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Ms. Mollie: Hello March!

Posted on by Mollie Smith

Hello March! What a wonderful week! We enjoyed being outside every day this week! After what feels like a long winter with little time to be outside, this “spring” like weather has been welcomed. Our different daily weather gave us many opportunities to talk about the weather and how it feels or looks. Each day the children were convinced it was stormy out, due to the heavy clouds….with some explanation and observations we could see the sun did hide behind the clouds. The children noticed that the daffodils are coming up by our classroom, too. Indeed, spring is coming!

Our week was filled with Birthday celebrations, sensory exploration, new works, and overall joy! The children have been so curious this week; it’s made for a very fun week! As our spring break is beginning, remember to enjoy the curious nature of your child, and enjoy the little moments! Wishing you all a safe, happy, restful spring break!

With Full Hearts,

Ms.Mollie. Ms. Lizette and Ms. Anabel

Mrs. Hood: Green, Gold, and Giggles: A festive week of learning!

Posted on by Andrea Hood

This week, we immersed ourselves in the traditions and folklore of St. Patrick’s Day. The children were captivated by the festive environment, exploring new works and decorations inspired by the color green. It was a wonderful opportunity for sensory engagement and language enrichment as they encountered various shades of green throughout the classroom.

One of the highlights of our week was learning about leprechauns! We introduced the Irish folklore surrounding these mischievous little beings who are believed to guard pots of gold at the end of the rainbow. This story sparked a wonderful conversation about real and pretend, helping children understand the difference between stories based on history and those that come from imagination and tradition.

To bring this tale to life, we played an exciting math game in which we hid small leprechauns around the classroom. The children eagerly searched for them, practicing their counting skills along the way. The goal was to find a total of twelve, and once all were discovered, each child received a special gold coin. It was truly precious to watch the older toddlers helping the youngest to find their leprechauns! This daily game quickly became a favorite, fostering teamwork, observation, and early numeracy skills.

We also incorporated lively Irish tunes into our movement and music time. It was incredible to see the children’s musical development as they listened attentively to different instruments, mimicked playing them, and even named a few! They recognized familiar instruments like the guitar, drums, and flute while also being introduced to new ones, such as the fiddle, accordion, and bagpipes.

To round out our St. Patrick’s Day experience, we enjoyed a taste of Irish culture by trying some delicious Irish soda bread. They all really LOVED this part!

On another note, with the arrival of warmer temperatures, we made the most of our time outdoors, soaking up the fresh air and enjoying active play together. Lastly, we explored asparagus as our food tasting lesson of the week.  While some children were hesitant to try it, others surprised us by asking for seconds.

As we look ahead, our next theme will explore the magic of rainbows and colors when we return from the break. We can’t wait to dive into new activities that celebrate the beauty of light and color in nature.

Wishing you all a joyful and restful March break and Happy St. Patrick’s day for all of you that celebrate!

See you in two weeks! Ciao!

Mrs. Hood and Ms. Patty 

Mrs. Wilson: March Explorations: St. Patrick’s Day & Zoo Animals

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

In the month of March, well during the first and last weeks, the children will explore St. Patrick’s Day traditions, including symbols such as pots of gold, shamrocks, and the vibrant colors of the rainbow. In addition, we are learning about zoo animals.

This week, Parker’s mom visited our class to read a St. Patrick’s Day story and share homemade Irish soda bread with us. To celebrate the upcoming holiday, the children also received a shamrock tattoo, which brought them so much joy!

Food Tasting: This week, we introduced leeks to the children. They loved the sautéed leeks so much that many asked for seconds—and even thirds! It seemed like they couldn’t get enough.

Have a beautiful break!

Love and Light,

Cynthia and Sara

A Memorable Week in Lower Elementary

Posted on by Ashley O'Connell

What an incredible week it has been! Our students have been working tirelessly for months, and on Research Night, their hard work truly paid off. It was amazing to see them present their projects with confidence, sharing their knowledge and passion with all of you. The energy in the room was inspiring, and it was heartwarming to see so many families come out to support the students. Thank you for being there to celebrate their dedication and accomplishments!

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, we also had a fantastic field trip to the Yale Peabody Museum with Upper Elementary and Middle School. The students were captivated by the incredible exhibits, from towering dinosaur fossils to stunning mineral collections. It was a wonderful opportunity to extend their learning beyond the classroom and spark their curiosity about the natural world. A huge thank you to our chaperone volunteers—your support made this experience even more special!

Wishing all our families a joyful and relaxing spring break!

Middle School: Incredible Week Before Break!

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

Wow! What a week! The Middle School was buzzing with presentations, and it ended with a great field trip to the Yale Peabody Museum.

First of all, 6th and 7th grade students presented the culmination of a 5-week research project surrounding the theme, Overcoming Obstacles. Students gave 5-15 minute presentations about a notable person or group of people they chose to research that contained interesting graphics, research, and multimedia. The evening was a big success, and all of the students should be proud of the work they did preparing and the bravery they showed delivering a presentation of this scope.

8th grade students gave the first of two Internship Presentation sessions this week. Their unique experiences in diverse fields interested the middle school community. Students spoke about their day-to-day schedule, highlights, challenges, items that surprised them, and an overall reflection on the career as well as the experience.

Finally, Middle School ended the week with a day at the Yale Peabody Museum in New Haven, Connecticut. From dinosaur fossils to ancient civilization artifacts, rare gems and minerals, and an exhibit about the brain, the students had a lot to cover. It was a great way to ease into spring break.

We hope you and your family have a rejuvenating two weeks. We look forward to welcoming you back to school on Monday, 3/24.

Mrs. Wilson: Joyful, Muddles!

Posted on by Cynthia Wilson

To wrap up the month of February, we practiced identifying emotions by making facial expressions that matched each feeling. Enjoy this collage of the children’s expressive faces!

The highlight of our week was an unforgettable sensory experience—exploring the glorious muddles on Tuesday. The children fully immersed themselves in sensory play, collecting muddy water in buckets and transporting it across the playground. They used large snow shovels to fill dump trucks and delighted in jumping and splashing in the wonderfully gooey mess. It was pure, unfiltered joy!

Food Tasting: The children explored another root vegetable, the radish. Their reactions were mixed, with some enjoying its crisp texture and peppery flavor while others were less enthusiastic.

Love and Light,

Cynthia and Sara

Middle School: Week in Review

Posted on by Michelle Lamb

Middle School students are getting closer to spring break and feeling some warmer temperatures creep in. Here are some announcements for the coming week:

  • Thursday, 3/6, at 5:30 pm: Research Night for 6th & 7th-grade students. 8th-grade students are encouraged to attend in support of their classmates. Parking is on campus.
  • Friday, 3/7, 9:30 am- 2 pm: Field Trip to the Yale Peabody Museum. Please bring a bagged lunch (there will be no microwave available).
  • Spring break 3/10-3/21
  • Classes Resume Monday, 3/24

Humanities

6th & 7th Grade Humanities were dialed in and focused on their research projects. With the completion of their research essay drafts, they moved on to their presentations. Students discussed ways to make interesting presentations both visually and through their voices. On Monday, they will go through their practiced presentations for the first time and receive written feedback. Then, they will make any necessary revisions and practice until Thursday night’s final presentations. The students can’t wait to see you on Thursday @ 5:30 pm!

8th Grade students were busy on their internships Monday through Wednesday this week. Upon their return, they talked about their favorite moments and what they found challenging. Then, they finished up their projects, which included a daily journal, reflection, and a presentation. They will speak to the rest of the MS community and share their experiences on Tuesday.

Science

This week 6th Grade students worked more intensely with The Globe Project, an environmental initiative to share data globally. We also investigated weather patterns, looking at cloud and wind data as well as temperature data to make predictions about why certain weather events are more common in various areas. Students looked at data taken from a Mid-Atlantic storm and compared their predictions to an actual event. The class concluded by examining what may happen to weather patterns as the Earth warms. Students used their PQA approach from literacy labs to apply their findings and share their results with the larger class.

This week, the 7th Grade class finished their unit on atomic structure and the periodic table with discussions about electron behavior and radioactive decay. Once finished, they began work on a study guide for this unit in preparation for an upcoming unit test, which will take place this coming Thursday. Students have had two class periods to work on their study guides with Ms. Pickard to oversee their work. The class will go over the study guide early next week, and any questions will be answered in full at that time.

This week the 8th Grade students continued working to understand meiosis. This is a complicated process, and students have really risen to the challenge! Ms. Pickard was impressed with their ability to understand a complex conceptual life function. The class ended the week by examining the benefits of sexual reproduction as compared to asexual reproduction and began work on the importance of genetic diversity in ensuring the survival of a species. Next week, students will continue this current topic, and this will end the unit on cell division.

Math

It was another exciting week in Middle School Math! While the 8th Grade was interning, 6th and 7th grade students dove into some Project-Based Learning! Students were given a budget and had to plan a dream vacation that did not exceed that budget. They chose a location, researched flights and hotels, factored in the cost of gasoline and a rental car, and even researched restaurants to budget the cost of meals. It was so much fun watching them work together to problem-solve and make compromises to be able to complete the task successfully.

To round out the week in Pre-Transition, students jumped into Chapter 5, titled “Using Multiplication.” Students learned about the Array Model for Multiplication and learned how to multiply fractions and mixed numbers.

The Transition class moved forward in their learning of Chapter 6 this week. They continued exploring translations of images and became experts at rotating figures about a point and on a graph.

Algebra students continued their journey in Chapter 6. They practiced finding the slope of a line on a graph as well as through two given points. They can also use the definition and properties of slope.

Finally, the Geometry class continued on with Chapter 6. They can now apply theorems about isosceles triangles to find angle measures and segment lengths. They can also calculate the measures of inscribed angles from the measures of intercepted arcs and vice versa.

The Middle School is ready for an action-packed final week leading into break! See you Thursday night!

Ms. Mollie: Goodbye February!

Posted on by Mollie Smith

Goodbye February!

What a wonderful, short, cold, and cozy month it’s been. In celebration of Read Across America, on Thursday, we wore our favorite PJs and got cozy with our favorite books. In our pictures this week, you will see some older pictures of the children with books; they are some of my most treasured memories. Reading is a love that is fostered in the early years of childhood and stays with them for life! Keep reading daily to your child!

We continue to do great work in the classroom that strengthens our hands, concentration, and social skills, all while having fun! Some of the photos captured of the children look so serious, which indicates deep concentration and connection with the activity!

With Full Hearts,

Ms. Mollie, Ms. Lizette, and Ms. Anabelle