Dear Salal Families,
I am happy to report Valentines’ Day was a joyous and wonderful event. We had been practicing Valentine Poems and songs for weeks. We made Valentines for the upper Elementary students. Then we walked over there and sang them a song and delivered our Valentines. It was so sweet to see their sweet faces singing to the “big kids”. We watched as they opened their envelopes and heard lots of “Awws, and Ohhs” – which was also very sweet. Later that morning, Salal students opened their Valentine’s bags with a buddy. The day was “well-orchestrated” with a bit of surprise.
Thank you for being part of our community. A parent pointed out that, even after observing, it is hard to imagine what a day looks like for her child… Here is a rundown:
Levi: completed the North America puzzle map, and today painted the water. It took several days and Wyatt’s help.
Sammy: has enjoyed keeping the plants well-watered and joining the Kinders for any math lessons.
Owen: has found his old friend Finn B. and they were playing spiderman, while giggling and roaming around the classroom. His laugh is something to admire. He enjoys helping. Need anything? Ask Owen!
Coco: paints almost daily. She just completed the binomial cube for the first time. She loves to run around with friends on the playground. She is a compassionate community member.
Iris: has found Finn H and they smile and laugh while creating art and telling stories. Both have a “shy side” so the animation and attention to detail is fun to see. Finn helps her with her counting works.
Bodhi: plays with Jojo and Penelope, or anyone else available. He does not shy away from hard engaging work. He likes to read, write, and teaches the younger children 0-10 numeration and quantity.
Finn H: has appreciated art and writing. He is working with Iris learning sandpaper letter sounds, playing sound games, or doing 0-10 work. Currently, he enjoys storytelling and art projects.
Clementine: enjoys painting, and talking about her life. Everyone adores Clementine, yet she enjoys independent work just as much as her friends. Pouring, coffee grinding, and art. She loves Ellie and if Ellie is helping other children, Clementine is always there to see if she can lend a hand.
Emma: is practicing counting. She likes numbers and patterns lately. She is sequencing people’s schedules (“you’re going to eat lunch, then go back to class to teach”), and asking “Why” questions and wanting legitimate answers! She loves practical life works and snack.
Jojo: continues to be a shining light in our class. She wants to have fun and be happy and she wants that for her friends too. She just finished a metal inset book. Her animation and joy are contagious and our happy productive classroom is in no small part because of her.
Lincoln: is a social butterfly. He adores his peers and strategically places himself where there is action. He finished the 100 board again and is working on the square chains. He surprises himself with his reading ability.
Jonas: finished the 8 cubed chain in two days and continues to work on his map of Europe. He has spontaneously started writing stories in his Writer’s Workshop journal.
Penelope: loves anything with art, and anything social. She knows how our classroom works and takes full advantage of the morning. Recently, she has begun to count the short chains. She enjoys the process of getting everything out and advocates for a lesson
Wyatt: loves a good challenging puzzle. He recently finished a world map, with the help of his friends. There was lively conversation and studious activity for days. Now he is helping Levi with a North America map.
Odette: is a natural and kind leader. Her open mind, inclusive demeanor, and wild independence, confidence, and skills lead her and her cohort to all areas of the classroom. She recently repeated the 8 cubed chain. This joy of learning spreads to her classmates and several new chains have come out this week.
Wesley: has a wild imagination and enjoys putting his stories on paper. He rapidly tells a story to a friend and quickly writes it down in his Writer’s Workshop notebook, with illustrations. He reads the first set of sight words and is eager to get the second set to practice.
Leo: loves a cuddle (which I love too). He loves our playground and is making connections with children his age from other classes. Inside, he gravitates towards letters and small objects. He sorts the objects by initial sound, and then plays with them. He enjoys our reading corner, eating snack with classmates, and telling stories. Although new to our class, he is a wonderful advocate for himself which is highly appreciated.
Please continue to reach out to Ellie and me with any questions, concerns, ideas, and observations from home. We are a team. The carpool line efficiently moves, yet there is not much time to talk, so call or email anytime and we will call back. Don’t forget to “use” each other. Your child knows the children in their class quite well and benefit from further opportunities outside MCS to connect. Battle Point park is close and several families and caregivers meet there after school. Jessie and Esther are our room reps for general MCS questions and another connection for you to use. They know a lot about MCS and the community at large.
Have a wonderful midwinter break
Cheryl and Ellie
