekend!
