Field
Notes
The Weekly Newsletter of The Community School of Mount Desert Island
Tuesday, January 3, 2017 - Volume #14
From the Youngers…
Eager children returned to school this week, embracing the New Year, many of them
commenting on how they missed coming to school. They came with tales of winter
adventures, sights of snowy owls, and skating on frozen ponds. We all are hoping for snow
in the coming days.
First Winter Solstice Concert in the new schoolhouse
Though our last week of school before the Winter Break was graced with a snow day, our
Solstice Concert and a thoughtful and oh so sweet Secret Elf Swap, the Youngers began
the final phase of their expedition. They each chose a creature that makes their home in
a salt water habitat, and began looking closely at specimens (if possible) and in books to
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Reminders:
- Pick-up at the library this Friday,
1/6
- No School Friday, January 13:
Inservice Day
- No School Monday, January 16:
MLK Day
Thank you to:
Jenny for hosting us at the Bar
Harbor Food Pantry, to all
families who contributed to our
winter holiday Food Drive,
Mathilde and Josh for helping
with outing logistics, the Keeley's,
Monahan's, Frongillo's, Grey's,
McMullins, Levin's, and the
Eddy's for caring for our dear
ducks over the winter break.
Natural History Mystery:
notice the shapes, details, ways in which they move,
and what makes their creature unique. Some of them,
on their own, took notes on their findings, while
others drew pictures. Some children identified this
work as important scientific "research." They were all
engaged as they explored the resources at hand, and
became increasingly excited about their creatures of
choice.
As we learn more about these specific creatures, each
child will be making a portrait of their creature
through a series of artistic drafts. We will be working
with local artists to show that, just like writers take
their writing through several drafts to a final, so do
artists. The end product will be a final draft that the
children will paint onto an ocean mural on the
backside of our wooden cubbies. We are all excited
for the process ahead!
Happy New Year to you,
Miss Jasmine
What is the object on Miss
Jasmine's nature table?
Come
take a peek!
Exploring the winter landscape
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From the Olders…
Dear families,
A happy New Year to you all! We ushered in the New Year with a loving kindness
meditation on Monday — sending wishes of love, joy and wellbeing to all living things
throughout our world. What a sweet moment of intention with your children.
This week we begin our exploration of Winter Ecology — the study of the interactions
between living things and the winter world. We are hoping for snow, and looking forward
to learning some of the mysteries of this glorious winter season.
With wishes of love and kindness,
Bethany
A sampling of the projects presented by the Olders on Ancient Greece
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Specialty Classes
Spanish
This week in Spanish class we
welcomed the winter –El Inviernoreciting a poem: El Padre Invierno. And
we talked about the three things
animals do in winter: Migration,
Hibernation or Adaptation. We had a
chart and pictures of animals that
students had to setup. It was so simple
and easy to put together. We loved
using some stuffed animals to learn
their names in Spanish. All in all, this
was a fun and educational lesson on
how animals behave during winter.
Learning Animals in Spanish
We talked more about Na vidad,
Hanukkah, Año nuevo, Los Tres Reyes
Magos and other traditions in Spanishspeaking countries. This started a long
explanation about how those days are
celebrated in every family. It was so
interesting! As a follow up to our
previous class, we received our Tió de
Nadal, a small log covered with a
blanket and a smiley face traditional
from Catalonia, Spain. Every student
Receiving gifts from Tio de Nadal
asked for presents while singing the traditional tió song. The Tió gave gifts in the form of
lollipops for everybody. This was super fun! Feliz año Nuevo familia! Happy New Year
family!
Warmly,
Miss Karina
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Upcoming Events and Announcements
Specialty Teacher Evening
Thursday, January 19, 6pm-8pm
We will be hosting a parent-teacher gathering at the schoolhouse for parents to learn
more about the specialty classes at The Community, the philosophy behind them, and
what projects your children are working on in Handwork, Music and Spanish. There will
be light refreshments, demonstrations, and lively conversation. We highly recommend
participation for all new families to the school, but all are welcome! Please RSVP with
Jasmine by 1/18 if you are planning on attending, so we know how many people to expect.
Admissions Open House
Saturday, February 4, 10am-12pm
We will be kicking off our 2017 admissions season
with an Open House, welcoming all those who are
interested in our school to come for a visit, meet
teachers and current families, see student work and
become acquainted with our space and our program.
We we would love at least one family per class to join
us for this event, as stewards of the school, so please
let Jasmine know if you and your family would like to
participate, or even if you would like to stop by for a
short while. Thank you!
Cultivating a Sense of Self, Place, and Community.
website: www.thecommunityschool.me email: [email protected]
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