Dark green
The board shimmered not black, but evergreen

The humming wings of the fluttering bee
Soaring raven

Dandelion seed lightly flutters down through the breeze
A shadow moves through the forest

The sun is so bright you can close your eyes, face the sun and still be blinded
For a tree cannot stand alone

Boulders poking up from under the moss and dirt
The bright sunlight gleaming through the trees
Green moss crawls up the trees

Baby raven oh so fun waiting for it’s mom to come!

The forest is a quiet place to work
Pushed aside the cedar grows lonely

Trees tower like city buildings
The forest gets older

The sun peeks through the swaying trees.
Big bugs buzzing
Leaves glowing like emerald
Sun peeking through the trees

Twigs crack, birds sing, the story of the forest silent, until you listen
Salal covers the forest floor like a carpet

Each tree tells a story, each stone starts anew

Have you ever poured concrete to make a picnic table? How about wiring a light bulb? No? Well, now our class can say we have because we just went on a field trip to learn about future jobs we might want to have. We learned so much while we were  there.   (Elysa)

Sandwick [the career and  training centre we visited] is a great place for kids to learn about the trades and take a big part in them. I think it  provides a great opportunity for kids who like to learn with their hands and not just sitting in a desk all day. They give the kids what they need to do the job and what they have to practice to become a real master of the trades. (Kyle)

Mr. Grey [career and trades coordinator] was very informative and showed us a really good video on safety in the workplace. He also let us hang from the ceiling on a Fall Arrest. A fall arrest is a harness that you wear when working on a roof or any place that is high off the ground that breaks your fall so that you don’t hit the ground. We also did competitions where we had to hammer a nail in to a piece of wood, and put two pieces of metal together with a screw. (Melanie)

My group got to do construction and drywall. In construction we followed a plan for a little house. We then built one of the walls. After that we went on to drywall. In drywall we got to cut holes in the wall. We then learned how to fix it. Cut out a piece of drywall, the same size as the hole, then tape the remaining cracks, and apply the mud. Let it dry and paint over. Then your wall is as good as new! (Becky)

There many fun activities in each trades station. The one I enjoyed the most was a part of plumbing and it was soldering. Soldering is similar to welding but involves solder and a tiger torch. You melt the solder to where the parts of the pipes connect and it acts as a glue or like a weld. (Josh)

This experience has definitely given me a better idea of what the trades are, and what I want to do when I get older.  If I were to do a trade, it would probably be hairdressing or cooking but I think that I would rather do something that involves going back to school because there is so many options. But it was still nice to learn about all of these things so I can do it if I need to, instead of hiring someone to do it for me. This has also changed the way I see buildings and even my own house. I know how it was built and the effort it took for that to happen. (Sophie)

If you could have one job, what would it be? I could tell you one thing it might be. It might be a trade. As I had said, there are a lot of trades out there. Pouring cement is a trade along with welding. Mainly anything you do with your hands is a trade. Well. Almost everything. I don’t think playing video games is a trade… Yet. (Chelsey)

So, have you begun to think about what you’ll do in the future? You’re likely to have more than one job in your lifetime–perhaps one will be a trade. After seeing the video and reading about the trades, would you consider the trades? What do you think your career path will look like?

When I read powerful student writing, something happens to my knees. They actually shake. I know that sounds silly, but it just happens. I get weak in the knees. It’s a good thing I am usually sitting down when I read student posts because these days I would have to strap a pillow to my derriere.

Good writing is not effortless. My students are really sweating over their work. I am proud of their willingness to polish their writing and hope you can tell how much thought goes into each blog post. 

The post below is written by Jenna. You can tell she has a topic she cares about, one she has been thinking about. 

Photo Credit: squacco via Compfight

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Art is a passion, not pass time.

I believe with art you can never go wrong with being yourself  and letting your true passion shine. When you pick up a pencil or paintbrush you can just let your feelings flow. I love art because it’s a way to express yourself,  inspire and be inspired.

With art you can express your passion and you can make a difference if you care. My favourite form of art is painting, I usually use acrylic paints and paint on canvas instead of paper. I don’t like painting “exact” but I don’t have a specific technique. There are many forms of art, sculptures, paintings, drawings, clay, origami, etc. Lots of artists have specific techniques that they use every time. One of my favourite artists is Gustav Klimt. I love his tree of life painting and I’ve even done one myself at our local 4Cats Art Studio.

Photo Credit: David Flam via Compfight

Art is not about being exact; it is about being spontaneous, courageous and creative. Some people get so caught up in trying to make it perfect that they lose the meaning and importance to the the piece because art isn’t about perfection it’s about having fun and being able to express yourself whether it’s with a pencil, or a paintbrush it’s your chance to be creative and I love that about art.

What about you?

Please comment on Jenna’s post here.

       There’s no place like blogs, there’s no place like blogs…

• Are you a remote control buff? Visit Trevor‘s Blog.
• On both Noah and Jacob‘s blog you’ll find great food reviews–burgers or bbq, anyone?
•  Maddy tells you about a hair disaster.
• Animals with hooves? Giraffes, donkeys, zebras frolic on Bailee, Kehana, and Jenna‘s blogs
• Want to read about more unusual animals? Brendan, Liam, Kenzie, and Monica
• Kyle talks about an animal you find everywhere.
• Julia describes snowboarding
• On Bekkam‘s blog you’ll read about his problems with pencils.
• Reece tells you about his top 10 favourite dogs
• Ever heard of Dr. Who? Let Roxanne tell you about him.
• Sam tries her first zoom post–she wants your ideas, too.
• Sophie discusses favourite seasons.
• Got some random questions? Nicole is looking for your thoughts.
• Favourite bands are discussed by Melanie and Kaiden.
• Furry friends? Summer, Cole, Josh, and Spencer talk about them.
• More good news about good deeds is shared by Adena.
• Tristan reviews the video game Spore.
• Becky writes poetically about fish.
• Do you have an artistic side? So does Elysa.
• Finally, want a little fiction? Chelsey is beginning a Secret Agent saga.

Photo Credit: Here’s Kate via Compfight cc

This is harder than you would expect–developing a scenario that demonstrates effective strategies and creating effective panels requires creativity, thinking, and determination. Completed student cartoons will pop up on their blogs in the coming days.

So, readers, what do you worry about? How do you manage it? Are there strategies that you could suggest that will help us keep anxiety in perspective? Let us know in a comment!

When they found out my son would need to spend some time at the Children’s Hospital they decided to hold a bake sale. The initial planning team went into high gear, planning in a Google Doc,  making lists of jobs (from advertising to photography to clean-up), sharing the work and the satisfaction. Two thirds of the class did their own baking. 

Their goal was to raise $350.00 but in the end they raised $502.01!  I am so very proud of these students, and so grateful for their kindness.

Epona, one of our class unicorns, Nelson, and I present our big cheque to the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation.

Have you ever been the recipient of someone’s generosity? Please let us know!

Supporting a young person in their learning, helping them to build confidence and trust in new experiences is a great way to Do Good.

This time our buddies came to our room to make and read a booklet about Gingerbread Kids. The buddies had made Gingerbread Kids who have left on an adventure.

For the books we created, we pretended to eat gingerbread cookies by tearing and gluing the parts of the cutout body into each page. So, while playing, we were working on fine motor and language skills.

Helping a buddy tear and glue

Then we read the books with our buddies.

Face to face or side by side

I especially love watching parents and grandparents enjoying the interactions between their children and these lovely 12 and 13 year old students. It’s like watching a community knit itself together.

Students, children and grandparents enjoying each other’s company.

We like to finish off with a song that makes everyone smile: Icky Sticky Bubble Gum:

We built this message together, first by designing and colouring puzzle pieces with images of people–young people–making a difference. Some messages are about being honest and kind, some messages are about respectful or responsible action, and some are about caring for animals and the environment.

Once complete, students had to put pieces together–in silence. This involved a lot of gesturing and flapping, and I have to say I was very entertained. They completed the puzzle more quickly than I expected. Here’s what the process looked like:

So, tell us: how do you do good in the world?

Can we have a pet? Can we have a pet? Please? Please! Puh-Leeeeeese?

How could I resist such a courteous plea? Easy. I am a mother as well as a teacher. I know who winds up feeding, paying vet bills, and cleaning cages.

As well as being the Queen of the Universe, I am also the Queen of Compromise. Remember the frequent references to unicorns in their grade 7 student applications? I am not cold-hearted, just practical.  Unicorns make great pets because they are magical and cute. And they eat very little. And they are healthy. And, most important of all, they do not poop.

So I could afford to buy two. Here they are, Epona and Stephano. They have their own blog.

They have already been on a few adventures exploring our community and meeting new people. That basket just can’t hold them back!

Do you have a class pet? Who cleans up? Or do you have class pets that take care of themselves?