Dear Families,
With Halloween approaching next week, the children sure are buzzing with excitement and sharing about their costumes! I remember as a kid I used to as well and have many fond memories of dressing up and trick or treating with my friends :-)
On the 31st, we encourage the children to dress up to celebrate Halloween and show school spirit! It could be in their actual costumes or in PURPLE, ORANGE, and BLACK.
Please note, if your child decides to wear his or her costume, the school is NOT responsible for any lost or damaged accessories.
So please be mindful of this and remind your child(ren) to take care of their items so they will not be disappointed when they go trick or treating in the evening. Thank you for reinforcing this information with your child.
I'll be sure to post a class picture of us all dressed up in our Halloween gear in next week's post! Stay tuned :-)
CULTURAL APPROPRIATION & HALLOWEEN COSTUMES:
This is a friendly reminder that Simcoe County District School Board schools are spaces where we value student inclusion and diversity every day of the year!
With Halloween approaching, it is a time when we need to remind our students that “Culture is not a costume.” #IAmNotACostume
Though dressing up at Halloween is fun and exciting, depending upon the choice of costume we choose to wear, it also runs the risk of being offensive to other cultures.
As parents and guardians, Halloween is the opportunity to discuss costume choices with your child. It is important not to inadvertently mimic culture by culturally appropriating racial, religious or ethnic groups.
Some critical equity questions to ask yourself about your costume. Am I reinforcing stereotypes with the image I am portraying? Is my costume a form of exploitation of another culture?
Check out the link below for more information → How to celebrate Halloween WITHOUT cultural appropriation or racist stereotypes – Parents for Diversity
Any further questions about this, please direct them to the office and speak with Mrs. Mortimer who has kindly asked us to share this information.
CHARACTER RECOGNITION ASSEMBLY:Next week, Mrs. Kutcy's grade 1/2 class will be leading our first character recognition assembly with a focus on the attributes of CARING & KINDNESS.
It will take place on Monday October 28th at 2:00PM. Additionally, students and staff are asked to dress up in their Nottawa spirit wear or colours (blue, grey, white) to help build our school spirit at the assembly!
I can't wait as it'll be amazing to see everyone in our gymnasium showing their Nighthawk pride :-) Let's do this!
As always, all families are welcome to attend! Please note, I have notified the specific parents whose child is receiving an award.
Please keep this information a surprise as it will be exciting for them to hear their name in front of the school :)
I will be sure to honour our class family recipients in next week's blog update! Stay tuned :)
GRAMMAR RULE #1:
This week, we started a unit on grammar and punctuation. I will be introducing one new grammar rule a week and we will practice using the rule(s) whenever we write.
Learning about proper grammar will help enhance our sentence structure skills.
Our focus this week has been learning about the parts of a sentence which include the subject and predicate. Please ask your child about this, I am hopeful, you will be thrilled at how much they've consolidated this concept!
The video below defines and demonstrates both subject and predicate as necessary components of forming complete sentences.
We watched the video below in class and it gave us some practice to help us identify the subject (noun) and the predicate (verb) of sentences. Check it out :)
Each week, students will complete their activities in class via guided (with the teacher), shared (with a peer), and independent (on their own). Once this is done, these sheets will come home in the agenda.
When you have time, please review the grammar rule with your child to help solidify and help enhance their skills. I would really appreciate this!
For example: Write a sentence. Circle the subject. Underline the predicate.
Next week, our focus will be on learning about the 4 Types of Sentences (statement, question, command, and exclamation).
MATH:
We have been working hard in class on representing and comparing whole numbers 1,000 (grade 3) & 10,000 (grade 4).
Please note, I have posted my Google Slides lessons and accompanying student activities on Google Classroom. Please have your child show you this over the weekend :)
This week, I also had students show what they know by writing a number diagnostic assessment.
I shared with my class that this year, assessments will emphasize celebrating our stars (strengths) and arrows (areas to improve/continue to work on).
I will provide lots of class time for assessment completion as well as provide lunch and learn opportunities to support their achievement. I am very proud of everyone for doing their personal best thus far in our place value unit!
AUTOBIOGRAPHY PRESENTATIONS:
In class, we have been working hard at learning how to be an effective public speaker. I have provided mini-lessons to help enhance my students' understanding of speaking in public.
Your child also came home with their very own copy of the Oral Presentations Criteria that I encourage you to keep at home as it will come in handy throughout the school year and can even be utilized throughout the rest of their years at Nottawa Elementary :-)
As many may know and feel, talking in front of a large crowd can be daunting. However, we can choose the meaning of F.E.A.R.
Face Everything And RUN or Face Everything And RISE
It's up to us to choose the final R word (run or rise). We've talked about this in class so your child is familiar with this. Please ask them about F.E.A.R. and how we can overcome it.
See chart below of what makes an effective presenter. Please take some time over the weekend to have your child practice for their presentation by using the specific criteria provided. We will continue this into next week as well.
Over the next while, students will be given the opportunity to do an oral presentation for their completed autobiographies.
Several kids have been working hard in class and at home to prepare for this and many even unsubmitted their work to make revisions to their slides to help enhance them to be more detailed and presentation ready. AMAZING :-)
It brings me immense joy when students receive and utilize feedback to make improvements to their work. This demonstrates their willingness to apply constructive feedback to learn and grow!
SOCIAL STUDIES:
In Social Studies, students will be learning about Heritage & Identity. I have listed the specific expectations for each grade :)
Please note, I have posted an interactive digital workbook for your child on Google Classroom with all the lessons I will be providing and the accompanying activities to complete.
I encourage families to check this out over the weekend so you can see what we will be learning about :)
You will notice that answer slides are given in the slide deck, however, I encourage the children to first try the questions on their own after my mini-lesson, and then check their answers for understanding.
Grade 3's:
Strand A. Heritage and Identity: Communities in Canada, 1780–1850 (Nov. to Feb.)
Grade 4's:
Strand A. Heritage and Identity: Early Societies to 1500 CE (Nov. to Feb.)
compare social organization (e.g., social classes, general political structure, inherited privilege, the status of women) in a few early societies, including at least one First Nation and one Inuit society (e.g., a slave-owning and a feudal society; a matrilineal First Nation and a society in medieval Asia)
compare aspects of the daily lives of different groups within a few early societies, including at least one First Nation and one Inuit society (e.g., the work, family life, education, food, dress, and/or housing of a slave and a senator in ancient Rome; women of different castes in medieval India; a serf and lord in feudal England; a man and a woman in medieval China or in early Mohawk society; a merchant and noble in Renaissance Italy), and explain how differences were related to the social organization of that society
describe some of the ways in which their daily life differs from the lives of young people from different backgrounds (e.g., wealthy, poor, slave, urban, rural) in a few early societies, including at least one First Nation and one Inuit society (e.g., with reference to family life, education, leisure time and recreation, responsibilities, work)
compare a few early societies, including at least one First Nation and one Inuit society, in terms of their relationship with the environment (e.g., with reference to seasonal rhythms, use of land and resources, differences between urban and rural communities, religious and spiritual practices/beliefs with respect to the environment), and describe some key similarities and differences in environmental practices between these societies and present-day Canada
JAMES, FINLEY L. & AVERY:
Every time a child lovingly brings in tabs for kids, it brings me immense joy because they (and you) are LIVING & GIVING to a foundation that needs it the most.
Thank you to all the children and families who are consistently doing their part to provide tabs to support other kids who need accessibility. It's truly making a difference!
A special shout out to James who brought in another 5 gallon water bottle for us to start filling because the other one is now full!
Way to go boys and girls. At this rate, we'll likely fill this one up by the end of the school year or sooner!?
CROSS COUNTRY COUNTY MEET:
So proud of Charlotte, June, Isla and Avery for their outstanding performance at this week’s cross-country county meet!
These girls are among the top runners in SCDSB for their age group (grade 4)!
For me, their achievement goes beyond their athleticism—it reflects their dedication, perseverance, and determination to push themselves to their full potential in such a challenging race.
Check out their individual achievements below. I'm in complete awe 🏃♀️
Charlotte 9th place overall with a pace of 6:39/K and a finishing time of 11:58.4
June 53rd place overall with a pace of 7:14/K and a finishing time of 13:00.9
Isla 140th place overall with a pace of 8:18/K and a finishing time of 14:55.9
Avery 142nd place overall with a pace of 8:18/K and a finishing time of 14:56.1
WOWIE, what extraordinary individual achievements you've earned, racing against 169 runners in Simcoe County!
Congratulations on such a great accomplishment! Keep up your amazing efforts in and out of the classroom girls! I am so PROUD OF EACH OF YOU 💙🙏🏾💙
#NighthawkPride
GROWTH MINDSET:
The quote below encourages a shift in mindset from feeling overwhelmed to embracing challenges with patience. Rather than viewing something as "too hard," which implies defeat or frustration, the focus is on accepting that the task may require effort and time.
"Instead of - this is TOO HARD. Try thinking - this may TAKE SOME TIME."
It's about adopting a growth mindset, recognizing that persistence, learning, and practice are key to overcoming difficulties, instead of giving up at the first sign of difficulty.
After all, it's the challenges we face that help us learn and grow our brain power! #wegotthis
With love, grace, and gratitude,
Ms. P. Gill
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