Dancing by Peter Kacz

We did dancing in P.E. a few weeks ago. We had to learn hip hop, line dancing and we had to make up our own. David and I made up a weird dance that consisted of 24 beats and 4 moves (try and follow that one!).

David and I used different moves in our dance and so did everyone else in the class. There were some great (and hilarious) dances. Everybody in the class got into groups and created some kind of dance.

Ms.Bublitz taught us specific moves like the 'grape vine' and she taught us whole dances like The Men In Black dance.

We did a lot of dances in P.E. with Ms.Bublitz during April and May.

Birds attack! By Gavin Gill

On a warm sunny day in May we were marking our math (from the day before), when two birds flew into the classroom. Their names were Molly and Joe, although there have been some heated disputes over the names.

Ms.Bublitz (our student teacher) ran out of the class and Tanner jumped under a desk. Please note, Ms. Bublitz’s pathological fear of birds had her disregard the safety of the entire class; she forgot we were even there!

Neil was screaming his head off and in the melee, I kicked my whole desk over.

We all ran screaming into the hallway at which time Mrs. Albrecht appeared. She told us to go back into the classroom while she tried to shoo the birds out the door. They (the birds) were not having any of it.

We all went outside with Ms. Bublitz and walked/ ran while Mr.Harrington came and tried to get Molly and Joe out. After one hour we went to the library and after recess we got to go back inside because Molly and Joe were gone.

Published By: Gavin Gill also known as G doc in the hood

Last Post of The Year

Sports Day at Willoughby Elementary By: Peter Kwon

Today was the day everyone was waiting for - everyone was so excited to start Sports Day. I heard people cheering for Yellow, Orange, Red, and Green House colours. There were also some parents here, cheering for their children. Teachers were also having fun watching their students compete.

There were many fun games such as hockey, carrying a wiffle ball on a badminton racket, carrying a potato on a spoon, pulling a big rubber ball with a hoop, and carrying a tray that has a dish, a cup, a fork, a spoon, and a knife.

As the time passed by, the order of 4 colours began to change, but not Yellow. Yellow always stayed in the first place position, followed by Orange, Green, and then Red.

Finally it is the time for the Grade Seven chariot race and grade groupings’ tug of wars! Red came in the first place, wearing red clothes and hats. Green came in second with their ‘bee’ costumes. Yellow came in third and Orange came in last because their chariot broke down.

During the tug of wars, it was very funny when one team could not handle the other team’s strength and every one of them fell backwards and forwards. As I remember, Orange won most of the tug o wars.

Then it was time to finish our wonderful Sports Day. Now, we need some drum rolls! First, Red came in last. Green was third. Who is the first place? Yellow or Orange? And the second place was… Orange! So that means Yellow came in the first place! Congratulations, Yellow!


Track and Field By: Harry

At Willoughby, students tried out for track and field by running a preliminary race. The top students were chosen to represent our school.

My name is Harry and I was chosen to compete after I won the 200 meter trial race. I went to the track meet, on May 28th, and participated in the 100 meter, 200 meter and the relay race.

I thought Willoughby was going to do great, but it was harder than I thought. I was disappointed that I got 6th place (out of 8) in the 200 meter.

One of the students Harry competed against ran like Naruto – he finished the race in like 20 seconds.

I was so upset, I missed the 100 meter race. Then I realized, I can do this! I ran my hardest during the relay race. Although I didn’t win, I think I did my best and I ran as fast as I could.

I think the Track Meet was awesome. I also think that doing your best is better than the final outcome..



Photography Analysis by Brianna

During the last two weeks we have been studying photography angles. We now know ten different angles. To start off learning the angles, we found magazine pictures that used the angles, cut the photographs out and labeled them.

Afterwards, we brought digital cameras and went outside (during designated times of the day) to take pictures. The picture taking could take you all over the school ground from the far back field to the doorway of our classroom.

I think we all had a wonderful time studying photography.

Our End of the Year Trip to Playland By. Mike. C

Where do I start? Well, Playland was awesome. We went with Mrs. Sofiak’s class. Everyone had fun but I think we didn’t stay long enough. We got wet, we got hyper, and some of us got sick.

The Playland trip was planned in April, and we all complained it would be forever before we go to Playland. But soon enough, I was exclaiming to Mrs. Albrecht, “How did the time pass so fast?” Mrs. Albrecht replied, “I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

Once we arrived at Playland we were already hyper. After we got in it was nothing like you’ve seen before. (Parents, you have never seen your kids this excited, trust me.)

Each group had parent supervisors and they even went on some of the rides. They looked like they were kids again.

I’m not saying that Mrs. Albrecht exaggerated, but she figured there would be hardly any schools there. But guess what? There were a lot of high school and elementary school students there. Although the lines were really long, it was still worth it. Some of the rides carried a lot of people so we didn’t have to wait a long time in line.

From my point of view, I think the roller coasters were the best. For any adults who don’t know what roller coasters are, ask your kids - they probably know all about it.

All I have to say is that we had a tremendous time at Playland.


Good-bye Ms.Bublitz By: Eric C.

Wow, where should I start? So much has happened since Valentine’s Day but this article is only about Ms.Bublitz leaving.

We are really sad to see you leave, Ms.Bublitz. You were great Ms.Bublitz. Every day you came into the class energized and ready to have a good time. We had some great times (especially when the birds flew into the classroom). I can’t believe you left us in the room alone with those birds… way to make sure we’re safe!

Overall, you were a great student teacher and at times it seemed like you were the actual teacher. I think the other student teachers were jealous.

Thank you Ms.Bublitz you were a fun teacher and whatever school gets you is very lucky!

Speeches By: Sean

Mrs.Albrecht assigned two-minute speeches. She gave us two minutes to talk about anything we wanted. A couple of people spoke about their animals, but it wasn’t as easy as it sounds.

Mrs.Albrecht tested us on – eye contact –clarity – loudness – timing, and not reading off sheets.

“The most hard thing was trying to remember what to say” said Eric C.

We got two days to find a topic, and practise at school and at home.

We presented our speeches to the class and my speech was on pandas that I saw at the San Diego Zoo There was a mama panda and a baby panda (they were just imported from Japan). I passed around some pictures that I had taken when I was at the zoo.

Our Last Entries

Interview With Ms. Kuehn By: Jackie

I decided to interview Mrs. Kuehn for my final class article because she has helped me a lot over the last few years.

Mrs. Kuehn’s favourite day is the first day of school, in September, because she loves her job as an English as a Second Language teacher. She looks forward to teaching new students that the English language is difficult, but not too scary.

Her other favourite day is the end of June, because she enjoys seeing the growth the students have made and she enjoys the beginning of summer weather.

Mrs. Kuehn's favourite food is Hungarian food, as well as dumplings or anything with paprika seasoning. Her other favourite food is Vietnamese food: especially soup, noodles, and dumplings. She also enjoys French cuisine.

Mrs. Kuehn’s favourite singer is Celine Dion because she is a beautiful and talented singer. As well, Mrs. Kuehn admires how Celine overcame many English-speaking obstacles, while learning to sing in English. As a result, Celine is one of the top-charting singers in the entire world. It just goes to show that perseverance pays off,especially when learning a new language.

Marissa H. Wins District Poster Contest

The next couple of entries for Albrecht’s Updates should make up for our recent lack of online activity. Not that Division Four hasn’t been newsworthy - quite the contrary! Between report card assessments, play rehearsals, writing to Canadian soldiers in Kandahar, creative country presentations, Frindle novel study displays, volleyball playoffs, and STOMP recitals, we still managed to share our Anti- Bullying message during November. Division Four has been a veritible ‘hive’ of buzzing activity.

Willoughby Elementary took part in the School District’s Wear Blue on Friday to demonstrate our unity against all forms of bullying. Furthermore, we submitted entries towards a poster contest that visually demonstrated the impact of cyber-bullying. Not only did the students’ drawings make all of us realize how pervasive and threatening cyber-bullying is, but our own Marissa H.’s poster made such an impact that she was a winner of the district wide cyber-bullying poster contest. Her poster will appear in the 2008 Cyber-Bullying Awareness Calendar. Each Winner and Honourable Mention will receive a calendar and Marissa has won her class a Sony cyber-shot digital camera.

The 2008 Calendars will be selling for $5.00 (proceeds to support further Cyber-Bullying Awareness activities). If you are interested in buying a calendar, please contact Sandra Averill: saverill@sd35.bc.ca

Marissa H. was the overall winner from Willoughby Elementary, and some (posters) honourable mentions are:

Andy K. - Willoughby, Rebecca L.- Willoughby Kelsey O. –Willoughby

(Slogans) honourable mentions:

Michelle C-Willoughby

Albrecht's All Stars - Building Esteem While Tackling Curriculum

I came up with an idea the other night while I was reading students’ goals, looking through the infamous Parents’ Purple Student Progress Binder, as well as analyzing my grade book.

Whether it be spelling, writing summaries, auditory comprehension, giving a Current Events presentation, math seatwork, creative writing, building islands, putting effort into the school community, or demonstrating empathy when assisting peers, this grade six class is unique in the vast amount of areas students have talent or skill in.

All the classes I have taught, over the years, demonstrate similar attributes, but this year my students’ abilities are more varied with wider ranges.

After, what seemed to be, hours of note taking, I decided to group together like-minded, similarly-talented, skilled students into smaller Working Groups (Albrecht’s All Stars). These groupings will not be required to work together all of the time, however, they may be called upon to perform specific tasks within the classroom or within the school (the groups have been made available to other teachers to call upon).

I did not go into thorough detail about each group’s various talents (I do not want to limit their approach to tasks) but I did give them a brief explanation. An example would be: Group *** you're gifted with seeing the ‘big idea’ or the finished product. You are able to immediately visualize how a task should look when it’s completed (as opposed to a person who may be unsure of, or worried about, what is expected of them.).

Another working group was commended for their advanced story writing abilities. They have the ability to create a story which is detailed, creates a visual and draws the reader into the text.

One working group was celebrated for their verbal ability. The students in this group do not enjoy writing down their lengthy and detailed ideas. Subsequently, these students skip valuable details in order to complete their assignments quickly. This working group would be allowed to present information orally, through video, visuals, drama and/or audio tape. By allowing an alternate presentation, their learned information will remain intact and their contribution to their peers’ learning would be considerable.

At various times throughout the year, I will be calling on specific groups to supplement curriculum based lessons for the entire class. I am hoping that students who struggle with, or feel inadequate in, certain subject areas will learn new techniques by watching and interacting with their peers. Hopefully they will learn new strategies for learning in their problem subject area and ultimately gain confidence

I believe we (especially as youth) are all equally talented. We just need the time, practise, new strategies and learning techniques to experience success which will then build our confidence. in order to build our confidence.

I look forward to seeing these groups interact with, and learn from, e

Huge Grade Six Social Studies Project - Due Nov. 9th

Imaginary country assignment

This is a huge part of the students’ first term Social Studies' grade.

Due: November 9, 2007

Working ON YOUR OWN or in groups of 2 or 3 (no more than 3) Complete the following assignment.

Please Note: You will be given plenty of time to complete this at school. You may do some at home, but never leave your work at home. (You will lose points as this is your work, remember - not your parents.

Project Assignment:

Create an island/partial mainland that shows the following topographical features (see handout and/or Visit Go to Landforms Definitions link on our website if you are unsure of the feature.)

Criteria:

• The island base may not be larger than your desk top. You will lose marks if it is larger.

• 2 mountain ranges with 2 peaks

• 1 fjord

• 1 Valley

• 1 Isthmus

• 1 Cliff

• 1 Bay

• 1 strait

• 1 peninsula

• 1 reef

• 3 lakes

• an ocean

• another island

• a partial mainland

• 3 rivers

• identified lowlands and highlands

• 1 swamp

• The island must have each of the features labelled and named ie: Bailey’s Bay

Oral Presentation Must Include

• your island model

• A poster with the following information:

1. Government and Laws - What are the laws of your country? Is it a democracy, oligarchy, monarchy, dictatorship? Who is/are the leaders? What is against the law? How are people elected?

2. Religion & Customs- What religions are practised on your island? Are their any specific cultural holidays? What books, music, art do the citizens like? What type of foods are eaten?

3 Physical Environment - What is the capital city? What modes of transportation are available? Do they have any natural resources that they may export for money?

4. Economy - What type of currency is used? (Create a sample to share with the class). Are there rich people and poor people? How does the government look after the poor or the sick? How does the government make money? Are there taxes? What kind?

5. History - What is the history of your island/country? How was it founded and by whom? Was there any wars or was it a peaceful settlement. Were people brought from another country to populate this country?

Helpful Hints for creating a papier mache island:

A few drops of oil of wintergreen stops the papier mache from rotting over the years.

Begin bringing old newspapers to begin the project.

The school will provide the wallpaper paste to assist with the papier mache.

Try to cut a plywood (thin) platform that measures no bigger than 13” x 13” (sorry, I only had my prehistoric ruler.)

Grass and moss have lots of good uses for forests, lowlands, etc. Sand is good for beachfront. And pepples from outside are fabulous for reefs and rocky shorelines.

Some students have even used coffee grounds for a dirt appearance!

Above all - enjoy this project. It is amazing what one learns about landforms when one has to recreate them! Enjoy!

For more information/clarification - Please feel free to email me at calbrecht@sd35.bc.ca or telephone at 604 790 5849

Mrs. Albrecht's Lengthy Explanation for why she dislikes Hallowe’en Stance October 8, 2007

First off - Happy October everyone: Parents, Guardians, Students, Readers! I love October because it has the most beautiful colours I have seen (I tend to favour autumn shades). Autumn also brings to mind hunting season. Yes, I was an ‘avid’ hunter in my Kamloops days. I was also the gal who could shoot bottles off of a fence but, God forbid, aim it at an actual animal? Not a chance!

If your child hasn't already informed you, I am a 'Bah Humbug' Teacher when it comes to celebrating Hallowe’enEven with my blasé attitude towards Hallowe'en, I still can get a good chuckle out of Hallowe'en jokes like this one:

I was not born hating Hallowe’en. Quite the opposite; I loved Hallowe’en as a child and often went out trick or treating (until the ripe ol’ age of 12 when my Mother determined I was officially 'too old').

During my elementary school years I attended friends’ Hallowe’en parties, ate roasted pumpkin seeds, made candy apples, toffee popcorn, and created Hallowe’en themed art. My elementary school (and others throughout the district) NEVER promoted Hallowe'en as a legitimate 'event'; didn't encourage classroom parties; would not accept children arriving at school in full costume, and would not provide Hallowe'en themed learning resources.

The following cartoon is unrelated to Hallowe'en but reminds me of how I would torment younger siblings/relatives at Hallowe'en. I would insist the young 'uns empty their candy bags on to the table so that I could assess and remove any potentially 'tainted' pieces. Of course 'removal' meant I would eat all my favourite candies - from their bags - as soon as their backs were turned. However, I would remind them it was a good thing I was there to save their lives. (Yes, I was the middle child - Christine the trickster.)

Fast forward to teaching. My first Langley placement (grade 7) was a job share with a fabulous male teacher. He showed me how to organize grade seven students into peer leadership groups. The two of us, and our student leadership groups, went on to create a haunted house for the school. The haunted house was simply the classroom partitioned off like a rat's maze, completely darkened except for some strategic lighting, and various props strewn about. The final result (courtesy of childrens' vivid imaginations) was a spectacular and spooky winding path that led you past a graveyard, a Frankenstein, and other ghouls and goblins (with some even moving). In lieu of having to pay a set price of $1.00, visitors could set their own price and all proceeds went to UNICEF (after materials costs. AND... I started to soften my negative stance regarding Hallowe'en. My relaxed attitude was short lived.

A small group of 'visitors' decided to preview our haunted house to determine how scary it would be for the younger students. The group began to enter, and then they stopped. They didn't even attempt to see beyond our Frankenstein greeter, nor did they care to listen to our explanations (ie: that we keep the lights on for grades 2 and under - and for some of the older ones). I was approached by the group and severely reprimanded for my poor decision in letting the grade sevens partake in such an acitivity. I was indirectly compared to a devil worshiper and the more this group ranted about the haunted house set up, the more I vowed never again. As well, that particular group of adults taught me the importance of acquiring knowledge and making good choices rather than living with self-imposed ignorance. (Remember, this group had directed all of these accusations against my jobshare teacher and me without even looking in the room or at any of the props.

After this unfortunate experience, I simply ignored Hallowe'en at school which was relatively easy because none of the schools I taught in acknowledged Hallowe'en. Occasionally Hallowe'en would be suggested as a potential activity/fun event for students but fiercely objected as it was deemed immoral, evil, teaching students the wrong values, etc. I respect everyone's right to personal/moral/religious views, so I dismissed all Hallowe'en associations from my classroom except when I (quietly and only at home) continued with my personal Hallowe’en observances. Albrecht's Family Traditions: ... Hmm, how many children can I fit into my bubbling cauldron, along with my homemade pickled frogs' brains, and eyes of newts? 0h so many darn recipe adjustments! Well, perhaps if I remove the kids' heads and feet? Darn - No? How about removing the frogs' heads and feet? That's it! ).

Imagine my surprise when I came to Willoughby and discovered that not only was Hallowe'en openly celebrated, the school's population (especially teachers) were encouraged to dress up. I've chosen not to dress up as I still respect the percentage of families opposed to the custom. As well, there will always be students who do not want to (or are unable to) dress up in costumes. (An observation - adults are scary enough to small children without putting them in bizarre makeup and clothing. Sheesh, talk about traumatizing the wee ones.)

So mean ol’ Mrs. Albrecht will NOT be having a Hallowe’en party this year or any other year to come. Students may dress up (as per school expectation) or not, and students may share a classroom treat if they wish. But PLEASE do not ask me to organize a Hallowe'en party for the class. I will not set aside a couple of hours for children to play games, sings songs, binge on sugary treats, and participate in Hallowe'en themed events especially for a day that is not even recognized as a 'proper' holiday or event. The day will keep its educational focus, just as any other.

Wow, this was a long post/rant. I hope that my entry will answer any question you may have about my lack of enthusiasm for Hallowe'en. And if this post has only served to leave you with even more questions for me... the classroom door is always open and you are welcome to drop in at any time.

Mrs. Albrecht - Time Bandit

October 1st, 2007

I think I may have become a “Time Bandit” in my students’ eyes. Last Friday, September 28, an interesting exchange took place between myself and the students in Division Four.

“Next time I see you will be in October” I casually announced as they were leaving for the day.

“What?”

“No way!”

“How can that be?” was the reaction.

Then the teacher-pupil exchange took on an accusatory tone as the class realized that September had indeed, passed.

“Hey, what happened to the third week of September?” a boy asked (with the tone of a lawyer, I might add).

“Yeah”, came the supportive chorus, with accompanying nods.

I started to laugh at this implausible scenario (that, somehow, I had stolen and hidden an entire week of school). I reminded the students that we had only been in our officially assigned classrooms since September 10th,which made the month seem very short.

So yes, they were right. We hadn’t ‘ideally’ received a third week of a school month. Technically, though, September was over and all weeks were accounted for.

I knew then that I was going to be held accountable for many school ‘happenings’ (whether they are my responsibility or not). This group of children is not letting anything slide by without close examination.

And I wouldn’t want it any other way.