Our CCEL (Community Connected Experiential Learning) project with a skilled trades focus and through the lens of Indigenous Education is complete! Our student made wooden art installations showcasing the 7 grandfather teachings are now on display as a learning wall in our primary and junior yard for years to come! Phil Cote did a school-wide unveiling in order to shed more light on the 7 grandfather teachings.
It is already the last LLC display of the school year, how time flies! June focuses on Pride; National Indigenous History Month; Portuguese Speaking, and Italian Heritage Month. Studetns can enjoy a last few book exchanges. Books are ideally due back to the library by June 14th. Happy reading everyone!
The Community Connected Experiential Learning project (thanks to the CCEL grant) is coming to a close. It has been a lot of work but very fruitful and worthwhile! Thank you to rooms 28 and 29 who availed of the carpentry workshops and Phil Cote workshops, as well as the painting of the 7 grandfather teachings on the panels that we cut, sanded, and primed in collaboration with Oakwood CI. Thank you to rooms 21, 24, and 31 for pitching in and helping us with the painting of the panels. We will have an unveiling of the panels with Phil Cote shortly. More information will go out shortly.
A new month means a new LLC display. May focuses on Asian and Jewish Heritage, as well as the theme of consent as May is also Sexual Assault and Prevention Month at the TDSB. May 15th is also the International Day of Families. Happy Reading!
Here is a brief overview of partnerships with Mme Irimescu's class. We collaborated on Google Drawing art using the curve and polyline tools for nuit blanche deriving inspiration from Tami Charles's picture book All Because You Matter/Parce-que Ta Vie Compte. We also worked on combining Strawbees and Microbits to make a mechanical crane; we created a class wide human circuit with Makey Makeys; got creative with Squishy Circuits; and made strong and stable structures with structure sticks and carried out Earthquake tests to name a few! A lot of student driven inquiry and collaboration took place!
Where does the time go? It is already officially spring. April's LLC display focuses on Sikh Heritage month, Latin American History, National Autism Acceptance month, Pink Shirt Day (April 10th), and Earth Day (April 22nd). Happy reading/Bonne lecture!
Recent collaborative partnering sessions at a glance!
April has been busy with our CCEL (Community Connected Experiential Learning) project with workshops and visits to the renowned Indigenous artist's Phil Cote's studio; explorations with Dashbots; and STEM stations/partnering.
JK and SK students from Mme T's class created their own cardboard RRPS community replica for the Talebots to explore: lots of coding and creativity here!
Teachers exploring dashbot challenges for our students!
Room 28 & 29 visit Phil Cote's studio!
Today studetns did a drawing workshop with Phil Cote as well as some learnings around the 7 grandfather teachings as part of our CCEL. The students will be drawing and painting the 7 grandfather teachings on the 4ft circular wooden panels that they prepped, danded, and primed in collaboration with Oakwood students at Oakwood CI. Watch this space as our CCEL unfolds!
OUR WOODEN PLANKS
Today (03.04), Yolanda T Marshall came to our school for an author visit today and read some of her popular read alouds such as My Soca Birthday Party and Hot Cross Buns for Everyone for all primary classes. We learned a lot about Carribean food, music, culture, and joy!
March's display focuses on Greek Heritage Month, International Women’s and United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace (March 8th), and Ramadan (which starts on March 10th). Happy reading RRPS!
Some students edited their FLIP book talks/micro podcasts in the video editor WEVIDEO by adding background music, text and images.
Mme Ching's class continued their Forest of Reading and Forest of Making inquiry based learning by coding tale bots to different sports after reading Le gros problème de Noah by Anthony Antoniou.
Students from Mme Huggan's class continued their explorations around simple machines as part of our collaborative partnership project. We made upclycled fidget spinners using old CDs, used marker tops, and marbles. Not only was this a way to expore wheels and axles, but it aligned with some of our eco actions and goals as an eco school!
Students in Mme Irimescu's class created Google art inspired by the read aloud Parce que ta vie compte/All because you matter by Tami Charles. The criteria was to use the polyline, curve and scribble tools on Google drawings.
Students from Ms. Ross's class have been working on goIT app design. The concept is to create a problem solving app to tackle an SDG (Sustainbale Development Goal). These pictures show them making their storyboards (by hand or digitally).
Students in Ms. Linley's class continued to explore communities for our social studies project through the picture book "All are neighbours" by Alexandra Penfold, as well as loose parts and robotics. Mme Huggan's class continued exploring simple machines and forces and motion by making and testing out cardboard ramp walkers.
February is African and Chinese Heritage month. Our LLC display reflects and celebrates these heritage months. Chinese Lunar New Year falls on February 10th, Happy Lunar New Year to those who celebrate. 2024 is the year of the dragon!
Students went to Oakwood CI to the woodwork shop to collaborate with highschool students on our CCEL (Community Connected Experiential Learning) project that has a skilled trades/carpentry foucus. Students started sanding and priming our 7 4ft circular wooden panels, as well as worked on a woodwork activity which involved 2 chickens pecking into a bowl of bird seed. Have a look at some of the videos to see all in action. Students will go on to paint these 7 panels with the Indigenous painter Phil Cote. They will paint the 7 grandfather teachings. These panels will be attached to our fencing for the entire school community to enjoy and continue their Indigneous Education based learning from as the years go on.
Paper roller coasters with room 12 for STEM (simple machines and forces and motion exploration).
JK/SK inquiry with Forest of Reading/Prix Peuplier picture books.
Partnerships are continuing to take shape. This week (week of Feb. 5th), Mme. Irimescu's students worked on microbit invention ideas where they will use the functions of microbits to create an invention to tackle one of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Two students had the idea to create a SMART home which connects to SDG # 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). They explored coding and sending wireless morse code to eachother (a future SMART home safety feature).
Ms. Linley's class continued their exploration of communities as part of a social studies project using STEM building tools of various kinds (Strawbees, Lego, 10 blocks etc.). More to come soon!
Term 2 partnerships are in full swing, here are a few projects we have been working on so far:
Communities project with Ms.Linley's class (we will branch out to our community and make real-world connections after exploring communities in different ways: (loose parts, coding, building etc.).
Inventing gadjets using microbits to help promote a Sustainable Development Goal with Mme Irimescu's class (eg: coding a microbit step counter to tackle SDG #3 Good Health and Well-Being). This week we did a gallery walk to learn about SDGs and what is being done to tackle some issues connected to them.
Working on Simple machines and forces and motion by making paper rollercoasters with Mme Huggan's class. These are just a few partnerships that are currently in the works. Watch this space for more to come!
The GSA has been working on a collaborative bulletin board where they will be adding hands of allies and members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community shaking hands. They are beading friendship bracelets with inspiring words that promote allyship and inclusivity. Watch this space for the finished product soon.
Happy new year! January's display focuses on Tamil Heritage month and mental health and well-being, happy reading RRPS!
Collaborative Bulletin boards: Tamil Heritage month and student samples around Indigenous Education.
STEAM stations with Ms. Gharaiya's grade 4s.
Round 2 of partnerships have started. Partnerships always start with open STEAM stations with an inquiry provocation/prompt. Students explore STEAM stations as us teachers co-plan long range collaborative projects. Lots of exciting projects in sight. Some include: Creating digital books for an energy unit for science; creating microbit inventions to solve a global issue connected to the UN's 17 sustainable developmental goals; making simple machines that also reveal forces and motion for a grade 2/3 split to name but a few.. Watch this space to see how things unfold :)
STEAM stations with Mme Huggan's class & learning about the UN's 17 sustainable development goals for our long range microbit project with Mme Irimescu's class.
JK/SK inquiry tables with Mme Ching's class around Prix Peuplier Forest of Reading/Forest of Making.
December's LLC display focuses on holiday celebrations: Hanukkah (December 7th-15th), Christmas (December 25th), Kwanzaa (December 26th), as well as days of significance such as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3rd), and Human Rights Day (December 10th).
Ms. Glassman's class did a walk through of our school and brainstormed some ways they could improve on our school community. They then built models using STEM block. For the final stage, they will write letters to Ms. Lloyd and Ms. Wolfe with their suggestions. Some suggestions included: a pool, a larger gym space, and elevator for accessibility etc.
Classes are continuing to add to our collaborative bulletin board that was started during treaties recognition week for Indigneous education month. We also started a Diwali bulletin board for Hindu Heritage month. Students added Rangolis to celebrate their learning around Hindu Heritage month and Diwali.
Students from Ms Gharaiya's class explored life systems through the lens of coding. They researched an animal of their choice and created 3D habitats. They coded pathways to mimic the movements of their animals, as well as pathways for their animal's predator. They applied the engineer design thinking process throughout the project.
Students from Ms. Glassman's class continued and deepened their learning around Africville during partnerships. They centered their inquiry around what makes a community close-knit and recreated the community of Africville from the picture book Africville by Shauntay Grant using loose parts. Have a look at some of their video descriptions!
Students in Ms. Kingman's class revisited the GRA picture book "The Day You Begin" by Jaqueline Woodson. They did some mindful colouring reminiscent of the colourful imagery, as well as brainstormed collaborative stories as a group. As in the book, their stories touched on their backgrounds, favourite food, and travels. Next steps include coding the talebots to recount their collaborative story.
Students in Ms. Glassman's class continued their work on their community project inspired by the read-aloud Africville by Shauntay Grant. Students created their own communities using io blocks, structure sticks, polydrons etc. They then used the dashbots to explore their groups' community. Next steps include making their own communities using consumables and recycables for robots to explore.
Students in Mme Irimescu's class continued their GRA (Global Read Aloud) FLIP book talk
Students demonstrated their thinking on our whiteboard collaboration tables
Students in Ms. Glassman's class continued to practice making simple ozobot colour codes for our Africville read-aloud inspired community project
Here is a look at some of the simple codes we focused on. Lots of critical thinking and problem solving as students continue to learn how to colour code with ozobots
Students from Mme Ching's class explored the picture book "Nous sommes gentils" by Monique Gray Smith through loose parts and the inquiry questions: What does kindness mean to you; how can you show kindness to others? Qu'est ce que la gentillesse veut-dire pour toi? Comment peux tu montrer de la gentillesse aux autres? Next week they will code robots to reach different acts of kindness.
JK/SK students from Mme Ching's class extended their inquiry with loose parts around the read-aloud "Nibi a soif, très soif" by coding talebots to help Nibi find water!
Teachers had a bit of fun posing for green screen pics on Halloween!
A new month, means a new display! This month focuses on Islamic, Somali, and Hispanic Heritage month, as well as Women's history month. There are books to support all this on display, as well as books on the theme of Fall etc. Happy reading RRPS!
Library helpers worked hard on putting together STEAM stations to showcase our new robotics, and the types of activities we do in the LLC leading up to curriculum night. Such great leadership!
This week, Mme Ching's JK/SK students did some inquiry and loose parts around Sunshine Tenasco's picture book Nibi's Water Song/Nibi a soif, très soif. They created pathways to water for Nibi using loose parts. The inquiry question was: How can you help Nibi find water? Comment peux tu aider Nibi à trouver de l'eau? Next week, they will code with robots to help Nibi find water, so watch this space!
SECRET PATH WEEK
Secret Path week is October 17th to 22nd. We did community walks for Walk for Wenjack to raise money for the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack fund. In 1966, 12 year old Chanie Wenjack ran away from residential school and walked 36 hours in an attempt to be reunited with his family. This week RRPS students walked for Chanie and logged their kilometres. If you would like to donate to the fund, here is the LINK. Thank you for your support!
Students in Ms. Gharaiya's class started their ozo-animal project that centers around the Engineering Design Process and combines STEM skills and Life systems from the Science curriculum. They will create 3D animal habitats and transform our ozobot robots into ozo-animals and have them explore their habitats. This week they explored the ASK stage of the engineering design process by asking questions about their group's animal and habitat. Watch this space!
Students in Ms. Glassman's class continued exploring STEAM stations: building block station; TIC TAC TOE with TALEBOT station; LEGO building station; BOTLEY station, and INDI SPHERO station. We will soon start a coding and community building project centered around the read-aloud AFRICVILLE by Shauntay Grant.
Students did a Google mystery meet with a classroom in Kentucky. The students asked each other YES or NO questions in order to determine where the other class are situated. This was the start of our global partnership experience for the Global Read Aloud (GRA). Next week, we will start reading "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga for this 6 week GRA reading program.
This week, we had Shanna Lino, our parent volunteer extraordinaire come in to visit classroom to do primary and junior read-alouds on books centering on deaf protagonigsts, and teach basic ASL. Mme Irimescu, Ms. Glassman, and Mme Davies's classes all explored STEAM stations and our new robotics (Tale bots; Indi Sphero; Botleys etc.). Mme Ching's JK/SK class enjoyed the read-aloud "J'ai le coeur rempli de bonheur"/ 'My heart Fills with happiness"(Monique Gray Smith) and explored with loose parts. Next week they will connect this story to robotics and coding.
The amazing team at Silent Voice came to administer ASL workshops this morning (Friday September 22nd). Students learned the ASL alphabet and numbers, as well as how to say what age they are, and their name. They also played fun ASL memory games. The students were very fast learners! If you'd like to support this organization, please donate to their food and toy drive before December 13th. They will pick everything up from our school!
Students did a lot of learning leading up to Orange Shirt Day and the third National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We had two assemblies to ensure students truly understood why we wear orange on this important day. Students also created three school-wide collaborative billboards to relfect on how children should feel in school, as well as what we can do to help reconciliation.
Some meaningful things that students wrote on the orange shirts are: "You can buy things from Indigenous artists"; "Learn more about their culture"; "Help Indigenous communites, read the Truth and Reconciliation report, recognize the land that we took from Indigenous peoples".
