Good news keeps growing in our school garden program

Earlier this year, we applied for a grant offered jointly by the VSB and the Vancouver Park Board to provide fruit tree for schools. We were approved, and recently received two young Italian Prune Plum trees which were planted in the schoolyard this week!

In related news, the Environmental Youth Alliance continues to visit our school every other Thursday to lead the classes in a garden-related activity. Today, they discussed the importance of trees with Divisions 4 and 5, and helped them write a little note to our new trees telling them how much they loved them. Then the students hung their notes on one of the trees and maybe even gave it a little hug.

talking about trees

starting our drawings

singing around our decorated tree

Division 5's field trip to the Capilano Fish Hatchery

Ms. Young's K/1s are out-and-about again! Last week they took a trip to the Capilano Fish Hatchery to learn how the hatchery works, learn about some of the animals that share the salmon's ecosystem, and take a walk in the beautiful temperate rainforest.

watching juvenile coho in the rearing ponds - behind-the-scenes at the hatchery 

a black bear skeleton that everyone got to touch

our beautiful local forests

watching salmon who are ready to spawn "climb" the ladder

Division 5 at Reconciliation Week sacred fire

Ms. Young took our K/1 class to Hastings Park this week to make an offering at the Sacred Fire that is part of the Reconciliation Week events held there. Reconciliation Week in BC is an important event in the healing process of Canada's aboriginal elders who were forced to attend residential schools, and of their families who feel the lasting impact of their legacy.

Vera, an elder, and Mike, a member of our local Tsleil-Waututh band, came to speak to our children about the importance of this event.

For more about Reconciliation Week: http://reconciliationcanada.ca/

Here's the class observing the fire. No photos were permitted of the fire itself.

We had a look at the ducks in Hastings Sanctuary before heading back to the school for recess.

Artwork Around Our School

A little while ago, Division 5 was learning to paint like another great Canadian artist, Ted Harrison.  Through bold use of colour blocking, they were able to mimic Harrison's interpretation of our stark landscape to the north.

Artwork around our school

Division 5 is learning to paint like Emily Carr! Their end of the hallway has been brightened up by an Emily Carr-style mural of a brooding sky with West Coast conifers in the foreground. They employed painting techniques such as painting on the bristles only, leaving visible brush strokes and blending colours, by putting two colours on the brush at once.