Fall Greeting from TKG

Welcome Fall! We’re settling in to our learning adventure called school. Our community is feeling deeply connected, and we are learning more about each other every day. This is a short update on us – we’d love to hear from you too!

It is so good to connect with you again. As you know, we’ve moved in to our new place at Temple Menorah in Redondo Beach. The community here is lovely. We have felt welcome and appreciated from day one.

This month, we’re hosting TKG’s 3rd annual move-a-thon/Celebration of Healthy Bodies! This year, we have an even bigger reason to celebrate and fundraise: we have moved in toa new location – change is here! This is not your typical Move-A-Thon…we take this opportunity to remind students and community that physical movement is vital for mental healthiness too. Your part is to cheer them on with a pledge! Pledge per minute (30 min max) or make a flat donation. No donation is too small. 

We have some upcoming events that we’d love to encourage you to attend as a way to build community and stay connected to the social change we are nurturing at TKG.

Please mark your calendars for upcoming events @ TKG


Move-A-Thon – Nov 9, 1 to 2 pm

When you support TKG, you support social change through the empowerment of learners and self-directed thinkers. At our upcoming fundraiser, we’ll be moving our bodies to raise money but we’ll also be taking the opportunity to remind parents and students that physical activity is key to mental healthiness.

MAKE A PLEDGE, Now! https://99pledges.com/fund/moveathonNov2018

We’ll also be offering our students the opportunity to try new ways to move with the sponsorship and participation of: MY GYM, TRITON GYM, LITTLE GYM, JAZZERCISE, YOGA, and more community activities!

Recently, we asked our teachers about how they move to stay healthy:

“Morning exercise is a part of my daily routine, along with at least 30 minutes of movement of some kind just for fun (riding my bike, walking or hiking in nature, playing with the kids at the park). I do a wonderful yoga class every Sunday which serves as a powerful reset button for me physically and mentally each week. In my classroom I think pausing to take a few deep breaths can help switch the energy when needed. I also honor individual bodies’ needs to move while learning by offering flexible seating (yoga balls, wiggle cushions, chairs, bean bags, soft seating) and students are encouraged to find their “best fit” seats each time we change activities. I love opportunities to incorporate body movements into learning – like when we did jumping jacks and other student-picked movements to the multiples of three and four!”

” In the classroom, we have been creating music together. This gets them moving, creating and thinking. We’re working on incorporating more body movement (in the class) throughout the day with dance, yoga, etc. They definitely need to move!”


Field Trip #1 – UCLA 

We had our first field trip to The Fowler Museum @ UCLA on Friday 10/19.  We learned at the “Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives” exhibit and had lunch @ the Sculpture Gardens on the beautiful Westwood campus.  We were curious and we explored with the help of teachers and parent chaperones.

We also had the chance to visit with the UCLA Beach Volleyball team! Otto and Quinn’s dad works at UCLA as a volleyball coach and he invited us to join a practice. 

For more information about the Fowler, visit this site: https://www.fowler.ucla.edu/exhibitions/


TKG’s Gratitude Feast – Nov 9, 5:30pm

Our Gratitude Feast is for our community, our supporters, donors, and alumni to get together and nurture relationships. It is a fun evening where children and families share special dishes from personal traditions and cultural experiences to celebrate inclusion and collaboration. This is how we will continue to build our school!

RSVP to Attend: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fall-community-builder-fundraiser-gratitude-feast-tickets-51935796365

We have asked our teacher about what they have been enjoying and processing this beginning of the school year. Here are some highlights:

(I’m) “Appreciative for the opportunity I get to express my passions and creativity professionally while balancing my family life and self-care.”

(I’m feeling) “Alive, engaged and challenged.”

“I love being able to have open conversations about designing and customizing a child’s learning to fit their unique needs- all without anyone feeling like they are “bad” or “wrong”, even if any of us make mistakes. It is a truly supportive and collaborative environment, with teachers in partnership with parents and students.”

“I enjoyed facilitating our (Redwoods) unit on the phases of the moon because it led to a lot of interesting and unexpected questions about the universe and life on earth. This intrigue has continued as we follow the moon through its phases with our classroom moon tracker.”

“I find a lot of joy in following the students’ lead on things, whether it is math strategies, music, conversation topics, or problem-solving.”

“I love the open-ended math problems we (Evergreens) started the year off with because they encourage flexible and innovative thinking and they help students see math as more than just arithmetic- that it is a subject that involves thinking deeply and creatively.

“With my students, the small moments bring me joy- like hearing “That was fun!” and “I get it now!” With parents. I love being able to have open conversations about designing and customizing a child’s learning to fit their unique needs- all without anyone feeling like they are “bad” or “wrong”, even if any of us make mistakes. It is a truly supportive and collaborative environment, with teachers in partnership with parents and students.”

(I love) “Challenging cultural norms that being fast in math means you are “better” (and the converse, which is so self-defeating for young mathematicians), along with reversing the myth that making mistakes is “bad”! Supporting kids with their personal practice so that they take ownership of their learning is challenging. Helping parents navigate the role of supporting their child’s personal practice at home is challenging, too.”

“I love the open-ended math problems we started the year off with because they encourage flexible and innovative thinking and they help students see math as more than just arithmetic- that it is a subject that involves thinking deeply and creatively.”

“I find a lot of joy in following the students’ lead on things, whether it is math strategies, music, conversation topics, or problem-solving.  With parents, I enjoy checking in and hearing their input on their child.”

“We are working on developing stamina for academic practice.”

“I enjoyed facilitating our unit on the phases of the moon because it led to a lot of interesting and unexpected questions about the universe and life on earth. And this intrigue has continued as we follow the moon through its phases with our classroom moon tracker. “

We look forward to seeing you and sharing our spirits of gratitude!


We want to stay connected to you! Be sure to follow our social media streams and tag us on your learning adventures!

Here are some things you can do to stay connected to TKG, from wherever you are:


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