Happy Winter Holiday :)
Dear Families,
There is something so magical about this time of year, whether or not one celebrates Christmas, Bodhi Day, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, or just excited about school holidays. The darkness allows us to settle in at home with loved ones and to appreciate the light as well. Our librarian, Ms. Carson, shared with me how exciting the Winter Solstice is for her as she has memories of living up North and how, on the longest night of the year, all would celebrate the turning of the seasons, the promise of the sun. We are cultivating memories in this time– together as a class within a community within a world. It’s exciting!
We have been, as always, busy. We have been fervently working on our Elder Projects, sharing stories passed on and making art work. Our art is inspired by George Littlechild, a Plains Cree artist who works with collage and photos of his elders. See his work here! https://georgelittlechild.com/
We have also been reading stories about elders, about respect and about inferencing as a comprehension strategy. We have been celebrating snow with our buddies and in our art. We’ve been reinforcing numbers to 20 and introducing addition strategies. Some of our students have been going to Ms. Saunders for Math, and some of her students coming to me! We call it Mega Math!
I recently sent out a newsletter with some pieces of information, and I hope you are able to take a read. I will also post the info on here in case you would like to translate with the translate tool on this website.
One important event this week will be on Friday– well, make that 2 events! One, we will have a pajama day and some fun activities to celebrate together. More details to follow this week. The second is that the students will bring home their informal report, their ‘Snapshot of Learning’, on Friday. This report will give you an indication of your child’s learning so far this year. Please be sure to ask any questions before or after- my figurative door is always open 🙂
I hope whatever your December and January look like, that it brings you great peace, love and health. Much love to you and your families this winter.