Sept 26 - 30, 2022

Hello, Grade 1 families!

Learning Intention: I can appreciate multiple points of view, languages, cultures, and experiences within my groups and communities. 

This week we learned about the importance of Orange Shirt Day and how Every Child Matters. We learned about Phyliss and her experience with residential schools. This is how Orange Short Day began. We also listened to Phyliss's story about her experience and shared how this would make us feel. Some of the emotions we discussed were sadness, anger, and frustration. 

As a school, we are committed to Every Child Matters and acknowledging the survivors of residential schools. Each class took up this learning in different, age-appropriate ways. Every student created a feather that will become part of a whole-school collaborative art piece. On Thursday morning, we began our day with an interactive land acknowledgment created by the Calgary Public Library and the singing of a morning Cree song. Our class was so proud of four of our students who made a plan, wrote a script, and shared it during our whole-school morning announcements. It filled my heart when I heard them clapping and cheering for their friends. 

One request. Please encourage your child to go to the bathroom before leaving for school each morning. 

Sept 19 - 23, 2022

 Hello, Grade 1 Families, 

Learning Intention: I can record observable seasonal changes over a period of time. 

In Grade 1 we have been exploring our outdoor learning space and Fish Creek Park. We have been using sit spots to quietly and intentionally observe what is around us, what we see, hear and touch. As we progress through the year, we will watch the plants and trees in our school space and Fish Creek Park to see how they change through the different seasons. We have a pet tree this year that we will be observing and documenting through the seasons as well. Students are also identifying the colours of each season. We noticed that in summer, many leaves are green except for the Choke Cherry Tree (our pet tree) as the leaves are a dark purple. I wonder what we will notice when fall arrives. 

Sept 12 - 16, 2022

 Hello, Grade 1 Families, 

Learning Intention: I can recognize and analyze letters and sounds in words. 

Every day we have been meeting as a group and focusing on a new letter. We started our learning at the beginning of the alphabet. Students are learning letter names and sounds. We also focus on the correct mouth position for the sound and are reminded not to add extra sounds such as "uh" to our letter sounds. This time is filled with movement, the ABC song, searching for letters, and learning how to write each letter. As we move closer to the end of September, we will split our reading time into small groups and intentionally plan lessons for each group based on their reading needs. 

Students have been bringing home decodable books (printed) that they can use their letter sound knowledge to read. Please read these books with your child and work on decoding each sound/word. Students bring these books back to school each day and pick a new one. We want to inspire a sense of joy in reading so will not be sending home these books the entire year. We also began going to the library this week. Our library day will be Tuesday. I have signed our class up for Lalilo, an online literacy program, and Raz-Kids (online books). Login instructions were sent home in your child's red folder. 

Sept 6 - 9, 2022

Hello, Grade 1 Families!

Learning Intention: I can create healthy relationships with my peers and friends built on trust and respect. 

We begin each day in a Sharing Circle. We have a new way of greeting each other every morning and then moving around the circle, we respond to a new prompt. Students are learning the names of their peers and finding things in common with each other. We are working on building a classroom community where we all feel safe, listened to and respected. 

During our Sharing Circles, we follow protocols such as listening to others when they are talking, we pass a sharing stone around and the one holding the stone is able to share, students are encouraged to share but do not have to share and can say: "pass", everyone is equal and everyone belongs. 

For example: 

• Greeting: Roll the ball to a peer and say good morning. 
• Sharing: What is your favourite thing to do at recess? Share something you are grateful for. 
• Activity: Who's Missing Game - a couple of students close their eyes while I ask one child to move outside the room. They open their eyes and try to figure out who is missing.