|
IN THIS ISSUE:
message from the head of school / spirit week / health news / program spotlight / lost and found / admissions news / snapshots / events
|
|
|
|
From the Head of School
Dear Gardner community,
The leaves are changing colors and our Gardner School campus is full of a glowing golden hue. The leaves will fall soon and there will be plenty of large piles for our students to joyfully jump in!
Teachers and parents are sharing with me how wonderful conferences are going. At the Gardner School, we know that children thrive when there is a strong partnership between their school and their family. Together, we celebrate each child's successes and also work on problem solving through the challenges that are normal to happen as children grow, learn, and move through stages of development. At conferences, teachers are sharing assessment data, learning goals, and how each child is doing academically, socially, and emotionally. The extra care to detail is incredible, and I am thankful for each one of our teachers and their dedication to supporting every child on our campus.
The end of October is always buzzing with excitement, and we're looking forward to channelling energy into Spirit Week! See below for details on fun ways children can participate in adding some extra excitement to our days.
Take care,
|
|
|
Fun Opportunity on Campus!
Gardner Spirit Week
Every year, students and staff get excited to share their school spirit and their individual personalities during Spirit Week! This is an optional activity, but participation is encouraged. Check in with your child's teacher for any specific questions.
Monday, 10/25- Pajama Day
Tuesday, 10/26- Tutu Tuesday Day
Wednesday, 10/27- Decades Day (wear an outfit that represents a specific decade)
Thursday, 10/28- Wacky Socks Day
Friday, 10/29- Costume Day (stay tuned for more information from your classroom teacher around specifics for costumes and safety)
|
|
|
|
COVID-19 Updates
Covid-19 boosters have been approved for people working in schools, and our staff are beginning to get them. The additional layer of protection is a great next step for our school community.
Additionally, more news is coming out about the potential vaccination approval for children 5 and older. If you have any questions about the vaccine for your children, contact your family doctor for more information.
|
|
At Home Testing
Reasons to purchase them for your family
As cold and flu season is beginning, students may need to be out of school while awaiting test results to be able to return to school. We strongly recommend keeping at home testing kits, like these ones, so children can return to school sooner if symptoms arise. Please remember to share any symptoms with health@gardnerschool.org to get the latest guidance on how your child can return to school.
|
Upcoming Holidays
Newest CDC guidelines
The CDC just released holiday recommendations, including with advice around travel during the holiday season. We ask that families who are considering travel around these times review the CDC guidelines, and plan accordingly to minimize disruptions to their child's return to school. As a community, we rely on one another to help keep all children safely learning in school.
|
|
|
Program Spotlight
Writing Workshops
|
|
|
Our teachers apply the multiple intelligences approach while creating engaging and challenging lessons around writing, from our preschool classes through our 6th grade.
For example, every morning when our Tumtum students arrive, they practice "signing in" using scaffolded writing tools to help them in writing their name. They work on monthly journal pages, where they share their ideas around book responses, self reflection, and more, and in doing so, develop fundamental writing and reading skills.
In our Mazama Pre-K classroom and Kalama, students use multi-sensory approaches to recognizing and forming letters. Kindergarten students participate in a Writing Workshop time where they receive support in "writing what they know", and use drawing and illustrations as an entry point into writing. Currently, Kindergarteners are working on illustrating personal narratives with colors and details so that readers can look at their illustration and understand what is happening. By adding labels to those drawings, the students are learning about the connection between images, words, and telling a story.
Frequent open-ended writing assignments help spur creativity in our 1st grade Pahto students, and more non-fiction writing response is added in during our 2nd grade classes. Starting in 3rd grade, Wy'East students begin to use technology to write their stories, and they use writer's workshop time to give feedback to peers and to focus on specific writing goals. Students have creative writing prompts to help them find access points to their storytelling, too.
Our 5th and 6th graders build on this work in more formalized five paragraph essays, and talk about using the ideas around style, voice, and word choice to communicate for a purpose. Persuasive essays are a popular topic for this grade level, and building writing stamina and organization skills help our students get ready for their next steps after the Gardner School.
|
|
Missing something?
Don't forget to check the Online Lost and Found page!
|
|
|
Looking foward to 22-23 school year!
Interest for the 22-23 school year is already coming in! We encourage you to share about the Gardner School with friends and neighbors who may want to explore options for their children for the upcoming year, or who may want to learn more about limited available spaces for the 21-22 school year, too. You can share this link to our inquiry form, or introduce them by sending an email to admissions@gardnerschool.org.
Currently enrolled families will be sent more information around re-enrollment at the end of January, 2022, and have priority enrollment for siblings, as well.
|
|
|
Campus snapshots
Focus on learning is evident all around campus! The collaboration opportunities our students are getting helps develop their social emotional skills, too, and multiple, creative approaches to instruction are benefitting our students every day!
|
|
Upcoming Events
Friday, 10/8- Friday, 10/29
Parent Conferences
Check with your child's teacher to schedule your Zoom conference. More information will be sent out in classroom newsletters!
Monday, 10/25- Friday, 10/29
Spirit Week!
This is an optional activity for students and staff to participate in during the course of the week. Check in with your child's teacher for any specific questions.
Monday, 10/25- Pajama Day
Tuesday, 10/26- Tutu Tuesday Day
Wednesday, 10/27- Decades Day (wear an outfit that represents a specific decade)
Thursday, 10/28- Wacky Socks Day
Friday, 10/29- Costume Day (stay tuned for more information from your classroom teacher around specifics for costumes and safety)
Wednesday, 11/3
PTO Meeting on Zoom, 9:30 am
Join other parents as we discuss the fun, upcoming events for teachers, students and families, and learn how you can help! Email Susan Melton, PTO Chair, at ptochair@gardnerschool.org for the Zoom link or for more information.
Friday, 11/5
School Photo Make-Up Day
Paul Quackenbush Photography will be back in the morning of Friday, November 5th to take pictures for any students who were absent at our first photo day, including sibling photos. If you have already turned in your picture packet, you don't need to do anything else! If you need a new picture packet, reach out to Lisa Linderman, llinderman@gardnerschool.org.
Thursday, 11/11
Veteran's Day, No School
Wednesday, 11/23- Friday, 11/26
Thankgiving Break, No School
Thursday, 12/16
Fall Thematic Celebration of Learning
Stay tuned for details about this opportunity to see the learning from our first thematic units!
Monday, 12/20- Monday, 1/3
Winter Break, No School
We can't wait to see you in the New Year! Classes resume on Tuesday, January 4th, 2022.
To see and subscribe to our calendar of events, click below!
|
|
|
|
|
