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Halloween

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 November 1, 2025 Good morning-----well, it is November already, and 6 weeks until Christmas Holidays, but who is counting!! We had a terrific Halloween day at school--it wasn't over the top, but very manageable.  Regularish class in the morning, and then an afternoon with the costume parade, class room door decoration contest and the choice of gym activities, story reading, face painting or movie.  I did the story telling, and my room was full to the brim of excited students of all ages.  I read the Robert Munsch book, BOO.  You should have been there--total focus and total participation at the repetition parts--really loved it. I am so glad I brought my own books for the fall because there is NO library in the school.  It was totally dismantled last year, all the books given away, put in the garbage or burned because the library was thought to be a waste of space, and because it wasn't being used very much.  This is the trend in the north. It is beli...
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October 24, 2025

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 Hello and nearly Happy Halloween Wow, where does the time go when you are having fun!!  We have pretty much settled into a good routine. My students are coming regularly, even the special ed kids.  We are beginning to see progress academically, but more importantly, I am seeing a lot of smiles, hear a lot of laughter and over hear kids talking to each other and encouraging each other.  What more is there!! Weather is mild one day, and rainy and windy, and I mean windy.  Winds of up to 60 k per hour.  There are no trees or anything to break that wind.  So far, only flurries of snow mixed in with rain, but we are expecting that to change in the coming weeks.  The first big storm usually comes on Halloween Day, wrecking all the trick or treat plans!!  That has been my experience here.  I wonder what will happen this year?? It is getting darker--and after the time changes next week, it will be going to and from school in the dark.  Goo...
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Friday September 26

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 Hello everyone What a crazy busy week we have had.  The most fun, of course, was the primary Excursion.  Grade 3 to six went by canoe, up river, to the best berry picking and seal hunting area.  Unfortunately, it was very windy, and very choppy on the water, so I didn't get a chance to try out new found rifle skills. But, I did pick quite a few berries--so now I have a lovely freezer filled with Arctic Char and berries. Getting in and out of the canoe was a real challenge, no place to tie up--just rocks and a rugged shore line.  Our driver actually carried me from the boat to the nearest big rock!!  The return was even harder.  Tide was changing.  First, we had to exit from a different place, straight down a very rocky path, and we had to walk in the water up to our knees.  The place was very rocky, and the wind was blowing.  Only one canoe could pick us up because of its flatter bottom.  Once we were out a ways, we had to move int...
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Saturday September 20, 2025

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 Hello This is my third attempt to get a blog out.  I have been having so much trouble with my internet--we have star-link, and I have been sharing it with friends down the road.  Sometime it works, sometime it doesn't.  I noticed that my new neighbour has a really strong signal so I asked him if I could share it.  He agreed--and he is getting it free from his work.  So, for now, I have it for free too.  If at some point in the future he has to pay for it, I will share the cost.  No more internet insecurity!  Hurray!! The weather has been horrid.  Snow, big winds of over 50 k per hour, sleet and rain have been with us all week, with temperatures dipping below zero!  Today, it is sunny, and the wind has gone down, so I will try to get out for a big walk tomorrow.  If the weather keeps good, the primary side of the school will go on an excursion up the Payne River, going west.  We will berry pick, fish and seal hunt.  I...
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Week 2 of the Kangirsuk Adventure

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 Greetings all Can you believe that I have been here for two weeks--and the first week of school done!! Weather has been interesting--never really hot, but we sure have had some beautiful blue skies, with little or no wind, and the biggest mosquitoes I have ever seen!!  You have to keep your mouth closed!!  We also have had some snow, rain and sleet, so it is just the tease before that weather comes--usually the snow flies in October--so we have some nice weather to come. Berries are ripening, so everyone is out scouring the landscape, trying to pick as many as they can.  They are small black and red berries--not terribly tasty, but when you mix them with the whale blubber, they taste ok. Everyone is fishing.  Kangirsuk has the best Arctic Char fishing in the world.  NO commercial fishing here--just the locals--and it is fishing every day after school--the fish practically jump into the canoe!!  My neighbour keeps me well stocked. The students usually ...
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