August 2022
Peek Inside Lower Elementary
BLACK BEAR
Dear Families,
August is always a time of excitement, yet with it, comes some nervousness, especially for the new members of our community as they adjust to a new environment, new friends and new expectations.
Having said that, we have successfully completed a month of getting to know each other, building community with games and songs, adjusting to grace and courtesy and routines, and now we are well on our way into new lessons and discoveries!
The Black Bear community has been buzzing with work and friendship. Our first two Great Lessons have been presented, getting us started by building the foundation for much more to come.
The Elementary environment is largely about learning to balance freedom and responsibility, and this is the work of years, not days or weeks. Academic and intellectual work is only part of what we offer, but the bigger and more important work is the culture that supports the development of character, positive habits and social skills to needed to be a contributing member of society based on collaboration, mutual help and respect.
Ms. Carmen and I are committed to nurture, support and guide your children and make their experience productive, stimulating and fulfilling!
Please keep an eye on communication on general information and future events! We are excited for a productive and fun-filled year!
Warmly,
Ms. Rebeca & Ms. Carmen
COYOTE
First Month Back!
Dear Coyote Parents and Families,
We have officially completed our first month back at school! This month has been wonderful! The children are ready to engage and create and are already busy adapting to the environment. This past month has been a month of building routine, relationships with one another and the accountability and responsibilities that come with the freedom of the elementary environment. The children continue to resiliently work together and support one another in this process of building their sense of community.
Together we will continue to learn and adjust the daily procedures, taking on a sense of responsibility for the environment and bringing a consistent work cycle to the environment. It is evident through their work and conversations that there is excitement in opening up the classroom through the great stories that they are receiving.
As we move forward, let us continue to work as a community to openly communicate, learn, and grow together. Please feel free to email me with any thoughts, questions, and concerns.
Thank you and looking forward to what the year will bring!
Best wishes,
Ms. Neyamah & Ms. Claudia
Peek Inside Upper Elementary
FALCON
Dear Falcon Families,
These first few weeks back have been very exciting and eventful. The children love being the Falcon classroom, an environment that inspires them. They came ready to work and create!
The new children are adapting to being in Upper Elementary, and the returning children have been very supportive of their new classmates. There are many group projects and in-depth studies taking place already.
There are ongoing presentations and work in all areas of study, making sure that Cosmic Education happens in the classroom. Rather than being presented math, geography, language, biology, art, music, history and geometry as independent areas of study, they are invited to experience how all of them are connected to each other.
At the beginning of the school year, it is essential to establish routines and guidelines so that harmony may exist within the classroom, this takes time. To accomplish this, we do a lot of Grace and Courtesy lessons. There have been may opportunities for the students to become more responsible for themselves, their peers and their environment.
We have already started our going outs, including trips to the library (make sure your children have a valid library card).
Looking forward to the rest of the school year,
Ms. Ximena & Ms. Carla
ROADRUNNER
Dear Roadrunner families,
This month has been extremely busy and has just flown by! We started off the school year with a social experiment to experience the importance of goal setting and have created both individual and community goals. While we spent our first few days collaborating on guidelines to ensure a positive, supportive environment for everyone to thrive in, the children were begging to get to work! Children have received many math, language, science and geometry lessons but they crave more!
There have been several big research projects that have started as well as the organization of student led groups and events. While we have had two groups present their research, our calendar is quickly filling up with knowledge the children are excited to share with others. Sugary Sweets Bakery is a group of girls who are hosting a series of bake sales to raise money for charity organizations. Their first event was held August 25 and was a huge success! Thank you again to everyone who came and supported their cause. The children also spent several days timing themselves running and doing conversions to calculate their speed in our field outside. This helped foster Creō Fitness, a student led and organized series of fitness classes set to begin next week.
Spanish is heard in our everyday routines, and going outs are slowly being planned as the children are setting their sights on exploring their community resources. Many children have been excited to get their hands back on familiar material and have been very quick to ask for specific lessons. The kitchen is used daily and the children are planning a big feast in our classroom for October. The children are enthused to explore creative outlets using many materials from our art shelves. The children are overly eager and hungry for lessons and work, it has been such an enriching experience getting to spend this time with your children. I am looking forward to everything this year has to bring.
-Ms. Lauren & Ms. Juany
