Osiyo, River Otter families,

Thank you all so much for the amazing, thoughtful treats and gifts last week. We love that we get to be with your children each day and work alongside all of you. We appreciate you all very much!

It is hard to believe it is almost the end of the school year! We are continuing to enjoy all of the gifts Lady Spring is bringing to our forest each day. This week, along with our usual forest friends, we saw some frogs, a mole, caterpillars, a (non venomous) baby snake, as well as some goslings and ducklings with their families. A few students at the school also got to see a couple of river otters playing in the pond on campus, so we are keeping our eyes open for these playful creatures we are named after! We enjoyed a nature walk and the garden, and played in the sand at the creek as well. Even if we didn’t get wet, it was a joyful experience to play in the cooler sandy area with the sound of running water next to us.

This week’s story was about a woman named Maris (meaning ‘of the sea’) who lives on the beach collecting shells to sell at the marketplace. Maris loved the ocean like a sister, and knowing how much Maris was part of the sea, Mother Ocean gifted Maris with a baby, who she found in a large, beautiful shell and named Galia, which also means ‘of the sea’. This story inspired the students to spend a lot of time playing with and caring for our baby dolls in our classroom, made by Ki Holly and Ki Kim. They were very gentle caretakers of their babies, and this play may continue at home.

Announcements and Reminders:

Please send insect repellant, and apply it to your child before school each day. We are starting to see a rise in bites now that it is warmer.
Please send TWO FULL water bottles to school. Even the larger (20oz) water bottles aren’t enough for most children, who are working and playing hard in the warm and sunny forest.
Please send hard-soled, closed-toed water shoes or extra shoes that can get wet and muddy, and a full change of clothing along with a bag for wet clothes. We hope to play in the creek a few times before the end of the school year.
Next Wednesday is field day! We will have no-sugar-added Outshine popsicles on this day, so please let us know if your child should not have one.

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

Gyvalieliga,

Ki Holly