AMORE du TOIT/Elementary News
“Lights, camera, action!” or “Say cheese” would be appropriate phrases to describe the past week at Stettler elementary. Our week started with class pictures being taken. A lot of ”picture perfect” smiles surfaced on Monday, April 11.
This smiley atmosphere continued and reached a happy high on Wednesday, April 13 when students attempted to bless as many Stettlerites with a smile sticker in the school’s “Share a smile campaign”.
An unknown author states that it takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three to frown. So, we decided to try the road of least resistance and decided to smile for a day instead of frown. At our school, we teach our students to be heroes who show respect to others. Although no endeavor involving many different people can ever be perfect, the smile campaign really did succeed in making many different people smile.
Mother Teresa said: “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.” I experienced one such thing of beauty as I accompanied my students on the smile campaign. I was especially impressed with students from the high school and middle school. These older students very graciously accepted many smile stickers from our kindergarten and Grade 1 students.
It was very endearing to see a big 6’1’’ boy kneeling down on one knee in order for a kindergarten student to place a smile sticker on his shirt. The physical size difference and age difference momentarily disappeared as both boys smiled at each other. All in all, I think students and staff alike found this smile campaign to be a very rewarding and even educational exercise.
We would like to thank our wonderful community for their participation. We are also smiling because we are so very proud of our students’ outstanding performances at the Stettler and District Music Festival.
Teachers and students alike did an outstanding job in using all their creative talents. Even though the kindergarten students did not participate in this festival, they got an opportunity to use their creative skills.
Kindergarten students along with their parents enjoyed making birdhouses on Wednesday, April 13 and Thursday, April 14. We would like to thank Gord Goodrich from the high school in helping us make these evenings, nights to remember.
Our Grade 2 classes were treated to a Pysanky Egg demonstration last Friday. Wendy Staal showed the students how the traditional Ukrainian Eggs are made and explained the meaning of the colors and symbols. This was a nice way to learn about the Ukrainian traditions that we study in Grade 2 Social Studies.
We are so thankful for Mrs. Staal’s willingness to donate her time and skills towards our students’ educational experience. We would also like to wish all a wonderful peaceful and love-filled Easter with family and friends.