S'mores & Snow Storms

We’ve had a jammed packed long weekend and short week since we last posted!Friday, we kicked off the long weekend with a fun night of Bingo. Unfortunately, we didn’t win anything but the plenty of smiles and laughs made up for that. The host generously announced our Victoria Day Long Weekend Activities in both English and Oji-Cree… And with that, the weekend began!Saturday’s heavy rains proved too much of a challenge for us to overcome. After calling everyone in the community looking for an indoor venue for an activity, we dedicated the day to movies, baking and some much-needed TLC.           But Sunday we were back high-kickin’ and rockin’! We successfully hosted a huge wiener roast with over 30 children. We all hiked out to North Point, a beautiful site along the water.  After Fabi and Justice attempted to build a fire, the older boys initiated a much-needed intervention. They reorganized our chaotic pile of twigs, branches and paper, and soon we had a great fire going. We spent the afternoon roasting up 4 bags of marshmallows, 4 packages of hot dogs, and a box of frozen burgers. Along with that, we finished 2 bags of bread, an abundance of hamburger buns, a box of graham crackers and many, many chocolate bars! The kids even enjoyed the first (hopefully?) swim of the year! 

 

Monday, Fabi and Justice hosted a girls lunch and a boys afternoon. The girls lunch was great fun, with all types of activities including baking cupcakes (vanilla confetti meets crispy crunch bars), painting nails (with Fabi’s help), making tuna melts and soup, crafts and many laughs! It was exciting to see girls of all ages there, and nice to see the girls working together on lunch and nail polish. The boy’s afternoon was great fun. An intense game of floor hockey lasted well over two hours. Many lemonade breaks and some “dirt and worms” helped keep the players going. Officially accident prone, Fabi managed to get a ball in the face right before the night’s festivities came to an end... a close call but no reconstructive surgery was necessary.                                                                          Tuesday and Wednesday were dedicated to reviewing the Substance Abuse Unit we started last week. We pushed our “gurney” around all week (aka projector/laptop combo) and used many YouTube clips to reinforce our lessons, which always seemed to be a hit! Tuesday, we had another opportunity to call in to John’s WAHSA Lecture regarding Sexual Health. We discussed the importance of setting personal boundaries prior to engaging in sexual activity, getting tested for STIs regularly, as well as the best practices for protecting against unwanted pregnancy and STIs.Our main focus for the week was creating a bullying video to share with the students. We chose student leaders from the older grades who we thought would be great role models for this leadership project. The group met after school throughout the week where they brainstormed, filmed and edited an entertaining video about their Mission to Stop Bullying! Not only was the movie a big hit in the classrooms, but it was so exciting to see the students excelling in all aspects of the project. We were proud mama bears to say the least! 

 

Unfortunately, we aren’t particularly jumping for joy as we leave school today. Before leaving we must dress up in our boots, rain jackets and as many layers as we could find because overnight and all day it's been snowing. A beautiful December-esque blanket of snow now covers the island. Although this may be charming in early spring, the fact that is has come post May 2-4 is a bit depressing for us and the kids. Hard to believe we were in the water last weekend! Anyways, it’s all part of the fun here in Webequie. We hope the weather heats up a little for this weekend, since we are very excited for some outdoor activities during our 2-day leadership camp!Best part of the week:Making a bullying video after-school with class leaders featuring T. Swift: Why you gotta be so mean?Best lesson thus far:Prescription drugs: Although one of our more difficult lessons, students were extremely patient and attentive as we tried to get through all the info during our shortened weekGrossest part of the week:Justice eating week old yogurt (conserving precious dairy products)awww yeahhMost embarrassing part of the week:Justice making a K5 cry by not giving him a high five in timeSignature moves:Fabi’s seed and chickpea diet (wittle birdie)Justice’s awesome T. Swift covers in class (S.O.S)Drink of choice:Spiced Cinnamon Chai Tea         Best Purchase(s):Apple Cinnamon Cheerios & Corn NibletsLooking Forward To:This weekend’s SJMEC Leadership Conference: Roughly 30 students have signed up and we’re looking forward to a fun-filled weekend of activities that focus on Leadership Skills, Conflict Resolution, Planning for Success and much more Have a great weekend!Justice & Fabi