They Made Us a Cake

I came back to my office after a meeting, and what did I find – a cake.

They made us a cake!

There was a note:

To Mr. B and Mrs. Orr

From: Isabella, Natalie, Maxine and Sophia

Welcome to Cleveland

Wow!

To the four girls: “Thank you again for the cake. We love it.”

How do you not love working with children?

Take care


Rainy Days and School Days

“The best thing one can do when it’s raining is to let it rain.” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Do we have to go outside on rainy days?” asked a senior student late last week, when the weather was warm and sunny.

I quickly answered, “Yes.”

I am a fan of going outside (and sending kids outside) to play during recess and lunch, and I don’t think a little rain should stop someone from going out. I believe that getting outside for a couple of break periods during the school day helps with learning. Students can run around, get the blood flowing and get oxygen to the brain.

Today was our first rainy day at recess, and the rain did come down quite heavily. Not everyone was prepared for rain, but students did go outside, and no one seemed to mind (or at least on one complained to me).

“I am an optimist, but I’m an optimist who carries a raincoat.” ~ Harold Wilson

Please come to school prepared for the weather. Younger students may want to bring a change of clothes. For those parents who have not seen a playground filled with 500 children playing in the rain, I would like you to know that, even if you do send your children to school with proper rain gear, they don’t always put it on. A change of clothes can help a lot.

There will be days that inside options are given, and students may be playing quietly in their classes or reading in the library. For most many rainy days, however, students will be sent outside for recess and lunch to run around, and to enjoy some time in the rain.

A little bit of rain should not stop the fun.

“Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet.” ~ Roger Miller

Take care

Playground Games

Tetherball is alive and well at Cleveland, with many students sometimes playing a game during recess and/or lunch. The rules used on our playground seem a bit different than in my day (when did I get old enough to say “in my day”?). I remember one hit only, no touching the rope, no grabbing the pole, and no holding the ball.

Today students seem to have fun playing tetherball without all those rules, and they don’t seem to need them. There are lots of smiles, they take turns playing, and they are having fun. That is one of the benefits of play – having fun.

Children can often find ways to have fun in a game without a set of rules, but there are times when rules do have a place. In a game of tetherball, where there are only two people playing at once, it is easier to be a bit flexible with the rules. When the games start to include groups of children, a few simple rules can often help in avoiding problems.

Take soccer. An easy to remember rule is no hands allowed (unless you are goalie). Any deviations from that rule and people get upset.

Recess and lunchtime behavioural problems (fights, arguments, exclusions, etc.) often start after someone decides to change the rules of a game, or have rules that are different for people they like. Changing rules during a game, or rigging a game against someone, creates unnecessary problems for all players.

So, boys and girls at Cleveland, some hints for playing a few key recess games are:

  • For soccer – no hands allowed (unless you are goalie) and pass
  • For football – two-hand touch (not two-hand shove) and pass to everyone
  • For tag – no time-outs to avoid being tagged (why play tag if you can’t be it?) and chase everyone.

Not all games need rules, but when rules are in place, please stick with them.

  • Play Fair
  • Play Nice
  • Let Everyone Play
  • & Play Safe

Take care

 

Students Helping Out

There are many great things about an working in an elementary school, and one of them is seeing students help out outside of their class. Teachers and staff find ways to encourage students to take advantage of many small or large leadership opportunities that enrich a school culture.

If you were in the school at the start of the day, you may have heard Davis speaking on the public address system making today’s announcements. Student announcers provide the school with updates about upcoming events in school, welcome staff into the building, and can even share some news – today we heard how the Lions won their last football game.

Many of our grade 7 students are helping out in the primary classrooms during the lunch period. With eight primary classes and 3 Kindergarten classes, our adult supervisors appreciate the help that our lunch monitors provide. Lunch monitors help the classes stay calm, assist with opening a thermos, encourage children to eat their whole lunch, and occasionally help clean up spills.

Some students help out in the library, some help out as peer monitors, and many help out when their friends are hurt.

Student leadership is very important in any school, and we value it even more when students willingly and actively contribute to the school culture by being leaders.

Thanks to all the students who have already made leadership contributions this year, and thanks to those students who will be leaders throughout the year.

Take care.

The First Week

The first week has come to a close, and the students have helped to ensure that this will be another wonderful year at Cleveland School. Today we had some mini-assemblies, where Ms. Carla Orr (Vice-Principal) and myself met with all students in grades 1 to 7, reviewed our Code of Conduct, discussed the positive things we have witnessed over the past week, shared thoughts on student leadership, and thanked the students for their positive energy and making us feel welcome.

Students are getting along well, and new students are making friends and learning the Cleveland culture. According to one student; “Girls rule and boys…” (I didn’t quite hear the whole thing). At least they were all smiling while it was said.

Next week we will be looking ahead to: getting ready for Grade 6 Outdoor School, our Welcome Back assembly, student photos, and our CPAC Welcome Back Social on Thursday night. I hope to see all families there.

Take care