Osiyo, River Otter families.

This week we started some fun new activities! We have a new station in our outdoor classroom where students have the opportunity to hammer nails into a stump during our free play times. This takes not just strength, but a lot of focus, patience, and coordination. Students are also learning safety rules when working with tools, and have been very conscious to observe those rules. We have added some additional practical work ‘jobs’, as well, such as platform clean up and morning sweeping. We also heard our first fairy tale of the year this week, “The Porridge Pot”. To go along with this sweet and funny fairy tale, we had a shared snack of oatmeal with agave and cinnamon on Thursday and Friday. Almost every student tried the oatmeal on both days, and some discovered that they really enjoyed it, asking for second and even third helpings.

In the River Otter class, our tradition is to observe Valentine’s Day by making something to gift to the animals of the forest rather than sharing cards, candy, or other gifts with classmates. Please do not send cards or other treats to school on this day, as we will not be able to hand them out and do not want to disappoint the child hoping to share them. This year we will also share a class snack of rice pudding made with coconut milk, and have raisins and nutmeg available to add in.

Announcements and Reminders

Please send a small blanket with your child every day if they are a full day student. We are resting outdoors almost every day, and blankets help the students feel warm and comfortable.
Conferences are next week, on Wednesday 2/16 through Friday 2/18. All three of these days will be early dismissal for all students, from 12:15-12:30pm. If you have not yet signed up for a conference time, you can do so here. Please indicate in the comments whether you prefer to meet in person or virtually.
Mid-winter break is 2/21-2/25, there will be no school during this week.

Thank you for sharing your children with us, and for being part of our community.

Gyvalieliga,

Ki Holly