June 26 2023 - Last Day of School

 

The Ministry of Education's calendar says that Thursday June 29 is the last day of instruction for secondary and June 30 for primary school.  Not only that on June 30, students are dismissed 90 minutes early in Halton. And what do you do on the last day of school?  Here are some highlights from WikiHow for the students: Prepare with your friends. Before the last day of school, gather your closest friends and plan some fun stuff. You all could do something crazy, or on the other hand, you could plan to do something that is more subtle. Here are some ideas for things to do on the last day to make it really stand out. Throw toilet paper around the school Break out in song during class Wear something that is unique to your friend group Create a collaborative painting during free time. Bring small gifts for your favorite teachers. Small gifts are a good way to say "I will miss you" to a friend or to a favorite teacher. Some good gifts for your favorite teachers include: Handwritten cards Home-made jewelry Cute keychains A candle Flowers. Give out gifts to your friends to cherish the time you all had together. Give out little candies or cute stuffed "graduation" animals in little bags. Maybe take a few snapshots with your camera of this day and send them to your friends later via Internet.   This is followed by saying lots of goodbyes to everyone.  Then there are are 29 unexpected last-day-of-school activities your students will love for the teachers. Things like stage classroom Olympics, trivia tournaments, take a meaningful walk, let the students teach,  end of year bingo, and so on.  I thought the making ice cream and paper airplane contests would be fun.  I thought that creating a summer bucket list was detrimental.  here's the rose arch entrance at Longwood Gardens. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Sep 8 2022 - School Days - What to wear

 

Here are nine trends for children in back to school fashion for 2022: Wide-leg pants Barbiecore Matching athleisure  Platform shoes Belt bags Oversized sweaters Tie dye Bucket hats Head to toe denim My favourite trend is the platform shoes - the platforms are on the top of running shoes.   Think Nike and think expensive.  And what about "athleisure" - isn't that a great expression - hybrid clothing is what it is considered - for athletic activities and in other settings.  Think leggings as that seems to be the dominant item.  The barbiecore trend is how to wear pink.  It is considered a much-welcomed mood-booster for 2022.  Embrace those vibrant hues.  "Barbiecore is for everyone - not just back to school. " School uniforms? Here in Ontario they exist in the Roman Catholic school system and in private schools.  There are advertisements for trendy school uniforms as well.  I'm not sure how that would work.   Do you remember what you wore on one of your first days of school?  This likely applies to women more than men.

This is Laura Secord Public School in Queenston.   A public school named after a national hero who never went to school.  Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblog.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Sep 21 2021 - School Days

 

How long is a school day for children?  In Ontario, it is generally 6 hours.  Exact school hours can vary by school board and level (elementary or secondary). There's legislation in each province covering the minimum length of a school day - in Ontario the minimum is 5 hours a day, excluding recess and scheduled intervals between classes.   There's only one difference between Grades 1 to 6 and 7 and 8 - there is no PM recess for grades 7 to 8.  Here's a sample from one of the Toronto District School Board web sites: 8:35     Supervision Begins   8:45   Entry Bell 8:50   Classes Begin 10:10-10:25   Recess 11:35     Lunch 12:30   Entry Bell 12:35   Classes Begin 1:55-2:10   Recess 3:20   School Day Ends 3:35   Supervision Ends   It looks neat and tidy, doesn't it. How long should a school day be?  There is lots of research and many articles comparing education systems around the world.  Taiwan seems to have the longest school day at 8.5 hours, down to 5 days for Finland.  It says Ontario has 6 hours in the average school day.   THIS is an article that compares Ontario's length of days, number of days, etc with other systems around the world.   There's lots of writing about the length of the adult work day.  Should we adults engage in recess in our work day?  Should there be time out for some play and physical activity? Articles say yes - adults need recess too. I guess it is something for each of us to consider. Here are some children on a Strasburg Rail Road passenger car about to enjoy a train ride.   Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Sep 17 2021 - School Buses

 

The school bus is everywhere I go in Niagara.  I don't remember them in St. Catharines when I went to school.  I assume that's because there were schools located within a few miles of each other.  As an urban community, that distance of walking to school was normal, expected and the only option. That's my guess.  Statistics confirm this. These are US statistics from the Safety Administration: In 1969, 48 percent of children 5 to 14 years of age usually walked or bicycled to school (The National Center for Safe Routes to School, 2011). In 2009, 13 percent of children 5 to 14 years of age usually walked or bicycled to school (National Center, 2011). In 1969, 41 percent of children in grades K–8 lived within one mile of school; 89 percent of these children usually walked or bicycled to school  In 2009, 31 percent of children in grades K–8 lived within one mile of school; 35 percent of these children usually walked or bicycled to school "The circumstances that have led to a decline in walking and bicycling to school did not happen overnight and have created a self-perpetuating cycle. As motor vehicle traffic increases, parents become more convinced that it is unsafe for their children to walk or bicycle to school. They begin driving them to school, thereby adding even more traffic to the road and sustaining the cycle. " What I notice is that school buses pick children up all over the neighbourhood and all over the streets everywhere.  The bus in my neighbourhood stops at the corner of my street and then the very next street.  School buses operate as parent and chauffeur substitutes.  With all those buses, things are complicated now - there are 18,000 school buses in Ontario.   There are equally complicated activities to return people to having their children walk to school.  Things like the Walking School Bus - you can imagine it means walking to school in groups under adult supervision using prescribed protocols. I realize that school busing alone tells us how much effort there will be to reduce our carbon footprint and start to address climate change.  We depend on our complicated social order. Today I am pitching the Fantasy of Trees wreaths for those of you who are fairly close by for pick up or delivery.  You can purchase one of the wreaths. I am partial to the Monarch Butterflies Wreath - it is a lovely gift.  Let me know if you might be interested.

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Sep 16 2021 - School Supplies

 

When I looked at my notebook the other day, I realized it is a school supply.  That I didn't consider buying a decent notebook for an adult.  In fact, I got it at Dollarama, at the lowest price.  This is a mindset left over from school days where a notebook wasn't valued but was a tool to be disposed of after one's courses.  Fair enough.  And it is interesting that the brand we most remember is Hilroy. Hilroy notebooks are now part of the ACCO brand. What's on the website?  A little about the start of the company: On July 4, 1918, Hilroy commenced operations in Toronto, Ontario. Disregarding the pessimism of skeptical business associates, Roy Corson Hill borrowed $432 on a life insurance policy and added it to $1,500 his parents obtained by mortgaging their home. With this capital, he formed his own stationery company: Canadian Pad and Paper Co. Limited. The company grew quickly, and by 1958 it was officially known as Hilroy Envelopes and Stationery Ltd. There must be hundreds of notebook jokes, given they relate to school: I made a car entirely out of pencils, rubbers, rulers and notebooks. Went to turn the key. Stayed stationary. Why doesn't a notebook move? Because it's a stationary object. Recently a teacher got arrested...Police found a pencil, ruler and notebook. Allegedly he was part of the Al-Gebra network and possessed weapons of math instruction. If you were to steal a historical figures research notebooks what you steal? Charles Darwin’s would be my natural selection. Here's the gorgeous bronze garden gate at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Front Street garden. It was on the Shaw Guild Garden Tour on Saturday.  This was described to me as a  "million dollar" landscape job about 10 years ago.  Fantastic amount of hardscaping - tiered walls down to a beach on the water, an infinity swimming pool, and so on. The view across is Fort Niagara, so this is prime real estate in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

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Sep 14 2021 - First Day of School

 

We had a conversation last week on the second day of school with a fellow whose son started grade 2 the day before.  What did his son think of being back to school. On his first day of school, he enjoyed seeing all his friends.  What was his favourite part?  Recess. That seems perfect, doesn't it.  These back to school articles full of nostalgic emotions, so I suggest these are written by adults:  "This year, the back-to-school experience was infused with a senses of anticipation usually reserved for Christmas Eve"  - that from the Ottawa Citizen.  And it concluded with:  "School, once a given, is now, suddenly, a gift." These are definitely adult sentiments rather than children's.  In comparison, here are two traditional first day of school jokes:    Teacher: Class, we will have only half a day of school this morning. Class: Hooray! Teacher: We will have the other half this afternoon. Billy comes home from school on his first day and mom asks him, "What did you learn today?" "Not enough," said Billy. "They said I have to go back tomorrow."   here is the first day of university jokes: On the first day of school, the college dean addressed the freshman class to explain some of the campus rules. "The women's dormitory is off-limits to male students and the men's dormitory is off-limits to female students," he intoned. "Anybody caught breaking this rule will be fined $20 the first time, $60 the second lime and $180 the third time. Does anyone have any questions? A male student raised his hand. "How much for a season pass?"   Most jokes are from a child's point of view - here we have a different point of view: The first day of school was always great. I remember mucking around in the classroom and wreaking havoc. Picking on the little kids and taking their lunch money. Asserting myself on the playground by tripping and pushing everyone. I just hope the students were having fun. This abstract is titled Playing in the Schoolyard - I think it is the chain link fence motif that inspired me.

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Classes Start

"Welcome back students - classes start."   The first day of school is a Wikipedia entry that traverses the world - starting with the A's - The Americas:  "A common pattern in North America and Europe is for school to begin in September, while in the southern hemisphere mid January to late February is common, with a few countries near the equator having a September start. It is most common in Canada, and parts of the US to start school the day after Labor Day". And as for Education in Canada - here are the statistics: "Education being a provincial responsibility, there is no Canadian national standard. In Canada the school year for elementary and high school consists of 178 to 200 days, depending on jurisdiction, but several days may be deducted from this total for professional development and administrative duties, resulting in approximately 187 teaching days per year for most jurisdictions. Elementary students receive approximately 950 hours of instruction and secondary students receive approximately 1000 hours per year". What about a bit of humour with the statistics: Q -What food do math teachers eat? A -Square meals! Q -How do you get straight A’s? A -By using a ruler! Q -What kind of school do you go to if you're: a surfer? Boarding school a big giant? High school King Arthur? Knight school an ice cream man? Sundae school We're looking at t a wonderful planting at the Denver Botanical Garden - in the background is Eupatorium capillifolium 'Elegant Feathers' - a new plant for me.  We know the Eupatorium native species here - Joe Pyeweed - an attractor of Monarch butterflies. plant. This would be a lovely display for the Night Garden - dreamy pale yellow and white flowers.

Last Day

I participated in yesterday's graduation at South Lincoln High School - it is the last graduation and  the school's last day.  It is one of 3 schools being closed due to dwindling enrolment.  It's not that Smithville isn't growing - as one drives towards it the wall of new build is there.  I don't think Smithville is covered by the Greenbelt legislation, so is expanding rapidly.  Part of the dwindling enrolment is students registering in other high schools because of extra programming and activities.  And then by 2020 the super high school will be built to consolidate all the high schools in the catchment area.   It was a different graduation last night compared to Blessed Trinity the night before.  For a school at its ending, the tone was upbeat and energetic with optimism for all.  There were contemporary references and students were treated more as equals (the difference of tone and language).  They were complimented on the quality of their performance and behaviour as a group and as individuals.  $35,000 in scholarships were being awarded this year.   Then there's the difference of principals.  Blessed Trinity's is sincere, open, and caring.  This female principal exuded charisma and excitement.  She related her recent overnight motorcycle trip to Stratford with her 10 year old daughter.  She started off with the active use of the 'extended metaphor' for both students and staff to engage in - she enjoyed the teaching opportunity. Here's the link to their tweets and we're included in one of the pictures - yes that's the principal with that wild smile. Compare that with Blessed Trinity tweets. We presenters were off to the side, so no shoe pictures from last night - these are Blessed Trinity's.

Back to School

Welcome back,  School began this week.  Even for those who aren't going back to school, there were so many years of school that it comes back to you anyway. Teacher: How can you make so many mistakes in just one day? Pupil: I get up early! Teacher: What time do you get up in the morning? Pupil: About an hour and a half after I arrived at school. What would happen if you took the school bus home? The police would make you bring it back! Mother: Does your teacher like you? Son: Like me, she loves me. Look at all those X's on my test paper! Mother: How did you find school today? Daughter: I just got off the bus and there it was! Son: I'm not going back to school tomorrow ! Father: Why not ? Son: Well I've been there a whole day, I can't read, I can't write and they won't let me talk, so what's the use ?