 Looking at the weather forecast, tomorrow night doesn't look promising. It's supposed to be more of the same- cloudy with showers. That makes for a cold, soggy and uncomfortable trick or treat adventure. Do you remember those days? Cast your mind back....back some more....little bit further... back to the time before internet and cell phones took over our lives, to only 2 fuzzy local channels on TV and if it was a Hockey Night in Canada game you found something else to do. Back to when playing outside after dark was normal and there was no such thing as 'time outs', just a smack on the behind. Well, okay, for most of you that's a lot too far back but for me its just about right. And I remember trick or treating in a snowsuit with my hastily-assembled-at-the-last-minute homemade costume crammed underneath just not being the same. So here's hoping for clear skies and warm weather for tomorrow night's festivities. Have a wonderful time!
 Early next week we will have a brief discussion about what Team Awesome can expect next Friday, Oct. 30 and I had better share the details with you before you get a 5 year old's version (which I am sure would include tons of treats in their lunch and a new puppy each). Traditionally Halloween has been Orange and Black Day at BEST but we have added the opportunity to dress up in Halloween costumes as well. The children are welcome to wear their costumes throughout the day but no weapons, masks or gore are allowed. Please note that if your child wears their costume all day it probably will not come home in the same shape it came to school in. Please label all costume pieces with names and refrain from sending little bits and pieces/accessories as they are difficult to keep track of. Various Halloween activities will take place throughout Friday, including a Halloween safety review discussion (Cst. Sofie will be giving us the 'official' one on Thursday) and rotating stations in mixed K-3 groups between recess and lunch and a dance in the gym for part of the afternoon. Fun fun fun!!
Please refrain from sending more than 1 Halloween treat to school each day with your child in November.
 Did your child come home tonight and tell you they had germs? More specifically, did they tell you they were covered in Mrs. Bowden's cooties? If so, they weren't far off the mark. For children germs are invisible things that cause them to get sick. Remembering to do things like washing their hands or covering a cough may not come easily. With the sneezing and sniffles that seem rampant in our classroom throughout the year, using a visual tool that demonstrates how germs spread and the effectiveness of different hand washing and cleaning methods early in the year seemed like a smart idea. Enter the Glo Germ Classroom Kit! This morning I applied the 'fake germ' powder, which is difficult to see, from the kit to my hands without telling Team Awesome. I followed our normal routine, handled the usual things in the classroom (including hugging the children), and then we used the black light, which causes the powder to glow, to track where the 'germs' had dispersed. We were amazed at how many things we touch in our classroom and how far the germs had spread! A few children even had some in their hair. I then washed my hands and we looked at them under the black light again. Unfortunately, I did not wash my hands well enough to get rid of most of the germs and they were still visible. So we watched a video on how to wash our hands properly and another one on how germs are spread through sneezing. Although we will need to revisit hand washing often, I know Team Awesome now has a better understanding of how illnesses are spread. |
