Why does the baby always end up naked? No matter how many babies there are or the number of clothes for them, the babies in the housekeeping centre inevitably end up without clothes on. I can't tell you the minutes I spend at the end of most days struggling to get the unbending arms and legs into the unyielding clothing. It's easier to wrestle three cats into a tub of water all at the same time than get those clothes on. And yet, apparently taking them off is a breeze as a child of four or five can do it multiple times in a week (sometimes a 30 minute period). So I am going to put my time and efforts into more important things and let the children do the clothing wrestle, if they choose. So if you see naked babies in our classroom, avert your eyes. That's what I'm going to do.

• Keyton shared a Minion toy, Seth had an Iron Man cap and Jackson drove his tiny John Deere tractor.
  
• Monday, Oct. 12 is Thanksgiving. Enjoy!
• Our O Canada recording will happen the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 13.
• Wednesday, Oct. 14 is our Road Safety presentation with the BEST RCMP liaison officer, Sofie Winkels.
• Wednesday, Oct. 14, will also be our first lock down drill. I will be discussing it with Team Awesome next Tuesday.
• Student photos have been moved from Monday, Oct. 19 to Tuesday, Oct. 20.
• Family Projects are due Oct. 19 (or whenever they are finished) NOT Oct. 26 as it says on the posted calendar.
• Tuesday Oct. 20 & Wednesday Oct. 21 are early dismissal days for parent/teacher interviews. Please pick up your child at 12:30. A yellow interview form came home today and must be returned if you would like to schedule an appointment.
  
• If your child arrives late to school, please sign them in at the office before coming to class. If you will be taking your child early, please check them out from the office as well.
• Mrs. Farber and I have booked a field trip to a pumpkin patch on Monday, Oct. 26. The permission forms went home this week and are due back with $5.00 Oct. 19.
• Unfortunately, a large number of the PAC fundraiser coupon books as well as money and orders were stolen from the school. If you placed an order and did not receive it, please make the office aware.
• The BEST October newsletter can be found here.

Go forth and Be Awesome!

Why do Mrs. Farber and I do Fresh Air Friday with the children? I wrote a post about it last year and rather than writing something new, when the post is still relevant, here is a re-post.

We all have those memories from childhood: jumping into a cool lake on a hot summer day, intently watching ants on the march or spending hours just laying back and looking at clouds. And whether we realized it or not, those moments in the outdoors helped shaped our views on the world around us. But those kinds of memories are fading fast for many young people today. The statistics are alarming: in a typical week, only 6 percent of children ages 9-13 play outside on their own and kids 8 to 18 spend an overwhelming 53 hours a week using entertainment media.
Within the space of what feels like very little time, the way children understand and experience nature has radically changed. Today, kids are aware of the global threats to the environment, but their physical contact, their intimacy with nature, is fading. It is becoming exactly the opposite of what most of us experienced growing up. There is an increasing divide between the young and the natural world. And of course, there are environmental, social, psychological, and spiritual implications because of that divide.
Why Fresh Air Friday? Studies show outdoor time helps children grow lean and strong, enhances imaginations and attention spans, decreases aggression, and boosts classroom performance. Spending time outside raises levels of Vitamin D, helping protect children from future bone problems, heart disease, diabetes and other health issues. It also improves distance vision and lowers the chance of nearsightedness. Outside play protects children’s emotional development whereas loss of free time and a hurried lifestyle can contribute to anxiety and depression. Nature makes you nicer, enhancing social interactions, value for community and close relationships. Children’s stress levels fall within minutes of seeing green spaces. In addition, children who spend time in nature regularly are shown to become better stewards of the environment. Need I say more?
Our first Fresh Air Friday will be this week, come rain, shine or snow. We will be walking down to the river to explore so dress your child for the weather and expect some dirt.... lots of dirt.

The weather has been so lovely. It feels like the gift of a tiny slice of summer wrapped in a golden box. I know, from the way the leaves are quickly falling from the trees, that it will end soon so I am trying to take full advantage of it by taking Team Awesome outside as often as possible. And while the whole of this week has been beautiful, and the forecast for next week is the same, today of all days it had to rain. Because of the weather we unfortunately had to move our Rivers Day activities to the school at lunch time but after setting up in classrooms we continued as planned. I hope the children have some awesome stories about things they saw and learned today.

• Deklin shared his toque, Everett had a book his dad read to him as a baby, Alexandra showed us a cook book and Ella loves her striped hoodie.
• If you have not already done so, please return the PAC fundraiser coupon books or order forms.
• Library books are due for Monday, Oct. 5.
• On Monday, Oct. 5, a permission form will come home for the O Canada recording that takes place Oct. 13. Please return the form by Friday, Oct. 9.
  
• Book orders are due Friday, Oct. 9.
• Next Friday, Oct. 9, will be our first Fresh Air Friday. Mrs. Farber and I will be taking the children down to the river so please dress them appropriately.
• Sight words for October: am, is, no, you (and continue practicing September's words).
• The cold and flu bugs have already found our classroom. We have reviewed sneezing into elbows, using tissues, not putting things in our mouths and washing our hands in the hopes that Team Awesome stays relatively healthy.

Go forth and Be Awesome!

BEST has been chosen to take part in a national recording of O Canada in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Canada’s flag. We are one of many schools across Canada participating but only two schools from each city are chosen (only 8 schools from BC). The idea is to record the students in each school and then blend all the schools together to create one recording. Mrs. Philips has been organizing this and working with students to learn the anthem. The recording group will be at BEST on Tuesday, October 13th from 8:30-10:30am. Starting first thing in the morning, classes will go in groups of 2-3 classes to do the recording session. Each 20 minute block will include an intro by the recording group and then the actual recording of the children singing. Local media will be invited to come to the recording sessions for some of the groups and at the end, BEST will be presented with a commemorative plaque. The final recording will be sent to libraries across Canada and the documentary videos will be created into one YouTube video which will be put onto the internet. How awesome is that!