Skating in Repulse Bay

It's been a pretty quiet week. I finished the second book of the Maze Runner Trilogy, had fun reading after school with my students, enjoyed two half days off due to blizzards and relaxed with Shane and the kitties in the evenings. 

Last night Shane and I went to the public skate at the arena for the first time. It's been about 10 years since I've been on skates, but it was like riding a bike...comes back to you quickly. We had fun with some students and kids in the community.

The only Kabloonas (non-Inuit) on the ice

Calvin and Andy with me and Shane

Kendra, Calvin, Heather and Bonnie

Shane with some little admirers 

It's a blizzard today, and this weekend is suppose to be a windy one, so it may be a good day to snuggle in:)

Stay tuned for more Arctic Cat Adventures!

Iqaluit and Badminton

So I've spent the last week in Iqaluit with four students from Repulse for the Nunavut Territorial Badminton Tournament. We spent the nights in the high school with many other communities across the territory. Sleeping on the floor, getting up early to get out of the classrooms for the students coming in and spending the days in the museum, library, stores and sightseeing (but it's a bit hard when it's super cold out).

Here are some pics of our adventures here...

View from the plane

Doriana at Inuksuk High School- Iqaluit

Rebuilt Polaris Ski-doo (by grade 10 students) from 1963

Eating poutine and club sandwiches from "the Snack" 

Statue in front of the RBC (carved by Paul Milliki from Repulse Bay) Cost...$1 million!

Catholic Church shaped like an igloo!

At the Library...

Drum Dancer

Nunavut Wildlife

Musk-ox

Walrus tusks carved

Doriana the Little Drummer Girl

Polar Bear...thank goodness it's stuffed!

At the Museum...

Prints Exhibit Cape Dorset

More Prints

Carvings

Ivory Carvings...one of the Narwhal tusks is $4600!

Funny Carving:)

Hungry Polar Bears

Carving of Walrus Hunting

We joined in on a presentation from the Visitors Centre promoting a cleaner city and how litter affects the environment

Dorianna, Nicole, Katelynn and Charmaine (hiding)

At the legislative assembly building (they just appointed a new Premier this week, Peter Taptuna, and the cabinet)

Caribou Antlers Carved

Official Scepter at the legislation (made of Narwhal Tusk)  

Side view of Scepter

Post Office!

Katelynn and Nicole enjoying games at Inuksuk High School

Girl practicing before their games

Doriana vs. Jennie

Team Repulse (minus Charmaine...camera shy)

Closing Ceremonies (Doriana and Katelynn win the Women's Doubles!)

View of the city from the school

Stay tuned for Arctic Cat's next adventure!

 

Selfies and Polar Bears

So last weekend it really started to feel like the Arctic. With -40 windchill it was pretty chilly and our breath was condensing and freezing fast! Here are some pics after a 5 minute walk to our friends.

Ryan

Shane

Arctic Cat

Last week at 3:30pm the moon was out and getting dark...it's even darker now!

The other day there were eight polar bear sightings around town, one right behind the school at about 8pm, and the people in the town couldn't scare it away, so they had to shoot it.

The next morning while I was at badminton practice, Laimiki ran in to the gym "Catherine...bring your camara..there's a bear at the end of town and we can see it before they scare it away!" We took off in his new SUV, to the wrong end of town, got turned around, but by the time we got to it, the bear had been shot after it was chasing one of the teachers!

People gathering to see the bear.

I did get some pictures of it, however, I'm not going to post them. 

There is a larger number of bears in and around town...this is a result of global warming. The bears are not able to get out of the town on the sea ice and so they are stuck in the area until they can go.

Thanks Stephen Harper for your oil sands! Grrrr.....

Stay tuned for the updates on the badminton tournament and Iqaluit adventure.

School Fun and Halloween

Sorry it's been so long, but I have lots to share now...

This is a little puppy in the town that some of my student bring by to see me in the morning. I gave her a can of wet food the other day and it was gone in seconds! Hungry little puppy.

Last week our school had a SET (Science, Engineering and Technology) challenge. This year the theme was Space, so different grade levels would be given different supplies to design different rockets. We had different straws, plasticine, a water bottle, and paper to create a pressure rocket. Here are some pictures of creating and the creations!

Deanna, Bridgette and Britney

David and Nathaniel

Class Rockets!

And the winner of the grade 5's was...Heather, Kasandra and Cassandra!

I'm trying out new recipes too...so I made baked doughnuts (Cinnamon Chai...yum). Our class sold these, cookies, collected change and sold shoes to raise money for UNICEF and the local food bank. Our class raised over $200! The school together was able to raise over $2500! Great work for a student body of about 430!

I always need to update you on Penelope...Isabelle is pretty quiet, but here is where she was fond one evening...Ryan's dresser!

Shane had the opportunity of going out on the land with the grade 9 class and hunt and fish. Here are some of his pics

Ice fishing

School Cabin and transportation (ski doo and Sleds)

Shane:)

Halloween is a favourite time for many here and we have costume judging in the morning at school and in the afternoon we have activities. 

Shane made a game, Pin the nose on the Witch, he was so proud.

The costumes we so fun...Shane and I were Robin Hood and Maid Marion. Shane was a winner for the best teacher costumes.

Here are some of the kids costumes

My grade 5's

Teachers

Carol of grade 7

Grade 5 team

Roomie Ryan

EA Sarah

In the evening Ryan and Shane dished out the candy while serenading the trick-or-treaters. We also made an Arctic Jack-o-Lantern with a milk jug. 

The next day (Nov.1) the whole school went out the Old Water Lake and had shedding, dog sledding, ice fishing, hot chocolate and other fun activities. The day was perfect, only about -11 with no wind. Here's some of the fun...

Richard with Sarah's fish (lake trout)

Cutie little garden gnome...isn't he sweet!

Cuties sledding

Getting ready for the dog sled team! (Nunavut flag on the back)

A fun day in the Snow!

Stay tuned for more Arctic Cat Adventures!