Book Clubs

What an exciting day we had! Today was the first meeting of our book clubs and I was so impressed with how well prepared you all were. The discussion directors had a a really hard task, and they all had thought-provoking questions that led to big discussions. I think everyone really enjoyed the experience of sharing their ideas and opinions about the books they were reading,. I can't wait to do it it again tomorrow!!!

PS Here are all 5 books we are reading:

Rules by Cynthia Lord ( I read this one a few years ago and really enjoyed it!)

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie (by Jordan Sonnenblick just finished this one tonight, quite the tear jerker!)

Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix (I am hoping to start this one tonight - look like an awesome sci-fi mystery!)

Alexandria of Africa by Eric Walters (The one I would have chosen if I got to pick a book for book club, can't wait to read it when you are finished!)

Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby (I was sad that I didn't get to read this one right away either since all 6 copies were taken - from what I gather, this too is very emotional)

Today's awesomeness.... Drum roll please....

Book Clubs!

What could be better than getting together with friends to discuss a great book you have read? It is a great opportunity to get a deeper understanding of the text, appreciate other peoples points of view and maybe even learn something about yourself along the way. AWESOME!

PS Bet you saw that one coming!

Do they know it's Christmas?

As we begin this very special time of year, Advent, we should reflect on what Christmas really means. As our prayer this morning, we listened to the song, "Do they know it's Christmas?". We talked about the importance of giving versus receiving and also taking the time to give thanks for the many blessings in our lives as we are all truly fortunate. During the Advent season, I challenge you to think about others and how you can make this a special time of year for them. Perhaps you will decide to purchase a toy for Toy Mountain, maybe you will decide to participate in our Share the Wartmth campaign or maybe you will just go out of your way to be nice to someone. Whatever you do, it should be a concious action that celebrates the joy of the season.

Today's awesome

Visiting Santa Claus

Autumn has been excited for weeks. She has been practicing her line. "Père Noël, je veux un bébé svp". As we waited in line to see the jolly man, her excitement grew. When she caught a glimpse of him, her smile expanded and she giggled Père Noël! When it was our turn, she started walking towards him and then changed her mind. Even after being given candy and a gift by Santa, she had a hard time posing for a picture. Then came the option of pictures; option number 1: Santa looking down, Autumn clearly trying to get away. Option 2: Santa smiling, Autumn looking traumatized. It was a tough choice. As we walked away, asked her if she was excited she got to see Santa. She responded with a big YES. Awesome!

A World of Stories

On Thursday, our school was fortunate to see a performance by Salamander Theatre entitled A World of Stories. This interactive performance featured one of the largest puppets in Ottawa. The show explored various cultures and through stories, the students got to travel to Africa and India, Europe and Asia to discover a world of traditions.

And now for some much delayed awesome:

Thursday's awesomeness

Appreciating all of life's little blessings

It is amazing how many times a day you could stop and thing wow, I am truly blessed. Perhaps someone brought you a freshly baked muffin, still warm from the oven (your favourite flavour none the less), perhaps you ran into an old friend and realized that they were living their dream, or perhaps you just stopped and realized how great it is that all of these small things can have such a positive impact on your outlook towards life. After all, isn't that what celebrating awesome is all about?
AWESOME!

Friday's bit of awesome

Movie Theatre Popcorn

Freshly popped with real butter, truly a taste sensation in your mouth. Eating this could even make the dullest movie enjoyable. So take a seat, watch those previews and enjoy every bite of AWESOME!

Survey says...

For the past few days, the students have been conducting surveys of their choice. They created the questions, checked for bias, studied the data, drew conclusions and even assessed the work of others. This was a great experience that allowed them to see how much planning must go into survey if they are to get effective results. I'm sure it also helped prepare them for the test tomorrow :)

Today's bit of awesome

Falling asleep in the bathtub after you turned the bubbles on

I know what you're thinking... How could someone fall asleep in the bathtub after they turn those jets on? Well, when you are really tired I guess you could fall asleep anywhere! Just close your eyes and imagine waking up being surrounded by mounds and mounds of bubbles - it is a pretty funny sight and you can't help but laugh out loud. Waking up in a sea of bubbles? AWESOME!

Teacher Appreciation Day

Well, as if I hadn't missed you enough already, today I came back to find myself right in the middle of teacher appreciation day! Wow! I was so impressed with all the hard work you all put in to make today a success! I know the other teachers were all as amazed as I was by your dedication and commitment to the activities of the day! The assembly, the poem, the rap (sooo cool!), the slideshow, the MCs, the golden apple, the posters, flowers, cranes, etc. I feel like a superstar! Thanks you for making me feel so special!

So, I actually had all these amazing things happen today I don't think I could choose just one! Well, I guess I could try, here it is:

Today's awesomeness

When you hear a baby justifying their thoughts

Alright, she is now 2, maybe she's no longer considered a baby, but still... Today, my little angel said and I quote "Le soleil est couché parce que c'est la nuit". I don't want to say she's brilliant, but she is already justifying her thoughts, which is a pretty hard thing to do at any age. My husband then went on to explain to her that it's night because the Earth is turning. So now her sentence is something like this " C'est la nuit parce que la Terre tourne".
Awesome!

Miss you!

Oh my goodness! I can't believe it's been almost one week since I've seen you all! It is crazy how time flies! I am very excited to see you tomorrow and learn about all the exciting you did while I was away! I just know you were super productive! I am really excited to see how your scale models are coming along and I can't wait to read your adverb stories about the most boring party in history! I hope you had a great time collecting the data for your graphs, I can't wait to see what topics you chose!

Can't wait to see you tomorrow! Mme

Sorry I've been MIA (missing in action) for awesomeness lately. Here is an update on all the awesome things that have happened in my life:)

Thursday's awesome

Finishing a great book

I'm sure you know the feeling. You have been swept away by the author's words and transported into a new and exciting world. You have made new acquaintances and wonder how everything will turn out for them. When you get to that last page, you are satisfied knowing how the adventure ends. Even better? Now you get to start a new book and let the magic begin all over again. Awesome!


Friday's awesome

Walking in to a clean classroom after you have been away

I wasn't sure what I was going to walk into on Friday morning, but as I unlocked that door and walked inside, a large smile spread across my face. Not only was it clean, it was cleaner than I had left it :) Awesome!

Monday's awesome
Sitting in a booth at a restaurant

You walk into a restaurant and quickly scan the seats to see if there are any booths free. Sometimes they are all taken so you have to sit in that hard chair and pretend to be comfortable while you watch the booth-goers happily enjoy their meal. So, when you do get a booth, you are that much better prepared to fully appreciate the experience. Next time you get seated at a booth, sit down in that comfy seat, smile and order up some awesome!

Jingle Bells Walkathon

Woohoo! Today was our school Walk-a-thon! We walked 6 laps (1 lap for each year) and raised tons of money in our Santa hats! We finished the day day off will some well earned hot chocolate and a granola bar. Thank you so much to Parent Council and all the parent volunteers (many were parents from our own class!) who made the day a success! Congratulations to Brendan who won a prize and really, to all students, as no one went home empty handed. Who would have thought the winner of Principal for a day would be an SK student? Pretty neat! What a great day!

Today's awesome

Realizing you have 1 lap instead of 2 to be finished your Walk-a-thon

The moment of realization is upon you - pure joy! Awesome!