Ms. Michael's Gr. 1/2 Blog

Positive Mental Health   Resources:   Here are some suggested resources for students and their families as they navigate through these challenging times. Many of the WHO resources are available in multiple languages. One of the attached resources,  Talking to Children About COVID-19: A Parent Resource (National Association of School Psychologists and Nurses)  is also available in many languages. Here is where you can find it in multiple languages . https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-climate-safety-and-crisis/health-crisis-resources/talking-to-children-about-covid-19-(coronavirus)-a-parent-resource Helping Children Cope With Stress Coping With Stress During COVID-19 Managing Anxiety and Stress Talking to Children About COVID-19 COVID-19 Parent Handout COVID - 19 Social Story Stay Safe! - Miss Michael ♡

Parents received a system message about Interim K-9 resources and activities to engage children in, for the time  prior  to the scheduled spring break. You can access the resources  here . These activities are easy to do at home using common materials and are engaging for students and families.  We also suggest home reading and home journal writing. Here is a link to some writing prompts.  Writing Prompts - Miss Michael ♡

Here is a link to a kid friendly video that helps explain COVID-19. If you would like to watch with your child(ren), please feel free to have a watch! COVID-19 Kids Video

For the past two weeks we were working on becoming authors. We started out story through brainstorming the setting, characters and plot. We then hand wrote our rough copies before moving on to typing out good copies. We then printed and illustrated our work. We even added an "about the author" page that includes a photo! The students were so proud of their work that they did a read aloud to other classes within the school. I can't wait to hear your feedback once these great stories get sent home! - Miss Michael ❣ Reminders Homework was due today Home reading is due on Tuesday Parent - Teacher Conferences are POSTPONED Fun Lunch - POSTPONED  Jersey Day is on March 18th!  Spring Break! - The last day of classes is on March 19th (this is a full day of school!) Classes resume on March 30th 

Today we discovered a new math manipulative. CUISENAIRE RODS! They are really cool because you can use them for measurement, making ten, twenty, and probably even thirty! You can also use them to help you solve math problems as well as create patterns. Today we simply explored with them and the kiddos discovered lots of interesting things about them! We will be using cuisenaire rods a lot in the next few weeks. Keep your eyes open for more pictures about the tasks that we are doing in the classroom. Take a look at these awesome pictures of the students' discoveries! - Miss Michael 🐔 Reminders Parent - Teacher conferences are on March 19th and 20th -If you are unable to book an appointment online or are unable to make the allotted times, please email me ASAP! Fun Lunch is on March 17th Jersey Day is on March 18th  Please return math problem that went home! Spring Break! - The last day of classes is on March 19th. Classes will resume on March ...

Today some of the grade threes joined us for health. We started to learn about the different systems of the body. We learned about the skeletal and respiratory systems. The skeletal system is all about the bones and the respiratory system is all about how we breathe. Here is what the grade ones and twos have to say about what they learned. "Your spine holds your body up." - SD "You can breathe 20,000 times in one day." - VH "The spine is flexible if you do a back bend." - SS "The cilia takes the germs from your body." - SM "If you didn't have your spine you'd be a blob." - CR "Infants have more bones than adults." - YE We will learn about some more systems in the next two weeks! - Miss Michael 😻 Reminders Parent - Teacher conferences are on March 19th and 20h you are able to book now! Fun Lunch is on March 17th - If you would like to order you must go online to healthy hunger.  Jersey Day is ...

For the past 4 days the grade ones and twos have been working hard on creating their play for tonights performance. I was thankful that we have been working on story writing because they were able to write a great story with our Tricksters, Chris and Ryan. We created different movements and shapes with our props and when we did it during the tech rehearsal this morning, everything looked so AMAZING! I hope that everyone comes to tonights performance because you will REALLY enjoy the show! Here are some reminders for tonight! If you have a child in Show A, the show is from 6:00 - 6:45 If you have a child in Show B, the show is from 7:15 - 8:00 Once students are in their classrooms they will NOT be able to leave to go to the bathroom or get a drink during the performance. Please make sure that their needs are met BEFORE bringing them to their class. There is a 30 min break between shows to allow for seating of the second show. This would be a time to also take your children to...

You probably saw the math problem that went home and the target that was attached to it! This target is actually a self-assessment that the grade ones and twos complete after they finish their problem of the week! If they feel confident with the strategy that they are using, they would color the inside of the target. If they feel like that need a bit more practice with the strategy, then they would color the second ring. If they don't feel confident with this strategy, then they colored the outside of the ring. We do these self-assessments so that students take ownership of their work and responsibility for their learning. It makes them feel more confident when they are able to look at their work and understand where they are at with their learning. - Miss Michael 🙉 Reminders Today was the last day to hand in the forms for the Thursday evening ticket performance. If you were unable to get tickets or are unable to come there will be a show during the day on Friday...

The ticket order form for the evening performances on Thursday, March 5 needed to be returned to the school today. If you forgot, send the order form in asap; we need to draw for  extra  tickets. Today, your child will be bringing home the tickets you requested. Please check their backpacks. Keep your tickets in a safe place (a magnet on the fridge?). You NEED to present the tickets at the door to get into the show! If you have any questions call the school at 403-777-6670. Today we got to meet our Trickster! He was so cool and the kiddos thought that he was so funny! He taught us some really interesting formations and movements that I know you will see during the performance!  Here is what we thought about our Trickster Residency so far! "I like when we took the pillows and ran away!" - KL "I really really really really liked the part when we took the pillows and leaned against each other." - HB "I liked when we pull our pillows on ...

Today we read a short paragraph about the Mi'kmaq canoes and wigwams. The Mi'kmaq people lived in the area that we call Nova Scotia. The Mi'kmaq people used wigwams as their shelters because they are able to move them. They also build their canoes so that they are able to easily cary them. We learned that this is called "portage". Their wigwams and canoes are made out of materials that are all found in the woods. They used caribou skin, birchbark, rush mats, and every wigwam had a heath to cook and warm up their home. It was important to have a hole at the top of the wigwam so that the smoke can come out. Here is an example of what we sketched to show our understanding. - Miss Michael ♡ Reminders Please return math problem signed Please return trickster ticket form before Monday If you are not coming to the Thursday performance, you need to email me ASAP Home work is due tomorrow!

On Monday we had a lacrosse coach come and teach us some basic lacrosse skills. He came back today and we worked on our skills some more! Some cool tricks that we learned were flip the pancake, draw a circle, throw and catch, throw and catch on the reverse side, and scoop up the ball. We had so much fun playing the different games and learning different skills. We even got free tickets  to a lacrosse game! I was very impressed with how the grade ones and twos played and how much they improved in two days! Ask your kiddo about their favorite part of lacrosse. - Miss Michael  💙 Reminders Please return math that went home on Monday Trickster forms went home today. Please specify how many tickets you will need for the show. If your child is unable to attend the show in the evening, please email me and let me know. These forms need to be returned ASAP! The show is on Thursday March 5th. We are show B - 7:15 - 8:00

Today we did a close reading about boat manufacturing in Nova Scotia. One thing that caught our attention was how they repaired the boats! We learned that the boats are repaired during low tide. But, what is low tide? The Grade ones and twos were wondering this, so we looked at a time lapse video of water going from high tide to low tide and back again. The next question that the grade ones and twos asked was where does the water go? Some of their ideas were really great! Like there's a giant hole that the water falls in or that someone has a bucket and takes the water. What we discovered was that it has everything to do with the moon! THE MOON?!? Ask your grade one or two what the changing tides have to do with the moon! - Miss Michael Reminders Tomorrow is Library! Please return your books Pink shirt day is tomorrow! - Wear a pink shirt or a shirt that makes you feel great! Tomorrow is fun lunch!

The grade ones and twos recently just finished planning, writing, and illustrating a class story. We are now taking what we have learned from this experience and applying our knowledge to write our own stories. We are currently in the planning stage of our stories. I read a few of the plans and I can't wait to see these plans written down in a story! Ask your Gr. 1 or 2 about their setting, protagonists, and antagonists and their big problem! We will continue to work hard on our stories so that when we publish them we can share them with confidence! - Miss Michael ♡ Reminders Homework was due today Fun Lunch is on the 26th  Spirit Day is on the 26th - It is pink shirt day. If you do not have a pink shirt, don't worry! Just wear your favorite shirt that makes you feel really good and special! 

Today the grade ones and two tried their hand at snowshoeing. I think that they realized that snowshoeing is way harder than it looks. I was so proud of the kiddos because they were such good sports! I heard tons of laughter even when some students got frustrated. I think that the hardest part for me was putting these shoes on! I think our grade ones and twos have gone through a growth spurt because these shoes barely fit! Here is what the kiddos had to say. "It was so fun!" - YE "It was so fun having a race with GH." - LC "I wonder if you can go down mountains with them?" - WCB "It was so hard but we kept trying." AI "I really enjoyed it and I didn't have a chance to go far because the shoes kept falling!" SS "It was so amazing I really had fun!" ZC "I had so much fun trying it!" LA "I didn't really get to go far but it was still kinda fun." HB "My shoe fell off so many times and I o...

  Today we started our art that will be displayed in the hallways during the Trickster performance. As you know, we have started to work on Meteghan and their culture. We also learned that the Mi'kmaq were First Nations people that live in the Nova Scotia area. We read about the 8 pointed star and will be creating it by using toothpicks that will imitate the Mi'kmaq's quillwork. Please ask your Grade 1 or 2 student about something that they learned about the 8 point star. - Miss Michael ♡ Reminders Fun Lunch is on Feb 26th  Spirit Day is on Feb 26th - It is pink shirt day! 

Today we did a close reading about lighthouses. We learned that . .. "If there is a storm you can't see the light and you can't see the land where you need to go. So instead they use a foghorn so they can't crash into something." - SS "In the past people lived in lighthouses. They were called lighthouse keepers." - RW & SS "Lighthouses stop boats from crashing." - CR "Lighthouses help boats by being a navigational aid." - SD "The main feature of a lighthouse is a light." - VH Here is a video of a foghorn that is part of a lighthouse. Take a listen. What do you think people used during bad weather in the past? - Miss Michael ♡ Reminders Tomorrow is home reading! Library is on Wednesday If you choose to hand out Valentines day cards, we will be doing this on Wednesday! There is NO SCHOOL on Thursday, Friday or Monday! February 18th is 100 days of school! The grades ones and twos are going t...

For the past two days the grade ones and twos have been working on designing and creating a farm. They had to understand what perimeter is so that they could create different pens for their farm animals. For example, if they wanted to have chickens on their farm, they had to know that for every chicken there needed to be two pieces of fence. So if they wanted 3 chickens, than the perimeter of their fence needed to be six popsicle sticks around. Take a look at their farms to get an idea of just how hard they have been working! - Miss Michael ♡ Reminders Homework is due tomorrow!  Home reading is due on Tuesday There will be NO HOMEWORK sent home next week because the week is so short! There is NO SCHOOL on February 13th, 14th, and 17th If you are choosing to make valentines for the class, those will be handed out on February 12th 

Today the grade ones and twos did a visualization of a lighthouse. It was very interesting to see their take on the description because a lot of students weren't really sure what a lighthouse was! After looking at a bunch of lighthouses in Nova Scotia/Meteghan, we learned what they looked like and what their purpose it. "In the past they used fires as a lighthouse. They used light so boats can see." - ZC "If there's a red light that could mean that theirs rocks around." - VH "When they're lost the lighthouse can help them." - SM Ask your Kiddo about what they learned about lighthouses. - Miss Michael ♡ Reminders Tomorrow is picture day! Return report card envelops Homework is due on Friday

Today the grade ones and twos did an experiment on different types of liquids. We created a liquid tower using honey, dish soap, water, and olive oil. When we finished pouring the different liquids into a cup, this is what it looked like . . . . Here is what the kiddos discovered! "The dice and paperclip went all the way to the bottom and the liquids didn't mix together" - SS "The Honey stayed at the bottom because it was the heaviest." - LC "The olive oil went to the top because it was the lightest." - IC "The bottle cap floated on the water." - SD "All of the liquids are a different weight." - VH "The honey holding the dice and the paperclip." SM There was so much that the kiddos learned! Please make sure to ask them about it at home! - Miss Michael ♡ Reminders The 12th is the last day of school before Valentines Day. Please read the notice regarding this! The 100th day of scho...

We had such an amazing time at the Museum! It was so amazing to see the students engaged in such hands on learning! I was so happy to see all of the smiling faces as they explored the museum. Thank you so much to our amazing volunteers that helped make our trip possible and successful! - Miss Michael  ♡ Reminders There is NO SCHOOL tomorrow! - Have a great weekend! Library is on MONDAY Next week Home reading is due on Tuesday Class pictures are on Wednesday!