Over the last few weeks we have used the technique of Printmaking to create a Christmas or Winter scene. The students also used construction paper and a tracing of their foot and hands to make their own reindeer. With watercolours, black tempera paint and a straw they made some beautiful Autumn trees. A special thanks to the parents who helped us in the classroom. The Printmaking is being displayed on the bulletin board by the office during the month of December.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae on May 3, 1915 in Ypres, Begium
The local police shared some Hallowe’en safety tips with the students in our school district.
Thanks for inviting me to participate in your blog. It’s a great way to share information and keep in touch with people anywhere in the world. 3 years ago my family and I took some time off and traveled around the world. To keep in touch we kept a blog with pictures and a diary of what we did and where we went. If you want to read our blog you can find it here. Eventually we turned the blog into a book that we have at home. Above is a picture of where we were 3 years ago exactly. We were in Thailand on an island called Koh Chang. We went on an elephant trek and while we were on it the driver stopped to give the elephant a bath and invited us to swim with her. It was one of the highlights of our trip. This elephant is an Indian elephant. Do you know how to tell the difference between an African and an Indian elephant?
It’s the Chinese New Year and the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. And all over the world, wherever there is a Chinatown, the festivities are a colourful display of dragon dances, lantern festivals, feasts and of course firecrackers! This is the year of the snake and if you were born in 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001 or 2013 you are also a snake. Snakes are determined, wise and intense. Which Chinese zodiac animal is your sign? What qualities of that animal do you possess?
A New Year’s Resolution is a commitment a person makes to improving themselves. Examples of resolutions are to get more exercise, eat healthier or do more reading. The New Year is a sign of a new beginning and when someone makes a New Year Resolution they try to do it for the whole year. Have you thought about a New Year’s Resolution? I’d like to wish everyone continuing success in 2013 and good luck with your resolutions.
It will soon be summer and the students are starting to think about swimming, camping and travelling with their families. It has been an a wonderful experience blogging with my students. To date our class blog has had over 3,000 unique visitors from 80 countries.
I would like to encourage all the students in Division 7 to keep up with their reading over the summer. If you can, join the reading program at the local public library. A chapter book is a great thing to take along on your family vacation. Reading is the single most important factor in the success of a student at school. So many of the different subject areas involve being able to read with a good level of comprehension. I want to wish everyone a safe and happy summer break and good luck to all the students next year in grade four.
A couple from Britain were visiting Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park. They set up their camera on the rocks to get a picture of themselves with the lake and the mountains in the background. The noise from their cameras autofocus sparked the curiosity of an inquisitive Columbian ground squirrel. When the timer on the camera took the picture the Columbian ground squirrel had crashed the photo! Thanks to the internet the Columbian ground squirrel is now famous and even has his own twitter account.
For over 50 years NORAD has tracked Santa for children on Christmas Eve. The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.” The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.
On December 24th visit the NORAD website and see where Santa is on Christmas Eve and when he will be visiting you in Canada. There is also the Countdown Village where children can visit Santa’s helpers at the North Pole and play fun Christmas games. Below is a video of highlights of Santa’s 2010 journey.
This year October 31st was on a Monday. In the afternoon we participated in the annual costume parade which involves going in and out of every classroom in the school. There were some great costumes and it was clear that everyone had put a lot of thought and time into creating them. This year when the students went trick-or-treating the temperature was cold, but the sky was clear. The evening finished with fireworks at the school.