Osiyo, Chickadee Families,

The Chickadee students were deeply engaged in science and art last week. The cooler weather has given the children energy to engage more deeply in active play, leading to many discoveries often made by five and six-year-olds during outdoor free play. For example, the students began hitting a large rock with another large rock, causing pieces of it to break off. They then placed smaller rocks on the first large rock and hit those, breaking them into yet smaller pieces or crushing them into dust. The children have been saving the precious gems they made in the nature treasure basket, and they are proud of their hard work. The students have also explored different ways of building with pieces of wood, making forts, roads, boats, wooden people, and see-saws.

Last week, the Chickadee students painted with two colors for the first time this school year. They used both yellow and red watercolor paints. Some students noticed that their papers turned orange and wondered why they ended up with a different color than the two they started with. Students also made shooting stars last week by cutting large stars from watercolor paintings and threading and knotting yellow and silver ribbons in the stars. This activity required motor planning, fine motor dexterity, hand strength, hand-eye coordination, problem-solving, and patience. The children were proud of their work and excited to take them home to show their grownups. This week, students will make cards for veterans and dye golden capes.

Announcements and Reminders for Chickadee Kindergarten:

Please send your child in shoes they can remove and put on without assistance. Students take their shoes off and on several times each day, as they do not wear them in the indoor classroom or on the platform. If your child is still working on tying their shoes, please send slip-on or velcro shoes. Thank you for your help!
This Friday, September 20th, is a half day for all students. All students will be dismissed from 12:15 to 12:30 p.m. Full-day students will also bring their rest mats home to be washed over the break; please return them the first day your child attends following the break.
This year, some kindergarten snacks are lighter, such as popcorn on Mondays and rice cakes on Fridays. Please send your child something additional to help them feel full until lunchtime. Items with protein, like yogurt, cheese, or meat sticks, are especially helpful for providing energy for our active days at school.
Conferences are October 10 & 11th! Please sign up here for a time to meet to discuss your child’s school experience so far this year. Conferences will be held in person, on our outdoor platform if weather allows, and in our indoor classroom if it is storming. Please let me know if you have any questions or do not find a meeting time that works for you.

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

Gvyalieliga,

Ki Holly