November 2024
Clan Updates
Water Clan:
Water Clan you precious tiny crew! I heard they all did FABULOUS under the tender love and care of Ms. Christina and Ms. Bri. I was very lucky to be able to step away and chaperone my sons outdoor school. This group is getting SO MUCH BETTER at sitting at circle, keeping track of their gear and knowing the park much more in depth. I am also watching budding friendships with Water Clan kids and older kids from other clans, it’s a privilege to watch these friendships form and develop over the school year. Grown ups, all are welcome to join at school when time allows. I know it’s a bit soupy out there but you have an open invitation!
Earth Clan: Hello families, It has truly been a fun and rainy month in the forest! Seeing the children get muddy and barefoot brings immense joy to my heart. This past month we have spent a lot of time growing in our academic studies. In reading the children are learning how to string sounds together to form new words and some students are learning more complex phonics skills, such as when two sounds are combined to create one sound in a word. I love watching their confidence grow! In math, the students have been learning about number bonds, number identification, sorting and parts of a number. It is neat when we can use the natural resources and combine them into our studies! Throughout the week we also do many activities to focus on the children’s social emotional learning. We have been incorporating different movements that help regulate their nervous system (ask them what fox walking is). We also talk about “hard to have” emotions and how to make them feel not so big. Teaching mindfulness has always been a passion of mine. I am looking forward to more soggy forest days to come!
Air Clan: Hi Air Class! As we head into the chillier months, I just want to send a quick reminder about wearing or bringing layers as well as a change of clothes and don’t forget those hand warmers and gloves! We are continuing to work on what it means to use kind words and actions and to build each other up. The morning work, which includes a number of the day and a sentence that the kids are looking to fix, have been going well and the kids are working hard. Our plant and tree study is going well also and the kids have begun to study several plants in more depth to learn more about them so everyone can create their plant guides to show to their grown-ups. In math, we are working hard in the math books and we are beginning to get into addition problems and story problem phrasing around addition. In reading we are working on sight words, rhyming, double sounds at the end of words as well as digraph blends (sh, wh, ch) and where the students are hearing the digraph blend in the words in our books (beginning or end of a word). Please look for some homework pages to begin coming home once a week that have to do with our math and reading blocks.
Fire Clan:
Our small but mighty Fire Clan is doing so well! They are taking initiative every morning and completing daily work in a timely manner (often without being asked), they are helpful, and excellent school leaders. With all our Forest Family and Ancestral Skill days, they are getting plenty of practice stepping up and setting good examples for the rest of the school. We began the process of making our paper lanterns for the upcoming Lantern Walk (NOV 14th!), are working towards choosing a NW native plant to do an in depth research project on and continuing to work hard at core academics. With the weather turning, more days than not will be cold, windy and rainy. Please make sure kids are coming to school with extra clothes and full rain gear every day. Warm, nutritious foods and hot tea really help morale and keep kids happy on those colder days.
Lantern Walk 2024
November 14th at dusk we will meet as a whole community to honor the transition to winters loving darkness. We welcome this time of reflection, of going inward and hibernation. One of the reasons we have so many breaks in the winter is to give our community time to “hibernate” and recognize the seeds of something that might be trying to emerge (growth, ideas, creations). Seeds of change need time, thought and tending through the winter. The cozy peaceful darkness entices us to rest, eat, stay close to home and follow a slower rhythm.
I love this seasonal celebration simply because we as a community can model to our children that the darkness is nothing to fear, for without the darkness we wouldn’t know the light.
-Bring:
Soup Potluck item to share
mugs, bowls, napkins, cutlery for each person who’s attending in your group
Rain gear - umbrellas are ok!
If you have a lantern from last year you are willing to share (put your name on it!)
Please no flashlights or phone lights unless it’s necessary
If it’s a rainy one a towel to dry off before getting in the car and some cozy blankets for the drive home!
Important notes
We will begin sending homework home weekly, this week. This will be any literacy and math worksheets kids haven’t finished during the course of their weekly academics. It will be coming home folded in half in a gallon ziplock bag. Check in with your student’s teacher about turning homework back in, each clan will have it’s own plan.
Our Makers Market in December is fast approaching! If your child wants to begin thinking and planning their craft for the market, now is the time!
I am looking for someone who would be interested in searching for and applying for grants for the school. Please help if you can!
We are looking for a photographer to take portraits of our kids this fall. Do you know someone who would donate their time?
Please mark down now when it’s your families time to volunteer with SOLV. It’s on the DTE calendar.
We are still looking for looms like this, if you have one we can borrow until winter break
If you want to donate to the school or know someone who would like to, we have a donations page on our website. You can purchase the school items off our wish list, donate money or some of your time.
Down to Earth will be in the West Linn Holiday Parade on December 14th -all kids are welcome to join in. I am looking for a committee to help me put this together. If that’s you, email Ms. Heidi.
Mask making after our indigenous speaker Lily came to our school and shared a story about her life and inspired us to make masks. Lily donated her time and shared her stories generously with our school, we are so grateful.