Daily Update:
A warmer start to the day meant we got to stay outside this morning—fresh air always helps set a positive tone! Our spelling word was “acceleration.” Do you remember what that word means? Today's Show, Not Tell was “The sandwich was gross,” and I was relieved I didn’t have one today! The students really captured this one. We completed our Heggerty Listening games, a reading maze, and our UFLI lesson on syllables using the SmartBoard and our whiteboard paddles. For Work on Writing, we tackled the prompt “Some kind things kids do at Napan.” After struggling with similar ideas in our Book of Gratitude yesterday, we nailed it today. Great job, everyone! We also completed a Read to Self session and shared our writing pieces.

After Recess:
The Grade 1s and 2s worked on even and odd numbers and explored place value. The nice thing about even and odd numbers is that no matter how big the number is, you only need to check the ones place! Unfortunately, I didn’t check in with Mr. Ross to see what the Grade 3s were working on, so I’ll make sure to follow up tomorrow.

After Lunch:
We went to the library with Mrs. Robichaud, who spoke to us about careers that make a difference every day. We also discussed the importance of giving back to the community and how different jobs focus on helping others. We returned to the classroom a little early to meet Allison from Roots of Empathy. We talked about new things baby Kade can do and what makes him sad. This led to a discussion about what makes us sad too.

PE:
We spent about 10 minutes running in the gym before playing four different tag games. One even involved pretending to be a toilet—Mr. Ross certainly keeps things creative! We thanked him for letting us use the gym while he prepared for his next class and headed back upstairs.

End of Day:
We finally finished our hot air balloons! Afterward, students got some free time on the tablets while I updated the Home to School books with current milk and pizza numbers (I forgot yesterday—apologies!). We packed up and got ready for home.

Picture of the Day:
Students were busy working on "what makes them sad," and I had a rare opportunity to hold the Roots of Empathy learning baby before one of the students eagerly took her from me!

Daily Update:
Another frigid morning gave us another indoor start, but we held out hope for warmer afternoon temps so we could head outside! Today’s spelling word was “illumination,” which we managed to spell correctly—thanks to a Minion clip giving us the idea. Our Show, Not Tell prompt was “She was a bad loser,” though it seems most of us are pretty good losers, so it was a challenge to demonstrate that concept. After finishing our Heggerty Listening games and reading maze, we tackled a UFLI lesson on syllables with the SmartBoard, markers, and whiteboard paddles. We also squeezed in some Read to Self time before heading off to make and deliver popcorn to the other classes. We just love sharing kindness!

After Recess:
The Grade 1 & 2 students practiced skip counting by 2s. Since recess was indoors, we went to the gym to skip-count our basketball shots up to 20. I suspect some of the timers were suspiciously slow in stopping the clock, but we had fun anyway! We discussed how samples can help us estimate, completed a worksheet, and wrapped up with an online quiz on single-digit sums. Meanwhile, the Grade 3s worked on explaining the “using doubles strategy” for adding two-digit numbers, explored other mental math techniques, and got some DreamBox time.

After Lunch:
Hooray, we finally made it outside! A bit of fresh air and some time to run around did wonders for our energy levels. Coming back in, we found paints, brushes, and canvases set up for our Hot Air Balloon Collage. After a quick tutorial, we painted in layers and mixed our colors. We then paused to head to PE, hoping the paint would be dry by the time we returned.

PE:
In PE, we focused on basketball drills and then moved into a short scrimmage, getting everyone involved in the action.

End of Day:
Following PE, we skipped our Book of Gratitude again to continue working on our balloon paintings. Once we checked our morning work and signed our Home to School books, some students enjoyed free choice time before we packed up and headed home.

Picture of the Day:
The concentration is real when it’s time to paint—everyone was laser-focused!

Daily Update:
Another bitterly cold day meant starting with an indoor recess. Some students wisely used the time to get a head start on morning tasks, while others chose to play—only to wish they’d done more work later. That’s the rule: “You have to pay to play!” Our spelling word was “attention,” and our Show, Not Tell prompt was “He was freezing cold.” We finished our Heggarty Listening games, and Miss Brown popped in to deliver an award from Gretna Green for our new student—everyone was so proud of him! We tackled a reading maze, followed by a UFLI lesson on the SmartBoard, working with whiteboard markers and paddles. Our writing prompt described how we spent our snow day, and we fit in a quick Read to Self before another chilly indoor recess.

After Recess:
We rearranged our classroom to welcome baby Kade for Roots of Empathy—he’s grown so much! We sang some songs and watched him scoot around on his tummy, determined to grab his toys.

After an Indoor Lunch:
Mr. Whalen was tied up catching up on projects delayed by the snow day, so he couldn’t visit. Instead, we took the initiative to go to the library and practice our ukulele strumming on our own. We’re improving day by day!

PE:
We played a creative game involving scooters, hockey nets, and plungers—lots of cheering and laughter, though I’m not sure what it was called! Then we switched to a quick round of Newcomb ball. Mr. Ross sure knows how to keep things fun!

End of Day:
We returned from gym for our Book of Gratitude, with the prompt, “I felt I did a good job when…” After checking our morning assignments and filling out our Home to School books, some students enjoyed free choice time. Then we packed up and headed home.

Picture of the Day:
Our class beamed with pride as our new classmate received a special award from his former school!

Daily Update:
The day began with a reminder on the intercom about kindness. We reflected on the idea that if we want others to treat us kindly, perhaps we should do something kind for them first. After some brainstorming, we got to work on our usual tasks. Today’s spelling word was “recreational,” and our Show, Not Tell prompt was “The student was thankful.” We did our Heggerty listening games, finished a reading maze, and then headed to the kitchen to put our kindness idea into action. We popped popcorn and prepared bags for every student and teacher to enjoy during break. The class did a fantastic job handing them out politely, and the popcorn seemed to be a hit all around!

After Recess:
The Grade 1 & 2 students continued practicing number representation on the hundreds chart and completed a color-by-number page (featuring a princess!), plus a quick addition quiz using digits 0-9. Grade 3 applied mental math strategies for two-digit numbers, working through various examples to build confidence.

After Lunch:
We did a procedural writing activity on how to make popcorn. For a first attempt, it turned out really well—expect even better results next time!

PE:
We warmed up with 10 minutes of basketball drills before switching to 20 minutes of gymnastics, focusing on improving balance and flexibility.

End of Day:
After gym, we turned to our Book of Gratitude, using the prompt, “Today I am grateful for…” We made sure our morning work was done and our Home to School books were filled out. Before some free choice time, we snapped a few photos for an upcoming art project, then packed up and headed home.

Picture of the Day:
Watching the popcorn pop was like lions eyeing their next meal—these kids were hungry and excited!