Friday, November 25, 2011

Christmas is coming!

Christmas is just around the corner - only 31 more days! (and 3 weeks of school) to go!  So we asked the students about their favourite christmas gifts of the past, and their christmas wishes for this year.
  • Ellen:  Favourite Christmas gift I ever recieved is a pandora charm.  One thing I want for Christmas this year is Justin Biebers book and a wibkinz clothes and a webkin manatee and Dog clothes for my Dog sox.
  • Alisha:  my best gift ever was a doll.  This year i want a bear.
  • Nolan:  My favourite present is lego because i like lego!  There some old ones and new ones as well!  I like atlantic, avatar, bricks, batman city, exo-forces, island extreme stunts, indiana jones, sports, star wars, harry potter, town world city, aquazone, racers, castle, space, oreninet expedition adventures, trains, creators, and minifigs.  That's m best for christmas this year.  The end!
  • Katarina:  I want for Christmas is a white Christmas and I also want just Dance 3 because I love the game and I have just dance 2 last year.  I don't have a best gift because I don't care about best gift.
  • Shiv: Well last year I did get some clothes from Marvin in Syney Australia my cousin.  Thats all i have Remember.  And this years Christmas I know one thing my bedroom at my mothers is crummy and my curtis TV had stop working for the past 6 months so I know I have a new PS3 with one game need for speed hot pursuit 2010 version but I will get more games and a new TV and Marvin is coming for a Vacation in Canada and also my Uncle from New Jersey is coming and last An Amtrack 40th anniversary DVD + Amtrak tickets to New York City to visit Uncle in Spring Break.
  • Brandon: the best Christmas gift I have ever recieved is video game ps2 psp on fighting game is cirtua fighter 4 and tekken dark resurection on stage it is mortal kombat armegeggen ultimate warrior.  I like Final stage 2 ground zero.  I want to stage heaven's gate twist or scream stalking wolves of austria penguin night blue skys stars and forest moon situation.
  • Raheel:  the best Christmas gift i ever recieved was the Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian dvd and the red hoody sweater.  I got both of them on Christmas.  For Christmas this year I want a bluray dvd player.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Spirit Week and more

Last week students came back to work after a restful 4 day weekend.  They came back to SPIRIT WEEK - a school wide event with dress up days to build and promote Sullivan School Spirit.  Tuesday was PJ Day, Wednesday was Jersey Day, Thursday was Favourite Teacher Day (coming with a Shiv as Mr. Stroh, Alisha as Ms. Yahn, Ellen as Mr. Dewinetz and Janelle as Ms. Ringham) and Formal Day (Hamza, Thomas and Mike were all looking pretty snazzy in their fancy wear).

Other things going on last week included:
  • Students busy working on their computation and fractions unit in math
  • continued individual novel studies and response journals
  • using iPads to explore the world during brain breaks
  • receiving more postcards:  from Ohio, Scotland and Russia!  We will be sending more next week.
  • studying cooperative games and beginning an UNO competition!
  • measuring and graphing out beans' growth. many of us discovered that not all living things last forever - some made their way to the heavens of Bean-opia!  Great opportunity to write down some observations of too much water, not enough water, non enough sunlight etc.  All students with a living bean plant made the decision to move it to the windowsill.
  • Be began out social circles - tapping into our emotions (and our drama skills) with thermometer check
  • individual art projects during "make-it" time, using our many art discoveries from the cupboard (beading, sparkle paint, door hangers, to name a few)
Upcoming:  our weekly science experiments and observations unit.  Our first experiment will be BLOBS in a BOTTLE!  Stay tuned for photos!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Students Speak: What would you do if there were a snow day tomorrow?

This morning for journal writing I posed the question "What would you do if there were a snow day tomorrow?"  Now as I am at home typing up their response I am glancing our the window at the snow on the ground...
  • Hamza - I will stay home watch movies play games.  I will Go outside and make snow-angles.  I will do snow fights.  Get good nap.  Enjoy my fantastic day.
  • Raheel - I would go outside and play with the snow and make a awesome snowman and I would have snowball fight and I would stay home and have hot chocolate.
  • Jayden - I would sleep in and play Video games, and go on the computer and I could go skating and swimming Then I will go to my cousins house and play and go home and stay up till midnight and have fun.
  • Shiv - I would Sleep In until 12:00PM and do my Afternoon Routine a Bus Ride to my favourite Destination And Get Snow Tires for my 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix.  And Oh you know if I'm snowed-in I would Shovel my Driveway and maybe make a snowman and invited my friends for a game SnowBall Wars Build a fort with snow and make SnowBalls.  And last make fresh IceCream made of Snow and thats it.
  • Jeena - If it was a snowy day tomorrow I would have stayed home and and have a hot cup on Hot Chocolate.  I do not like snow that much because it is wet, too cold (might get sick form it) and snow should be on the mountains so you can go skiing.  I hope snow does not come.
  • Janelle - If tomorrow was a snow day I would hang out with my friends and go sledding and build a snowman.  I would be glad if there was no school so I could have a whole day of playing in the snow until it melts.
  • Melanie - 1.  school would be closed  2.  I would play in the snow  3.  I would play all alone

Cranberry Banana Oat Muffins

Today in BASES was baking day!  Because I was busy in the kitchen teaching Katarina, Jeena, Jayden and Raheel how to cook, I wasn't able to get behind my camera to snap some pictures.

So in lieu, I will have to share the amazing recipe.  YUMMY YUMMY muffins!

Preheat oven to 375 F and grease a 12-cup muffin pan

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 1 cup Oats
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 3/4 mashed ripe bananas (5 - 6 bananas)
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup cranberries (fresh are best, but dried can be used if needed.  can also substitute for blueberries)
1.  Combined first six ingredients in a mixing bowl.  Mix well.

2.  Beat together egg, banana and melted butter until smooth.  Add to dry ingredients.  Stir to blend.  Stir in cranberries just until combined.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan, filling almost to the top.  

3.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched.

VARIATION:  For a heartier muffin, use Whole Wheat Flour.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Busy Little Bees!

Never a dull moment in the BASES room!  Here are a few of the things that have gone on in our room in the 10 days following Halloween:

  • After a WONDERFUL group effort in the Halloween door decorating contest, cleanup was in order
  • Student council delivered some bags of treats for a door decorating job well done (despite not winning the class pizza party)
  • A group of students went shopping for our first group luncheon and applied their money skills in a real world setting
  • Students participated in cooking Hawaiian Casserole (both meat and vegetarian versions).  A DELICIOUS meal was enjoyed by ALL the BASES students, Peer Tutors, SEAs, Teaching Staff and Administrators!  YUM!!
  • We have completed our measurement and money units.  We are now beginning a unit on computation, focusing on addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
  • We are continuing of plant unit by measuring our bean plants.  October bar graphs have many bean plants measuring as taller than 20 cm!
  • We have been writing a series of character analysis for 'Saved by the Bell'
  • Each student has chosen their first novel to complete a novel study project
  • As shown in the previous post, students were learning about remembrance day, leading up to the writing of postcards to soldiers.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Lest We Forget

In honour of Remembrance Day, our students wrote postcards to the troops overseas.  Here are a few of the words they chose to honour those who serve.






Thursday, November 3, 2011

Meet Paige!

Hi!  My name is Paige and I am a peer tutor in BASES for block 1.  I have been in the BASES room since the beginning of the school year and I am loving every minute of it!  Some of the things that I do would include, helping the students with their work like Math or jounrals, arts and crafts as well.  In BASES we also go for walks, do the school's recycling and enjoy music together!  The reason that I chose to peer tutor in BASES, instead of any other class is because working with special needs simply makes me happy.  Seeing them smile and laugh and just enjoy life, while in a learning environment especially, makes me smile and appreciate my school time even more.  If I can make even the smallest impact on their lives, I would be so incredibly happy because I know that they make a huge impact on mine!  I am enjoying my time so much already.  I look forward to many more great times and learning experiences!

Meet Jeena!

My name is Jeena.  I am 13 years old and I'm in grade 8.  My favourite thing about Sullivan is Dance.  My favourite band is Selena Gomez and the Scene and Big Time Rush.  Other things I like are: laughing, art, and spending time with my friends.  Something unique or interesting about me is I like having fun.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Halloween Town on Halloween City: A story

Those who know Katarina know that she LOVES to write stories.  So she has started a new story book that we will be posting chapter by chapter.  Hope you enjoy!
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Chapter 1:

Ellen the ghost she was scaring her brother will and will ran to his room crying.  Then the door bell rang it was Shiv the vampire and Alisha the zombie. and then Ellen came out of no where and opened the door and said "Boo, Did I scary you guys?"  Alisha said "No you Didn't I think you scared Shiv because he went to a chair and hide under it."  Ellen went to a chair that Shiv was hiding and said "hey Shiv."  Shiv got out of the chair and said "Hey Ellen, Why Did you scare me?  You know I scared of when You say Boo very loud."  Ellen walked to the kitchen and bring some Halloween cookies for her zombie friend and a vampire friend.  but before she walked out the kitchen, her friends were gone!

Meet Fatima!

My name is Fatima.  I am 17 years old and in grade 12.  My favourite things about Sullivan are my friends.  My favourite artist is Justin Bieber.  My favourite TV show is Pretty Little Liars and Cupcake Wars.  Some other things that I like are my class, food and social studies.  Some thing interesting about me is that I am from El Salvador and I speak spanish and I love to dance.