Learning update: Nov 29

A common activity within elementary school classrooms is circle time. It is a valuable time to connect with one another, and practice using everyday language such as saying “hello.” We integrate different inclusive technologies so that all students can express themselves. In our classroom we have students who use augmentative communication devices, picture symbols, sign language and spoken language. As part of our circle time, we integrate curricular outcomes such as demonstrating a positive caring attitude towards others, and demonstrating interest and persistence in learning activities as part of the Health and Life Skills Curriculum. It is part of our modified programming that we partake in group activities and attend to tasks as a group. This not only facilitates group work that we do later in the day, but also supports table time behaviours that become important for meal time expectations. 

When students first come for Circle Time they transition with the same song each morning. This facilitates easier transitions and independence with the transition. Independence is another important part of our programming. In Circle Time we say hello to one another, and then have students identify if they are at school or at home. This builds the students' vocabulary, and is a great way for them to settle into school mode and classroom expectations. We focus on days of the week and the weather as vocabulary building. Learning these are also valuable for when we focus on how to dress appropriately for different seasons. To support student engagement we integrate songs into the Circle Time routine. Students are excellent at sharing and taking turns, which is another large focus of not only our modified programming, but also the Health and Life Skills Program of Studies. 

Upcoming important dates:

• Thursday, Dec 5, parent-teacher conferences from 4-8 pm.
• Friday, Dec 6, parent-teacher conferences from 8am-1pm. No school for students. Please contact me to book your time slot if you have not yet done so!
• Wednesday, Dec 11, Family Winter Celebration (see invitation below)

Lastly, please see the following important message from our principal:

RE: LOCKDOWN PRACTICE & Safety Procedures 

November 28, 2019  

Dear Cambrian Heights School Families,  

The safety of all students and staff of Cambrian Heights School is of great importance. To that end, we have been working to establish appropriate safety measures for the various situations that may occur and affect our staff and students. Fire drills are a long-standing expectation of everyone who congregates in a setting such as a school. We are required to have a minimum of six fire drills each school year. Our students and staff treat each drill as though it was the real thing and we are very proud of their performance during those drills. Teachers keep class lists with them during all drills and attendance is always taken. Parents or other visitors are expected to evacuate the building when the fire alarm is sounded.  

It is a reflection of the changes in our society that we must add variations to our safety drills. We are going to practice a drill known as a “lockdown” on Tuesday, December 3, 2019. The teachers will be instructing students regarding their role during a drill of this kind. No one is allowed to enter or leave the building during a lockdown procedure.  

As we continue to refine our school safety procedures, other safety precautions we now have in place include:  

§ Locking All Doors  

§ A Fan Out Procedure – has been established to ensure clear and swift communication with parents in the event of an emergency.  

§ Visitors – are expected to register at the office  

§ Volunteers – must complete a Police Information Check (PIC) and wear nametags at all times  

§ Substitute Teachers – are provided with emergency information upon entering the school.  

Teachers are trained in first aid and have thoroughly reviewed emergency plans with the children. We appreciate your support in these very important matters.

Nov 27

Rim and Danny sharing toys

Eni practicing his reading

Ryan doing a puzzle

Predictable Chart Writing

Today during our Predictable Chart Writing lesson we read Go Away, Big Green Monster! Then the students chose what monster they wanted to tell to go away from the 6 colour choices shown above. We wrote the following story together:

Learning update: Nov 24

Last week we continued our work around emergent literacy. As part of our daily emergent literacy interventions our students participate in: shared reading, writing with adults, writing from adults, writing by myself, working with letters and sounds, and independent reading. The goal of our emergent literacy intervention is to: 1. Promote the children’s positive regard for literacy and their understanding of the functional, intentional use of literacy. 2. To increase the children’s skills in discrete skill areas that are critically linked to later reading success. 

To support emergent literacy our students have been exposed to Predictable Chart Writing. This is a sequenced activity where irrespective of language skills, all students have the ability to participate successfully in the writing process. The first step in Predictable Chart Writing is writing the chart. We begin each lesson with a story. Last week our shared writing began with the book, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes! Once the story was complete, I modelled the sentence starter “I love my…” With the use of picture symbols on a choice board, students then took turns choosing their favourite shoe colour. As each student took turns making a choice, I modelled the writing on chart paper. Each letter and word was emphasized as I wrote their sentences. Together we read our story:

I love my red shoes. (Heather)

I love my blue shoes. (Danny)

I love my white shoes. (Eni)

I love my brown shoes. (Rim)

I love my red shoes. (Xiane)

I love my blue shoes. (Ryan)

Day 2 of the process involves re-reading our sentences as a group, and focusing on particular words or letters in our story. Students come up to interact with the chart paper by circling their name, or all the words that say "love", or all the letter "b"s. On day 3, the students work with their sentences, by either gluing their pre-cut words into their books to build their sentence, or cutting the words and building their sentence independently (in correct order, with spacing between words). We also add a relevant picture below the sentence. At the end of the year the students will have a whole book of sentences they wrote!

Ryan looking out the classroom window at the snow

Danny playing peek-a-boo in the egg chair

We played with musical instruments at circle time

The students enjoyed playing together with our new train set, Danny and Xiane shared a ride on the swing

Upcoming events/reminders:

Nov 27: fun lunch, picture retake day

Dec 5/6: parent-teacher conferences

Dec 9: first swimming field trip

Learning update: Nov 17

This past week we enjoyed some milder weather for our recess times. Recess is a great opportunity for students to continue to work on communication skills, like using full sentences ("I want a push, please"), or non-verbal forms of communication like sign language or pulling an adult's hand to a swing to request a push.

Last week we also did a cool sensory art project that the students really enjoyed. We made winter paintings using shaving cream and blue paint, and the students had the option of mixing the ingredients with either a paint brush or their hands. Then they dipped their papers into the mix to create swirly wintery designs on their paper. We have put our art on display on the bulletin board outside our classroom. I am discovering that many of our students are quite artistically inclined!

Something that our students have been getting really good at is their independent work systems. All of our students are at different levels of independence in their learning, but some of our students are using a work system like the one pictured below in which they perform a certain number of work tasks in a row with minimal adult support. Ryan, for example, is shown here matching the picture of the triangle to the triangle box, which indicates he should take that box to his desk to complete the task inside. He has already matched the shapes on the other 2 boxes, which means he has completed those tasks inside. Teaching the students how to engage in tasks independently is a great skill that can eventually be transferred to the work place. Once our students are in junior high and high school, a lot of the work they engage in is pre-vocational type work to teach them how to do things like roll cutlery, stock shelves, or fold laundry. 

Reminders: 

Friday, Nov 22 there is no school for students.

Dec 6 is our next round of parent conferences. I will be in touch with you all over email soon to schedule meeting times.

Please fill out and send back swimming consent forms if you have yet to do so. Our first swimming field trip is scheduled for Dec 9! And if you are interested in volunteering you have to come into the school office to complete volunteer clearance paperwork to do so. The administrative assistant said the process sometimes takes a few weeks to go through, so the sooner you can come in to start it the better! Thanks!

Learning Update: Nov 12

At Cambrian Heights School we are lucky enough to have a phys-ed teacher who leads every classroom's gym class. Today I went to gym class to see how our students have been doing and I was blown away! The students seem to know the routine now; they begin each gym class with running or walking laps, and then they participate in whatever activities the teacher sets out for them. Lately she has been setting up different gross motor stations and obstacle courses and the students have become quite proficient at them. The stations target different gross motor skills like hopping, throwing, balancing, and more. I was happy to see how independent some of them have become in participating in the different stations with minimal instruction. Gym class can be a challenging time for our students due to the sensory stimulation and different expectations, but they all seem to enjoy being in the space and participating in the activities.

In the classroom, we continue to work on students' individual academic goals during our desk work periods. We are happy to see that over time when we ask our students to "come work" they are becoming more and more willing. We are also seeing progress in the students with sharing and taking turns with preferred toys. There are always a couple items that seem to be the most "popular" things to play with at any given time, and this creates great opportunities for us to work on sharing!

Finally, I want to share with you how proud we are of one of our students who was the CSSI representative at our Remembrance Day assembly last week. Ryan walked through the assembly to place the wreath the students made at the front of the stage, and then stayed to watch the entire assembly. Afterwards, he stood proudly for a photo with the visiting lieutenant. Way to go, Ryan!

Upcoming events:

This Friday, Nov 15, is pajama day.

Learning update: Nov 4

November is here! The first two months of school have gone by fast in some ways, but they have been jam-packed. Our students have shown such resilience with all the changes that have occurred in their lives. Looking at what they have accomplished is impressive, and makes me excited about what we can do in the months to come! 

The students are continuing to learn the classroom routines and expectations, and have shown flexibility with schedule changes as we figure out the best way to structure our day to meet all our students' needs. Although consistency is important for our students, learning to handle change is also an important skill! They continue to show us glimpses of the unique skills and abilities they all have, and we are constantly adjusting our teaching practices as we get to know them as learners. We know that sometimes our students are able to do something really well one day, and then not on another day, so we must adjust our expectations based on multiple factors that affect learning. 

Learning in CSSI doesn't just look like desk work and traditional academics; our students are constantly learning through play, communication, in sensory experiences, and more! 

Here's some photos from our Halloween activities last week. The students had fun doing some Halloween crafts, listening and dancing to spooky music, and tasting treats! Next week we will create a poppy wreath as our contribution to the Remembrance Day assembly being held on Nov 8. One of our students is going to attend the assembly to hang the wreath on the stage.

Reminder: when you have a chance, please review and return the swimming information packages I sent home last week. Thank you to those who have already contacted me about volunteering, if anybody else is interested please let me know. If you are not comfortable getting in the pool, we also require one adult to remain on the pool deck for the entire lesson, so that is also an option for volunteering. Thank you!