Parent Coffee Mornings and Unit Integration

On Wednesday, September 24th, the elementary school hosted the first Coffee Morning of the school year.  Although the Coffee Morning was specifically aimed at parents and guardians of grade 4 students, it is relevant to parents and guardians of students in all grades kindergarten to grade 5 for several reasons.

The September 24th Coffee Morning was titled “Human Growth in the Tween Years”. “Human Growth in the Tween Years” connects to well-being, which was the topic presented to all kindergarten and elementary parents and guardians on September 15, Parents Back to School Day.

“Human Growth in the Tween Years” is also significant, because it is part of the PSPE (Personal, Social and Physical Education) curriculum, which students study from the beginning of kindergarten. During the September 24th Coffee Morning, Dr. Jett, the KG and ES counselor, shared with grade 4 parents and guardians, and some from grade 5, about upcoming puberty lessons in grade 4. Parents and guardians learned about the content of the puberty lessons and the approach taken to build a caring and open environment for students.

As you can see from the photographs, parents and guardians also had a chance to talk. They shared experiences with each other. Dr Jett also suggested ways to extend or build on the puberty lessons at home. For example, one piece of advice that really stuck with me concerned the big idea questions children sometimes ask. Dr. Jett pointed out that these questions can often be easily answered in an age appropriate way when narrowed down. The answer can be made more manageable if you consider how it relates to the child. Often there is a specific concern they have in mind, and they aren’t really seeking all the information now.

One change to the puberty lessons in recent years worth noting is that homeroom teachers stay in the room, regardless of gender. We believe it is important for students to understand that lessons about puberty are age specific but that there is nothing shameful about the topic.

 

The puberty lessons that take place in grade 4 connect to the Who We Are (Growth) unit of inquiry. Dr Jett’s lessons are an example of specialist integration. In particular, Dr. Jett integrated with the unit’s third line of inquiry: Developmental changes and growth (change)

Specialist teachers integrate with units of inquiry all the time. In fact, there is another Coffee Morning coming up. On Friday, October 10th, there will be a Coffee Morning called “English Language Learning in the KG & ES”.

This Coffee Morning is for parents and guardians of any and all students, kindergarten to grade 5. Like other specialist teachers, the English Language Acquisition teachers integrate into units of inquiry and other units, such as reading and writing, too.

What does language support look like in the kindergarten, in the lower elementary, and in the upper elementary? Ms. Lara Magtalas, Ms. Ingrid Chen, and Mr. James Block - our English Language Acquisition teachers - will tell you all about it on Friday, October 10th. Please come!