Dear Salal Families,

Let us welcome two new students to our community: Levi and Bodhi. We look forward to getting to know them. It’s such a pleasure welcoming students into our community. As everyone gets more comfortable and settled, Ellie and I relish in time spent building rapport with new students and rekindling our love for returning students. Building (and rebuilding) genuine rapport with students is important. We want them to leave our classroom and feel important/heard/seen with all of their future teachers throughout their educational careers. We are building blocks.

The beginning of the year excitement/anxiety is subsiding as routines and expectations are more relaxed and normalized. The beginning of school is spent establishing routines and culture. (Each class has their own culture and it’s fun to watch them reveal themselves). So far, our class is: energetic, imaginative, very social, kind of loud, and has an advanced sense of humor. “Ground rules” are what make our classroom a peaceful place. Each day we visit one or two items that make life easier: inside voices, walking feet, how to blow your nose, flushing the toilet, etc. Does any of this come home?

We are singing. This group enjoys rhyming and rhythm. We learned the song “On Little Bird”. Have you heard them sing it at home? The words may have gone home in folders.

Thank you for good coats and shoes. We go out every chance we can. Wind is the only time we stay inside. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Umbrellas are okay with us.

We are looking forward to the Autumn Gathering. Dorothy is a master at making events fabulous. The children have worked on projects to make this night memorable. I hope to bring my husband and MCS Alumni daughter to the event and look forward to having time to chit chat! I love to make connections with the adults of these amazing beings.

Sincerely,
Cheryl and Ellie