Oki, Tansi, Hello,
I hope everyone is healthy and safe! Starting next week, our learning will be offered through Google Classroom. The Login Instructions have been e-mailed to you but I’m happy to help troubleshoot if you have any difficulty. My aim is to help you feel supported in offering learning opportunities to your child. However, if the Google Classroom format is not a fit or not accessible to you, feel free to let me know and we can discuss alternate options. I’m sad to be away from my students, but also excited to embark on this new adventure with them. I will be posting daily ideas to help guide your learning at home with simple activities using household materials. As well, I’ll be hosting interactive ‘Google Meet’. These Meet times are optional and I will post videos of the same activities incase you would prefer to view it a more convenient time. I look forward to seeing you soon on Google Classroom! https://classroom.google.com/u/1/c/NjgwMTU1Njk1MTB Transportation Over the past week the students have shown a strong interest learning about transportation. The students have been driving cars down tracks and flying toy planes around the class. So, it is only fitting that we learn about moving machines. Below we have provided some activities you can do with your child at home. We have divided it into areas we focus within the class. Drawing- working on fine motor activities and preprinting writing Story and Song- developing language skills Movement – Learning different ways to move our bodies to help develop our gross motor skills Counting – Learning to count from 0 to 10 and finding different ways to count objects Feel free to incorporate the activities into your daily routine at home. Some suggestions may be
Drawing Use different lines and shapes to make a boat Story and Song ABC Boats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJVQtFdTPrM&list=PLALmCH7_Guv1KdInMcLjig1YjGy2i9huz Blippi and Boats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBax68QdHuY Question? How many different types of boats can you name? Movement Counting
Use the ten frame to count different objects around the house In February we focused on learning about the concepts of love and kindness. We talked about how we show these to each other. We read the story “My Heart is filled with Happiness” and then spent time talking about the many things that fill our own hearts with happiness. The students shared many examples such as dancing with Mrs. Shirley, drumming with Mr. Darcy, storytelling with elders, playing with our friends, and reading stories
The students also learned about ways of showing love to ourselves. One way we demonstrated this was by making a classroom calming space. We found a big cardboard box in the school and at first the students just used it as a tunnel. We decided to transform it into a ‘Calming Box’ by adding relaxing elements. With the students’ help, the Calming Box came to life with colours, stickers, ribbons, a light, music, and windows. This month, we continued winter learning through stories and activities. The class read the book “The Bear Snores On”. We built the students a pretend cave that they used to act out the story. In the book, the other forest animals drink tea and pop popcorn, so the students had a chance to enjoy these treats as well. The bear finally wakes up in the story when he sneezes on pepper. The students got to taste pepper that was sprinkled on French Fries.
Another book we read was “Ten on the Sled” – which helped the students practice learning their numbers. Afterward, we made popsicle stick sleds and re-created the animal characters who rode the sled down a slope. Another day, the students made ‘snowball pudding’ (rice pudding) and helped choose a couple of sweet spices – cardamom and cinnamon – to top it with. This month, the students also enjoyed music by dancing with Ms. Shirley and drumming with Mr. Darcy. Both of these welcomed guests talked about the rhythm of a drum beating like each of our hearts, and like the heart of mother earth. This month we began to celebrate winter and talk about all the activities we do in winter. The kids talked about how much fun they have playing in the snow and how neat it is to catch snowflakes on their hands and look at their designs. On one of the cold days, the class made hot chocolate from scratch and then got to enjoy their creation.
As Christmas neared, the children were excited to have a visit from Santa and enjoyed the gifts he gave them. They also sang “Snow in the Air” at the winter concert. Before starting winter break, it was great to connect with everyone at Parent-Teacher conferences and happy holidays! Tawnshi, Oki, Aaniin, Hello,
During the month of November, we learned about and celebrated Metis culture. We read the Metis story “The Giving Tree” by Leah Dorian, about a Papa telling a story of an old twisted maple tree. He explained that people used to travel to this tree when they were in need of something, since its hollow contained many items such as sugar, flour, moccasins, tea, and tobacco. In the story, the mother had forgotten to pack the sugar for the tea and bannock so they went to the tree’s hollow to get some sugar. The story talks about the importance of placing something in return, such as the mother putting a polka dot cloth in the hollow. The tree was well-respected because it kept giving and it was a place of kindness. After reading this story, the class focused on the concept of giving and taking in a respectful way. We applied this to play with friends during center time by remembering to offer a thank you or another toy when someone shares with us. Another great learning opportunity was when Mr. Johnny visited the class to teach us about Metis jigging and the importance wearing the sash. He described many purposes of the Metis sash, such as cradling babies and wrapping wounds. Lastly, the class tried a couple of hands-on activities to practice Metis traditions. We attempted to do some weaving using cardboard and ribbon and we worked together to make bannock. Reminders: - Please call the office to sign up for Parent Teacher conferences Thursday December 12th or Friday December 13th. - Winter Solstice celebration December 19th 1:30. Tickets will be sent home. Hello, Oki, Tansi, Bonjour Families, To start this month, we talked about Thanksgiving and being grateful. We read the book “Thank you, Kokum”. In the story, Kokum cooks a delicious stew and shares it with all of her community friends. When Kokum’s pot runs out, she does not go hungry because the people she took care of returned to bring her home cooked food. After reading this story, we took the time to make a stew together as a class and shared the meal. Later in October, we celebrated Halloween by pulling out costumes and taking turns role playing different characters. We read the book “5 Little Pumpkins” and acted it out. Another book we read was “Go Away, Big Green Monster”. After reading this book, the students created their own snack monsters using green cream cheese on toast. It was great to see the students dressed in their favourite costumes for Halloween. Reminders - Grandmother Tea November 8 - No School November 11 (Remembrance Day) - Picture retake November 14 - National Métis Week November 10-17th Classroom lost and found please email [email protected] if any of these items belong to you.
Hello, Oki, Tansi, Bonjour Families, The students focused on building their understanding of themselves and others this month. We worked on forming friendships by learning names of classmates and practicing playing well with them. The students also had an opportunity to share their views of themselves by making self-portraits. Our classroom was filled with music as the students sang songs like Old MacDonald and Wheels on the Bus. Their beautiful voices continued to fill the school when they sang at the Celebration of Learning. To acknowledge the journey into Fall equinox, the students had some wonderful Elder time and learned about the medicines Sage and Sweetgrass. Reminders: - Parent Teachers Conferences are October 10 and 11 please call the office to sign up Welcome to Niitsitapi and to this blog. My name is Mr. Ivan. I’ve been a teacher with CBE for 11 years, most of which has been teaching Kindergarten. This is my first year teaching in an Early Development Centre (EDC) and at Niitsitapi. I’m really looking forward to learning new ways of incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing into my teaching practice.
We are lucky to have an amazing team of adults within the classroom to offer the students a wide range of support. Ms. Rebekah is our classroom Speech Language Assistant (SLA) and Ms. Carla is our Early Childhood Practitioner (ECP). Our entrance into the EDC curriculum has focused on becoming familiar with the classroom, people, and school. The students have been becoming familiar with classroom routines such as starting our day with a “Hello” song. They have been learning the names of their classmates, teacher, and other adults in the classroom and at Niitsitapi. During Phys Ed, the students have been practicing navigating their way through an obstacle course. We have also started to learn about the 7 Grandfather teachings. The students are learning to identify the animals and their meanings. These teachings are helping the students understand how to play well with their friends. Our initial school wide focus is going to be around the gifts of grandfather rock and how he helps us tell our story. We really appreciate you sharing your children with us on the start of their journey through school. Thank you for being important teammates in the learning process. Looking forward to having a great year together, Mr. Ivan |