It was a glorious sunny morning that greeted our Grade 6 Grads on their one-of-a-kind Drive Through Graduation Ceremony.  The mood was festive and energetic.  It was great to see the Grads with big smiles as they drove up in their decorated vehicles to take their photos.  Thank you to our Grade 6 Teachers, Ms. Kelly, Mme. Serré, and Mr. Da Silva, and to all the school staff who organized the festivity and celebrated the Grads with style and fanfare.  It was a special celebration which will be long remembered!  Bravo to our Grade 6 Grads!  We are so very proud!

The Grade 6 Grads are donating $430 from monies raised from their fundraising efforts to support seniors' long-term care in our community.  The Grade 6's undertake a number of fundraisers in order to raise monies toward their graduation ceremony and end of year activities.  Given the uniqueness of this year, and the need to follow strict public health measures in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, regular graduation activities and celebrations could not take place.  As a result, the Grads decided to donate leftover funds instead of saving them for a sunnier day.  In total, the Grads raised over $4000, which they used to pay for  Grad T-Shirts, Yearbooks, decorations, and grad and teacher gifts.

The pandemic has revealed the critical need to improve the living conditions of long-term care facilities for our senior Canadians.  The Wakefield Elementary School Grade 6 Class of 2020 is  pleased to be able to help in this effort.

Playing Cards and Fussball is an all time favorite passtime at Mr. E's - when you don't lose the ball off course!  While it usually is very busy at Mr. E's, there is a little bit of down time to spend with friends which students make the most of. It's a special time to hangout, learn new games or play old time favorites.

As the annual Grade 6 Mr. E sleepover took place in November this year, the students got to make Shelters and play their all-time favoriate outdoor game of Predator and Prey, as well as a fun new cooperative game where they bounced balls on tarps. The student's came away learning new survival skills and gained a greater understanding of the basics of ecology and the food chain.  

Mr. E's fire pit is a center point of his outdoor cabin facility.  A lot of fun times have been spent around the fire pit throughout the years for Wakefield Elementary School students.  It's a place where Mr. E. gathers students to prepare them for the various outdoor activities and games.  It's a place where the students hang out with their friends on their free time to talk and be silly.  And, it's that very special place where Mr. E. holds his night camp fires and sing-a-longs, such as a student favorite - Pizza Man (lyrics below).  Happy Camping Everyone! 

Hey, Hey, Bo Diddly Bop (echo)
I've got to get back to my job (echo)
with a Pizza in my hand [hand flat palm up, holding pizza box] (echo)
I'm gonna be a Pizza Man!
Pizza Man (echo)
I'm gonna be a Pizza Man! 

Hey, Hey, Bo Diddly Bop (echo)
I've got to get back to my job (echo)
With my car keys in my hand [pretend to drive] (echo)
I'm gonna drive a Chevy van! (echo)
Chevy van (echo)
Pizza Man! (echo)
I'm gonna be a Pizza Man! 

Hey, hey, Bo Diddly Bop (echo)
I've got to get back to my job (echo)
With a basketball in my hand [shoot the ball] (echo)
I'm gonna be like Michael Jor-DAN (echo)
Michael Jor-DAN (echo)
Chevy van (echo)
Pizza Man! (echo)
I'm gonna be a Pizza Man! 

Hey, hey, Bo Diddly Bop (echo)
I've got to get back to my job (echo)
With these nun-chuks in my hand
I'm gonna be like Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan (echo)
Michael Jor-DAN (echo)
Chevy van (echo)
Pizza Man! (echo)
I'm gonna be a Pizza Man! 

Hey, hey, Bo Diddly Bop (echo)
I've got to get back to my job (echo)
With these ice cubes in my hand
I'm gonna be a pengUIAN
PengUIAN (echo)
Jackie Chan (echo)
Michael Jor-DAN (echo)
Chevy van (echo)
Pizza Man! (echo)
I'm gonna be a Pizza Man! 

Hey, hey, Bo Diddly Bop (echo)
I've got to get back to my job (echo)
With a doughnut in each hand
I'm gonna be a pOliceman
POliceman (echo)
PengUIAN (echo)
Jackie Chan (echo)
Michael Jor-DAN (echo)
Chevy van (echo)
Pizza Man! (echo)
I'm gonna be a Pizza Man! 

Hey, hey, Bo Diddly Bop (echo)
I've got to get back to my job (echo)
With this moose in my hand
I'm gonna be a CanaDIAN
CanaDIAN (echo)
POliceman (echo)
PengUIAN (echo)
Jackie Chan (echo)
Michael Jor-DAN (echo)
Chevy van (echo)
Pizza Man!
I'm gonna be a Pizza Man! 

I'm gonna be... a... Piz...za... Man! 
​
Make up some more on your own, such as:
- With these wires in my hand - I'm gonna be an ElectricIAN
- With dead bodies in my hand - I'm gonna be a MorticIAN
- With these books in my hand - I'm gonna be a LibrarIAN
- With a calculator in my hand - I'm gonna be a mathematicIAN
- With a salad bowl in my hand - I'm gonna be a vegetarIAN
- With a guitar in my hand - I'm gonna be a musicIAN
- With a puppy in my hand - I'm gonna be a veterinarIAN
- With a fire hose in my hand - I'm gonna be a FireMAN

​

Mr. E's is a well-oiled machine, especially at meal times.  Students work together to show off their culinary skills, and do a fantastic job of feeding their peers and parent volunteers, as well as Mr. E.  The students are divided into different groups and are assigned a meal to prepare. The Classic Menu includes Fajitas/Tacos and a fruit salad for supper; Toast, fruit, and hot cereal for breakfast; and pita sandwiches for lunch.  

After each meal, the students get organized to wash and dry the dishes and clean up the eating area.  Dishwashing stations are set up at each of the tables, where students gather and make quick work of their clean-up responsibilities.  It's quite something to see in action!  Parent volunteers are often in awe to see how well the students work together and assume their responsibilities.  Bravo Everyone!

A highlight of the Grade 6 year is the overnight trip to Mr. E's.  Lucky for us, this year the trip took place in November instead of June as in other years.  So, the Grade 6's were able to experience this memorable activity that has become a tradition for the Grade 6 graduating class at Wakefield Elementary School. The weather was fresh and nice, and the students enjoyed two days jam packed of activities and good times. A few of the blog pages are dedicated to capturing some of the many images of those two days that are sure to bring back a lot of nice memories.  Enjoy!

Although the year was cut short due to the pandemic, the Grade 6's took part in many activities and field trips. These included a Touch Football tournament, visits to the Supreme Court, the Ottawa Art Gallary and Library and Archives Canada, the school Walk-a-thon to raise funds for the Roots of Empathy Program, Halloween,  the School Science Fair, educational strolls to our iconic Covered Bridge and The Fairburn House, and skating at the La Pêche Arena.  These images helps you appreciate the hard work of our teachers to give the students a positive and diverse learning experience.

The Grade 6 Christmas Wreaths have become a Wakefield Elementary School tradition.  Each year, the Grade 6's gather together to make one-of-a-kind Christmas Wreaths to adorn the doors of homes and businesses in the community.  This year, the Grade 6's had record sales, selling over 130 wreaths which was more than double the number compared to recent years.  The Christmas Wreath sale is also another important fundraisers for the Grade 6's, and they appreciate the phenomenal support from the community!