Good afternoon R7A families –

Again, another busy week at Vincent Massey Public School starting with school photos tomorrow (Monday). I guess I should get the leaves and twigs out of my hair after cleaning out our eavestroughs!

Monday, October 21st is Election Day in Canada and we will be discussing election results during the week. If you have not already, please get out and vote. Our own grade 7 students are only 5 years away from being given the privilege of voting.

Our class, like the rest of VMPS, is collecting non-perishable food items for the WE SCARE HUNGER food drive for the Ottawa Food Bank.  We already have about 10 items, so please, remind your R7A student to bring some good stuff in for the food bank.

Language Arts projects continue this week with the completion of our residential school journal entries. Guided reading groups will be starting their creation/origin stories work and project. Our kindergarten reading buddies will be glad to see us on Wednesday. Please, please, encourage your children to read every day.

In Geography, we will be learning about the pangaea, the earth’s supercontinent. We will also be learning and writing about the actual layers and structure of our earth before we move into the fascinating world of landforms.

Have a very good week,

Ms Swail

Hello R7A families –

I trust you are enjoying and savouring this long, Thanksgiving weekend. The colours are magnificent here in the capital whatever the colour of the sky.

This week begins the WE SCARE HUNGER Food Drive campaign at VM. We are raising awareness of poverty and hunger in Ottawa and will be donating non-perishable food to the Ottawa Food Bank. We are asking each student at VM to bring at least two items that have been examined for their expiry dates, please. The food drive is being organized by the Leadership Group which any R7A student can join. We had our first meeting last week with a lot of good energy and enthusiasm in the room. Meetings are held on Tuesdays at first recess and are facilitated by Ms Eichel and me. So, please send in some non-perishable food items!!!

This is a busy sports week: the girls’ football tournament will be held tomorrow, the boys’ on Wednesday and the Intermediate cross-country event will be on Thursday.

IEPs for the 2019-2020 school year and first term are going home this week. Please review the document carefully and let us know if you have any questions. There is one form to sign. Please do not send back the IEP – that is for you and the student.

In Language Arts this week, we continue creating journal entries from the perspective of someone involved with residential schools. We are also starting group readings of new creation stories which the students will be summarizing in graphic cartoon strips. In Geography, students will be consolidating skills in identifying and using latitude and longitude. Please continue to encourage your students to read for at least 30 minutes a day on average. We are all going to work on increasing reading levels this year.

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Take very good care –

Ms Swail

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good afternoon R7A families –

Welcome to another good week at VM.. This is a short week as Friday is a PA Day. All the more reason for us all to work hard and have fun, and for the students to sleep in on Friday. Staff will be engaged in professional development on that day.

As Thanksgiving weekend follows, there will be no school on Monday either.  Here in Ottawa, there is LOTS to do. Just check out the following link to learn about pumpkins, butterflies, fall colours and haunted houses! I will be out of town at our family cottage hiking, kayaking, eating and trying to stay warm!

https://www.todocanada.ca/thanksgiving-weekend-events-activities-ottawa/

This week, we will still be working on learning about, and practising respect inside and outside of class. Growing up is all about learning and knowing what is right, and then knowing and showing what you believe in. It’s a tough road but essential to becoming a compassionate, giving person and citizen. I am still on that road and I know how hard it can be to be understanding and see outside of your own perspective, but it is so necessary. Please feel free to share with me any stories you might have about effective ways to talk with young adults.

This week, in Language Arts, we will continue to work on our summarizing skills. We will also be learning about residential schools and writing letters or journal entries from the perspective of someone involved in the schools. In guided reading, we will be reading creation stories and learning how to chart and describe a plot.  We will be reading aloud from Beetles and Angels, which is all about struggling to make good choices and making mistakes. Writers’ Workshop and Reading Buddies with Ms King’s kinders are also on the schedule. In Geography, latitude and longitude continue with a brief test at the end of the week to show skills and understanding. We will then be moving on to learning about the earth’s structure and landforms. Our passion project sessions will happen on Thursday. In Visual Art, if there is time, we will continue to learn about Haida art forms. In DPA, we will be climbing Blue Mountain as we have already conquered 350 kilometres of King Mountain.

Screens and teens: last Thursday, our grade 7 intermediate students participated in a one-hour presentation by Rideauwood Addiction and Family Services on Screen Time. We learned how all of us, whatever our age, can be affected negatively by excessive screen use (TV, tablet, laptop, console, phone) and of the addictive quality of screens. The presenter advised all of the students to examine their own screen use. As parents and adults, it is important to know the signs of over-use when screen time becomes addictive and dominates a person’s life. We can become withdrawn, angry when the screen is restricted or taken away, sleep-deprived, show a loss of interest in activities we used to love, e.g., sports or reading, and/or need to continue to be on our screens despite knowing we have a problem. This can affect anyone, of any age. There are many practical strategies to use as parents: restrict use; ban devices from bedrooms; monitor and guide use; practise restraint ourselves!  Attached is an article from Today’s Parent on how parents can understand and manage screen time at home. https://www.todaysparent.com/kids/tween-and-teen/screen-time-guidelines-canadian-paediatric-society/

Have a very good week. Below are photos I took yesterday while apple-picking. My grown-up daughters were laughing as I tried to position myself under a tree to get the best shot. Most apple-picking orchards will be open next weekend. Lots of fun, and the one we went to in Mountain had made-on-the-premises apple cider doughnuts!

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Ms Swail

 

 

Good morning R7A families –

The days are getting shorter and there is a forecast of rain coming our way for part of this week. Please enjoy the Sunday sun!

In Language Arts, in anticipation of Orange Shirt Day TOMORROW on September 30th, we will be learning generally about the lives and stories of Canada’s first peoples. We will also be learning about residential schools, with more detailed learning to follow once we start Ourstory in January. In guided reading, we will be starting with Canadian, indigenous creation stories. We have a new volunteer, Marie, who is newly retired and giving some of her new-found time to volunteering at VM.. We are fortunate to have her with us every Wednesday morning. Marie will facilitate one of the reading groups. Ms Shiau and I will also be doing some reading assessments for students who were not assessed in June. Once we have a solid idea of where our students are in terms of comprehension and fluency, we will be working with each student to set a reading goal for the end of grade 7. A number of students are reading below grade level. Reading at home is a major, essential part of catching up and developing the necessary skills for high school. Please, please get your children reading at home: graphic novels, comic books, recipes, anything that stirs their interest. Many books in room 201 for them to borrow.

Because of rain and a slippery field, the Terry Fox Run was postponed to this Thursday. I am expecting all R7A students to apply themselves with energy and positivity as they do their laps around the school to honour Terry Fox and all those who deal with, or have died from cancer and related illnesses. We have asked all students at VM to contribute one loonie or more to cancer research.  Currently, we have $5.00 with most contributed by me. Please remind your children.  https://www.terryfox.org.

Curriculum is very important in grade 7 as is a safe, nurturing and interesting learning environment. In fact, learning can’t take place without individuals feeling safe, comfortable and respected. Please speak with your children about the continuing, everlasting need for kindness and respect toward others. Now that the September, initial “honeymoon” is over, we are seeing or hearing about more negative incidents in the halls and yards. Grade 7, ages 11, 12, 13, is a very vulnerable time for: figuring out what you believe in and stand for; for learning better self-control; and that fitting in with peers has to be balanced with being responsible for your own actions, even if you are in a large group. Ms Davies and I will be working directly with all R7A students on developing community and self-care and health. Please talk to your children about the pressures of grade 7 and peers, and how you want them to behave toward others. Please also encourage your children to let the adults at VM know when they have experienced or witnessed negative behaviour such as verbal or physical bullying.

On Friday, there were huge gatherings of people all over the world, including in downtown Ottawa, to tell governments they want action on climate change now. A young, Canadian woman, Autumn Peltier, 15-year-old activist from Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island in northern Ontario , spoke to the United Nations about climate change and the need to protect water. I include an article about this incredible young woman. R7A will be watching a video featuring Autumn this week.  https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-indigenous-teen-autumn-peltier-urges-un-to-respect-clean-water/

Ms Swail

 

 

Hello R7A Families –

This weekly blog is the way I communicate what is happening in class and at school. Would you please send me a quick e-mail to let me know if you are reading the blogs. Heather.Swail@ocdsb.ca. Thanks.

We had a wonderful field trip to the Macskimming Outdoor Education Centre. The day was warm and sunny, with bright greens and  flashes of red in the trees. We learned how to build fires using flint and natural materials, roasted (and ate) marshmallows and did some orienteering in the woods with compasses. We saw wild turkeys, snakes, many birds and lots of caterpillars. It was just a great day. Thank you very much to Lindsay and Lissa for volunteering your time and positive energy. There are some photos from the day posted below.

It was very good to meet some of you at the Meet the Staff event on Thursday. I hope you were able to meet many of the teachers for R7A.

This is week 4 in your child’s grade 7 career, another busy week. In Language Arts, in anticipation of Orange Shirt Day on September 30th, we will be learning generally about the lives and stories of Canada’s first peoples. We will also be learning about residential schools, with more detailed learning to follow once we start Ourstory in January. The story of indigenous people, or first peoples, in what we now call Canada, was a misunderstood, untold story for many, many years. That is why I now make it the foundation and guiding light for any discussion of history. We will start by finding out about what is known about the lives, customs, practices, spirituality etc.. of first peoples before the European settlers came to Canada. I will show the class a very good, sensitive video about residential schools and read aloud from The Secret Path, the story of Chaney Wenjack. If anyone out there has any stories or resources they would like to share, please let me know. We will also be continuing guided reading and reviewing strengths and areas to work on in writing so far.

In Geography, we will be learning about latitude and longitude. Ludwige has already prepared a challenge for his classmates once they start to master how to create and read grids. In Visual Arts, we are starting a unit on creating alphabet letters in imitation of the designs used in west coast Haida art.

Pizza starts on Thursday.

The Terry Fox run is on Thursday and I am expecting all R7A students to apply themselves with energy and positivity as they do their laps around the school to honour Terry Fox and all those who deal with, or have died from cancer and related illnesses. https://www.terryfox.org/

That’s all for now. PLEASE let me know if you read this blog, and PLEASE encourage your children to read at home every day.

Here is a photo of where I hiked with friends today – the top of King Mountain in Gatineau Park, the first of our 6 peaks in DPA.

 

Ms Swail

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Hello, hello R7A families –

Welcome to week 3! I hope you found some time to have fun and to rest this weekend. Maybe some of you took the opportunity to ride Ottawa’s new LRT system. This is one of my goals for the week. The individual stations are supposed to be beautiful, full of local, commissioned art.

This is another full week for us here at Vincent Massey with our first, big field trip on Friday to Macskimming Outdoor Education Centre. You all should have received permission forms last week from your R7A student. Please ensure the forms and $12.00 fee are returned tomorrow or Tuesday and go over the field trip day with your children. This will be a long, wonderful day outside from 9:00 am to 2:00 p.m..  Friday promises to be sunny with a high of 26 degrees. We will be learning how to orienteer in the woods with compasses, building shelters out of natural materials and making small campfires with flint and vegetation. Students should have plenty of water, healthy snacks and lunch. They should have a hat, sunscreen, and jacket and good footwear. If a student has an epipen, they must carry the epipen with them and let me know.

If fees are an issue, please contact me as soon as possible. It will be a great day, and we will all be back by about 2:30 before dismissal.

This week, in Language Arts, we will be completing our goal setting and framing our photos and goals. We will finish the time capsule exercise with letters to our June 2020 selves and find out more about phobias and fears in guided reading on Wednesday. Slowly and steadily, Ms Shiau and I are learning more about the writing and reading skills and strengths of R7A. Next week, we will start brief assessments of reading levels. I am hoping that we can start reading buddies with Mrs. King’s kindergartners very soon. Always a lot of fun, and lovely to see how kind and caring the older children are with the “kinders”.

We start Geography by learning about maps and latitude and longitude. I will be showing the students some photos of my recent adventure/trek around the Mont Blanc massif through France, Switzerland and Italy. I know they will have a lot of questions and many personal connections to make given their own experiences and travels. All of our new students seem to be getting the geography of Vincent Massey and are getting to classes faster. We are working on the students being prepared for class with all necessary materials. It is a lot to learn but we will get there. On Mondays, the class and I, with Ms Prokaska and EF7B, will be climbing the VM staircases covering and recording our metres upward, working toward “climbing” King Mountain in Gatineau Park. We will go slowly and steadily, and we will climb those mountains!

PIZZA! Vincent Massey has a pizza program which will be starting up on Thursday, September 26th. You can order and pay on-line or use paper forms. Pizza choices are: cheese; pepperoni; and gluten-free. Information, forms and access to the on-line system are in the link below:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LUf7pfeJCJjAHDBqqwGdiGIgEoe0GmYin4R_wJM7ZBs/edit?usp=sharing

Meet the Staff is this week, on Thursday, September 19th. From 4:00 to 5:00, families and students are welcome to visit the classrooms and meet their teachers. These will be brief “hello, nice to meet you” meetings as there will be many people. From 5:00 – 6:00, we will go outside as a community, eat pizza and have some fun. Please do come and say hello. Steadily, Ms Shiau and I are meeting the families of students with IEPs. Please check your e-mail for the invitation I sent last week.

Last week was challenging for all as we took on FIVE days of school. R7A is learning about expectations and how to be more independent in their learning. They are also learning how to walk through the halls safely, manage their workload and successfully open their combination locks. Many had important breakthroughs with locks, including Travell pictured below with new buddies, Ludwige and Ismail. Congratulations, Travell! It is always important to celebrate life’s small victories!

Please, please, please, encourage your children to read every day and to limit their screen time. Here is a shot of some of the read-aloud books I have chosen for my classes this year.

This week, we will also be talking about how we can make the Golden Rule  (treat others as you would want to be treated) come alive in our time at school. We dealt with a few incidents last week where students were forgetting about how to take care of each other. It is all a matter of feeling comfortable with yourself and exercising some self control – the ongoing lesson for all of us, especially those in grade 7.

Take care of yourselves. Lots going on in Ottawa this fall, including the LRT. 

Many of our museums in Ottawa offer free admission on certain days and times;

• Admission to the permanent collection at the National Gallery of Canada is free on Thursday nights from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Or, if you visit a special exhibition, you also get access to the permanent collection.
• The newly renovated Canadian Museum of Nature offers free admission on Thursday nights from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
• The Canada Agriculture and Food Museum offers free admission between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. each day. The adjacent Central Experimental Farm is a great place to cycle or run.
• The Canada Aviation and Space Museum offers free admission between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. each day.
• The Canadian Museum of History (formerly the Canadian Museum of Civilization) and the Canadian War Museum offer free admission on Thursday nights from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
• The Canada Science and Technology Museum offers free admission between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. daily. A visit to the Museum will allow the visitor to push buttons, turn dials, and pull levers to experience science and technology first-hand, as you discover artifact-rich exhibits featuring marine and land transportation, astronomy, communications, space, domestic technology and computer technology. 

Ms Swail

Here are two photos from my summer adventures: a shot of the Duomo Belltower and one of our camping sites in the Alps.

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HELLO R7A FAMILIES –

Welcome to the VM R7A – Ms Swail weekly blog, and welcome to all of you to grade 7. Every Sunday or Monday you will be receiving notice of my weekly blog where I report on school administrative issues, what’s happening in the classroom, upcoming events and the fun and interesting stories of grade 7. Please subscribe to the blog and/or look for an e-mail from me at the beginning of the week.

Let me introduce myself. I am Heather Swail, homeroom teacher for R7A, teaching Language Arts, Social Studies, Visual Arts and Drama to the R7A students. I also teach Language Arts to two other Intermediate classes and provide resource support. I have been teaching at Vincent Massey since 2001 (gulp!) and love my job and the VM community. Teaching is my third and best career so far. Teaching grade 7 and 8 is challenging and exhilarating at the same time. Young adolescents have very exciting and challenging lives as they figure out who they are and who they want to be. They are growing physically and emotionally, and going through their second and last huge burst of brain development. They are sweet and young, funny and edgy and they keep life very interesting – for parents, guardians, teachers and themselves.

I work with a wonderful team of committed colleagues here at VM. Our immediate team for R7A this year comprises myself, Kim Shiau (resource), Lindsay Foote (LST), Meg Davies (student success support), David Marcus (Math, Phys. Ed., Health), Alex Smith (Science), Beth Prokaska (Music) and Caroline Lefort (French). Our teacher candidate this year is Patrick Catahan from the University of Ottawa. We are all supported and guided by our Principal, Kateri Deschenes and Vice-Principal, Kelly Haslam. Larry Gauthier is our school social worker.

Meetings: “Meet the VM Staff” event is on Thursday, September 26th from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.. Come and meet the teachers and other staff and see where your R7A student is learning and spending lots of time. I will also be scheduling meetings in the next 2 weeks to meet families/students with I.E.P.s so we can review the 2018/19 document, and, most importantly, talk about best ways to learn and teach.

Forms and agendas; R7A students went home with many forms last week. Please ensure they are read, signed (if necessary) and returned as soon as possible. ALL students must have some kind of agenda to use for every class to record assignments and reminders. We gave out small copybooks to many of the students. Please ask your R7A student to show you the agenda. We will be working on organization and keeping track of work all year. NOW is a good time to start!

PIZZA! Vincent Massey has a pizza program which will be starting up on Thursday, September 26th. You can order and pay on-line or use paper forms. Pizza choices are: cheese; pepperoni; and gluten-free. Information, forms and access to the on-line system are in the link below:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LUf7pfeJCJjAHDBqqwGdiGIgEoe0GmYin4R_wJM7ZBs/edit?usp=sharing

THIS WEEK: 

In Language Arts, we will continue to: revise our introductory letters; get organized on Google docs; write a time capsule letter to ourselves for June 2020; start some guided reading; continue a teacher read-aloud of Of Beetles and Angels; and, set three personal goals for the first term. That should be more than enough!

In Visual Arts, we will be beginning a project that focuses on our thumbprints, our individual stories and creating an art piece. We have many aspiring artists in R7A and there will be many beautiful and creative art pieces in our class and lockers.

We will start Geography next week with mapping exercises and learning latitude and longitude.

In DPA (Daily Physical Activity), Ms Prokaska and I will be introducing a brand new activity that connects walking stairs (great exercise) and climbing mountains. R7A and EF7B students will be ascending and descending the VM stairwells and their steps will all be counted toward climbing 6 mountains located in North America and Europe. Ms P and I will be showing some photos from our recent climb, the Tour du Mont Blanc, a 170 km trek around the Mont Blanc massif through 3 countries – France, Italy and Switzerland. Ms P and I are part of a group called  Climb for Kids which involves talking on challenging, physical climbs and raising money for the Christie Lake Kids Foundation. In 2018, we climbed the Rainbow Mountains in Peru and this year did the Tour du Mont Blanc. These treks keep us fit and also remind us of the importance of persevering through difficulty, something many of our students know and experience.

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Ms P & Ms S, 5200 metres, Peru          daily scenery in the Alps                                 our final 1500 metre ascent, Le Brevent

 

Have a wonderful week,

Ms Swail

 

 

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Dear R7A Families –

It has been a truly wonderful year. As a group, R7A has a heart, energy and intelligence that is very special. When I look back at photos from September, I am amazed to see how much the students have changed. Many have made very good progress in their studies. All have learned in many ways. Take a look at the poster below and the first few lines.

We have 4 days left of school. Monday is a relatively “calm” day. On Tuesday, the grade 8s will have their leaving ceremony rehearsal, cake, and dance. We will be having a potluck party in the afternoon with our DHH friends. I have prepared a slide show celebrating the year. If you would like a copy, let me know. On Tuesday, report cards go home. Please review the learning skills and marks.

On Wednesday, we have our leaving ceremony at Hillcrest. Mr. McKean and I are hosting. Ms Prokaska will be leading the grade 7 orchestra, and some of our R7A students will be performing.

Thursday is our last day.

I wish you all a very happy and safe summer. On July 14, I will be starting my Mont Blanc trek in France, raising money for Christie Lake Kids and hopefully staying on the mountain!

Please make sure your children keep up with their reading and fees that insatiable curiousity!

Happy trails to you and your families,

Ms Swail

Hello R7A Families –

Only two more weeks of grade 7 left, and they are going to be busy! This is good, by the way. We do not want bored students!

On Tuesday, the Intermediate boys head to their soccer tournament. On Thursday, Rideauwood will be making presentations to the grade 7 classes.

Friday is our big Grade 7 Sports Field trip to Carleton University. Thanks so much to Norah’s mom for volunteering. PLEASE make sure your children have water bottles, sun screen, a hat and a healthy snack. We will be inside and outside. All willing will be swimming so they will need a swim suit and a towel. All children will first be tested for ability. They will be going to the Carleton U. cafeteria for lunch – very exciting! All of the permission forms are in. Please make sure you have paid for the trip or contact me as soon as possible if you need some help with the $25.00 cost.

We may be having a potluck next week if I hear from more parents willing to contribute. As of now, I have heard from one parent.

The last day of school is Thursday, June 27th.

I hope you enjoyed the Sunday sunshine. I hit the Gatineau Park trails with fellow hikers as we train to circumnavigate Mont Blanc in July – for fitness, adventure and raising funds for Christie Lake kids. It was very muddy but beautiful. Here is a shot from the top of the Skyline trail looking down on one of the Camp Fortune ski hills. Good to see green!

 

Ms Swail

 

Good morning R7A Families –

I hope you enjoyed this weekend’s glorious weather and were able to get outside. 

This week, we have many events going on at school including the Orientation for the incoming grade 7s, a Parasport program presentation and our VM Stock Market for the grade 8s on Friday. As well, on Thursday the OCDSB Track and Field finals take place with our own stars, Samuel and Arian!

Field Trip forms and payment ($25.00) for the June 21 Carleton University field trip are due on Wednesday. That is the last day for submission. If you have financial concerns, please send me an e-mail. PLEASE have your children return the forms.

 

The school will be good and hot today, and for many days to come until the end of school on June 27th. Please encourage your children to bring a water bottle and sunscreen and hats.

Oh, yes, academics! As always, we will be busy in room 201 and across the division: guided reading, geography research and writing, and the start of a film we can all enjoy and discuss. I have not heard from any of you about the proposed class potluck.  No pot, no luck! Oh, that must be the heat affecting me!  Please let me know if you are interested. It would have to be next week.

Ms Swail