To begin our Brain Week activities, we enjoyed a visit from Dr. Chudler, a neuroscientist from the University of Washington. He shared a great deal of information about the size of our brains, how many neurons are in our brain, and how information is transmitted.
We had lots of fun on Valentine's day! In the morning, we write an FSA which arguably may not have been fun, but we completed our goals and did our best. After that, we met up with our Grade 1 buddies and enjoyed creating a craft together tracing our hands cutting them out and making designs using oil pastels. At lunchtime, Sofia had organized a Secret Valentine exchange which was so much fun. Everyone felt special because their Secret Valentine spent some time thinking all about them and tried to create a gift which they would like. We were fortunate to have an enthusiastic group of nursing students visit us from Camosun college. This group of students shared their knowledge about the effects of having drinks with a large amount of sugar. Students hypothesized about the amount of sugar in each kind of drink and shared how they thought this would affect their teeth and general health. The Camosun students also guided us through an experiment where we submerged chicken bones in different liquids and left them for a week. We observed many changes in the bones, including the colour, the structure and the SMELL! We used the document camera to observe more closely the changes in these bones. After all this, we made posters to share with other students in the school telling them how important it is to drink water! The sun is shining, the weather is cold but the Grade 4's are still having fun at recess. The latest fascination for the students is the rainbow loom. How wonderful to see the students teach themselves and each other how to create these intricate pieces. Today in assembly, Mr. Farish from the Middle School brought the Grade 8 band to play for us. He taught us about all the families in the band: woodwinds, percussion, and brass. We enjoyed seeing some old faces who used to go to the Junior School as well as many new ones. We enjoyed listening to the story of Little Red Riding Hood shared with us through music. Thank you Mr. Farish and the Grade 8 band. The Grade 4 students have been preparing since the beginning of September for their first concert. Mrs. Smith has helped them to learn how to hold their instruments, how to make beautiful sounds, how to read music and how to listen to one anothe and play together. indeed this is a great deal of learning in 3 months. Congratulations Grade 4! Last week, the students in Grade 4 visited the residents at James Bay Care Home. This service trip is a regular trip that happens for all students in our Junior School once a year. We decide as a class what we would like to share with the seniors, considering their interests and how we would like to communicate. This year, we decided to share some of our individual musical talents as well as some of our 'old favourite' picture books. We learned a great deal about the lives of the seniors and tried to ask questions that were important for them. We are so grateful to spend time with some of the senior members of our community. We are so grateful to David and his mother, Dr. Baker, for sharing parts of their Hanukkah traditions with our class. David shared the story of Hanukkah and lit the Menorah for us. Dr. Baker made potato latkes for us which we enjoyed with sour cream and apple sauce. Many teachers smelled the latkes and came for a visit. What a wonderful celebration. We are so grateful to David and his mother, Dr. Baker, for sharing parts of their Hanukkah traditions with our class. David shared the story of Hanukkah and lit the Menorah for us. Dr. Baker made potato latkes for us which we enjoyed with sour cream and apple sauce. Many teachers smelled the latkes and came for a visit. What a wonderful celebration. We are so grateful to David and his mother, Dr. Baker, for sharing parts of their Hanukkah traditions with our class. David shared the story of Hannukah and lit the Menorah for us. Dr. Baker made potato latkes for us which we enjoyed with sour cream and apple sauce. Many teachers smelled the latkes and came for a visit. What a wonderful celebration. What a great day we enjoyed at Swan Lake. We learned how local plants and animals have adapted to survive in their habitats. What other animal's behavioral or physical adaptations can you think of that help them survive where you live?Today in assembly the student service committee presented an intiative which will have us support World Vision. Alexandra Hayes, from World Vision spoke to us about the how the money we raise helps others. She taught us some Swahili to help us understand that when we help children in other countries we can help them have less worries. Hakuna Matata means no worries! With the money we raise we can buy different animals and give the gift of hope to families and communities. The students suggested ways that they could help out at home to earn money to donate. Cleaning, sweeping, washing dishes and doing yardwork were all ways mentioned that students could earn money. What jobs or chores could you do to earn money to World Vision? |