Sharing

I wanted to talk a bit about how we're facilitating sharing in the classroom with our students, in light of talking about social interaction goals on IPPs. Sharing is a difficult skill, as it involves negotiation (asking for a turn, a peer responding yes or no, and sometimes accepting an alternative) and waiting (impulse control). In our classroom, we are using visuals to support turn taking with preferred toys or during preferred activities. For example, we use a sentence strip during circle time to visually display whose turn it is to pick a song during song choice time, as this is a preferred activity and some students find it challenging to wait their turn. The visual says "it is ____ turn", and in the blank space a student's photo can be placed to signal to everyone else whose turn it is. Along with turn taking visuals, waiting visuals and sharing solution visuals are also helpful (i.e. some solutions to sharing are to: use a timer, split up the toy, trade toys, or pick a different toy).

Another important tool we often utilize in the classroom is social stories, as they can give more information about social situations and what the expected behaviors are surrounding these situations. For example, a sharing social story that we read to some of our students talks about strategies for how to problem solve when 2 students want to play with the same toy, instead of arguing or grabbing. We try to practice sharing in many aspects of our school day, as we know this is a challenging skill that all of our students need support with.

Another strategy to support sharing that I want to incorporate into our classroom is turn taking projects. One project could be building with lego, with 2 students building a structure together from a photo. The structure would be made of 2 colors of lego but each student is only given one color of lego to add to the project. This would encourage the students to take turns building the structure together to complete the task.

Important dates this week:
Wednesday, October 16 is Spirit Day (Retro Day) & Fun Lunch. 

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!

Week 5: Sept 30 - Oct 4

And just like that, the snow has arrived in Calgary! Please ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather this week, as we will continue to go outside daily for recess as long as it's not too cold. Getting dressed and undressed with all our winter gear is also a great opportunity to learn new skills and build independence in these routines. This week we will also begin incorporating gym class into our weekly schedule.

Important dates this week:

Monday, Sept 30: official Orange Shirt Day in Canada, and the start of Orange Shirt Week at Cambrian Heights School. Orange Shirt Day is a day to honor the Indigenous children who were sent away to residential schools in Canada.

Thursday, Oct 3: Orange Shirt Day at Cambrian Heights School, please send your child in orange.

IPPs are being completed this week, and will be going home mid-October for review. I sent home behavior support plans last week to review, please sign and send back when you can. Thank you! As always, contact me directly with any concerns or questions.

Terry Fox run

Today we joined the grade 5/6 and kindergarten afternoon classes for the Terry Fox run outside in the field! We prepped our students by talking about a change in our usual schedule to do a special activity. All the students put on their CAD (community activity day) shirt with the Cambrian Heights School logo on it and walked/ran one or two laps of the field. Afterwards we spent some time on the playground enjoying the beautiful weather. We've noticed how our students are beginning to interact more with each other during our time outside, playing on the see-saw together and taking turns on the swings or slide. We are very impressed with how our students were able to participate today in a new school event!

Week 3

It's hard to believe we have been back at school for 3 weeks already! It was wonderful to meet with parents during conferences last week to learn more about your children and your learning goals for them this year.

In CSSI last week we have continued to focus on following classroom routines and expectations. Students are learning how to complete their work when asked, how to sit appropriately during meal times, and how to participate in group activities like circle time, among other things. Supporting communication in all aspects of our school day is always a primary focus. I've been happy to hear about how each of you are supporting your child's communication at home, as I believe it is so important for home and school to work together for optimal student success!

Important dates coming up next week:

Wed, Sept 25 is fun lunch. Fri, Sept 27 is the Terry Fox run. Please see the Cambrian Heights School website for more info.

As always, don't hesitate to contact me with any concerns or questions about your child's learning. Thanks for your support and dedication to our program!

Welcome to our classroom blog!

Hello families,

It has been a busy start to the school year in our new classroom and our new school, and I am so proud of how our students have settled in during all these changes!

The first two weeks in CSSI have been all about getting to know each other and learning our new routines. The students have been learning to follow the daily classroom schedule, which includes participating in activities like independent work time, sensory time, and recess.

Please take note of the following information on Cambrian Heights School's use of School Messenger:

In accordance with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation, CBE employees are being asked to use School Messenger to communicate with families. School Messenger is a mass communication tool that allows schools to easily and securely send email, phone and text messages to parents/guardians of students in a particular grade, class, school or area. Messages are sent to the parent contacts on file at your school. Moving forward, I will be using this tool to send broadcasts with important information (upcoming dates, reminders, etc.). I will continue to contact you directly with any confidential/private matters.

Don’t miss out on school messages! To ensure you receive important information, sign up for School Messenger! Here's how:

1. Subscribe online to receive commercial electronic messages on school topics such as student fees, picture days, field trips and fun lunches. (The link will open into a separate website managed by SchoolMessenger, our mass communication tool.)
2. In addition, to receive any text messages sent by your school or the Calgary Board of Education, opt-in by using your cell phone to text the word YES to the six-digit number 724665.*

If your contact information changes or needs updating, please:
- Let Mrs. Boyce in the office know
- Subscribe online again, if your email address changes
- Opt-in for text messages again, if your cell number changes.

Thank you for your open communication and support in these beginning days of school. I look forward to facilitating your child's learning in our classroom this year! Please don't hesitate to contact me with any concerns or questions. 

Please also see the following important dates and reminders:

SEPTEMBER 19 & 20 CONFERENCES – Please book your conference times by contacting me via phone or email. Conferences can be booked on September 19 between 3 pm and 8 pm, or on Sept 20 from 8 am to 1 pm. The first conference is an excellent opportunity for families to update classroom teachers regarding any new information about the student. Teachers will share initial assessment information, with a focus on overall strengths, areas for growth, and supports in place in the classroom.

Student Voice Update – Student Voice club had their first meeting at lunch on Thursday. Student Voice has selected the Virtue of the Month for September as Respect. They also decided that our September Spirit Day will be held in conjunction with the Terry Fox Run on September 27. Each student will receive a Cambrian Heights T-shirt that is stored at the school for Community Activity Days, so we will show our school spirit by wearing them during the Terry Fox Run. Student voice brainstormed suggestions for CAD activities and lunchtime clubs.

TERRY FOX RUN – Cambrian Heights School will recognize Terry Fox Day on September 27, 2019. Students will gather for a short presentation in the gym, and proceed outside to the school yard for an approximately 20 minute run or walk. Students are welcome to bring a donation on September 27 if they wish. We recommend a “Twoonie for Terry” if you wish.

CAD Days – Community Activity Days (CAD days) will resume in October in a similar format to last year. CAD days are special Friday activity days when we don our Cambrian Heights T-Shirts and take option courses such as photography, robotics, coding, art appreciation, and fairy tale writing with a STEM twist. More information on this will be upcoming!