Dear Sky and Trees Families,
Oh, my goodness.
What a year.
Who would have thought this group of little ones would be asked to traverse something that no other preschool class has ever been asked to do.
On the blog, it has been so wonderful to honor each of the children these final weeks of school. The teachers have also been thinking about each class as a whole. So here are some final honoring words...
Sky Class, we honor you for being spirited
and for being brave.
Sky Class, you bravely took on any challenge, from trying new things on the playground to moving school to your home and learning through Zoom. Going to the nurse’s office to interview her or meeting Zoe on Skype, you bravely asked your questions to new grown-ups. From digging, climbing, asking questions, giving opinions, exploring new places, nothing stopped you!
The Spirited Sky Class is what we call you. Snack or lunchtime held many debates and funny jokes. The classroom was never quiet ... even during Quiet Time, but the spirit was energetic and productive. On the playground, you played as a group, tackling a project like excavating a rock, with vigor and a determined spirit. Each game, each building, each story, was told with passion and spirit by everyone involved.
Not pictured in Zoom, our good friends Julie, Milo, Melanie and Kayla
Sky Class, we honor you for being
spirited and brave.
Much love,
Ms. Kadota
Mrs. Gluckow
& Ms. Essajanian
Ms. Kadota
Mrs. Gluckow
& Ms. Essajanian
Trees Class, we honor you for being industrious
and for being dancers.
Trees Class children, you never stop working. Mrs. Jordan and I were amazed at how well each of you could work by yourself or together, no matter who was your partner. Nothing stopped you from working!
Not rain, or mud, or snow, or broken heat ... Not Coronavirus, or quarantine, or social distancing, or Zoom... Not the chimes, or quiet time, or when we ask you to put down your pen in a Zoom meeting. Your hands just don't stop. You want to work!
Even when almost the whole class was sick and there were only five students at school, those five students made three valentines for everyone!
You worked hard to interview each and every person in the Trees Class. I suggested five or six questions for our interview — you came up with 22! And we asked them all, every time. You never got tired.
And, ohhhh — the dancing! All the different songs. All the different moves, big and small. Each dancer had their own unique style, not copying anyone else. You all danced boldly on your own and then came together with joy and laugher on the Nest for the final song.
Trees Class, we honor you for being loving and industrious dancers.
Much love,
Mrs. Jordan
& Mr. Johnson
— Pause for applause —
And finally:
Sky and Trees Classes ...
we honor you all for being ... FLEXIBLE!
and for being ... RESEARCHERS!
Again, no other preschool in the history of the world has done what you have done this year! You loved being at school so much, but when we suddenly said we had to stay home, you were ready and able to try so many new things! Blog lessons, Zoom meetings, and working with your parents. Because of your flexibility, you never stopped learning — you never stopped growing.
It was hard. We made mistakes. It was not what we wanted. It was difficult!
But you did it.
Think about the word flexible. It means able to bend and stretch (like a rubber band), not snap or break (like a stick). You bent and stretched your mind and your heart and your spirit so that we could still be the Sky & Trees classes learning together on the computer.
You did not snap, you did not break.
You did it because you are flexible!
Because you did not stop, your questions and looking for answers never stopped. This is what it means to research!
Whether looking around the park or out the window, looking in a book or on the internet, interviewing experts in the classroom or on Zoom, working with teachers or with parents, you never stopped looking for information and for new answers.
You never stopped wondering.
Our castle stood strong all through quarantine because of all the amazing research, thinking, and planning you did before we even started building it...
Sky and Trees Classes, we honor you all ...
for being FLEXIBLE
and for being RESEARCHERS!
Love,
All your teachers
