geniusowl.ca
Fall 2019, Volume 5, Issue 1
HOOT: STEM for schools newsletter New Beginnings for 2019-20 We started the Fall with memories of a very busy summer. What happened in the camps we visited at your schools was heart warming: we saw kids who were passionate, curious, and eager to learn alongside their friends.
Inside this issue New Beginning ............................ 1 Five Schools Safety Tips .............. 2
We also no ced the huge role that teachers play in kids' learning thanks to the teachers and teaching staff who helped the students bring out their true poten al.
EdTech Tools ............................... 2
We’ve been trying our best to help teachers in that goal, and that’s why we have plenty of plans for the 201920 school year.
Childcare Agencies ...................... 4
Stay tuned!
Digital Ci zenship ....................... 2 Coding a LEGO Maze ................... 3 Childcare in Ontario .................... 3 News@GeniusOwl ...................... 4
For a Smile .................................. 4
5 School Safety Tips It’s hard to know where to begin with school safety measures, especially considering their importance. 1. Regularly update school safety plans Maybe you worked relessly to create a school safety plan at the beginning of the school year, and haven’t made any changes since. This scenario is extremely common, but you’ll see far more beneďŹ t when you review your safety plan oHen, making any changes or addi ons as necessary. 2. Make sta, students and parents aware of all safety policies School safety rules should be readily available to every person who enters your building.
3. Provide teacher safety training Oer school-provided safety training sessions to help teachers eec vely manage their classrooms and keep the school environment as safe as possible. 4. Organize a school safety team Put together a school safety team, assigning individual roles so every problem can be managed. 5. Create a complete emergency response plan Students are generally safe at school, but prepara on against poten al emergencies is s ll an essen al addi on to your school safety plan. •
“New incidents and considera ons will likely come up during the school year, and upda ng your plan to reect this informa on ensures you’re considering the best safety measures for your school. “ EdTech Tools
Digital Citizenship
HOMER Stories: Kids Library Entertaining stories oer handy extensions to HOMER reading
Digital ci zens think cri cally about what they see online, understand the beneďŹ ts and risks of sharing informa on, and balance screen me with other ac vi es. But digital ci zens aren't born—they're taught by teachers like you! Kick o your Digital Ci zenship Ac on Plan by giving your students the space to voice their perspec ves on topics important to them.
Cons: Ac vi es and stories lack focus
Add a daily dose of digital ci zenship to your week with the Digital Ci zens (they’re a band!). These fun characters help young students learn about healthy media habits. And the videos for older elementary students will get them talking about how to recognize cyberbullying, how to ďŹ nd credible news and informa on, and more.
on comprehension; library isn't as big
To see the videos and ac vi es, please visit h=ps://t.ly/Z2A28 or scan this QR code:
Pros: 200+ interac ve and animated stories/songs.
as some compe tors. Bo=om Line: This versa le, storybased companion app to HOMER Reading connects kids to the wri=en word, and shines best as a supplement. Where: visit h=p://apple.co/32lDHd4 or scan this QR code:
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Childcare in Ontario •
The Ontario government is inves ng in new child care spaces to make life easier for francophone parents and families in St. Catharines. The province is providing $1.5 million to Conseil scolaire Viamonde to create three new child care rooms, with 49 new child care spaces, at École ÊlÊmentaire l'HÊritage.
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In 2019-20, the government will be inves ng more than $2 billion in child care and early years programs.
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Up to $1 billion in capital funding is being invested over ďŹ ve years to create up to 30,000 new child care spaces in
STEM Ac vi es in Class
Coding a LEGO Maze Coding is a fun and engaging way for students to build their cri cal thinking and problem solving skills through a STEM ac vity. Children as young as 5 or 6 can a=empt the easiest challenges, while the concepts introduced in the harder challenges are covered in any introduc on to programming class.
schools.
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The CARE tax credit will support families with incomes of up to $150,000.
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Ontario is also alloca ng $208 million through Consolidated
You can do a lot with Legos, even code! This ac vity teaches children how to think like a programmer with mul ple maze varia ons depending on your child’s comfort level with coding. The ac vity comes complete with worksheets (t.ly/1qEw7) and instruc ons:
Municipal Service Managers
Level 1: The child can see the speciďŹ c problem at hand and step by step walk their LEGO ďŹ gure out of the maze. Like the game Robot Turtles, this easiest level teaches the child to think from a point of reference dierent than their own. The child’s leH may not be the same as the ďŹ gure-inthe-maze’s leH, but even the youngest kids can learn this valuable skill of switching reference frame.
(DSSABs) to support wage
(CMSMs) and District Social Services Administra on Boards
enhancements for eligible child care professionals.
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The CARE tax credit will be
Level 2: Hopefully, by the me they’ve mastered Level 1, your students will realize that it’s a bit tedious to tell the character to move forward 7 mes in a row. Rather, it would be handy to just have a way to say “Do this next command 7 mes.� This level introduces the concept of “for loops.�
available in addi on to the
Level 3: Older children might be ambi ous enough at this point to realize that an awful lot of work goes into solving a speciďŹ c maze using the method of Levels 1 and 2. With the introduc on of “while loopsâ€? and “if statementsâ€?, kids can challenge themselves to write as short a program as possible to solve a speciďŹ c maze. The programmer just needs to consider all possibili es at any random loca on for their LEGO ďŹ gure and decide the best generic sequence of ac ons.
toward eligible child care
Child Care Expense Deduc on (CCED), which provides provincial and federal tax relief
expenses.
At the end of this process, the most mature kids will realize that it would be great if their LEGO ďŹ gure could remember where he had already been so that he could systema cally cover ground instead of seeming to wander aimlessly. This could mo vate a discussion of more advanced programming concepts such as memory and stored variables. (source: bit.ly/35HOQaf) •
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CHILDCARE AGENCIES:
Subscription Model
Association of Early Childhood Educators
Genius Owl is happy to an-
Mission : To build and support a strong collec ve voice for early childhood educators (ECEs) so they can par cipate in and influence posi ve change that benefits ECEs, children, families and communi es.
nounce we are going to roll out a new subscription model for its STEM workshops for schools and childcare centres. In the new model, schools pay a .ixed monthly payment and have the option of booking a workshop each trimester. This way, the cost will be spread over a year, and you will be able to enjoy 4 work-
Purpose: The AECEO is the professional associa on for ECEs and its primary purpose is to advocate for respect, recogni on and appropriate wages and working condi ons for all ECEs. The AECEO serves our members and the ECE community by:
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Building the capacity and leadership of ECEs to advocate for their profession and the children and families they care for.
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Par cipa on in advocacy and advisory towards the provincial government and other decision makers to promote the quality of programs through increased recogni on and compensa on for ECEs.
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Raising and dissemina ng ECEs’ ques ons and concerns arising from new policies and programs and changes to current systems.
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Collec ng, analyzing and circula ng relevant policy and research with a par cular focus on implica ons and opportuni es for the ECE workforce.
shops: one in fall, winter, spring and of course for your summer camps. Stay tuned for more details
We’d like to hear from you! This is our .irst print newsletter in .ive years of publishing HOOT. That’s why we’d like to hear from you, and learn about your views on this new experience. Please
FOR A SMILE:
send your emails to: info@geniusowl.ca
Thank you, and see you next time!
“ If you are so smart, how come I’ve never seen you on Instagram?”