I’m not the only one blogging – Just in case you haven’t checked out our school site thoroughly, located at the bottom of the page is a link to classroom blogs.  Currently, we have 2 blogging classrooms, Ms. Quon’s  http://msquonsclassblog.blogspot.com/?zx=696e550ecb1433d6 and Ms. Meza’s http://www3.telus.net/public/nicfrie/A%20La%20Maternelle%20Website/Site/Welcome.html sites.  Check them out!  They are a great lens into what’s going on in the classroom!

We also have many staff working with our new bank of iPads.  Student Support Workers are using these tools to support learning for students who have specific learning goals in their Individual Education Plans.  Classroom teachers are exploring the iPad’s use in enhancing student engagement.  Lots of learning and collaboration going on!!

An amazing group who must be acknowledged is our Strathcona PAC.  Support of events, school projects and raised funds have greatly enriched the learning of our students.  Tennis, technology, performances, field trips, arts and crafts supplies, learning resources….and the list goes on are among the resources provided through PAC efforts.   We greatly appreciate the support you provide for our students.  The other day, a classroom teacher commented on how great it was to have a working set of microscopes for the students.  The children could actually see the nucleus of an onion cell!!  Thank you all for your support in time, conversation, in the classrooms and beyond.

One Strathcona senior class recently set up as an experiential learning a court of law.  Students explored an issue which surfaced concerning one student and the school code of conduct. Included in these learning exercises were a full court of judges, jury, crown council, defense team, defendant, bailiff, court reporter and other reporters, and involved various other students and adults subpoenaed. Students  gathered the necessary documents and questioned and cross examined various witnesses. After concluding arguments, the jury were given the task of sorting through the testimony and weighing the validity and relevance of each witness account. Jurors had to suspend their personal opinion or bias and look only at the evidence presented at the trial sorting through questions counter arguments and witness testaments. After many hours over two days the jury were able to present a unanimous conclusion of not guilty to the court, and also make a statement that the accused may not be innocent but that he was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt to be guilty. Throughout this process students were engaged and learned new skills and an appreciation for the court process.  They will be visiting our Provincial Law Courts in the Spring to further their learning.  This was such an engaging learning experience for all involved!!

Did you know that every Wednesday, the students in Ms. Persoon’s class serve home made soup to all of the students and staff.  Their work in our gardens, and in partnership with local produce companies and generous donors make this learning possible.  The ties into the curriculum are numerous!  (Healthy living, nutrition, culinary arts, science, math….)  These dedicated students and staff also commit to being stewards of our planet – by

composting, recylcling and being one of the many caretakers of our gardens.

I am constantly impressed with the student athletes at Strathcona.  Our students are always up for the opportunity to extend themselves, try new things and encourage one another.  Our sports teams, without exception, represent Strathcona positively by both their athletic excellence and amazing display of sportsmanship.  I am often contacted by colleagues from other schools who remark about how impressed they are by our students.  Much respect and thanks also needs to be paid to our dedicated staff who give their time throughout the year to ensure our students have the opportunities to participate in quality athletics programs.  Some highlights from this term alone include our Sr. Basketball teams,who brought home the cups (both boys and girls) for the  Bruin Cubs Tourney at Britannia, our 4 basketball teams who are in the middle of their season right now, and students are immersed in Tennis BC lessons thanks to the generous support of our PAC!!  I’ve included a few photos to highlight our students!

Div 5 Flashmob dancers!!

http://vimeo.com/35682198

The students of Division 5 are sharing this great experience this to promote Valentine candy grams for an organization called “A Loving Spoonful.”  The candy grams are only $10.00 with a $25.00 value!  – plus they will ship them anywhere in Canada free. We are so proud of you Div 5!!!!   Because of you, our school is a better place to learn, our community is a better place to live.  We applaud you all!!

There’s no better feeling than the jubilation of seeing a child excel at a task or when a teacher’s heart and love for kids lead his or her work with students each day.

Thank you to Ms. Halsey Brandt, Mr. Wardrop and the entire staff for supporting yet another opportunity for our students to share their voices. Our 2011 Winter Concert was wonderful! Music has the ability to raise people’s spirits! Singing with a big group, you’re all so connected doing something you love. It’s very powerful!

One of the reasons that I hesitated about going into administration was that I LOVED teaching so much. I also LOVE sharing the craft of teaching and learning from colleagues. The point of tension now as I am in this role, is that I often find myself feeling disconnected from the classroom at times now that I am in such a large school. How does my walk reflect my talk? How can I have discussions with teachers about teaching and learning if I am not getting into classrooms? Here are some of the things that others do to keep themselves in touch with teaching and learning:
1. Read professional journals, books, blogs and keep active with twitter. (I’m tweeting, reading other tweets and have found myself here….reflecting, reframing, re-examining….)
2. I need to make getting into classrooms as much as possible my top priority. (I need to have a pulse on the school, and learn from teachers, to support them in sharing strategies with other teachers and know which classrooms I can send teachers to observe and share.)
3. Teach!! Support!! Share some passion projects….connect!! I am a childrens’ literature junkie! I love picture books, young adult fiction, non fiction – literature based learning. There is nothing more satisfying than holding a treasured book to your heart and passing it along to someone you know who will also enjoy it.
4. I cover classes whenever I can– for teachers to observe each other or collaborate, or when we’re short on a substitute, a teacher has to leave early.
For the past few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to spend multiple days in many of our classrooms. It is incredibly enjoyable to spend quality time with students and staff.
These visits not only serve as an escape from the drudgery of office tasks, they allow me to see instructional strategies at work; how we address curriculum; the engagement of students in a variety of learning scenarios; how resources are being allocated; teacher-student relationships and peer interactions; types of assessment being used; and how I might be able to add support where needed.

For the next few weeks, I’d like to highlight a VERY small portion of what I have seen this past term and into the second – In no way can I capture every one of the students’ amazing learning activities, it is not a reflection one classroom being more engaging than the next, but moreso, just a reflection of the classrooms I had a privledge to dwell in a little bit longer than usual.