Happy December, Spruce families!
We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving break. We sure are thankful to get to spend time with all of your lovely children!
This month was a busy one, with observers from the AMS Accreditation Team, four student birthday celebrations, and a deep dive into our salmon study. The children have been hard at work learning about salmon! We told the story of the salmon life cycle at circle time, and they have been learning about the parts of a salmon, predators and prey, and the different types of local salmon. We have also been reading several picture books about salmon at circle time (our favorites include “Salmon Stream” and “A Salmon for Simon”) and we are practicing a song about the salmon life cycle (lyrics below).
We hope you all can join us for an interactive self-guided tour around campus to see what the children have been working on on Saturday, December 7th from 10am-2pm. There will be an opportunity to look through the Kinder salmon portfolios, schools of painted salmon hanging from the breezeway, an obstacle course designed to simulate the experience of a spawning salmon swimming upstream, and a chance to see what the Elementary classes have been learning as well.
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.
As we move into December, we will shift focus towards a mini unit on the change of seasons, the winter solstice, and how many people bring light into their homes during the dark winter months. We will learn some seasonal songs and be collaborating with the other Primary classes to prepare and enjoy a Winter Feast together before beginning Winter Break!
In gratitude,
Lydia and Cydnie
I’m a Salmon (very similar to the tune of “I’m a Nut” by Caspar Babypants)
Just a little egg I am, buried under rocks and sand
Soon I’ll be an egg with an eye, then an alevin, then a fry
I’m a salmon (clap clap), I’m a salmon (clap clap)
I’m a salmon, I’m a salmon, I’m a salmon
Swimming down the river far, now I’ve grown into a parr
On my way to the estuary, then a little smolt I’ll be
I’m a salmon (clap clap), I’m a salmon (clap clap)
I’m a salmon, I’m a salmon, I’m a salmon
Learn to swim in salt water, eating shrimp is no bother
Now I’m not a little smolt, I’ve grown into an adult
I’m a salmon (clap clap), I’m a salmon (clap clap)
I’m a salmon, I’m a salmon, I’m a salmon
Great big salmon is what I am, swimming in the big ocean
Back to the river I’ll smell my way, maybe you’ll meet my kids one day
I’m a salmon (clap clap), I’m a salmon (clap clap)
I’m a salmon, I’m a salmon, I’m a salmon
