First Full Week

Well, we've made it through our first full week of school. It was a late start, but I think Division 1 is headed in the right direction.
I am happy to say that we have had some fun already while learning the classroom routines and as we begin our academic programming.
Exercise Breaks
We have been taking regular exercise breaks to help the kids get the blood flowing after sitting for a bit while working hard on their Math, Socials, Writing, or whatever else we have.
I'm sure the kids have told you about the Wii Boxing. It is a lot of fun.

As you can see here, everyone is up and taking a physical break. We have also been learning dance moves with our Healthy Schools videos. Next week we will also begin to do our walk/jog around the school for the Kilometer Club. We will keep track of how far we, as a class, make it across Canada. We will track our progress on a map that we can update.
Douglas Dollars
I'm sure the kids have told you about our Douglas Dollars program. It is our token economy system in the classroom. Students can earn Douglas Dollars for tasks like being on time to school and from breaks, completing homework and bringing in notices.
We had our first Smith Store this Friday. It was a lot of fun. The kids got to 'purchase' items such as calculators, pens, pencils, pencil cases and other things. I have re-stocked the store by going to the dollar store again. I purchased some exciting fun items (some for school, and some just for fun) for the next store (to be renamed The Douglas Depot). Here is a picture of a few new things.

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I am very pleased at how well the Douglas Dollars program is going. I am going to talk to the kids about how we can keep this going and make it a sustainable part of our programming. 
I believe that if the students take ownership, they will be willing to invest in the system. This means that we will explore ways to fund The Douglas Depot. We will investigate options for fundraising.  This is a great program that teaches the students about money, money management, and responsibility. I hope we can keep it alive.
If you have any suggestions, please drop me a line or come in and see me.

Updates

• So, I have been working to keep the HOMEWORK page updated. I will do my best to keep it up. I hope to hand this responsibility over to the students soon.
  
• I have created a page for you with information on the MINI SCHOOL program. Included on the page is a link to the VSB page for secondary programs, a PDF of the Mini School info nights, and the Mini School brochure.
  
• Goal setting conferences are coming up on Oct. 15-16. I look forward to meeting with all of you. However, if you wish to meet before that time, please feel free to send me a note, and email or drop by. I am at school by about 7:15 each day, and typically stay until about 3:45 or 4:00.

Please check out the other pages on this site. I will do my best to keep you informed of what's going on in the classroom, of upcoming events, and how your child is doing.
That's all for now. Have a great weekend.
Mr. Smith