Beyond The Desk

First, I’d like to apologize for the lateness of this information. We’re excited to announce that Mr. Morris is hoping to have any enthusiastic Grade 6 boys join our Grade 7 basketball team! This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to develop their basketball skills, foster teamwork, and enjoy some friendly competition.

The next tryout practice is scheduled for tomorrow from 4:00 – 5:00. We encourage all interested Grade 6 boys to attend, bring their energy, and show their passion for the game!

Last week was a thrilling time in our classroom and on the playground as we launched our very own water bottle rocket! With a few final checks and some countdown cheers, the rocket shot several feet high, impressing everyone with just how powerful science can be. Not only was it a joy to see it soar, but it was also a fantastic, hands-on lesson in Newton’s Third Law of Motion.

Newton’s Third Law of Motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This principle is the driving force behind our water bottle rocket launch.

When we launched our water bottle rocket, we filled it with water and then pressurized it by pumping in air. This built up a lot of internal pressure inside the bottle. When we released the bottle from the launcher, all that pressurized water was forced out of the opening at high speed – this is the action.

According to Newton’s Third Law, the reaction to this forceful expulsion of water was an equal and opposite force pushing the rocket upwards. So, as the water shot downward out of the bottle, the rocket was pushed upwards with enough force to launch it several feet into the air. This reaction force, in opposition to the downward force of the water, is what allowed our rocket to launch successfully and is a perfect, real-world example of Newton’s Third Law in action!

The students could see how the amount of water, the level of air pressure, and even the shape of the rocket influenced how high it flew, making this not just a fun demonstration but a rich learning experience in physics and engineering principles.

The water bottle rocket launcher itself was a special part of this project; it was 3D printed right here in our classroom! The students have been learning about 3D design and printing, and having the chance to see it come to life made the experience all the more meaningful. After the successful launch, they’re now applying their skills to design and print their own balloon-powered cars, which they’ll get to race soon. We can’t wait to see their creativity and problem-solving in action as they learn about Newton’s third law and 3D printing

I’m sharing a video of the launch below for all to enjoy – it’s one for the memory books!

Rocket Launch

Greetings Grade 6 families! We have an exciting week ahead filled with activities and events. Here’s what’s coming up:

---

Parent/Teacher Interviews:
Interviews are happening this week! This is a great chance for us to discuss your child’s progress and goals for the year. Parents, please sign up at the following link to secure a time: Parent/Teacher Interview Signup.

Student-Led Devotions:
Our Student-Led Devotions are starting soon! Each student will have an opportunity to lead devotions in class. Please ask your child when their scheduled date is and discuss ideas with them—your encouragement and support at home are so valuable! Please feel free to help them in the writing of their devotions. Please see the handout that was sent home for more information.

Chapel Team This Week:
We’re grateful for our Chapel Team leading worship! This week’s lineup includes:

• Tech: Jayna and Isaac
• Keys: Danna and Mrs. Van S
• Bass: Kyara
• Electric Guitar: Grace
• Acoustic Guitar: Nathan
• Vocals: Shiloh, Alivia, Averi, and Jordan
• Percussion: Maximus
• Stage Manager: Manraaj
• Front of House: Isaac B. and Nick
• Door Greeters: Emilie and Thomas
• Additional Support: Kianna and Kayleigh

Crazy Hair Day:
Thursday is Crazy Hair Day! Students are welcome to have a bit of fun with creative hairstyles and wear casual clothes. Let’s see how wild and wacky we can get!

Photo Retakes:
On Tuesday, students will have a second chance for school photos. Please have your child come prepared if they will be retaking their photo.

Looking Ahead – Space Day (November 13th):
We’re gearing up for Space Day! Students are invited to dress up as astronauts, planets, rocket ships, or any space-themed character. This is a wonderful opportunity to let imaginations soar and have fun on a space theme!

Bible Memory Verse – Romans 12:10:
Our verse this week is Romans 12:10: “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” This verse emphasizes the importance of kindness, respect, and compassion—qualities we encourage in Grade 6. By learning to honor each other, students build a supportive, caring community, which helps them grow both academically and personally.

---

Thank you for all the support you provide from home, and we look forward to a fantastic week!

We have a fun-filled and meaningful week planned for our Grade 6 class, and I wanted to keep you informed about what’s happening!

Chapel Team This Week:

We are blessed to have many of our talented students leading chapel this week. Here’s the lineup:

• Tech: Maddox, Evan
• Drums: Jase
• Bass: Kianna
• Electric Guitar: David
• Acoustic Guitar: Neariah
• Vocals: Avery, Sina, Olivia, Mrs. Van Santen
• Keys: Danna, Alexis
• Stage Manager: McKenna
• Door Greeters: Maximus, Thomas

We are excited to worship together as a class and community. Thank you to all the students stepping up to lead!

Pumpkin Math – Wednesday

One of our annual traditions, Pumpkin Math, is coming up on Wednesday! This is a fun and hands-on math activity where we’ll use pumpkins to explore math concepts. Students will need to bring an old shirt to wear, as things can get a little messy during this activity.

If you would like to volunteer and help out, please send me an email or feel free to talk to me after school or you can just pop in on Wednesday at 10:30ish. It’s always a great experience for the kids, and we’d love to have you join us!

Student Devotion Information

Last week, I sent home the schedule and information about Student-Led Devotions. Below is a quick reminder of why we are doing this and some ideas for your child’s devotion.

Why Student-Led Devotions?
Sharing our faith can feel private, but God encourages us to share with others because it helps build His church. Hearing each other’s stories of faith can inspire and uplift us. In a world filled with negative news, we could all use some good news to remind us of God’s presence in our lives.

What Can My Child Share?
Each student will have a chance to lead a devotion once this year. Here are some ideas they can choose from:

• How they became a Christian
• A lesson they’ve recently learned
• A miracle they’ve experienced or heard about
• A Bible verse that’s meaningful to them and how/why
• A prayer God answered and how it impacted them
• Someone in their life who inspires them to live for God
• A time they felt God’s peace during a tough moment
• A time they felt God’s strength when they needed it
• More on the handout to choose from or the students can do something that they feel strongly about.

Your child’s devotion should be 3-5 minutes long and include:

• A Bible verse connected to their story
• A personal story or reflection
• A closing prayer

It doesn’t need to be overly personal or embarrassing—just something meaningful to them. Parents, feel free to help your child, but the devotion should be in their own words. The handout has spaces for students to write their thoughts on.

The full schedule is attached to the information that was sent home, so please check your child’s planner.

No School on Friday

Just a quick reminder that there will be no school on Friday due to a Provincial Professional Development Day. Enjoy the long weekend!

Thank you for your continued support! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

 

Hi Parents,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with plenty of good food and time spent with loved ones! I had a fantastic weekend with family—though I have to admit, I didn’t get the apple pie with cheese I was hoping for. Instead, I ended up with apple crumble pie, which, I have to admit, was still pretty great! Of course, no family gathering would be complete without a little bit of chaos, especially with my twin brother, Bob, around.

This year, Bob decided to give the turkey a break and turn his attention to… pumpkin pie. His grand plan? He thought it would be a brilliant idea to make the “biggest pumpkin pie in the world” by using the neighbours kiddie pool as the pie dish.

Bob somehow convinced himself that if he lined the pool with foil and filled it with pumpkin pie filling, we could bake it by placing heating lamps all around the yard. He called it his “pumpkin pie extravaganza.” Don’t ask where he got all the pumpkins to make the filling….or the foil. Well, as you can imagine, things quickly got out of hand. The filling was everywhere—on the patio, the grass, and the neighbours’ dog, who decided to come for a closer look. The pool started to look more like a pumpkin soup pond, and despite Bob’s best efforts, there was no way to heat it evenly. We ended up with a sloshy mess and lots of visits by all the neighbouring animals as we spent the weekend hosing down the yard (and the various animals). Thankfully, my aunt brought a normal-sized pumpkin pie along with the apple crumble, so we still got to enjoy dessert. Bob’s pumpkin pie dreams, however, are on hold until further notice.

Now that we’ve survived another Bob holiday adventure, here’s what’s coming up this week in class:

1. Chapel Worship Band

   Here’s this week’s Chapel worship band:

   • Drums: Scott
   • Tech: Isaac, Evan
   • Vocals: Ari, Nick, Isaac B, Mrs. van S
   • Keys: Alexis, Danna
   • Electric Guitar: Olivia
   • Acoustic Guitar: Alivia
   • Bass: Kyara
   • Stage Manager: Elliott
   • Front of House: Kianna, Averi, Jordan, Grace
   • Door Greeters: Emilie, Elora
   • Percussion: Danny

2. Fall Colours Day – Wednesday

   Just a reminder that this Wednesday is Fall Colours Day! Students can wear casual clothes in fall-themed colours like reds, oranges, yellows, and browns.

3. Science Project – Cardboard Needed

   We’re collecting both thick and thin cardboard for an upcoming science project. If you have any to spare, please send it with your child!

4. Still Looking for Stools

   We’re still hoping to gather a few more stools for the classroom. If you have any stools you’re no longer using and would like to donate, we’d really appreciate it.

5. Math Update

   We’re wrapping up our unit on Place Value to 1 Billion, which also included adding and subtracting decimals. It’s been a fun unit with our story-based approach to math! I think the students have enjoyed the new approach to learning math in a real world context. Next up: Percent.

6. Kindi Buddies

   Our “Kindi Buddies” program with Mrs. Larsson’s Kindergarten class is off to a great start. It’s been wonderful seeing our Grade 6 students take on the responsibility of mentoring and spending time with their little buddies. They’ve really stepped up and are setting such a great example!

7. Bible Verse – Psalm 103:12

   Tomorrow, the students will recite Psalm 103:12: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”  Below are some ways this verse can connect to their lives. Reminder that to get a 4, students need to share a reflection of how these verse have impacted them personally through a personal anecdote.

   • Remembering that mistakes don’t define them—they can learn from them and move forward.
   • Letting go of guilt and focusing on growth, both academically and socially.
   • Understanding that forgiveness, whether of themselves or others, helps them build stronger friendships.

8. Next Bible Verse – Romans 12:9

   Our next verse is Romans 12:9: “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” Here are some ways this verse connects to our Grade 6 students:

   • Encouraging them to be kind and sincere in their friendships and interactions with others.
   • Helping them recognize and avoid negative behaviors and situations, focusing on what’s positive and good.
   • Supporting them in making choices that reflect their values and who they want to be as they grow.

9. Comfort Kits

   If you haven’t yet sent back your child’s updated Comfort Kit, please send it in as soon as you can. These kits will help keep students comfortable and prepared during the unlikely event of an emergency.

Thanks so much for your support! As always, feel free to reach out with any questions.

 

Hello Grade 6 Families,

I have some exciting updates and important reminders for the upcoming week!

Chapel Helpers – Please Arrive Early

For this week’s chapel, several students will be helping with different roles and will need to arrive early to assist with setup. The following students should early tomorrow:

• Front of House: Jordan, Sina, Avery, Mckenna, Olivia, Liliana
• Vocals: Kayleigh, Alexis, Shiloh, Averi
• Percussion: Kaiya
• Bass: Kianna
• Acoustic Guitar: Neariah
• Tech: Jayne, Maddox
• Stage Manager: Rebecca
• Keys: Mrs. van S
• Door Greeter: Emily

Thank you to all the students who are stepping up to serve!

Reminder: No School on Friday and Thanksgiving

Just a quick reminder that this Friday is a PD Day for staff, so there will be no school for students. In addition, there will be no school on Monday in observance of Thanksgiving.

During our morning devotions, I’ve been sharing with the class how thankful I am for such an amazing and fun group of students. It’s been a true blessing to watch them grow together as a community, and I hope you enjoy this extra family time during the long weekend. We have so much to be thankful for. God is good!

Student-Led Devotions: Starting Soon!

I’m excited to announce that we will be starting Student-Led Devotions soon, and I’ll be creating a schedule for everyone. I know that sharing our connection with God can sometimes feel hard, as it feels deeply personal. However, God calls us to share our faith with one another because it builds up His church. We can all be inspired by hearing about each other’s journeys and how God has worked in our lives. With so much bad news around us, we could all use some good news now and then. You never know—your story might touch someone’s heart.

A beautiful reminder of this comes from Luke 1:46-55, where Mary says:
“I’m bursting with God-news; I’m dancing the song of my Savior God. God took one good look at me, and look what happened—I’m the most fortunate woman on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten, the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others.”

Another reminder is found in 3 John 1:2-4:
“Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

Students will have the opportunity to share twice this year. Their devotions should be about 3-5 minutes long and include:

• A Bible verse that connects to their message
• A short devotion (nothing too private or embarrassing!)
• Something they’ve learned or a reflection from their faith journey
• Help from family is encouraged, but it should be in their own words
• A prayer to close the devotion

To guide their sharing, students can choose from the following options:

• Share how you became a Christian
• A lesson you’ve recently learned
• A miracle you’ve witnessed or experienced
• Something from the Bible that made you think
• A recent devotion that taught you something important about God
• A meaningful Bible verse and why it’s important to you
• An answered prayer and what you learned from it
• Someone in your life who inspires you to grow closer to God
• A moment where you trusted God and how it grew your faith
• A time when you felt God’s love or peace in a difficult situation
• A moment when you felt weak, but God gave you the strength to keep going

I encourage all students to take this opportunity to reflect on their own faith journey. It’s a beautiful way to inspire and encourage one another.

If you have any questions about the devotions or need assistance, feel free to reach out. I’m looking forward to hearing the students’ stories and seeing how God is working in their lives!

Wishing you a restful week and a Thanksgiving full of gratitude and reflection.

We had some fun today as we began to get our first french conversations together. Our first conversation is going to be about autumn.

However, we had some good laughs trying to pronounce the word for leaves. I have to admit, it was not an easy word to get and even our student, who is fluent in French, had a hard time getting us to pronounce it correctly even though she kept trying!

Anyway, I think I have it now after looking up the word. Here is the video that helped me pronounce it correctly. I am not sure what is going on with the announcer’s voice but it made me chuckle.

Here’s a quick update on important events for this week!

Terry Fox Run
We had our Terry Fox run today. It was a great event! Students from Grades 1 – 6 ran around the campus with lots of enthusiasm and energy! Our class ran a total of 177 laps around the entire school/church campus! It was a great way to raise money for cancer research and remember a truly great Canadian.

Bible Verse Recitation – Tomorrow!
Tomorrow, your child will be reciting their Bible verse and sharing how it is meaningful in their life. Please encourage them to practice and reflect on how the verse connects to their experiences, faith, and understanding of God’s word.

Orange Shirt Day – Friday
This Friday is Orange Shirt Day, a day to honor the survivors of residential schools and recognize the impact of this part of Canada’s history on Indigenous communities. Students are invited to wear casual clothing, including something orange, to show support and awareness of the importance of reconciliation and understanding.

Chapel This Week
Our Grade 6 Chapel is coming up this week, and we’re excited for the special roles that students will be taking on during the service. Here’s the team:

• Tech: Maddox
• Drums: Jase
• Vocals: Kaya, Alexis, Rebecca, Shiloh
• Bass: Kianna
• Electric Guitar: Grace
• Acoustic Guitar: Alivia
• Keys: Mrs. van Santen
• Stage Manager: Elora
• Front of House: Alexis, Sina, Jordan, Mckenna
• Door Greeters: Thomas, Maximus

We’re looking forward to seeing the leadership, creativity, and talent of these students as they serve in Chapel this week!

Thank you for your continued support and encouragement at home. I’m looking forward to a meaningful week ahead.

Lindeman Lake on Thursday:  We are excited to hike Lindeman Lake on Thursday.  We will meet any parents who are coming at the trailhead for 10:00 and enjoy our lunch up at the lake.

Bring a backpack with you to carry your lunch and anything else. Please also make sure to dress in layers on Thursday and be prepared for any kind of weather.

We are only at the beginning of our second full week of school and things are already ramping up!

Writing: Writing Interesting Sentences: In writing, we are working on writing interesting beginnings to sentences. We want to learn to and practice using a variety of nouns, adjectives, adverbs, similes, reasons, gerunds, prepositions and more at the beginnings of our sentences to make our writing bring joy to the reader. My master plan is to focus on sentence writing and writing interesting sentences so that they have a firm foundation in ways to enhance their writing once we start personal narratives. Amazingly, these ways to begin a sentence can be used in any type of writing. (Did you see what I did there? 🙂 I started with an -ly word!)

Reading: We are wrapping up our exploration of a valuable strategy known as Close Reading. Students have been reading texts with a focused approach: first reading the questions, then reading the story or article, and finally reading it a third time to find specific answers, highlighting key points as they go. This method helps them engage deeply with the material and think critically about what they’ve read. Next, we’ll be moving into discussing reader responses—the different ways students can respond to reading. We’ll be using sticky notes to jot down thoughts, questions, and reflections as they read.

Math: Thinking Classroom In math, we’ve been diving into the Thinking Classroom approach. This method encourages students to see themselves as mathematicians, actively looking for patterns and relationships in numbers. We’ve been working in groups on open-ended problems, with a focus on collaboration, perseverance, and multiple strategies for problem-solving. Students have learned that challenges are opportunities for growth and that helping each other is a key part of being a mathematician. We’ll continue to build these skills in the coming weeks.

Science: Team Building & Scientific Process Our team-building tower activity in Science is coming to a close. The students have done an amazing job working together to construct their towers! Next, we’ll be shifting our attention to the scientific process, diving into how scientists ask questions, form hypotheses, observe, and draw conclusions.

Upcoming Events:

• Comfort Kits: These will be returned tomorrow, and information about new comfort kits will be sent home with your child.
• Chapel (September 18): We have an exciting lineup of students participating:
  • Vocals: Olivia, Shiloh, Isaac B.
  • Tech: Jayna, Isaac.
  • E guitar: Danny.
  • A guitar: Neariah.
  • Stage Manager: Nathan.
  • Bass: Kyara.
  • Keys: Danna, Mrs. van Santen.
  • Drums: Scott.
  • Percussion: Manny.
  • Front of House: Avery, Averi, Mckena, Liliana.
  • Door Greeters: Sina, Thomas.
• Kindness Crew: We are excited to announce that the Kindness Crew is starting up again! Students interested in becoming lunch monitors are welcome to attend the training meeting on Tuesday at 12:20.
• Rainy Weather Alert: As the rainy season begins, we want to remind parents that students will head outdoors for recess, even in the rain. Students must be dressed appropriately for all types of weather. We kindly request that you ensure your child comes to school prepared with the necessary attire to stay dry and comfortable during rainy days.
• Cross-Country Team: The cross-country team meets on Mondays at 7:15 AM at the school and Fridays at 7:15 AM at Little Mountain. If your child is interested, please reach out to myself or Mrs. Goosen.
• Terry Fox Run (September 23): Our school-wide Terry Fox Run will be happening soon! The run will last for 30 minutes, starting at 11:30 AM with staggered start points. This will be a walk/run event, and students are encouraged to do their best. We’ll track how far we run as a whole, with teachers marking each lap. Students should bring $2 to donate to Toonies for Terry as part of our effort to raise money for cancer research. This will also be a Knight Day, so students can dress in their Knights wear.

Whew! I think that covers everything. As always, thank you for your support and for helping to make these events and learning experiences meaningful for our students.