10-3-17 GBH Newsletter

Important Events (Always defer to the parent calendar on our website, if you notice a discrepancy.)

• Next Early Releases: October 16th and October 30th.
• October 12th- Student planned Hurricane Help Fundraiser Bingo- look for more details soon!
• No School: October 13th  
• Wednesday, October 18th-Picture Day
• Thursday, October 19th- Open House/Parent Ed Night - We are hoping for 100% attendance, because we want to update families on some new routines and be able to say hello.
• Monday, October 23rd- Pumpkin Patch Field Trip
• Monday, October 30th- Historical Halloween (see details from Miranda)

Reminders:

• The weekly reflection letter, should be signed by a parent  and returned each week by Thursday.
• All students in the GBH Room are expected to have their own Library Card that they can use to request books and check out books from the Silverton Library.  These should be at school by this Friday 10/06

Requests:

• We are gathering supplies for a FAMILY FUN NIGHT Basket.
• We are hoping to do a soccer unit for a month in PE.  However, we need soccer balls.  If you have any around your house that we could use, please write your name in sharpie and send them in with your child.  The more balls we have, the bigger variety of games and drills we can play. WE NEED SOCCER BALLS! Thank you.
• A group of students is planning a fundraiser to send to the victims of the Hurricane, if you have the ability to come next Thursday evening and play some BINGO, or donate- your support would be greatly appreciated.

Weekly Update:

This week, we told the third great story, the coming of humans.  In that story we sow the seeds of history work.  The focus is on the three great gifts that humans are given: a special kind of mind, a special kind of hand, and a special ability to love.  In the turbulent world we live in, it can be especially empowering and grounding to focus our daily lives on how we can use those three gifts each day.

Last week we finished our first Learning Journal Maps.  These are one of our Montessori tools of responsibility that we are using as a community to help us balance all of the many things we can know that open doors in our future, and help us enjoy and understand our present.  This new expectation was met with vigor at the end of last week, and caused some students stress as they are learning to adapt to meeting multiple deadlines at the same time, and keeping track of their work.  We were very impressed by the grit, creativity, and passion we saw.  You will notice that this week’s reflection letter includes their learning journals, and is a little more detailed.  Please take time to discuss with your child what they did well, also help them troubleshoot how they can improve, and then check in with them nightly on how they are doing on their goals.  This week we are beginning new 3 week L.J. Maps, so students will have another opportunity to practice.  We are excited to see how they progress.

We are also working on developing (and naming) our “classroom code”.  The students have begun conversations about what makes a classroom work and feel like they want it to.  At the end of this process we are going to sign it, and send it home in the newsletter- for now it is a great time to practice debate, finding mutual solutions, and discussing what makes a community work and what makes individuals happy.  We are excited to be in the beginning of this long and involved process.  

Gratitude Corner:

• Thank you to Nate’s mom for coming in to help with the auction project.
• Thank you to Alex’s mom for agreeing to come in to help with art lessons.
• Thank you to all of the families who