From Vincent

Hello everybody! As you may know, tomorrow is The Vow of Silence, where we will all be quiet for 24 hours. What is the point of The Vow of Silence? It is to help raise awareness for children around the world that are subjected to exploitation, poverty and are neglected. We can help by standing up for these children. Everywhere around the world, people will be supporting the cause by being silent for 24 hours in solidarity. You can help by not using e-mail, social messaging sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or text messaging. Let’s help raise awareness for abused children around the world! So tomorrow let’s see if our whole class can be silent for at least the whole school day. Thank you for reading my first post and if you would like to learn more about The Vow of Silence, please click the following link 

http://www.freethechildren.com/vowofsilence/

Goodbye from Anastasia

I must say im sorry for the late goodbye even though today is a Pro-D-Day! My long weekend has been pretty boring because I had to babysit my brother, and then more dance rehersals, and more babysiting!  Well, I had a lot of fun being the Guest Blogger for this week! And I cant wait to see other people's blogs!!

~ Anastasia

Disney on Ice

I'm sorry I haven't really posted much this week, but yesterday night I went to Disney on Ice! When my mom had first bought the tickets I didn't really want to see Mickey Mouse and all those disney characters, but then when we actually got there I enjoyed it it was really fun! This years theme was Toy Story 3. But I thought to myself  "that awkward moment when you walk in the stadium and you feel like you're the OLDEST kid alive" because everyone there was about 8 and under! But anyway, here are a few pictures of the characters from Toy Story 3!!

Dancing with... COLE ARMOUR

Well If you were wondering why I wasn't at school on Friday the 18th that was because I was performing all day so I didnt really have time to come to school. This performance took place at The Red Robinson Theatre in Coquitlam. It was a Kids Help Kids foundation concert in support of the David Foster Foundation. If you have no idea what I am talking about well this is what it is!

The Kids Help Kids foundation is a foundation providing financial support to Canadian families with children in need of life-saving organ transplants! In addition, it helps families with their non-medical expenses. This performance took place with Cole Armour, he is an amazing 12 year old singer who has a heart dedicated to helping others in need! It was very exciting to be a part of this dance because it is going to be his "official music video."  I had a great time and it was a great experience! I got to meet Cole and I got a few pictures with him, and lastly parts of the performance will be shown on the Ellen show. Im so excited!  

~ Anastasia

A Goodbye from Sydney

        I must say I’m sorry for the late goodbye but having wi-fi cutting out for the entire weekend makes it hard to add a blog. Anyways this weekend was not very eventful just like the rest of the week was too bad that my week was so boring; but basically I sat around the TV at my lake cabin and watched a TV channel called ME TV the 1 of only 2 channels we pick up, but the shows on the channel are old ones such as The Brady Bunch (une comedie),  The A-Team (une drame), the Odd Couple (une autre comedie), and MANY other shows that probably none of the kids in Div 1 know. 

Well, I had fun being the guest blogger and am excited to see other people’s blogs. ~Sydney 

Sydney takes a walk...to the APPLE Store

Well today after school I went to the apple store. Most people would think good for you, but it’s funny I’m in there SO often I have apple store staff walk up to me and say “Hi Sydney!” It’s always awkward when I need to look at their name tag before saying hi back because there are people I don’t even know sometimes who say hi. The reason many people know me at the apple store is because I have been taking as many courses as I can fit in for computer tech. It is all VERY interesting to me it may not be for everyone but I know that’s my favorite thing to do.

Sydney Finds a real "Trick or Treat"

I like the last kid the best.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YQpbzQ6gzs

From Sydney

Signing Off......

So, with some sadness, I am going to submit my last post.

It's been fun to contribute to this blog, and I'll be following along to see who the next blogger is going to be!

Thanks for allowing me this opportunity; I follow a bunch of blogs, so it was fun to be able to be a blogger for a week.

I think my little Louie had become quite jealous of this blog, though.  See the evidence below.

 At first, he seemed a bit intrigued.....

 But then, that quickly turned into, "Come on, take me outside for a walk and stop trying to upload pictures already!!!!'   Look at that very pugnacious, perturbed stare.....

Finally, he's like, "Come on, please??? Are you posting AGAIN???   Finish up already and pay attention to ME!!!!!"

So, although I'm sad to let it go, I know one little pug who is very happy to have me all to himself again, and to know that I will no longer be blogging for Division One.

Oh, and don't feel bad, Division One-nites---he's not just jealous of me blogging for you all.  He's been jealous of my laptop since I first brought him home, from day 1:

Thanks for taking the time to read my posts!

Ms. Bahd :)

We Are All Canucks (Or, at least, I am!)

Tonight I had the opportunity to go to the Canucks versus New York  game.  I love the Canucks, and remember the thrill of the Stanley Cup Finals. I also vividly remember the disappointment, heartbreak, and the reckless and unlawful behaviours of those "fans" who decided to create a riot when Vancouver lost the Stanley Cup Final.  It was disgusting and truly embarassing.

I also remember back in 1994 when Vancouver lost in the Stanley Cup Finals as well, and again, there were horrible riots that ensued.  It's embarassing that history repeated itself in that manner.  But I choose to believe those weren't true Vancouver Canucks fans--instead, they were people who used the losses as excuses to attack the city.

Anyway, that being said, the Canucks have had a rough start this season.  It's easy to support a team and cheer them on when they win all the time, isn't it?  But true fans are those who stand by their team even when they falter.  Yes, it's frustrating, and no one wants their team to lose.  But, if you have faith in your team, whichever one you choose to root for, you need to back them up even when everyone else is jumping off the bandwagon.  Part of sports is learning how to lose, how to endure it, and how to learn from it.

In the meantime, I choose to wear my Canucks gear with pride, blue wig and all.

GO CANUCKS GO!

And Thanks Fin!  You made a 5 year old and an 8 year old super happy tonight!

Reasons 2 and 1....

I realize now that I have way more than 10 reasons that I love Fall so much.....but here's 2 more to round up the list.

2.  Walking in the leaves, especially when experienced with a puppy who's never seen such sights before.


1.  And, the Canucks season is in full swing.......

I'm off to the game tonight....Go Canucks Go!

What are YOUR favourite things about fall?

Top Ten List....reasons 4 and 3

Reason 4:  Fall Fashion

I love to bundle up in hoodies, scarves, and especially boots.

Reason 3:  The Wild and Crazy Weather

I love that each day is different:  foggy, sunny, warm, chilly, rainy, etc... I love the variety.  I think we're super lucky to live in the area of the world where we do, and can fully experience each season fully.  Here's a video of the recent windstorm here locally:

Top Ten List About Fall, Cont'd.....

Number 6:  Splashing in Puddles with Rainboots on--something I've enjoyed since I was a kid.  Actually, when I was a kid, my cousins and I would ride our bikes through puddles up and down our neighbourhood, WITHOUT boots on, to see who could get the best "soakers".......i.e. who's pant legs got the wettest.  But now, I'm content to splash in puddles with appropriate footwear on.

Number 5:  The Starbucks Christmas Cups Are Back

I know they come out early, well ahead of Christmas......but I love them!  It tells me that Christmas will be coming soon.  I have re-usable Christmas mugs and a Starbucks coffee traveler, so I'll try hard to use those, and reduce my footprint on the environment.  But still, I love these cups!

Top Ten List About Fall, Cont'd.

Reason Number 8:  Great excuse to listen to Halloween music!  Especially Michael Jackson's Thriller.  I think I was in grade 5 or 6 when it came out, and I remember my younger brother used to cry and cry and cry when it came on TV. Pretty scary stuff for a little kid.  But I love Halloween music, even those tracks that are really creepy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA

Below is nothing to do with Halloween--it's a Pepsi ad with MJ and his brothers.  I just came across it when I was looking up Thriller.  I thought you might like it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=po0jY4WvCIc&feature=grec_index

Reason Number 7:  Another Halloween thing I love about fall---giving out candy to the kids who come knocking at my door.  I always decorate my house to look kind of scary each Halloween, and it's fun to give the kids a real "trick and treat!"  Below is a link to a really MEAN stunt Jimmy Kimmel had parents to do their kids after Halloween.  He had them tell their kids that they ate all of the kids candy.....very mean!!  But their reactions are hilarious (and sad too--no one wants to see kids cry :( ).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YQpbzQ6gzs





I'll post the rest tomorrow.

Ms. Bahd :)

Top Ten List About Fall

Fall is my favourite season of the year, for lots of reasons, and here are ten of them!:

10.  Halloween:  I think you all know how much I love Halloween, and having an excuse to dress up as something new each year.  This time around, I thought of being Medusa.  But then, I decided to be something even scarier--well, at least in some of your opinions:

Behold, "The Biebs":

Also, I love to see all of YOUR costumes.  I thought the Halloween spirit was amazing this year, but here's my favourite from this year, hands-down!

I decided to forego the whole scary makeup routine this year...do you remember this get-up my first year here at Thompson??  I felt like scratching my face off all day!

9.  Pumpkin Carving:  I especially love seeing you all work so well with all of the students on your Family Teams:

I'll be back to finish the rest of this post later.......it's pretty slow adding the photos today and I have to go take Louie for a walk.

Ms. Bahd

Vimy Ridge

I'm sure you've all heard about Canada's importance at Vimy Ridge in World War I.......so today, I was looking around for images/videos I could post here for you all.  But some of them were very horrific.....and I don't want to subject you to that.  I hope and pray that you never see the atrocities that occur during war.....but you need to know the importance of such events.  So I'm attaching a few links, minus the films. I'm so grateful to live where I do, in a country such as this.

Below is a link of some students who had the opportunity to visit Vimy Ridge.

http://www.vancouversun.com/West+Vancouver+Youth+Band+members+visit+Vimy+Ridge/5692610/story.html

Here's a link to inform you about the importance of Vimy Ridge:

http://wwii.ca/page9.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/vimy/

11-11-11-11.....Lest We Forget

Today, on the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour, in the year 2011, how will you remember them?

Lest we forget.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxdc8X_4x2E&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYlrrAWCTRg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86J_RTfg_zQ&feature=fvsr

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8gRx8tWJmI&feature=related

Math Problems, Decimals, and Blocks, Oh My!

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to work with Mr. Rollins in his math class with all of the grade sevens.  It was NOISY!!!!  And you know what? It was GREAT!  It was awesome to see you all working with partners, trying to problem solve, talking about how to approach the questions, discussing errors, etc.  Math is not only about tests and sitting there doing page after page of arithmetic questions in isolation and silence.  It was lots of fun to be able to go around the room and talk with you about what you were doing....even though, at times, some people needed reminders to use their blocks for the actual problem, and not to build towers (ahem, I won't mention any names), or to build their names with the blocks (sorry Liam, but the photographic proof is hard to refute). It was wonderful to see you all having such a fun time!

It was great to be able to team-teach with Mr. Rollins......I hope we get to do that again!

  

The Elves and the Math Teacher, Part 2

Well, I am really spoiled.

Not only do I have these amazing "elves" who try to find umpteen ways to help me at school, even though I sometimes BEG them to go outside and play!, but they also read this blog and take me up on my offer of a "new shoe".

I'm really so flattered that you "elves" find ways to help me out at school, and so incredibly surprised by your lovely gift today---I feel guilty!  Your helpfulness is the greatest gift ever, and I really hope you know how much I appreciate all of your efforts and your caring. The best part of my job has been, and always will be, working with so many awesome students.  And you, dear elves, are certainly awesome in my books!! (But please, no more gifts---you GIVE to me with your help already! Save your money for things like buying music or books!)  Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!

This is for you, elf C and elf A!  I love my pink "shoe"!

The Amazing (Equipment) Race

Today, I distributed equipment for your class (and division 2) and will distribute equipment for all of the classes either tomorrow or Monday.  I know how excited you all were to see the GINORMOUS yellow kick-ball (I'm glad you like it, because I think I ordered the wrong size), the basketballs, soccer ball, football, and frisbees.  We want you to use it, have fun, play, get exercise, etc.  BUT, we also want you to be RESPONSIBLE for it. This means ensuring that if you take it out, you bring it in.  This means that, if you use the frisbees, you use common sense and not throw it around near a neighbour's fence or near little kids playing on the playground.  This means that.....you take care of what the PAC has given you!

The PAC is the Parent Advisory Committee, and they are parents at our school who work so hard to fundraise so we can give you the little "extras" at school, such as classroom equipment.   So, I know what a great group of students you are, and I know you'll appreciate all of the equipment you've been given.  That means ensuring it gets brought back into your classroom each day, that, if the DIV 1 label rubs off, someone will re-label it with a big black marker that I'm sure Mr. Rollins will lend you.

So, play, have fun, and give thanks to our amazing PAC! (Hmmmm,  a letter or a card might be nice....I'm just sayin')

Ms. Bahd :)

Pivot!......Pivot!.......PIVAAAATTT!

This is a short post, and I hope it gives you a good laugh.

Not sure if any of you ever watched Friends, or perhaps you see it in re-reruns.  Today, some grade 6 and 7 boys were helping me set out the risers on the gym floor, and I tried to re-create the "Pivot" scene from Friends as I was giving directions to the boys......it made me think of this scene from that sitcom:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5DHU8SwYJ0

And this is the link of the actors talking about how funny they found doing that scene to be:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C1rfr495sY

Well, at least you'll all know that the term "Pivot" means, right?

I'll post more later.....it's been a busy day!

Ms. Bahd :)

Sometimes, Math Does NOT Make Sense (At First)

Okay, I admit it....I've always been pretty good at math, and it's one of the subjects I really enjoy teaching.  But today, after school, while Mr. Rollins and I were looking over the grade 7 math lesson for tomorrow, I was hit with that dreaded feeling of "I really don't get this!"  I remember being in grade 9 and being in math class and too embarassed to ask my teacher for help....."Everyone else seems to be getting this, why can't I "get it"?"  Instead of voicing my questions, I suffered in silence, and I do mean suffer.  It all came to the forefront during one math test when I just could NOT do the questions on my paper.  Still, I said nothing.  So, I stumbled through the test as best as I could, and at one point, I remember facing the wall in my classroom and silently crying.  Yes, crying!  I thought, "What's wrong with me?  Why don't I get math anymore?" Well, the simple answer was, I did "get it", but I didn't get it the way it was being taught to me.  Luckily, I had a really good math teacher and, when she saw my lower mark, she realized that I needed some help.  Finally, as she approached me after class one day, I let it all out.....and, eventually, I was able to look at that particular math unit and do really well.  But, all of my frustration and angst was because I was too afraid to admit that I was struggling with the material.

So, this flashback brings me back to my conversation with Mr. Rollins after school.  He was presenting me with some questions and we were going through them together, and I just couldn't wrap my head around them.  So, rather than "stumbling along" as I did in grade 9, I stopped and said, "Mr. Rollins, I don't understand.  I'm a visual learner, so I need to do it this way....."  And he patiently presented the question to me in another manner, and "voila!" it made sense.

I guess my point is that, I agree, sometimes math and other subjects don't always make sense right away--nor should they.  We all have to work hard and stretch our minds with some difficult work in order to grow; the difference between succeeding and stumbling, though, is how you face those challenging tasks.  Do you: a.  Pretend you "get it" and hope the math powers of the world will help you get the right answer?; b.  Give up and say "I don't get it!  Math is too hard."; c.  tell your teacher, your friends, your parents, someone---"I'm having some trouble with this, do you think you could show me another way?"

I say go with option C.  The cool thing about math is that there can be many ways to approach a question--some people might use diagrams, manipulatives, lists, patterns, etc.  Math really is about the journey you take to get to that "voila!" moment.  Often, students will show us totally different ways to approach a problem, that we may not even have thought of.  So don't be afraid to share your learning, your problem solving, your ideas--you may not always be right, but you're showing us that you're not afraid to take a risk.  And, being willing to take risks and ask questions, is one very crucial key towards learning--now, in high school, in university, in your careers. Being a learner doesn't stop when you get your high school diploma, or your university degree!

Math can indeed be challenging, and that's what makes understanding it that much more of a victory!  I leave you now with an example of how some students are demonstrating their understanding of multiplication of decimals using area models (see, those base ten blocks you used when you were younger really do come in handy!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLOxYYdZAWE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then giving Fido only two of them.  ~Phil Pastoret


Ms. Bahd :) (Oh, and thanks Mr. Rollins!)

The Elves and The Math Teacher

So, do you all know that story about The Elves and the Shoemaker?  If not, here is a brief synopsis:  there is this poor old shoemaker and he can not make enough shoes at his shop all by himself.  So, in the middle of the night, these little elves come into his workshop and make pairs of shoes for him, and they leave them on his work table as a surprise for when he comes back to work the next morning.

Skip ahead to math class today........seeing that I always wind up with ink-stained hands from the overhead projector, and regardless of how much I scrub and scrub, I'm always left with blue hands on days that I teach math.  That's because I'm constantly writing and then cleaning off the overheads.

So today, I had my own little crew of "elves" who took it upon themselves to go down and clean off all of my overheads, so that I wouldn't have blue hands next math class.   I thought I'd take this opportunity to thank my little "elves" and tell my own little tale of "The Elves and the Math Teacher".....hmmm, I wonder if I'll find a new pair of shoes on top of my overhead projector tomorrow morning???  :)
Ms. Bahd

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like.....Christmas??

Hey there,

Just took my dog out for a walk and noticed that people have begun putting up their Christmas lights.....all the lights are up at the Save-On/Terra Nova Shopping centre.......I reluctantly took down my Halloween decorations this afternoon and started putting up some Christmas decor....too early???  I love the holidays, and especially holiday music.  I downloaded Justin Bieber's new Under the Mistletoe CD last week (ignoring the haters!) and also Michael Buble's new Christmas CD. I love Christmas music....and the lights!  What is your favourite Christmas song?  The European MTV awards are on right now.....are you watching?  What would the world be without music??

My favourite Christmas song is sung by U2...can you figure out what it is?

I leave you with an image of my sad Halloween decorations coming down, and the Christmas wreath going up....

See you tomorrow!

Ms. Bahd :)

Swoosh!

Well, I know Mr. Rollins and Mr. Out are trying to organize a staff versus Grade 7 volleyball game to wrap up the volleyball season for this year.......and you know what that means, right?

It'll be time for basketball to be starting up! Did you all know that Vancouver used to have an NBA team?  Their first season was when I was finishing up university at UBC, and I was working as a desk clerk at a hotel part time on the weekends.

When the Grizzlies first arrived in Vancouver, they all stayed in this hotel in Richmond while they were training in their facility over near Watermania/SilverCity, so we got to meet them all on a regular basis.  They even gave us tickets to some of their games.  They were never very successful, and eventually relocated to Memphis, but it was pretty cool to be able to go to see some NBA superstars on opposing teams.  One of my favourite games was going to see Michael Jordan when Vancouver played the Chicago Bulls....here's a little highlight reel of Michael Jordan, aka Air Jordan, to get you inspired to play basketball this year.  Are you going to join the team?  Even if you've never played before, this is a great opportunity to learn and have fun!  Who's your favourite athlete?

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-VuFychut4&feature=related

Ms. Bahd

Louie, Louie

Happy Saturday everyone!

Some of you may have heard that, over the summer, I got a new pug puppy.  So I thought I'd formally introduce him to you.  His name is Louie (well, it's actually Louie George---we couldn't decide between the two names).  He'll be 6 months old on November 18.  When we first picked him up on August 3, he was a little furball that fit in one of my hands.  The first photos are of him at about 2 and a half months, and the third one is of him at about 4 months.  He's grown a lot even since then.

So, without further adieu, I introduce you to Louie, (the naughtiest and most loveable pug in the world)......

Wilson's Swan Song: Afro Ninja

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEtIoGQxqQs

oh no...

Wilson Pondering about Volleyball & Radiohead's "Just" Video

Like a wise man once said “All good things must come to an end.” Yes, that’s right; volleyball season has ended, though there is still our Grade 7s vs. Teachers volleyball game left to look forward to. What do you think the man lying on the floor said that caused everyone else to lie down too in the “Just” music video by Radiohead?

★Just a reminder that next Friday is Remembrance Day★

Bahd's Blog

Hi Division 1!  I'm so excited--Mr. Rollins has given me the opportunity to be the guest blogger for the upcoming week.  We're in your classroom right now and he's just giving me some tips and pointers. I can't wait to take time to create some longer posts and include some pictures and videos of events from school.  I'm ready to publish....wish me luck!

Have a great weekend!

Ms. Bahd :)

Check out the Day of the Dead

Video from the Travel Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUUAgEWeYeI

and a Picture of some cool masks:

From Wilson

Greetings...From Wilson

Greetings my fellow classmates.  So…I was wondering, did you guys enjoy today’s exclusive mask art? Anyways, good job today in volleyball, we ended up winning 6 games out of 8. This is the final week/season of volleyball unfortunately; last games are tomorrow and Thursday.