Hi all!
It feels so good to have bright days of fall and crisp hints of winter as we head into the final weeks of 2021. November was a fast-moving month! We started with Parent Conferences, which were a lovely time to meet with you as a team in support of your child. I enjoy getting to know each of you more and more each year. Thank you for this partnership. All month we’ve had fun with a variety of activities and explorations. One fun activity was on the day before Thanksgiving holiday, when the students learned new watercolor techniques. They experimented and explored as they created an art piece called “Thankful,” which each child brought home in celebration of the day. We continued our celebratory day with an act of service, picking up trash from the elementary playground area. And then of course we enjoyed a little popsicle party after that hard work! Speaking of hard work, some students wrote a creative story and thought, “Hey, this would make a great play!” So they worked on transforming the story into a script, cast friends to the parts, rehearsed, figured out stage directions, created props, gathered up costumes, rehearsed more, and created a fundraiser performance of “Rufruf’s Halloween.” The performance went smoothly and was such fun! Thank you to all who came out to support and enjoy their creative efforts, and thank you to all of you who contributed to Austin Pets Alive and to Final Frontier. The students raised $185 for those charities! In addition, Final Frontier received over $70 in additional donations! Our community shines so brightly. Thank you. Teri’s Corner: Zentangle Mania! These past two weeks, the children have been inspired by an art resource in the classroom called Zentangles. The process of creating a zentangle is a mindful, purposeful activity that starts with a 3.5-inch square piece of paper and a pen. You simply draw a square-ish border, break up the square into interesting parts, and do repetitive doodles, or “tangles,” inside each of the pieces of the square. Once complete, you can add shading, sparkles, or other enhancements to make the tangles look 3-D. The variations are endless! One of our students even sketched their hand and then filled that with zentangles! Another duo is creating a zentangle pattern book. And another has taken a metallic gel pen and zentangled on an actual leaf! The focus and calm that takes place in the classroomwhile they zentangle is quite magical and they have only just begun! I invite you to ask your child about their interest and creation of zentangles—evenbetter,join in. Find a quiet 10 minutes in your day with your child and see what you create, both on paper and your atmosphere. I am sure you will find a moment of Zen! Reminders and Sign-Ups Some days have been wonky with a long line of cars in the morning. We’re working on the contributing factors on our end (faster adults, sending word to Mountain Laurel too), but one way you can help is by ensuring that your child is totally ready to hop out of the car. Thank you for encouraging them to have their items already gathered and to be ready to step into their day. Upcoming Elementary Bonfire (weather permitting) is back! Stay tuned for details from the school, but mark your calendars for the evening of Thursday, Dec. 16th! Our Winter Break begins with a half day on Friday, Dec. 17. Dismissal for elementary is at 12:15. Rockwood students are planning a holiday party for their classmates on that day (12/17). They will send out details to parents in the coming days. With so much happening in this year together, both out in the world and in our little room, I’d like to thank you for being part of this community. You’ve kept school safe so we can keep it in-person and real and fun. And the kids...they make it beautiful. Thank you for sharing them with us each day. Thank you, Paige
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Ms. PaigeRockwood Cottage Archives
November 2022
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