Grades 4 & 5 Sportsmanship Assembly

Yesterday we learned about "Sportsmanship: Lessons for Life" from Collier Winters, graduate and former Quarterback of Harvard University1. Integrity is Better than Winning2. True Leaders Make Everyone Better
Posted by Veronica Knight on Friday, March 25, 2016

Buddy Bench

We will be starting our grade 1 guidance lessons in the next few weeks featuring the heart-breaking and heart-warming book "The Invisible Boy" by Trudy Ludwig.  

This year we are going to explore this idea as well because "Sometimes, it's good to have a buddy."

Buddy bench a big hit at Willowgrove School
Sometimes, it's good to have a buddy.Full story: http://www.cbc.ca/1.3505066via Leisha Grebinski & #SaskatoonMorning
Posted by CBC Saskatoon on Thursday, March 24, 2016

Learning in Discomfort

The other day, I was in a group conversation...and I got a little lost. It happens to the best of us, but we were talking about Social & Emotional Learning (SEL), supposedly where I live in my head, so it was a little embarrassing! That feeling would not subside until I took the time to look up the answer. Then it dawned on me that skilled teachers know how to create that zone of discomfort where a problem is floating around and demanded some attention. I am pretty sure I will not easily forget the answer to this particular question. When our school move onto our next core value of perseverance, this experience may help our students appreciate the value of being in this prime-to-learn zone.

Quoting Ms. Qualters: "got it wrong, got it wrong, got it better, got it better, got it right"

In case you were wondering, the frameworks for SEL are Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and Strive Cradle to Career Network. When expanded to "non-academic competencies, 21st Century Competencies and Noncognitive Skills are also included. (Social & Emotional Learning Comparing Frameworks Elizabeth Hagen, M.A. November 2013)

New Bulletin Board Idea!!!

Thinking that we can use it for Acts of Cooperation, Perseverance, and all the core values!



Another great idea:
Posted by School Counselor Central on Friday, February 19, 2016

Look Up Video

Please pardon a little of the language, the message is golden. I love technology but also believe in putting the phone down when in the company of treasured people, especially the children - yours or mine!

1:50
We are surrounded by children who since they were born
watch us living like robots, and think it's the norm
It's not very likely you will make world's greatest dad,
if you can't entertain a child without using an iPad.

Let's go make some holes in our trainers!!!

The Importance of Our Stories

Growing up in Cantonese speaking Hong Kong with a first name (Veronica) that neither teachers nor friends could pronounce correctly was somewhat disconcerting ("v"s and "r"s are challenging for Cantonese speakers). Yet I loved my name because of the reasons my parents selected it. (I was named after the 6th Station of the Cross). As the name is rarely used, I grew to treasure meeting other Veronicas in my life.

My surname (maiden name) turned out to be equally hard to pronounce by my English speaking friends as I entered boarding school in England and later University in America. Apparently so was the rest of my Chinese name when translated into English. I never realized the endless possibilities of how my name could be mispronounced! 邵保鋈 Yet I love the heritage embedded in the name: how the first word designates my family line, the second word designates my generation, and the last word was selected based on the hour of my birth and which elements I subsequently lacked in life (water and gold!). There was a great deal of thought that went into the naming process and I love the way it connects me to my roots.

Sumant Bhat, in "The Importance of Our Stories" talked about the value in providing teachers and students the opportunities to tell their stories, starting with their names. 

I’ve seen firsthand how hearing stories from one another can help build previously unseen connections between individuals from different social circles. These stories often reveal what is beneath the surface for those around us, illuminating a depth of character and life experience that we could not possibly know otherwise. In doing so, they cultivate empathy by providing windows into experiences different from one’s own.

I love the idea of providing windows into one another's experiences. Well, may be with the exception of a dear friend, who was the last of six children, and whose parents were slightly distracted at the hospital after her birth. They submitted her birth certificate form as "Baby Smith" with every intention of fixing it later. Imagine her surprise, when she saw her birth certificate for the first time...

The Importance of Our Stories - Teaching Tolerance, Submitted by Sumant Bhat on January 27, 2016

ACE Study - CliffsNote Version

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study is a large scale investigation regarding the impact of cumulative negative experiences on the health and well-being of children.  The findings can be used to inform our educational and counseling practices.  Below are links to two quick reads which provide some useful insights into children who have experienced trauma, and also practices which we can integrate into our teaching and counseling that can help support their healing and learning.

7 Ways Childhood Adversity Changes Your Brain by Donna Jackson Nakazawa in Psychology Today, August 7th, 2015

8 Ways to Recover From Post Childhood Adversity Syndrome by Donna Jackson Nakazawa in Psychology Today, August 10th, 2015