All Week - Kindergarten Registration for 2012/2013
Monday to Thursday - Basketball games at lunch
Wednesday - Ready Set Learn - 3:15 - 6:00 PM
Thursday - Chess Club in Library
Friday - Choir at Lunch - Gr. 2-5

Russell's Rule on demonstrating your Multiple Intelligence

One of the highlights of my elementary school years was being the first person in my grade 4 class to memorize the timetables. The prize was a pack of felt pens (my first set of felt pens ever) and two swim passes to the local pool. I cherished those prizes; and the fact that I was a grade 4 math whiz. Howard Gardner, the developer of Multiple Intelligence Theory, might have said I had a high aptitude for the logical-mathematical. Unfortunately, my early promise as a math prodigy did not pan out, but at least I was good at multiplication. Or so I thought!

Enter Mr. Lampard's class and the technology based Math game they play called "Kaboom". In this game, one multiplication fact is placed in a nine square grid. The goal is to answer eight multiplication facts and one addition fact as fast as you can. Mistakes are dinged with a fifteen second penalty. The top ten scores of the day and the top ten scores of all time are recorded on the website. The game looked simple enough when Mr. Lampard's students demonstrated it to me on the projector, so I thought I would give it a try at home.

Three nights later and more penalty minutes than Kevin Bieksa of the Canucks I still did not have one score in the all time top ten. In fact I was nowhere near reaching a top ten score. I would have been OK with that if one of our grade 5 students, with a similar name to mine, did not own 4 of the top ten spots. Not being too proud I went to him for advice. He showed me a couple of strategies that dropped 15 to 20 seconds off my time, but I was still not even close. Another day of practice and I found my times were getting higher not lower. This was another shot to my self-esteem, but I was still having fun trying to get better.

Eventually I realized what I have suspected for years; that my special intelligence is not Logical-Mathematical. And then I had another thought. Maybe my special talent is musical; since I was pretty good a playing "Hot Cross Buns" on the recorder in grade 3.

Parents and preschoolers (3 years and up) are invited to visit Sidney School on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012 from 3:15 - 6:00 PM.

• Tour the School
• Participate in fun, hands-on learning activities
  
• Learn ways to help your child get a great start to Kindergarten
  

Monday - Weekly Assembly - 2:15 PM
Tuesday - Family Groupings Activity - 10:20 AM
Wednesday - Conservation Crew to Destination Conservation
Visit to school from MP Elizabeth May and the FUN Society - 1:00 PM
Thursday - DARE Grad Assembly for Mrs. Afford's class - 10:00 AM.
Friday - PAC Popcorn Sale - PM Recess

Russell's Rule for Play Based Learning in the Snow

This week we were treated to a rare snow day on Vancouver Island. After a chaotic start to the day where we did not know if school would be in session we were pleased to hear that "School was Closed--Snow Day!" Once the inconvenience of making arrangements to look after children and getting everyone safely home were taken care of, it was a wonderful opportunity for our children to play outside.

As educators we could probably not have planned a field trip this engaging for children. When I left Sidney to go home at 9:30 AM I was delighted to see kids and their families playing on the school fields. When I arrived home my road was covered with children outside playing. All these kids that I knew lived on my street, but I never see outside, had swarmed out of their houses like ants on a hot dog. Some were tobogganing down the hills while others were making snow forts. By lunch the sled run had a jump and the fort had a front door. I watched in amazement at the creative play taking place in the white fluffy snow and realized that we had been blessed with a great learning opportunity. Children were engaged in active physical and creative snow play that only happens periodically on our temperate island. Thankfully we were able to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity and if you were a kid you probably did not even know that you had spent the day engaged in play base learning and physical education!

Three great books that you could read with your children to follow up a great day of playing in the snow are listed below. They are all available from our school library. We have a display of books with snow based themes at the entrance to the library. A warm cup of hot chocolate and a book are a great way to end a snow day.

#1 - The Snowy Day - Ezra Keats

#2 - The Three Snow Bears - Jan Brett

#3 - Stella the Queen of the Snow - Marie Louise Gay