HALF MOON BAY PUBLIC
Half Moon Bay Public School opened in September 2016 as a Junior Kindergarten (JK) - Grade 5 English and Early French Immersion school, progressing to a JK-Grade 6 structure for the 2017- 2018 school year. It can accommodate up to 674 students.
PUTTING THEIR WRITING SKILLS TO WORK
February 3, 2026
It has been a busy week for Half Moon Bay with a ping pong tournament being held in the school.
In Leah Shea’s kindergarten class, were read the book “One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.” Using what they learned, the students painted colourful drawings of fish in the style of doctor Suess.
Also in Kindergarten, students learned how to make yogurt parfaits. This was possible due to the help of Loblaws which provided students with the breakfast while promoting healthy eating.
And during outdoor playtime, students in Ms Shea’s class also used their math skills to count how many boots their were among 10 friends.
In Mme Bailey’s class, students continued the coding challenge. They had the chance to try out the Lego coding express train.
And lastly in Catherine Finn’s grade 5/6 class, students have been putting their writing skills to work. They have also been using a criteria list to develop high-quality reading responses.
STEM CHALLENGES TO KICK OFF THE NEW YEAR
January 16, 2026
It was back to school for students at Half Moon Bay Elementary, one which was full of educational activities in and outside of the classroom. Staff have also taken part in the 2020 fitness challenge, encouraging one another to stay active this year.
Students in Catherine Finn’s class didn’t waste any time getting back into learning after the Christmas break, participating in the STEM challenge. They used newspaper and masking tape to create a structure which could support the weight of a baseball.
And in Heather Fraser’s grade six class, students learned about the size of the sun compared to the other planets. They also used Oreo cookies to show the different phases of the moon. Space is one of the key units taught in grade six science, and typically one of the favourites for the kids.
Leah Shea’s class wasted no time setting up their new dramatic play area with Batman’s lair as the theme. On Friday they created bat shaped masks which they wore while playing in their new set up.
It was also a week of math activities in Mona Nestallahs class. Students are learning how to collect and organize data, and also how to construct pictographs. All useful skills which will one day come in handy!
STUDENTS BAKE GINGERBREAD IN THE CLASSROOM
December 18, 2025
As students get ready to take in the Christmas break, kids at Half Moon Bay Elementary School were busy getting into the festive holiday spirit.
The month of December started off with a book sale. All purchases earned credit for the school to buy more books for their library. A group of students and their parents created necklaces and sold them, with all proceeds going to purchasing more books – 132 in total.
Half Moon Bay also took part in this years Hour of Code week which ran from December 9-15. It is a world-wide effort to celebrate the advancements in computer science and technology. Students in Mme Bailey’s class worked on coding their own holiday message, and other students spent their time in the school’s Makerspace coding.
The Christmas season also means it is a great time for baking and that is exactly what students in Leah Shea’s class, baking over 100 gingerbread cookies for their families, and building a gingerbread house. Students in Mona Nesrallah’s class also made gingerbread dough – a great mathematical experience – and later baked it into cookies.
Meanwhile, grade 6 students had the treat of watching the Polar express – a common Christmas tradition in many elementary school classes around the city.
Students ended their week before Christmas holidays with a musical performance by musician Creg Cardiff, who helped the students write a school song. He also worked with the grade 6’s to write their own individual songs about their school community.
GETTING INTO THE FESTIVE SPIRIT
December 6, 2025
As Christmas fast approaches, students at Half Moon Bay Elementary School are getting into the holiday spirit.
The week started off with students getting creative on how to use the green screen. In Catherine Finn’s class, students had lots of fun creating 30 second tableaux, which looks like it’s a human couch! The next day in Catherine’s class, students spent their recess writing, practicing their writers craft.
And on the topic of affordable and clean energy, students are working on a solution to UN sustainable development goal - #7 – creating a wind-powered car.
Students in Mrs Parker-Smith’s class had a fun time at the Bill Mason Centre on November 28, where they had a chance to practice shelter building in the woods.
In the school’s Me to We Club, students are working hard to prepare snowmen for a December fundraiser. More details to follow…
And in Mme Bailey’s grade 2 class, an Elf on the Shelf has arrived to watch over the students and ensure they are being good this holiday season.
HALLOWEEN AT HALF MOON BAY
November 1, 2025
Lots of pumpkins filled the halls of the school this week as students got into the Halloween spirit.
Some students were in the Maker Space of the school, taking park in the pumpkin structure challenge. Many different designs were used, including using Keva plaques to build a structure that goes around the pumpkin without touching it, then adding a second pumpkin on top.
In Ms. Bailey’s class, students worked on Halloween art by ripping up pieces of scrap paper and turning it into Halloween designs. Meanwhile in Ms. Shea’s class, students carved pumpkins and made spider art out of paper. Students in grade 2 also got into the Halloween spirit by making posters to hang up around the school.
The grade 1 students brushed up on their Halloween vocabulary words and used their new ghost blasters!
Back in the Maker Space, students took on a challenge to create the tallest structures which could hold the weight of mini pumpkins. It was a fun week for all!
MAKING YOUR OPINION COUNT
October 21, 2025
It is a way to make students become critical thinkers.
On Friday, October 18, grade 4, 5, and 6 students at Half Moon Bay Elementary School voted in a student mock election. It is just like the real thing, but the votes don’t count. Students were trained on how to run the polling stations, and they took it very seriously.
Grade 5/6 teacher Catherine Finn organized the event, and said it was a good way to get the students involved in politics and voting at a young age.
“Part of the social studies curriculum for the grade 5’s is learning abut responsible citizenship, and for the grade 6’s they learn about Canada’s involvement in the global community,” she said. “This is perfectly in line -- its like real world context of what we have been learning in the classroom. They have been amazingly engaged with their parents (and) they report back that they have been watching the leaders debates and we have been having great conversations about it.”
Finn says it has been a great way for the students to learn critical thinking skills, and says they have all been challenging different points of views.
“I think it is really opening up their mind to different ideas, also I think the really important thing about this is that are interested in this whole process,” states Finn. “We know that in the younger population voter turn out is not really strong. We are hoping when they learn about this and they become super engaged at a young age that when they are a voting age they will just understand more about this civic responsibility.”
We spoke to some of the students and here is what they had to say…
“It determines the future of Canada and that we must have a good leader to bring Canada into a straight line and proceed and have a great country,” - Aiman, grade 6.
“It shares people’s thoughts on who is going to take our government seriously. If people didn’t get to vote they would be angry because they didn’t get to express who will be the next government and they want to pick people who will do the right things and make Canada a great country,” - Neev,
grade 6.
“I have learned that we have to vote a proper government who can lead our future properly, not a corrupt one and one that makes it all aligned for our earth and our money. Also, a government is fair,” - Abban, grade 6.
“We learned a lot of things, mostly we learned that it is important that everyone should vote. We also learned how it effects Canada and how if you vote you don’t want to share it with anyone because if you do it is going to ruin your vote. I can go on and on about more things,” - Ahmed , grade 5.
“We have been learning what the candidates will do for us and why it is a good thing to vote. Everyone has a right to vote and you need a good government to lead your country,” - Talib, grade 6.