Blue Sky School

We have had an amazing experience this year to have at least one guest speaker come into our school each week. One of the incredible guest speakers that have come into our school is Anya. Anya works for a charitable organization called Ausome. Ausome is an incredible organization that makes sure that children on the autism spectrum have the opportunity to participate in group sport activities that they would not normally be able to participate in due to sensory/anxiety issues. Every session they experience a new sport to try to find a sport that the children will excel in and enjoy. Since Ausome is a charitable organization they rely heavily on volunteers, to volunteer with their organisation all you need to commit to is volunteering to at least one session a month and be at least over the age of 15.  That was our amazing time with Anya from Ausome! “ This was so inspiring, I have always wondered how children on the autism spectrum play sports and now I know how!”-anonymous

Happy Hallowe'en Blue Sky! This Thursday, the 31st, Blue Sky will be executing some fun Hallowe'en activities, including the following: Special effects makeup,  Murder mystery  Some spookily fun baking In terms of costumes, students are not allowed to bring any type of weapon. We hope you all  have a spooky Halloween! Our “Hallowe’enies” learner team has organized a day of Hallowe’en adventure Learners may wear costumes to school, please note that masks and makeup are OK, but weapons of any kind are a no-no Learners who would like to wear a costume, but are having trouble coming up with an idea can join a theme that a few learners have created - “Proud Canadians”: wear your Canada, hockey or plaid clothes and have your face painted at school! Special events: 9-10 a.m. - as learners arrive, they will join in with several rounds of Werewolf 10-11:30 - Deagan and B are planning a spooky and sweet Culinary Science 11:30-12 - Lunch 12-1

Top Ten Best Moments(Part 1) “Grace and Will at the thing” https://tedxottawa.ca/speakers-2019/ Intro I think I can speak for both Grace and I when I say that we had an amazing time at TEDx Ottawa. But before we get into that we should talk about how we were invited. We were invited because of our participation in a program at our school called Eloquent Ottawa which was created by the, you guessed it Canadian Institute of Mass Communications(Or CIMC). The CIMC just so happened to be a sponsor of TEDx Ottawa. With that out of the way time for the story of getting there. After school on the big day we jumped into Karen’s car and went straight to Pita Pit  to fuel up. Then we hit the open road and drove to the Tunney’s Pasture LRT station. We rode to Rideau and then set off on an adventure to find the NAC. We walked in the direction we thought it was for a few minutes until we were on some bridge. That’s when we admitted that we had no idea where it was. So we broke out the

Numeracy Groups - by Michael This week we started math groups. The coaches had noticed that some people where not accomplishing their math goals independently, so they had everyone sit at tables with people at a similar math level to them. Deagan works with a group of mathematicians! Numeracy Tutorial Videos - by #charlotteworldwide This week, all Blue Sky learners made a priority to make a Numeracy tutorial video teaching a  specific math trick or strategy relating to operations. In some groups, we presented our tutorials and asked for stars and planets afterwards. This feedback was also recorded and sent to learners through email, They are soooo excited to watch their own faces talk! 

On the 23rd Monday of September 2019 we had our first session with Alex from Eloquent Ottawa , where we learn how to be boss public speakers!  We first discussed what to get out of these sessions. Pretty much, each learner in the program will pick a topic of their choice, and write a speech about it that's five minutes long. The end result would be to present our speeches to the Blue Sky community, so stay tuned for some lit speeches!  Then, we got into doing an activity called “People of Paris.” The purpose of this activity was to confront our public speaking fears. Each of us had to get up, turn to the audience and say “People of Paris, ... and then they would add their own phrase to say to everyone. Then, we had to do it again but this time as a character of the audience choosing. For example, we picked a President, a Unicorn, a Tourist, Mr Clean, and the Queen to name a few. This really helped us feel more safe with the rest of the learners in the program. This has, so f

One day, a normal day at Blue Sky, Emi and I used the secret garden passageway again. It was so messed up from the tornado and was forgotten. Anyone who didn't know the way would get lost in there for sure. As Emi and I slowly wormed our way in and out of there, we both started thinking about what this place would be if it was clean. Then it hit us, we could start an activity with us and whoever wanted to help clean up the secret garden! The next day, we started right away moving trees, pulling out weeds and fixing it up. Now today, we are going to send an email the school to see what they think and if they want to help out. Bye! See you in the next post.

There was a lot of talk about climate change in the past few weeks with Greta Thunberg, the climate strike, and the Canadian English debate. Students of Blue Sky School took part in the strike happening around the world. Climate change was also a large topic, one of the five main topics in the English language debate that took place in the Canadian history museum in Gatineau. It is pretty clear to me that climate change is a disaster that is almost imminent and anyone who doesn’t think that can go soak their head. Or they can get more credible info. “Climate action is important!” said Will. I feel personally that climate action and enlightening yourself about the emergency is the best thing you can do. I did not attend the Ottawa climate strike yet I feel like it was needed to help convince some people. People who have the power or run large companies seem to not care about as long as the dollars keep rolling in. The streets of downtown Ottawa were PACKED with

Last week, we started a new club called Run Club. We get together twice a week. When we get together we stretch then we run half of the run then we stretch then we finish the run then stretch again. The best part about Run Club is that it is no pressure and no judgment and we run at our own pace. B and Emi - two members of our Run Club running the Trans-Canada Trail!

On Monday the student vote was revealed after the Canadian election. In the Canadian election the Liberals won 157 seats. Conservatives were the official opposition with 121 seats. Bloq Québecois has 32 seats, 22 more than in the last election and the NDP lost over 20 seats, down to 24. The PPC did not win a single seat. In the student vote, a Liberal minority was also “elected” at 110 seats, with the NDP as the official opposition, with 99 seats. The Conservatives had 94 seats. “I felt that a lot of students were influenced by their parents, and that the NDP is more liked by the students,'' commented William, after being asked about the student vote. I personally feel that the student vote is a good show to hear the next generation of voters are going to stand. NATE

Once in a lifetime opportunity being a zookeeper at the Ecomuseum On October 2, 2019, we went on an immersive experience to the Ecomuseum, which is situated in Montreal. We all had to wake early to get to school by 7:00 AM (I was super tired). I traveled with a few other learners in Karen’s car, we listened to some roaring loud music of many different genres, it was exhilarating . When we got there, we were greeted by two of the most phenomenal zookeepers, Pier-Luc and Nickie. We then put our backpacks and coats away in our room and went to the restrooms. Our first exciting task was to prepare numerous gourmet meals for the animals, as they had different diets . It consisted of vibrantly coloured vegetables, slimy fish, and large delicious mushrooms. Once the meals were prepared, we went outside to feed some of the animals. My favourite animals were the merganser ducks which feeds on fish and the show-off fancy ducks. It was then time to clean our hands and eat our lunches. In th

Shauna has created a board with three columns, Ketchup, Mayo and Mustard. At first, this may seem confusing and maybe even strange. However, this came about using wordplay. Ketchup stands for “catch-up.” Then there is Mustard which stands for “must-do”, and finally there is Mayo that stands for “may-do.” When we start the day we can look at the board and find our name under different categories. Then we can access by looking at what column it is under, what our priorities should be regarding what we are behind on and what we can / may do.   A Blue Sky learner Jaden quotes “I think it is very helpful because everything is showcased in a way that is easy to understand” Most learners have positive feelings regarding the Ketchup, Mayo and Mustard board and it is an easy and visual way to observe the tasks and goals that we have set so we can make the most of our time.  

During the past month, a handful of learners have been taking part in an online course called Duke Of Edinburgh bronze award. In this course, there are 4 outcomes that need to be completed. Physical recreation, Skills, Service, and the Adventurous Journey. To complete these sections the learner has to choose and create an outcome to complete. For example, my skills outcome is creative writing, I will write 30 000 words in a book I am writing with another learner. I need to complete 13 hours of work on this topic only being able to log 1 hour per week (so over a 13-week span). One of the other Blue Sky learners who is taking part in Duke Of Ed said “I really like how they have it all formatted out because it's really easy to use, I think it's a really important experience for people to try out because it kinda pushes you to try and you learn and develop skills on your way”. This contest shows that you have determination, perseverance, and dedication. It's well recognized in

Choir! Choir! Choir! was started by Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman (aka DaBu) in 2011 as a weekly drop-in singing event. Their project is about bringing people together through singing, comedy, and community building! The night includes it all! When you arrive you get a lyric sheet at the door, DaBu will lead you through learning about the vocal arrangement, and a video is recorded. Everyone learns the songs together and has so much fun while at it!  On Sunday, February 16, 2020 Choir! Choir! Choir! is coming to the National Arts Center (the NAC) for an event at 8:00pm. Tickets start at $15.00 and go up to $40.00 depending on where you want to sit.  If anyone is interested in going to sing, please email me ( jaden@blueskyschool.ca ) so I can coordinate for everyone to sit together! (this is not an official Blue Sky event, but I thought other learners might be interested)  “I’m so excited to go because nothing nurtures the soul like singing” Brianne Bond about goin

That Blue Sky School there are things called Community  Big Ideas. It is related with our community exploration. They are five Community Big Ideas. Throughout history people have been organized. in to communities for different reasons.  There are special tools and that people build and strengthen communities  I am part of many communities and can you contribute meaningfully to them  Individuals in a community have roles and responsibilities  It is possible to purposely learn and ally with a valley of communities.

My name is Michael and I am working on an eco-friendly project where I am attempting to convert an entire household into a waste-free environment. The inspiration for this project came from hearing the family talk a lot about wanting to go waste-free but then watching as they continued to shop and live without being waste-free. So I took on the challenge; I decided I would do a three phase plan to slowly start the waste-free journey. Phase one is to stop purchasing any food with single-use plastics. Phase two is to purchase food with zero waste including recycling. Phase three is to eliminate all household waste like hand soap bottles, razers, cleaning supplies, etc. By the end we will be completely waste free! So far we are on phase one (stop buying foods with single-use plastics). To start, we looked at everything that we purchase on a regular basis to see what produces waste. All the items that did make waste were put on a list. We realized that things like fruits and vegetabl

Coffee House! Now, contrary to what you might be thinking, we don’t go to a Coffee House every week, we have an event every Friday, called Coffee House. It’s a place for learners and coaches alike, to perform, tell stories, or even solve Rubic’s Cubes! One of the legendary traditions of Coffee House are learner Will’s stories. Here’s Will’s response to the question, ‘How would you describe your performances at Coffee House?’ “In a word, Zany.”   In all seriousness, Coffee House helps us collaborate in unique ways with performance. Lots of learners look forward to Coffee House all week (including myself)!  Léo’s performance with help from Will, Jaden and Harley.

I have had many first-days-of-school, but never have I had a smile still on my face by the end of the day. Blue Sky School is a safe place to try and be yourself with no judgment. A soon as I step through the front door,s I am greeted with friendly faces and welcoming hugs. I’m new here but only after 2 days here I can tell that this school is one-of-a-kind. Blue Sky School is equipped for every child’s needs, whether it be a “Zen Den”  to take a break or a kitchen to develop culinary skills,They have a way of making it seem like every learner belongs here and that they have a place. No matter your age or how good you are at a certain subject, every learner is equal. Blue Sky School’s priorities are all about kindness, respect and responsibility and how you use those skills inside and outside of the school. ​ I’m really exited to join this incredible community!

Before we went to the Climate Strike, we had a workshop on what exactly protesting was, and I gotta say, a lot of our expectations were way off the mark. When I think of protesting, my first thought is marchin’ for a cause, and it’s only after a few seconds do I consider the more tame types. Those were the things that Deagan explained. One particular example that stuck with me one that wasn’t violent, but it was jarring.  In 1963, around the Saigon area of Vietnam, a monk set himself on fire in a busy intersection to protest discriminatory Buddhist laws. He showed restraint while doing so, not moving when he could help it. Jaden’s reaction when I asked about it was, word for word, “Ummmm, it’s kind of terrifying, but it was interesting at the same time.” I have to say, I’m much more comfortable with the protesting that we did at the climate march.

Last Thursday Blue Sky had yet another guest speaker, One of this week's guest speakers was Katie Hession. Katie is the community director at Mealshare Ottawa and an instagram influencer with over 20k followers! Katie began her career as an instagrammer in 2015 when she had her first child and moved back to Ottawa. She didn't like the fact that when she asked someone about the best things about Ottawa the answer the majority of the time would be “There's nothing in Ottawa” or “Ottawa's boring”. She felt like she needed to change this so she started her instagram account @Yowcitystyle to showcase the fashion industry in Ottawa and showcase stylish people in stylish places around the city. In the past 2 years she has gained yet another amazing career with Mealshare as a community director, she is in charge of getting new restaurants to join the Mealshare platform. Incase you don't know what Mealshare is, it is an organization that restaurants partner with, if yo

On Monday, September 30 th B ran a workshop on community ecology. In this workshop we talked about the arctic ecosystem, how all the animals form a community, their roles in that community and how they interact with one another. We started the workshop with an art activity where we have to make organisms out of clay and pipe cleaners. We then discussed the relationships between these organisms. “I was impressed by both the artistic representation of the organisms and learner’s awareness of the various relationships in an ecosystem.” - B

Every Wednesday we all gather in a circle and we discuss new school rules.  We usually have one person that is the chair person and they write down all the words people say during the meeting. At the start we pick 3 people to discuss some new rules and when the first person says their rule some more people will say what they think about that rule, then after that we all do a closed eyes vote to see if that rule stands. And so on with the other people.

On Friday September 27th the majority of Blue Sky School took part in a climate strike protest that led to Parliament Hill, starting at Confederation Park. As many know Blue Sky School really cares about the environment and the world, hence us being a waste free school. We made protest signs out of recycled cardboard and marched for what we believe in. Unfortunately I was unable to find the number of people who attended the Ottawa climate march, however in montreal there was an estimated 500 000 people marching.  “Personally, me and many other youth believe that we need to stop this climate change,” One of the Blue Sky learners said  “It was inspiring and reassuring to see so many people there”. Another said  “ I felt so empowered to change my lifestyle for the better of humanity ”. And finally the last learner exclaimed “ It was really empowering to see everyone that showed up and was protesting. Although it was hard to tell how many people were there when we were in the thi

(Us listening to Midia Presenting)   At Blue Sky School, we have the amazing privilege of inviting brilliant and passionate changemakers into our space to learn from. On September 19th, 2019 we once again were proven that Midia Shikh Hassan is no exception. I could go into giving you one description of who Midia is and what Midia does but I think this quote concludes it perfectly: “I don’t really define myself as one thing because I am the type of person that doesn't like to be doing only one thing at a time. I identify with a lot of things and a lot of communities” - Midia Shikh Hassan I think this sums up the type of person Midia really is. At Blue Sky, we like to joke that she is good at everything because in the past she has mentored us on the most random range of things that she seems to have expertise on. She discussed with us that day on our current Exploration (a topic to dive into for a 12 week period), community.  She talked about how she grew up in a place