May 8

The SAN Script – The week of May 9 – 13

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

Winston Churchill

Photo and caption by James Smart / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest Amazing supercell produces over the town of Blackhawk, South Dakota back on June 1st 2015. Flash flooding would occur near Rapid City. Location: Blackhawk, South Dakota, United States

Photo and caption by James Smart / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest
Amazing supercell produces over the town of Blackhawk, South Dakota back on June 1st 2015. Flash flooding would occur near Rapid City. Location: Blackhawk, South Dakota, United States

Today the children in the Primary Language Class (AM) at St. Anthony Catholic School completed Act of Kindness No. 32 – Clean Your Park/Schoolyard!

St. Anthony This Week

Monday, May 9

OECTA Ottawa Wellness Day for Maria and Teresa

grade 4/5 to Rosemount Library: Sandra, Geraldine

Sabina in all week

Atomic Learning pre-training call with St. Anthony – Paul

 

Tuesday, May 10

Paul away in the morning – Board LTO Interviews

Dorothy Stanyar, volunteer, in Mrs. Rupnik’s class PM only

Rosemount Library trip with PLC class and Mrs. Wallace

Culture Shock Hip Hop Dance Lessons

Orkidstra today

Atomic Learning overview for St. Anthony staff- 15 minutes – staff PD session

Virtual Edcamp-style meeting – after our reintroduction to Atomic learning, staff will have 45 minutes to work on a module of their choice on Atomic. 3:15-4:15 PM

Wednesday, May 11

Waste-free Wednesday

SEL group: Meghan & Geraldine

Grade 1 to Rosemount Library: Meg & Geraldine

Paul away all day – CLL

Orkidstra today – at Cambridge

Thursday, May 12

Recycle Day at St. Anthony Catholic School- PLEASE recycle today – all material to be left inside  near the parking lot door

Nora and Geraldine to NDCHS: IPRC & transition meeting

Ottawa U Science Workshops PM Grades 1, 3, 5

Orkidstra today

OECTA Retirement Dinner – 4:00 PM

Friday, May 13

Tulip Festival Walking Trip FDK and PLC (AM only)

Papa Jack Popcorn

Volunteer Appreciation- PM

 

Preparation for Tuesday’s Virtual Edcamp – choose a module and let me know what you will be working on.  Here is an example:

(you are not expected to get through an entire module)

minecraft

 

February 24

The SAN Script – Wednesday, February 24

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.

Buddha

 

long_room_interior_trinity_college_dublin_ireland_-_diliffSeen here is the famous ‘long room‘, the main chamber of the Old Library at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. At nearly 65 meters in length (213 ft), it is filled with over 200,000 of the library’s oldest books.

Built between 1712 and 1732, marble busts line the long room, a collection that began in 1743 when 14 busts were commissioned from sculptor Peter Scheemakers. The busts are of the great philosophers and writers of the western world and also of people connected with Trinity College.

Other treasures include one of the few remaining copies of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic and a special harp, the oldest of its kind in Ireland, and probably dates from the 15th century. It is made of oak and willow with 29 brass strings. It is the model for the emblem of Ireland. [source]

 

From Meme Generator – a fun activity with your students

The Yard from Kate Cornick on Vimeo.

The password to get to this video on St. Anthony is McGuire

Free tech for teachers

13 Google Forms Tutorial Videos

 

Last week the new version of Google Forms became the default version in many Google Accounts. But, as many people have pointed out to me, not all Google Accounts have made the transition. This is particularly true in Google Apps for Education accounts. Therefore, I put together a new playlist of Google Forms tutorials that includes videos demonstrating features of the new version of the Google Forms and the older version of Google Forms. By the way, for the time being, you can revert to the older version at any time.

In my new Google Forms tutorials playlist you will find videos demonstrating how to customize both the old and new versions of Google Forms, how to install Add-ons in both versions, and you will find tutorials on some of my favorite Google Forms Add-ons. The new playlist is embedded below.

St. Anthony Today

Wastefree Wednesday Today

Paul away at Board Office all day today

Ski Trip!! – Sandra, Nora, Sylvain and Maria going – Susie in to cover the gaps along with Denis

Coming up – Chris Nihmey presentation first block on February 29th for Juniors in the learning commons

Orkidstra at Cambridge – weather permitting

The main topics of my presentation are:
 
– the complexity of the brain and how amazing it is, and how amazing we are
– what if the brain is not performing up to par?
– what is mental illness and what do we do about it?
– from body OR brain, pain is pain.
– the dangers of stigma and the need for changes in perception and attitude
– my battle with mental illness and how healing has changed my life in so many positive ways
– resiliency and the road to healing the mind, body and soul – building on our mental or psychological, spiritual, physical, and social-emotional health
– mental health champions who have made the world a better place by inspiring change in all of us
– how can “we” make a difference in this world?
also – full day with Starr Gymnastics starting with the kindergarten students, followed by 1/2’s then 3/4’s finishing off with the 5/6’s – all in the gym – 45 minutes blocks throughout the day
March 1st – Earth Rangers – please see yesterday’s blog for the details

 

November 18

The SAN Script Wednesday, November 18th

I truly believe that everything that we do and everyone that we meet is put in our path for a purpose. There are no accidents; we’re all teachers – if we’re willing to pay attention to the lessons we learn, trust our positive instincts and not be afraid to take risks or wait for some miracle to come knocking at our door.
Marla Gibbs

fall4

 

 

Good morning everyone!

This is the middle of November and we are all feeling more than a little stress for a variety of reasons.  It has been a challenging start to the year, but we are underway and some of the factors that have caused stress in the school have been resolved.  At this point, we need to look for ways to step back a bit and do something that reduces the stress that we feel.  Whether it is taking some time for yourself or adjusting your expectations for yourself, it is really important to be mindful of how you are feeling and respect that and base your actions on your need for some renewal.

Friday is an occasion for us all to reduce our collective stress.  Whether you are at school or at another workshop, it is important to make this a good day, a day with a different routine and a chance to learn a few new things.

At school, we  are going to work on a few things together, but the objective of the day is to celebrate what we have learned, spend some creative time together and learn a few things together.  Let me be clear about this – learning is a journey, especially when you are learning really new things.  Wherever you are with Discovery Education – give yourself a break.  The purposes of the Discovery workshops is to introduce you to all the wonderful material you can use.  It can take years to get really proficient with this program so please give yourself a break.  

Wherever you are is where you should be.

We will have one webinar with Atomic – a learning platform that we have invested in to help you with your own learning journey.  You need a good, reliable place to go to to learn things.  There is so much happening in education now that, in my opinion, every teacher needs access to excellent training that they can access when they have time to learn the things that they need to learn.

After Friday’s workshop, the structured workshops should be done – except for a possible webinar on the Science Techbook – we will see about that.  The rest of our PD budget will be given to you to use to learn more about the key programs that have been introduced this year.  By Friday, I will be able to tell you how many days each of you has.  Your job is simply to use them for your own learning.

I will come up with a simple Google Form you can use.  I will keep a record of your learning so that I can add all of this information to our SIP.

At the end of the year we will all assess if this model works for us before we move on.

So, enjoy the day, it looks like another beautiful one.  Friday will be relaxing and fun, something we can all use!

Have a great day!

 

Paul

Yoga is a great way to reduce stress, but maybe not this class

 

St. Anthony Today

Paul away this morning – Board Office

Mona away – OPEN

Angela away – OPEN

Eco schools Green Club meeting Angela, Meg, Teresa Room 8

Paul at traffic survey meeting in the community with Counsellor Catherine McKenney

Waste-Free Wednesday

 

 

November 15

The SAN Script The week of November 16 – 20

the cup

Congratulations to FDK One – winners of this week’s St. Anthony Superstars Award for teamwork!

 

 

voice of the day

If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time.

But if you have come here because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.

– Lilla Watson

prayer of the day

O God of Israel who rescued your people from slavery, you have shown us the true meaning of solidarity through the incarnation of your son, Jesus. You showed no fear in binding yourself to us; give us the courage to do the same when we see our neighbor struggling for freedom.

discovery

 Streaming Canada Plus – you can use some of these in preparation for November 20th

Getting ready for November 20th PD Day

coffee and snacks ready by 8:15

webinar – Atomic Learning 9:15

Discovery Lessons – (see below for prep) 2 and 3

working lunch – lunch provided by social committee

afternoon – experiment with some Atomic Learning materials

individual and group planning time

October 28

The SAN Script – Wednesday, October 28

You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

Steve Jobs

10 Highlights from the 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest

2. Lightning at horseshoe

NG

I’ve got several lightning shots at horseshoe bend while I traveled this canyon last time but this is the most I like. The reason why I like is because the lightning has a solid line and I can actually see the lightning is hitting the hill and it also reflected in the water. It’s just amazing and beautiful. In addition, I can see the actual movement of the storm in the picture that makes this scene alive.

for more please go to this link

News from IT

Learn 360 is a site provided by the Ministry of Education and is available on the Staff and Student Portal for K-12. It not only provides many video clips for learning but also provides access to a copyright free feature film list, in French and English. Related to the feature film resource is Criterion on Demand which provides over 5000 videos that are accessible while you are on the Board network.

To update all accounts and ensure that everyone is in the system, we are going to do a system upload on Wednesday Oct 29th. Besides ensuring that everyone is in the system, it will reset the password back to the system password, as documented in the Links and Passwords document on the Staff Portal.

Please visit Learn 360 and other destinations on the Staff Portal that provide rich learning resources for your classroom.

Additional note:  All requests for synervoice and the website are now to go through Paul, not the OA – thanks

 

St. Anthony Today

Paul at Board – 9:00 AM – meeting with HR

Krista away – Welcome Connie Kealey as our OA for Wednesday!

Assembly – 10:15 The junior division will be introducing the November CGE focus (teamwork) to kick off the assembly. The Green Club announcements and awards will follow, and then the sports awards will wrap it all up.

Pedestrian Safety Workshops
12:15-12:45-Gr. 3/4E (Maria)
1:00-1:30-Gr. 1(Myers)
1:45-2:15-PLC PM (Rupnik) and FDK2 (Shannon)

Waste-free Wednesday

Good news!  We have been granted our outdoor fund again this year – Sandra will be working to organize how we will spend our grant – thanks Sandra!

IMG_2351

10 Websites That Teachers Love Right Now!

While visiting classrooms every day, I see teachers utilizing a great deal of technology. Our district is currently in the early stages of a 1:1 Chromebook implementation, and also installed interactive projectors in all of our classrooms. Teachers have been utilizing the new technology to engage students using many different websites and resources.

Below is a list of the 10 most popular websites that our teachers love right now! You may want to use these same websites in your own classroom.

  1. Geoguessr lets students journey and explore throughout the world. This site uses Google Maps and starts students in a specific location somewhere in the world. Students must navigate throughout the landscape to find clues to identify their specific location. Once a guess is made, points are awarded based on how close the guess was to the actual location. Teachers love this addicting game because it teaches students a great deal about world geography as well as critical thinking skills at the same time!

  2. Go Noodle is a great website for getting kids up and active in the classroom. The site features videos that can be shared with a class to incorporate brain breaks throughout the day. Videos include catchy tunes that will soon become class favorites. Our students and teachers absolutely love Pop See Koo, even recording their own video of the song. Each song allows for students to stand up and actively participate in a short 2-minute break to stimulate and re-energize them physically and mentally.

  3. Flippity.net allows teachers and students to create awesome learning tools using Google spreadsheets. Templates can easily be turned into flash cards, Jeopardy-style quizzes, random name generators, or even quizzes that award student certificates. Teachers and students love this site for the simplicity, quickly creating their own quizzes and flashcards using the simple templates.

  4. Kahoot is a fantastic website that allows for quick quizzes in the classroom. Students absolutely love participating in these contests! A teacher can create their own Kahoot or find one created by another teacher. Students then login to the quiz using a device. (Our students use Chromebooks, but it could be any other device like an iPad, laptop, or other smartphone.) Students have a short amount of time to answer each question, and points are awarded based on how fast students provide the correct answer. A great activity for review prior to any assessment!

  5. Today’s Meet provides a forum for student discussion. The website allows students to backchannel during discussion. A teacher can set up a discussion room for a set amount of time, and allow students to post discussion comments, questions, and relevant links or resources. Even the quietest students will engage in classroom activities, when they can express themselves and post their innermost thoughts. Teachers have used this site during fishbowl activities, Socratic Seminars, or for students to post exit tickets to a question at the end of a lesson.

  6. Flocabulary gives teachers an online library of educational hip-hop videos and songs. Teachers love using the songs to engage students in everything from grammar lessons to multiplication practice to social skills. Videos are searchable by subject area or by Common Core Standard. Students love singing along while also learning key content!

  7. Google Classroom has been very popular with our teachers and students this year! This resource allows districts who are utilizing Google Apps for Education to easily share and manage assignments within a classroom. Some teachers have used Classroom to create a paperless workflow for students, sharing documents online, providing feedback to students, and collecting assignments through the virtual classroom. In many classrooms, teachers post questions that students can instantly answer using their Chromebook (or other device). The website can help save time, make classroom workflow more efficient, and improve communication with students.

  8. Code.org is a wonderful website for teachers looking to teach coding and programming to their students. A great website to promote the Hour of Code with students, our teachers have expanded use within the classroom and across the curriculum. Step-by-step videos and tutorials provide students with an easy-to-use resource in order to learn computer programming. The website proved to be a hit with students and parents at one of ourFamily STEM Nights last year.

  9. Biblionasium gives teachers and students a social network for promoting reading. Students can provide book reviews and recommendations to classmates. Our teachers have used the site to create reading challenges among their students and classes, as well as provide reading lists to students and parents. Students can also maintain their reading logs online with this wonderful website!

  10. Goqr.me is a great website for teachers looking to implement QR Codes in the classroom. The site allows teachers and students to easily create QR codes for website URLs, documents, and other text. Teachers have created QR codes to provide answer keys, or links to lengthy website URLs. Students have utilized QR codes to provide links to their projects or to check answers when completing assignments.

These websites have been very successful for teachers and students in our district! Try them in your classroom or school. If you have utilized other websites that have been successful in your classroom, be sure to share them in the comments section below.

By @RACzyz

October 18

The SAN Script – The week of October 19 – 23

10 teachers share the books that changed their lives

TED-Ed blog books books books

Happy National Book Month! To celebrate the power of a good book, we asked the TED-Ed Innovative Educators to share the books that changed their lives. Looking for a good education read? Check out their book list below:

The Element by Sir Ken Robinson. ”Without a doubt, this is the one book that had the biggest impact on me and my teaching. It opened my eyes to the fact that there is a better way to teach students, and that my role as a teacher should be to help students explore knowledge in their own way.” —Craig Zimmer, Durham Catholic District School Board, CANADA

Drive by Daniel Pink. ”This is one of several books that changed my life as an educator, because it demonstrates so well that the notion of “management” is no longer relevant. The industrial revolution — and the system of education that aligned with it — was necessary for that period in our country’s development; the contents of this book show how research and science now give us a better alternative.” —David Miyashiro, Cajon Valley Union School District, USA

Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner. ”I am a product of an educational system where most of the emphasis was given to Math and Science. I always felt that there was something wrong with it, but for the first time I found evidence of that in this well researched book. It reinforced my belief that an educational system should help learners explore their talents and dispositions.” —Mahrukh Bashir, Lazuardi-GIS, INDONESIA

Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. ”This book made my heart sing and scream. It was everything I knew instinctively — but to have the impact, the implications, and the reality of nature deprivation laid out so clearly was eye-opening.” —Shannon Brake, Elyria Christian School, USA

Welcome to Your Brain by Sandra Aamodt and Sam Wang and Blame my Brain by Nicole Morgan. ”The books that have changed me as an educator are about the brain, especially the teen brain. It is a whole other story to know how you work from the inside, and how it affects your thoughts, behavior, and experience of the world.” —Kristine Sargsyan, Tumo Center for Creative Technologies, ARMENIA

Ain’t I A Woman by bell hooks. ”This book was part of a doctoral program in Curriculum Studies that opened my eyes to the concept of social justice and the power of education — and educators — to ‘level the playing field’ for ALL learners, thus changing lives and molding the future of our world.” —Vicki Albritton, the STEM Academy at Bartlett, USA

Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol. ”The book that changed my life, inspiring me to become an educator, was this one. It was inspiration in the sense that I knew I had to do something, so I changed my major from business to elementary education and philosophy. The conditions Kozol described in this book, published in 1992, are still very much a reality and may even be worse. I dream of policy that will tackle the issues of equitable funding and resources.” —Della Palacios, Colorado, USA

A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn. ”When I read it back in college, it was the first time I’d really been exposed to a non top-down version of history. As a learner and educator, it changed the way I thought about primary sources and multiple perspectives. In our current age of unlimited information and crowd accelerated innovation, embracing the ideals of “this voice matters” matters more than ever.” —Jimmy Juliano, Lake Forest Community High School District 115, USA

Other People’s Children by Lisa Delpit. ”This was the most controversial text we read in my Equity and Democracy course in grad school. It made me aware of all the loaded everyday interactions we have as educators. It also made me proud to be part of the growing number of educators of color.” —Josefino Rivera, Asociación Escuelas Lincoln, ARGENTINA

Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman. ”This book taught me how the life of an educator, although filled with numerous obstacles, can really be surprisingly beautiful. It made me realize that students are literally starving for love and attention and as educators we need to learn how to keep the fire burning. We shouldn’t just teach, we need to touch hearts and make students providers of knowledge.” —Evanthia Poyiatzi, English Language Private Institute, CYPRUS

Learn more about the TED-Ed Innovative Educator program here.

The Messner Mountain Museum Corones is the final act in the Messner Mountain Museum project (which comprises a total of six facilities). MMM Corones is situated on the summit plateau of Kronplatz (2275 m) and is dedicated to mountaineering, which Reinhold Messner has strongly influenced. The museum is devoted to the alpine history, traditions and disciplines of mountaineering and offers unique views of the big walls of the Dolomites and the Alps. The museum was built and designed by Zaha Hadid Architects at the center of South Tyrol, Italy’s most popular ski resort area. MMM Corones is open 7 days a week, from the first Sunday of June to the second Sunday of October and from the end of November to mid-April.

The Messner Mountain Museum Corones is the final act in the Messner Mountain Museum project (which comprises a total of six facilities).
MMM Corones is situated on the summit plateau of Kronplatz (2275 m) and is dedicated to mountaineering, which Reinhold Messner has strongly influenced. The museum is devoted to the alpine history, traditions and disciplines of mountaineering and offers unique views of the big walls of the Dolomites and the Alps.
The museum was built and designed by Zaha Hadid Architects at the center of South Tyrol, Italy’s most popular ski resort area.
MMM Corones is open 7 days a week, from the first Sunday of June to the second Sunday of October and from the end of November to mid-April.

An example of an Atomic Learning tutorial – we hope to have this up and ready for you soon

 

Atomic

Here is the link to the tutorial 

 

Atomic 2

 

St. Anthony this week

This is the final week of voting, please vote every day and share our link to sign up more voters!!

Monday, October 19

Dr. Catherine Olmsted in for assessment (grade 3)

 Tina Fedeski from Orkidstra meeting with Paul – 1:30PM

orkidsstra

 

 

 

 

Squirmies at lunch today

Tuesday, October 20

Paul away (PM) Family of Schools meeting

IEP’s sent home today

Dorothy Stanyar, volunteer, in Mrs. Rupnik’s class PM only

Photo orders are due today

Table tennis after school

Wednesday, October 21

Faith Mentor Day Meg and Paul away

Swim to Survive Program – grade 3

Waste Free Wednesday

Thursday, October 22

Recycle Day at St. Anthony Catholic School- PLEASE recycle today!

Alina Carranco, Neurocognitive Science Student at Carleton, volunteers in Mrs. Rupnik’s class

Friday, October 23

Kindness Project- Session One with Mrs. Rupnik and Lindsey Barr

This is the final day of voting, please vote every day and share our link to sign up more voters!!