Every year when the calendar flips to October the teachers in Younger Kids are reminded of just how much our students have grown over the first six weeks of the school year.  Our schedule and expectations are becoming ingrained for the kids and we can start to work on other goals that we have for them.  While academic and personal goals are individualized for all of our students here at Rivendell, there are some common ones on which all students will focus throughout the year.  Developing a sense of independence and responsibility falls into this category.  

We place a great deal of emphasis on developing these traits in all of our students.  When the bar has been set high for kids to develop responsibility and independence, challenges that they face change from daunting to exciting.  The independent and responsible child tends to be more confident, caring and empathetic, traits that all people want to see in their children.  Moving from, “I can’t do it!” to, “Can you help me do it?” to, “I can do it myself!” can take some time and effort, but as my Grandmother often said, “Nothing good comes easy.”  As the school year progresses we will be working with all of your children in this area.  We are excited to get to be a part of some of your child’s I-can-do-it-myself! moments.

This week we studied the Greek theatre and created masks inspired by the masks that the Greeks used in their famous dramas.  We learned that often these masks were oversized and elaborately designed to show emotions to their massive audiences in amphitheatres.  We discussed the different emotions that needed to be portrayed on these masks and encouraged the kids to pick a specific emotion and try to create it on his or her mask.  Every student also picked a favorite Mo Willems book from those we read over the past month and wrote about it.  Our Author of the Month for October is Rob Scotton and we are sure that his stories will bring as much laughter to our classrooms as Willems’ did.

Next Tuesday, October 2nd, from 6:30-7:30 Rivendell will be hosting our first Cupcake and Curriculum Night.  This is an opportunity for you to learn more about our  reading and writing curriculum, and you get to eat cupcakes!  The focus will be on what literacy development looks like throughout the grade levels at Rivendell.  Next month we will have another night when you can learn more about our math curriculum.

Our Sharing Theme for next week…

It was another successful week here in the Younger kids. We are really feeling great about the work the kids are accomplishing, and have already seen their independence and problem solving skills develop. Thanks for helping us teach the kids independence and responsibility.

This week we continued our exploration of ancient Greece and Rome. The kids did a Roman mosaic project that will be decorating our hallways soon. This week we also learned about Greek and Roman Gods, and Goddesses. Each week the kids do a theme writing on our different units of study. At the end of each unit we will send a unit book home with all their writings, so you can look forward to that here in a couple weeks.

Halloween is a pretty exciting event around Rivendell School. To celebrate Halloween we will have a classroom party, as well as a Halloween parade.  The party is run by parent volunteers and we very much appreciate their help.  One thing that you can do to help is sign up to bring something to help make this party fun for the kids. On Monday we will have a sign up sheet posted outside our classroom doors. If you are so inclined, please take a look and sign up to bring something in.

It was another fun week in the Younger Kids classrooms.  We are feeling like we are really getting to know what makes your kids tick after spending the last four weeks with them.  We are impressed with the growth we have already seen and are excited about all the learning and fun to come.

This week we continued our study and Ancient Greece and Rome.  We discussed architecture and completed two projects about columns.  We showed the kids examples of modern architecture that were influenced by the styles of Greece and Rome.  We also worked on a project that was inspired by the wax tablets that Romans used for writing.  Many of the projects we complete this year will be saved and compiled into a portfolio of your child’s work at the end of the year.  

Next week our exploration of Greece and Rome will continue.  Our focus will shift the myths, gods and goddesses that were an integral part of life in these civilizations.  We will complete projects about these stories through mosaics and painted pottery, two forms of art used extensively during these years.

Math, reading, and writing work sessions are off to a great start. The kids all seem very excited to learn.  As always, we see teaching as a partnership, and we thank you for all that you are doing with your kids at home to support their skills and learning here at school.  Please take time this weekend to go through your child’s Friday Folder with them. They worked hard this week and are very proud of their work. Friday Folders will come home every Friday filled with the work your child completed that week. This work is sent home for you to keep.  Please bring back the empty folder the following Monday.
The Sharing theme for next week is…………………………….