Second Grade: November 29- December 2, 2022

Dear Second Grade Families,

Happy Tuesday! Last week, we began our second math block of the year. We will be focusing heavily on place value during this block, with the use of many manipulatives and a great deal of counting! Our math gnomes have returned. This time, they are in charge of organizing the kingdoms gems! The ones will be in a pile, groups of tens are put into small bags, ten groups of ten bags go into small boxes, and ten small boxes go into one large basket! Through use of manipulation, students will explore how to build a number, and prepare for regrouping numbers which will come later. As a reminder, please continue to practice math facts at home. Memorizing basic math facts (for example, 4+6, 5+5, 10-7) is paramount for mathematics success.  

We are looking forward to the Winter Spiral this Thursday.  Please join us at 10:30 and watch the children walk the spiral if you can. In addition, the class has been getting ready to perform some moments from our day at the school assembly on Thursday, Dec. 15th. We will assemble in the Sanctuary. I look forward to seeing you there before we head into winter break!

Warm Regards,

Hayley 

Reminders: 

-Thursday and Friday, Dec. 8&9:  Winter Spiral

-Week of Dec. 12-15: MUST Ministry Toy Drive

-Wednesday, Dec. 14th:  Pajama day and Class Party

-Thursday, Dec. 15th: Grades Assembly (12:00-12:30)

-Thursday, Dec. 15th:  Last day of Fall semester (Half day, early dismissal)

-Friday, Dec. 16th - Wednesday, Jan. 4:  Winter Break

-Thursday, Jan. 5th:  Spring semester begins





Second Grade: November 14-18, 2022

Dear Second Grade Families,

Happy Tuesday! Thank you all for attending our Thanksgiving Luncheon. It was so wonderful to see one other and catch up before heading into the break. The students were delighted to share the campus and lunch with their families. I hope you are enjoying a wonderful week with your loved ones. 

Last week, we continued looking at complicated letter pairs. We looked at common word endings, such as “ce” and “se”. For example, we looked at the word “face” and together came up with a list of words that rhymed. When we return from break, we will begin our next math block. This block will focus on place value. We will build numbers together using manipulatives up to the thousand's place. The class will enjoy lots of counting as we build large numbers together.

Please continue to practice math facts at home with your child. Memorizing basic math facts for The multiplication tables 1-12 (for example, 2x1=2, 2x2=4, 2x3=6), is paramount for mathematics success.  Knowledge of these basic math facts supports higher-level math the same as instant recognition of sight words (“of”, “the”, you”) supports reading.  Students who have mastered memorization of both math facts and sight words are able to focus on solving equations or sounding out longer words.  Practice should be fun and lessons can be reinforced through bingo, memory/matching, dice, and/or card games. 

Last week we celebrated Chloë’s birthday in class- happy birthday Chloë! Our class shared what makes Chloë a special part of our school family. Her peers adore how she loves to build things, draws beautiful pictures, and is so patient and kind! 

Reminders: 

  • Monday, Nov. 21 - Friday, Nov. 25:  Thanksgiving Break (No School) 

  • Thursday and Friday, Dec. 8&9:  Winter Spiral

  • Thursday, Dec. 15th:  Last day of Fall semester (Half day, early dismissal)

  • Friday, Dec. 16th - Wednesday, Jan. 4:  Winter Break

  • Monday, Dec 19th - Friday, Dec 23rd: Winter Vacation Camp

  • Thursday, Jan. 5th:  Spring semester begins

Warm regards,

Hayley

Second Grade: November 7-11, 2022

Dear Second Grade Families,

Happy Tuesday! Thank you all for attending our lovely Lantern walk last week. The entire class enjoyed a peaceful evening of wonder and joy. How special it was to have our whole class together for a beautiful candle lit walk through the woods!

We will continue in our English Language Arts block this week. Last week, we dived into R-controlled vowels; we are calling this convention “the r in charge.” These words contain vowels directly followed by the letter r, that changes the sound the vowel makes. Comparing words with the different sounds helps amplify the difference for our students. For example, we compared the words “pot” and “port” and listened to how the o sound changed. This week, we are looking at some complicated long vowel spellings, such as letter teams that make the “oi” sound. For example, we looked at the word “toy” and together came up with a list of words that rhymed. 

Please continue to practice math facts at home with your child. Memorizing basic math facts for the tables 1-12 (for example, 2x1=2, 2x2=4, 2x3=6), is paramount for mathematics success.  Knowledge of these basic math facts supports higher level math the same as instant recognition of sight words (“of”, “the”, you”) supports reading.  Students who have mastered memorization of both math facts and sight words are able to focus on solving equations or sounding out longer words.  Practice should be fun and lessons can be reinforced through bingo, memory/matching, dice, and/or card games. 

Last week we celebrated Daniel’s birthday in class- happy birthday Daniel! Our class shared what makes Daniel a special part of our school family. His peers adore how he is an awesome tag player, loves to read, and is a helpful friend.

This Friday, we will have our class Thanksgiving luncheon. Families are invited to bring a picnic lunch and blanket, and join us on the field for grade’s lunch from 11:00-12:00. We will share in a sweet treat provided by the school. We are ever so grateful to our community and look forward to visiting together before our early release this Friday.  

Reminders: 

  • Nov. 14-18: Non-Perishable food drive for Never Alone food pantry

  • Nov. 18: Half Day dismissal (12:15-30) - Thanksgiving Luncheon 

  • Nov. 21-25 Thanksgiving Break (No School) 

  • Dec. 8&9: Winter Spiral

Warm regards,

Hayley


Second Grade: October 31- November 4, 2022

Dear Second Grade Families,

Happy Tuesday! Last week, we began our second language arts block of the year. We have returned to hearing stories about golden legends, featuring noble people and grand deeds they have done. Currently, we are focusing on words with what we call “the r in charge.” These words contain vowels directly followed by the letter r, that changes the sound the vowel makes. Comparing words with the different sounds helps amplify the difference for our students. For example, we compared the words “cat” and “cart” and listened to how the a sound changed.

Our Grades Lantern Walk will be held tomorrow, November 9th, at 6:30pm. This will be a magical event for our students, held with quiet and wonder. We made our lanterns together in class, using paper mache and balloons. The students showed great maturity during this, rolling with the punches and the challenges we faced while making our lanterns. It was quite the process! I am so very proud of them and all the growth they have shown this year. As our lantern walk honors the holiday of Martinmas, we listened to the story of St. Martin sharing his cloak with those in need this week; a wonderful golden legend for our second graders. The lanterns are a reminder that each of us can be a light for others and share our gifts. Please take time to talk about the contemplative nature of the lantern walk before you arrive at the school, and practice singing at home. All the lantern songs are posted on the messenger for you so we can enjoy this festival singing together.  Additionally, as part of our school's efforts to help others, we will be collecting gently used coats both at the lantern walk and at drop-off and pick-up this week.  The coats will be donated to One Warm Coat, an organization that provides coats for those who need them during the coming cold.

Reminders: 

-Nov. 8:  NO school, teacher in-service day, Kindy Lantern Walk–Fifth grade plays ukulele

-Nov. 9:  Grades 1-3 Lantern Walk (5th grade siblings will play ukulele with 4th grade)

-Nov. 18: Half Day dismissal (12:15-30) - Thanksgiving Luncheon 

-Nov. 21-25 Thanksgiving Break (No School) 


Warm regards,

Hayley




Second Grade: October 25-29, 2022

Dear Second Grade Families,

Happy Tuesday! Thank you for all your help in putting together our wonderful Kingdom of Halloween festival. A magical night was had by all!

Last week, we wrapped up our first math block of the year. We reviewed our four math processes, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, bringing these to life with stories of our math gnomes and their adventures. We then leaned into times table learning using movement. We charted our times tables using large circles with 12 points, and walked through them together several times. Memorizing basic math facts for the tables 1-12 (for example, 2x1=2, 2x2=4, 2x3=6), is paramount for mathematics success.  Knowledge of these basic math facts supports higher level math the same as instant recognition of sight words (“of”, “the”, you”) supports reading.  Students who have mastered memorization of both math facts and sight words are able to focus on solving equations or sounding out longer words.  Please practice at home!  Practice should be fun and lessons can be reinforced through bingo, memory/matching, dice, and/or card games. 

This week, we have begun our second language arts block. During this block, we will return to hearing stories about golden legends, featuring noble people and grand deeds they have done. We will continue our work with phonics, spelling patterns, consonant blends, long vowels, and diphthongs. We will also continue applying reading skills for guided reading in a reader. 

Please join us for our Lantern Walk on Wednesday, November 9th at 6:30 pm. The lantern walk is a contemplative walk. In the darkness of November, the first to third-grade will slowly process through the candle-lit forest, singing lantern songs and holding their shining lanterns while the fourth and fifth grades play music for them. The lanterns are a reminder that each of us can be a light for others and share our gifts. Take your time to talk about the contemplative nature of the lantern walk  before you arrive at the school, and practice singing at home. All the lantern songs are posted on the messenger for you so we can enjoy this festival singing together.  Additionally, as part of our school's efforts to help others, we will be collecting gently used coats both at the lantern walk and at drop-off and pick-up that week.  The coats will be donated to One Warm Coat, an organization that provides coats for those who need them during the coming cold.

Reminders: 

-Nov. 8:  NO school, teacher in-service day, Kindy Lantern Walk–Fifth grade plays ukulele

-Nov. 9:  Grades 1-3 Lantern Walk (5th grade siblings will play ukulele with 4th grade)

-Nov. 7-11: Coat drive for One Warm Coat

-Nov. 14-18: Non Perishable food drive for Never Alone food pantry

-Nov. 18: Half Day dismissal (12:15-30) - Thanksgiving Luncheon 

-Nov. 21-25 Thanksgiving Break (No School) 

Warm Regards,

Hayley 


Second Grade: October 17-21, 2022

Dear Second Grade Families,

Happy Tuesday! This week is our final week in our current math block. We have been using 12 circles and yarn to make beautiful and intricate designs to lean into our times tables work. During this block, we have heard several stories about the trickster spider Anansi from Africa. Students especially loved a story last week called “The Bean Feast.” Anansi steals all the beans on the farm, and oh! does he ever get caught! Second grades particularly love these tales of mischief! We continued daily mental math, phonics practice, and bean bag activities for motor development. Next week, we will begin our second language arts block of the year. We will continue working with long vowel sounds, more complex spelling patterns, and building sight word knowledge. 

We celebrated Violet’s birthday in class- happy birthday Violet! Our class shared what makes Violet a special part of our school family. Her peers adore how she asks good questions and is so curious, helps fix problems, and always gets balls down when they are stuck! 

Reminders:

  • October 29: Kingdom of Halloween

  • Nov. 1: Late Start—9:40-9:55 am arrival

  • Nov. 5:  Community Workday/Open House

  • Nov. 8:  NO school, teacher in-service day, Kindy Lantern Walk–Fifth grade plays ukulele

  • Nov. 9:  Grades 1-3 Lantern Walk (5th grade siblings will play ukulele with 4th grade)

Warm regards,

Hayley 


Second Grade: October 10-14, 2022

Dear Second Grade Families,

Happy Tuesday! Thank you to all who came to parent-teacher conferences last week. It was so lovely to share with you about our class and your child’s growth this year. 

Last week, we continued in our current math block. We have reviewed the four math processes deeply, and are now moving into times tables work. After completing our review, the students were delighted to create their very own math gnomes, a project we will be completing this week! Using wooden doll figures and felt, the class sewed the blanket stitch around edges of capes and hats, which will be attached to their gnomes.  Each color gnome is related to a specific math operation, plus, minus, multiply, and divide and go along with a special math story we are enjoying this math block. 

Our magical Kingdom of Halloween festival is just around the corner!! In addition to our beautiful fairy tale walk in our forest, we will have crafts, food and vendors set up in the field. Please invite guests from your community to attend! Please remember: no masks or marketed characters. Finally, please sign up to help out that night.  Your volunteer participation is needed for our Kingdom of Halloween festival’s success. Our class parents have the fun job of being trolls and working the ticket booth.  Thank you so much for helping out!  We couldn’t do it without all of you!

Reminders:

-October 18: Parent Coffee

-October 18: GOAL Zoom at 7:00pm

-October 21: Parent Handwork 1:00 - 3:00pm

-October 22: Community Work Day

-October 29: Kingdom of Halloween

-Nov. 1: Late Start—9:40 - 9:55am carpool

Warm regards,

Hayley 

Second Grade: October 3-7, 2022

Dear Second Grade Families,

Happy Tuesday! Cooler temperatures have arrived. Please be sure to send your child with plenty of warm layers each morning. Gloves, hats, warm socks, and well-insulated footwear are a must. Children are also welcome to bring in blankets if they wish. Thanks for your help with this!

Last week we celebrated our first birthday of the school year- happy birthday Charlie! Our class shared what makes Charlie a special part of our class. Her peers adore how she makes funny jokes, helps friends get up after the fall, and always tries new games! We continued reviewing the four math processes, especially division and multiplication, during our current math block. Additionally, we are continuing to review digraphs, such as th, sh, and ch.

This week we are holding parent-teacher conferences. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are half days dismissing at 12:30 pm. Thank you to the whole class for signing up so promptly!

I am looking forward to speaking with each of you soon.

Reminders:

-Oct. 12-14  Early dismissal at 12:30 pm; Parent-Teacher conferences

-Oct. 22  Community Workday

-Oct. 29  Kingdom of Halloween

Warm regards,

Hayley 




Second Grade: September 19-23

Dear Second Grade Families,

Happy Tuesday! I hope you are all enjoying some peaceful relaxation time with your loved ones. Last week, we prepared for the Day of Courage, a festival that honors the courage needed to face one’s fears. On Friday, we celebrated the festival, which holds a special meaning for our second graders. Second grade students showed bravery by entering a Dragon’s lair to retrieve precious gems. Our class was first greeted by the other grades classes in our school, and each second grade student received gifts to help them on their journey, a red and gold magical bracelet made by first graders, a golden crown, finger-knitted by third and fourth grade, and a wooden shield, crafted and painted by fifth grade, along with our own wooden sword. The swords were discovered in the forest by the second graders, who sanded and oiled them in preparation for their encounter with the dragon. Afterwards, we met some delightful Waldorf high school students from Academe of the Oaks, who led various games with all our grades students on the playground. View a slideshow of the day!

The weather will be shifting back to early fall temperatures upon our return from fall break.  Please send your student to school with layers, as the forest temperatures that keep us so cool in the summer, will chill us in the mornings!  Your child may bring a small blanket to school, if desired, and will move to needing rain boots over water shoes. 

Reminders:

  • September 26 - 30th–Fall Break (no school)

  • October 3rd–Teacher Workday (no school)

  • October 12-14th–Half day, 12:30pm dismissal

  • Parent-Teacher Conferences are coming up! You may sign up here.

  • October 29th–Kingdom of Halloween

Warm regards,

Ki Hayley


Second Grade September 12-16

Dear Second Grade Families,

Happy Tuesday! Last week we began our first math block of the year. We reviewed our four processes, and are now leaning into our times tables from 1 to 12 by using ribbon and yarn geometry. We heard stories from West Africa to bring this content to life, such as Nkosnati and the Dragon, and tales of Anansi the Spider. We continued daily mental math, phonics practice, and bean bag activities for motor development.

Day of Courage will be celebrated this Friday, the 23rd. For the second grade students at our Waldorf-inspired school, the Day of Courage is especially meaningful.  At this age children, while still in the dreamy land of childhood, are slowly awaking to the realities of the world around them.  To encourage and fortify them, during the year they hear many stories of heroic, saintly, and noble people throughout history. These are stories of individuals who, through determination, courage, and belief in themselves and the goodness around them, have overcome obstacles or participated in various acts of selflessness and kindness. 

As a class, the students have been sanding wooden swords with Mr. Matan that they magically discovered in the forest!  They have even heard some strange, dragon like noises recently… ! Students have enjoyed songs, verses, and stories surrounding the festival to build excitement and encourage their inner strength. On Friday, with the support of the other grades students, each second grader will have the opportunity to (imaginatively) subdue a dragon in whatever way they wish! A joyous day of bravery will soon be had by all!

(As a reminder, this event is held with gentleness and love and is meant to be a special surprise for our class. Please avoid sharing ahead what the day will hold for them.  They will happily report about it to you at pick-up! )

Please let me know if your child needs help sourcing a red or yellow/gold shirt by the end of day Tuesday. If you have extras, please let us know so we can share them with others who may not have found a source readily. Regardless of shirt color, all students will be participating in the Day of Courage activities!

Reminders:

-Please send students every Monday and Wednesday with their flutes for music class

--Friday, September 23rd–Half-day, 12:30 dismissal, wear red or yellow/gold

-September 26 - 30th–Fall Break (no school)

-October 3rd–Teacher Workday (no school)

-October 12-14th–Half day, 12:30 dismissal, Parent-Teacher Conferences

Warm regards,

Ki Hayley

Second Grade: September 6 - 9

Dear Second Grade Families,

Happy Tuesday! Last week we completed our first English Language Arts block of the year. We discussed the vowel sounds of “oo,” “ow” and “ah.” Additionally, the students have been adoring a lovely read aloud, “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” by Grace Lin. We continued daily mental math, phonics practice, and bean bag activities for motor development.

This week, we will begin our first math block of the year. We will review and lean into our times tables from 1 to 12 using ribbon and yarn geometry. We will hear stories from West Africa to bring this content to life, such as Nkosnati and the Dragon, and tales of Anansi the Spider.

In music class, students have begun to learn how to play a penny whistle! They are enjoying learning the names of notes and how to play new songs. Penny whistles will need to come to school every Monday and Wednesday for music class. Thank you for your help with this! 

Reminders:

  • Saturday, September 17 is a Community Workday from 9am-12pm.

  • Friday, September 23rd–Half-day, 12:30 dismissal

  • September 26 - 30th–Fall Break (no school)

  • October 3rd–Teacher Workday (NO SCHOOL)

  • October 12-14th–Half day, 12:30 dismissal, Parent-Teacher Conferences

Warm Regards,

Ki Hayley

Second Grade: August 29- September 2

Dear Second Grade Families,

Happy Tuesday! I hope you enjoyed a peaceful long weekend with your loved ones. Last week we continued our first English Language Arts block of the year. We discussed the long vowel sounds of “i” and “o”, and also worked with the /oo/ sound (as in “look”). We heard wonderful stories about noble people from around the world, such as Moling of Ireland, Etheldreda of England, and Macarius of Egypt, that helped bring our vowel sounds to life. We continued daily mental math, phonics practice, and bean bag activities for motor development.

Next week, we will begin our first math block of the year. We will review and lean into our times tables from 1 to 12 by using ribbon and yarn geometry. At-home practice will be strongly encouraged moving forward.  Memorization of the basic math tables for all four processes is the foundation of higher-level mathematics and instant recall of basic facts allows students to focus on the processes in the upper grades.  More to come about our Main Lesson work at parent night! 

Reminders:

  • Wednesday, September 7th is Parent night for second grade. Please meet at the picnic tables and we will head into our outdoor classroom.  Apply bug spray, if desired! 

  • Saturday, September 17 is a Community Workday from 9 am-12 pm.

  • Inclement weather can occur unexpectedly. Please send your child with rain gear each day as a precaution. Thank you for your help with this!

  • Friday, September 23 is a half day–pick-up at 12:30.  The students will also celebrate our Day of Courage festival that morning.

  • September 26-30–Fall Break–School is Closed.

Warm regards,

Ki Hayley 


Second Grade: August 10 - 13

Dear Second Grade Families,

Welcome back! We had a lovely first week of school where the kids came together, shared about their summers, and of course, got right back to playing joyfully with each other!

This week we started with a Form Drawing block that included running forms. We listened to a nature story pertaining to bumblebees, flowers, and the relationship they share. This story brought our new forms to life. We continued daily mental math and phonics practice, and sang a new song we learned during circle time!

This year in Environmental Education, second grade will be in charge of campus-wide compost. The children delighted in having new responsibilities that will help our school and our garden grow.  More details to follow at our Parent Night!

Next week, we will begin our first English Language Arts block of the school year. We will hear wonderful stories about noble people in which we will revisit short vowel sounds in a magical way. Next, we’ll dive into vowel teams that make long vowel sounds.

Our weekly schedule is below (ML=main lesson, XML = Extra Main Lesson, EE=Environmental Education).  Please make sure your child comes to school on-time and prepared every day!  Throughout the week are many, varied activities.  Being prepared for the weather, bringing 2 water bottles, and wearing proper footwear and clothing are essential!

Reminders:

  • Wednesday, September 7th is Parent night for second grade!

  • Saturday, August 27 is a Community Workday.

Warmly,

Ki Hayley

First Grade: May 16 - 20

Dear First Grade Families,

Thank you for an amazing year of first grade! Watching your children grow this year has been an absolute joy. Thank you also for my lovely tote bag and generous end of school year gift! I’m so thankful for all the kindness and support you have given throughout the year. I’m looking forward to continuing this educational journey with your children when we return in August for second grade- wow! Second grade!

We had a wonderful field day last week! Students enjoyed playing games together and getting soaked! The students especially loved our can toss game, trying to knock over as many cans as they could by tossing a bean bag. We then shared a popsicle treat together to complete our day of fun.

We ended the school year with some final work and plenty of Creekcess time.  We wrapped up our short vowel word family block this week, and will continue with long vowel word families at the start of second grade. This summer, please have your child practice the big 100 sight words. They can make flash cards of the words, review pre-made flash cards, or practice writing and reading a few words a day with you. I will follow up with an email including a pdf of these words and some additional fun summer ideas for reviewing the words later today. Please also have your child practice addition and subtraction math facts with numbers 1-20 throughout the summer.  

To end the school year, the students reviewed their main lesson books and paintings from the entire year. They picked a few pieces they were most proud of to share with the class! We were all delighted with each other’s favorite works. It was magical watching them remember where they began this year, and feeling a sense of pride for how much they have learned since then. These books hold a lovely sampling of all they learned this past year, and were brought home by your child to share with you. 

I cannot believe this school year is over! It went so fast, but was jam packed with wonderful memories. Thank you again for all your support and kindness. I wish you all a happy summer filled with fun, family, and some rest too!  See you in the second grade for more learning adventures!

Announcements and Reminders:

  • Your child’s end of year report will be delivered to your email around mid-June. Keep a look out for this detailed, personal narrative of your child’s growth and development over the course of the school year.

Warmly,

Hayley

First Grade: May 9 - 13

Dear First Grade Families,

Happy Monday! It’s hard to believe this is the last Monday of first grade for our sweet crew. This school year has presented many opportunities to learn and play together. Thank you for sharing your first, soon to be second, grader with me! It was a wonderful year. In our final week, we will focus on sight word practice, word family patterns, and more complicated letter blend sounds. We will review our main lesson books from the year, and celebrate all our success and growth!

The students had a lovely time participating in our play block. From first listening to the story of Clump-A-Dump and Snicklesnack, then taking turns with different characters, and at last receiving their parts and really leaning into their roles, fun was had by all. They should be  so proud of all their efforts throughout this block to make the dress rehearsal and final performance for families so magical! Students worked on becoming more like their characters, not just with their voices but with their bodies as well. Ki Kathee shared a story about wide-mouthed frogs, and students worked on talking loudly, slowly, and opening their mouths wider while enunciating. Thank you for all your support for your children throughout the process—congratulations first grade!!!

Reminders:

-FIELD DAY is Wednesday, May 18th.  Please send extra clothes and shoes for your child.  They will get WET! (most games involve water and balance)

-The last day of school is this Friday, May 20th.  It is a FULL day of school.

-Your child/ren will be bringing home their Main Lesson books this week, along with all their gear for the summer.  

Warmly,

Hayley

First Grade: May 2 - 6

Dear First Grade Families,

Thank you so much to our amazing parent community for the countless gifts and smiles this week for teacher appreciation! We cannot thank you enough for all the love. It was truly a magical week! 

We spent a busy week practicing for our upcoming play, “Clump-a-Dump and Snicklesnack.”  The students have been working to memorize their lines, and to learn their cues for when to speak.  We practiced both off and on stage this past week. As the week came to a close, students began to live into their characters by bringing them to life through more dramatic movements and facial expressions. The Class Play takes the students on a journey which serves not only to increase individual confidence and promote inner growth, but also to deepen the social interconnectedness of the class.  Students grow both individually and collectively; some skills on the stage come very naturally while others are earned through practice and stretching beyond comfort zones.  It’s a gift in itself to be a part of this journey with them.

Additionally, we have been working daily with sight words and word family patterns. The students are beginning to recognize some more complex letter blends at both the beginnings and endings of words. We will continue with word family practice for the remainder of the school year.

Reminders:

  • Please join us for the class play on Tuesday, May 10th at 5:00 PM.  Students need to be on campus in the Blue Sky room at 4:30 PM. 

  • First Grade will be hosting the next community workday, Saturday May 14th. We’d love to have you join us!

  • Please send two water bottles every day (or one Very Large one).  The students are reminded regularly to drink on hot days.

  • A change of clothes and creek shoes (hard-soled water shoes, old sneakers, etc.) are needed at school every day. On hot days, even those children who insist they will not want to get wet, will do so if they are appropriately geared up for the opportunity.

Warm regards,

Hayley

First Grade: April 25 - 29

Dear First Grade Families,

Our students are so excited for our upcoming play!  Our performance will be held in the sanctuary inside the building on Tuesday, May 10th at 5:00pm. All are welcomed to attend (family and friends)!  The students are asked to be back on campus that day at 4:30. The play will run around 20-30 minutes, and we will end the evening with a cast party at the picnic tables. We are all so excited!

This week we will be in full practice mode as we gear up for our play!  More details and requests for the cast party needs will be forthcoming. The deadline for prop collection will be this Friday, May 6th. As always, thank you for your support as we bring our first grade school year to a close. 

Reminders:

  • Class play is at 5:00 on Tuesday, May 10th. Students need to be back on campus at 4:30pm.

  • Field day is Wednesday, May 18th, weather permitting.

Warm regards,

Hayley

First Grade: April 18 - 22

Dear First Grade Families,

It was a lovely evening on campus for our second school auction! Thank you to those who were able to join us in person and to all who had fun bidding online. We are so grateful to our community for supporting our school in so many various ways!  

Our class has loved working on our play! Parts have been assigned; we have been practicing taking on traits of our characters and have started to memorize our lines. Both costumes and scenery will be simple, and requests for supplies and sewing support will be forthcoming soon.

On Friday we celebrated Earth Day. The class listened to “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein and discussed what we love about our forest, and how we can continue to take care of it. Afterwards, each student chose a tree in our forest to love and take care of! The students requested to eat snack with their trees, and each independently visited with their trees for some time. 

Reminders:

  • It’s warming up!  Please send extra clothes as we will be visiting and playing in the creek as various opportunities arise during the week along with our Friday creekcess day.  Please send in close-toed, hard-soled water shoes to keep at school.  These are a must for safety in the creek (and more comfortable than rubber boots when it's hot).

  • Send bug spray and sunscreen and-or sun hats.  Baseball caps are permitted as sun hats so long as they are free from marketed characters, logos, and free of writing.  

Warmly,

Hayley

First Grade: April 11 - April 15

Dear First Grade Families,

We have been busy reviewing content learned throughout the school year! Our students are progressing with sight word recognition, letter-sound knowledge, and number sense. We will continue deepening this knowledge for the remainder of the year. 

We have also begun to work on our class play. Yay! The students have been delighted to work on theatrical qualities through theater games and character practice. We will be performing the play “Clump-a-Dump and Snicklesnack,” a warm hearted story of two gnomes on a journey to save their beloved mountain from a hungry giant. We have been reviewing play lines with random characters assigned each time to give students a chance to try out different parts before final roles are assigned.

In Waldorf plays, the focus is on the student, rather than sets and costumes.  That being said, there will be opportunities for parents to help as we plan our simple sets and costumes.  The date is still TBA as we work with the other grades classes and the church calendar.  We should have the date and time by the end of next week so you can tell family and friends too.

Reminders:

  • Our Auction is this FRIDAY, 4/22!  Please plan on attending as participation in our community is paramount!  There will be many lovely items to bid on too! As a reminder: it is an adults only event.

  • Friday 4/22 is also a half-day.  

  • Saturday, April 23 is a Community workday.

  • Friday, May 6 is a half-day.

Warmly,

Hayley 

First Grade: March 28 - April 1

Dear First Grade Families,

Last week, we continued in our current math block. We are using new stories to review the four math processes, and are continuing to work on our math fact fluency using numbers 1-20. 

We celebrated Zoe’s birthday last week- happy birthday Zoe! The students shared what makes Zoe a special part of our class. Some of the things her classmates admire are:  she gives warm hugs, makes us all laugh, and she makes an excellent cheeky baby when playing family!

Our first graders were delighted to have our grand visitors for tea in the forest. Thank you so much for coming out to celebrate. The event was a success as the first grade continued smiling all day long!

Reminders:

  • No school this week for Spring Break

  • Friday, April 22nd is a half-day and our Annual Fundraiser.

Warmly,

Ki Hayley