Week #12: Nov. 18th - 22nd

Dear Families,

Can you believe that December is just around the corner?!  This week has brought a fair bit of drizzle and grey skies, but here's hoping for some sunshine this weekend (fingers crossed).

It sure doesn't look or feel like the snow is coming, but I’m sure many of you may have been eagerly awaiting its arrival to hit the hills at Blue Mountain or your private ski clubs. :)

I want to take a moment to thank you, parents, for ensuring your child has the appropriate clothing for whatever weather comes our way—rain, snow, or anything in between.  After all, we live in an area that embraces all four seasons!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend spent with family!

NIGHTHAWK SPIRIT:

Shoutout to our amazing students showing school spirit by wearing their Nighthawk gear and school colors on Fridays! 🦅💙 

Your pride and participation demonstrate unity, teamwork, and love for our school family. 

Let’s keep the spirit soaring—join in and show your Nighthawk pride every Friday.  Together, we shine brighter! 🌟

CHARACTER RECOGNITION ASSEMBLY:

Next week, Mrs. O's grade 1's and Mrs. Hammond's grade 3's will be leading a special assembly to honour students who demonstrate exceptional character in their thoughts, words, and actions. 

This exciting event will take place on Wednesday, November 27th at 9:45 AM in the gym.  It is also a dress up spirit day, so please dress up in your bright NEON colours!

As always, we warmly welcome all families to attend and celebrate with us! :)

Please note, I have personally notified the parents of students who will be recognized for their courage and bravery.  We hope you can join us in celebrating these remarkable students if you're able to attend! :)

EMPATHY & COMPASSION ASSEMBLY:

Here’s another exciting announcement!  The next month, our class is proud to lead a Character Education Assembly on Tuesday, December 17th at 9:30 AM. 

This special assembly promises to be memorable, featuring songs, drumming, performances by the primary choir and the Grade 7/8 instrumental ensemble, and a heartwarming slideshow celebrating all of our students at Nottawa.

This is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the empathy, compassion, and achievements of our incredible staff and students—you won’t want to miss it! 

Please mark your calendars and join us for this celebration of character and community :)

In the coming days, your child will bring home their speaking parts to practice. Thank you for supporting their public speaking journey as they prepare to showcase, share, and shine! 

WINTER CELEBRATION CONCERT:

We’re excited to invite you to our Winter Holiday Concert on Wed. Dec. 11th at 6:30 PM! 🎶 

My students will perform 2 songs with Mrs. Cavill (their music teacher): 

The Sleigh Ride Cup Song & “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas” on their recorders 

Get ready for a festive and heartwarming evening showcasing their talents.  We can’t wait to see you there! 🌟🎵

SONGS TO PRACTICE:

Hello, musicians! 🎵  Please log into Google Classroom, go to RESOURCES, click “Songs for Assembly & Concert,” and please start practicing the songs for our Empathy & Compassion assembly and The Winter Holiday Concert. 

Don’t forget to use your recorders at home and find some cups to master your part in our fun, engaging songs! 

Keep practicing, your dedication will make our performances amazing! 🌟🎶

OPHEA FAMILY SURVEY:

Each year our school and our school board participate in the OPHEA healthy schools program. This year, our school will focus learning and support on the areas of physical health and mental health. 

You will hear your child talk about Mindful Mondays, whole school DPA, breathing techniques, conflict resolution and much more. 

One part of the OPHEA healthy schools program is to engage with our parents and our school community. 

We need your help in identifying what as a school we are doing well from your perspective and what other areas we can address, implement new things or improve in terms of physical and mental health. 

Please take a few minutes to complete this survey (see below) to help us grow our Healthy School! Thank you for your time, support, and energy put forth into this survey.

Family School Survey 

NOTEABLE NOTETAKERS:

I’m thrilled to celebrate an incredible achievement by many students in our class (see photos below)!

As you know, I hold high expectations for academics because I believe in your child’s incredible potential and want to help prepare them not only for this grade, but also for their future educational journey and beyond.

This year, we’ve focused on the importance of being attentive, accountable, and engaged during lessons.  I’ve encouraged students to embrace note-taking as a powerful tool to capture key information—building a resource they can utilize for assessments, assignments, and projects.

To all my dedicated students who have embraced this challenge and are actively striving to reach their potential, I’m so proud of you! 

Your hard work and determination are shaping essential skills for success, and your progress is truly inspiring.  Keep it up—bravo! 👏✨

GRAMMAR RULE #5:

This week, we learned all about plural and singular nouns.  Singular nouns name one person, place, or thing.  Plural nouns name more than one.

Below, I have posted a video which provides examples for this rule.

Please take an opportunity to go over the grammar sheets that came home today and see if your child can share the difference between SINGULAR & PLURAL NOUNS.  

Ask:  When do you add an s, es, or ies to a noun to make it plural?  

MATH:

This week, students completed a Google Form Skills Quiz assessment to reflect on their understanding of Number concepts.  Please ask your child about this :)

This activity allowed students to identify both their strengths and the areas they still need to work on.  It's a great opportunity to celebrate their progress while focusing on their next steps for growth as well. 

To continue building these skills, I encourage your child to review the digital slides available on Google Classroom.  Regular practice at home can reinforce their learning and boost their confidence in math. 

Keep up the great work, everyone, your efforts are paving the way for success! 💻📚✨

LEARNING BUDDIES:

On Monday, we were fortunate to have sunny weather, which allowed us to take our Kindergarten learning buddies outside for some fun and cooperative play!  I even got into the spirit and played a competitive game of Gaga Ball ;)

My students took on the important role of being positive role models, guiding the younger children and encouraging safe, inclusive, and respectful play. 

It was truly heartwarming to see how well they engaged, showing kindness, patience, and responsibility. The experience fills us with pride, and leaves a feeling of connectedness and uplifted by the shared time together.

Check out some of the photos below :)

ALEX:

Alex and Brylee, you are a fantastic t.e.a.m. - "Together, everybody achieves more!"  Amazing job, both of you, you make my teacher heart proud! 😊

A big shout-out to Alex for stepping up to support Brylee with her daily math work.  It’s inspiring to see such leadership and kindness in action! 

Thank you, Alex, for being a role model and helping create a classroom where everyone feels safe and supported to learn and grow.

Let us all keep uplifting one another and celebrating our unique strengths!  

JUNE:

Thank you to June for visiting our portable earlier this week and gifting me with your stunning sketched flower.  Her gentle spirit, kind gestures, and beautiful soul brightened my day and filled it with joy!

Moments like these remind me how special a teacher and child's bond is, and I feel so grateful to share it with her and so many other children here at Nottawa, how blessed am I?! 

Thank you for being so wonderful, June, our connection truly means the world to me! 💐

TAYLOR:

A heartfelt thank you to Taylor and her family for their thoughtful effort in collecting and donating tabs for kids. 

Her kindness and dedication to this cause truly make a difference and reflect the caring spirit of her family. 

It’s inspiring to see this generosity in action, and I am so grateful for the support.  Acts like this remind us of the power of community and compassion, YAY! 

Thank you for making a positive impact, you’re amazing! 🌟

MINDFULNESS:

Your brain is truly extraordinary, with different regions controlling amazing functions that keep you thinking, learning, and thriving! 

Since the very first day of school, we've been exploring and discussing how these regions work, and now it's time to share that knowledge with our family.

Just like a great team, your brain’s regions work best when they work together!

Let’s take a tour to meet these incredible regions and learn how they operate --> click the video below! 

Understanding and appreciating your brain can help you set a positive, peaceful tone for thinking, learning, and playing every single day. 

Enjoy learning about our amazing brain power! 🧠✨

GROWTH MINDSET:

Thank you to June for providing this week's mindset message!  Before the TURNAROUND day in Sept., June keenly shared the following quote:

What does this mean?  Well, sometimes we can’t control what happens around us, like the wind.  But we can CHOOSE how we respond, just like a sailor adjusts the sails on a boat to go in the right direction. 

In life, when things don’t go the way we want, we can still find ways to adjust and keep moving forward towards our goals.  Always look on the bright side of life :-)  There's so much good in it!

With love, grace, and gratitude,

Ms. P. Gill