Celebration of Learning

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Our school had its Celebration of Learning night on Thursday.

I love that name.

In other school I've worked in, it's called Curriculum Night, or an Open House, which are all fine names, but Celebration of Learning captures a spirit that school cultures aim for.  All are learning all the time.  Students, teachers and parents.  Let's celebrate it!

Mostly, it's an invitation for students to bring their parents into the school to see their homeroom, and meet all of their teachers, without the pressure of conferences or heavy academic or behavioural conversation.  Parents come to see the make up of the classroom, understand where their child spends most of their weekdays, and see the kind of work being done in the classes.

First, let's stop in my classroom.

Primarily, my room is my Mathematics room.

It is also our homeroom (where we meet in the morning for attendance and Positive Behaviour Support lessons).

The students also have Health and Religion in my room, and at times Photography and Worker Safety is taught in here as well.  Those are all taught by another teacher.

I teach French across the hall in another room, and Drama in rooms all around the school.

Nonetheless, the room has my touch and a certain Math-y feel.

On any given day, if you stop into my classroom, you might find something like this.

Miss G spends her mornings before first bell in my classroom with me (Miss A's preschool begins earlier). 

She usually builds structures like this, or uses my teacher stamps and markers and scissors to make medallions for my Grade 7 homeroom students as they arrive. 

Sometimes, she plays on the computer. 

There are some really fun educational games for her age on all the computers.

Miss A joins us after school in my classroom on some days, too, and I'm pretty impressed with how relaxed and at home they are, even with a long school day.

If I have meetings or have some marking to do, my girls sometimes enjoy a movie on the Proxima projector.

On the first day of school, I designed some choice centres for cooperative team building for my homeroom. 

It was a way for them to catch up and socialize after the summer break, while I could see how the dynamic of my class operates in one room. 

They are a great group of kids!

 So, among these initial homeroom centres, was this fun activity.
It involves painters tape and paint.
It's paint resist! 
And, I must say it was a big hit.
I love how they all look like flags.
My "big kids" loved it as much as my little kids do!

  I do this craft all the time with my girls at home. 

 At home, we get fancy, and I put the girls initials in painter's tape.

 Another activity was picture weaving, which I adapted from Pink and Green Mama (one of my very favourite blogs).  Because one station already had painting going, this one was done with markers or pencil crayons to save on clean up, but I want to try this another time with my girls at home with water colours.

The students worked in pairs and created two nearly identical line drawings.  Then, each partner coloured one line drawing a piece as uniquely as they wished, following that, they had to fold their paper into quarters (on person folded horizontally, the other vertically).  Next, they used my crazy scissors to cut along the folds.  Together, they weaved the pictures to create a cool Picasso-esque inspired creation.  It is representative of team work.

My students were also invited to make "stained glass" window coverings with their names to personalize the room, with tissue paper mounted to the back of construction paper.

 (The student's work here is pixilated to blur the names for privacy.)

Now, onto Miss G's Kindergarten classroom.

Miss G loves her hand tree. 

It is hanging above her hooks in the hall, and she tells me that it is of autumn leaves, and she made a leaf rainbow with the leaves. 

She really wants to bring home all of her art work, but is quite satisfied that I take pictures of everything so she can see her work at home, too.

In the classroom, the Kindergarten students all coloured a picture of Chip, our school mascot. 

Miss G LOVES Chip, or Chip Chip, as she calls him.

Can you pick out Miss G's Chip Chip? 

There is Miss G's Chip Chip! 

Purple and Black:  her favourite colours. 

There is also this display, including Miss G's first "homework" assignment with her classmates. 

She is getting very good at printing, and enhanced this with the black borders around her picture of her painting. 

(Her name is blocked for privacy on all her artwork, like all the other kids.) 

The first week of school, the Kindergarten kids made "Ss Soup" with things that begin with the letter S. 

This past week, was the letter Tt. 

Can you pick out Miss G's turtle? 

There it is!  With the detailed turtle shell, and vibrant colours. 

I picked it out as soon as I walked in the room, before I had a chance to look at the names. 

So cute!! 

Miss G also painted this beautiful painting of Kid Doggie this week. 

I like how she used two colours, and included details like the sun and his expressive ears.

Now, Miss A's Preschool, which is next door to Miss G's Kindergarten class.

Together, the Preschoolers painted these abstract pieces. 

Can you tell what tool they used for painting? 

Maybe you can tell here? 

Yes? 

Feet painting!

Miss A LOVED painting with her feet!

Who wouldn't?? 

This display cracked me up.

It was so cute!!

The Preschool teachers recorded exactly what each child said about Jesus (and God).

Here is the list:

"Sun, God made the sun, it helps us to see."

"I think God made sharks."

"God helps us to get healthy."

"I know that God listens to me."

"God loves everyone."

"You say Amen after praying."
 "God made trees."
"If I go to a big school I learn about God and just be happy."
"I want to learn more about God."
"He made a church.  We pray to God."
"If we pray to God they will guard our family when we sleep."
"God is in our classroom."
"God reads."
"I have a baby Jesus, it's all different colours like the rainbow."

And my child?  What did she say??

 I love it!!

Now, the Celebration of Learning was at 6:00, which is the beginning of bedtime in our house, so the girls did not attend with Daddy, but we both get to see their teachers every single day, and visit the classrooms all the time. 
The girls have a different was to celebrate learning each day after school.

Miss A celebrated by having a picnic with her toys in bed, and she fell asleep in the middle of the meal.

See Patchy-Patch?  He is happily pinned by Miss A's leg with a fried chicken.

Even Eve from Wall-e was invited, as you see. 

Miss G celebrated by reading Kid Doggie a story,

and snuggling with her favourite blankie, Blanken.

Sweet dreams, sweet girls.