We were so busy learning and having fun that I barely had time to post about it!  For more regular updates, make sure to subscribe to our FaceBook Page.   In the meanwhile I'll just outline some of the highlights.

We started our year learning about communication.  There are so many ways that people and animals communicate and so many things to learn about communicating effectively.  We learned about listening, speaking (in many languages), barriers to communication and how technology helps (and hinders) our ability to connect with others.  

One of our favourite parts of this unit was going on a field trip to the radio and television station.  Thank you to the team at Rogers who showed us how the magic of television and radio works.  A special thanks for giving a shout out to us on live radio! 

Funny fill-in storyThis summer, our July fun session is all about space.  Our first week focused on the moon.  We made paper maché moons, modelled the lunar cycle with cookies, and worked in teams to complete mission assignments.  In the second week, we learned about the sun and stars.  

Research projects displayed for Presentation DayUsually, when 9-year-old boys talk about who is better, Donatello or Michaelangelo, they are talking about Ninja Turtles.  During our sculpture session though, these were debates about artists from the Renaissance period.  Seeing kids get excited to see a "real Henry Moore" sculpture, or describe a piece as a "relief" were just some of the highlights of the last academic session of this year.

During this session the children made sculptures from Plaster, wire, soap, paper and found materials. 

Our health session this year was focussed on "Safety".  This covered basic injury prevention topics (sun, outdoor, water, and fire safety), substance use and abuse (e.g. dangers of vaping, underage drug use, etc), and digital/online safety.  We created artwork that represented the things that make us feel safe and wrote about those feelings.  Since the best way to stay safe is to be aware of possible dangers and prevent them, we practiced thinking ahead by learning to play chess.  For our

For our natural science session this year we learned about Ocean Habitats and how scientists explore the depths of our world.  We also learned the challenges that the oceans face today--especially because of plastic waste, over-fishing, and warming ocean temperatures.  As we learned new things we added to a group mural.

Our third session of the year was focused on Asian Geography.  We all learned about China but then each student researched one Asian country on their own.  On our last day, each child presented their country with at least one thing to see, one to taste or smell, one to hear and one activity to do.  The creativity and care that went into their individual presentations were amazing.

Inspiring heARTSStudents from Olive Grove Academy participated in the Inspiring heARTS event.  It is a chance for people to share their talents and hard work in a variety of artistic media--poetry, story-telling, dance, song and visual arts.  There were approximately 50 people in attendance.  Our kids were courageous as they got on stage and encouraging and respectful to the other performers.

Pumpkin Oatmeal cookiesOur second session of the year was focused on "Cooking".  Not only is this an important life skill but it is also a practical (and delicious) way to practice and use our mathematics skills.

Our school year is divided into "sessions".  Each session has a topic theme.  At the end of each session, we present what we learned about that topic.  For example, our first session of this school year is about community.  On Friday, November 4th parents and friends are invited to an open-house-style presentation of our learning.  Come visit between 3 pm and 4:30 pm.  There will be artwork displayed,  student-made video games to play, videos to watch, and interactive demonstrations.  If you can, bring a couple of items for the London Food Bank to help us reach our goal of 250 cans.