The new Storywalk is up! Check out “I Hear You, Forest” by Kallie George out in our school wetlands and forest. Follow the signs in order, read the story, and do the activities at each stop. Check out my previous Storywalk posts to learn more. This could be a great after school activity with your kids!
I’m looking forward to receiving the Book Character potatoes from the students this week! Use the search bar on the blog to check out previous posts about this contest from 2 years ago!
GROWING READERS TIP- DO YOU LIKE TO HAVE FUN?
We all like to have fun. We often remember content associated with times of having fun and being playful. That holds true for learning too. Weaving learning through play is one of the most powerful means of helping kids learn.
Hope to see you at the book fair! Your children will have class time to check out the books- ask your child’s teacher if they are shopping on the Thursday or the Monday.
Be sure to encourage your child throughout the week if they are participating in Screen-Free Week! We are so excited to have some of our students taking on this challenge! What a great opportunity.
As all of our teachers are doing digital citizenship lessons this week in class for Digital Citizenship Week, I encourage you to check out the information and resources below.
What does media balance look like for you and your family? Let’s have these important conversations both at home and at school to help our children learn responsibility and respect. Here’s some advice from Common Sense Media:
What is Digital Citizenship and Why is it Important?
Digital citizenship is using digital resources effectively and responsibly. Digital citizenship encompasses areas such as media balance, giving credit for others’ work, finding reliable internet sources, being kind online, being aware of our digital trail, using safety and privacy online,, and using media smarts to make responsible choices as consumers.
Our HHCS mission statement says:
“We confess that the goal of education is to nurture children to grow in a sure knowledge of Jesus Christ as the Lord of life. We equip children with the skills necessary to develop their gifts and talents to their full potential. We challenge them to serve God according to his Word and teach them to discern their role in responsible service.”
This mission statement is applied to every area of life at HHCS, including digital citizenship. We want our children to be responsible digital citizens in the same way we want them to be responsible citizens of the world in general. Our children can serve God and develop their gifts and talents through digital activities as well as other activities in life. They will need guidance to do this. By having home and school working together as partners, we can be proactive rather than reactive in guiding students how to be their best selves in all areas of life.
If the Tech Planners that we sent home didn’t make it to you, here are the digital versions:
Shipping is free to your home for orders over $40!
The week of October 16, HHCS for the first time is going to participate in Screen-Free Week and Digital Citizenship Week! We are planning lessons every day on topics of media balance, online bullying and how to deal with it, reliable information, giving credit for images and information, and online safety. We are excited to dedicate an entire week to these important topics. Please keep an eye out for family resource sheets that will be coming home. We are also challenging HHCS students, staff, and families to take the Scree-Free Week challenge! We are going to see how many of us can take a break from entertainment screens for a whole week. All classes received a visit from myself or from our school social worker this past week to introduce the challenge and hand out pledge cards. Ask your grades K-4 children about ‘The Couch Potato’ book! Here is a video read aloud of it, as well as other books related to digital citizenship.
HHCS will be observing Orange Shirt Day, the day of Truth and Reconciliation, on Friday, September 29. We look forward to seeing the students dressed in orange! We will have an assembly and will do a school-wide activity based on the book With Our Orange Hearts. Try out one of these books to help explain the significance of the day to your child.
GROWING READERS TIP- WIGGLE WIGGLE
Little ones like to move around during read-alouds and that doesn’t mean there is a problem. In fact, it’s pretty normal. Kids are still able to absorb language and vocabulary as they move around the room. Here are a few tips to engage your child with books:
Choose books that match your child’s attention span and interest.
Ask engaging questions that invite your child to engage with the story.
Let your child play with blocks or play dough to help with focus.
Take Away: My child can move AND listen during a story.
Here are some picture books that I recommend for September!
HHCS Terry Fox Walk: Fri. Sept. 22nd
Each student is asked to bring in a Toonie for Terry (or more if desired!) Parents and community members are welcome to join us as we walk through the neighbourhood beginning at 2:40. Meet in our playground behind the portables between the Laneway and Soccer post.
Welcome back everyone! It was so nice to see so many smiling faces this past week at school! I hope you all had a restful and fun summer. Don’t forget to submit the Summer Reading Challenge for the students that completed it! I hope that you had fun with that! I am looking forward to seeing you all at the Back to School Event on Friday evening. I encourage you to take your family on a walk through our wetlands to enjoy our school Storywalk! This fall I am featuring the book “School is More than a Building.” As you go through, you will read a couple of pages at each stop and can do the activity suggestions together. You will also be able to enjoy God’s beautiful nature at the same time! If you don’t see me outside or in the library then I will be in the Grade 6A room – come and say hi!
I can’t believe there are only 2 weeks left of school this year! This will be my last blog post for the year and I wanted to highlight our school Summer Reading program. Make a copy of this slideshow here with your child’s name in it- eg. “Bobby’s 2023 Summer Reading.” Summer Reading 2023
In the slideshow you will find some photo challenges, eg. “take a picture of yourself reading at a park.” If your child completes at least 9 of the 12 reading challenges, he/she will receive an HHCS Seal at the end of year Awards Assembly. What counts as reading? Reading individually, reading with a family member, reading books, reading articles- you decide! When the challenge is completed, email it to me, Mrs. Baillargeon, at l.baillargeon@hh-cs.org.
GROWING READERS TIP- GET AND USE A LIBRARY CARD
A library card is free and you can use thousands and thousands of resources in and out of the public library at no cost to you. Your child can get his/her own library card too. It’s a great way to teach a child about responsibility and to help him/her discover a whole new world in books.
Have you done your book fair shopping yet? Support HHCS and get amazing prices at the same time! It’s so easy to shop with Spark Book Fairs. (formerly Book Outlet.) Visit the landing page here- https://sparkbookfairs.ca/organization/HHCS-bRRttcF6Qssr
Books will be delivered to your home!
Last day to take AR tests is Thursday June 8! Don’t be late!
L
Our first Storywalk installation is complete! A Storywalk combines nature, physical activity, and literacy for a fun event. Our first Storywalk features vignettes written by Grade 6 about their ‘Grandpals’ who mentored them this year. Coming up in the new school year, our HHCS Storywalk will feature books written by other classes, and picture books by well-known authors- cut apart with each Storywalk stop featuring a couple of the pages. Each stop also has activity ideas- discussion questions, action ideas, things to notice in nature, etc. If you are at HHCS, take a walk around our wetlands and enjoy our Storywalk at the same time! Thank you SO much to Mr. Jarvis, our vice-principal, for helping me to envision and plan out how this project could be done, and to Mr. Tosh for physically making all of the Storywalk stops with the help of volunteers! We are looking forward to enjoying Storywalks at HHCS for years to come.
GROWING READERS TIP- CATCH ME READING
Modeling reading in front of your child teaches a powerful lesson that we all read for different purposes. Challenge your child to find times they catch you reading. Make a point to have books you are reading in a variety of rooms.
Take away: I am a powerful reading role model for my child.
Our two-week online book fair is officially underway! You can shop thousands of books across all categories on Spark Book Fairs at up to 90% off. Plus, they offer free shipping on orders over $45 CAD!
By placing an order during our book fair from May 29-June 11, 20% of your purchase will automatically go to Halton Hills Christian School in cash rewards.
HHCS, the last day for Accelerated Reader tests is coming up soon- June 9! Students should make sure to plan out their time accordingly and to do their best to make their goal. Keep reading, HHCS!!
GROWING READERS TIP- WHEN KIDS SAY “I DON’T WANT TO”
How do we help kids feel motivated to read? Ideally, we want them to feel self-motivated to pick up a book and enjoy it. But sometimes a little extrinsic motivation can be a stepping stone to being intrinsically motivated. Here are a few ideas to motivate your child to read.
Have your child set a goal for the number of books he/she would like to read or hear. Set up a special treat for accomplishing the goal.
Let your child pick the books he/she wants to enjoy. The power of choice can be extremely motivating.
Carve out a reading time in your home where everyone is engaged with books at the same time.
TAKE AWAY: Carving out time, setting goals, and allowing choice are huge motivators to read.
Last week I took a group of students to The Forest of Reading Festival – “the largest literary festival for young readers in Canada.” What an amazing experience! This group of students, over the past few months, had read a selection of books from the nominated list for the Silver Birch award. They then voted for which author they felt was most deserving of receiving the award. At the festival, the winning author was announced. It did indeed feel like a “rock concert for reading”! We also went to some author workshops, waited in line for author autographs, got some free books, and generally walked around and had fun!
One of our students got selected to be a presenter on stage! Very exciting!
It was so amazing to see kids everywhere reading, and during an author workshop to hear them share about books that have been special to them and their families and friends.
My shirt says, “It’s a good day to read a book.”
These girls waited so patiently to get a photo op with the winning Silver Birch author- Colleen Nelson, who won for her book Undercover Book List!
GROWING READERS TIP- DID YOU KNOW?
If you read to a child 15 minutes a day, by age 5 that will add up to:
27,375 minutes or
456 hours or
19 days!
TAKE AWAY: Read for at least 15 minutes every day.
Don’t forget- Spark Book Fair is coming in one week!! (Book Outlet). We ran this book fair a couple years ago with great success because of the amazing prices and wide selection for adults and kids.
