Our library.
The houses built behind my neighbours house.
Remembrance Day assembly.
3/4 sport, basketball.
The girl's superstar, Alice, throwing in and making a rush.
Vincent playing handball with his kids.
November
7-11th
This
week for professional learning on both Monday and Tuesday we listened
to the French Inspector who talked about the merits of bilingualism
entirely in French! She didn't speak English well enough and had to
be translated by one of our office staff. A tiring and tedious
process. Another example of not practising what you preach.
The
school library was dismantled after semester one to replace the
carpet tiles, but has yet to be put back together. I think that admin
is planning to move it elsewhere over the summer, but in the meantime
it is not a very useful or friendly place to be. Plus the computer
lab that it housed, has also been dismantled and the computers
distributed to classrooms, despite the recommendation of our IT
maintainance man. I think most teachers find a computer lab to be
better use of computers because then a teacher can teach a concept on
the screen and all the students can try it, as opposed to cycling
students through four classroom computers. What are the others doing
at that time and when will they catch up on that? Just logistics and
management.
Friday
was Remembrance Day. Although it is marked here in Australia, ANZAC
Day is a much more patriotic celebration. Held annually on April 25th
it marks the World War I campaign where thousands of Australian and
New Zealand soldiers were slaughtered in a losing cause at Galipoli,
Turkey. The Remembrance Day assembly was held outside and was quite
low key, just a short intro, In Flander's Fields, Taps and the
Australian National anthem led by Joel. I was happy to hear John
McRae's poem here in Australia, obviously it is truly international.
I
included a photo of the houses built behind my neighbour's house.
Instead of dividing
lots like Toronto, here they build smaller houses, or units in the
back of the property. Neighbourhoods are full of these smaller
houses. I live in one, where a house had been knocked down and five
units were put on the one lot. They provide cheaper, smaller houses
for starters or people down scaling. Just what I need. I wonder how
the sewers accommodate the extra water flow.
For
grade 3 and 4 sport on Friday I was assigned to basketball along with
Gilles. Last week he had this group of kids arranged in four teams,
two of boys and two of girls. This week he had them play off against
each other. As expected the boys beat the girls and were not very
sporting in beating the girls. They were rough and taunted them. But,
one of my girls, Alice, really showed me what she was made of. She
plays basketball in a house league after school. In one ten minute
game the girls lost 8-10 but Alice scored all the girl's points. She
was everywhere, mixing it up, marking rushes, getting rebounds and
not being afraid to take on any of the boys.
On
the topic of sport, the kids here are into four square but use the
court for handball with small rubber balls or tennis balls. There are
also handball courts here and the kids play it like tennis. One of
the French teachers likes to play with his grade 6 students most
recesses and they have a great time.
I
was away when Toronto elected Rob Ford and now I'm away and the US
has elected Donald Trump. Somehow I think the world has become a more
dangerous place.
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