Fidget to Learn

Find it hard to concentrate in class?  Feeling restless? Need to Fidget? New research shows that directed movement promotes learning by relieving stress, increasing active listening, and engaging both left and right sides of the brain. Our range of Fidget Toys will meet your squishing, twirling, tapping needs!  Made by students, for students!

Happy Holidays

Grade 6 shared some holiday singing, crafts, and treats with fellow students this week!

La Vie

LA VIE La vie, c’est comme un manège Remplie de désavantages de privilèges Comblée de vitesses variées Mais pas tout le monde peut en profiter Découvrir les meilleurs choix pour apercevoir les meilleurs chemins Ce n’est qu’un début, Faut éviter les pépins, Prévoir l’imprévu La vie, comme un manège, c’est pus facile avec un amoureux C’est une grande aventure Qui roule au fur et à mesure Par contre, ça peut être très périlleux C’est mon plus beau cadeau Pleine de bas et de hauts La vie c’est comme un manège, Ça finit beaucoup trop tôt!

Je Suis

Je suis, je suis. tout seul, je vis sans lit, dehors, dans la pluie, mon coeur remplie intampéries, je suis, je suis sans arbi. un tourbillon de haine et de maleur, m'étourdi, enlève ma joie, mon bohneur je me relève en espérant un monde meilleur, je suis, je suis en douleur je suis riche en charéctère mais je suis pauvre, je suis grand en taille mais petit dans l'univers, je parle fort mais je suis silencieux à ceux qui m'oppose, je suis, je suis en colère. j'ai trouvé refuge dans une maison sans toit, l'a où le silence n'existe pas, j'ai peur mais j'ai pas le choix, faut changer de vie, bouger de là une journé, une autre passé, invisible et camouflé Du change! je vous empris j'aime pas ca être sans abris (où) je suis, je suis sans abris

People Hunt

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11KK9KlADlhqrk_qED-2NPhY1WFuca9VtrcBHqUthJZM/edit?usp=sharing

Welcome to Grade Six

Graduation

What a lovely ceremony, great party, and best time at Keno. Thank you for a wonderful year, students! You are definitely ready for high school! Learn, celebrate, appreciate, stay safe! here is the link for the slide show. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B6GqiVcV-XDlWkJsLVR4eV9IZGM/edit?usp=sharing

Paul's visit

Facing Choices I like Paul’s presentation because it was clear and it made me understand more about the choices and difficult moments that might face me in high school. I didn’t know how bullying could affect a person’s life so strongly. That maybe one little comment could make a person believe what other mean things people say to the victim. That that one little comment could lower the student’s grades, make him or her skip school, and even think of suicide. I learned that there are five different types of bullying: physical, psychological, cyber, sexual, and verbal. Girls sometimes exclude each other. There are two ways (that I have learned so far) to help people who suffer from bullying. The first is to just listen to them. Don’t talk, just listen. Show sympathy. Be there for that person. Give them a hug. Secondly, stand up for that person. Help the person report the bullying. Make them feel that they’re not alone. Paul also talked about why people use drugs and alcohol. He drew a scale to show how people who get dependent on drugs need more and more just to feel ‘normal’. They feel high for awhile, then very down. They need more and more just to get through the day. Imagine that. After that, it gets out of hand and you can’t even feel normal any more. It made me realize how dangerous drugs can be. If I ever get asked to take drugs, I’ll remember that scale. Paul used humour to keep our attention. But sometimes his face looked sad. I think it’s because he cares about the students he works with. Paul told us that he used to hang out with 17 friends. 10 died. 4 went to prison and only 3 went to university. Think of that. 14/17 didn’t have a good road in life. That’s way too much. It’s really sad how kids just throw their lives away like that. Mr. Paul told us that about 3 kids a day suicide because of bullying and drugs. I liked it when he said that, for him, one suicide was too much. I agree. Finally, Paul told us about a drug called GHB that can make you forget what happened to you so someone can make you do things you don’t want to do. Remember: never leave your drink on a table. Never accept an open drink from a stranger. Always stand up for yourself. Malorie Dion, 6B

Wherever I go valedictorian speech

WHEREVER WE GO All parents ask, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ Those answers changed every year. For example, Hugo, in grade 1, what did you want to be when you grew up? I knew that I wanted to be a princess! Now, I would like to be an interior designer or a teacher. What about you Hugo? At Holland, we learned that we can set goals and become almost anything. We learned to understand complex ideas about features, democracy, justice, resistance. We studied New France, light, mealworms, astronomy. We dissected owl pellets and chicken wings. We learned to calculate the area of a triangular prism! Holland School also gave us friends and memories. I remember all the Halloween parties and how funny our costumes were! Going to the pool was always fun! We celebrated every season: Terry Fox runs, Skating rinks, spaghetti suppers, and track and field... I would like to say thank you to all the teachers and principals who tried their best to make us happy and educated. I remember that, at nap time in kindergarten, I used to fake sleep just to get a gummy bear! In grade 1, we discovered the Daily Five and reading stamina! In grade 2, I liked shopping at the class store and, in grade three, we even visited the teacher’s house. In grade 4, I loved the sleepover at the end of the year. In grade 5, I appreciated Drama and all the jokes in class. Playing Bingo and Trois Photos was a nice break from learning French grammar. This year, I liked going to the Peps and the Hobbit. I can’t wait for Camp Keno. When we came to Holland in Kindergarten, our only concerns were snacks and play time. In grade two, ‘style’ meant wearing the most colours possible at the same time. Now, as we head into high school, we worry about tests, high school courses, taking the city bus, and making new friends. As we grow, our priorities change. People and experiences influence us. Our choices, not just our abilities, make us who we are. All my years at Holland hold special memories. Life can be hard, but the support of teachers, parents, and friends can make it easier. We are leaving elementary school. Wherever we go, we will remember the good start we had here. One of the books we read this year was the Hunger Games. So, in closing, let games begin!! And may the odds be ever in your favour!

Wherever I Go

Where ever I go I could be a scientist, I could be a plane, I could be flying, nothing is the same, I could be astronaut, take off in space but wherever I go, whatever I do, I know that I’ll be something great! I could be a space ship, aiming for the moon, if I miss it I’ll orbit back around soon, I WILL be different, don’t care what people think because I know deep inside that I’LL BE SOMETHING GREAT! I will be a graduate, missing Holland, my last day, I will make new friends, learn from my mistakes, I will have ideas, ideas that open gates, and I know wherever I go, whatever I do, I’LL BE SOMETHING GREAT By Julien Dion

UPcycling

rrrupcycle0 from Brenda Beatty on Vimeo.

THE HUNGER GAMES from Brenda Beatty on Vimeo.

show me!

The students created many show me`s about math!  Great work!

Trailers

Minecraft from Brenda Beatty on Vimeo.

April Outings

An Artful Trip to the Museum

Last week, 6G and  6B went to the Muse des Beaux Arts du Quebec. The title of the exhibit was Les Placticiens. The paintings were made by artists such as Tousignant. They were made in 1950 to 1960. The works of art were mostly  geometric shapes, strips of different bright concentric circles. There were also other paintings but with more dark colors and curved lines. There was one with plenty of shapes but one side was straight sided figures and the other curved lines. We noticed the primary and secondary colors, complementary colors, and warm and cool colors.  Some paintings created an effect of optical illusion. After the tour, we made a piece of art with three colours but only squares.

6B also went swimming  at the Y on Thursday, April 18 th. It was splashing fun!

                                                               By: David Dorion

Used Book Sale

NEW HOMES FOR OLD BOOKS

The grade sixes would like to thank the Holland Community for supporting our Used Book Sale held last April 24.  Every book found a new home; we definitely accomplished our goals of encouraging reading and promoting the idea of reusing items rather than buying new ones.  One grade three shopper exclaimed, ‘ this book sale was a great idea.  I love reading and now I have ten new books!’  That’s what it’s all about!  We received many donations of a variety of books enabling us to raise $174 for the Canadian Wildlife Federation.  Happy reading!

will S Amulet

My Reading Response for Amulet 2

I will be presenting to you the Amulet Book 2.

There are 3 main characters: Emily, Nathan, and their Mom. Emily is the most important character in this story because she got chosen to be the Stone keeper.  A stone keeper is chosen to hold and protect the amulet.  The amulet holds very powerful powers that can destroy almost anything. She is brave because she went to the deadliest mountain.  She risked her life to save her mom by taking a bite of a fruit even though she didn’t know if it was the right one and could of died if it wasn’t the good one.  She was looking for the healing fruit to save her mon who had been poisoned by a spider.  She is also smart because, at one point in the book, people tell her “get more, get more fruit”.  But she knew that if she took too much people would come and attack her to get the special fruit.  As well she knew that one was enough and the rest was wasteful.

Nathan is the second most important person in this story because he is the chief of the Guardians.  The Guardians were once people just like you and me but were transformed into animals over time.  He also had the cool job to control and drive the house.  It was the way they travelled around.  He doesn’t give up. He always wants to be with his sister.  He was scared that his mom would die so he didn’t want to feel the same way for his sister Emily.

I liked this book because it is a graphic novel.  It has pictures and is not too hard to read. I like these kinds of books.  Also, I like this book because it has adventure and action.  For example, one of the speaking trees called Alder says you can only get a special fruit at the top of the mountain and the characters go there.  An other example of the action is when one of the Stone keepers loses control and becomes a giant beast.  The house’s arms get ripped off but then Emily comes and uses the power of the stone to put them back on again so they can continue fighting.

There was suspense also in this story.  For example, when the fight was finished, she put so much power into the fight that the stone was getting so powerful that it wanted to overpower her.  We didn’t know if she would succeed in regaining control.  This is one of the most suspenseful parts in the book, I felt like if she was going to die so my heart raced a bit.

There were lots of different camera angles.  My favorite one was looking up but on a diagonal.  The picture was a thrown fist so it looked like it was moving.  I felt that the artist put a lot of time in these pictures.  I couldn’t have done that myself for all 5 books. 

The strongest character in my opinion is Emily. She never wants to give up.  She always wants to use her own force and will and not the force of the amulet.

This book teaches us that almost losing someone who is close to you can make you act bravely.  You never want to give up looking for that person or trying to help them.  For example, in the story, when Emily’s mom got poisoned by a huge spider, Emily heard that the only medicine that might save her mom was on the mountain, where dangers lurked.  Emily took her courage and decided to go quickly to the mountain.  She thought, “this is my mom and I will save her”.

In my real life when my dog died, I didn’t want to lose him so I got really sad.  The next morning, I thought it was all a dream.  I yelled for him and he wasn’t there.  I would have done anything to have saved him.

I’m really looking forward to reading the other 3 books.

Thank-you.

Chicken Hare by Julien

Oral language arts reading presentation

The title of my book is called “Chicken Hare”. It represents the main character that is half chicken, half hare. He has ears and tail like a rabbit but his legs and wings are like a chicken. He is a rare and exotic creature that’s nick-named “chicken legs”. The journey begins with a mysterious silhouette of a man and 2 small furry animals. It’s not until the second page that you really see the setting and the characters. The author did a great job of keeping you on the edge of your seat and making you keep reading. The suspense also rises as you jump in head first into dialogue. You can tell this book is a fantasy by looking at the first page. The animals are talking and the man is talking about some kind of monster with sharp teeth called shromph. The author also exaggerates with his art by making rich people have big noses, servants have small ones and he made the bad buys look as hideous and savage. Unshaved beard, loose jeans, huge smiles with pointy teeth and more. The setting is in a huge snow storm with mountains of ice. It reminded me of Antarctica.

       

       I think the meaning of the book is being different doesn’t mean you have different rights and respect. Klaus, the evil taxidermist, wants to kill and stuff chicken Hare just because he’s weird and different; I think everybody should have the same rights, the same respect and the same rules. I also the author wants to tell us that being too controlling doesn’t help relationships. For example Mr. Klaus stuffs his pets because he doesn’t want them to run away. In life you need to let your friends have their own air bubble and you have to give them space to live. When Chicken Hare and his friends: Banjo the monkey, Meg, and Abe the turtle, Escape Klaus, chicken legs finds a goat’s ghost and he chooses to follow him. He gets separated from the group. The goat, (Mr. Buttons) asks him a favour. Mr Buttons wants to get rid of his old master Klaus because it was his fault he was stuffing animals. He ran away from his master and then Klaus didn’t want his pets to run away so he stuffed them instead. I think that Mr. Buttons represents Martin Luther King because he wants to help the animals who are different. Just like Martin wanted to help the black citizens. I also think that Klaus represents the old government that were against the people with different skin colors. In my opinion, I see Chicken Hare as the strongest character because he is a leader and the intelligent one of the pack. He’s the one who gets the plans; he’s the one who keeps the team from breaking down. Like Banjo and Meg the siblings. If it weren’t be for chicken hare they would have fought each other and not the enemy. At the end they help each other when in need and even like one another. My favourite character was banjo because his personality was like mine. He is a clown and makes jokes all the time. He always looks on the bright side and even though facing death right in the face he can pull out a joke and cheer everyone up in a second. The author chose to make a graphic novel instead of a regular novel because he wanted to express his thoughts in more than just words. For example; he wanted to say that being different doesn’t mean you are weaker. He made the shromph small but very strong and powerful. He wouldn’t have been able to do that in words so that’s why he drew it instead.   

    

  

Bar Code Tatoo by Malorie

BOOK TALK ----> The Bar Code Tattoo

A tattoo. What harm could a simple tattoo make? In this book getting a bar code tattoo can ruin your life for others or improve it depending if you are different or have a problem. The thing is that no one has a problem, we’re perfect the way we are, however global 1 (the government or dictator) has a problem with people that are not like him. That reminds me of the Nazi party. They would eliminate people because they weren’t like him, which is really wrong, but what’s worse is that in this book Global 1 doesn’t just kill people by putting nanobots in the barcode tattoo, they pretend that it’s not them. The nanobots make the person think of suicidal thoughts and eventually commit suicide because of Global 1 and they just claim that it was a coincidence that they had the tattoo. They control the nanobots and if they decide that they don’t like one person they just press a button and it’s off their hands. The barcode tattoo is also the only way they can pay, work and much more, if someone has a tattoo and they have cancer or something, it will appear on the scanner and they will not take in the money or the identity. Kayla tries to run away from Global 1 by escaping to Canada. It’s a bit like the slaves in United States that were trying to escape from slavery. The population are in some ways slaves. If they have to listen to Global 1 or they get murdered and there’s no way of escaping except running to Canada. I think that the barcode is a symbol of dictatorship. Global 1 rules the whole world even if most of the population hates them. They even made a rule that if you don’t have a barcode tattoo you can go to jail or be punished by death.

When Kayla Reed runs away from Global 1 I got suspenseful because I wonder what happened to her friends that she worked with for Americans rights, Mfumbe her boyfriend, Allyson her friend, Augiel her friend, Amber her best friend.  They all went in different directions and we didn’t get to see them for a while. We also can predict that there is something different with Kayla. The author foreshadowed that she was a clone from her ‘‘Grandmother’’ and that she had bird DNA by her loving birds, talking telepathically and seeing visions of her clones.

I think that the ideas are really different in a good way. For example, the idea that global 1 rules the world, Kayla being a clone with an animal’s DNA which was surprising and much more... I really liked how all of that science fiction was also blended with real life to be more appealing for a younger audience like me. Suzane Weyn added a normal teenage girl life into her story, like a bit of romance, the urge of fitting in etc... The plot twisting events that I found were when Zeakel and Nedra were in Kayla’s group to stop Global 1 but really they were working for tattoo gen which forces people to get tattoos. Kayla and Zeakel were together but once she found that he was working against her she broke up. I wasn’t expecting that.

I think Kayla was the strongest character was Kayla because her father died because of Global 1 and the tattoo. Her mother died in her burning house trying to burn off her tattoo. Kayla had to run away her whole life until her and her friends hacked in a computer and shut down the whole system. However she stood up for herself and the whole world. I think we should learn by her actions and stand up for ourselves. Suzane made that message because every day kids and teenagers get bullied and make awful decisions because they are too afraid to speak up. Everyone has been bullied or teased at least once in their lives, so don’t let them get to you. I believe the author used exaggeration to prove herself right, like Global 1killing people for not having tattoos, which is a big problem. She’s just trying to say that even in little situation, don’t be scared and defend yourself and others.                       

     

Robotics Video

Robotics 2013 from Brenda Beatty on Vimeo.