Upper Grades: August 27 - 31

Greetings, Upper Grades families!

Last week and until September 14, Ki Molly is teaching the Main Lesson block, which is Local Geography.  The block began with a look into our immediate surroundings. We completed map drawings of our desks, bedrooms, classroom, and campus taking into consideration orientation, birds-eye view perspective, scale and dimension. Next week, we move outward into the local area and state with studies of the first people of Georgia.  Next week on September 13, we are going on a field trip to the Etowah Indian Mounds (built by the Mississippian people in ancient times)  https://gastateparks.org/EtowahIndianMounds and to New Echota, the capital of the Cherokee Nation until their forced removal in 1830. https://gastateparks.org/NewEchota

We had a good turnout at the Parent Evening on August 28. An overview for those who were unable to attend: I talked about "circle time" or "warmups" in Waldorf education.  This summer I learned in my training that different activities represent either an "in breath" --  promoting inward individual concentration -- or an "out breath" -- representing expansion, release, and social connection.  Just like our physical breathing is naturally an alternation of in breath and out breath, the nature of our activities should ideally have this alternation as well.  In general we try to keep this in mind when scheduling the activities of the school day, but especially during circle or warmups.  I learned that since all the children and teachers arrive at school in their own frame of mind, based on the many factors influencing that, by joining together in our warmups, with alternating inward and outward activities, we start to "breathe" as one; so instead of teaching a number of individual children, we end up teaching one class.  In the Parent Evening, we did a sample warmups time, including bean bag tossing.  Hopefully the parents present had as much fun as I did.  :)

Elexa Wagaman, the parent who is leading the fundraising activities of our school this year, came to our meeting and inspired us to give to the school, starting with "Apogee" fund.  This is an easy and painless way to direct state taxes to The Garden School.  Please participate by talking to Elexa or reading about it on the Monday Messenger.  

Happy September!

Ki Carol

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