Thursday November 3rd

I am so grateful that I can now take down the Hallloween decor- pumpkins be gone! I have never been so happy to get RID of it!!!
I am so glad the aftermath of the 'celebration' is over. If one more research expert tells me there is no connection between sugar consumption and children's behaviour I'll march down to their offices and force feed 300 mini chocolate bars to see how it affects them in their daily focus! Our school population has been vibrating from candy overload this past couple of days; if the school could float, we'd be in a different location.

I also lied (but not on purpose) about the vaccination date for the grade sixes- it happened today- tears and fears but thank goodness it is all over - I had to shut down the grade seven students who were telling nasty stories about vaccinations gone by!! I was proud of my sixes because despite their fears  and all the fearmongoring of their peers, they seemed to manage well.

Homework
No new homework...however, there are a few students who have not completed some current activities
Reader's Response #3 for Ch 16-20 (once the reading is complete)
there are two Science booklets not yet submitted
Name Acrostics for art (still to get 7) and a few haunted houses still being completed (need to move on) please complete in your own time (or hand in as is)
Reminders
a Christmas card creative fundraiser was sent home with students today- some were left behind after class and can be picked up next week but the due date is next week
no school tomorrow
Remembrance Day assembly next Thursday

General Day
True confessions: You know some days just 'get away on you'? Today was one of those days for me and by silent reading time I really had to check my emotional guage because I felt like I was near to tears but not because of anything awful or disruptive (the students were quietly reading or complting the Math quiz) but more due to me feeling overwhelmed by the pace of the day!! Perhaps a glass of red  eh 'coffee' tonight might be the ticket!

Spelling Bee the students really loved it - me,not so much becuse they were so excited and nervous and some were scared, others impatient and generally vibrating and noisy- productive noise, if you get my drift!
It took an hour 9-10 am and I had to stop with 14 of them still in the Bee.
They had studied well and were very confident and competent with the words which we re-cycled 3 times before deciding to go 'cold turkey'. Some are fabulous spellers almost too fast for me to hear but that is all part of the practice in speaking skills which is one of our learning outcomes (to learn how to speak clearly to an audience with a specific purpose). Some asked for word 'origins' (which 'Shhhhhh' I made up if I didn't know because I hadn't prepared etymology on my word list. Sheesh!
Whose idea was this anyway?
We postponed round four until the afternoon but the students asked me all day when we were going to complete the Bee just in case I might have forgotten. I was already tired from the emotion of the competition and then....
the community nurse arrived for the grade six vaccinations (could it get any more dramatic?)

Computer time for the reader responses 10-10:30am
As you can imagine it took a bit to get everyone on task but I am provoiding time and opportunity for the assignments. A handful of students earned themselves some free time becuse they managed to finish the third response and were caught up with other work :)

Math 7 Quiz #3 dividing decimals
breathing exercise first, a quick grouding and explanation of the components of the quiz- the majority of students needed about 30-35 minutes for the quiz (a few needed a bit more which is fine and some even finshed after lunch in my class during the silent reading time). It is difficult to judge how much time is needed for a review quiz as some student work faster than others. I don't like to rush students but there is on;y so much time...
Nothing new was taught this class instead if the quiz was handed in, students worked to complete the Scientific Notation work and the Order of Operations work- once that was done I handed out some Sudoku puzzles which some student thought were too easy and others too difficult!
My brain was on overload during this session today which I think led to my emotional 'wobble' in the afternoon: providing encouragement to students for the quiz, ensuring those who needed a calculator borrowed one from class supply, collecting the work as it was completed, showing scientific notation procedures, explaining the BEDMAS steps for order of operations, distributing Sudoku puzzles (which after the quiz everyone wanted!!) and then trying to find more difficult puzzles for my Sudoku experts- which I copied at lunchtime. I have set no new homework because it was lunchtime already and I didn't know up from down any more! :)

Silent Reading
reading time (being the end of the week, I do allow students who have missed or who are incomplete on an activity to use time during reading time to complete work)
completion of Math quiz #3 for those who needed a bit more time.
Hannah won the random draw for the October reading record- congratulations. She will pick a book of her choice.

Personal Planning
Peer Pressure: we discussed the positive and negative effects of peer pressure and discussed among other things the Vancouver riot after the Stanley Cup loss, the need for people to 'belong' and the feeling of 'power' in groups (mob mentality). Last Friday, we did an activity that asked the students to determine (informally) where their needs were high (power, belonging, fun or freedom). If you would like to ask your son or daughter where they were the strongest, it might be an avenue to open discussion about their social-emotional needs.
We are using the resource mentioned in yesterday's Blog (Teenage Survival Handbook) and we read p17-28 about mood swings and changing emotions which happen with the hormonal influx of adolescence. This allowed me to do a quick brain-based introduction to the gland that is responsible: the pituitary.
I was impressed with the students participation- some are a little nervous and can be a little silly with their answers but once the program gets underway that usually subsides (usually!).
It hasn't been long enough yet for them to feel comfortable but they really seem to be interested (why not?- it's about them :))
I was supposed (by the timetable schedule) to do French today but one of the students politely pointed out how much time we have missed for the Personal Planning unit and wondered politely if we couldn't possibly fit in a 30 minute class - absolutely!!!

Physical Education- volleyball today (boy's game after school in our gym)
allowed the grade six students who were feeling their arm's sore after this morning's shots to sit out and do some reading or art. So I filled in (like I needed anymore emotion in my day) I was Terrible with a capital T, the students were very encouraging but I couldn't serve a volleyball today to save my life.
Back to the BEE!
Spelling Bee rounds 4 and 5 - we are now down to 9 participants and will have to determine the top three next week! (Oh good Lord, save me from the Bee). They are all so strong I have to put my thinking cap on and come up with a 'cunning plan'. If you have any suggestions feel free to share.

As I said the day 'got away' and just as the last participant spelled the last word of round 5, the dismissal bell rang and my students disappeared so quickly that there was only a swirl of empty Halloween candy wrappers left behind (probably wrappers came from hiding holes in their desks!) . They don't usually do that! So, to cap off my day, I put up the chairs, cleaned off the desk and generally tidied up like a mother hen (do hens clean up for their chicks?). I am tired. Anyone know where you can but some red coffee? Just wondering!
Have a peaceful night because I wish for myself to have a peacful night
(that's another issue- my job isn't over when my students go home- Gr.9 math and my darling son- I'm scared to go home- kidding!)
Mrs. J.