Greetings,
Ellie and I hope you had a wonderful celebration, surrounded by those you love. I went to Canada to visit my daughter who recently moved to Ottawa. Ellie is an amazing cook and hosted a dinner for several family members.
We are continuing our study of salmon. Children have learned about the cold, clean water that spawning salmon and eggs need to continue the life cycle. It has been a gentle opportunity to talk about life cycles, including birth and death. These conversations may continue when they get home.
Everything in our local environment supports salmon. As we work and play outside we are identifying plants, fungi, trees, and even rocks. The weather: this cold wet dark weather is exactly what our local Chum salmon need! We have been outside every day since school began and will continue, even in our “worst” weather (except wind…). Thank you for sending so many layers, raincoats, good shoes, and… changes of clothes. Although they are outside, students are learning about how to stay warm and dry.
We will continue to learn about what salmon eat (prey), and what eats salmon (predators). Bugs, smaller fish, and plankton are all eaten by salmon, while Orcas, river otters, sea gulls, bear, etc all enjoy salmon. Another topic we will explore is the parts of a salmon and their purposes.
I think of my newsletters as talking points you can have with your child. I don’t like to give advice but frequently do. For instance: if you’re outside, name what things are or ask if your child knows. Expand the “parts of” works by labeling parts of an animal picture you have. Put labels on anything really. Post-it notes have innumerable purposes!
If you have any concerns about your child, let’s talk. Your instincts as a parent are very important and I wish I had listened to my instincts more as my child grew. Receiving intervention is easier for young children, effective, and a lot of times FUN. We have resources of our recommended professionals and now is a good time to be making connections with those professionals, if needed. I am a teacher quick to refer based on my positive experiences with a variety of local specialists (Speech pathology, Physical and Occupational Therapists, and Social and emotional professionals).
Kindergarten update: Afternoons for the Kindergarten children is an enriching and engaging time. On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, the children have an hour in class to dive into big lessons or collaborate on Kindergarten projects. They take care of preparing the classroom for the next day by doing the laundry, emptying the garbage, and tidying the shelves. At 2:00, they gather as a writing community in a Writers’ Workshop. It is here that students learn what a story is, how to show and tell a story, and support each other’s thinking. We always start with a “mini-lesson” with lots of time to write. Currently, we are learning how to write legibly, the importance of re-reading our words, putting spaces between each word, and how to support each other with questions and compliments. Before going outside to play, we pause to reflect on our hard work. This is a hard-working group with lots of ideas and excitement to get their thoughts on paper. On Thursday our cohort is split into two groups. Half go to music with Katie in the Commons while the other half go to art with Isobel in the Art Studio. They regroup for a snack, then switch Specialists for the second session. This month, Isobel helped them create their lamps for our lantern walk, and Katie is teaching “the lantern song” as well as many other songs, movement games, and dances. On Friday, we pack ourselves up to enjoy the wonderful outdoors for Outdoor Education. We are identifying plants, trees, and fungi. Each child comes prepared with the correct outdoor gear and a snack from home. Sometimes we walk long distances, sometimes we stay close to the school. We follow the children’s lead. Last week, someone from the public gave us a soccer ball which was a hit, another day we stopped to watch the ducks and climbed some trees. It’s been a pleasure to watch this group evolve into a community as they support one another in their social, emotion, physical, and spiritual development.
December goes fast. Let’s all enjoy the ride.
Cheers and thanks for being an important part of the Salal community,
Cheryl and Ellie
