 No holding back here! Our Bobcats (grade 5/6 class) were eager to share the straight up truth of what a student at Via Vita is all about. As they put it, #nofilterneeded. Here you go - right from the mouths of our most candid ones in the bunch, here is an honest recap of what they’re loving (and what they’re not lovin’) at Via Vita.
LOVE/NOT LOVE @ VIA VITA By The Bobcats LOVE: It’s like a TV show, you go to school, learn a lesson, come home, and it’s a happy ending at the end of the day. LOVE: We all feel like a family because it’s like a home here... Except there’s no beds and stuff to lay down and sleep, but there is a couch. NOT LOVE: We get a lot of homework. There’s so much I feel like can’t do it but when you get it done, you feel so good. Then your parents are like, “See, doesn’t it feel good?” And you really look at them like, “uuuuuuh!”. LOVE: Everybody’s friends and everybody just hangs out, different grades and all. No pressure to be anybody you’re not. Just be. LOVE: It’s so easy to be friends in a smaller school than a big school because in a big school you don’t know everyone, but here you know everyone. NOT LOVE: Teachers are always around you. They notice everything! LOVE: The classes are smaller and you get a better chance to get help when you’re stuck. I used to think Math was so hard. I, like, really know what I'm doing here. LOVE: Gym is everyday. It’s awesome because you get to run around. And be loud! NOT LOVE: They really push you to do the work yourself. It’s hard! LOVE: You have a lot of say in how you do your projects and what you do them on. You have so much control over your learning. LOVE: You can get here early and play in the gym or you can just sleep in and be late. It’s cool. But seriously, you still gotta get your work done on time. Trust me. NOT LOVE: They always find a way to talk to your parents. Like everyday. They know everything. LOVE: You can play together and not yell and punch, you can actually help each other be the best of yourself. LOVE: You get to play outside a lot. You gotta wear a coat though. It’s freezing out. NOT LOVE: No excuses on late work. You just have to do it. Like, if you don't do it, you're gonna have to eventually. LOVE: You don’t have to wear shoes inside. LOVE: At my old school I didn’t really do any fun activities, It was like math, math, math. Here we do fun stuff like hikes, go to the park, play mantracker inside the building on the last day, and create plays and stuff. NOT LOVE: They really force you to speak up. Once you do, it all makes sense and stuff, but oh man, it's like, I just don't know what to say! But then you do know.
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As part of a series, each class has put together their Top 10 things they think other kids will want to know about Via Vita. To start us off, please give a warm welcome to our Coyote Class! These students range from grade 1 to 3 and were excited to create their top 10 list for you to read! Enjoy the pictures, too, they really add something special to the post!  We are the Coyote class and we’re so excited to tell you what we love about Via Vita Academy! We are in grade one, two and three. We’re Logan, Simeon, Payton, Danica, and Ms. Yolanda! These are all the things we think you should know!
    A week ago our students took a school trip to Noggins Farm in Greenwich, Nova Scotia.
The weather couldn't have been any better.  The apple picking. The historic tour through the farm land. Carol. Oh Carol. Our wonderful farm guide, leader filled with kindness, knowledge, and remarkable patience and leadership. We asked her many times if we could take her back home with us. The corn maze. The picnic lunch. The exploratory play grounds. The parents. The parents! We had so many parents join us - it was like a family get together. To see so much support and smiles was heartwarming, to say the least. Aside from all of these memories made, we were most impressed with our students. Their respect and enthusiasm set the bar high for field trips to come.  The knowledge our students, teachers, and families gained from walking through the back farm lands; the real life experience of leading, role modelling, listening, problem solving, and working together; the hands on learning of apple picking and life on the farm; and, the critical thinking and questioning throughout the tour - it was heartwarming to see our students engaged in the community in a positive way. The discussions that followed included everything from Acadians, Mi'gmaq, Ice Age, Maritime Industries, government, buying local, entrepreneurship, traditions, cooking, baking, trees, culture - even Celtic music! So many talking and learning points from a trip to the farm. There is no learning quite like a field trip. It's is, hands down (or hands-on!?) the best way to experience learning.  Thank you Noggins for the experience, guidance, knowledge, and memories. Thank you parents for joining us and allowing us to plan this trip with your child in mind. Thank you students for the upmost amazing behaviour on a school trip, respecting everyone and everything around us, and for soaking up all of the wonderfulness that is Noggins. Thank you to our communities for supporting local farms and organizations that can teach growing generations so much about the world they're growing up in, a world we expect them to carry on and make changes for the better.
 We leave with a series of pictures that capture our day at the farm and discussions that followed. Grades Pre-K to grade 9 contributed a small token of artwork for this blog post to show you a few things they were thinking about post-farm trip. Hope you enjoy!
And yes, the apple crisp was very, very good! For the recipe, see below! 
Apple Crisp
Topping ⅔ cup whole wheat flour 1 ½ cup rolled oats ⅔ cup coconut sugar ½ cup coconut oil 1-2 tsp cinnamon (optional) Filling 8 cups of apples ⅔ cup of coconut sugar 4 tsp lemon juice Directions Pre-heat oven to 350℉. In a bowl, mix flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, and coconut oil together until crumbly. Core, peel and slice apples. In a bowl toss apples with lemon juice and sugar. Pour apples into a 9x13in pan. Sprinkle oat mixture evenly over top of apples. Bake for 35 minutes or until apple mixture is bubbly and topping is golden brown. |
Welcome to Our BlogEach post is written by a supportive member of Via Vita Academy, be it a teacher, parent, student, community member, who is invested in the topic of education. Take a read and comment below! Archives
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