We Love to Read!

The Grade Twos were very excited to welcome a special visitor, Mrs. Betty Sawatzky,  on February 27, 2019.  After entering a colouring contest put on by  CJRB Radio in Boissevain, we were thrilled to be one of five classes to win a prize!  With support from the publisher  Friesen's, each student was given a copy of the book Whiteout: A Winnipeg Jets Story by Holly Preston.  

Before starting to read, Mrs. Sawatzky told us about her job at CJRB and did an interview with Ms. Simms about I Love To Read month.  She used a real microphone but didn't actually record it.  Then the class helped to make a radio commercial for "Simms's Auction Company"!  We thought about catchy phrases and sound effects and were able to help with recording the commercial.  

Then we used sound effects to help Mrs. Sawatzky read the story to us - "Go Jets Go" and the jet flying sounds added to the fun.  Everyone also received a red bag from The Tim Horton's Brier that will take place in Brandon next week for being the first school to enter the contest.  

What an exciting way to wrap up a month of reading activities at Reston School. We DO love to read! 

Global School Play Day

Reston School K - 6 classes spent the afternoon of Valentine's Day 2019 engaged in play to celebrate Global School Play Day. You can watch a Tedx Talks video here  by Peter Gray that describes the importance of play to children and the decline of free play in our society.  

Celebrating 100 Days

The Grade 1 and 2 classes at Reston School took time on Wednesday, February 13 to celebrate the 100th day of our school year.  (Technically it is only 97 days of being here since we have had 3 closed days when it was too cold to come to school!)
We have been keeping track all year at our Smartboard calendar time and have also thought up and recorded one way to make 100 every day so far.  

We made a paper chain with 100 links. Changing the colour every 5th link helped us keep track, just like tally marks.

Students were invited to bring in a collection or creation consisting of 100 items.  

 Parents and friends came to join us later for a number of fun activities that reinforce the concept of the number 100. Some counted 100 objects, wrote 100 words, did exercises for 100 seconds, and counted up $1.00 with coins.  The Aging Booth I Pad app and the 100 piece snack were popular places!  Thanks to our visitors for joining us in an afternoon of learning and fun!

The Magic of Munsch!

My personal all time favourite author study is underway in Room 21!  We tried to guess how many books Robert Munsch has written and decided to read them all and keep track on a chart. Will we reach 100?

I shared with the class that I met Robert Munsch in person and told them the story behind his visit to Sinclair School in February of 1993.  (I was teaching a few of my current class's parents at the time!)

Back in 1990, after we read some of his books, all nine students in Grade 1 - 3 wrote a letter to Robert Munsch. His reply back to the Halls sisters is below. 

Time went on and we kind of forgot about it until one day two years later on recess duty - Maureen told me Robert Munsch was coming to visit their house! I can still picture the moment when she showed me the letter that the girls had received back.  

After a couple of reschedules, it was finally set to happen in February of 1993.  Robert Munsch arrived at Sinclair School with his daughter Tyya for one of our amazing pot-luck lunches and an afternoon of story telling. What an event to remember!  

from the Reston Recorder (I'm in the top left in the busy 90's sweater!)

from The Brandon Sun - March 1, 1993

Twenty six years later and now I'm still reading Robert Munsch to my students and he is still writing books. Bear for Breakfast (due out next week) is his latest and I can hardly wait to read it with a group of eager students at my feet!