Decorate those Gingerbread Men!

 

Run Run Run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread Man! 

100 DAYS of SCHOOL

The 100th day of school was recently celebrated in Ms. Bains K-1 class.  They did arts and crafts and practiced counting out 100s !

The Salmon Eggs Have Arrived!

It is the time of year when tiny coho salmon eggs arrive at Ms. Young's K-1 Classroom at Dr. A.R. Lord Elementary.   This is part of an educational program that is managed with support from Fisheries and Oceans Canada and from a grant for specialized aquarium equipment donated by the Environmental Manager's Association of BC in 2014.  It is an opportunity to teach understanding, respect and protection of freshwater,  estuarine and marine ecosystems.  Children will study the incubation and hatching of the eggs and then release of the fry.  For more information:  www.salmonidsintheclassroom.ca

School Buddies

Older grade 7 students at A.R. Lord Elementary lend a hand to Kindergarten and Gr1 students in Ms. Bain's class.  The "big buddies" helped make snowflake decorations out of recycled materials. This setting allows older students to model good behaviour, learn facilitation skills, and solidify their own knowledge.  Younger students have the opportunity to learn from many individuals and build communication skills. 

There is nothing more marvellous than an Apple!

Fall harvest is a great time for the grade 1 & 2 students in Ms. Mitchell's class to learn about apples. Activities included discussing and reading a story about apples. Students then took time to observe their characteristics. They cut them open and drew the different parts, seeds and all. Oh the wonderful apple!

The 7 minute Workout!

The Plank is a great exercise to strengthen the core and improve posture!  
Well these grade 1 and 2 students from Ms. Phongmany's class take a break from studies and do a 7 minute work out to get the bodies moving (and have some fun)!

Vancouver School Board - Combined Split Classrooms

A.R. Lord elementary school has a few split classrooms this year.  According to the VSB website:

What is a combined class?
A combined or split class refers to a class that is made up of students from two or more grades. Combined classes occur most frequently in elementary schools and are the combination of students in two different grades with one teacher teaching both curricula.

For example, a school might have a grade 2/grade 3 class combination. It is important to know that students in combined classes are not held back to the level of the younger children nor are the children in the lower grade expected to do work beyond their abilities. 

Why do Schools create combined classes?
When school staff look to organize their students, that is to place the students in their classes with teachers, they have to balance the educational needs of their students with the staffing they receive from Human Resources as well as with legislated contractual considerations.

A school calculates enrolment. This is then verified by the Human Resources division of the Vancouver Board of Education. Based on this figure, teaching staff (both enrolling and nonenrolling) is allocated. The Principal, working with the Staff Committee of the school, then constructs classes based on these factors and the educational interests of each student.

How do Schools decide which students to place in combined classes?
For both combined and non-combined classrooms they strive to ensure all students are placed in appropriately balanced classrooms, school staff (teachers, and Principals use such criteria as age, range of ability, special learning needs, gender, social groupings, and support staff recommendation.

Will the teacher teach the entire curriculum to both grades?
The School Act, which governs British Columbia schools, stipulates that all teachers, including teachers of split classes, must teach the prescribed curriculum. Therefore the teacher is obligated to teach the entire curriculum to both grades. Teaching strategies that address diversity, meet individual needs, and satisfy Ministry requirements with respect to content and processes of learning work well in both combined and single grade classrooms.

How can I support my child in a combined class?
Parents can support their children in the same ways they would if they were in a single grade class. Staying interested and concerned about school work and activities, monitoring a child’s homework and keeping in touch with the teacher and attending the school whenever possible are ways the parents can support the child’s learning. If you have concerns about your child’s learning, you should speak to the classroom teacher. A survey of literature on combined classes, published in 2001 and available on the internet (ERIC Identifier ED 448935) states:

“Advantages for multi-age students have been shown to increase the longer students remain in multi-age classrooms. Students in multi-age classrooms demonstrate more positive attitudes toward school, greater leadership skills, greater self-esteem, and increased pro-social and fewer aggressive behaviours, compared to peers in traditional graded classrooms.

Statistical analysis demonstrated that students from multi-age classrooms achieved greater academic outcomes in relation to their abilities and demonstrated greater increases in academic achievement than students of the same and higher abilities from singleage classrooms when all classrooms employed developmentally appropriate teaching practices.”

http://www.vsb.bc.ca/combined-split-classes

New Educational Curriculum for Grades K-9

A new curriculum has just been released by the BC Ministry of Education.  https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca

This curriculum was developed jointly with the BC Teachers Federation in 2013 for grade K-9.  Areas covered include Arts Education, English Language Arts, French, Math, Physical and Helath Education and Social Studies. Also included are elements of Aboriginal perspectives, history of the residential school system, new content on South and East Asian immigrants, and emphasis on environmental sciences.
https://www.bctf.ca/IssuesInEducation.aspx?id=5646

It will be phased in over three years:

2015-16: Teachers have the option of using new curriculum in kindergarten to Grade 9 classes.
2016-17: All classes will use new curriculum for kindergarten to Grade 9.
2017-18: Entire K-12 curriculum will be "phased in by areas and grade levels.

Curriculum by Grade for BC Students

Are you wondering what will be covered in the year ahead as far as content for your child?  
Curriculum is defined by the BC Ministry of Education & developed with BC Teachers. It specifies what students are expected to learn & be able to demonstrate in their grade or course of study.

For a view of curriculum by grade:  https://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/

Division 4 Reader Theatre

Grade 2 and 3 students in Ms. Phong Many's class performed well know skits such as Henny Penny, the Three Little Pigs and Pinocchio in front of their classmates.  It was a great opportunity for students to develop confidence in performing!  They build skills in oral reading fluency which is the ability to read and speak smoothly and expressively. 
This sounds like a great evening activity to try on the family camping trip! 

Division 1 Music Education Class with Mr. O

 According to the BC Ministry of Education: "Music education enables all learners to explore, create, perceive, and communicate thoughts, images, and feelings through music. Because musical experiences play a significant role in students’ lifelong development, shared experiences through music education contribute to the development of a healthier society and a culturally literate citizenry that respects and reflects the diversity of human relationships.

Music education enables students to interact with sound — simultaneously engaging mind, body, and spirit — through creating, performing, listening to, and responding to music. Music offers one of the most effective ways of connecting thinking and feeling and provides a way of learning that effectively integrates the cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains."

Morning Reading Time

Each day Kindergarten/Grade 1 Classes start off the day by reading for a few minutes with their parent/caregiver in the classroom.  This unstructured time allows for everyone to settle in, greet their friends, and listen to morning announcements.

For those busy parents/caregivers who can't stay and read on a given day, others are happy to have them join in.  Some kids are happy to read independently.   Everyone enjoys picking a new book, reading, sharing and getting the day off to a great start.

A.R. Lord isn't just about students and school, it is an inclusive place that makes families part of the school community!  We love it!

Presenting, Public Speaking and Performing

It's never too early to encourage kids to stand up in front of people and share their thoughts, present or perform.  It can be as simple as talking about a picture they drew, taking a turn and sharing out loud, singing a song, reading a poem, reciting, or presenting their work and thoughts. 
The more we encourage young kids to speak, the greater the likelihood that their self confidence will increase with each experience. Everyone has a story to tell and wants someone to listen.

Learning through Play! Why is Play Important?

• Children learn more when they are playing.
• Play develops children’s creativity and problem solving skills
• Play prepares children better for school learning.
• Play is healthy. It promotes strength, coordination & brain development.
• Play teaches new skills and builds children’s self-esteem.
• Play teaches children social skills that help them develop friendships.
• Play is the right of children (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child)

"Play is the highest form of research" -Albert Einstein

Good Bye and Thank You to Kevin!

We are sad to see Kevin finish his temporary job assignment supporting Ms. Young's K and Gr 1 class, but ever so glad to have had him in our school.   The kids all said good bye to him on his last day and gave him artwork pictures as a gift.  

THANK YOU KEVIN FROM ALL OF US AT DR. A.R. LORD!