Faith-filled Snow Day!

Despite the snow day, we had almost half the students in the class. Those of us who were here got to share in our week 4 Advent Liturgy which was all about love. We also watched The Nativity Story which is a beautiful retelling of the birth of Jesus. We were able to make many connections between our liturgy and the movie!

PS We saved our Math test for when everyone would be here :) So be prepared for tomorrow (don't worry I'm sure you'll do great!)
PPS I am finalizing our special project. Fingers-crossed that everything will be ready for tomorrow :)
PPS Don't forget the Secret Santa gifts for tomorrow!

Oops! Look like I owe you some awesome!

Monday's Awesome

Finishing a book in one night

How cool is that?! AWESOME!

Tuesday's Awesome

Enthusiastic Hellos

My favourite moment of the day is always Autumn running up to me with open arms and yelling Maman, as though we haven't seen each other in ages. AWESOME!

Today's Awesome

Snowdays

Loved them as a kid and still love them, even though I now have to go school ;) Snow days are special days that are totally AWESOME!

Week 3 Advent Liturgy

Today the students participated in the third liturgy of this Advent season. The pink candle is a symbol of joy as we anticipate the birth of Jesus. We also give thanks and rejoice for the many blessings we have in our lives, including a loving family, shelter, food, access to education and good friends and neighbours. May we pray for those who are less fortunate than ourselves and always be a light to others through our words and our actions.

Thursday's little bit of awesome

Lone Star

Probably my favourite restaurant. What's not to love? Comfortable atmosphere, country music, unlimited supply of nacho chips and salsa, fajitas, con queso dip. Totally delicious, totally AWESOME!

Friday's awesomeness

Getting your hair cut

Goodbye split ends - Hello AWESOME!

Math Madness

Today, I was very fortunate to get to spend the whole day learning about Math and I even got to visit a grade 6 Math class from Holy Redeemer! It was really cool! Even cooler? In January, all these teachers will be coming to see our Math class. I know you are going to knock the socks right off them!

Wednesday's Awesomeness

Microphones

How great are microphones? They let you record your own voice so that you can hear what you really sound like. You can even plug them right into to your computer and have a singing contest! So grab that microphone and belt out some AWESOME!

PS I totally beat my husband in the singing competition :)

Beautifully Inspired Art

Today we finished (ok, most of you did!) our paintings inspired by the famous Aboriginal artist Norval Morrisseau. They turned out beautiful! I love the use of vivid colour, thick black lines, symbols and organic shapes. It's starting to look like we have a professional gallery in our classroom!

Today's awesome

Catching up with an old friend

It's great when you can see someone after months and it seems like no time has passed at all. AWESOME!

Calculating Area & Perimeter

The grade 6s have been hard at work calculating area and perimeter of rectangles and parallelograms. Tomorrow we will be adding triangles too! Woohoo! We've been cutting out shapes and using the Smartboard to help us figure out formulas and the relationships between the shapes. Tomorrow we will work with more manipulatives (including geoboards!) to continue our inquiry. Can't wait!

Today's bit of awesome

Christmas Carols

I admit it.... I absolutely love Christmas Carols! The old classics as well as new songs made to celebrate the season (my current favourite is Snow Globe by Matt Wertz). Nothing brings a smile to my face like I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas (really, who even thought of that song, it's fantastic!). Songs like these that make you laugh, other like War is over make you reflect, songs like Joy to the World allow us to rejoice and songs like Christmas Shoes make you cry (every single time!). What a great way to celebrate all of the blessings in our lives and be thankful for the time we get to spend with our loved ones. Evoking some of the best memories ever through the power of song? AWESOME!

Book Club Update

Well we are about halfway done our book clubs and the groups are doing such an amazing job! By now, almost everyone has had every job; Discussion Director, Summarizer, Connector, Word Wizard, Passage Picker and Illustrator. I am so impressed by your discussions and I love when group members disagree; it is great to hear you argue your points and respectfully listen to the viewpoints of others. I can't wait until next week when you start your special side projects too - you all came up with great ideas!

Today's Awesome

Sharing your talents

The world is full of so many talented people. Scratch that, our class community is full of so many talented people! Amazing artists, amazing musicians, amazing dancers, amazing athletes, amazing mathematicians, amazing crane stringers :), etc. (I could go on FOREVER!). God has given us each special gifts and it is so great to see people sharing them with others. It truly helps make our world a better place :) AWESOME!

Yesterday's Awesome

Butterfly Kisses

Kisses with just your lashes. Can't help but bring a smile to your face. AWESOME!

Week 2 Advent Liturgy

Today we held another class liturgy for the second week of Advent. The liturgy focused on Mary and Joseph's humanity and their belief and trust in God. The students read and sang beautifully, my personal favourite being Children of the Light. I am looking forward to next week's liturgy!

Wednesday's Awesome

Sharing a laugh with a friend

They say laughter is the best medicine and I must say I wholeheartedly agree. I love when things are not only funny in the moment, but when you can think about it days later and still have a it bring a smile upon your face. Can't help but think that's AWESOME!

Norval Morrisseau: Picasso of the North

Today we discussed my favourite First Nations artist, Norval Morrisseau. He was a pioneer of the Woodland Art and painted in an x-ray style. He was the first artist to take Aboriginal legends and myths and turn them into visual representations. This afternoon, we studied many of his paintings and looked at how his Aboriginal and Catholic upbringing affected his art. I was very impressed by the depth of our conversation! I can't wait to see how you will interpret his style in your very own painting (I even bought canvases!). Here is the video we watched, the song playing in the background is by famous Inuit artist Susan Aglukark and is entitled Hina Na Ho (Celebration):



Today's awesome

Extended Christmas Hours

So, for several years now, I have not enjoyed shopping. I don't like the crowds or being surrounded by so much stuff I don't want or need. Thus, I usually do my shopping online, it is so much more convenient. Sometimes though, it is simply better to go out to a store and find the item you are looking for. Enter holiday hours. Everyone thinks the stores are closed, so no one is shopping. Meanwhile, I am browsing the aisles, enjoying the Christmas songs, free of crowds. Hello AWESOME!

P.S. Most stores have changed their hours to 10pm close but Toys R' Us switched over to midnight - this actually seems excessive to me. People do need to sleep after all :)

Scale Model Presentations

Wow! What great presentations today! I was really impressed your hard work and creativity! I can't wait to see the rest of the groups tomorrow!

Monday's Awesome

Joining the 10 Book Club

Woohoo! I finally made it in the 10 Book Club! I am so excited! I am in good company too; Gabbie, Grace, Leah, Emily C., Jessica, Caitlin are already in there too! I can't wait for more names to be added to the list! Now, just 20 more books to go before the end of the year. AWESOME!

Scale Models are Finished

Woohoo! The scale models of Aboriginal villages are finally finished and they look great! I can't wait to see your presentations next week (especially the original part!). I just know they are going to be fantastic!

Friday Awesomeness

Getting your first pick in Secret Santa

Who doesn't love Secret Santa? It's fun, secretive and encompasses the spirit of the season. It is a chance to make someone's day by giving them a little gift that celebrates who they are as a person. This is always fun, although it can be stressful if you don't choose the name of someone you know very well. So, when you close your eyes, pick that name, read and realize it's the person you would have chosen if you could have, you feel like the stars are aligned in that moment. Talk about AWESOME!

Special Advent Liturgy

Today we had a very special Advent liturgy in our classroom. Despite only being given their readings this morning, the students read their parts eloquently and together we sang a beautiful closing song. We also talked about how important it is to be a light to others as we prepare our hearts for Jesus' arrival.

Today's awesome

Watching the Christmas tree lights dance

Have you ever just stared at Christmas tree lights? There is something so hypnotic about the way way they appear to be dancing. Every time I see them, I watch in amazement. They truly brighten my day. AWESOME!

Yesterday's awesomeness

Great Doctors

I have the utmost respect for Doctors. They go to school for a VERY long time and are life-long learners who do everything they can to help their patients. Yesterday, while I watched nervously, a very calm, cool and collected Doctor told me that Autumn had dislocated her elbow. Within minutes, and while keeping Autumn calm, he put it right back into place as though nothing had ever happened. Walking away feeling like you just won the Doctor Lottery? AWESOME!