Fourth and Fifth Grade: April 22 - 26, 2024

Dear Fourth and Fifth Grade parents,

Thank you for coming to the school auction on Friday and bidding for the beautiful items that students, faculty, and parents had created for the event. There is so much talent in this school, and the auction becomes more amazing each year!

Last week, all students got to experience something new. The Fifth Grade students went on a trip to the Southeast Pentathlon, while the Fourth Grade students enjoyed two and a half days in Ki Paulyna’s Third Grade class, which began a block on farming and grains. 

The Pentathlon was a memorable experience for the Fifth Grade students. From day one, they were separated into different Greek city-states and spent all their time with students from seven different schools in the Southeast. Julian and Rowan joined the city-state of Thebes, while Bridget, Jiyah, and Lyra joined the city-state of Corinth. They trained all Wednesday in five Olympic disciplines and spent the evenings entertaining each other with stage performances. On Thursday, the students demonstrated their skills to their parents in front of volunteer judges. The whole event started with the lightning of the Olympic fire and ended with a medal ceremony. Each student was recognized for their personal strengths and accomplishments. Many thanks go out to Mr. Matan, who was in charge of discus throwing, as well as to Vinod Rayala and Ridwan Ahmed, who volunteered to accompany the class on the trip! There is more about the Pentathlon in this week’s Speciality Highlight, and the Fifth Grade families will have access to photos and videos of the event. 

When the Fifth Graders returned from their trip, both classes were glad to see their friends again and told each other about their different experiences. On Friday, the class had fun mummifying apples, which they will observe for the next two weeks. The class is now wrapping up the year with a block on Botany. 

Announcements and Reminder

  • The class will take advantage of the warm days and head to the creek when our schedule allows. Please help make sure your child has a change of clothes and water shoes at school every day so they can enjoy the fun!

  • Please apply sunscreen on sunny days. 

  • Please send two full water bottles to school daily; students feel the warmer temperatures and drink a lot of water!


Upcoming Events:

  • 4/30 First Grade Class Play 5:30 p.m.

  • 5/01 Second Grade Class Play 5:30 p.m.

  • 5/11 Community Work Day  9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

  • 5/14 Sixth Grade Class Play 5:30 p.m.

  • 5/15 Field Day / Half Day for Kindergarten

  • 5/17 Last Day of School - Full Day


Warm regards,

Ki Gaby

Fourth and Fifth Grade: April 15 - 19, 2024

Dear Fourth and Fifth Grade Families,

Last week, the students continued their studies of Ancient Egypt. The highlight of the week was a series of activities that immersed the students in the life of the people of Ancient Egypt. Our students didn't just learn about Ancient Egypt; they became a part of it! They gave themselves Egyptian names and imagined the professions they would have pursued in that era. They designed their own cartouches, unique amulets with their Egyptian names inscribed on them. They also wrote about their chosen professions and created drawings of their cartouches in their main lesson books. This hands-on approach to learning not only made the lessons more fun but also helped them understand and remember the information better. 

In addition, the students learned about the Ancient Egyptian burial rites and the mummification process. This week, the students will finish writing about a typical day as an Ancient Egyptian. They will also conduct a science experiment, monitoring the mummification process of apples under different conditions. 

Today, the Fifth Grade students went on a three-day field trip to Camp Twin Lakes in Rutledge, Georgia, to participate in the Southeast Pentathlon with students from other Waldorf Schools in the Southeast. Emulating the Ancient Greek Olympic Games, they will be divided into teams and "compete" in the long jump, the javelin throw, the discus throw, wrestling, and a relay race.  While the Fourth Grade students look forward to competing in the Pentathlon in the upcoming school year, they are joining the Third Grade class with Ki Paulyna for the Pentathlon days. This will allow the students to spend time with their future classmates and get to know each other better. 

I am looking forward to seeing you at the annual fundraiser on Friday. The mosaic table made by our class is amazing!

Announcements and Reminders:

  • The class will take advantage of the warm days and head to the creek when our schedule allows. Please help make sure your child has a change of clothes and water shoes every day so they can enjoy the fun!


Upcoming Events:

  • 4/23-4/25 Fifth Grade Pentathlon

  • 4/26 Annual Auction Fundraiser and Half-day Dismissal

  • 4/27 Community Work Day 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

  • 4/30 First Grade class play 5:30 p.m.

  • 5/01 Second Grade class play 5:30 p.m.

Warm regards,

Ki Gaby

Fourth and Fifth Grade: March 25 - 29, 2024

Dear Fourth and Fifth-Grade Families,

I hope you all had a relaxing spring break and had an opportunity to witness the solar eclipse with your families. In the week leading up to the break, the class worked hard on producing the play Perseus the Brave, which they performed twice on Wednesday, March 17. All the students did a tremendous job performing together on stage. Not only did they all remember so many lines, but they also followed all stage directions for moving across the stage. Our first practice on the stage in the sanctuary was for the dress rehearsal on the performance day. They rose to the logistical challenge of optimizing the movements from scene to scene. The students quickly figured out a way to make all the scenes work. It took a lot of teamwork between the students, and they can be proud of their accomplishments. Thank you to all the parents who helped to prepare the stage and clean up the sanctuary after the play. Thank you also to all families for their contributions to the cast party. The students truly deserved to be recognized for their excellent performance. Thank you also to all who came for Grandfriends Tea on the last day of school before the break. It was a pleasure to come together and see the grade students sing and juggle on the stage.

For our next block, we will now be looking at Ancient Egypt. At the same time, the 5th graders are getting ready for their pentathlon trip. The students will be preparing for the games, polishing their odes to the Greek gods, practicing the Olympic oath, and preparing a skit to perform at the pentathlon. 

Announcements and Reminders:

  • Dress for the weather with layers and send in full rain gear daily (raincoat, rain pants, and boots)

  • If your child is feeling under the weather, please keep them home to help keep our community healthy.


Upcoming Events:

  • 4/12 Student picture make-up day

  • 4/23 Third Grade Class Play

  • 4/24 Second Grade Class Play

  • 4/23-4/25 5th Grade Pentathlon

  • 4/26 Annual Auction Fundraiser - Half Day

  • 4/27 Community Work Day 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

  • 4/30 First Grade Play


Warm regards,

Ki Gaby

Fourth and Fifth Grade: March 18 - 22, 2024

Dear Fourth and Fifth Grade Families,

Last week, the class's work concentrated on the play Perseus the Brave, which they will perform before the school tomorrow. The students worked on the different scenes of the play, practiced projecting their voices toward the audience, moving across the stage, and using gestures and body language to convey the story. They also worked on the costumes and props needed for the play. The play will take place tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. in the sanctuary, and we will have a cast party afterward at the picnic tables. The students are all very excited, and the class is looking forward to seeing you at the play tomorrow night! 

The class went on a field trip to Red Top Mountain on Wednesday. Equipped with a detailed topographic map, Mr. Matan took the class on an orienteering adventure off the trodden paths. The class was divided into two different groups. Their task involved navigating through unfamiliar terrain in the forest to ten different locations shown on the map. Without a compass, the students had to interpret the contour lines on the map and look out for landmarks, such as fallen trees, large boulders, and the lake shoreline, to find their way. The hidden locations were flagged with poles. To prove that they had identified all marked spots, the students needed to collect parts of a secret message at each location and figure out the hidden message after the hike. 

At the beginning of the hike, the students needed help relating the surrounding landscape to the drawings on the map. Several times, they lost orientation but always found their way after carefully looking at the map. Each student had a chance to lead their group to one of the hidden locations. Their confidence had grown tremendously halfway through the hike, and the whole class navigated the landscape easily. Afterwards, the class had a picnic at the lake and even saw a helicopter land and take off at the visitor center! Thank you to Mr. Matan for this beautiful experience and all the volunteers who came with us on the trip. 

Announcements and Reminders:

  • Dress for the weather with layers and send in full rain gear daily (raincoat, rain pants, and boots)

  • If your child is feeling under the weather, please keep them home to help keep our community healthy.


Upcoming Events:

  • 3/27: Class Play (5:30 in the Sanctuary)

  • 3/27-3/28: School Photos

  • 3/29: Grandfriends Day (Half Day All School Dismissal)

  • 4/1-4/5 Spring Break (No School)

  • 4/8: No School: Solar Eclipse

  • 4/23-4/25 5th Grade Pentathlon

  • 4/26 Annual Auction Fundraiser - Half Day


Warm regards,

Gaby Farrokhi

Fourth and Fifth Grade: March 11 - 15, 2024

Dear Fourth and Fifth Grade Families,

Last week went by fast. The class was busy getting ready for the play. Every day, the students practiced their roles and worked on different scenes. The students also heard more Greek stories, such as the story of King Midas and his Golden Touch and the encounter of Theseus and the Minotaur in the labyrinth of King Minos. After hearing the story of the Minotaur, the students drew a complicated labyrinth on paper in form drawing. They also drew a full-size labyrinth on the parking lot so that they could walk it.

On Thursday, the Fourth Grade students went on a field trip to Etowah Mounts with Ki Paulyna, Ki Cole, and the Third Grade class. They enjoyed learning about the way of life of the Mississippian People who inhabited the area in prehistoric times. 

The fifth graders prepared themselves for the upcoming Pentathlon on the same day. They discussed that the Pentathlon is not as much about winning but, more importantly, about a positive attitude and sportsmanship. Each student had to prepare an ode to one of the Olympian gods for the Pentathlon. An ode is a lyrical poem that praises a person or an event. In ancient Greece, odes were often recited with the accompaniment of a lyre. In our case, the fifth graders wrote an ode to praise the positive attributes of a Greek god (grace, strength, speed, endurance, etc.) in poetic form in the hope of manifesting these positive qualities in themselves during the Pentathlon competition. The students ended the day with a Greek picnic in the forest. They had pita bread stuffed with tzatziki, lettuce, onions, red peppers, tomatoes, black olives, and feta cheese. On the side, they tasted Greek beans, stuffed vine leaves, and halva for dessert.  

This week, the whole class is looking forward to going to Red Top Mountain State Park on Wednesday. Ki Matan will lead us on a hike. Please make sure that your child has packed two water bottles, a snack, a lunch, and sunscreen. The students can bring their usual lunch boxes and carry them in their backpacks. We will be back at the school before regular pickup time. 

Looking forward to April, the class will visit KSU on April 11 to view the KSU orchestra practice session with Ki Ben. 

Announcements and Reminders:

  • Please help your child to practice for the play every day.

  • Please remind your child to turn in their Mandarin homework on time every week. 

  • Dress for the weather with layers and send in full rain gear daily (raincoat, rain pants, and boots).

  • If your child is feeling under the weather, please keep them home to help keep our community healthy.

Upcoming Events:

  • 3/20: Fourth and Fifth Grade trip to Red Top Mountain

  • 3/27: Class Play

  • 3/27-3/28: School Photos

  • 3/29: Grandfriends Day (12:30 All School Dismissal)

  • 4/1-4/5 Spring Break (No School)

  • 4/12 KSU Orchestra Trip

  • 4/23-4/25 5th Grade Pentathlon

  • 4/26 Annual Auction Fundraiser - Half Day


Warm Regards,

Gaby Farrokhi

Fourth and Fifth Grade: March 4 - 8, 2023

Dear Fourth and Fifth Grade Families,

Last week, the students began working on the class play Perseus the Brave, which they will present to the families on Wednesday, March 27. Perseus was the Greek son of Zeus and mortal Danae, who went on a quest to slay the Gorgon Medusa. After hearing and reading the story of Perseus, the students received copies of the play. The class read the play aloud throughout the week, switching roles with every scene. The students also took turns acting out different passages of the play, using body language and tone of voice in their acting. After a few days of practice, the students have now been assigned individual roles. They can take their scripts home to memorize the play as long as they return them to school the next day.  

The students wrote a nature haiku as an expansion on environmental studies and an introduction to poetry. A haiku, a traditional Japanese poem, consists of 17 syllables in 3 lines that do not rhyme. The students first wrote a haiku about an everyday object in the classroom. As a homework assignment, they were sent outdoors to find inspiration in a natural object or impression to inform their own haikus. The challenge was to express a lot with few words. Afterward, the students shared their poems with the class. The class will continue to explore different forms of poetry during this block. 

In form drawing, the students explored linear Greek meandering patterns and designed a Greek shield containing two or three patterns. They had a lot of fun with this activity, when they needed to transform their patterns into a circular form. Some students invented their own patterns, and each student individualized the design with a personal motif in the center of their shield.  

Finally, the class worked in teams on the class auction project, a mosaic table. The students worked on the design and glued it on a mosaic mesh. The parents sanded the table and glued the mosaic on top. We are working on the finishing touches and cannot wait to see how it will look once the piece is grouted and completed. 

Announcements and Reminders:

  • Please remind your child to return their homework each Tuesday.

  • Dress for the weather with layers and send in full rain gear daily (raincoat, rain pants, and boots).

  • If your child is feeling under the weather, please keep them home to help keep our community healthy.


Upcoming Events:

  • 3/14: Fourth Grade trip to Etowah Mounts

  • 3/15: Teacher In-Service (No School)

  • 3/20: Fourth and Fifth Grade trip to Red Top Mountain

  • 3/27 - 29: School Photos

  • 3/29: Grandfriends Day (12:30 All School Dismissal)

  • 4/1-4/5 Spring Break (No School)

  • 4/23-4/25 5th Grade Pentathlon

  • 4/26 Annual Auction Fundraiser - Half Day


Warm regards,

Ki Gaby

Fourth and Fifth Grade: February 26 - March 1, 2024

Dear Fourth and Fifth Grade Families,

The class ended the Ancient India block with the story of Rama and Sita. We are now shifting gears to prepare for our class play, Perseus the Brave, at the end of the month. Please mark your calendars for our play on Wednesday, March 27.

Last week, the class explored how the students can positively impact their environment. First, the students learned about their ecological footprints. An ecological footprint is measured by the amount of land a person needs to sustain their lifestyle. Using math, the students figured out that the average person in the U.S.A. has an ecological footprint of about 20 football fields.  In another activity, the students collected and measured the water from a running sink to calculate the water use if it ran between 1 and 10 minutes. (You can ask them about their daily shower habits!) The class used the numbers from their measurements as a simulation to estimate how much water they use for showering in a year if they shower for one, five, or ten minutes each day.  The students also filled out a survey to see how significant their individual impact on the environment is. They all did well but also found ways to improve in the future. At the end of the activity, the students drew posters, this time with their own "ecological handprints," including pledges on how they will make small changes in their daily habits for a positive impact. 

Throughout February, the students discussed stories about black women and men whose inventions in various fields, from medicine to modern computer technology, changed the world. We started with Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806), known as the "First Black Man of Science," who made a wooden clock that kept perfect time for more than 40 years. He also published the first almanac with weather projections and tables that predicted the tides for the whole year.  We ended with the contemporary inventor Patricia Bath (1942-2019), who was involved in developing the technology for laser eye surgery. 

We have planned to work on our auction project, the mosaic table, this Friday during the main lesson between 8:35 am and 10:20 am. For more information, please refer to my auction email. We are looking for parent volunteers to help the students glue the mosaic pieces on the tables.  If you plan to help, please email me at Gaby@thegardenmarietta.org.

Announcements and Reminders:

  • Please remind your child to turn in their math homework each Tuesday! 

  • Dress for the weather with layers and send in full rain gear daily (raincoat, rain pants, and boots). 

  • If your child is feeling under the weather, please keep them home to help keep our community healthy.


Upcoming Events:

  • 3/9: Community Work Day 9 am - 12 pm

  • 3/14: 4th-grade trip to Etowah Mounts

  • 3/15: Teacher In-Service (No School)

  • 3/20: 4th and 5th-grade trip to Red Top Mountain 

  • 3/27: Class Play

  • 3/27-29: School Photos

  • 3/29: Grandfriends Day Tea (12:30 Dismissal All Students)


Warm regards,

Gaby

Fourth & Fifth Grade: February 12 - 16, 2024

Dear Fourth- and Fifth Grade Families,

I hope you had a wonderful break. In the week before the break, the students learned about the Geography of India. They learned about the Himalayan Mountains in the North and the main rivers, Indus and Ganges, that bring water from the Himalayas to the Indian Subcontinent. They also learned about the monsoons, the winds that bring the yearly rainy season.  

In addition, the students in our class heard an Indian story of King Sangara’s Horse. In it, the holy river Ganges was brought to earth from the heavens so the ashes of King Sangara’s sons could be dispersed in the river. The story relates to the Indian custom of dispersing the ashes of loved ones in the Ganges River. Another story was a story of Indra, the warrior god, who drives a golden chariot across the sky with a thunderstone in his hand. In the story, Indra slays a dragon in a fierce thunderstorm. With the slaying of the dragon, a long drought ends, and the rainy season begins. 

In our daily math practice, the class looked at the divisibility of numbers. We also focused again on the process of long multiplication.

In Woodworking, the fifth-graders have been working with Flaming Box Elder Wood. They are chiseling candle holders with this special wood. The pink and red streaks that give the wood its name are stunning to look at, and the students enjoy every minute of working with it. 

The class is looking forward to working on their spring auction project on Friday, March 9, during the school day. We will reach out soon for volunteer parents to help. We will also need two volunteer drivers to accompany the class on the field trip on 03/14. Please get in touch with me if you are able to help.


Announcements and Reminders:

  • Dress for the weather with layers and send in full rain gear daily (raincoat, rain pants, and boots)

  • If your child is feeling under the weather, please keep them home to help keep our community healthy.


Upcoming Events:

  • 3/8: Work on Spring Auction project

  • 3/9: Community Work Day 9 am - 12 pm

  • 03/14: 4th grade field  trip to Etowah Indian Mounts / 5th grade “day in Greece”

  • 3/15: Teacher In-Service (No School)

  • 3/27-29: School Photos

  • 3/29: Grandfriends Day Tea (12:30 Dismissal All Students)



Warm regards,

Gaby

Fourth and Fifth Grade: February 05 - 09, 2024

Dear Fourth and Fifth Grade Families,

Last week, the class continued hearing stories of Ancient India. The students listened to a recitation of the Song of Creation from the Rig Veda, an ancient Sanskrit text. The students listened to it in Sanskrit and then recited it in English. The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts and stem from a long oral tradition. In the Song of Creation, the world begins with a void, shrouded in darkness and chaos, which then takes form. What happened before and how the creation took place is an open question for the listener of the Song of Creation. The students then listened to a longer creation story of Ancient India. The flood in this story resembles the flood in the story of Noah’s Ark from the ancient Hebrew and Mesopotamian creation tales as well. This week, the students draw a map of Ancient India and study the Indian caste system. The class continues to practice reading aloud daily in our class reader, The Golden Goblet. 

In math, the class is continuing to work on fractions. At the same time, the students strengthen their skills in all four processes. Beginning this Thursday, the students will take home their weekly math homework. The homework will go home every Thursday and must be returned the following Tuesday. Please have your child complete their homework over the break and return it on Tuesday, February 26. 

On Tuesday, the children made gluten-free oatmeal pancakes with blueberries and strawberries. They had fun making the batter and flipping pancakes on the griddle. Thank you to everybody who brought in the ingredients. We are looking forward to doing more cooking in the coming weeks. 

Our auction project is now taking form. Cora Stan and Leah Sims will be our auction project representatives. The students and parents will create a mosaic table to auction this spring. We already have a table and a box of mosaic pieces, and the students had fun sorting the mosaic tiles by color. Stay tuned for more information on how you can contribute.


Announcements and Reminders

  • As has been our tradition at The Garden School, instead of bringing cards from home on Valentine's Day, please save all card and gift exchanges for off-campus playdates.

Upcoming Events:

  • 2/19-2/23 Mid Winter Break (No School)

  • 2/26 Teacher In-Service (No School)

  • 3/9 Community Work Day 9 am - 12 pm

  • 3/15 Teacher In-Service (No School)


Warm regards,

Gaby

Fourth & Fifth Grade: January 29 - February 2, 2024

Dear Fourth and Fifth Grade Families,

Thank you for attending the All School Meeting on Saturday. We appreciate your support of our school and community.

Last week, the students began their study of Ancient India with the story of Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu god. Ganesha is the son of the deities Shiva and Parvati and one of the most revered deities in Hinduism. He is worshiped as the god of prosperity and wisdom. As we explore ancient Indian culture and geography this week, the students will continue to hear more stories from the Hindu gods.

At the same time, the class began with practicing freehand geometry. The circle is the first geometric shape the students explored. First, they walked a circle to experience the constant change of direction while the distance to the circle's center remained the same. They also found that, although walking forward, they would turn around their axis precisely once when walking a full circle. Then, the students enjoyed drawing different types of circles into their freehand geometry books. They also learned the mathematical terms of circles, such as radius, diameter, and circumference. After cooking concentric circles (a.k.a. different-sized oatmeal pancakes stacked on top of each other)  for lunch and a hands-on activity about estimating the relationship between the radius and the circumference of a circle, the class will now move to the ellipse and other geometric shapes. 


The class is looking forward to their performance of the Chinese New Year puppet play on Thursday. Second through Sixth Grade students will present different performances and you are invited to join us in the sanctuary with your families. We hope to see you all there.


Announcements and Reminders:

  • Teacher Conferences are just around the corner! This Spring semester, they will be held February 8th and 9th. Please sign up for your child’s conference here.

  • As has been our tradition at The Garden School, instead of sending cards from home on Valentine's Day, please save all card and gift exchanges for off-campus playdates.

Upcoming Events:

  • 2/8 Half Day - Parent Conferences

  • 2/8 11:00 a.m - Chinese New Year Celebration with puppet show in the sanctuary

  • 2/9 No School - Parent Conferences

  • 2/19-2/23- Mid-Winter Break (No School)

  • 2/26- Teacher Inservice (No School)


Warm regards,

Gaby Farrokhi

Fourth and Fifth Grade: January 22 - 26, 2024

Dear Fourth and Fifth-Grade Families,

Last week, our class studied Ancient Mesopotamia. The students drew a detailed map of Mesopotamia, located in the Fertile Crescent, surrounded by the Arabian Desert in the West and the Taurus and Zagros Mountains in the North and East. They drew the rivers  Euphrates and Tigris, which flow towards the south and join shortly before they empty into the Persian Gulf. 

The class learned about the yearly floods of the two rivers, which deposited rich silt along their banks and made the land perfect for farming. The Ancient Mesopotamians invented the plow and the wheel, and they used bricks for their buildings. They developed a rich culture and built large cities with ziggurats, which were pyramid-like, multi-tiered temple buildings to house the local gods, and also used these to observe the stars. At the end of the week, the students had the opportunity to work together to build two ziggurats out of clay.

The students also enjoyed an activity around the Mesopotamian cuneiform writing method. Cuneiform writing, which was done with a reed stylus on clay tablets, is the oldest known form of writing. To round up the block, the students listened to stories from ancient Mesopotamia. One story preserved in cuneiform is the story of King Gilgamesh and his best friend, Enkidu.


Announcements and Reminders:

  • Please remember to help your child practice their typing skills at least 4x a week! 

  • The first Community Work Day of the Spring Semester is on Saturday, February 3rd, from 10:00 - 12:00. Please come if you are able, and add to your volunteer hours! Children are welcome, and there are typically both indoor and outdoor tasks available.

  • Please also plan to join us for the All School Meeting following the work day at 12:30. A soup lunch will be served at noon, and the meeting should be around an hour to an hour and a half long. The meeting is a grownups-only event.

  • Teacher Conferences are just around the corner! This Spring semester, they will be held February 8th and 9th. Please sign up for your child’s conference here.


Upcoming Events:

  • 2/3 First Grade Risers Informational Meeting - 11:15 a.m.

  • 2/3 Community Work Day 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

  • 2/3 All School Meeting 12:30 p.m.

  • 2/8 Half Day - Parent Conferences

  • 2/9 No School - Parent Conferences

  • 2/19-2/23- Mid-Winter Break (No School)

  • 2/26- Teacher Inservice (No School)


Best regards,

Gaby

Fourth and Fifth Grade: January 15 - 19, 2024

Dear Fourth and Fifth Grade Families,

Last week, the class started our new block on Ancient Mesopotamia, a civilization dating back about 6,000 years. Mesopotamia comes from the Greek words meso and potamia, meaning between rivers. Ancient Mesopotamia is known as the cradle of civilization and is located in the fertile land between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, mainly covering parts of modern-day Iraq and Kuwait. 

On Friday, the students listened to a Mesopotamian creation story. Its story of a flood has much in common with the Hebrew creation story in the Old Testament. As the story begins with the sky god, Any, and the earth god, Enlil, we can draw parallels to other cultural myths, for example, Uranus and Gaia in the beginning of the Greek creation myth or Father Sky and Mother Earth in Native American creation stories. In the way the Waldorf Curriculum is designed, the students will be able to discover the parallels and gain a deeper understanding of various cultures as they proceed through the semester. 

This week, the students will be hearing more stories from Ancient Mesopotamia. At the same time, they will learn about its climate and terrain, how people lived, and the great inventions the Mesopotamian culture brought into the world. 

In grammar, the students explored conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) and quotations.

Announcements and Reminders:

  • Please remember winter coats and two water bottles are required daily.

  • The first Community Work Day of the Spring Semester is on Saturday, February 3rd, from 10:00 - 12:00. Please come if you are able, and add to your volunteer hours! Children are welcome, and there are typically both indoor and outdoor tasks available.

  • Please also plan to join us for the All School Meeting following the work day at 12:30. A soup lunch will be served at noon, and the meeting should be around an hour to an hour and a half long. The meeting is a grownups-only event.

  • Teacher Conferences are just around the corner! This Spring semester, they will be held on Thursday, February 8th (half day) and Friday, February 9th (no school). Please sign up for your child’s conference here.


Upcoming Events:

  • First Grade Risers Informational Meeting - TBD

  • 2/3 Community Work Day 10 am - 12 pm

  • 2/3 All School Meeting 12:30 pm

  • 2/8 Half Day - Parent Conferences

  • 2/9 No School - Parent Conferences


Warm regards,

Gaby

Fourth & Fifth Grade: January 8 - 12, 2024

Dear Fourth and Fifth Grade Families,

This second semester of the school year, our class will concentrate on Ancient Civilizations. Ancient Greece is an overarching theme for our class. As an introduction to the Ancient Civilizations, the students took a week to study the gods who reside on Mount Olympus alongside Zeus and Hera. After hearing stories about the gods, the students wrote an overview of them, which included their different attributes and symbols in their main lesson books. In addition, the class learned to write the Greek Alphabet with their new fountain pens and how to write their names with Greek letters. After the introduction to Ancient Greece, the students are now going back in time to study Ancient Mesopotamia. They will then work through time until they circle back to Ancient Greece. The fifth-grade students will continue to learn more about Ancient Greece throughout the semester, as they will participate in the Waldorf SouthEast Pentathlon with eight other Waldorf schools this spring! 

In our daily math practice, the class started working on the Key to Fractions Workbook 2, which will go deeper into multiplication and division of fractions. So far, the students have been looking at the greatest common factors of fractions to determine how to write a fraction in its simplest form. While many concepts are being taught to the class as a whole, the students work on their workbooks at their own pace. 

In Handwork, the students have been busy sewing their animals for the Chinese puppet play. They are writing the play themselves in Mandarin class and will perform it using their hand-sewn puppets for the grades classes in February.

I am looking forward to meeting you tomorrow at the Parent Night. We will discuss the semester ahead and the school auction. Parents of our fifth-grade students should plan to stay a bit longer as we will discuss more details regarding the Pentathlon. 

Announcements and Reminders:

  • Please remember winter coats and two water bottles are required daily.

  • Please join us on Wednesday evening from 6:00 - 7:00 pm for an overview of the Spring semester. Additionally, we will brainstorm together for an idea for our class auction project!

Upcoming Events:

  • 1/16 Early Childhood Curriculum Night (via Zoom) 6:00 p.m. 

  • First Grade Risers Informational meeting - TBD

  • 1/17 Grades Curriculum Night (on campus) 6:00 p.m.

  • 2/3 Community Work Day 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

  • 2/3 All School Meeting 12:30 p.m.

 Warm regards,

Gaby

Fourth & Fifth Grade: December 11 - 15, 2023

Dear Fourth and Fifth Grade Families,

This past week, the class was immersed in a short Math Block. The students explored the process of long division. Step by step, they practiced dividing three-digit numbers by one-digit numbers. We took this time to deepen our understanding of the process behind the algorithm used to solve division math questions. In this way, the students do more than memorize the steps. They understand the "why" behind the process of long division. 

To understand the process better, the students imagined dividing a certain number of hundred, ten, and one dollar bills between a set number of people using a variety of word problems. Generally, long division starts from the left and goes to the right, starting with dividing the digit with the highest place value. Long division is often more challenging than in the following example: 462/2=231.  Here, with the base-10 system in mind, each of the 2 persons gets 2 hundred dollar bills, 3 ten dollar bills, and 1 one dollar bill. When using money sometimes, though, one hundred dollar bills have to be changed into ten dollar bills, and ten dollar bills have to be changed into one dollar bills to divide the money evenly. And sometimes, one or more dollar bills will be left that cannot further be divided. The students looked at these scenarios and practiced working with them. Long division and vertical multiplication will be a regular part of our daily math practice next semester. 

The class has also started reading a new class reader, The Golden Goblet, by Eloise Jarvis McGraw. The story of this book takes place in ancient Egypt. Along with The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure by Marjorie Cowley, the book is a perfect segway into the study of ancient civilizations next semester.

Thank you to all the parents who made today's end of semester party possible. We hope to see you all tomorrow at the Grades Assembly and wish all families Happy Holidays! Finally, we wish our dear friend, Quentin, all the best on his new educational journey. 

Announcements and Reminders:

  • Have a wonderful Winter Break!  

  • Please remember to clean out and repack backpacks and check that rainboots still fit before the new semester. 

  • Winter coats are required daily.

Upcoming Events:

  • 12/20 Grades Assembly - 11:45 a.m. & Last Day of Fall Semester - Half Day

  • 12/21 - 01/03 Winter Break (No School)

  • 01/04 First day of Spring Semester


Warm regards,

Ki Gaby

Fourth & Fifth Grade: December 4 - 8, 2023

Dear Fourth and Fifth- Grade Families,

In our geography studies last week, each student received a foldable map of the state of Georgia and made themselves familiar with reading the map and understanding its scale. One of the map activities was using strings to estimate the distance between different places on the map. After getting a general idea about the layout of our state, the class is now exploring the distinct features of the different geographic regions of Georgia. 

In their daily math practice, the students focused on vertical multiplication. They also worked on solving practical math questions that involve area and perimeter using grid paper. One example was designing a 40-square-foot space with the smallest perimeter possible. The students experimented with different shapes until they found the optimal design. 

In Mandarin and Handwork, the class is preparing for their Chinese puppet play, which they will perform next semester. The students have spent the last few weeks writing their play about the animals of the Chinese zodiac. With the help of Ki Ieva, they will now create their own puppets. 

Last Thursday, the Winter Spiral in the sanctuary was the week's highlight. The students enjoyed participating in this annual tradition of our school. Thank you to the volunteers who made the Winter Spiral a memorable experience for the students. 

Announcements and Reminders:

  • Help us support Tweens and Teens this year for the MUST Ministries Toy Drive. Please see the Main Message in the Garden Messanger for more information.

  • Please continue to send water-resistant heavy coats, hats, gloves, snow pants or rain pants, and insulated boots daily. Please also continue to dress your child in layers so they are ready to be outside in the cold for longer periods of time.

Upcoming Events:

  • 12/19 Class End-of-Semester Pajama Party

  • 12/20 Grades Assembly - 12:00 p.m. & Last Day of Fall Semester - Half Day

  • 12/21 Teacher In-Service (No School)

  • 12/22 - 01/03 Winter Break (No School)

  • 01/04 First day of Spring Semester

Warm Regards,

Gaby

Fourth & Fifth Grade: November 27 - December 3, 2023

Dear Fourth and Fifth Grade Families,

The week after the Thanksgiving break went by in the blink of an eye, and we are approaching the end of the semester at a similar speed. The students look forward to participating in the tradition of lighting a candle at this dark time of the year during our Winter Spiral. In the mornings, the class has been busy preparing for the Grades Assembly on the last day of school. One highlight will be a song that the students will present together with the Sixth Grade.  

This past week, in our Local Geography lessons, the students have been looking at Cobb County. They are now expanding their studies to the State of Georgia. In our Extra Main Lessons, the class has continued reading The Golden Bull: A Mesopotamian Adventure by Marjorie Cowley. Only a few chapters are left in the book! We will begin reading a new book in the upcoming semester. 

We will hold our Winter Spiral on Thursday. Walking the spiral with a lighted candle is symbolic of each of us sharing our light with the world and how together we can help guide each other through the dark. Our walk will begin promptly at 1:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. Families are welcome to watch their child’s class walk the spiral.

Announcements and Reminders:

  • Help us support Tweens and Teens this year for the MUST Ministries Toy Drive. Please see the Main Message in the Garden Messanger for more information.

  • The winter weather is coming, and it is much cooler in the forest! Please dress your student(s) in layers.  Winter coats and rain gear are required every day.

  • We need Greenery for the Winter Spiral on Thursday. Please consider asking for extra clipping from tree lots or donating trimmings from pruned evergreens in your yard. Greenery can be left alongside the fence in the field area.  Thank you! 

Upcoming Events:

  • 12/07 Grades 1st - 5th Winter Spiral 

  • 12/08 Kindergarten Winter Spiral

  • 12/20 Grades Assembly - 12:00 p.m. & Last Day of Fall Semester - Half Day

  • 12/21 Teacher In-Service (No School)

  • 12/22 - 01/03 Winter Break (No School)

  • 01/04 First day of Spring Semester


Warm Regards, 

Gaby

Fourth & Fifth Grade: November 13 - 17, 2023

Dear Fourth and Fifth Grade Families,

Thank you for attending the Thanksgiving Performance and Luncheon on Friday before the break. It was lovely that so many Garden School families came to see how all the grade students gave their Thanksgiving Addresses and sang together on stage. What a beautiful end of the week and beginning of Thanksgiving Break!

The week before break, the class began a new block on Local Geography. Before the class had a look at Georgia as a whole, the students concentrated on the geography of Cobb County. The first task of the class was to draw a map of Cobb County, with straight borderlines in the west and the meandering Chattahoochee River forming the natural county line in the east. The students first used their rulers to draw a grid for the map. Using the grid for orientation on the paper,  the students added the county borders and the major water bodies, as well as Kennesaw Mountain, the highest peak in Cobb County and metro Atlanta. We also talked about the Creek and Cherokee peoples, who inhabited and cared for the land in this area long before people arrived from Europe and other continents. One piece of Creek and Cherokee culture we discussed was The Three Sisters. This important agricultural, social, and spiritual concept includes a story about corn, beans, and squash, which grow well when planted together.

Next, the class will explore more aspects of Cobb County’s geography and its development.  

Announcements and Reminders:

  • The winter weather is coming and it is much cooler in the forest! Please dress your student(s) in layers.  Winter coats and rain gear are required every day.

  • We need Greenery for the Winter Spiral. Please consider asking for extra clipping from tree lots or donating trimmings from pruned evergreens in your yard. Greenery can be left alongside the fence in the field area. Thank you! 

 Upcoming Events:

  • 12/02 Prospective Family Open House: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

  • 12/07 Grades 1st - 5th Winter Spiral 

  • 12/08 Kindergarten Winter Spiral

  • 12/20 Grades Assembly - 12:00 p.m. & Last Day of Fall Semester - Half Day

  • 12/21 Teacher In-Service (No School)

  • 12/22 - 01/03 Winter Break (No School)

  • 01/04 First day of Spring Semester


Warm regards,

Gaby

Fourth & Fifth Grade: November 6 - 10, 2023

Dear Fourth and Fifth Grade Families,

Thank you for participating in the Lantern Walk this week. It was awesome to see that the whole class was present to sing for Early Childhood and the Grades. The singing was well received by the teachers and families who came to walk. 

Last week, the story of the Norse Gods came to an end with Ragnarok, the destruction of the cosmos, including the Norse Gods and their world. Because they had performed the play Iduna’s Apples in the spring, the students strongly identified with the Norse Gods and were surprised and saddened when they learned about the twilight of the gods. In grammar, the students learned about subjects and action words. During our morning math practices, the students rounded numbers to the nearest ten, hundred, or thousand. 

This week, the class is starting a new block on local geography, widening our horizon from our immediate surroundings to the whole of Georgia. For their book reports, the students are now working at home on summarizing each chapter of their books. We will be using extra main lessons to finish the reports at school. The class is also working on reciting verses for the Thanksgiving Luncheon, and Ki Ben is practicing a Thanksgiving song with all the grades. 

Announcements and Reminders:

  • Please remind your child to continue practicing the Haudenosaunee Address of Thanksgiving for the Thanksgiving Luncheon on Friday, November 17. 

  • We hope you will join us this Friday, November 17, for the Thanksgiving Luncheon. We will begin in the sanctuary at 11 a.m. Following the opening in the sanctuary, you will check out your child at the picnic tables and then proceed down to the playground for the picnic. Please plan to bring lunch for all family members. Desserts are provided by the school. To ensure there are enough treats for all, children must be accompanied by an adult to choose their dessert. Please bring blankets and/or camping chairs. 

 Upcoming Events:

  • 11/17: Thanksgiving Luncheon 11 am - Half Day

  • 11/20 - 24: Thanksgiving Break (No School)

  • 12/02: Prospective Family Open House: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

  • 12/07 - 08: Winter Spiral

  • 12/20: Grades Assembly - 12:00 p.m. & Last Day of Fall Semester - Half Day

Warm Regards,

Gaby

Fourth & Fifth Grade: October 30 - November 3, 2023

Dear Fourth and Fifth Grade Parents,

Last week, measurement, long multiplication, and mental math strategies for multiplying any number by 5 were part of our short math morning exercises. In morning speech practice, the students recited parts of the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, which they will present at our upcoming Thanksgiving Luncheon. During the Main Lesson, the class continued grammar practice by learning about prepositions. The students studied prepositions of time (for example, before, after, during), prepositions of place (for example, behind, between, in front of), and prepositions of direction ( for example, toward, into, across). As they added sentences to their grammar story, the students corrected punctuation mistakes and identified nouns, articles, adjectives, and prepositions/prepositional phrases. Stories from the Norse Myths about unpleasant encounters of the Aesir gods with Jotuns from Jotunheim were also part of the Main Lesson. This week, the class is looking at the subject and predicate of a sentence. The students will also practice summarizing chapters for their book report. 

With today's Lantern Walk approaching, the class spent the prior week rehearsing for today's event. The students met with the Sixth graders to practice singing the lantern songs together. They also each crafted a lantern for the Lantern Walk. Before folding the lanterns into their final shape, the students had to carefully measure their paper and mark the folding lines with a pencil. The making of their lanterns was one of the student's favorite activities of the week. 

 Announcements and Reminders:

  • Please arrive for the Lantern Walk tonight punctually, at 5:45 pm. The Fourth and Fifth Grade students will meet with Ki Gaby in the Sanctuary to first accompany the Kindergarten Lantern Walk and then the Grade's Lantern Walk with their singing. The Kindergarten Lantern walk will begin TONIGHT at 6:00 pm in the Sanctuary. Together, families and students will hear a story, then exit the Sanctuary, and families will stay together to walk the lighted path through the forest with lanterns in hand. Fourth and Fifth Grade students will help guide the singing throughout the walk. 

  • The Grades Lantern walk will begin TONIGHT at 6:30 pm and occur in the same manner, starting in the Sanctuary. The Fourth and Fifth Grade students, along with the Sixth Grade students, will be guiding the singing during the walk. 

  • At the end of the Grade’s Lantern Walk, your child will return the electric candle and take their lantern home to keep. If you cannot attend the walk, the teachers will send the lanterns home the next day your child attends school.

  • The autumn weather is here. Layering clothing is essential for students to be comfortable throughout the day.

  • Please label clothing!

  • Send two full water bottles daily. 

Upcoming Events:

  • 11/07: Kindergarten Lantern Walk: 6 pm

  • 11/07: Grades 1 - 3 Lantern Walk: 6:30 pm 

  • 11/17: Thanksgiving Luncheon 11 am - Half Day

  • 11/20 - 24: Thanksgiving Break (No School)

  • 12/02: Open House: 10 am - 12 pm

Warm Regards,

Gaby

Fourth & Fifth Grade: October 23 - 27, 2023

Dear Fourth and FifthGrade Families,

Last week, the students continued honing their writing skills, using colorful adjectives to give a detailed description of a monster they had portrayed earlier. As the week went on, the class not only talked about sensory adjectives that describe how an object looks, smells, tastes, sounds, or feels to the touch, but also about adjectives that describe positive and negative feelings. Equipped with an extensive repertoire of concise adjectives, the students have discovered that instead of repeatedly using more basic words such as “good” or “bad,” they have many more options to describe the objects they are writing about. We will now have a closer look at prepositions. 

At the same time, the class continues to hear stories about the Norse gods. The students are collectively reading The Golden Bull. If your child still needs to choose a book for the book report, make sure to let me know about their choice by Thursday. We will start working on the cover of our book report on Friday.

It is very exciting for our students as they rise through the grades and begin to take some of the leadership roles in the school.  A shining example of this is our class having the wonderful opportunity to play their ukuleles for all the students and their families from Kindergarten through Third Grade at our Lantern Walk festival. The Fourth and Fifth graders are working hard during each music class to learn to play the songs that all students will be learning to sing for this lovely event. Please be sure your child has their ukuleles with them every day until the Lantern Walk, starting tomorrow, November 2.  They will need to practice at home, too.   

The Lantern Walk is November 7th. Your child will need to be at school by 5:30 pm next Tuesday. It is important that all class students attend this community event. 

Announcements and Reminders:

  • The autumn weather is here and it is getting colder.  Layering clothing is essential for students to be comfortable throughout the day.

  • Please label clothing!

  • Send two full water bottles daily. 

  • We are looking for two volunteers in our class to bake gingerbread and bring it to Lantern Walk.  We have a standard recipe and individual bags for pre-portioning that we will provide to all volunteer bakers. Please coordinate with our class rep, Candace Parks, if you are willing to help.

Upcoming Events:

  • 11/1: NO SCHOOL: Teacher in-service

  • 11/1: Joyful Beginnings and Kindergarten Parent Night: 6 pm - 7 pm

  • 11/7: Be at school with ukuleles for Lantern Walk 5:30 pm

  • 11/7: Kindergarten Lantern Walk: 6 pm

  • 11/7: Grades 1-3 Lantern Walk: 6:30 pm *Please note new date for grades

  • 11/17: Thanksgiving Luncheon 11 am: Half Day 

Happy Halloween,

Gaby