What did learning look like in term 2 at PJ?

Kindergarten students are developing their phonological awareness, learning to count and converse ‘en français’, through movement, song and play. They learned about seasonal changes, habitats of various animals, the art of Ted Harrison, and aboriginal stories. They are working and playing collaboratively and enjoying their growing bond to their “grands copains”, or big buddies from the intermediate grades.

Grade 1 students are reading French fiction and non-fiction books. They know how to find important facts about seasons, the community, and many other things. They are learning how to write stories with a beginning, middle and end, including interesting characters, and sequential events. Using graphic organizers is helping them create clear texts. They enjoy discovering numbers and patterns in their Math journals. They love dancing in PE! And other games too!

Grade 2 students were esconced in their inquiry projects on marine animals and they used Hundredth Day to showcase their creativity and understanding. Team work, critical thinking and effective communication skills were clearly evident during their presentations. They danced in class daily for their action breaks, and spent a lot of time learning about their environment, the impact of our actions on the environment, and raising awareness to climate change and other environmental issues throughout the school with their 365give Challenge and announcements.

Grade 3 students impressed me so much with their inqury projects on Aboriginal peoples! Along with their parents and guests, I visited the classes during the February celebration and had the pleasure of seeing the results of their efforts with their research and artistic creations. I enjoyed their musical talented throughout the day when they practiced the recorder and sang. They learned a lot about what matters in Science with their unit on matter!

Grade 4 and 5 students were very busy learning about resources. I loved hearing the debates where the students worked in teams to highlight the advantages of one type of energy source as opposed to another. I learned a lot! I was very impressed with the depth of their understanding, and their communication skills during the debate. In Science they became very familiar with the human systems. I know that their project on residential schools touched them deeply.

Grade 6 and 7 students in the early immersion program participated in the Vancouver Biennale Project on Fast Fashion. It has been wonderful to witness such engagement and collaboration. Working with artists and experts and making connections with people from South America is a powerful experience. The late immersion grade 6 and 7 students worked on their own inquiry project, learning through research and artifacts about ancestors and first peoples. All grade 6 and 7 students participated in our Concours d’art oratoire, a public speaking contest. What a great opportunity to dig deep and find out about a particular topic of interest, or share an important personal experience with an audience. Much work has gone into the research, the writing, and the presentation of their speeches. I can’t wait to hear the finalists in early April! Other grade 6 and 7 highlights include Genius Hour projects, and the Rube Goldberg machines projects, perfect opportunities to demonstrate our term 2 core virtues of responsibility, perseverence and kindness.

We celebrated Pink Shirt Day at PJ, created a brand new student council, continued to highlight our achievement and initiatives in monthly assemblies, and buddy classes activities, building connections between students of all grades. Teachers are collaborating to explore the new curriculum, creating units of inquiry in various subjects. The core competencies are at the centre of our work, and the new reporting format at Kindergarten and grades 1, 2, 4 and 5 share the student’s progress in a more meaningful way.

Culture continues to vibrate within our walls, from Fete d’hiver to other traditions like Le concours d’art oratoire and film festivals. All the intermediate classes participated in our Aladdin Musical production, a two-night affair with two different casts since we had just too much talent! It was a fantastic night where parents and teachers rejoiced in seeing the students shine on stage!

Our volleyball teams practiced twice a week, showing commitment and team work. We’re thrilled to that our girls team brought the District trophy back to PJ, and proud of our boys who made such progress throughout the season.

Students had many opportunities to learn outside the classroom with various feild trips to The Vancouver Museum, the Aquarium, the Gordon Smith Gallery, the Museum of Anthroplogy, the Britannia Mining Museum.

I am so proud of the work, effort and performance of our students, and thank you for supporting them at home.

I wish everyone a wonderful and relaxing Spring Break! Bonnes vacances a tout le monde, élèves, parents et professeurs!

Chantal