There are a lot of "I want"s and "I asked for"s this time of year, from children and adults both. Mrs. Farber and I wanted to help the children move from thinking of themselves, and what they might find under the Christmas tree, to thinking of others. Enter the Kindness Ninjas! Mrs. Farber wrote up a letter from Sensei Tansa (a mix up of the letters in Santa) that explained the concept of doing for others without expecting anything in return and included the first mission and some ninja headbands. We then recruited Mr. Law to deliver the package. Both Team Awesome & Mrs. Farber's Friends were so enthusiastic about the idea that they were jumping up and down and fist pumping their arms in the air, yelling things like, "Let's do this!". And so we completed our first mission. And the second one. And there are a few more planned for this week. But why stop just because December is over? Isn't kindness an all-year virtue? And so expect to see the Kindness Ninjas throughout the rest of the year, sneaking around and doing good deeds for others.
I didn't add music to the video so you can hear the children.

There is a fellow who works in the Maintenance Dept of School District 73. He wouldn't be considered young and wears his white, wavy hair almost to his shoulders. He sports a neatly trimmed beard and a pair of what can only be called 'spectacles'. And as this man bears a striking resemblance to another man who has never actually been seen but who's artistic representation is unavoidable this time of year, he caused quite the stir when he happened to walk down our hallway as we were bringing in our things last week. Every little head snapped around to look, eyes widened, and the incredulous whisper of, "It's Santa!" rippled its way down the hall in time with his passing. It so happened he was taping up a small chip in our window, giving us even more time to look and marvel at his existence. Debates spontaneously sprang up attesting to whether it was or was not The Man himself, backed up with evidence to support assertions in the positive or negative. Exclamations of "It's not Santa- he doesn't have a red hat!" were quickly followed by, "Yes it is. You don't always wear the same clothes do you? And its too hot for a big hat." There was also an animated discussion along the lines of whether of not Santa shouldn't be supervising the elves (they can' t be trusted) rather than checking up on children right now, which led immediately to a worry that there might not be enough gifts for everyone if the elves were slacking off. It was truly a wonderful reminder of how this time of year is magical for children and how they can see possibility in even the simplest and most ordinary of things.

​Where does the idea that there has to be snow for it to truly be a good Christmas come from? There are many many places around the world that never see a single snowflake, ever, and people celebrate just as hard as those who have a snowy, white holiday. As many of you know, I myself am averse to the winter season- the snow, ice, cold, wind, mud, ice, mud, cold (repeat)- and therefore a snowless winter break will not shatter my image of the 'perfect' Christmas holiday. But we also know that Nature does not like a vaccuum and this is just the calm before the (snow) storm. So enjoy not having to scrape windshields, warm vehicles and having the heat on low while it lasts because just as Christmas is coming sooner rather than later, so is winter.

• Library books are due before the holidays on Monday, Dec. 17. We will not be taking out new books until our return to school as they will be inventoried.
• BEST will have a dress rehearsal of our Winter Concert Wednesday, Dec. 19. We will be performing on stage in front of the school and then staying in the gym to watch the other classes perform. Costumes are not necessary.
• We will host 2 performances of the BEST Winter Concert on Thursday, Dec. 20. One at 1:00 pm and one at 6:00 pm. Please have your child in our classroom no sooner than 5:45 pm and no later than 5:55 pm Thursday evening (the classroom door will be closed before 5:45). The children will stay in our classroom during the evening performance until you come to pick them up. If your child will not be attending the evening event, please let me know ASAP so I can make changes as needed.
• January lunch order forms are due into the office by Tuesday, Dec. 18.
• Friday Dec. 21 will be Pajama Day at BEST and the primary classes will be participating in mixed grade activities with a Christmas focus between recess and lunch. There is a rumour about a special activity in the afternoon. Please ensure your child is wearing enough clothing to stay warm during outside recess and lunch play time.
• Next Friday your child will be coming home with a Christmas card from me. Inside there is a Scholastic certificate for them to choose a book worth up to $6.00. There are instructions on the certificate and they are valid until June 30, 2018. Please use them.
• ​Team Awesome will also be coming home with an Xmas package for you next Friday. One of the items inside is glass so please handle the package carefully.
• BEST PAC sent home a notice last week as they are raffling off the VIP Couch and Parking Spot for this year's concert. Raffle tickets (at the bottom of the notice) are $2.00 each and must be sent into the office by Dec. 18. Winners will be notified Dec. 19.
• Thank you for the donations for our class raffle basket. All the baskets will be raffled off the evening of Thursday, Dec. 20.
• BEST participated in the Salvation Army Food Drive. Thank you for your donations!
• Christmas gift idea? We have scheduled two skating sessions the last two Thursdays of January. If your child does not have skates they are welcome to borrow them from the school but the sizes might be off and they are a kijillion years old so not terribly warm or comfortable. This is a good time to start looking in secondhand shops for something suitable as the school books skating time for all classes every year.
• ​PAC sent home an order form for pizza to be delivered on Friday, Jan.18. Orders are due to the office by Friday, Jan. 11.
• January Family Projects went home this week and are due Jan. 11 or when they are finished.
• Please send a set of headphones for your child to use with our iPads. 
• Our sight words for December are: but, friend, give, in, good, look, up, want, see. Please feel free to practice them at home. We will practice them regularly in class.
• Please practice zipping up coats and putting on snow pants, gloves and mittens at home.
• BEST monthly newsletter can be found here.

Go forth and Be Excited!

​Mathematics is the science and language of patterns. Thinking about sorting and patterns helps children make sense of mathematics and young children are naturally interested in them. They enjoy patterns in rhymes, chants, songs, poems, and stories, and they experiment with creating patterns using play materials. They examine patterns in wallpaper, fabric, and geometric designs, and recognize patterns in their lives (e.g., the sequence of daily routines) and in nature (e.g., the cycle of the seasons). When students enter school, they continue to explore patterns in mathematics and in other subject areas. Developing an understanding of patterns and relationships is central to learning mathematics. In the primary grades, students identify, extend, and create a variety of patterns, using objects, actions, sounds, pictures, letters, and numbers. Through experiences in exploring and discussing patterns, young students begin to make conjectures and generalizations about mathematical relationships. Team Awesome has been using a variety of materials while exploring sorting and patterning activities and having a great time doing it.

• ​Pop library books into the return bin by Tuesday morning.
• December Family Projects are due when they are finished.
• Items for our class sponsored PAC Raffle Basket are due Friday, Dec. 14 and you can leave them with me- our basket theme is Baking. Thank you for supporting our PAC.
• All library books are due Monday, Dec. 17.
• We have a Winter Concert dress rehearsal the afternoon of Wednesday, Dec. 19.
• Our Winter Concert is Thursday, Dec. 20 at 1:00 and 6:00. More info to come.
• Friday, Dec. 21 is PJ Day and we will be participating in multi-age Christmas activities and other festivities throughout the day.
• BEST is participating in the Salvation Army Food Drive. Donations can be left in the decorated boxes at the office or in our classroom. Thank you!
• Christmas gift idea? We have scheduled two skating sessions the last two Thursdays of January. If your child does not have skates they are welcome to borrow them from the school but the sizes might be off and they are a kijillion years old so not terribly warm or comfortable. This is a good time to start looking in secondhand shops for something suitable as the school books skating time for all classes every year.
• Please send a set of headphones for your child to use with our iPads. 
• Our sight words for December are: but, friend, give, in, good, look, up, want, see. Please feel free to practice them at home. We will practice them regularly in class.
• Please practice zipping up coats and putting on gloves and mittens at home.
• BEST monthly newsletter can be found here.

Go forth and Get Ready!