The AcadeCap Chronicles is the AcadeCap school newspaper, published monthly. Our News Team researches and documents activities and events at AcadeCap. Our issues consist of feature articles, club news, comics and jokes, cartoons, photos and art, an advice column, trend watch, the game of the month, interviews, and editorials that reflect on current news. Our small team of hard-working reporters and photographers also take on the role of news editors to assemble each issue and provide a digital and print copy for the AcadeCap students to read and enjoy. All AcadeCap students are welcome to submit contributions to the school newspaper in any language but especially in English, French, Spanish, German, and Mandarin.
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Hop, skip, jump, and roll! Hula hoops have a way of putting fun in motion. Young students interact in a variety of games involving large hula hoops. During these activities students are developing their motor skills and eye-hand coordination while playing variations of red light/green light, Simon says, and relay races.
On September 28th, Terry Fox run took place at Morrison Park.
Students learn about Terry Fox's life and why he started to run around Canada. Let's have a look at this event. Many thanks for your support. AcadeCap students have some school pets. Every year a group of selected students learns how to take care of the animals as part of their service-learning project. This year, students in Grades 5 or 6 were invited to join the Animal Crew. One of the main responsibilities of the Animal Crew is to ensure that our school animals have fresh food and water every day. Crew members also clean the cages, give baths, and ensure that the animals have time outside their cages for play and exercise.
This year, we also created a volunteer position for one of our OSSD students who is completing volunteer hours as part of the high school graduation requirement. The student participated in a mock interview and was accepted for the volunteer position of Assistant Animal Crew Supervisor. One of his tasks will be to maintain the school’s freshwater and saltwater aquariums. Chinchi the chinchilla is a welcome arrival at our school after spending a year at Mme Lucie’s house. In the photo, Chinchi is enjoying the view from her new 4-story cage in the flex space on the PYP side of the school. One of Chinchi’s favourite things to do is to have a dust bath. Rian and Frisk, our skinny pigs, are very active and spend most of their time eating. The students not only learn about animal care they also learn about the biology of the animals. Here is how one student used scientific classification to classify our skinny pigs.
Contributed by Mme Christine SMILE is our Simultaneous Multisensory Intensive Literacy Education Programme. Students needing extra support with reading and writing join the SMILE programme and participate in Orton-Gillingham based tutoring 4-5 times each week. Games are a favourite part of SMILE! The students use games to reinforce reading and writing skills. The games we use may be adapted from an existing game such as Apples to Apples or Boggle. We may also adapt board games such as snakes and ladders, which adapt very easily to the online environment during periods of remote learning. The best kind of game is the one that the students help to create. Here is an example of 'SMILE Jeopardy', a game we used at the end of last year to practice and review key concepts.
Mme Christine Our SMILE students receive extra support to hone their reading and writing skills. Some students finish the foundations program but still require extra writing practice. For example, one student, who needed extra practice and support with their writing style, worked during 1:1 sessions with the teacher to read source passages and then write summary compositions based on key word outlines they created after reading the passages. During each lesson, the teacher reviewed various elements of style that then needed to be incorporated into the composition. Here is a sample of writing from one of our older students. The style elements of focus were who-which clauses, -ly adverbs, and alliteration.
Mme Christine, OG (AIT) Student work sample: Gilgamesh and the Plant of Life A man named Gilgamesh, who was the king of a country called Urek, was kind and brave but was not satisfied to his heart’s content. He tiredly crossed deserts, raging rivers and cliffs until he found a man that told him about a plant that could make him live forever. The plant which was located in the middle of the sea, was very rare. Gilgamesh was determined to find the plant. Gilgamesh excitedly set sail to find the plant in the sea. When he finally spotted a glow at the bottom of the sea floor, Gilgamesh jumped into the icy water and swam to the bottom. The plant glimmered in front of him. He grasped the thorny plant and when it loosened, he swam with it back up to the surface. On his way home, he stopped to swim in the pond and he left the plant on a rock. But then a sly, sneaky serpent slithered up and ate the prickly plant. Surprisingly, the serpent’s old scales turned into new scales! Then Gilgamesh yelled in despair because the plant was gone forever. An eagle swiftly swooped down and picked Gilgamesh up by his back. The eagle showed Gilgamesh the marvelous city Urek that he made. The eagle said, “you will live in the people's hearts forever because of your good deeds”. Gilgamesh smiled and understood the eagle’s message.
SMILE students learn through multisensory activities. For example, students use the magnetic tile board to segment words, practice strategies to help with pronunciation and spelling, and work on interactive jamboard activities. Here are some pictures from term 2 student work.
Mme Christine (AIT) Dyslexia is a neurobiological learning disability that affects about 23 % of Canadians. People may have difficulty with reading despite having normal intelligence and eye sight. Children benefit from a supportive teacher using a direct, multisensory, and systematic approach to reading instruction, such as with the Orton-Gillingham approach. This October, Canadian buildings will light up with red lights to acknowledge those affected by this condition. In fact, although these students may struggle with reading tasks, they can function well academically when provided with the proper assistive supports and instruction that meets their specific needs. https://www.dyslexiacanada.org/mark-it-read-2020
Mme Christine, Orton-Gillingham (AIT) I have been working at the school for 3 years, partially as a school administrator and partially as a teacher. At the OSSD level, I teach Biology, Civics, and Career Studies. At the PYP level, I Coordinate SMILE, our new Systematic Literacy Teaching Program. I work with students requiring additional reading and writing support. I also coordinate the Career/Life Education Programme, assist with the OSSD myBlueprint Individual Pathways Plans, and support the school through innovative clubs such as the school newspaper, Ted Ed Club, and Model UN club. This summer, I taught our summer online literacy students and revised the AcadeCap school policies.
I am really looking forward to the new school year, to see everyone again and meet our new students. When you pass by the office or see me on the OSSD side, don’t forget to wave. You can call me the “Masked Administrator!” Here I am with and without a mask. This is our new and improved SMILE space! |
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