Hannah's Month 1 Reflections

It's only been about a month since I've been working in EPCOT class with the Gladiator Snails but it feels like it's been much longer. This is because the Gladiator Snails are always on the go and working on so many different exciting projects. Some things that I have found particularly interesting so far have been our field trip to the Museum of Nature, learning about sharks in Fiji through emails with Lauren, and getting to know Norman, Hedgwig, and Syd and their personalities within the classroom. 

Right from day 1, the students in EPCOT class have been so welcoming, helpful, and accepting, both to me and to all the other guests and volunteers who have entered the classroom. All of the Gladiator Snails have been so much fun to work with because of their curiosity and desire to learn. It's amazing to be in a school where creativity and individuality are a focus. I've also enjoyed being immersed in a classroom that uses technology to their advantage and it's amazing to see how the Gladiator Snails use tools like blogging, videos, and chrome books to expand the walls of their classroom.

I think Alternative Schools are great because students can focus on their strengths and work on projects that allow them to thrive. I think Shauna's quote, "People learn in different ways on different days" is amazing and it really shines through in her classroom. I think it's a philosophy that all educators should adopt and something I am looking forward to carrying through in my future.

I am SO excited to be able to work with the Gladiator Snails every day of the school week for the next little while. I am also looking forward to working alongside Natasha and Stephanie and getting to know them better. I am becoming much more comfortable in the classroom, and now that I have a grasp on the personality of the class, I can't wait to get to know the personality of everyone who makes up room 209! 

Stephanie's Week 1 Reflections

First blog post- hooray! This first week in EPCOT class has been funtastically awesome.  The Gladiator Snails, Shauna, and all the staff have been super welcoming, and very helpful in helping me to become familiar with the school, and the classroom routines. Day 1 we played  get-to-know-you UNO, where I learned a few things about each student (including their names!), and my fellow student teacher Natasha! The following day we started doing A Book of Awesome, so I was able to learn more awesome things about the gladiator snails! I even learned the clever and funny way they got their name.  Additionally, I learned that they're super great dancers as they performed so amazingly in gym class to Uptown Funk!  I also went on a few tours this past week, where I was given a tour of the school by two awesome tour guides (Thank you Katie & Raphie!); we took a virtual tour of a Chicken farm; and I was given a tour of the twitterverse! 

 It has been really great being able to see how the gladiator snails are such active and informed global citizens in how they help with Ryan's Well,  and how a little act of kindness can go a long way when we #wearyellowforseth. 

I'm super excited to continue my learning adventures in EPCOT class! (:

Natasha's Week 1 Reflections

I can't believe that we are starting our second week together already! The first week was so fun, the time has flown by! I have learned so much about all of you, Shauna, and the class routines. I was very impressed with the class meeting on Friday. All of you are so insightful and had great ideas and comments! I look forward to teaching more and more, and working with all of the Gladiator Snails! You guys rock!

What Stuck With Us Today? - Wednesday, March 25th, 2015

What's your name?	What stuck with you today?	Anything else you'd like your class to know?
Lilah	Today I read The Secret Invention by Thea Stilton. From what I read, there were some pictures. I looked at them and I think I know what it means. There are three girls and they were trying to see their secret invention.
Sophie 2015	the book in tree family was a Riley niss book I learned something when someone is saying men thing to you say so.
Sam	I liked writer's share today and learning about other people's ideas.
ike	what stuck with me today was when we read the book about bullying in tree families I learned that if someone insults you just say so what.
Nindi	I heard lots of stories and I would like to hear the end of them	nope
Owen. D	Today what stuck with me was that I got writer's blog. I found out that if you have writer's blog, then it is a good idea to listen to other peoples ideas. That's all for today folks!!!	No.
TOMMY BOMMY	What stuck with me today was that we were doing tree families. Our word of the month is accountability which is the same as responsibility. We read a book about accountability. It's about a guy who is the new person in class and was going to play basketball with is friends and he started to play a mean game and saying mean things. One person went home and told his dad and his dad said "I'm the best at this game" and he just kept saying "so?" I also did free write today. It was really fun. I think that is my favourite subject. Math is a good subject too but we didn't do that today.
Mariko	I learned a lot about stories that my classmates are writing. I also learned not to be mean from my tree family.
Ava Kitten	I liked today because it was intresting and i likeed hearing about Peoples trips on march break.
Alexander	Making my book about the man called the Firefly. He is an amazing superhero with a circle light on his hand and can use his circle hand to shoot yellow blasts, but he does not have a cape.
R a p h i e ( k r a k e n )	whats stuck with me today is when we went up to the music room with owen and we played ukuleles and I learned a couple of chords like c g and a minor.
Rowan	What stuck with me today is working on my guinea pig slideshow with Katie.
miss Katie	We did writers share today where we shared like a little bit of a commercial of what we are writing right now.	nope.
@fatcat613 aka:Oy	I learned that it is AWESOME to have lots of free write! WE had 30 minutes!!!
Gracie	I learned that you can play this type sea shell as a instra ment.
Twanetta	I learnt that you can play the Conch shell and we got to listen to one on youtube!!! It was fun!!!
shaner	I practiced on free write
huddy-buddy	i liked recesse!!!	aaa no!!!
Pikachu 2015	What Stuck With Me Today Is I Learned Language How I Learned It Was Language.	No

What Stuck With Us Today? Monday, March 23rd, 2015

What's your name?	What stuck with you today?	Anything else you'd like your class to know?
Indi	Well I learned that at this farm they only feed the hens/females not the roosters/males so the hens make and lay the eggs that we eat!!. And that they mix different mixture of foods. At the farm they have 3000 000/3 million chickens/hens and they lay 2400 000/2.4 million a day.(can you believe that ) NO WAY!!!	and shauna is AWESOME!!!
Tim	1.stephanie and Natasha are student teachers that came in today. They are nice and have a cool way of playing UNO. They help out with things if you need them. 1. The hens sing when they lay an egg 2. Creyton family farm has 3 million chickens (holy camole!) and every day all 3 million chickens lay 2 400 000 eggs 3. A boy chicken is a rooster and a girl chicken is a hen
Ava .b.	we lernd a bot chicens .	...
Rowan	I really liked the activity about getting to know each other that Stephanie and Natasha planned for us. It was really fun. Her are 3 fun facts about chickens: 1.When a hen lays an egg, she starts singing, as if she is proud of herself. 2.The Creighton brothers farm has 3000 000 chickens and they lay about 2 400 000 eggs a day. 3. They grind the mix of feed so that chickens can't just choose whatever they want. Today I really liked doing the virtual field trip with the Creighton brothers' farm.
Owen M Delage	I really liked the game that the knew teachers did. It was a game where you picked a number and when it was your turn you would say the number you had of things about yourself. I learned that each day 2,400,000 eggs are laid by chickens. Chickens are born both male and female, like snails.	No.
Mariko	I love playing the Uno card game because i got to learn about my classmates and Natasha and Stephanie. Did you know ... The farmers mix fat in chicken food. Chickens take what they want out of the food, so you have to grind the food together so they eat all of it. Hens sing when they lay eggs.
shaner	I learned that our student teachers stephanie's sister is 12 years younger. natasha has a younger sister. on the egg farm there are 3,000,000 chickens and 2,400,000 eggs a day. when a hen lays a egg its really happy. they only feed the hens.
ike	what stuck with me today was when we watched the video about chickens I learned that the farmers that work at the farm grind the chicken feed so the chickens don`t get all the unhealthy stuff. I also learned that chicken manure that the chicken`s produce is shipped to places where the dirt isn't good and they need it. I also learned that chickens can eat beans and corn. we also have some new student teachers.
TOMMY WOMMY	There was two people who are student teacher I liked it when we played the name game it was awesome. We watched a live video of the egg farm. They only feed the hens because they need to lay the eggs. They have 2 400 000 eggs per day. They have three million hens. The Hens dance when they lay an egg it is crazy.The chicks like to explore when they are old enough.we went to the library it was so so fun and awesome!!!
Sam	We played a fun card game with Natasha and Stephanie. We watched a Virtual Field Trip. It was at Creighton Brothers Farm. I learned that they put the poop on plants to fertilize them. I liked when they told us about how many chickens there were and how many eggs they lay. When a chicken lays an egg, it's so proud, it sings.
Gracie	I like it when.... They were explaining the lesson well. Next time.... They can be more strict. The 3 things i learned from the egg lesson was... 1 When the mother lase a egg it is proud of its work so it starts to sing. 2 They have to make the hen room warm so the eggs can come out. 3 They have 3000000 chickens on there farm
Katie the lady	We saw a live virtual egg farm field trip here's the things i learned: -there is 22 buildings on the farm -everything is natural -the chickens pick out the favorite foods of the other foods -the people that feed the chickens smash up their food so that the chickens get all the protein they are supposed to. The student teachers were good and i liked the game because i got to tell my class about me and learn about them!but next time it should be quieter that i can hear my classmates better.I also learned a lot about how a chick grows but if i tell you about it my hands will be so tired of typing that my hands will fall off!	nope.
Alexander	At a farm, the farm has 3 000 000 chickens. The farm is called Crayton Brothers. Chickens eat a lot of wheat because they`re the ones who need to survive by eating wheat. Natasha and Stephanie are awesome. I really like volleyball like Stephanie.	The cruise I went on had everything. It had a universal lounge, a swimming pool, and a water park, and an area for sports. The awesomest uncle in the world came on it.
Lilah	The chickens lay 2,400,000 eggs a day. The farm has 3,000,000 chickens. In the feed there are lime rocks. I liked the game because we got to tell people in our class about you, or if you got the wild card you would be able to ask a question to Natasha and Stephanie!
Ava	I Like stephanie and natasha's game i think they will be really good teachers.We went on a video field trip and learned about chickens the from's name is called Creighton brothers we stopped for a break and missed a lot of the video 1.They feed the hens more because the hens lay eggs and there eggs are yummy 2.3 million chickens 3. 2.4 million eggs each day	NOPE
@fatcat613 aka:Oy	What I liked for Stephanie and Natasha: I liked the awesome game we played!!! Egg farm what I learned: 1.There are 3 million chickens in the creighton brothers chicken farm!!! 2.The chickens lay enough eggs a year to go around the world 1 and a third times WOW! 3.Hens sing when the lay an egg because of how proud they are of what they did!
Twanetta	I learned from the egg farm video was... -They only feed hens not rooster's -They have 3,000,000 chickens on the farm -The corn look's different when it's cooked and when it's not I liked it how you made a new game with the cards and at the same time we were learning fact about each other.
Pikachu 2015	1 Idea From Our New Student Teachers They Are AWESOME. 3 Things I Learned From The Egg Farm:At The Farm Their Are 3000000 Chickens and The Chickens Lay 2400000 Eggs Everyday,The Creighton Farm Is A Family Farm Since 1925,And They Feed The Hens(Girl Chickens) They Don't Feed The Roosters(Boy Chickens). I Learned French Today How I Learned It Was French.	No

Welcome to our New Student Teachers

I am looking forward to meeting and working with our two new student teachers, starting on Monday!

Here, they introduce themselves:

Stephanie Pimenta

Dear Gladiator Snails,

My name is Stephanie Pimenta and I am a student teacher at the University of Ottawa.

I’ve been working all year learning awesome ways to try to be a super great teacher, and I’m excited to keep learning from Shauna and all of you! I’m looking forward to learning about all the cool ways to use technology! I’ve seen some of the awesome work you’ve all been doing (such as the news videos) and I know I’ll be learning from the pros! I’ve also seen the Gladiator Snail’s twitter and blog, and noticed many wonderful things going on in the school community, like supporting Ryan’s Well Foundation. I look forward to being part of this wonderful community, and I hope to learn more about it as I prepare to enter the classroom, and while I am within it.

I’m also really, really, REALLY excited to meet Hitchbot Jr!! I am super excited to come into your school to continue to support students and make learning exciting and engaging.

I have always wanted to make a positive impact on the lives of others, and have felt that teaching is a great way to do that.

Aside from my love of learning and teaching, some of my hobbies are reading, writing poetry, letters, and stories, watching Disney movies, playing volleyball, and spending time outdoors. I would like to also learn about any clubs/groups that you may be involved in and what sorts of things interest you!

 I consider myself very fortunate to be able to work with the Gladiator Snails, and I hope you will learn as much from me as I will from you. I can’t wait to get to know each one of you, start a learning adventure with you, and support you any way I can!

I look forward to starting my teaching practicum with you all on Monday, March 23rd!
See you soon, Stephanie (:

Natasha MacDonald

Hello Miss Pollock and Gladiator Snails!!

My name is Natasha MacDonald, and as you know, I am completing my Bachelor of Education
at the University of Ottawa. I am looking forward to meeting all of you, and learning with all of
you, in the EPCOTclass!

I have lived in Ottawa my whole life, and one of my favourite things to do is play music. I have
been playing the violin for 18 years now. I had the opportunity to attend Canterbury High
School for the Arts in their music program; they have other arts programs too, like visual art,
drama, dance, and literary arts.  I also completed my Bachelor in Music here at the University of
Ottawa, specializing in music education.

My involvement in music eventually led me to teaching private violin lessons. That’s when I
knew that I loved teaching! I then began to take courses for the Suzuki Method, a popular violin
method that I actually grew up with. The teacher training starts with a course called “Every
Child Can”. The whole method is very much based on the title of that course, something that
Shinichi Suzuki referred to as talent education, meaning that every child can develop talent. He
also wanted to help shape good citizens, and this is something that I really admire about the
method. I like to bring these ideas into the classroom with me; I believe that every child can!

Although I’ve done lots of music training, I also love to learn new things in all subjects! I am very
excited to be a part of your classroom, and the school community. I know that I have the ability
to approach ideas or concepts from multiple perspectives, and this helps me to explain things in
multiple ways when you need it most! I love questions, and encourage curiosity about the
amazing world we live in.

With my background in music, I am hoping to bring that into some of my lesson plans; to allow
you to be expressive and have fun while you learn. I am also really excited to see how you use
technology in the classroom. It sounds like the Gladiator Snails are real computer-whiz kids!

Once again, I look forward to meeting and learning with you!

Sincerely,
Miss MacDonald

What Stuck With Us: Tuesday, March 11th and Thursday, March 12th (+Sharks!)

What's your name?	What stuck with you today?	Anything else you'd like your class to know?
Lilah	We learned a lot abawt sharks i wos fon.
Owen. D	What stuck with with me today was the second recess because there was a big fight about coloured ice.	NNNOOOPPPEEE!!!
Jaq clusto Ava bunny rambo delaj	math	...
robert the scientect	i learend about sharks
Tim	what stuck with me today is me missing my recess time because of how much work I had
Mariko	I learned a lot about sharks and baby Alice came today.
Ava cat	I learned a lot about sharks,did know that stingrays are the cousins of sharks!learning about sharks is really fun did you I did not really like both recesses.
R a p h i e ( k r a k e n )	What stuck with me today is when we played a chicken game where we had to play rock paper scissors and you started in a egg and then a chicken and then a dinosaurs and the a superhero and it was a lot of fun.
Indi	What stuck with me was that I almost finished everything in my ketchup, only 2 left and I am almost a pickle.	Oh yeah
Samalama	It was interesting to do Kid Citizens because you could post pictures on it and draw a picture of your family. You posted pictures of food.
gracie	I learned a lot about sharks like that girl sharks are bigger then boy sharks.
Sophie 2015	I had a good time at art club it really stuck to me.	EPCOT class is awesome...From Sophie!!!
@fatcat613 aka:Oy	I learned a lot about sharks I learned that from a awesome website sharks 4kids. It was awesome!!!
robert the scientect	i learend about sharks
miss Katie	We did a video to lauren (shauna's cousin that is trying to save the sharks)WE had to say at least 3 facts about sharks but I did 10!	Tomorrow is crazy hair day!!!
ike	what stuck with me today was when me today was when we learned about sharks I learned that baby lemon sharks have belly buttons.
TOMMY WOMMY	What stuck with me is that we were doing a shark play and we only did about 6 people in the video but we're going to already send it to Shauna's cousin. Her name is Lauren. I did the video. What also stuck with me is that we did a lot of basketball in gym today. It was fun but I need to work on my passing at home.
James	I learned a lot about sharks. I learned it by doing a presentation to the class, it was really fun because we had a lot of fun doing the presentation.
Twanetta	I learnt A LOT about sharks how I learnt it was we got to do a show about sharks I didn't get to go yet tho. :(
shaner	I learned shark facts from my classmates
huddy-buddy	i loved gym because we played basket ball!!!	aaa no!!!
Pikachu 2015	What Stuck With Me Today Is I Learned Some Language How I Learned It Was Language Today.	No
Ava cat	I liked doing pencil art and i liked out door tree family.
R a p h i e ( k r a k e n )	what stuck with me is when we went outside and we got to do cool activities!!! and it was awesome!
indi	WE did not do math
Mariko	we went outside 3 times for tree families and we did art with Tiu's class.
James	I learned that pencils can be a lot of fun to play with and create things with markers. I learned it by doing a project with Tiiu's class and we had a lot of fun with pencils. We had a hunt for pencils.
Rowan	What stuck with me today was making pencils and decorating them with Tiiu's class for a collaborative project in barcelona.
ike	what stuck with me today was when we did outdoor play
shaner	I practiced on art with tiiu's class
Oyster	I learned it is awesome to do activities with our tree families. we had lots of fun!
gracie	I learned that anything can be a craft today today we decratid a pencel.
Owen Stowen Fowen Delage	Today what stuck with me was learning that tiiu`s class messed up are chromebooks. It is all worked out now.	Nope.
Jaq clusto Ava bunny rambo delaj	We wer weriting on pensls.	nope.
Pikachu	What Stuck With Me Today Is I Learned Some Art How I Learned It Was Art With Tiiu's Class Had Art With Us Today.	Everything Pikachu Can Say:Pi,Pika,Chu,Cha,Pikachu. I Am Pretty Sure No Other Pikachu Saying's.
TOMMY WOMMY	We did a lot of fun stuff. It was really fun and we were doing a project with a lot of pencils. You had to get a pencil and decorate it. I decorated mine light green and dotted green with green tape in the middle. We also tree family outdoor day today. I did a lot of activities like stuff you would do in gym.
Twanetta	I learned that there's a project that the world is doing and we got to decorate the pencils on the pencils they need your name and the city of where you live so we all put Ottawa.
Mrs. Katie the lady	We went to tiiu's class and made pencils for a project in barcelona where they need decorated pencils to make one huge pencil!	nope.
Sophie 2015	there was a awesome corse.	EPCOT is awesome!!!
hudson	i loved gym!!!	aaa no

What Stuck With Us - Monday, March 9th, 2015

What's your name?	What stuck with you today?	Anything else you'd like your class to know?
Indira	I learned that I have to do my work quicker.	no
TOMMY WOMMY	I learned that when you are watching french video you have to listen to the words if you want to learn french.Today I had so so much fun at recess it was awesome!!!
Sophie-19	I am going to LLI but I do not want to go to LLI.	Shauna can we talk and work something out please.
Alexander	i am going on a cruse tomorow
R a p h i e ( k r a k e n )	what stuck with me today is that I have to stop skipping school because im sick so dont have to have a lot of ketchup work.
Tim	what stuck with me today is all the work I did and finished today
spete degow	i lrnd my brothr eats abonch
Pr. Owen M Delage	Today what stuck with me were the two books because I think that I got them done really nicely.	Nope.
Oyster boyster noyster loyster	I learned that it is hard to do lots of ketchup work we had so much!!! :(
Katie with Caine on my shoulder	We wrote 2 books to amanda and genevieve-Katie /c t0szz8kvkeb-----------r--caine	caine is not very talented in typing!
James	I learned that school can be a lot of fun.I learned it by having fun at school.
Speedy on my lap	It was a ketup mustard day and it was pretty boring because i was pickle for most of the time.
shane	I practiced on ketchup work and mustard work and now i'm a pickle(yes)
Rowan	What stuck with me today was finishing all my ketchup work. It made me feel really good.
Lilah	i lrnd i will stay in for reses if i dont finith my wrc
Twanetta	I learnt how to make a form. How I learnt it was I made one with Ro Ro. How do you send it and save it? We lost the form that we made. :(
robert bobert sobert gobert cobert mobert	pickle free write	NEVER!!!
Pikachu	What Stuck With Me Today Is I Learned Language How I Learned It Was Language Today.	No
ava bunny	math

Puppet Pals News Show #3: Part 4

Tim introduces our newest friend, Syd:
Lilah and Indi are happy to tell you about Tree Families:

What Stuck With Us Today - Friday, March 6th, 2015

What's your name?	What stuck with you today?	Anything else you'd like your class to know?
Lilah	i lrnd finish yor wrc
Rowan	What stuck with me today was finishing my sideweird story. I did mine on the desk monster.
robert	what stuck with me today is that i wrote a story on side werde storys
gracie	I learned that that muslims and jews can be friends if you really believe in it. We all can make a stand in the world.
Alexander	Doing a lot of technology things and I cannot wait until tuesday for my carnival cruise to the Bahamas.
Tim	what stuck with me today is makinging my Puppet Pals video. And that after today, it will be the weekend. I will be able to sleep in and I won't have to get up really early.
Mrs. Katie	I had a fun but short friday free time. I learned that I have to check my work before entering it.	nope.
Twanetta	I practiced typing on typing web. Some people didn't sign in so they have to catch up. It's not me!!!
indi	My temperature feltwarm at the end of the day and «i didnt get a lot ofwork done and we missed reading buddies, I am excitedfor the weekend forthe nature museum
Pr. Owen M Delage	What stuck with me today was the PP video me and oyster and james made. I was a cool spy and oyster and james were evil people and it was based in the wild west. I was as fast as sonic in the video.	Nope.
Jamsie	I learned that puppet pals can be so fun.I learned it by doing puppet pals at free time friday today.It was very very fun.
Oyster boyster noyster loyster	I learned that a class needs to stay on track! I learned that from our class we had to catch up (Ketchup) on lots of things. It was hard work!!!
TOMMY	We had to do a lot of work, I finished all the work and I do not have to do any work this weekend. We had free time and it was very fun. Im going to practice reading at home on the weekend
ike	what stuck with me today was when we were exploring this web site called sharks 4kids I learned that when people catch sharks and just cut off there fins and put the rest of the shark back in.
shane	I practiced on typing web Shuna gave us a test
hudson	i liked ressece	aaa no!!!
Pikachu	What Stuck With Me Today Is I Learned Some Language How I Learned It Was Language Today.	No

Puppet Pals News Show #3: Part 3

Liam and Robert talk about our inspiration, Walt Disney, and the reason we call our class an EPCOTclass:


Mariko wants to share about our French teachers - former and current!

What Stuck With Us - Thursday, March 5th, 2015

What's your name?	What stuck with you today?	Anything else you'd like your class to know?
Owen. D	Today what stuck with me was my math group because I got so much done.	Nope.
ike	What stuck with me today was when we did basket ball in the gym. learned that the second you put two hands on the ball you need to stop moving.and pass the the ball or shoot.
gracie	what stuck with me is playing the lolly pop game it is not the best game to play.
Jaq clusto Ava bunny rambo delaj	I for get wat was stuck with me.	npoe
Ali	gym
robert	i learned about multiplication jumps
Mrs. Katie	I learned that I have to stand up for myself and not only for other people.	nope.
Lilah	I lrnd red mor books .
Jamsie	I learned that basketball can be a lot of fun.I did it by doing basketball in the gym.
Rowan	What stuck with me today was learning about coordinate graphs in my math group with Michelle.
TOMMY WOMMY	I learned that you have to work hard in gym because you have to get all the crazies out of you. I also learned that I was doing solving math problems, and I learned a lot of stuff from the book because I answered the questions and got all of them right.
Ava Cat	I liked when we got to meet Lauren she is from nepean high school ! I am sad that we will not get chromebooks on tuesdays but arts and crafts are fun so i will like doing that on tuesdays!	Nope
Oyster boyster noyster loyster coyster foyster	I learned that it is awesome to have lots of time to do free write I had a lot of it!
Indira	I had a break with Michelle otday, and we didmaps and coordinates. We did basketball in gYm today, Lauren camein today and she is from Nepean she was helping with our class instead of going and she going to come in and do art!	No thank you
shaner	I practiced my math and I FINISHED IT!!!
Twanetta	I practiced IXL how I practiced that was after How Do You Feel Today Survey!!!
Pikachu	What Stuck With Me Today Is I Learned Some French How I Learned It Was French Today.	No
huddy-buddy	i liked gym and recess	aaa no!!!