THE PACE OF THE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

January and February hold so many celebrations for families – New Years, Family Day, Valentines, Lunar New Year and so many more. As we write this blog we hope that you all had a chance to celebrate each other! If 2020 has taught us anything it is that the people we hold most dear must be celebrated and cherished.

Most of January and February was spent with virtual learning so once again we want to thank you P.A.C.E. family for being so adaptable to changing times – we appreciate YOU! We know it’s not easy to adapt but you are all doing great! Let’s jump into some highlights:

JANUARY + FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS 

January started with some ‘jaw’some work from our Grade 3s as they started their Theme on Oceanography. Virtual learning didn’t stop our students from experimenting to learn about salinity and buoyancy! The class did two experiments looking at the effect of salt on an object’s ability to float. In the first experiment the class put an egg in water and continuously added salt to see how many teaspoons it would take to make the egg finally sink— the result was 15 teaspoons!! In the second experiment, the class made a boat out of a juice box and then added pennies into the boat to see how many would sink the boat once the salt was added—the result: 0 tsp salt = 40 pennies and 15 tsp salt = 52 pennies! Students made hypotheses for each and recorded their observations through charts and drawings.

Our Grade 1s were engaged and excited about learning the concept of buoyancy as well however through a different lens! As a part of their Theme unit on Properties of Matter, the Grade 1s created aluminum boats and tested their boats on water. Then, they found small items to load onto their boats to test its weight capacity. Some boats could even hold the weight of a few avocados! Impressive work! The Grade 1s went above and beyond to add their own creative designs – schooner or later however, we had a sinking feeling the boats would go under!

Our Grade 6s were busy expanding their french language and presentations skills in January. As part of their project “Des Canadiens et Canadiennes Célèbres” the Grade 6 students researched a famous Canadian person and presented their work in French. These are some of their amazing presentations and we learned alot about French Canadian celebrities! Félicitations 6e année, vous avez très bien travaillé!

February kicked off in a positive (and negative) way as our Grade 6 students learned to make binary ionic compounds using positive and negative ions! A binary ionic compound is composed of two different elements – one which is metal and one which is nonmetal. Each student was assigned a cation or anion to create new compounds by combining them with opposite ions. Then, students had the opportunity to write chemical formulas and names for their new combinations! Nothing quite like creating a new compound!

Our Grade 1s were up to some very hands-on and creative projects! As a part of their Buildings, Structures, and Transportation Theme, the Grade 1s became experts on the mode of transportation they are most interested in. With a written report, 3D model, and presentation, this project was no easy ‘race’! Way to go Grade 1s, your work was ‘Zoom’tastic!

February also brought A JOYFUL WELCOME BACK to in-person learning!! We love the sounds of children in the halls and laughter in the classrooms! It’s so nice to have you back at the school!

SETTING THE PACE

We have had a very successful start to 2021. We have proven our adaptability, perseverance and tenacity to learn (we’ve also had some fun along the way)! As we look ahead to March and April we are excited for: 

• March 5 – Term 2 report cards distributed
• March 24 – Grade 12 graduation photos taken
• March 25/26 – Parent-Teacher Interviews
• April 2- Good Friday (school closed – no classes)
• April 5 – Easter Monday (school closed – no classes)
• April 9 – School closes at 12:00 p.m.
• April 12 to 25 – Spring Break (school resumes on Monday, April 26 @ 9:00 a.m.)

Keep pace with what’s going on with our students with our bi-monthly blog updates. For an insider’s view into your child’s enriched learning experience, join the P.A.C.E. community on Instagram.