Tomorrow is the last day of school. We have a 'Canada Day' themed Spirit Day...so please remind your children to come to school wearing as much red and white as possible. Fun hats, silly hair and other bling are encouraged! We will dance the "Whip Whip, Nae, Nae" at the assembly...what a perfect way to celebrate together one last time!
The clues have been handed out, the excitement is palpable. Wednesday June 28th is the day that we exchange our "Secret Summer Surprise" gifts!!! We will be exchanging the gifts first thing in the morning, so please double check that your child has the gift packed in their backpacks :)
Wednesday is also a very special day because it is our "MEGA party" day. Room 5 has been invited to wear a hat or have crazy hair and bring a stuffie to school on Wednesday. We will enjoy an ice cream treat, extra time outside and lots of fun! Another awesome update...our amazing #geese4life crew have decided that 'back by popular demand' we will be performing our smash hit "Watch Me-Whip, Whip, Nae, Nae"...only this time dressed in Canada Day/Summer fun. We will perform at the "last day of school assembly" on Thursday, June 29th. I told them that their energy, willingness to perform and teamwork was reason #150 that I have loved teaching this group. :)
http://www.ontariofunpass.com/
I came across this wonderful resource and wanted to share. Copy and paste the website above. There you will find a few simple steps that will allow you to load up and print coupons.
Sean Covey "The 7 Habits of Happy Kids"
Dinner table (or driving) discussion: Start up a conversation and ask your children if they know what 'the golden rule' is. When learning to negotiate or when working in a group, a powerful skill is the ability to put ourselves in someone else's shoes. To think about what would make everyone happy and to think 'win-win' when making a plan. In our house, we try to remind our children that you should always treat people the way you would want to be treated. We talk about recess a lot in our house and we try to offer strategies, i.e: when deciding what game to play at recess, do a 'survey' and ask what your friends want to plan. Make a plan and try to find a 'win-win' where everyone gets their choice at some point throughout the day or week. Room 5 has been learning all about mindfulness and guided relaxation techniques. Ask your child to demonstrate the 'peaceful breathing' exercise. :) Each session we discuss how we can use the skills we are learning in class to help us in and out of school. Sean Covey "The 7 Habits of Happy Kids"
Dinner table (or driving) discussion: Ask your children if they know what the word "procrastinate' means. From there, tell them about a time when you left a project or studying for a test until the night before. Ask them if they have ever done the same and then ask them how it made them feel. Discuss the idea that preparing for work ahead of time or doing work a little bit each night will help lower stress and increase our chances of a successful outcome. In our house, we don't have many assignments to worry about just yet. So to teach the concept of 'work first, then play' I use a timer to set aside a 'train your brain' time. This "train your brain" involves working on basic skills even if there is no assignment at the end. The timer is set for 20mins and my kiddos can choose the activity that they want to work on. A "train your brain" session happens before TV time or play dates. It is our hope that this reinforces the idea that you get your work done before you play. This cartoon depicts what most of us busy care givers feel at times. I don't know about you, but my mind is always full! :)Full of to do lists, full of creative ideas for my classroom, full of activities/playdate planning and other items as I act as "cruise director for my little ones at home.
Mindfulness is something that has been around for ages and yet is only recently catching popularity with our 'popular culture'. While attending The Toronto Yoga Conference back in April, I had a chance to take a few courses and immerse myself in the culture. Over the next few weeks,your child will have the opportunity to learn some wonderful tips and techniques for creating moments of calm and happiness. We will begin in the classroom, and it is my hope that on beautiful days we'll be able to sneak outside. Please send a towel, in a plastic bag, with your child to school tomorrow. The towel will stay at school to be available for moments when we can 'stop, drop and meditate' Thanks! |
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June 2020
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