May Post...SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!!!

Please click the link below to see about the Happenings in Jamestown for the last month of the year:

http://jamestownsixthgrade.blogspot.com/2017/05/the-month-of-may.html

Thank you, Classroom Champions, for allowing us to be a part of this awesome program!

Saying Goodbye is hard ...

How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.

- Winnie The Pooh

+Arianne Jones came to visit our class on May 24th.  It was amazing!  She showed the students her racing equipment, answered questions, handed out certificates and gave hugs all around.  The students loved the day!  They knew they had been treated to a one of a kind experience.  It was a great way to celebrate our classroom adventures with Arianne.

The next day, special hats arrived at our classroom, courtesy of Arianne Jones.  What a wonderful surprise. The students immediately put them on and happily wore them all day.  It was a bittersweet reminder that Arianne shared her experiences and mentored us to become better people.  But it also reminded us that our year with Classroom Champions was drawing to a close.

The hats arrived as we wrote thank you letters to Encana. Encana transported Arianne to Grande Prairie and made sure she could visit Harry Balfour, Riverstone Public School and to Hythe Elementary School.  We wanted Encana to know how much we appreciated their generosity and support. Special thanks to Fiona Liebelt, who drove Arianne to the different venues.

Arianne Jones has been a wonderful role model for our class.  She is fearless. We shudder, as she giggles and tells us, that she rockets down the luge tube at speeds faster than one hundred kilometres. We are reminded to face the new experiences with enthusiasm and positive energy.

Her friendly smile and open demeanour are mesmerizing.  She is a great ambassador for sport and knows how to connect with individuals.  We certainly felt enamoured! We are reminded to greet others with an open friendly attitude and respect individual differences.

Arianne has shared her knowledge and experiences with our class.  Her mentorship has taught us valuable life lessons.  Goal setting, perseverance and healthy living gave us direction for success and we are reminded that “giving back” rewards those who give. We are lucky to have a mentor who makes saying goodbye so hard.

For myself, the farewell celebration drew interesting parallels to my teaching career.  I will retire this June, after teaching young students for thirty seven years. It has been a happy career!  I have been especially happy to spend my last three years with Classroom Champions.  Thank you for welcoming me into this wonderful community. I am lucky to love Classroom Champions so much that it is difficult to say goodbye.  

Now it is time to say farewell.  We love Arianne and appreciate her guidance and kindness.  The students love Classroom Champions and understand they have experienced a unique opportunity.  Thank you Arianne Jones, for a wonderful year.  Thank you Classroom Champions for letting us experience this fabulous year!

Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude.  - A. A. Milne

Healthy living with kindergarten

We had lots of fun and great conversations with our healthy living month. I apologize for the extreme lateness in getting the blog posting completed. We worked together to complete several art projects, many stories read and whole group conversations about healthy living choices.

Some of the stories we read were What’s for Lunch? By Andrea Curtis, This is the Way We Eat Our Lunch, by Edith Baer, Eating the Alphabet, by Lois Ehlert, Lunch by Denise Flemming, D.W. the Picky Eater by Marc Brown, How Did That Get in my Lunch Box? By Lucia Gaggiotti, Spoon, by Amy Rosenthal, I will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child, Gregory, the Terrible Eater, by Mitchell Sharmat and Little Pea, by Amy Rosenthal. I didn’t realize how many until listing them. It was a fun time reading serious books with informational text about other parts of the world and how and what they eat to silly books about what goats eat. It was enjoyable to read and also learn from the books about what other cultures do with food choices. Most of the books focused on healthy eating and our other conversations focused on exercise and other aspects of healthy choices.

We did an art project focused on the book Lunch. I found an outline of the mouse from the book. Students cut out the mouse and drew in the belly the foods that the mouse ate. I drawings are simple and focused on learning the colors of foods as well. Students added a front flap to the mouse to cover the belly. We added a pipe cleaner for a tail to add to the cuteness. We have enjoyed looking at them on the wall and reflecting on good food choices we can select on our way to lunch.

We discussed the process that should be used to properly wash your hands. Students used pictures clues to illustrate and write about the process. I was really impressed with their knowledge. I attached some illustrations the kids drew and they are really amazing. We read a poem together about loosing baby teeth and getting permanent teeth.

The students listened to information about fire safety and finding a safe spot outside their home if there was an emergency. We talked about dialing 911 for an emergency and that they would need to know their address. Several students already did know theirs and I encouraged the others to talk with their families. I had them illustrate ways to be safe around cars in roads and parking lots. They knew to walk in the crosswalk, wait for the light, and walk on the sidewalk. They also illustrated how to be safe in another situation. Some drew about hand washing after using the bathroom, cleaning a wound and bandages, keeping out of medications, staying away from the stove or things like the iron or a swimming pool.

The class discussed where foods come from. Wheat makes bread, oranges make orange juice, cows make milk and things like cheese, and corn can make popcorn. We discussed healthy food choices such as fruits and vegetables, proteins and dairy. Then moderating how much we eat of grains and fats.

We enjoyed several discussions about exercise, types and how important it is to keep your body all around healthy. I particularly enjoyed going through a variety of stretches and exercises and watching the students attempt them. Some were jump rope, squats, sit-ups, push-ups, running in place, marching and arm circles. Stretches included the hamstring, quads, arms, and big belly breaths.

Students saw pictures of the human muscular system, skeletal system and circulation system. They were able to see how the systems work together to keep us moving. Students identified ways to make their heart work hard and what exercise looks like. They made paper skeletons and put the major bones in the correct places to assemble the body. This was quite enjoyable and I was impressed at their ability to do this mostly accurately after our class discussion. I showed the students an activity pyramid. It is very helpful to show different activities and how often and long they should be doing them each day. It resembles the food pyramid concept. The top of the triangle is using the iPad, next strength activities, active activities like bike riding and jump rope and most often, playing with toys, friends and at the park.

The last thing we did was illustrate examples of anaerobic and aerobic activities. Many drew pictures of weightlifting, which the pictures are amazing and adorable. The aerobic activities are things like swimming, biking and frog squats.

I love healthy living month and the great discussions it promotes. I was pleased to hear from some parents that their child was wanting to eat healthier and was more excited to play outside or with toys rather than watching TV. I hope this continues to be a trend and lifestyle changes for them.

I am so sorry to be so late getting this posted. I have photos on my old phone I need to get sent and uploaded. I will get them added as soon as I can.   

Harry Balfour - Arianne Jones

Healthy Living with Arianne Jones

Arianne Jones talked about three components of Healthy Living:

1. Nutrition (and Hydration)
2. Sleep
3. Exercise

We explored each of these topics and discussed the importance of good mental health then celebrated “Hats On For Mental Health Day” on May 3.   We also touched on body image and saying no to smoking and alcohol.

We are running a little behind in our Classroom Champions schedule, but I feel it is important to cover the Healthy Living topic well, as we cover one third, of the Grade Three Alberta Health Curriculum, during our discussions.

Nutrition and Hydration

Arianne Jones currently is studying nutrition.  She knows a lot about food. She talked about nature providing clues about food quality.  For example: a walnut looks like a brain, and it makes brain function better when eaten.  My students really liked that tidbit of information.  Most had tried pecans but not all were sure if they had tried a walnut.

Arianne encouraged the students to stay hydrated by drinking water or vegetable juice.  All the students in my room are encouraged to bring water bottles to school so drinking water was easy advice to follow.  They weren’t so sure about the vegetable juice.  They usually quench their thirst with fruit juice.  

Most parents discourage students in my class from drinking soda and colas. The students seemed very aware of the high amounts of sugar in soft drinks but they were dumbfounded when they learned fruit juice contains just as much sugar. They was certainly new information for them.

We discussed food groups and determined which healthy foods belonged to each category.  We made a chart, “What’s On Your Plate?’ that reflects our understanding.

Sleep

Most of my students are struggling to sleep well at this time of year.  We have exceptionally long days, the sun currently rises at 6:00 am and sets at 8:30 pm.  As each day passes, we gain more daylight.  By June 21, we will be able to watch the sunset at midnight and watch the it rise shortly after 4:00 am.  With this in mind we talked about blackout blinds which are expensive, or covering the window with aluminum, which is much cheaper.

We discussed why bedtime routines are important.  A cool, dark room, without blue light from electronics makes sleeping soundly possible.  We talked about the way sugary snacks before bedtime can cause blood sugar to spike while sleeping causing individuals to wake in the middle of the night.  

Students experience more anxiety now, then when I went to school fifty years ago.  We spent time discussing how to relax and why relaxation is so important.  Most of the students in my class agreed that reading and playing in nature were great ways to relax.  The wilderness is literally outside our doorsteps.  Quadding, camping and hiking are always available in our Grande Prairie forests.  Students are fortunate to see bear, cougar, lynx, moose, deer and elk in their back yards throughout the seasons.  

Exercise

Arianne challenged us to get 10 minutes of fun, physical exercise each day, for one month.  We started this challenge at the beginning of May and hope to show Arianne a nearly completed chart, when she comes to visit our class on May 25.  As I type, we have 18 more sleeps before her visit.  We are confident we can surpass her challenge by exercising for at least 30 minutes each day, which is a curriculum requirement in Alberta.  Our class is so excited that Arianne is coming to visit us.  Wow! Just 15 sleeps to go!

Curriculum Covered

Healthy living is a great topic of study because it meshes so nicely with our grade three Health Program of Studies, as you can see from the student learner objectives listed below:

Grade 3 - Wellness Choices

Students will make responsible and informed choices to maintain health and to promote safety for self and others.  

Personal Health

Students will:

W-3.1 analyze the factors that affect choices for physical activity; e.g., the impact of technology/media

W-3.2 improve and practise positive health habits; e.g., lifting and carrying book bags/backpacks, maintaining good posture

W-3.3 examine that individuals grow through similar stages of development at different rates and at different times

W-3.4 recognize factors that influence unique body characteristics; e.g., genetics, body type, environment

W-3.5 apply guidelines from Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating to individual nutritional circumstances; e.g., active children eat/drink more

W-3.6 describe the importance of decision-making and refusal skills when offered inappropriate substances; e.g., drugs, tobacco, allergens

We loved investigating this topic and are planning our class visit from Arianne.  It is so exciting.  Classroom Champions is amazing and we know we are fortunate to see Arianne in person.  We cannot wait to tell you how the visit goes.  Stay tuned …..

Healthy Living Projects

This month was extremely busy.  We were preparing for our speech contest and participating in Student Vote for the BC provincial election, so we did not get our Family Challenge completed yet, but we are working on it.

We spent a good part of the month of April learning about nutrition in foods and drinks.  Using the HeartSmart resource, students learned about balanced diets, how to read nutrition labels, and why we should monitor the sodium and fats in our diet.  To apply this to our own lives, students examined nutrition labels of foods that their family eats and analyzed them for sodium, calories, and fat content.

Students then learned about why we should limit sugar and caffeine in our diets.  We examined common drinks from our lunches and compared their contents.  We discussed the difference between added sugar and natural sugars.  Once we completed this investigation, students then created posters to teach the rest of the school about how much sugar is in our lunch drinks.  They measured out the grams of sugar to display on their posters and then prepared oral presentations to share with each class in the school.  Feedback from other teachers indicated that the students did a great job sharing what they had learned and answering questions from the classes.  The posters generated a lot of interest from other students in the school.

This investigation sparked a lot of questions from my students as they wondered what the sugar, caloric, and caffeine content is in other drinks that they enjoy.  They then applied the same scientific process to examine the nutritional content of other food/drinks.  Each student developed their own question and located nutritional information from the internet to compare the foods they chose.  Some interesting food categories were:
Fast Food Burgers
Sports Drinks
School Snacks
Tim Horton's Snacks
Pizza

Students were very excited to plan a meal or physical activity for their family, although some expressed concern that they would not be able to get the whole family together at one time.  This made the challenge even more important for us.  I encouraged the students to talk to their parents and they were pleasantly surprised with the support they received.  We are still working on documenting their plans and will share some when they are finished.

Healthy Living - Classroom Champions April Update

Our challenge from Clark this month was to come up with small goals to help us live a healthier life. Students had spring break this month and decided to include their family in this healthy living goal. One student planned to get more sleep over the break, while another's goal was to hike the mountains with her mom. Students are still working on their illustrations of their goals. These pictures will be uploaded later, as students complete them.

We have begun our testing for this school year and have had conversations about eating properly for our brains to work their best and how getting enough, not too much, sleep is important, not only to do well on tests, but to be at our maximum energy level to perform anything well.

The year is winding down. We have only 17 more school days in our year, but we have our sixth grade graduation four days prior to that. I am very proud of my students. They have prepared well for middles school and I know that there are big things in their future!

Healthy Living Month in Akulivik

I can not believe April is over! It was such a short month for us. We had barely finished Leadership when our Spring Break started, and I was gone for two weeks (one for break and one to attend the CC conference!). Getting out of Akulivik takes so much work and planning, and there were some weather troubles, so we started Healthy living month last Wednesday! Now all the kids are gone for Culture Week, so our Healthy Living and We are Champions months will be very combined. We have only 4 weeks left of class!!!!!

Following up on Leadership month we finally completed our challenge! The kids worked hard to think of things they could improve to be better leaders. They also drew themselves as the type of leader they want to be (many want to be team captains!), and Malisa wants to help feed people so that they won't be hungry. I'm honoured to share my time with such great thinkers and leaders, and I love it when they surprise me like that!

Then we started healthy living month. We watched our new video with two amazing mentors and started a conversation about healthy living. I was so proud when the kids made connections to something we did months ago, but stays on our wall!

We explored some games from Ask.Listen.Learn. and started our first lesson from the site! The kids learned about the brain, and how alcohol affects both adults and kids brains.

Next up I am sending home the challenge that our mentors gave us. Parents will receive a letter explaining the challenge and asking them to send in photos of them and their kids accomplishing it! The challenge was for the students to find a healthy recipe and cook it with their family, or to get outside and get active with their family. I cannot wait to see them accomplish this challenge and get their family involved!

We will also be tracking our healthy activities for a whole week. 

I am excited to finish off the year with a bang, and am looking forward to our next video chat!

All the best from Akulivik!