IVS families,
The last couple of weeks of September have been quite busy. We went for our walk for Terry Fox on September 23rd, and learned about Terry Fox and the Marathon of Hope. We also attended the annual bus safety presentation on September 29th.
We have been learning about First Nations culture in the classroom. In addition to the Gregorian calendar, students are also observing a lunar calendar, and we are learning the names of the moons that are followed by the Wolastoqey First Nation (translated in English). For example, today is Friday, September 30, 2022; and the 7th day of Moon of Falling Leaves.
Students have been learning some simple words in English, French, Wolastoqey, and Mi'kmaq; which ties in well with our Social Studies curriculum, as our focus in grade three is on My Province. They had so much fun learning some new words and going on a scavenger hunt outside with Mrs. Bennett's grade 3 class on Thursday to find some things and practice using different languages!
The last couple of weeks of September have been quite busy. We went for our walk for Terry Fox on September 23rd, and learned about Terry Fox and the Marathon of Hope. We also attended the annual bus safety presentation on September 29th.
We have been learning about First Nations culture in the classroom. In addition to the Gregorian calendar, students are also observing a lunar calendar, and we are learning the names of the moons that are followed by the Wolastoqey First Nation (translated in English). For example, today is Friday, September 30, 2022; and the 7th day of Moon of Falling Leaves.
Students have been learning some simple words in English, French, Wolastoqey, and Mi'kmaq; which ties in well with our Social Studies curriculum, as our focus in grade three is on My Province. They had so much fun learning some new words and going on a scavenger hunt outside with Mrs. Bennett's grade 3 class on Thursday to find some things and practice using different languages!
On Friday we were honoured to have a visit from Mi'kmaq Knowledge Keeper Greg Mansfield. We went to the outdoor classroom and students were able to witness a smudging ceremony. They learned about First Nations culture and were able to see and touch a variety of artifacts. Greg Mansfield taught us a song and everyone was able to play and sing along on the small drums. Later, a few students were chosen to play the grandmother drum while the rest of us did a snake dance to the beat. Here are just a couple of pictures, but if you'd like to see more, check out the Photos tab.
Students have also been learning about Truth and Reconciliation. We read Phyllis's Orange Shirt and discussed residential schools. We talked about the differences between residential schools and the school(s) they are familiar with. We also talked about the rights of children and asked them to consider things that all children should have a right to... which resulted in a powerful discussion and this beautiful display, made in collaboration with Mrs. Bennett's class: