The Rookery

As Remy and I reflected on the week, we were struck by just how busy the Herons have been.  This is one of the sweet spots of the year when students thrill to see just how much they can accomplish: Explorers Ibn Battuta's journey…in cartoon notes On Monday, we learned…

  Work by a younger student who was inspired by the Herons' ads We wrapped up our first mini unit on advertising this past week in which we had a lot of fun dissecting the ads they brought in to better understand the elements that go into creating an enticing…

The first six weeks are busy ones in the 4/5s. We jump right into our academic curriculum (we just finished our first theme!).  The teachers work hard to develop an understanding of each learners needs through a series of formative assessments.  We work to establish our routines and, most importantly,…

Over twenty admiral butterflies were on the sedum we observed during forest school! Wednesday (the second day of school!) was our first day of Forest School.  Every Wednesday, the Herons will spend a large part of the day outside.  When we plan the day, we think of three different kinds…

The Herons had a great day getting to know each other.  All summer, it's hard to imagine the class without the graduating fifth graders.  Then, suddenly, the new Herons walk through the door and it quickly becomes hard to imagine the class any other way.  I'm so excited to be…

It may seem strange to reflect on the closing of our year back in June when our momentum at this point in the summer is urging us toward September (why do the stores put "Back to School" things up in July?!)  But the end of the year is closely linked…

The end of the school year always moves so quickly — I often return to the blog and realize how much has happened that I didn't have the chance to share with you.  With all three of my kids off to the same camp (summer Village) and them not needing…

Yesterday afternoon, the Herons took advantage of a sunny few minutes at the end of the day to play "Alaskan Baseball."  It's a silly game and we were pressed for time so I didn't explain it very carefully, figuring we would get it as we went. Because of this confusion…

Whole school brush hauling. A different kind of education. A hallmark of progressive education is the education of the whole child.  We strive to nurture a child's academic, physical, emotional, and creative growth.  Our honoring week is a celebration of this growth, the high point of our year.  And then, every…