Butterflies, Mosaic sneak peak, Tumblebooks, Talent show

Butterflies soar over Florence Meares!

We had well over 30 chrysalis that turned into butterflies! So, being mindful of the weather we released most of them to nature today. Those butterflies knew what to do. They started flying as soon as we walked outside. We opened the lid (of the butterfly nursery) and away they went. It was fun to watch the students in little groups chase after their butterfly as it flew high in the sky. One of my students wrote in his 'Diary of a Butterfly' journal that he hopes his butterfly "finds a girlfriend or boyfriend soon as two weeks isn't a long lifespan so you have to do these things quickly." The butterflies will stay in the area so you may see some in your backyard. 

Mosaic Update

This is a panoramic photo of two classes working on the project with the artist. Click to enlarge. (it is a little blurry to ensure privacy)

Our Grade Two classes completed their mosaics as part of the big school project with artist Heather Vollans. Here are a few of them to give you an idea of how they will look when all 75 tiles are put together. 

Tumblebooks

I would highly recommend 'Tumblebooks' which can be located through the Burlington Public library. This is similar to Storyline on-line with a lot more choices and options that are updated often. It is good to hear Robert Munsch read some of his own stories. If you go through our school website you can access this easily. I will also provide a link for you. If you go through Burlington public library you will need a library card to access. However, perusing this with the students, I noticed the Burlington Public Library now has Zinio. This is a great way to download free magazines onto your IPAD or Tablet. I use this resource all the time and there are some great magazines on there for both children and adults. I'm also a big fan of freegal which is an on-line music download source (you can load two songs a week I believe). It's worth it to pick up a library card! 

Talent Show

Florence Meares has so much talent from within our school. Students who tried out for the talent show have been working hard to get their acts ready to share on June 19th. There is usually dancing, singing, piano playing, joke telling, magic tricks and so much more! It's a lot of work for teachers and of course the students performing but it makes such wonderful memories. Looking forward to it! 

Music Monday, Mental Health Week, Mosaics!

This week was a whirlwind of activity... I will give you the information in pictures.

Music Monday
Monday was a celebration of music. Due to the inclement weather we held the celebration indoors. As it was pointed out to me...the electrical microphone system does better without rain. Good plan. The band did a great rendition of 'Don't stop believin(g)' by Journey! Our primary students sang wonderfully as well! 
My view from the gym equipment room:

Mental Health Week
Part of a teacher's professional learning involves the understanding of the holistic needs of students. Helping students develop 'resilient' strategies will ensure further academic and social/emotional growth moving forward. While we often talk to students about feelings and read books that discuss issues in a child friendly way, it is important to help students develop strategies to manage their anxiety or frustration levels. A great strategy introduced this week was to simply take a walk.The whole school went on a long walk down Berwick Avenue. It was a beautiful day and everyone felt better for having gone outside and enjoying nature.

 Caterpillars Arrived! 

They arrived and are growing daily! They have begun to shed some skin, create webs and in one unfortunate case of cannibalism....eat each other. Luckily there seems to be only one carnivore in the group!

Wondering what happens next? Here is a time lapse video of Painted lady butterflies as they go through their complete metamorphosis! Click here

Mother's Day
Hope every Mom enjoyed their Mother's Day gifts. The students were very excited to create these for you. 
Blackboard painted candle holders! Lot's of fun :)

As one student said, 'We can decorate this for every occasion, just by washing it off and drawing new designs!" 

Mosaics
The mosaic project has started! In the square, the grade 8 students at our school started their mosaic squares . Each grade has a colour and a theme. If you look to the right in my twitter feed you can see some of the projects started. I think the school will look amazing once all the artwork is mounted on the walls. I've been cutting mosaic pieces like crazy. It's a big project but the results will be so worth it. Our grade two students will start on March 19th and our colour is blue.