We had a great, albeit short, first week. It was such a joy for Jackie and I to welcome our new class of Temescalians into the classroom on Wednesday and we started building community almost immediately by sharing one highlight from our summer. We heard about kids’ travels, spending time with family, and being in nature. We look forward to continuing to get to know each and every Temescalian this year!
Our first order of business was familiarizing ourselves with the campus so we went on a TBS scavenger hunt that included greeting Chris at the front desk, seeing how many steps it would take to go from our classroom to a bathroom, noticing where fruit grew on our campus, and thinking about what the saying in the Labyrinth, “Follow the Child”, means to them. The Temescalians stayed in groups of four and accomplished their tasks as a team and some even decided to add their own flair by counting how many splits it would take to get from our classroom to a bathroom.
Another important part of the first few days of school is learning the routines and expectations for the classroom. We talked about how our Morning Meetings are run, what it means to make thoughtful observations for the Number Corner aspect of the monthly calendar, how to perform jobs in our classroom, and how we end our days with a Peace Circle. These routines give the Temescalians stability and give them a sense of ownership as we continue to build community in Temescal Creek.
Our first foray into our Bridges Math curriculum was to see how each Temescalian sees themselves as math learners. We made glyphs to represent what size group they like to learn math in, how they like to represent their math thinking, what time of day is best for their math learning, and if they like or love math. We did a few comparisons and started to analyze the class data, but it is interesting to see how each Temescalian is represented.
We got went to our first Core Arts classes, which included welcoming back Jenny as our Spanish substitute teacher. This year, we have Spanish and Music in half groups and thus far, it seems to be a successful model! Julianne also pushed in for our Super Science and Art period on Friday. Our time with her on Fridays is usually dedicated to exploring an artistic side of a science or cultural studies topic. This Friday, we scaled it back and kept the focus on community building and representing what our school mission statement means to us. “Ignite curious minds, awaken generous hearts, and engage a changing world.” You can see how your Temescalian represented their interpretation of the mission statement in the window by our front door.
At the beginning of the year, we often work on recording our hopes and dreams for the year. In Temescal Creek, a hope is something that we hope we can accomplish within the year. For example, learning how to touch type or learning how to do multiplication. A dream is something that may be achievable within the year but is often something that may take our lifetime or beyond to accomplish. For example, becoming an NBA basketball player or an astronaut. We found some time to read Jubal’s Wish, and talked about how sometimes, our wishes may not always be accomplished in expected ways, but if we are open to it and work towards it, it can come true. Knowing what the Temescalians hope and dream for is essential for us to build community and foundational for us to come up with our classroom agreements. If we want to achieve those hopes, we need to have agreements in place so that we can get things done!
Kate Klaire came by with some foster puppies, Aretha and Franklin, from Pawfund.org The Temescalians exhibited such patience and gentleness when handling the puppies. There is definitely something to be said about being around animals that helps develop our own empathy and extend kindness to others. Please contact Kate Klaire if you are interested in adopting these lovable pups!
We love for families to come join us for Family Reading on Fridays. It’s a casual time for grownups to come in and read together with our Temescalians, catch a glimpse of what is happening in the classroom, and to connect with others in our classroom community. The schedule for our Family Reading times are yet to be set, but check out the “Upcoming Events” tab on the top of the page and it will have upcoming events that include Family Reading times, field trips, assembly dates, celebrations of learning, and other pertinent information!
We closed our first week together as a whole school community and had a school wide assembly. We introduced faculty and the 8th graders led us and our 7th grade buddies in a community building game. It was fun to connect with our buddies and take risks as we took turns being the leader and guessing who the leader was.
Finally, a glimpse of some down time and the Temescalians’ first taste of GoNoodle. This website is great for brain breaks, mindfulness, and even social and emotional learning.
We hope that you had a wonderful long weekend! Please check this blog for posts that sum up the week of learning, important information about upcoming events, and there are signups at the top of the page for grownup classroom volunteers for bringing in flowers on Mondays or coming in to do dishes, clean up the kitchen area, and bring home the laundry on Fridays.
