Middle School: October 27 - 31, 2025
Hello, Middle School Families,
We have started our next block - History! The students are so thrilled for the new block and have jumped in with a voracious amount of questions each day.
Starting with Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, students drew heavily on their prior knowledge from what they had already learned in school. After learning about Native peoples crossing the Bering Land Bridge and spreading throughout the Americas, students were able to tie prior knowledge from the shelter and Indigenous Peoples blocks covered in the early elementary years to this History block. Students could now understand how people migrated to different locations in the Americas and developed into culturally distinct Nations, guided by the geographical area in which they lived and/or settled. Students learned about the large Empires that existed long before Europeans set foot in the Americas, as well as how Indigenous Peoples are still very much present in the world today, with 574 federally recognized Nations.
The week finished with a discussion on the first encounters between Indigenous peoples and the Europeans, and the motivations driving Europeans to come to the Americas. Several histories were highlighted, in particular the fall of the Aztec Empire, the landing on Santo Domingo, as well as the colonies of Roanoke and Jamestown. In all of these cases, we examined the interactions and events from both perspectives (the Europeans and Indigenous Nations), and how someone’s perspective and viewpoint can change the way in which they view the world. Middle Schoolers are ready to meet these conversations with maturity, curiosity, and thoughtfulness, and learning to see something from another’s perspective speaks clearly to the Middle School experience.
We finished out the week with a celebration of Diwali! Ki Nicole’s 4/5 grade class, along with the Middle School, was led by Pynthalir’s family in drawing a kolam design, painting a diya, as well as sharing in some food, sparklers small fireworks to celebrate Diwali! We are thankful to Pynthalir’s family for sharing some of their family’s traditions with us!
Announcements & Reminders:
November 6: Lantern Walk at 6:00 pm (Kindergarten and First Grade)
November 21: Grades Presentation in Sanctuary at 10:30 am
November 21: Thanksgiving Luncheon at 11 am (All families and students are invited)
November 24 - 28: Thanksgiving Break (No School)
Thank you for the honor of teaching your children,
Ki Lesley
