Dear Families,

It was a busy Friday here at Nottawa Elementary!  As always, our school showed excellent spirit for our assembly today dressing up in our GREEN and COWBOY hats!  YEEHAW!  Our school's green team did an excellent job delivering their message to reduce, reuse, and recycle EVERYDAY! Together, we can help KEEP our planet healthy and green!

Their smiles say it ALL, we love our planet Earth!

Character Recognition Assembly:

Today, we had our third character recognition assembly to celebrate November’s character trait of Courage – “We do the right thing, even when it’s difficult.”  Congratulations to our recipients Hannah N. and Pierce.  I am so proud of you for striving to be the best you can BE in and out of the classroom.  Continue on this path and you’ll succeed in all that you set out to do!

Way to go Hannah and Pierce!

“There is within each one of us a potential for goodness beyond our imagination for giving which seeks no reqard, for listening without judgement, for loving unconditionally.”

December’s Character Trait is EMPAHTY – We think about the feelings of others!”

Goodbye Mr. Comish:

On behalf of my students and families, I would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to our amazing principal Mr. Comish as he transitions to his new school on Monday.  We will always remember your kindness, professionalism, and expertise in helping guide students and their families to experience the best education.  I would also personally like to thank you for believing in me as an educator and providing me with the opportunity to be part of the Nottawa family.  It has been a dream come true for me, and it has exceeded all my expectations!!  I am a proud NIGHTHAWK.  We will remember you fondly and carry on your teachings!  Best wishes at Cameron Street, they are fortunate to have YOU!!

Tristan's family saying farewell to Mr. Comish

We're going to MISS YOU!!

Balanced Math & Literacy Workstations:

This week, we spent some time learning about Math and Literacy Workstations!  Students will work in small groups to reinforce and practice learned concepts, in this case, the workstations will have a math and language focus.  They are very excited about this!  Below I have listed the workstations with its accompanying learning goal (see pictures) so you have an idea of what your child will be doing and his/her expectations when they're working in small groups.  They had a blast working with their groups and we will continue these guided groups throughout the year!  Here they are in workstation action!

STEAM Challenge:

S.T.E.A.M. stands for science, techonology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.  The idea behind this is to incorporate these subject areas in a meaningful way for students to engage in activities and challenges that get them exploring, investigating, inquiring, and creating!  

This week in the library, Mrs. Johnson challenged my students to work in a group to create the tallest free standing structure using pipecleaners and scissors.  There was very little direction from the teacher as we encouraged this activity to be student-driven to understand, plan, solve, and explain their thinking. These challenges are an excellent opportunity for students to work on their learning skills, specifically collaboration.  They were so excited to partake in this, and the winning duo was Tate and Wesley.  Great work boys!!  I hope to have more STEAM challenges throughout the school year!  Stay tuned :)

Tate and Wes' tallest free standing tower!!

Growth Mindset:

"Do not be anyone but YOU!"  

Thank you Alexis for this meaningful quote!!

Namaste,

Miss Gill

Dear Families,

We had another fantastic week at school! Below you will see just how amazing it was :) Thank you for taking the time each week to read, support, and celebrate your child's learning!

The blog serves as a vehicle that helps drive learning from school to home!

Student-Led Conferences:
It was a true pleasure meeting with all my students' families this week.  Thank you for taking the time to attend and help celebrate and enjoy all your child's achievements thus far in the school year.  

I am extremely proud of each learner as they clearly, confidently, and calmly led his or her conference by sharing their self-assessment (Progress Report), personal goals, and their "Star" and "Arrow" pieces of work.  It was their chance to shine and they certainly lit up our hearts and minds!

  

Throughout the conferences, I experienced many heart-warming moments with parents and I really appreciate and value all your positive and constructive feedback.  I will use it to continue to provide my best as an educator for your child's academic, social, and behavioural needs.  Meeting the needs of my students is of utmost importance to me and I will always work hard to ensure they receive a compassionate, caring, and safe environment to learn in.  

Again, thank you for your continued support, cooperation, and understanding.  If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at the school or via email pgill@scdsb.on.ca

Poinsettia Fundraiser:

As per the school website on Tues. evening, I am re-posting a message from our School Council to inform families who may not have had a chance to see the message below due to this busy conference week.  

"Attention Parents & Guardians,

Bradford Greenhouses informed us today to let us know that the 10" Poinsettia Tree did not grow to the height they had hoped for!

If you would still like to purchase the 10" Poinsettia Tree it will be $35 instead of $40 and will sit about 4" shorter.  In total the height of the tree will be 32" (from the ground). The pot is 10" tall.    Please make the correction on your child's order form if you are ordering the Tree. 

Thank you for your understanding,

Nottawa ES School Council"  

Health Learning Goal:

We are learning about active and healthy living.  On Tues. I did a lesson surrounding Canada's Food Guide.  It is a tool to help children and adults to make healthy food choices.  We examined an important chart which shows us the recommended amount of servings we should be consuming according to our age and gender.  Students found this process quite intriguing as they compared their serving to their younger and older peers in the class.  Ask your child about the four food groups and how many servings of each food group they are encouraged to have each day :)

Writing Goal:  We are learning to write a Recount.

We have been going deeper into our thinking when we write a personal Recount (retelling an event in sequence).  Students are enjoying planning, drafting (rough copy), and publishing (good copy) their writing pieces using Google Docs.  They may choose to access these recounts on a home device too.  

On Wed. students worked on these docs and the ones who finished had the opportunity to read a peer's writing and provide them with descriptive feedback such as a STAR "I really like how you..." and an ARROW comment "Next time you can..."  The purpose of this feedback is to help improve their achievement for their next piece of writing.

Isla and Graydon reading each other's recount to offer feedback  

Success Criteria - The 4 Parts to a Recount:  

_ I can include a title for my recount.

_ I can explain the orientation (when, who, where, why?).

_ I can have a logical sequence of events (what happened? First, then, next, finally).

_ I can evaluate and provide a personal comment (how do the events make the writer feel?).

Using this Learning Goal and Success Criteria, students are working hard on completing Recounts and they will share their writing with a peer and provide each other feedback (star and arrow comments) to improve their achievement.  I am looking forward to reading and celebrating their growing writing skills!

Websites to Visit:
www.spellingcity.com is a program that will assist in our “Word Study Program,” it's both interactive and FUN!  Please give it a try with next week's words :)

www.math3.nelson.com & www.math4.nelson.com

Both of these math websites offer games, questions to help build upon math skills that we're currently working on and it follows the Nelson math resource I'm using in class.

Kindness PASS IT ON:
On Wed. we received a delightful surprise from Mrs. Shaw's Grade 5/6 students (see pictures below). They took the time to give us a nutritious snack with a hand written message to each of my students to fill our buckets! You should have seen the kids faces light up!  We will now pass this gesture on to another class in the coming weeks to boomerang KINDNESS (what goes around comes around).   
A few weeks ago, I shared the video link below.  It's a useful reminder for giving KINDNESS EVERY DAY!!  Together we can make a difference.  Keep filling buckets boys and girls!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwAYpLVyeFU

Holiday Concert News:
On Mon. you will receive a note in your child's agenda about this special event!  Although it is considered a Primary Concert, but due to my class being a split grade, we will be inclusive and have our Grade 4's participate as well!  Hooray!  I know this will bring joy to my students!  Mr. Morin has been working hard in his music classes to prepare the students to share a song at this concert :)

The concert will be taking place on Wed. Dec. 14th: 

• Dress Rehearsal @ 11:30am 
• Evening Performance @ 6:30pm  

Growth Mindset:

"Encourage others to do the right thing!"

Thank you boys and girls for establishing this mindset as a class family!

Thank you Lola for the sweet gift!

Namaste,

Miss Gill

Dear Families,

This morning all staff and students participated in a Remembrance Day assembly to express our gratitude to all those who have, are and will serve our country.  We are blessed to live with safety and freedom.  Canada is remarkable.  Each day we sing O'Canada, during this time, I ensure that my students and I demonstrate our utmost respect and take time in our own way to say 'thank you' for being part of a wonderful community, country, and world.

I am so proud of my students who participate in choir with Mrs. O and Ms. Stewart. Today at the assembly, 4 girls from our class sang 2 songs with such love and compassion.  Way to go Isla, Hannah W., Lola, and Katelyn!!  You represented our class beautifully.  

Parents who were able to attend, thank you for joining us and sharing your energy and time.  To all the staff members involved in organizing this Remembrance Day honouring, thank you for all your hard work!!!  

Later in our day, I had the students think, brainstorm, and write about “How We Can Bring Peace to Our Classroom.”  Their responses were excellent and I am confident they will implement these words into their daily actions.  Below are some pictures of us writing our peace messages.

Choir Girls

 

Happy Remembrance Day!

Jack working on his Legion Remembrance Day Poster

Progress Reports:

This evening you will have received your child's progress report.  I have encouraged my students to carefully go over the Learning Skills portion of this report and not focus solely on the 'letter (E, G, S, N),' but to read the star (areas of strength) and arrow (areas for improvement) comments. Each child has many areas of strength and areas of growth to celebrate!  It was a joy to write these report cards as I had the opportunity to sit and reflect upon each of my students.  It brought a smile to my face because I'm blessed to teach and have YOUR child in my class everyday!

'Success Criteria' for Learning Skills & Work Habits:

This week, I had students work in small groups to collaborate as a team to come up with their own 'Expectations' and 'Criteria' of what each Learning Skill "Looks Like, Sounds Like, and Feels Like."  The purpose of this activity is to encourage students to set their own goals to help them reinforce their strengths and improve their achievement in the areas of:

• Responsibility
• Independent Work
• Collaboration 
• Initiative
• Organization
• Self-Regulation  

We will be referring to their 'Criteria' that they've established throughout the school year!  I believe in the importance and value of having my students' input and voices heard.  I strongly feel this activity will serve as a purposeful tool in helping the kids put effective work habits into place to achieve their personal best in their academic, social and behavioural learning.

Here are some pictures of what the students came up with!  We'll have a closer look at these when I see you next week for your child's student-led conference!!

Book Fair:

The Nottawa Book Fair will be held the week of Nov. 15th - 21st 

Operation Hours:

• Tues. Nov. 15th - 3:30 - 4:30pm
• Wed. Nov. 16th- 3:30-4:30pm
• Thurs. Nov. 17th - 3:30 - 7:30pm
• Fri. Nov. 18th - 9:00 - 11:30am
• Mon. Nov. 21st - morning

​The book fair will be open during school hours for students to shop as well. 

***Please ensure money is secured in  a labelled baggy to minimize losing it throughout the day.

Graphing:
It was an exciting time Wed. and Thurs. during math!  Students had the opportunity to create their own survey question, collect the data from peers/family, and then use Google Spreadsheets to create their bar graph.  Student engagement was stellar as we got to explore a new techie way to transfer our learning through a new tool - spreadsheets!  We will continue to balance our learning between paper/pencil tasks and using technology meaningfully so students build skills in both areas :)

A special thank you goes out to the Grade 3's who taught the 4's about how to use this program!!  You ROCK :-)

Katelyn helping guide Alexis 

Now she's helping Hannah N. too!  Excellent work!

Google Sheets:
Over the weekend, please have your child share his or her bar graph from google spreadsheets.  They must sign in their google drive account (they know how :).  If you don't have google spreadsheets you may have to download the app.  The students loved working together to figure out this tricky program, and their results are outstanding!  Here are a few completed graphs.

Picture Orders:
All picture orders are due Tuesday.  Please have your child return it in his or her agenda bag and I will give it in to the office.  Thank you.

Big Box Fundraiser:
Our big box fundraiser to support our school music program came home to families this evening. Please read the instructions found on the green sheet attached to your box.  We thank you for your support.

Growth Mindset:
"Everyone you meet is fighting a battle which you may know nothing about.  Be kind.  Always."

Thanks Brock for this powerful image!!

Namaste,

Miss Gill