A Different Kind of Week

Hello all!

This has been a different kind as we worked hard to get our Exhibition Work in order.  Each day, the students work hard to complete their ideas and are feeling the excitement of sharing it with our community this Thursday.  With that said, I haven't been the best photographer as I have been working more hands on with students, so this will be a quick entry.

We started our week with friends coming in to class, clad in green attire for St. Patrick's Day.  When asked by friends what St. Patrick's Day was, why they wore green, what it meant for their families, and why they celebrated it, no child had a clear understanding as to who, what, or why they celebrated this day.  When some friends shared that this was a day people got pinched for not wearing green, no one understood or agreed to this ritual.  I asked them to do some homework to learn more about St. Patrick's Day.  

We came together the next day and friends shared what they learned from their homework about  who St. Patrick was, why do people celebrate him, why people wore green on St. Patrick's Day, and why people got pinched for not wearing green on this day.  Thank you to all the families that took the time to talk about this day and it's history.  Check out our discussion notes binder to read their findings!  At the end of the discussion, I asked friends if they felt like St. Patrick Day was an important day for them, and many felt that it was not a significant day, but some felt that it was still fun to celebrate it.  Is St. Patrick's Day significant to you and your family?  Why or why not?

Here are photos from this week's Gardening session:

This week, we interviewed one of our newer friends and completed their name puzzle.  You can check out the questions friends asked him and his responses at our Information Table.

In other news, we have more changes to our classroom community.  I received an email from our friend Leon's family letting us know that they were leaving Innovations Academy.  Leon's big brother Justin had been sick for a very long time and had not come to school for months, so they enrolled him in a web based homeschooling program!  This way, he can continue learning even if he is not coming to school.  And in order to support Justin being at home with family, Leon was enrolled in the same homeschooling program.  Friends understand that being healthy is important and that having to stay home when you're sick sometimes affects parent work schedules, so sometimes families have to make decisions that work best for them.  We will be missing Leon and thinking of him, wishing him and his brother well!

We had two friends bring in different hand puppets this week, helping up to continue our study on how to use puppets and isolating different parts of their bodies using our hands. 

We also had some visitors from the Thoughtful Careful Listeners share what they discussed in their Class Council and to get our feedback on a sign they are planning to put out on the yard.

See you soon!
Love, Gaby