“The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep.”
Hello Families!
We are looking forward to seeing you all very soon! Our community will once again be all together again- learning, growing, knowing.
I can’t wait to get this journey started with our 9 to 11 year old students! I have been thinking so much about who they are individually and who they are as a group. Can you even imagine the incredible-ness that is in store for us?! I can’t wait to hitch my wagon to these stars. Being with children with such creativity, heart and empowerment always expands who I am as a human. ¡Ándale! Let’s do this!
What can you expect as this year begins?
PARENT ORIENTATION
This evening is for all parents (extended family and caregivers who are involved in supporting your student at TKG are welcome) in our adult community, both new and continuing, to come and kick off the school year. It is a night for us to connect, gather information about the school year to come and (re)establish your connection with your child’s teacher. We are stronger and more connected when the whole family is involved. This is a parent-participation event(required).
BRING: a warm handshake or hug, a collaborative spirit and your unique self
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL (parents participate – it is a short day)
It is our TKG tradition to begin each year with whole community activities that inspire connection. The intention is to get lots of oxytocin, the pro-social neuropeptide (hormone/neurotransmitter),flowing. This boost our togetherness right from the beginning!
We will meet together as a whole group in the courtyard, have a short group meeting, then head down to fellowship hall for our opening ceremony and pillowfight. Following that, children and families will tour classrooms and establish their relationship (we will start the work of dreaming up our space!) to all the learning spaces. There will be time for nourishing our bodies with food during our time together.
BRING: regular size pillows (with covers but without zippers or embellishments) for you and your child, snack for yourself and your child/ren
1ST FULL DAY OF SCHOOL (parents do not participate)
Courtyard will be open starting at 8:45 for student and parent connection. At 9:00, when you hear the chimes, parents and children will give good-bye hugs or high-fives and students will take their backpacks with them to their designated area. Teachers and co-teachers will take the students to their rooms and begin the first official day of school, with both Open Flow and Deep Learning parts of the day. We will talk more about what the specifics are of these times at Parent Orientation but for now:
9-12:30
Open Flow Time
Focused learning in Math, Reading, Writing, Science…
Plentiful outside movement time and snack
12:30-3:00
Deep Learning
Lunch
Personal Project time- a.k.a. Deep Learning. This is open exploration time in which students choose their own paths of engagement. Our outside and inside spaces are available for students to engage in.
Community Project Time- focused, project based experiences in science, social studies and art
At 3:00 teachers will walk students out to the courtyard to say good-bye…and for students to reconnect with you. The play yard is closed to support your transition.
If your child is needing more support in the morning with separating in these first few days, you are welcome to stay for a bit and then transition out when it feels right. Also, if your child is needing an earlier pick-up due to being tired with the long day (all of us will be transitioning to our school day schedule after a few months of summer!), we will call to see if it’s possible for you to pick-up. If you can’t pick up, we will offer soothing alternatives and spaces for your child.
BRING: A backpack filled with these goodies…
Please remember to keep our environment commercial free: no merchandise or clothing with characters, brands or sports teams.
