Elementary News

Elementary News

• In-Person Learning

Nicola Sturgeon certainly caught the headlines and our attention on Tuesday with her announcement that Pre-school through Grade Two are coming back into school for in-person instruction. The news is very exciting and will hopefully be followed up with further announcements about the return of the rest of the students. This partial return will create some new challenges for families and the school. As always I’m confident we will work together to make the most of our situation. In my Thistle article next Friday I’ll outline the elementary plans for school from March 1st. (Truthfully they are still evolving.) 

• What Do You Like Best About ISA?

The kindergarteners and the fifth graders were asked this week to give feedback in a student survey about the virtual school experience. I’ve only just received the feedback; but after a quick look I can state that many of the responses, whether it was from our youngest or oldest elementary students, were very similar. By far the most common theme has to do with friendship and the relationship students have with their teachers. 

Here’s a sampling:

What Do You Like Best About ISA?

• Having lots of friends to play with and having amazing teachers

• My favourite things about ISA are playing with all of my friends and learning lots

• The social interaction with friends and teachers and the way the teachers are always so supportive.

• Teachers, friends and playground

What are you missing while we are in Virtual School?

• I am missing being able to run around with my friends and interact with other people.

• I miss seeing my friends at school and not having recess, snack and lunch at school.

How can we improve our virtual lessons?

• To have more time to chat with my friends

• More breakout rooms so while we do work we can chat, but the teachers can come.

• I’d like my screen to be bigger so I can see more of my friends faces 

• Do the lesson in smaller groups because it is a lot easier to talk to the teachers and my friends

I’m sure it comes as no surprise that socialising and having friends are vital to school-age children's healthy development.  In the Elementary School, friendships provide children with more than just fun playmates.  Friendships help children develop emotionally and can strongly influence behaviour patterns. In interacting with others, children learn many social skills, such as how to communicate, co-operate, and solve problems. They practise controlling their emotions and responding to the emotions of others. They develop the ability to think through and negotiate different situations that arise in their relationships. Having friends even affects children's school performance. (Research has shown that the biggest influence on learning comes from peers*.) Children tend to have better attitudes about school and learning when they have friends there. In short, children benefit greatly from having friends. In our classrooms, we recognise the importance of working with each other and structure much of our day around interaction, often through group work. Consider your child’s after-school schedule, before the pandemic. Was there enough time for unstructured play dates? I know it feels like if, but I’ll say when we return to a normal routine, it will be so important to make social activities a priority. We’ve lost so much time together! While we wait for a full return to ‘normal’, the teachers in the elementary school will continue to do all we can to encourage dialogue and connectivity between the students and ourselves. We pride ourselves at being good listeners and love having fun as much as our students!

Next Friday, the Elementary classrooms will have their friendship parties. (Unfortunately without any tasty treats!) This is organised at this time of year to coincide with Valentine's Day, an event celebrated by many of our families. At ISA, we choose to focus on the aspect of friendship and encourage our students to show appreciation towards each other. Each class has linked up with another class, second grade, for example will work with fifth grade, to share some virtual fun with each other.

It’s clear that the answer to what we like best about ISA is being together. The return to school in March for PS through Grade 2 is such good news, and gives hope that soon we can all spend time together outside of a small rectangular screen where in the words of one kindergartener, ‘it’s hard to see the faces of my friends’.

*John Hattie ‘Visible Learning’2013

Don Newbury,

Elementary Principal