News from our Elementary Principal, Ben Voborsky
Hello GAA Community,
Happy Innovation Week! Our students, parents, and teachers have been engaged in innovation this week. It is not only this week we focus on innovation but this is the week we highlighted it. If you were not able to share in the excitement, please check out the following links:
Innovation
Fun
Please feel free to swing by Room 117 to learn more from our Tech Team. Also, ask to check out our two Makerspaces in action!
Happy Thanksgiving to those celebrating.
Enjoy your weekend,
Ben Voborsky
Elementary Principal
Happy Innovation Week! Our students, parents, and teachers have been engaged in innovation this week. It is not only this week we focus on innovation but this is the week we highlighted it. If you were not able to share in the excitement, please check out the following links:
Innovation
Fun
Please feel free to swing by Room 117 to learn more from our Tech Team. Also, ask to check out our two Makerspaces in action!
Happy Thanksgiving to those celebrating.
Enjoy your weekend,
Ben Voborsky
Elementary Principal
Grade 2B News
This week has been very exciting for the Grade 2’s as we moved into our new Unit of Inquiry, ‘Sharing the Planet’. Students reflected on appreciation for nature as they researched different habitats and the animals that live there. In the coming weeks they will be reflecting on how to become world citizens; caring for our planet in their own capacity. During Math we learned about measuring objects using unconventional and conventional methods. We even measured the length of a Blue Whale using meter sticks! We then investigated how many students it would take to measure the length of the whale; it’s 94 feet!
This week has been very exciting for the Grade 2’s as we moved into our new Unit of Inquiry, ‘Sharing the Planet’. Students reflected on appreciation for nature as they researched different habitats and the animals that live there. In the coming weeks they will be reflecting on how to become world citizens; caring for our planet in their own capacity. During Math we learned about measuring objects using unconventional and conventional methods. We even measured the length of a Blue Whale using meter sticks! We then investigated how many students it would take to measure the length of the whale; it’s 94 feet!
Last week, our Grade 3 students performed in the first Elementary Arts Festival of the school year. Their performances were focused on the central idea of their ‘How We Express Ourselves’ unit: “The arts engage an audience and provokes a response”. Our Grade 3 students made the school proud and performed outstanding original songs all about the connection between the audience and the performers as well as who they are as performers. Our students celebrated the creation process through Music, Drama and Visual Art presentations as well as using different mediums of performance. Our students really set a high bar for the rest of the Elementary school and we are proud of each and every one of them! We really hope our school community is looking forward to the remaining Arts Festivals this school year! Thank you to everyone who supported and attended the performance!
Community Share
On Thursday morning, students from 2E and 4E shared some of their learning with students from other classes and grades. The children in 4E demonstrated how they decided to make ‘innovative lotion’ as well as singing a song they have been practicing in their music class. The children in 2E shared some of their learnings around their central idea of ‘How human activities can challenge plant and animal survival’ through some provocative role-playing. They also demonstrated how they are using SeeSaw to record and share their learning on a daily basis. The Community Share was completed with the celebration of the students who received a Star Student award this week for their demonstration of PYP attitudes and/or IB Learner Profile attributes. You can see more photos of the event here.
On Thursday morning, students from 2E and 4E shared some of their learning with students from other classes and grades. The children in 4E demonstrated how they decided to make ‘innovative lotion’ as well as singing a song they have been practicing in their music class. The children in 2E shared some of their learnings around their central idea of ‘How human activities can challenge plant and animal survival’ through some provocative role-playing. They also demonstrated how they are using SeeSaw to record and share their learning on a daily basis. The Community Share was completed with the celebration of the students who received a Star Student award this week for their demonstration of PYP attitudes and/or IB Learner Profile attributes. You can see more photos of the event here.
KG Corner
We have started our new Unit of Inquiry. We are learning all about journeys. We went on a journey all around our school. We went upstairs to the elementary and secondary schools. We saw so many new places and learned so many new things. We had lots of fun!!
KG1G have been busy finding out all about plants. We went on a plant hunt around our school and found many types of plants. Students took action and brought in plants, flowers, leaves, seeds and photographs of plants from their home. Each of these students were risk-takers as they informed their friends of their findings in our morning show and tell. We planted all the seeds we have found in our lunch boxes and we are recording our findings. The students have been inquiring into the parts of a plant and the functions of each part.
In KG1H this week, we have been exploring with plants. We inquired into the different parts of a plant, and after reading 'Jack and the Beanstalk' we decided to plant our own beans to observe each part as it grows. We also used some of our class plants as inspiration as we painted.
Reader’s Workshop in KG2.
This week KG2G received a very special present from Spiderman. This gift helped KG2G to become super readers and helped them practice their Pointer Power. Students enjoyed using their new pointer power sticks and thanked Spiderman for the gift.
This week KG2G received a very special present from Spiderman. This gift helped KG2G to become super readers and helped them practice their Pointer Power. Students enjoyed using their new pointer power sticks and thanked Spiderman for the gift.
Kitchen Lab
In the Kitchen-Lab our KG2 students have been learning about food needed for different types of journeys. This week we pretended to be food scientists working for the GAA SPACE AGENCY preparing food for astronauts to eat in space. We placed dried bananas and apples in a zipper bag and used a drinking straw to remove the air from the bag, simulating vacuum sealing.
In KG1 our students are learning about plants as a resource for us. Students chose fruits and vegetables of their choice to make designs on rice cakes. We practice our knife skills by spreading cream cheese or yogurt as a base for our toppings. The students were very creative with their designs.
KG PE
During PE, KG1 & KG2 have been having lots of fun! We have also been continuing to work on developing our physical skills. KG1 has been introduced to a variety of activities that require them to follow rules, with a focus on understanding the importance of being safe. We have done activities such as games in the swimming pool, Mr Sun and Mr Snow, stuck in the mud and animal movements.
KG2 has started to learn different games that also involve us following the rules in order to be safe. The games in KG2 are a bit more complex and they also require the students to be open-minded and also respectful to each other - they are starting to learn how to win and lose in a game and to also celebrate the accomplishment of others. KG2 is also getting ready for our swimming unit that will start the week of the 20th November - please see seesaw for information regarding the days and times of each class.
KG2 has started to learn different games that also involve us following the rules in order to be safe. The games in KG2 are a bit more complex and they also require the students to be open-minded and also respectful to each other - they are starting to learn how to win and lose in a game and to also celebrate the accomplishment of others. KG2 is also getting ready for our swimming unit that will start the week of the 20th November - please see seesaw for information regarding the days and times of each class.