Welcome back families! As we delve into the New Year, the classroom has been busy reconnecting with friends, exploring new work, and anticipating the big move. We have slowly started the packing process and are beginning to have more conversations about our new classroom as time gets closer. During recess, we have a good view of the building and like to look out through the fence and point to the new Greene Towne! The Kindergarteners have had the special opportunity of meeting one of the architects, asking questions, and talking about their hopes and dreams for the new space. They have been busy mapping out rooms and drawing designs for what a school would look like if they were in charge. Some of the ideas so far include: an anti-gravity room, a big library room, a slide instead of stairs, a “night-night” room, and a nature room full of plants, trees, and flowers.

On the play deck, we also made bird feeders out of pine cones and hung them about for our hungry winter bird friends. While it hasn’t been a snowy month, we’ve enjoyed the fresh air in every kind of weather.

Other highlights include the Lunar New Year and a special super circle from Ms. Nicole. The Chinese New Year is a wonderful, colorful occasion where children get to learn about another culture. We read books that discuss the traditions and preparations taken, and enjoyed activities such as decorating spring couplets and hanging them up to brighten the room. The act of tracing the Chinese characters that bore messages like “Blessings”, “Joy and happiness to come”, and “Beautiful homes of peace”, is quite like the familiar work of tracing letters in our classroom and the children were fascinated that rather than letters, the Chinese characters they traced meant whole expressions.

Here is snapshot of our super circle with Ms. Nicole. This came about because our class won the winter door decorating contest and Ms. Nicole was the prize! Unfortunately I never captured our winter wonderland decorated door before the holidays but the children helped to pin punch snowmen, snowflakes, and letters that spelled out “Fans of the Cozy Plan”, and colored in math bead stairs to look like trees. Ms. Nicole sang many, many fun songs with the class and the laughter could probably be heard throughout the building.

Lastly, it is always nice to come back from a long break and see the children so confidently navigate their classroom. This is when the important work of ground rules and establishing a peaceful community at the beginning of the year comes to fruition. The children become self-directed learners, more independent, and more comfortable with each other. I see this in the “aha” moments in lessons, or in observing a child prepare the work materials when they are done for the next person to use it, and in their confidence to recite poems and share show and tells among the group.

While the classroom space will change, the structures of routine and familiar materials in their learning environment will stay the same. Along with the support they give each other!

Warmly,

Ms. Anne and Ms. Cara