Archive | December 2013

Beyond the 3R’s at Emily Stowe

AngelTree_copyIn this post I would like to move beyond the 3 R’s and share with you some of the recent amazing acts that have been taking place in our building. Character education is an integral part of our school culture.   It helps to form the foundation of responsible citizenship.  Over the month of December the theme of giving has permeated all we do at Emily Stowe P.S. 

The Angel Tree Fundraiser is a perfect example of the power of giving and the ripple effect it has on our greater community.  Monetary contributions and Canadian Tire money from students, parents and staff have been pouring in!  Donated items were sold at the Angel Tree Bazaar allowing students to purchase gifts for family members at a minimal cost. In turn, the money raised went towards the purchase of gifts for children in our community. Our school community raised $4000, enough money to purchase gifts for 25 ‘Angels’ in our local community through the Salvation Army and provide a significant donation to the Salvation Army. This was the result of the leadership of Mrs. Falkingham and a community coming together.

This week our school participated in the Holiday Brunch.  Food and beverage contributions donated by families in our school filled my office. Without these donations, the brunch would not be possible.  The Legion donated the hall for our functions and  parents and community volunteers donated countless hours at the Legion over three days this week setting up, cooking and serving 530 students and holiday-brunch-jpgstaff members…giving at its finest!

I have not begun to do justice to the amount of giving I have witnessed; weekly volunteers giving of their time running our snack program or supporting students in or outside of the classroom, staff doing all they can to help students receive gifts for Christmas, older students helping younger students in their learning, students donating personal items that they know a child in need could use… the list goes on. 

Giving grows character.  Acts like those mentioned above give more than the obvious.  These are lessons you cannot learn from a textbook. These acts foster self-esteem and a sense of accomplishment.  They build community, inspire and motivate our students to make a difference.  My hope is that giving continues to be a cornerstone of our school culture all year long.  Mrs. Munro

“It is not about how much we give but about how much love we put into giving.” Mother Teresa

Listen To What’s Going On!

Family Enjoying meal,mealtime TogetherIn the hustle and bustle of this busy season I am certain that the idea of reconnecting is not exclusive to my family.  As my children develop into teenagers I find that it is more important than ever to try to set aside time to listen to what is going on in their lives.  “Nothing,” is the typical response I hear when I ask them about their days at school.  Being an educator I am acutely aware that their days contain much more than the “nothing” that they share with me each evening (smile).


Here are a few tips that can help families stay connected to life at school

 

  • Use an inbox and outbox for notes to and from school.
  • Create a school space at home. My children have a special spot that they place their school  work and planners so that they do not go unnoticed during busy evening.
  • Use travel time to talk about school.
  • Bike, hike and keep fit together.  These are times to stay connected and also times when great sharing can take place.
  • Model sharing.  At dinner time I try to get the dialogue going by sharing something that I learned or something that was exciting. This can often kick start a dialogue about the day.  

 

Parent Engagement – Homework (Pt. 2)

 homework1Whose Homework is it?

With a role in education all of my life I recognize that the face of homework has changed since most of us went to school. For some, this may seem challenging, but it does not need to be a barrier to assisting your child(ren) with homework. In this update I will continue to share some tips on how to help your child(ren) with their homework.

One of the key things parents can do to help their child(ren) succeed is to help them take responsibility for their own learning. You can help your child to become a self-directed learner by asking your child purposeful questions that will help them form a problem-solving approach to learning using these 4 steps.

Define the problem and describe the desired result. (You may ask: What are you supposed to do?)
Brainstorm ideas, and decide which ideas to use. (You may ask: Let’s think of some ideas?)
Make a plan. (You make ask: Which idea do you think you should use?)
Try it out.
Here are some other problem-solving questions and statements that you can use.

  • Let’s talk about your school work.
  • What were you asked to do?
  • Can you show me how you got your answer?
  • Have you seen someone else do it?
  • Try looking at your problem again.
  • If you can’t find a solution, let’s ask for help from your teacher. When will you be able to ask for more help?

(Taken from Parent Tool Kit, Pg 16-17  www.ontariodirectors.ca)