Hi Blackberry Parents,

This week was a gradual dip into our normal routine. We talked at length about what peace is and what the opposite of peace can be. We picked new table groups and new carpet spots. We talked about what it means to sit on an “island.” An island is a individual desk, we only have two in our classrooms, and they seem to be very popular selections, is a tool in our classroom. It is meant to help us stay on our path and focused on what we are doing.We talked about how tricky it can feel to be back. How we can be so excited but also sad to get back into our routine.

We are a group that really loves math. If you are ever lucky enough to step into our classroom during math you will walk into a class that is loud, full of energy, and so excited. Our math this week has consisted of math challenges that are puzzles or tricky math questions. We have had to really think and problem solve and there were many “This is so hard!!” But once they were able to solve it they were so proud. We also did a measuring activity where they had different length of “green beans “and they had to use unifix cubes to find out the length of the greens as those green beans sized increase.

We also had an impactful conversation about the LA Wildfires and what it meant to evacuate and effects on the ecosystems. We talked about charity vs mutual aid. Children are naturally empathetic so it is so beautiful to see how much they care about their communities and the world around them.

I am excited for what this year holds for us.

Best,

Leslie