Message from the Principals 9/13/2024

Happy Friday the 13th!

Important Reminders
Curriculum Focus - Safe and Nurturing Environment
Learning Highlight - Mission to Mars Part 2
House Points
Photos of the week

1 - Important Reminders

Clubs start on Monday!
Coffee Time - Hosted by Friends of Hope: Sept 23 (8am to 9am)
Parent Teacher Conference - Oct 11
House Shirts should be available to order in October. We are working with our Uniform company to get them here ASAP.
Open School - Nov 1

2 - Curriculum Focus - Safe and Nurturing Environment

For Mr. Brian and I, one of our top priorities and guiding philosophy is a "safe and nurturing environment". Today, I would like to take a moment and explain what that means to us and how it drives our decision-making process at Hope.

A safe and nurturing environment is the foundation upon which all learning and growth can take place. Without it, students may not feel comfortable, secure, or supported, which can negatively impact their academic, social, and emotional development.

Providing a safe and nurturing environment means creating a physical and emotional space where students feel welcome, respected, valued, supported, and heard. This includes having policies and practices in place that prioritize safety, promotes healthy relationships, encourages strong communication, and fosters a positive school culture.

You can see these goals embedded into our 5 core school rules:

Think safe, Feel safe
Hands off
Listen and Learn
Show care and respect
Speak appropriately

This is our guiding principle that informs our decision-making process and policies at every level of the school.

In practice, this means that we prioritize the safety and well-being of our students in every aspect of school life. We recognize that positive relationships are a critical component of a nurturing environment, and we work to create opportunities for students to connect with one another and with the school community as a whole. This involves creating clubs, activities, and events that promote positive social connections and a sense of belonging. This can also be seen in policies such as our emergency drills, monthly assemblies, the embedded Personal Learning Goals, discussions about bullying, reflection, and classroom management procedures.

By keeping this principle at the forefront of our minds, we can create an environment that promotes academic success, personal growth, and a love of learning. Students who feel safe, supported, and valued are more likely to be engaged, motivated, and achieve their full potential.

3 - Learning Highlight - Mission to Mars Part 2

On August 23rd, we discussed the interconnected learning of the IPC and IMYC units. We used the Milepost 3 Unit "Mission to Mars" as an example. Over the last few weeks, we have watched the grade 4 and 5 classes "take off" and explore the various subjects through this thematic unit.

Today, I would like to highlight some of the great learning and activities that have taken place during this unit to give clear examples of the theme in action.

Last week the students collaborated to combine a Science knowledge goal and ELA Speaking Skills goal in the lesson for a research and recording activity. The students broke up into 3 groups and had to research and present a report about which planet they believed the next crew mission should prioritize visiting and exploring. They had to take in consideration the challenges of visiting this planet and provide solutions to overcome them. Each group presented wonderfully to the "Space Council".

This week they talked about how to make conditions on Mars sustainable for life. The students came to an agreement that food is a necessity to life which sparked the discussion on how we would grow food on Mars. This led to an experiment where students would grow their own basil. However, each specimen is being grown in a different condition (outside, indoors, in the refrigerator, in a dark area, and in different soil). The students need to predict, observe, and conclude the best conditions for plants to grow (specifically in this case, Basil). The students will monitor their plants over 1 week. It was wonderful to witness the gears working in their head as they planned their own investigations.