Hello Everyone –

We have now passed through the month of September and are entering the 5th week of school. At this point, teachers and students are getting to know each other, and understand needs, challenges, fun times and expectations. Our R7A class has already shown itself to be a caring and empathetic group of young people.  On Thursday, October 11th, the class will be holding a school bake sale to raise funds for the Ottawa Food Bank, so badly affected by the September 21st tornadoes. The students understand that a great deal of perishable food was lost in the storms, leaving the food bank centres and families in a tough situation. If you are interested in donating to the Food Bank which does support Vincent Massey families, please check out their website, www.ottawafoodbank.ca. I will let you know again next week about the bake sale, but the students and I have discussed how they should be making the effort to bake items and should not be surprising/shocking their parents with a request the night before the sale. Bake sale items should include a list of ingredients. No nuts or nut products, please and thanks.

October 11th and 12th are also Immunization Clinic days for Intermediate students. I will send out more details once I have the information.

This week and next week are 4-day weeks for our students. There is no school on Friday, October 5th, a PA Day for teachers, and no school on Thanksgiving Monday, October 8th, not a favourite day for Canadian turkeys and other fowl.

Thank you to all of you who donated to the Terry Fox Run on Friday. It was a beautiful fall day and our back field was full of running, jumping and walking children.

In Language Arts this week, R7A students will be: working on their writing styles and grammar (idioms and capitalization); putting the finishing touches on their “Personal Hero” piece; learning more about residential schools through shared reading and individual comprehension activities; participating in guided reading and also being assessed for their current reading level. We will continue to read from “Of Beetles and Angels” and visit with our beautiful, kindergarten reading buddies. PLEASE ensure your children are reading every day, on average, 30 minutes. Learning about residential schools and reconciliation also serves as an introduction to “Ourstory: which will start after Thanksgiving.

In Health, we will be compiling our survey results and see just how much time we spend eating, sleeping, exercising and screening, and make some plans and goals for the rest of the year. Students must remember to bring in an extra set of gym clothes in a bag they can carry.

That is what our week looks like right now. There is never a boring, energy-less moment in grade 7, so we will have lots of news for next week! Enjoy the first days of October. I hope you can take advantage of some of Ottawa’s beautiful parks and museums. You can visit the following museums free of charge: Canadian Museum of History and the Canadian War Museum on Thursdays from 4PM to 8PM, Canadian Museum of Nature and the National Gallery of Canada from 5PM to 8PM, and the Aviation and Space Museum daily from 4PM to 5PM. (https://www.tourismeoutaouais.com/en/blogue/top-10-free-summer-activities-in-gatineau-ottawa/).

Ms Swail