The end of another week at Westwood...

So another week is over, and what a busy week it was...
With events almost everyday of the week, classes just flew by!

Some of you may have experienced anti-bullying assemblies and events this week. I must point out that both staff and students of Westwood did an amazing job in terms of participation, involvement and creating awareness about bullying, a very serious issue affecting a large number of students.

This past week, students participated in Secret Compliment Day, where they wrote compliments to others in their classroom. Names were picked randomly to encourage students to write to someone they wouldn't usually talk to. It was wonderful to see students read their compliment, and then try to figure out who it was from!

Paint Your Nails Day was another huge success. Students throughout the school (both boys and girls) at some point during the day got together and painted their nails! At first I thought that students would be hesitant to take part in this activity... but boy, was I wrong! They were soo into it! They sported bright pinks and blues, and some opted for markers! Even better, they came back the next day with the polish still on!

To end the week off, students and teachers participated in a Quote Parade. Prior to the parade, students wrote a quote or statement on sheet of paper (Ex. I will not tolerate discrimination, Take a stand against bullying, Be an ally, not an enemy...) and wore it on their chests. Students attended an assembly where a guest speaker spoke to them about her challenges in school and how she was faced with bullying everyday. At the end of the assembly students took to the track to parade and share their quotes with others in the school.

I can't even begin to explain the statement that all of these events made. I so feel fortunate to have been able to participate in all of these events. It certainly is wonderful see the unity between teachers and students of Westwood.

Westwood MS, Classroom 6G!!!

Where to start...
My first two weeks at Westwood Middle School have been quite the experience! 
I'm definitely a lot busier than I expected. With the number of events, trips, assemblies and special guest visitors... there's simply no time to breathe!

View of Sheldon Centre from the top of the Valley

For my first post, I'd like to share with you an AWESOME experience I had during my first week at Westwood. I was given the opportunity to attend a 3 day field trip (Nov.2nd - Nov. 5th), the Sheldon Valley in Alliston, Ontario. For those of you who have not heard about Sheldon, it is an outdoor education school that offers curriculum based programs in an outdoor classroom environment. We took part in a number of different programs like a digital photography hike, leadership program, native lifestyles and a night hike! 


For more information, you can visit the link! http://toes.tdsb.on.ca/residential/sheldon/programs/index.asp. There are connections to The Arts, Science and Technology, Social Studies and Health and Physical Education.

Leadership program activity

During the day, the class would be divided into 3 groups and each group would participate in a different program. Over the 3 days, the groups would rotate through the programs so that all students would take part in each of the programs. Aside from the curriculum connections, students learned how to work together to solve problems, how to communicate with one another, social skills, cooperation and leadership skills! 

Barred Owl

The staff at Sheldon were so friendly and knowledgeable, the programs were great and offered so much to students and the scenery was incredible! I did not want to come back, and neither did the kids! If you are ever given the opportunity, I would highly recommend this trip to all teachers. 



This trip was beneficial to me in a number of ways as well. To begin, it really helped me to establish a relationship with the students, in ways that I don't believe would have been possible just within the classroom. It gave me the chance to learn about the students in a less formal setting and they got to learn about me as well! 


Anyway, that's all for now! Stay tuned for more stories from 6G!


Cheers!

Welcome

Hello everyone!