TGIT Thursday (Thank goodness it's Thursday!!)

May 14th, 2009

Wow- some of the Greek social studies brochures are very spiffy indeed and look so professional I would have to look closely to confirm they are created by my very talented students. They are impressive and even though I provided an extension, I received 10 completed today- thank-you :)

It was such a beautiful day Mrs Drew had the students outside for a game of capture the flag. Some came back with all sorts of scratches and nicks form hiding in the brambles and bushes around the school but everyone seemed to have fun.

Instead of math today we did the second session of the VIP program with Maureen Mackell. It focused a bit more on social relationships and abusive behaviour. What was a bit of a shocker was that about half of the students thought that it was okay if a girl was hit by her boyfriend (or friend) if that friend were under the influence of a substance like alcohol!! Maureen explained that the statitics report that some girls and women excuse abusive behaviour because they are forgiving about the circumstances and tend to turn the blame for another's poor behaviour on themselves. Maureen said that 35 times is the statistical average of abusive situations before a woman makes the decision to leave a realtionship. She addressed ways to stand up for yourself and advocate the right not to be a victim.
We discussed more in depth today what it was to be in control versus controlling and the difference between being controlled and being confident in decision making and personal choice.
Many students felt controlled by parents and school (quel surprise!).
In closing she asked the students to think about how the decsions and choices they make now are
impacting the future ahead- who are you hanging out with?, are you being yourself?, do you feel comfortable being yourself?, what are you doing to others?, are you a victim?, a bully? is there anything you could chose to do differently?

For science we did an introductory activity for geology - we analyzed the form and texture, colour and weight of a variety of rock and fossil samples (I threw in some animal bones just for interest) Rocks are so much fun- once I managed to get the students to use the magnifying glasses properly (out of one another's ears etc), there were some super rock sketches.

Poems are coming along, pythagorus can wait until next week and the only activity I have set for homework is the brochure. Have a wonderful May long weekend. We'll be busy planning for the coming school year (2009-2010) tomorrow during our professional day.

See you Tuesday 19th.
P.S. Start thinking about getting your gear together for camp. It is two weeks away. I'm excited and nervous. All the transportation is organized and will be paid for by the fundraising. More information will be forthcoming in a newsletter next week.