Goodness! Look what I found lurking in my 'unpublished' file. I thought I had posted it weeks ago. Sorry for the late post.
![]() Did you have a good week? Having a day at home at the end of it all is lovely but I find Nov. 11 often produces some sober musings, and well it should. I will spend most of the day doing the usual must-be-done things (report cards) but will also take a few moments to remember why I am home and not working. Our Remembrance Day assembly today was very well done and I was happy to see many parents join us. The children were so well behaved at the assembly and I was so proud of them! At the end of the assembly, after classes had delivered moving performances and we had watched two children from every class lay a wreath underneath a cross with the words 'Lest We Forget', some of the children were feeling sad. Truth to tell, I always feel emotional at the Remembrance assembly too. And I couldn't help but wonder what must have been going through the minds of the three veterans attending this morning. So while I am thankful to have a day at home at the end of the week, it seems ungracious to revel in it as the cost for it was so high. Please refrain from sending more than 1 Halloween treat to school each day with your child in November. They will be encouraged to eat their healthy food (ie sandwich) before having the treat at lunch.
![]() From the time you drop them off in the classroom in the morning until you pick them up at the end of the day, the children are expected to be independent, responsible and motivated individuals. They put on their own shoes, tidy up after themselves, push in their chairs, put on their outside things, make decisions about what to eat for snack and where its best to sit during carpet time. Their work is their own and they are accountable for doing their best at all times. I don't do for the children what they can do for themselves. They are also responsible for making sure their choices do not adversely affect someone else in our classroom. The children are learning to make wise decisions for themselves and feel competent, especially when their accomplishments are reinforced, encouraged and appreciated. Most of the time the children manage this all wonderfully on their own but there are situations during the day that require adult help or reminders and that is to be expected as responsibility is not something acquired automatically at a certain age. It is attained slowly over many years. And, for the most part, they are thrilled to be given responsibility. We have a list of rotating jobs on the wall and I have yet to hear one child complain that it is their turn to do something. Rather, they check the list and hop up and down when they see their name on it. If a student is absent there are many volunteers to take charge of the job. And there is never any shortage of happy helpers if someone else needs a hand with something. Happy helpers means everyone is happy! ![]() You’re invited to a FUNdraiser for Bert Edwards Science & Technology School Monday, November 14, 2016 from 6:00 – 9:00 pm @ Chapters Bookstore, 1395 Hillside Drive 250-377-8468. Chapters and Bert Edwards school cordially invite you to this community FUNdraising event. Come out and go shopping while supporting Bert Edwards school. With every purchase of regularly priced, in-store items at Chapters on this special evening, up to 20% of the purchase price will be donated directly back to Bert Edwards school! Choose from a wide selection of book, gifts, toys, magazines, music and much more! Your purchase will make a difference. Please join us to see how much fun giving to Bert Edwards school can be! When you arrive at the store, please ensure that you register at the registration desk, which will be located directly inside the main doors. Please note, in order to ensure the most successful and profitable FUNdraiser possible for BEST, any discounts (including iRewards, Plum Rewards, Bestsellers, etc.) will not be in effect during the event, and the purchase of Gift Certificates, Membership Cards, electronics and Love of Reading Donations do not count towards the FUNdraiser. See you there!
You are going to notice that this video is heavy with some children and light on others. Although I try to show a balance of all the children, sometimes it is just not possible. For activity days such as this the children are often broken up into multi-age groups and I am only able to take photos of those children who are in a group that come to my classroom. Such was the case on Halloween.
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Mrs. Bowden &
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