Nov 2020 Parent Newsletter:
The end of November has proven to be an extraordinarily rewarding time to be involved in “something different” than the rest of society, education-wise at least. Because we are an ‘Educational Service’ in the state of MN, we are exempt from the panic and lock-downs that are gripping the rest of the children and teachers in a state of fear. Instead, we choose to exist, play and learn in a state of joy and wonder.
In forest school with Mr. Thor this month, we’ve learned a LOT about pond and ice safety, we built and started our compost pile, and have been continuing building outdoor shelters, fires. Mr. Thor brought over a buck that he harvested, and we spent a few days learning about the parts of deer.
In school, Miss Amy and Mr. Aaron have been leading a variety of lessons: we learned about the electoral college, are working on engineering design process for a red panda at the Minnesota Zoo, started a marketing unit that coincides with our handmade Christmas Market at the end of the month,and ended the month with some Thanksgiving history– learning about both the Plimoth plantation and the native Wampanoag peoples who lived near/alongside them.
Mr. Kevin and the Kindergarten class have been continuing working on their letters and sounds (T for town and turkey, M for monkey, S for spider), making groupings of 5, learning all about rainforests vs savannahs, and building intriciate block and train cities in the classroom. they joined the big kids at the MN Zoo for an epic field trip, and also have enjoyed a trip to Sky Zone as well as a day playing at the MN Children’s Museum.
Our community of parents is simply amazing: Miss Amanda has been teaching Health/Wellness every Wednesday, and we’ve focused on the importance of sleep, movement, water intake. Miss Jen comes to lead both a Teen Girls’ Bible Study as well as a Home Ec. class for the older kids once/week. Miss Danielle has shared her love of Art with a really fun lesson on shadow painting. Miss Emily is in the school weekly to help be an extra pair of hands and assist kids with their Passion Projects! We’ve also had Mr. Dan, Miss Kelsey, Miss Annie, and Miss Kari help out with Field Trips and Passion Project time. We are always happy to have volunteers come in to share their expertise, or just hang out and wash some dishes! Let Miss Amy know if you’d like to volunteer some time, and she’ll make it happen!
I am so grateful for each and every one of our parents — you have chosen to make your children’s health and happiness a true priority, and I could not have this wonderful school without you. A school without families is just an empty building. I am blown away with love for the community that we are creating!.