Making Change

Since it is the season of giving and since you are writing a story called The Gift, you have to watch this video.   It's amazing!

Christmas ornaments and book marking...

You certainly had fun making Christmas ornaments and now we are busy working on picture books.  It's a fun time of the year!  You are also busily selling Paperblank journals and we have already made over 200 dollars for the Nepal Library Foundation.  We have fulfilled our goal of 100 cans for the food drive in our class and you are still bringing them in.  Well done!!

Busy times in Division Two

I am a bit behind here.  I promise I will post some pictures!!!  We have been so busy!  I thought you would like this picture of my cousins bringing home their Christmas tree.  Life is a little different in Alberta than here, don't you think?
When I grew up in Quebec, we lived on a farm until I was eight and we had a sleigh that we would use with my pony in the winter.
The problem in the city of Vancouver is that you don't usually have snow and most of us don't have ponies or horses!!!
But yesterday we did have a bear in downtown Vancouver! 
Looking forward to more Christmas fun at school.  Back to work on our picture books today! HoHoHo!  And I keep hearing rumours of snow!!!

Brainpop

Many of you are starting to enjoy Brainpop.  You can get this as an application on iphone or ipad but if you use this link just look for the featured video of the day.  It's a great way to learn many interesting things! 

Mrs. Graham

Awhile ago we had a lovely celebration for Mrs. Graham, beloved kindergarten teacher here for thirty years.  We are making a book of their memories and here are a few of her happy former students.  Guess who??? 

Here are a couple of them hanging out in the playhouse.  I bet they had more space seven years ago! 

Taking action in the world

What busy times we have had!  Your War and Peace newspapers were very good and we have been so busy we haven't even had a chance to look at them together.  Last week we had a very interesting visitor, Alison Bird, who told us about the Nepal Library Foundation and I know that you are all looking forward to selling the Paperblank journals and raising money for this worthy cause.  But of course first we have been busy selling Vow of Silence face masks.  I just came back from buying more as we have reached our goal of selling 100 (twice as many as last year).  We have raised over 160 dollars that will be donated to our village project in India.  Tomorrow is our big afternoon and I know we will be thinking of all the children who are still affected by war and poverty who don't have the rights that we enjoy.  Also you have been making Trudeau a peaceful place by your work as hall monitors and peer helpers.  Well done, Division Two (I know I still haven't switched this blog).

Flanders Field

I just found this website from the composer of the beautiful version of In Flanders Field that you learned in choir.  I thought you would enjoy visiting the site. 

Vow of Silence

November 30 is the day when  children and adults from all over the world will be taking a vow of silence to show how many children around the world have no voice, are lacking the basic rights that we in Canada take more granted.  For more information just go to this website.  Watch the video and learn and share the facts.  I am enclosing a pictures from Trudeau's vow of silence afternoon last year!  It was lots of fun-my class even had a silent PE period!!!

War and Peace

We had a very nice Remembrance Day assembly last Thursday so I thought I would post a few pictures.  You may want to use them in your War and Peace newspapers!

Halloween...

 It's everyone's favorite time of the year.  Here's a few pictures of you with the buddies working on their sticker pictures and stories.

  I forgot to take pictures on our visit to JO's haunted house.  I must have been too wet and scared. Today I forgot my camera at home.

 I had lots of trick or treators at my house tonight.  My favorite was the dog that came in costume. 

My neighbours  had spectacular fireworks.  I hope you all had fun!

Somalia

This is a very short blog but just saw this powerful interview with Free The Children founder, Craig.  Let's get fundraising, Division Two!  On the same website is some other interesting information.  Here is an excellent map of what is going on...

Writers' Festival Granville Island

On Thursday we had a great adventure going to Granville Island to go to the International Writers' Festival.  I mean when you begin the trip by sighting a coyote as you wait for the bus!  I think we all enjoyed listening to writers Kit Pearson, Alan Cumyn, and Maggie de Vries read from their latest books. Maggie de Vries lives near Trudeau and even saw us waiting for the bus as she was driving to Granville Island, but she didn't see the coyote! 

That was a crowded bus going down Cambie and many calls of "Are we there yet?" but we did arrive on time.  I was concerned that getting on the bus going back might be a problem as unlike the Main Street bus it isn't a double bus, so we walked over to the Olympic Station to take Canada Line.  There was a bit of moaning but it was a beautiful walk on a beautiful afternoon.  And for some of you it was your first time on Canada Line. 



I think everyone enjoys Granville Island as there is so much to see and do and of course, eat!  If we had known it was going to be such a beautiful day we could have brought our sketch pads and done some ecosystem observations!

It was a great day and you were good sports!

Buddies

This week we had our first session with our Grade One reading buddies.  This is always a highlight of the week for both classes and I can see we are going to have a great year with Ms. Micozzi's class!

Still haven't switched blogs

Well eventually I will put up a new blog.  It would be so much easier if I could just change the title... I hope you have all had a good Thanksgiving weekend and that you didn't end up with a cold like I did.  I thought I would post a couple of pictures of our class. See how hard at work you are!!! 

Welcome back after the three day weekend!  I am pleased that some of you are beginning to really use moodle and are now posting.  I think we had a great time last week learning about two of our Canadian heroes, Rick Hansen and Terry Fox.  Here is a clip from Steve Nash's movie about Terry. Please note some of the links at the side of this blog.  You can even work on your French! 

14 Cows for America

I think we all enjoyed reading this book today.  To learn more just go to this website-there is so much information!!!  For instance I found out that the American Embassy was so touched by the gift of the cows that they sponsored 14 scholarships enabling Maasai teens to attend high school and that is not always easy for such students.  I love how the giving really didn't end but gave back and continues. 

Our class last year did so many exciting projects to help students in different parts of the world from Nepal to Uganda to India.  I look forward to you having the chance to be involved this year through our class and its activities, and through our Me to We club.  You also can join Students' Council.  And by becoming a Peer Helper you get to help right in our school as well. 

The rise and fall of the Twin Towers

Here are some great photographs of the rise and fall of the Twin Towers that were destroyed by the planes crashing into them on 911.  Pick one and write the caption and tell why you chose this picture and  write about this in your project book. 

Pictures of our new class