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What a great start! Rockwood is feelin’ good, y’all! We’re in person, we’ve got old friends and new friends, an old teacher that’s a new teacher ;) , a phenomenal assistant, and play, and work, and time together again. It’s a joyful start! We also started with a new fish (yes, another one!)! In honor of his forebears RikkiTikki and Titan, the students named him Ritan. And he’s fast! He also has a few multi-colored snails as his aquarium buddies, and we enjoy watching them in our new room. Ms. Pat has stopped by to support children with crochet, embroidery, and other artful pursuits. The children are enjoying these enriching new challenges and means of self-expression. Next up: felting! Even after a Covid year and a long summer, students are working hard and pursuing fascinating works. There are class newspapers coming together; lessons about leaves and lines and paragraphs and factors; music drifting in the room from the piano, percussive instruments, and Tone Bars (finally! our Tone Bars!!); poetry and calligraphy; sketching from observation; children mentoring each other in reducing fractions, editing, and long division; and deep dives into the commodities produced in the United States, the Allies of World War II, 3D models of the Twin Towers, timelines of architectural feats of the last 4500 years, and transforming the square of 10 into a trinomial...it’s beautiful what unfolds when children pursue their own interests to direct their own learning! And as you read this, your child will be either on a trip to the Outdoor School or getting ready for a few days of “full-cycle” fun for the 3rd Years! Both groups are looking forward to a few days of community and of celebrating all they’ve overcome in the past year-plus, and to enjoying our new community as we bond and build together. Teri’s Corner On the days I get to lead our end of the day read-aloud, I’ve been reading Peace, Love Action! Everyday Acts of Goodness. This book is set up as an ABC’s of activism, with each letter representing an activism-themed word with a biography of a specific activist. At the end, we have been having LIVELY discussions of “what we can do.” I am so impressed and floored by their observations and willingness to share. So far we have gotten through the following letters and activists… which ones do you know below? A Appreciate -- Autumn Peltier B Breathe -- Thich Nhat Hahn C Conserve -- John Muir D Dream -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. E Empower -- Ruth Johnson Colvin ...I invite you to ask your student about them! Upcoming Don’t miss Silent Journey! This is such a special evening...Parents often share stories years later with me about how moving and important this night was to them. Come and experience for yourself what it’s like for your child to make discoveries and direct their own education. It’s the best opportunity to use and understand the materials that your child is always talking about. You get to feel the progression from Primary through Upper Elementary, and you get a much deeper sense of how it all fits together. If you've attended before, we encourage you to return. Silent Journey's richness reveals more and more with each experience. There's a depth of understanding you can reach by attending each year that you can't get any other way. In addition, your insights and your own growth are particularly helpful for new, incoming parents who are seeing Montessori in this light for the first time. Join us for a quiet, reflective, insightful, and powerful night together on Friday, October 8 from 5:30-9:00. This might make for a late night for some of your littler ones, but I strongly urge you to stay through to the very end--often the richest part is that last hour together. It's worth it!! ★ ...Also, in preparation for Silent Journey, Friday, Oct. 8 is an Early Release Day, with students going home at 12:00. They will not have had lunch by then. Suggestion Box Your child can pack their own lunch! They are ready! Take the time to train them, and let them take over this task step by step. Begin by showing them healthy choices and food groups, then perhaps work shoulder-to-shoulder alongside them, packing your own lunch as they make theirs. Next step is to stay available in the kitchen (but doing something else) while they try on their independence. The final stage is doing your own separate work nearby, but perhaps not in the kitchen, as they strengthen this skill. Eventually, they’ll be totally independent, and both of you can enjoy the rewards of their ownership. Thanks for a strong start to another lovely year together! Fondly, Paige
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