-The class is accepting Kleenex donations!  Can you believe we plowed through that huge wall of tissue boxes we had?? We are now down to only 1 box left!   As an aside .. I keep a couple of bottles of hand sanitizer in the room and it seems like I buy Lysol wipes weekly!  Trying to stave off wintery germs is challenging!  Please remind your child of the importance of proper hand-washing and general cleanliness.

-We are raising lots of cash-ola for our efforts with Rights Respecting in supporting Haiti!  (Approx. $55 so far!) Allowing the students to choose what they want to do or wear then donate-up for it has been a huge success - thank you for helping the kids have fun, at school, while supporting others and learning about compassion. Some choices have been ... Sock Day, Crazy Hair Day, Hat Day, Pyjama Day, Jersey Day, Twin Day, etc.  Students have been waltzing in in jammies, while in sock feet, and a hat on and then dropping loonies in our class bucket .. it's been great and fun! 

-We are just getting started on a "Moyen âge" art project. Students have been learning about the medieval village and the buildings contained within.  I have been collecting cardboard items for a long while but today a huge dent was made in the supplies as the kids rifled through paper towel rolls and shoe and kleenex boxes.  If your child would like to bring any other supplies of their own for their project they are encouraged and welcomed to do so at any time!

-Today we had our A.R.C.C. - Awareness Assembly. Think about engaging in conversations with your child about what it means to have awareness. The have great ideas!  How can we be more mindful of our actions, of our surroundings, our environment, more mindful of our habits, etc. A hot topic for 9-10 year olds is REACTING vs. PAUSING to stop and think for a moment BEFORE acting .. Determining the appropriate reaction to the size of the problem goes hand-in-hand with that as well.  Chatting about these types of things with intention helps kids with understanding and learning.

-Ending on a positive note: our daily VIP bin is a huge success! Students are really stepping up and waiting anxiously to see who the VIP is each day.  The goal is capture everyone so wait for it ... one day your guy or gal will walk in saying they got the bin today!  It's filled with things they can use all day and it's been a real hit.  I'm on the lookout for acts of kindness and compassion - so proud of everyone so far! Hoping the good vibes just keep spreading far and wide!!
 
Have a great week everyone!

Mme Whalen