Buddy work continues to be an important part of our weekly life here at Cleveland.  Mme Gordan’s Kindergarten class worked with Mme Zwart’s grade 4/5 class making models of methods of transportation.

Another busy day yesterday, and my focus was on visiting the primary classes. Our primary students have been as busy and as active as the intermediate students, and they are doing a variety of interesting and fun learning activities.

So, what have the students been doing this week? Many things: printing, Vincent Van Gogh art, French vocabulary, listening centres (I liked Petite Bête, Grosse Bêtise), les sportes d’hiver, read aloud in the library, dancing (following and creating patterns, square dancing), singing, math vocabulary, time, art that is “a little bit abstract”, grammar, book exchange, using dictionaries, singular and plural, New Year’s resolutions, math facts, words with short u, using agenda books, fishing for vowels, matching shapes, …

Some classes start their day with a question. Yesterday the students in one class were asked, “What are the words for cube, cone, cylinder and sphere in French?” I love it when children are asked to find something out on their own, and are provided with the tools to find answers or solutions to problems. Sometimes we are too quick to give answers, and this does not foster the ability to learn for themselves.

“Education is not filling a bucket, but lighting a fire.” ~ William Butler Yeats

I look forward to seeing the many “fires” that we can ignite in our students.

Take care

Here is where people,
One frequently finds, 
Lower their voices 
And raise their minds.
 ~ Richard Armour

Have you visited a school library lately?

Ours is fantastic.

Cleveland’s library is home to many French and English books, as well as a collection of photos, pieces of art, a number of quotations (written on pipes from former students and some famous authors), and some interesting collections of stuff. Ask your child how many crows are in the library? I wonder if they know.

Children can check out their favourite novels or picture books. They can find books on space, machines, other cultures, or a number of non-fiction topics. There are so many books that I do not believe a student will be able to read them all. However, I have met a grade 7 girl who might be capable of accomplishing that task, if she was so inclined.

In an elementary school, the library can often be the place that inspires children to develop a love for stories. Mme. Santarosa (our teacher librarian) may introduce a new story to a class, or she may help children fall in love with an old favourite. Children may come to her for book advice, or with recommendations about what to buy.

As a child, my number one best friend was the librarian in my grade school. I actually believed all those books belonged to her. ~ Erma Bombeck

When children need a quiet place to read, there are comfortable sofas or chairs, as well as small reading corners. For a child with a love of books, this is a place to come.

When I step into this library, I cannot understand why I ever step out of it. ~ Marie de Sevigne

If you have not visited a library lately with your child, do it soon. You and your children can find many hours of entertainment through the many great books you will find, at no cost to you (no cost that is if you return things on time).

A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Go check out some books and read.

Take care.