Monthly Archives: May 2012

Missed Blogs

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It has been quiet on my blog for a number of days. The days continue to be very busy, and while there have been a number of blog topics circulating in my head, the time to blog has not been available.

I will try and get back to a more regular schedule of blogs. I have heard from a few parents who enjoy reading the them, and it has been a pleasure to see so many positive stories.

In the world of buddies, our English Kindergarten took driving lessons from our grade 7 class. The lessons included stopping, following road signs and finding a parking spot at the local library.

Our creative side is coming out through the work students are doing on the murals for our inner courtyard. We have many panels completed, and thanks to many volunteers, other panels are works in progress.

There are many more stories to share. Stories about research projects, Walk to School, Bike Week, Jump Rope For Heart, novel studies, dress codes, knitting during Fun at Lunch, the Flicker trying to get into a hole in the gym, and many more.

For now, I will leave you with a quick thank you to the Free The Trees volunteers and School District staff who have put in our outdoor classrooms, and who have planted many new trees, shrubs and plants throughout the forest. This Friday will be our Free The Trees day. Let’s hope for good weather.

Take care.

Father/Daughter Dance

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Subtitle: I’ve Never Seen So Many Dads In A School

Tonight is the Father/Daughter Dance. The gym is packed, girls and their fathers are on the dance floor, and the music is hopping. The younger ones have gone outside at times for some play breaks on the space net or on the swings, while their dads stand and watch.

A dedicated group of mothers are working behind the scenes, helping every thing move smoothly.

This one is a new experience for me as I have never seen this type of event in a school. It seems pretty popular here, and the screaming girls in the gym sound like they are having fun, and it sounds like the DJ is willing to give the dads a dance break every once in a while.

It is nice to see the girls and their fathers connect like this. Children of all ages are here. Some kindergarten children are going home before the night is done (I suspect bed time is calling), while older children keep dancing. There may be some tired children (and dads) tomorrow.

Thanks to the organizers. It is nice to see all those smiling faces here tonight.

Have a great weekend, and Happy Mother’s Day.

Take care.

French Students in Quebec

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We have a group of grade 7 students who are currently participating in the North Vancouver School District’s Quebec 2012 trip. Thanks to a staff member at our school board, I was able to get a glimpse into their first days by tracking them on their blog (Quebec 2012). We have a dozen students who have joined this District trip, and I can see many of them in the photos posted there.

Things have changed for French Immersion students over the last few years. More and more schools are moving away from any over night field trips (with Outdoor School being the exception). Parents of younger students may not be aware that Cleveland has not done a grade 7 over night trip for two years (this being year two).

The District has recognized that many schools have stopped offering the traditional year end trip to Quebec, but responded to interest of parents by creating a District trip. This year, thanks to a few teacher volunteers, and the organizational abilities of staff at our Leo Marshall Curriculum Centre, 60 grade 7 students were able to experience this trip. From the photos, there seem to be many happy kids.

Immersion into a completely French environment can be daunting for some, but I believe, based on what I have heard from our students over the year, that they will do very well. Some students will be surprised by how good their French is. Some will gain confidence speaking it when they return. Some are already confident enough, but that may be another story.

I have never been to Auberge (where the group is staying), but the images do bring back memories from my days growing up in Quebec. New leaes are starting to come out on the trees, and it looks warm right now.

I look forward to hearing all about their trip when they return, and I trust that they will have some awesome stories for us.

Take care.

Google in Education

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I recently came across the Google in Education web site. I started off being a bit skeptical about an education site from Google. Are they using educators to help set up the page? Will they include lessons on appropriate use? Will the site be of use for teachers, parents and students?

So, I explored, and here are some of the things I found:

Google in Education Report: The document font is too small for me to read comfortably on my laptop, but I will download it to read later on (when I can enlarge the font). It looks like an interesting read.

Google Family Safety Center: The first page has some good tips for home computer use and things to teach children. I like the first one – Keep computers in a central place. I think this can now apply to children’s smart phones or iPod Touches. If the device can be used to communicate with others, I think having them in bedrooms can be problematic for some. Students in grades 4 and 5 report getting text messages after 11:00 pm from friends.

Lesson Plans: This site has some lesson plans that can be searched by category, subject or age. I looked at a few lesson plans, and on one (Story Buddies) I was pleased to see an evaluation rubric included at the bottom of the page. Rubrics are an excellent tool for evaluating a person’s work, and to provide some guidance about what the expectations are for the assignment.

Google for Students: This section seems to be aimed at students who are older than the children at Cleveland. If you have older students, this page may be of more interest to them.

I am less skeptical about this site now. It seems to have some good ideas.

I don’t know if this site will be of use to families, but try it. I think the sits still has room for improvement, and perhaps they are working on it. I would like to see some more for students about using cell phones and texting appropriately. Perhaps include some cautionary stories from teens who have experienced the down side of using mobile devices.

Take care.