February 2024

"Our challenge isn't so much to teach children about the natural world, but to find ways to sustain the instinctive connections they already carry."

— Terry Krautwurst

Letter from the Head of School

From the heart of Amanda Martin...

Welcome to February!

I hope all of you have found rest this season as well as the chance to welcome the slowness and to connect to your personal needs. Wauhatchie School is in full swing with our admissions season. It is exciting to think about next school year together and some of the big changes that will come with it!

Our partnership with Audubon Acres over the past few years has been so positive, collaborative, and helpful. We look forward to adding a combined 3rd and 4th grade class at this beautiful campus for the 2024-25 school year. Audubon Acres loves our Wauhatchie School presence and we all look forward to the year we are able to add a 5th grade class at this beautiful bird sanctuary as well.

It is with great excitement that I am able to finally share with all of you the name of our new Wauhatchie School location - the incredible Quail Run Farm! This will be our new 2024-2025 campus for our current Lookout Lake and Reflection Riding Preschool and Jr. Kindergarten classes while K-5 classes will remain at Reflection Riding Arboretum & Nature Center. Some of you may already have figured this out, but we have been anxiously awaiting to officially announce this exciting partnership!

This fully running farm owned by the Riley family offers so many incredible opportunities for our students. It is a 120 acre regenerative farm that raises cattle, horses, pigs, chickens, goats, and dogs. They currently have a farm market on the property, offering fresh produce and are eager to support Wauhatchie School students in creating their own farm stand next year. The Rileys are also excited about the idea of incorporating opportunities for age-appropriate animal care, gardening, and farm work into our Preschool and Jr. K forest classrooms. This idea will be navigated together to ensure that child safety is our top priority. Our school sites will be immersed in a forested area that's perfect for connecting to nature. We're so incredibly grateful to the Riley's for this partnership and their support of the Wauhatchie School!

New and returning families are invited to join us for our Discovery Day at Quail Run Farms coming up on February 10th from 10am to 12pm. This free event is the perfect opportunity to see this beautiful new setting where so much learning and growth is sure to take place next year. I look forward to seeing all of you who can attend out there later this month. Come with questions and some good farm boots!

Wishing you all the best. Enjoy these last days of winter and be good to yourselves, to others, and to nature.

With Gratitude,

-Amanda Martin

Site Highlight

Reflection Riding 3rd, 4th & 5th Grade

Updates from our recent Social Studies unit!

Wauhatchie School third, fourth, and fifth graders started our trimester with a unit on the Civil War. The students loved hearing the story of Mary Bowser and the Civil War Spy Ring, a book inspired by the true story of a slave who became the Civil War’s most productive spy.

We also learned about and discussed the realities of slavery and the Underground Railroad by reading chapters of North Star to Freedom. We completed our Civil War unit with a field trip to the Chickamauga Battlefield where we were able to see Civil War artifacts and talk about the history of battles that happened underneath our feet.

Next, we moved into studying Celtic Mythology. We explored different origin and creature myths of the British Isles by reading Celtic Mythology for Kids. As many early Appalachians emigrated from Celtic cultures, we transitioned from Celtic myths into Appalachian folktales. We listened to Foxfire Stories around the fire in the cold mornings of December, and heard funny, cautionary, and inspiring tales passed down from generations of old Appalachians.

Judy Baker, a traditional Appalachian storyteller from the Cleveland Storyteller Guild, visited our class to share her own folktales that she has gathered over her life. We also had an Appalachian herbalist named Leah Larabell share her medicinal plant knowledge and help the kids each make their own herbal tea blend!

We are finishing out this trimester by starting our World War 1 unit and reading Stay Where You Are and Then Leave, which takes us through the perspective of an English boy experiencing his early childhood through the years of the war. We are excited to complete this unit in the new trimester!

This summer, Wauhatchie School campers will play and work in the forest, building, climbing, and exploring while learning wilderness skills, plant identification, foraging, nature crafts and so much more.

Our camps are fully immersed in nature, helping children to build resilience, physical strength, coordination, creativity, and respect for one's self, others, and the natural world around us. Keep an eye on our website for more information.

Summer camp enrollment opens on March 1!

Admissions and Financial Aid

Hello Wauhatchie School Families!

Our Priority Enrollment period ends on Friday, February 9th, 2024. After this date, classes will fill quickly if they haven't already.

As a reminder, full day students (Jr. K-5th grade) are eligible for financial aid consideration. The deadline for applications is also Friday, February 9th, 2024.

If you wish to apply for financial aid, please follow these steps:

• Follow this link https://sssandtadsfa.force.com/familyportal
• Enter only the school partner code (200242) and NOT the country and state on the first page.
• Complete the application.
• Upload ALL required documents (2023’s 1040 document can be replaced by 2021’s 1040 if 2023’s taxes have not yet been completed).

Reach out to Kaitlyn Agee at kagee@wauhatchie.org or TADS at (855) 230-7850 for tech support if further direction is needed.

May the Forest Be With You,

Kaitlyn Agee

Director of Admissions

kagee@wauhatchie.org

423-708-4824

Wauhatchie School Discovery Days

New and returning families are invited to take a peek at what happens in the Wauhatchie School Forest during our last Discovery Days on February 10 at both our Quail Run Farm and Soddy Daisy locations.

If you have friends, family, or neighbors interested in learning more about forest school, this is the best place to start!

Friends of the Forest

Wauhatchie's version of a PTA is open for any parents or family members interested in volunteering or being more connected to our school community this year! If you're interested, find the Friends of the Forest group on MiNGA and Request to Join to get plugged in.

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