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IN THIS ISSUE:
message from the head/ drop off and pick up / pto updates / music program spotlight / meet the teachers / community spotlight / save the date! / campus snapshots / events
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From the Head of School
Dear Gardner community,
We've had a joyful start to the school year with happy children, creative teachers, and learning galore. It's amazing to walk around campus at any time of day to hear happy voices in the wetlands, see hands-on math activities, watch lively music lessons, and walk past engaged students during art, writing, and Spanish lessons. Transitions aren't always smooth, yet everyone is settling in, openly communicating, and getting to know one another as past friendships renew and new friendships form.
As schools around the county, state, and country are seeing increases in Covid-19 cases, quarantines, and closures, we are even more thankful for families adhering to our policies and procedures to ensure the best continuity of learning for our students this year. By keeping symptomatic children off campus, getting tested for Covid-19 before returning to school, and taking safety precautions away from school, we protect the health and safety of every child and family in our community. Our goal is to provide a safe, engaging, and supportive in-person learning experience for every child and remain committed to following safe protocols that have been successful for over a year.
Last week's Field Day was a reminder of how special our school traditions are. Each year, we see our students experience these events in a new way. On Thursday, our students will get to experience one of our favorite Gardner events; Wheels in School day! Some of our students will be zooming around campus as the leaders of the pack, and we will remember the time they hesitantly rode their trikes or training wheels around the school garden for the first time. Watching each child grow at the Gardner School is truly the best part of my job.
Warmly,
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Drop Off and Pick Up Reminders
The first couple of weeks are when we settle into routines, and we adapt and make changes or remind families about procedures to help everything go more smoothly. The drop off and pick up lines have been taking longer and backing up a bit, so we're asking families to help with the notes below. Please use the drop off and pick up lines rather than parking and walking your child in or walking them over for their safety and for the efficient movement of cars through the lanes. Thank you for your attention to these procedures!
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Checking the Times
Staggering Times
Unless you are checking your K-6 child into Before Care, drop off starts at 8:15. School starts at 8:30, and we tend to be the busiest right around that time. If possible, consider arriving closer to 8:15 to avoid the back up.
Also, please do not arrive to the pick up line earlier than 10 minutes before your child's class is going to be released. Early arrivals can back up the pick up lanes while we wait for children to be brought outside.
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Loading and Unloading
Be Prepared
Particularly for our younger students, unloading and assembling all the backpacks, lunch boxes, jackets, and masks can take awhile! Please try to have as much ready to go before pulling into the drop off line.
At pick up time, please help your child be safe and efficient in getting loaded into the car. If you child has forgotten an item or needs to use the restroom and must return to the building, please park and safely walk them back to a staff member to be escorted inside.
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Early Childhood Families
After Care Pick Up
Early Childhood pick up is at 3:00 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and 1:00 on Early Release Wednesdays. If you are picking your child up later than that, please avoid the times our K-6 families are picking up. That is 3:30-3:45 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and 1:45-2:00 on Early Release Wednesdays. If you arrive during this time, please park and wait for pick up until the lines have cleared.
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K-6 Families
Pick Up Lane Change
If you have a child in the Pahto (1st grade) classroom who has an older sibling, please pick them up at the field with their older brother or sister. This shift should speed up pick up times for our other 1st grade, kindergarten, and Early Childhood families. We'll start this on Tuesday, September 14th.
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"I know the wetlands like the back of my hand!"
-Henry J., Mazama student
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Thank you to all the parents who attended our first PTO meeting last week. The primary goal of our PTO this year is to connect parents with safe ways to support the school, meet one another, and to provide fun opportunities for our students.
First up is the Scholastic Book Fair, starting Monday, September 27th and going through Friday, October 1st. Look for a book catalog and wishlist form coming up at the end of next week.
The next project for the PTO is to support fun, on campus activities for our students around Halloween time. The PTO representatives will be connecting with teachers to find out more about how we can make fall festivals extra fun. Stay tuned for more information on how you can help or contribute to the plans, too!
Our team will be reading through the Family Interest Surveys and reaching out to interested folks soon, but if you have any questions or comments, please email the PTO Chair at ptochair@gardnerschool.org.
We know it's going to be a great year!
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Program Spotlight
Why Music Education Matters
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In music, students started out the year diving right into the science of sound. What are the vibrations that make up music? We can see sound vibrations as waves in water, hear how pitch changes in different densities, and feel the vibrations around our fingers when we dip them in water and bonk various containers. Students are expanding their music vocabularies to describe sounds with their tone colors, experimenting with the different materials of which instruments are made. Through songs and routines, we are beginning to build basic music structures in solfege and rhythm that students will later translate into their own instrument playing.
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Meet the Teachers
New Faces on Campus
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Madeline Morrow
Pahto (1st Grade) Homeroom Teacher
Madeline Morrow grew up traveling in the United States and internationally. Her formal education began at the Art Institute of Seattle before she discovered her love of teaching children. She achieved a Bachelor of Arts in Special Education, with an Elementary Education Endorsement, from Western Washington University. Additionally, her love of culture, food and art led her to attend Le Cordon Bleu in London where she received a Diploma in Plant Based Cuisine. She loves plating on the weekends!
She has taught in Europe as well as in both public and private schools in the United States. She spent ten years teaching children of all ages, and was a classroom teacher for the majority of that time. She believes in teaching in the manner that is best for each child, fueling the love of learning and self discovery! She came to Portland in 2020 where she taught at the Oregon Episcopal School before finding and falling in love with the Gardner School. As an artist and a teacher, she is beyond excited to explore the infinite worlds of creativity and imagination with the children!
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Community Spotlight
The Simons Family
The Simons family came to Gardner many years ago, and Teacher Deborah has taught in both the Tumtum and now Kalama classrooms. Axel and Laban are in 5th and 2nd grade at Gardner, and their older son, Radley, benefited from Gardner education in past and is now in 8th grade at VRMS in Ridgefield. Deborah feels privileged to work in the same environment, where she has the flexibility to adjust the curriculum to the needs of her students, and Jonny works for Clark County as a Building Inspector. They chose Gardner because their three active boys benefit from the hands on, experiential learning that Gardner provides and because they love the small community feel, where every child is known and valued.
As a family, they are continually remodeling our old home in Ridgefield, but when not working on projects they enjoy outdoor adventures, exploring National Parks, hiking, kayaking, camping, hunting, fishing, and more. They are grateful to be a part of this supportive, gracious community at Gardner and look forward to reconnecting with old families and getting to meet new families when we are safely able to do so!
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Save the Date!
School Photos Coming Up!
Get ready for Picture Day! Paul Quackenbush Photography will be on campus Thursday, September 30th and Friday, October 1st for school photos. Photo packets will be sent home soon, and can be returned to the homeroom teachers. |
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Campus snapshots
This week students have been settling into to their routines, practicing their skills, and enjoying fun activities in their classes and at recess. Students loved Field Day, and we loved seeing them play and work together (even when they beat the staff in a tug of war challenge)!
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Upcoming Events
Thursday, 9/16
Wheels in School
Wheels in Schools is a favorite event at the Gardner School! Your child can bring their non-motorized bike, along with any safety gear for fun at recess time. Helmets are required to ride. Please allow for some extra time at drop off and pick up for loading.
Monday, 9/13- 9/20
Back to School Nights, 6:30 pm
Each class will have a scheduled Zoom meeting to review curriculum, meet other families, and connect with your child's homeroom teacher. Watch for the links and more information in the classroom newsletters. *please note the change in day for Tumtum*
Monday, 9/13- Pahto and Kalama
Tuesday, 9/14- Loowit and Tumtum
Wednesday, 9/15- Wy'East
Thursday, 9/16- Klickitat
Monday, 9/20- Mazama
Monday, 9/27- Friday, 10/1
Scholastic Book Fair
Stay tuned for more details about our Books Bring Us Together school book fair! Interested in volunteering? Let us know by contacting our PTO at ptochair@gardnerschool.org.
Thursday, 9/30- Friday, 10/1
School Photos
Stay tuned for more information and a photo ordering envelope coming home soon. Check our our wonderful photographer, Paul Quackenbush, on his website. Sibling pictures are also available!
Friday, 10/8
Teacher In-Service Day, No School
To see and subscribe to our calendar of events, click below!
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