2022 in Review

I continued to work at my two schools last year as a Casual Relief Teacher teaching Grades Prep (Foundation) to 6. Additional Professional Development last year included Spanish and Italian language lessons on Duolingo, weekly Online Ukulele lessons, Multisensory Learning for teaching literacy, and science and related meditation techniques for well-being via Dr. Joe Dispenza.

Professional Development 2021

Along with my regular work as a casual relief teacher, this year so far I've done PD online in Behaviour Management, ADHD and Special Needs, Supporting Students with Anxiety and Depression, and Story Box Library Features and Functionality. I'm also looking forward to a short course about the history of Humane Education, which I'm passionate about... Humane Education teaches kindness, develops empathy, and cultivates compassion toward animals, people, and the natural world. Students gain the knowledge and tools to make more informed and socially responsible choices that counteract real-world problems: Humane Education Coalition; Institute for Humane Education; Heart.

Fun Prep Activities This Term

Prep J and I made cute wristwatches for 'watch', the Word of the Week, and in Prep F we created a Pyjama Pictograph!

New Beginnings

This month in preparation for my next job in education, whatever that might be, I've been doing a lot of online professional development on literacy teaching, autism spectrum disorder, and mental health initiatives via the Department of Education and Training.

Jar of Awesome!

Here's my new Jar of Awesome! I got the idea from Tim Ferriss, an American entrepreneur, and it's all about celebrating the small wins in life. In the younger grades students can choose one positive event that happens that day and then dictate this to the teacher. In the older primary grades students can write the notes themselves. At the end of the day/week, the notes are shared with the class to celebrate and spread positive success vibes!

The Letter X

I've been doing art with my pre-prep students around the Letter X. They made cotton bud 'bones' to look like an X-ray after their hand was outlined with white spray paint! They also made X paintings using masking tape, then adding paint, and lastly, removing the tape.