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POD: Home & School Turkey Dinner for Lunch!

This morning was warm and overcast — 18°C felt almost like a summer day, although the dark clouds on the horizon told us rain was on the way.

I was in the office again today, and we were lucky to have Mrs. Hill back with us. She’s been wonderful with the class, and I hope no one is too disappointed when I return to the classroom tomorrow!

Our spelling words today were 5, 15, 50, and 500, and our “Show, Not Tell” sentence was “The milk was sour.” We completed our Heggerty listening exercises and worked through our maze before moving into math.

In math, both Grade 2 and Grade 3 students practiced using a hundreds chart to add two-digit numbers together. Once you get the hang of it, it helps improve skip counting, strengthens mental math skills, and can feel just like using a calculator! We also solved word problems — writing both equations and word sentences — and finished with some additional addition and subtraction practice.

The rain arrived just in time for our first indoor recess of the year, and it was pouring!

After recess, our JMH mentors joined us again with more activities. Tomorrow will be our final round of introductions, so I hope everyone continues to be respectful and serious as we finish meeting our mentors.

We wrapped up the morning with a “read to self” session before heading to the gym for a delicious turkey dinner provided by our amazing Home and School Association. Lunch ran a little longer than usual since we were indoors — and because many of us were in a bit of a turkey haze afterwards!

In the afternoon, we discussed fire safety and did some writing in our orange journals. We also made weather predictions and filled in our journals before continuing our work on our Call to Action project. When I peeked into the classroom, I saw sticky notes, rocks, and paint — but the students wouldn’t reveal what they’re planning. I love a good surprise!

We ended the day by reading from our chapter book, practicing French vocabulary with our “blabber beasts,” and writing in our Book of Gratitude with the prompt: “I am thankful for…”

The rain came down so hard that it washed out the cross-country course, so tonight’s event in Nelson is CANCELLED. We’ll let you know if it’s rescheduled.

POD: A Warm Fall Day Full of Learning

It was a brisk morning with lots of construction happening across the road. Ms. Brown was away today, and we were lucky to have Mrs. Hill fill in for me while I spent part of the morning in the office.

Our spelling words today were 6, 16, 60, and 6000. Our “Show, Not Tell” sentence was “The cookies were fresh.” We completed our Heggerty listening exercises and worked through our maze before moving into math.

In math, we practiced representing numbers in different ways and reviewed the symbols for greater than, less than, and equal to — do you remember them all? Both Grade 2 and Grade 3 students worked on skip counting backwards by 10s. We also solved word problems, writing both an equation and a word sentence for our answers, and finished with some addition and subtraction practice.

By recess, it was already warm and sunny — a rare treat for October!

After recess, we enjoyed “read to self” and spent some time exploring our Reading Park app. Later, we headed outdoors with Mrs. Lehnart, where we practiced self-soothing strategies, quiet breathing techniques, and learned about different parts of the brain and their functions.

At lunchtime, the temperature climbed to 28°C — unbelievable for this time of year! With weather this nice, we couldn’t possibly stay inside for PE. We took full advantage of the beautiful day and enjoyed some outdoor activities.

In the afternoon, we started with weather predictions and filled in our journals. We also talked about A Call to Action — ways we can show kindness and make a positive difference for others at school. I know this class will come up with some great ideas!

We wrapped up the day by reading from our chapter book, practicing French vocabulary with our “blabber beasts,” and writing in our Book of Gratitude with the prompt: “I felt lucky today when…”

A reminder that our Napan soccer team is playing today at 3:45 at King Street Turf against ECB. Good luck, Cubs — we’re cheering you on!

POD: Recognizing World Cerebral Palsy Day

We stepped off the bus this morning into a sea of green! Almost everyone wore green in support of World Cerebral Palsy Day, and our classmate Wyatt was especially pleased to see so much support.

Our spelling words today were 7, 17, 700, and 70, and our “Show, Not Tell” sentence was “It was a hot day.” We worked through our Heggerty listening exercises and completed our maze before doing a quick write about “My Weekend.” Some students are challenging themselves to spell tricky words, while others are focusing on using proper punctuation and capitalization. No matter the goal, everyone is improving!

In math, we practiced representing numbers in different ways and worked on skip counting — by 5s for Grade 2 and by 50s for Grade 3. We also used a hundreds chart to help with addition and subtraction.

Recess was already warm, and the heat kept climbing as the day went on.

Afterwards, we enjoyed some quiet time with “read to self” before logging into our Reading Park app. We had a quick chat about being respectful online and making sure we only log into our own accounts.

In PE, we started learning some fun Halloween dances. It was a perfect activity for such a warm fall day — it reached 28°C at lunchtime, which is incredible for October!

In the afternoon, we headed to the library to work on a Halloween song. We have the song completed, but it still needs a little more practice and polish before it’s performance-ready.

Back in class, we made some weather predictions and had a thoughtful conversation about how people matter. We also watched a few videos about reconciliation and discussed what it means.

We continued reading our chapter book, where Humphrey learned new things about his classmates — and shared a few interesting facts about himself, too. French class included some vocabulary songs, and we wrapped up the day by writing in our Book of Gratitude with the prompt: “I was proud of myself today when…”

It was a beautiful, warm fall day — make sure to spend some time outside and enjoy it! See you in the morning, Cubs!

POD: Respect Award!

Our spelling words today were eight, eighteen, eight hundred, and eight thousand. Our “Show, Not Tell” sentence was “She behaved well in an assembly.” We also completed our Heggerty listening activities, worked through our maze, and did a quick write with a “Free Friday” topic of choice.

In math, we practiced representing numbers in different ways. Grade 2 students focused on skip counting by 5s, while Grade 3 students challenged themselves with skip counting by 50s.

At 10:00, after snack, we went to the gym for our first end-of-month assembly. We began by watching a recap video of September’s highlights (you can watch it here: September Recap). Awards were handed out for attendance, the virtue of the month (respect), and Cub of the Month. One of the students in our class even earned a Respect Award—what an accomplishment!

Before recess, we stopped on the steps for a quick photo with Rewind 95.9 to celebrate our food bank donation.

When we came back in, our JMH mentors were waiting. We broke into small groups and worked with them on literacy activities.

Later, we headed back to the gym. Before free choice time, we reviewed our three gym rules: Be safe. Be gentle. Be kind. Even during free play, those rules still matter!

Lunch was a treat—pizza day! While we ate, we watched a movie the girls in class had been excited to see. Judging by their smiles, I think it was a hit.

The afternoon started with “read to self,” followed by time on our Reading Park app. Mr. McCallum is still learning the ropes, but everyone gave their best effort to figure it out together.

We also talked about making weather predictions, and then had a surprise! Mrs. Potts brought her parrot to school. When her class went to PE, we visited her room to see him. He showed off a few tricks while Mrs. Potts told us some stories. Can you believe he’s 16 years old? I think more than a few students are wishing for a parrot now!

We ended the day by filling out our home-to-school books and getting ready for the bus.

Have a wonderful weekend, Cubs. Rest up, and I’ll see you on Monday!

POD: On a Reading Quest

This morning wasn’t just chilly—it was downright cold! I was glad to see hats, mittens, and jackets on everyone. We spend a lot of time outdoors, and being warm makes it much more enjoyable.

Our spelling words today were 100, 1000, 14, and 24. We wrapped up our “Show, Not Tell” activity using the sentence “She behaved badly at the assembly.” After that, we worked through our Heggerty phonemic awareness routine and tackled our maze challenge.

During UFLI, we focused on digraphs—two letters that come together to make one sound. Students are doing a great job identifying and practicing them.

Math time included reviewing different ways to represent numbers and more practice with skip counting. The Grade 2 students discovered that skip counting by 100 felt easier than by 10—until they had to start at 2 and keep adding 10 each time! Grade 3 students started from zero and practiced as well. We also solved some word problems and reviewed addition and subtraction skills.

Recess was still cold, but that didn’t stop us from having fun outside.

After recess, our JMH mentors returned for another visit. They rotated to new groups so they could meet more students and learn everyone’s names. Ask your child which JMH student they worked with today and what activity they did together!

A focused “read to self” helped us reset before we tried logging into our Reading Park app. After lunch, with fresh energy, we gave it another go—and success! Some students zipped through their first quest, while others needed a little more time to navigate. With more practice, we’ll all improve.

In Social Studies, Ms. Doucet guided us through our journals and led an important discussion about inclusion and exclusion. We also talked about Indigenous peoples and the history of residential schools.

We continued reading School Days According to Humphrey, practiced some new French phrases, and filled out our Book of Gratitude with the prompt: “I showed teamwork today when…” Before the day ended, we signed our home-to-school books and enjoyed a bit of free choice time.

Our soccer team is on the road to Miramichi Rural for a game after school today—good luck, Cubs! Show your spirit and make us proud!