Greetings, Turtle Families,

It was so nice to spend a full week outside! The weather was cold in the mornings, but the days were mostly sunny! The children spent much of the day playing actively in the forest (running, climbing, digging, loading, moving, building). This active play helps them to stay warm in the cold. They made forts, security systems, and many, many mud kitchen creations throughout the week. Several children spent hours digging in one of our class “digging spots” and were delighted to find many treasures buried in the ground. It is fascinating to watch them create and imagine new and exciting ideas in their play each day. The children enjoy the changes that the weather brings to our outdoor classroom. Early in the week, there was evidence of the snow and ice lingering, and the children had fun collecting, breaking, and incorporating it into their imaginative play! Our time outdoors builds a strong and special connection to the earth, the seasons, and Mother Nature for your children. This connection will provide a sturdy foundation for them as they grow into the people who will care for our world, and it is such an honor to spend each day with them in our forest classroom building that foundation.

We celebrated Ben’s 6th Birthday on Tuesday. Ben’s parents and little sister visited our classroom to celebrate with us. Happy Birthday, Ben!

On Friday, we had a special treat: guest speakers from The Southern Museum brought model trains to share with us! The children were delighted to hear all about trains and to see them run on the tracks. They asked many thoughtful questions and excitedly shared their knowledge with the presenters. They were a wonderful audience!

Each spring semester, we are excited for our older students, who may rise to First grade next year, to begin our Golden Knights program. Those students who began Golden Knights will attend for an hour each Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for the remainder of the school year. We know they are ready for the new challenges Golden Knights will provide and for time with the older students from the Honeybee and Chickadee classes.

Thank you to everyone who attended the parent night tonight.  It was nice to spend time with you, sharing about your children and our school and creating with each other.

Announcements and Reminders for the Turtle Kindergarten:

Conferences are coming up on February 6th and 7th. You can sign up for a time here. Conferences will be in person at the school.  If you do not see a time that works for you, please let me know, and we will schedule a different time. Conferences are planned for 20 minutes. If you may need longer for your child's conference, please let me know before scheduling so we can work out a time that respects your time and that of other families. We ask that children do not attend conferences, allowing us to communicate in confidence.

• 1/21: Early Childhood Curriculum Night - 6:00 p.m. (Postponed due to weather)

• 2/1: Community Work Day 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

• 2/1: All School Meeting - 12:30 p.m. (adults only, community encouraged to attend)

• 2/6: Lunar New Year Performance - 11:30 a.m.

• 2/6: Half Day - Parent Conferences

• 2/7: No School - Parent Conferences

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

Grace and Peace,

Ki Kim