Learning update October 3

Hello parents,

We've been doing some new and exciting things in the classroom this week that I want to share with you! First- and this may only be exciting for some- we have gotten to experience SNOW in Calgary already! Thank you for sending your children prepared for the weather, as being able to go outside for recess is extremely important for our students. Exploring the sound of crunching snow under our boots and learning how to navigate the extra slippery playground equipment has created some unique learning opportunities as well.

We have also started daily gym classes this week. We are leaving it fairly unstructured for now, starting the class running laps and then bringing out balls and scooter boards for the students to explore. As we get more used to the space we will create a more structured gym schedule to follow, incorporating stretching, gross motor/fitness goals, and games. At Cambrian Heights we are lucky enough to have a phys-ed specialist who teaches all our gym classes, and she has been spending some time in our classroom everyday these past few weeks to get to know our students in preparation for leading our gym class.

Finally, we have started incorporating some classroom jobs into our daily schedule. Students help wash tables after meals, check the mail in the office, greet our office staff, and sweep the classroom floors after messy activities like sensory time. Many of you expressed during conferences that doing chores at home is a skill you have been working on with your children, so I think it's beneficial to generalize some of those skills by practicing them in the classroom, too! We are also looking at targeting some personal hygiene skills in the future, so I would love some parent feedback on what types of skills you may want practiced at school (i.e. face washing, brushing hair, brushing teeth, etc.). These are skills mentioned in our CSSI curriculum, the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS) books I showed you at conferences, and many other CSSI classrooms in CBE work on these skills in their classrooms, too.

Just a reminder to please let me know a date and time that may work for you next week to meet to discuss IPPs. Thank you to those of you who have already discussed this with me. Have a great weekend!