Dear Spruce families,
Welcome to October! It’s hard to believe the first month of school has already gone by. It has been so sweet to welcome all of your children in this space and watch them become more and more at home! This past month, we have been working hard to lay the ground rules for our classroom and learn the routine of the day. We have also been working on developing the feeling of community and supporting some blossoming friendships.
Our circle times have consisted of things like lots of name songs, introducing how to use a work rug to denote your workspace, how to carry water, and how to push in a chair. We have also talked about how we have three “R” rules in our class: respect yourself, respect others, and respect your environment. Your children all helped brainstorm ways we can practice those rules at school!
As we move into October, we will be preparing for our school-wide salmon study, which will start the third week of the month. First, we are setting the scene by talking about the differences between living and non-living things, the differences between plants and animals, and our local biome here in the Pacific Northwest. Then we will be ready to dive in (pun intended) to our six-week long salmon study!
Our Kinders are in full swing with their afternoon work cycle. Monday through Wednesday, we join the other classroom cohorts for Writer’s workshop. We mix-up the classes on Thursdays for Art and Music specialists, and then have our all-Kinder adventure day on Fridays for Outdoor Education. With the three classes together for a time every afternoon, the children are growing their social skills and building friendships with each other and connecting in wonderful ways with all of the Primary Guides.
We are very much looking forward to seeing you all at conferences this week! It has been a pleasure and a privilege to get to know your children over this past month and we are excited to get to know you all better too. Thank you all for your trust in us and your support as we begin the school year. We are off to a great start!
Warmly,
Lydia and Cydnie
