To mark the end of a great school year, our Grade 5 community at the Junior School – students, teachers and families – gathered for our annual Closing Ceremony.
The event was a celebration and recognition of all that our students have accomplished, while looking ahead to the next chapter of their education as they move to the Middle School.
As part of the Closing Ceremony, each student read a brief reflection looking back on their time at the Junior School.
Below are excerpts from some of their favourite memories and favourite things they’ve learned.
You can also watch the complete Closing Ceremony at the bottom of this story.
Grade 5 Reflections
- A moment that stands out for me would definitely be the Grade 5 musical at the McPherson theatre. Going through the stages of reading through lines then memorizing them all the way to saying them aloud on stage was excellent. It was funny seeing each other covered in layers of stage makeup and hair spray.
- A memory that stands out to me is the time when we went to Goldstream Park for outdoor ed. It was a very exciting experience to do so many things in a very different place that I have never been to. We lit a fire with flint and steel for the first time, and we also used a compass to go to different places. We did archery and we tried to hit stuffies.
- I’ve had many lovely memories at SMUS, but one of my favourite experiences was helping out with the younger grades at the Métis tent. They would touch the fur and ask, “What type of fur is this?” or question, “Is this a bunny?” It was fun hearing the curious questions of the children, and watching them listen intently to the stories that elder Jo-Ina told.
- At the Junior School, I have learned to respect everybody’s unique differences and be accepting and kind to everybody no matter what.
- I have tons of amazing memories from the Junior School, but one of them that sticks out is from Grade 2. I fondly remember the bean jar, and I remember how exciting it was to fill up the bean jar from behaving well, reaching the top, and seeing what was behind the bean on the wall.
- My favorite memory was on my first day at the Junior School and I remember telling myself that I will probably be alone for my first few days but that was the complete opposite. Instead, all of the girls immediately welcomed me, and helped so much and I know that day could not have gone any better!
- My three years at SMUS have been full of learning and happy moments, but one of my favourite memories was in Grade 3 when we invented our own animals and created a habitat for them. That was a really fun project and a cool way to learn about habitats.
- During the musical in Grade 5, my friends and I had a little dressing room to ourselves and every time before going on stage we would meditate a little and share stories.
- One thing I learned here is that to never give up even when you fail you just get up and try again until you finish.
- A heartwarming memory from the Junior School is from Kindergarten when we would sit at the end of the day and meditate and talk about what we learned. It always left me feeling calm and happy.
- I’ve learned many things from my experience at the Junior School, but what I value the most is all of the connections that I’ve been able to make thanks to my time here. I treasure the “empathy” units we’ve had, and it has taught me to understand others better. I want to thank the Junior School for being a bud for relationships, and all of the people who’ve come into my life. I love the amount of people I’ve been able to meet due to school, and am looking forward to meeting more in the Middle School!
