X Fusion @ Boxwood

We are thrilled to welcome the X MOVEMENT team to our school! Today, our students began participating in the X Fusion experience. X Movement integrates the powerful Connected Movement Approach to Energize our school! X Fusion aims to develop student’s self regulation skills in order for them to discover their own self realization. To achieve this, students partake in sessions designed to increase and decrease their energy levels and model methods/tools/tactics which allow them to regulate by themselves. During the 3 Fusion sessions, we use movements inspired by Yoga as well as high intensity body flows. Both genres of movement focus on similar beliefs of self awareness, intrinsic benefits and discipline over the mind and body.

The Prime Minister's Apology

Yesterday, Prime Minister Trudeau apologized to Jewish Refugees for turning away the MS St. Louis (the boat one of the characters from the book Refugee was on) in 1939. We took all the intermediates to hear the apology live. It was pretty incredible, almost 80 intermediate students silent listening to the wrongs of Canada's past and our current Prime Minister trying to make amends and call youth to action to make Canada better for future people seeking refuge in our country.

Math Learning in Ms. Royce's Class

I recently visited Ms. Royce's class and observed the students engaged in a collaborative open ended question. In pairs, students were asked to, "Construct three similar rectangles, using grid paper or a geoboard, and compare the perimeter and area of the rectangles. Explain and justify your thinking. This is what we call a meaningful problem. This allows students to talk about math and for the teacher to see their thinking. It also provides students a chance to see different ways to solve a problem. Through this problem, Ms. Royce was able to teach the concept of similarity and the relationship of the area and perimeter of rectangular similar figures.

Learning in Ms. Sen's Gr. 1/2 Class

During one of my recent walks, I visited Ms. Sen's class. The artifacts on the wall demonstrated the learning that is taking place in the class. The first picture shows journal writing that the students completed with a picture to help them communicate their ideas.

Journal Writing Samples

In reading, students are learning to make connections to texts that they read. The class has a learning goal and success criteria to show them what they need to do to be successful with this task. They have also discussed how making connections helps them to better understand what they are reading.

Making Connections

In math, they are learning about numbers using ten frames. A ten frame is a simple graphic tool that allows people to “see” numbers. Understanding that numbers are composed of tens and ones is an important foundational concept, setting the stage for work with larger numbers. A strong sense of "ten" is a prerequisite for place-value understanding and mental calculations. This You Tube Video introduces the ten frame and explains how this tool is useful for students just beginning to learn about numbers:

Ten Frame