Engaging in Play:
Early Childhood Development at Pythagoras Academy
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At Pythagoras Academy our teachers understand and value the importance of play in early childhood development.
Play is an essential part of the growth and development of young children, which creates a platform for them to enhance their creativity while developing their imagination.
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Physical, emotional and cognitive strengths are also developed through play. Play promotes healthy brain development, and it is through play that children engage and interact in the world around them. Play also improves literacy and encourages greater independence. Lastly, let’s not forget that play is fun!
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“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”- Fred Rogers; A.K.A- Mr. Rogers
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Messages from Across the Grades
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Junior Kindergarten "JK"
Our Junior Kindergarten department has placed a great deal of careful thought and creativity into their dramatic play areas; ensuring academics and social skills are intertwined in an engaging way. Ms. Cherie has created an "apple orchard and market" space for students to explore nature, numeracy and literacy. Meanwhile, Mr. Edgar has created a colourful and seasonal "pumpkin patch," where students explore Fall and all the wonders that come with the inspirational season.
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Grades K/1
Lately, student engagement has involved learning about pumpkins; the life cycle and parts of it. During Writer's Workshops, with the use of Brain Pockets, students have discovered that everyone has a unique story to share. The grade 1’s have been investigating all the changes that occur during Fall. Students have been engaging in number sense activities and discovering various patterns that can be found in a 100's chart. Class meetings have been held where the students discuss the roles and responsibilities of members of a school community.
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Grades 2/3
Students in grade 2 have engaged in developing a spooky Halloween assembly filled with student-created jokes and a spooky soup that is sure to spark the imaginations of our school-wide community. Grade 3 students have been researching the trials and triumphs of famous goal-setters such as Albert Einstein and relating these to their own obstacles as they learn to think with the "Power of Yet" and maintain a Growth Mindset.
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Grades 4-8
Grade 4 students are exploring Growth Mindset with the Mojo Show. Students are discovering the magic of mistakes, the incredible power of the word "yet" and learning about how our brain is like a muscle. Check out this video to discover the power of "yet": https://ideas.classdojo.com/f/growth-mindset-3. Grade 5 students have begun an inquiry into the nature of peace, what peace means to them and what it means to other children from different parts of the world, while interweaving different parts of the curriculum such as, Visual Arts, Language Arts and Social Studies.
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Grade 6-8 students have been exploring how to handle differences of views respectfully and with empathy through collaborative tasks. Students have discussed what empathy is and how to apply and use empathy to change behaviour and build better relationships.
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Fine Arts are interwoven in all subject areas, but are individually explored and expressed. In addition to this, students have the opportunity to engage competitively in the Arts.
Each year, Ms. Rich enters students into the "Canada Youth Visual Art Contest (CYVAC)" hosted by Youth Initiative Vancouver. The program encourages multicultural perspectives and is judged by an international jury. We are proud to announce that for the past 7 years Pythagoras Academy has secured winning titles in this international competition.
"Congratulations to our most recent winner, Angela, who has won the Outstanding Award this year." -Ms. Rich
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Social Emotional Learning
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A growth mindset is the belief that intelligence improves through study and perseverance. Children with a growth mindset tend to see challenges as opportunities to grow because they understand that they can improve their abilities by challenging themselves to do better and be better. If something is hard, students understand that they can overcome the challenge with perseverance. Mantras like: "Making mistakes is OK!" and "We learn from our mistakes!" encourage students. They know that obstacles can help our brain grow and develop. Collectively, teachers and students at Pythagoras Academy have been exploring what a growth mindset vs. fixed mindset is through a variety of activities such a class read-aloud like, “Fantastic Brain” and collaborative in-class tasks.
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Literacy and the Library Commons
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The Pythagoras Academy library received a donation of $1000.00 from Simba, in August of 2021. Simba was awarded a Pythagoras Academy scholarship for his academic performance and contributions to the school. The donation was a gift and will benefit all of the students at school. The books that Simba and Ms. Powell have selected will greatly add to the collection of nonfiction history books, graphic novels, games and puzzles as well as some fiction for the middle years. Simba has made a statement to pay it forward and enrich the library with new books for everyone. Thank you Simba!
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Grade 6 students had a very interesting task during Information Technology class. Using the resources provided by the teacher, such as cardboard, tape, pipe cleaners and blocks, students had to design and build a bridge that will be 30 cm wide and can hold a BeeBot crossing from one side to another.
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During this task, students had to develop a plan, draft their design, identify key features and criteria for successfully constructing a sturdy bridge and not breaking when a BeeBot is crossing it. They had to test it and identify any possible constraints, make changes and explore a variety of materials to use in their project. They also had to record any iterations of the bridge. At the end of the lesson, students shared and reflected on their creations using the Seesaw app.
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October 22, 2021 was Provincial Development Day, where teachers across British Columbia participated in professional development sessions across various subjects related to their interests. It is a wonderful opportunity to build upon strengths or challenge areas that need to be strengthened. Teachers participated in in-person or online sessions with speakers and experts from various fields, imparting knowledge and best practices.
During this time, Louise Evans, TedX guest speaker and the author of “5 Chairs 5 Choices,” visited us all the way from Florence, Italy. She took participants through a practical and effective emotional intelligence model; allowing for deeper engagement and a growth mindset to be further implemented in our school. We are the first school in Canada to engage in this systematic method to aid in mastering behaviours and managing the behaviours of others. To watch Louise's TedX talk click here.
Grade 3 students joined Minecraft EDU and featured mystery guest speakers on October 19th, 20th and 21st, where they travelled the world- virtually! During each lesson, students guessed where the guests where from using clues surrounding each guest's given culture and geographical location. Students were able to build their own worlds and challenged themselves in creating new buildings that would further the development of each guest speaker's community.
Our featured teachers this month are: Ms. Malone (Elementary Teacher and Team Lead), Ms. Verma (Elementary Teacher and Emergency Coordinator) and all of our PA teachers who collaborated on leading efforts in areas of their interest and expertise during professional development day.
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Upcoming and Important Dates
November 10- Virtual Remembrance Day Ceremony
November 11- Remembrance Day Stat. (No School)
November 12- JK Fire Drill
November 19- Staff Pro D Day (No School)
November 26- Jersey Day
November 26- Term 1 Report Card Day
November 30- K Information Session (Zoom)
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