Absence

Hello families,

I will be away from work on Wednesday May 27th.
I will return to regularly scheduled office hours on Thursday May 28th.

Should you have any immediate questions or concerns, please contact Ms. Brand at cmbrand@cbe.ab.ca OR call the school office at 403-777-6150.

Thank you for your understanding,

Mrs. Pal

Getting in the habit of washing our hands!

Essential Mental Health Habits During Self Isolation

Absence

Hello families,

I will be away from work on Thursday April 16th.
I will return to regularly scheduled office hours on Friday April 17th.

Should you have any immediate questions or concerns, please contact Ms. Brand at cmbrand@cbe.ab.ca OR call the school office at 403-777-6150.

Thank you for your understanding,

Mrs. Pal

Google Meet - Morning Meetings 04/14/2020 @ 9:00am

We will be using Google Meet to facilitate Morning Meetings!

Beginning Tuesday April 14th, Mrs. Pal and Mrs. Brand will be online at 9:00am to facilitate a morning meeting with The Class students.

This is an opportunity to build structure into your child's morning. 

Routine and structure are important elements to social-emotional and behavioral success.

Our morning meeting will give us a daily opportunity to connect and set learning goals.

Here's how to sign into our Google Meet Session:

• If you’re not already logged in to Google, do so using your CBE Gmail address (username@educbe.ca)

• If you do not know your CBE Gmail address, let Mrs. Pal know (she can share it with you)

• You can access Google Meet by going to meet.google.com
• Select  the "Join or start a meeting" 

• When it prompts you to enter the meeting nickname, please enter PalsClass , then press continue.

• Once you click Continue, and if Mrs. Pal is present, you will be taken to the waiting room. The final step is to click on the green ‘Join now’ button to enter the meeting room. (if Mrs. Pal is not yet present in the room, you will receive a messaging stating that you cannot create meetings).

You're in!

______________________________

We will review appropriate language, attire, and rules during our first meeting. 

Thank you for your participation.

Let me know if you have any challenges accessing or utilizing Google Meet.

Looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday April 14th at 9:00am!!

A message from Carolyn Ferraby (Registered Psychologist)

Online Office Hours

Students and families,

Should you have any questions or concerns, I will be "online" during the office hours listed below. Alternatively, you can always leave me a message and I will get back to you at my earliest convenience. Thank you!

Monday - Friday: 9am - 12pm
Wednesday evening : 5-7pm (by appointment)

Thank you!

Paige Pal
The Class Teacher, Cambrian Heights School
phone : 403-966-0006
email : pnpal@cbe.ab.ca

Ongoing Learning Updates

"We DON'T control what happens to us, but we DO control how we respond."

- unknown                      

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Hello families!

I hope you are healthy and enjoyed a relaxing spring break.

Thank you for your patience as we work to provide ongoing learning opportunities that are in alignment with Alberta Education’s requirement of one hour per day of learning, with a focus on literacy and numeracy, and some integration of interdisciplinary studies (science and social studies).

Today and tomorrow I will be contacting you directly by phone to find out more information about your family’s access to technology. Later this week you will receive information regarding our first at home learning tasks. 

Moving forward, it will be important that your student is able to log into Brightspace (formerly D2L). Brightspace is an integrated learning platform available to all CBE staff and students.

Click here to log in to Brightspace(D2L)

Students should be able to log in using the same student ID number and password that they used at school to log into our computers. 

* If students are unsure of their student ID number, please contact me directly.

* If students are unsure of their password, please use the Student Password Hub to reset passwords.

I ask that you check the blog on a daily basis for the remainder of this week, as we will be posting your next steps in preparing for at home learning each day.

I recognize this is new for most of us and we will learn together. I am here for your child and look forward to continuing to learn together for the remainder of the school year. 

Paige Pal

The Class Teacher, Cambrian Heights School

cell :  (403) 966 - 0006

email : pnpal@cbe.ab.ca

Hello from Mrs. Pal!

Send me an email: pnpal@cbe.ab.ca
Write to me in Google Drive: pnpal@educbe.ca

TumbleBooks: Listen and read along to animated storybooks through the Calgary Public Library. (click on “Access Tumblebook Library", bottom of page)

Calgary Public Library Resources: e-books, Bookflix, music, movies, online tutoring, encyclopedias, etc. Your library card number is your email without the @educbe.ca - your PIN number is 1234567

Kate Messner.com: A collection of favourite authors and illustrators share resources that include video read-alouds, drawing and writing lessons

Starfall: songs, books and games for K-3 students

National Geographic Young Explorer: online issues of magazines you can listen to and read along with

Prodigy: curriculum aligned math platform, with math drills assigned to your child's level.

AHS: Coping for Children and Families During COVID-19

AHS: COVID-19 and your Mental Health

Suggestions for Learning from Home | K-9

Class cancellations are unusual and challenging events.  During this short period before spring break, we encourage families to maintain a balanced and consistent routine for children; including regular sleeping and eating times, breaks for activity and outdoor time, and healthy boundaries on screen time.   

After spring break, additional learning resources and activities will be shared to support students in learning.     

Children are naturally curious learners and there are opportunities at home to engage their learning. We have created a webpage that offers a variety of educational ideas to support literacy, numeracy and wellness at home for this week. The resources are meant as suggestions only. You may choose to use the links and activities as needed over the next few days as more long-term educational programming is considered. 

Update - March 16th

Dear Families,

We miss seeing our students and families already!

We realize you likely have many questions since classes have been cancelled indefinitely. We will be communicating further information to you as soon as we are able, especially in terms of when and how to collect belongings from school. Please continue to check the classroom blog, and your email for updates.

In the meantime, please continue to read with your child daily. Below is a resource for reading that you could access if you choose.

Take care and be well,

Cheri Brand and Paige Pal

Calgary Public Library – Tumblebooks Audio Books - https://www.tumblebooklibrary.com/Home.aspx?categoryID=77

Grade 5/6 Field Trip to YouthLink Police Interpretive Center

On March 12th, the grade 5/6 classes visited YouthLink Police Interpretive Center at the Calgary Police Headquarters. 

Our day was filled with learning and fun!

We were tasked with solving a forensic science adventure, got to explore the Police Museum, took part in the 'Smart Decisions Workshop', and participated in 3 'Safe For Life' presentations.

For more information on the YouthLink Police Interpretive Center, you can visit their website:

https://youthlinkcalgary.com/

Be The Pond

Puppet Workshop Evening

On Wednesday, March 11, 2020, from 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm, Cambrian Heights School invites you share in a puppet workshop evening where you will learn about puppet theatre and production, while creating and characterizing a puppet with your child! 

To help us get ready for the evening and plan accordingly, we would like to know if your family will be attending.

Please use the link below to complete a one-question Google form indicating whether you will be attending or not.

https://forms.gle/d8n94CTqb3Y31Fno7

Thanks! We look forward to seeing students and families!

Helping Your Child Develop A Healthy Sense of Self Esteem

How can I help my child develop a healthy sense of self-esteem?

By definition, self-esteem is the way in which an individual perceives himself - in other words, his own thoughts and feelings about himself and his ability to achieve in ways that are important to him. This self-esteem is shaped not only by a child's own perceptions and expectations, but also by the perceptions and expectations of significant people in his life - how he is thought of and treated by parents, teachers and friends. 

For healthy self-esteem, children need to develop or acquire some or all of the following characteristics:

A sense of security.

Your child must feel secure about himself and his future. ("What will become of me?")

A sense of belonging.

Your youngster needs to feel accepted and loved by others, beginning with the family and then extending to groups such as friends, schoolmates, sports teams, a neighborhood or community. 

A sense of purpose.

Your child should have goals that give him purpose and direction and an avenue for channeling her energy toward achievement and self-expression.

A sense of personal competence and pride.

Your child should feel confident in his ability to meet the challenges in his life. This sense of personal power evolves from having successful life experiences in solving problems independently, being creative and getting results for his efforts. Setting appropriate expectations, not too low and not too high, is critical to developing competence and confidence. 

A sense of trust.

Your child needs to feel trust in you and in himself. Toward this goal, you should keep promises, be supportive and give your child opportunities to be trustworthy. This means believing your child, and treating him as an honest person.

A sense of responsibility.

Give your child a chance to show what he is capable of doing. Allow him to take in tasks without being checked on all the time. This shows trust on your part, a sort of "letting go" with a sense of faith.

A sense of contribution.

Your child will develop a sense of importance and commitment if you give him opportunities to participate and contribute in a meaningful way to an activity. 

A sense of making real choices and decisions.

Your child will feel empowered and in control of events when he is able to make or influence decisions that he considers important. These choices and decisions need to be appropriate for his age and abilities, and for the family's values.

A sense of self-discipline and self-control.

As your child is striving to achieve and gain more independence, he needs and wants to feel that he can make it on his own. Once you give him expectations, guidelines, and opportunities in which to test himself, he can reflect, reason, problem-solve and consider the consequences of the actions he may choose. This kind of self-awareness is critical for her future growth.

A sense of encouragement, support and reward.

Not only does your child need to achieve, but he also needs positive feedback and recognition - a real message that she is doing well, pleasing others and "making it." Encourage and praise him, not only for achieving a set goal but also for his efforts, and for even small increments of change and improvement. ("I like the way you waited for your turn," "Good try; you're working harder.") Give feedback as soon as possible to reinforce his self-esteem and to help him connect your comments to the activity involved.

A sense of accepting mistakes and failure.

Your child needs to feel comfortable, not defeated, when he makes mistakes or fails. Explain that these hurdles or setbacks are a normal part of living and learning, and that he can learn or benefit from them. Let your supportive, constructive feedback and your recognition of his effort overpower any sense of failure, guilt, or shame she might be feeling, giving him renewed motivation and hope. Again, make your feedback specific ("If you throw the ball like this, it might help.")

Source

 

Caring for Your School-Age Child: Ages 5 to 12 (Copyright © 2004 American Academy of Pediatrics)

Pink Shirt Day!

Wednesday February 26th is Pink Shirt Day!

Now a movement celebrated across the globe, Pink Shirt Day is a day when people wear a pink shirt to symbolize a stand against bullying.

Bal-A-Vis-X

Rhythmic BALance / Auditory / VISion / eXercises 

for brain and brain-body integration

After lunch each day, The Class students gather in Room 18 to practice strategies for self-regulation and attention. We begin our time together with a  meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, or guided visualization, then we practice Bal-A-Vis-X.

Bal-A-Vis-X is an acronym for Balance/Auditory/Vision eXercises, all of which are deeply rooted in rhythm. It consists of a series of exercises, which are done with bean bags and/or tennis balls. These exercises require students to cross their body's mid-line, and address visual tracking deficiencies, auditory imprecision, impulsivity, balance and anxiety issues.

 Crossing the body’s mid-line is an important developmental skill needed for many everyday tasks such as writing, reaching towards your foot to put on a shoe with both hands, or hitting a ball with a bat.

 The exercises are synchronized, steady and rhythmic. 

Bal-A-Vis-X requires focused attention, demands cooperation, promotes self-challenge, and fosters peer teaching.

For more information, visit the Bal-A-Vis-X website: https://www.bal-a-vis-x.com/index.htm

Alteration to February's Spirit Day

Hello Families,

The Calgary Board of Education will be recognizing Pink Shirt Day on Wednesday February 26th. As a result, CHS has had to change the date of our "Dress like a Book Character" Spirit Day to Tuesday February 25th.

Thank you for your understanding.
Please let me know if you have any questions.

Introducing Wellness Way!

Wellness Way is now located on the windows of Mr. Eakin’s office.
Wellness way is a creative way to offer students a break throughout the day.

The YouTube clip below provides a brief explanation of the potential benefits and uses of this resource: