Raising Responsible Citizens

Does your child know how to hold a broom? Perhaps you think you don’t care right now, but one day your son or daughter will be all grown up and will thank you if s/he knows how to accomplish all the things in life that require doing.

Let’s have a quick look at this comic strip. What is the dad saying to his son? Is it just about knowing how to hold a broom or make a bed? Not likely. One of the most important aspects of work is that we know what we need to do, tackle it and get it done on schedule. That sounds pretty simple, but you would be surprised at how many people can’t manage their lives because work (any work) is too much for them. They can’t organize, they can’t prioritize, they can’t break a task down to do it in sections and they end up feeling overwhelmed by work. Any work.

So….what to do? Start now. Provide the time, space and materials to complete homework.   Homework should average about 10 minutes per grade per day. So, for example, a grade four student will have about 40 minutes of homework (that does not include dawdling; getting a drink, sharpening the pencil, taking a bathroom break, eating a snack….and…you get the point). School is a child’s first job. Help your child accomplish this task with pride.

Another thing you can do to help your child develop good work skills is ask your child to contribute to the household. This will be a small contribution when they are toddlers and will grow to be a real help around the house once they are in their teens.  Doing a little research on the internet brought me to Focus on the Family. They have an amazing little article on children and household chores – complete with charts, templates, a funny quiz and cut-outs!  It is very clear that children, while they will balk – some more that others – at doing chores, in the end they feel like a respected, contributing member of the family while they are learning extremely important life skills. And that is not just about how to hold a broom!

Respectfully Yours,

Gabriele Pulpan, Principal

Chore Charts from focusonthefamily.com.

Works Cited:

Johnston, L. (n.d.). For Better or For Worse [Cartoon]. 

Seifert, S. (2009). Age-Appropriate Chores. Retrieved May 12, 2016, from http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/parenting-challenges/motivating-kids-to-clean-up/age-appropriate-chores

Forest of Reading

The grades 2 through 5 went to Harbourfront to celebrate the Forest of Reading. The children had to read 10 books each and then voted for their favourite. The winners were announced at special ceremonies which the children attended. Hundreds of screaming children just can't be wrong! The authors were treated like rock stars and the fever was high!!

Also on this special day was the opportunity to meet with the many authors, chat with them a bit and get their autographs. We also attended two informative sessions given by two of the authors.
As you can see in the photos, the children were having fun while being encouraged in their reading efforts.

One of our students won a copy of "Hunchback Assignments". She was delighted to meet the author, Arthur Slade, and get her new book autographed.

The students were all excited to meet the famous author Gordon Korman. For this year's Silver Birch awards he was nominated for "Zoobreak"!

In the event that one of the authors was not available, we had the opportunity to write a message to him/her on the "Graffiti Board". The messages were all heart warming and encouraging. The authors are sure to love them.

The students paid attention while Maureen Fergus, author of "Ortega" gave a talk on how to write good fiction stories.

There was even a small art gallery featuring original art by some of the illustrators of the books. The children were most impressed by the clay picture by Barbara Reid which was in "Perfect Snow". We also paused for a long time to admire the wildlife paintings by Robert Bateman which made up part of his book "Vanishing Habitats".

The students are posing with Maureen Fergus, author of Ortega.

Olivet is most grateful to Margaret and Dave Starkey for their kind donation to our field trip fund which makes school trips like this one possible. Their thoughtfulness is most appreciated.

Skating

Over the winter months the grades 2 through 5 are going skating once a week. Sometimes it is really cold, but it is perfect winter fun!