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"Surrendering to the fact of winter is a relief: I am grateful for these lingering days of cold. They offer me a few more weeks of quiet and slow before spring emerges, the wheel picks up speed again, and the sound of its exciting spinning fills my days."
— Kelsi Turner
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Letter from the Head of School | |
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From the heart of Amanda Martin...
Happy New Year everyone!
I hope everyone had a very restful break. This time of year can feel as if we just cannot catch a break. The holidays go by, our families head back home and our holiday decor is staring us in the face with a reminder that this time of celebration and gathering has passed. It's cold, it's dark until 7:45am, and there's still so much to get done every day. This season can feel so uninviting and heavy at times. There are lots of changes and shifts happening. If we are feeling all these things, then our kids are feeling them too. They are always so much more attuned than we might think. Basic tasks may feel harder to achieve for all of us and we need to make sure that we create an empathetic space for ourselves and our kids during this time.
As we dive back into the forest, we are prioritizing this slow and patient practice with our students and ourselves. We aim to move slowly and methodically with them because the truth is, this season is difficult.
We all know how mornings go: putting on layers, packing lunches, finding socks, getting the layers back on because someone needed to use the restroom... "where are your boots?" for the tenth time. Does this ring any bells?
It takes time to get back into this routine out here in nature in the middle of winter. We want to embrace the slowness together so that these children learn and understand the importance of their personal needs. And we must first do that for ourselves so they can experience it with us. This first week back surely got us going with that wind and rain!
Now we keep going at a pace that will get us back to climbing up mountains together before we know it. I encourage you to practice these same permissions for yourselves this week. You may find some comfort and peace you didn't realize you needed to connect to. I look forward to this month of slowing down together!
Happy January everyone!
-Amanda Martin
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Site Highlight
Soddy Daisy Pre-K Class
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It was a busy fall semester at our sweet little Soddy Daisy campus! This site is our smallest, with just one preschool class and a total of 23 students. Don’t let the small size fool you though - there is so much growth, exploration, and discovery happening each and every day!
These wonderful students love books and music, so we spend time each day reading, looking at books, recognizing letters, singing together, playing instruments, or listening to some of our favorite songs. Some of our favorites books so far this year have been The Kindness Bear Shared, Drop: An Adventure through the Water Cycle, and Stone Soup.
We've had our scientist hats on since day one and have conducted various science experiments, including learning about and building our very own dirt volcano and creating a cloud in a jar as we learned about the water cycle. We’ve also really enjoyed art projects, especially painting a huge spider web, doodling with chalk, constructing out of paper, and making our very own salt-dough ornaments.
Soddy Daisy students love to explore, climb trees, balance on rocks and stumps, hear stories, and are connecting more and more with nature during our quiet sit spot time every day! Students' ability to sit calmly, notice subtleties in nature, and then to share and reflect on our individual experiences continues to expand.
Since August, these preschoolers have grown in their confidence, communication, kindness, motor skills, awareness of others, and so much more. We have learned about worms & composting, insects, volcanoes, trees, spiders, and the water cycle and look forward to digging deeper into birds, the weather, and plants during the spring semester.
Mr. Dom and Miss Lauren are s proud of these little learners and are very excited to see all that they continue to learn and do as the school year continues!
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Last Re-enrollment Reminder | |
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Hello Wauhatchie Families,
Welcome back after the long holiday break! This is last a reminder to complete your re-enrollment by tomorrow Friday, January 12 in order to guarantee your child's spot for the 2024-2025 school year.
Siblings of currently enrolled students will be eligible to apply starting on Friday, January 12 as well. Please apply as usual and know that we will be giving these applications priority as we fill our classes for next school year. Thanks!
Kaitlyn Agee
Director of Admissions
kagee@wauhatchie.org
423-708-4824
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Wauhatchie Graduates
Last Year's 5th Grade Graduates are Thriving in Middle School
From Kara Cadwell
Wauhatchie School Director of Teaching & Learning
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Hello lovely Wauhatchie families,
In May of 2023, we graduated our first class of Wauhatchie fifth graders (my own little forest dweller among them). From that moment, we were determined to find a way to follow our graduates as they transitioned to middle school, while also providing us with concrete data on their transition. Most especially, we were curious about their feelings of preparedness as they embarked on this great academic journey of transitioning from forest education to traditional brick and mortar education.
From these curiosities, a questionnaire was created. We requested feedback in four categories, each chosen based upon things we value in our forest school education, and hope will translate into continued learning patterns for the remainder of their education: Collaboration, Communication, Creativity, Critical Thinking. We directed the questionnaire to the students themselves allowing them to reflect on their experiences, with parents participating as needed. The results were glowing, across all four categories! On a scale of 1-10 (1 being unprepared, 10 being fully prepared), the average score was a 7/10. Our students feel, and are doing, wonderfully!
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What struck me the most, when reviewing the data, was the amount of times our students and families communicated the resilience and adaptability their student displayed during this time of transition; especially in the face of new challenges, new expectations, and new friendships. Forest school provides our students with a unique set of life skills, ones that only nature can teach. The uncertain weather makes for adaptability, the changing of seasons builds resilience, and the beauty invites a lifetime full of wonder and curiosity. It truly is a gift.
To our intrepid families, thank you! This type of education is weird and wonderful. Sometimes we may worry what our students are missing, but I hope that in those moments of worry, you will also remember what is gained - a lifelong gift of learning patterned from nature!
In the words of one of our parents:
| "Our son's successful adaptation to the challenges and opportunities of middle school is truly cause for celebration. His academic achievements, social growth, and active participation in extracurricular activities reflect his resilience, determination, and ability to thrive in a new environment. We couldn't be more proud of his accomplishments and we are excited to see him continue to flourish throughout his middle school journey." | |
We here at Wauhatchie are so very proud of our previous graduates and are excited to watch their beautiful journeys continue to unfold! | |
Wauhatchie DANCES!
Spring Semester with The Pop-up Project Youth Program
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TPUP Youth Program identifies where we need to meet our dancers and builds community at the speed of trust. TPUP Teaching Artists work with local non-profit organizations, public schools, and community centers. Depending on age, experience, and skill level, dancers have an opportunity to experience movement and make choices!
Wauhatchie DANCES! will be an introductory, on-site, creative dance class for students from Jr. K - 5th grade. Children will be introduced to ballet, jazz, modern, hip hop, and other dance styles in this fun, high-energy class. All sessions will take place at Reflection Riding directly after school and dancers must sign up for the entire session from 1/23 to 4/16. There will be two classes on Tuesdays (one for 1st/2nd grade and one for 3rd-5th grade) and a class on Thursday for Jr. K and Kindergarten. Families will be invited to an end of session “INFORMANCE” and party on April 25, 2024.
We hope you'll join us to experience movement, expression, and DANCE!
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Thank you so much to everyone who has made a school photos donation so far this year!
If you haven't gotten your school photos yet, it's not too late. You can still receive these beautiful, professional photos of your child by donating to the Wauhatchie School!
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Prospective families are invited to take a peek at what happens in the Wauhatchie School Forest during our upcoming Discovery Days. If you have any friends, family, or neighbors interested in learning more about forest school, this is the best place to start! | |
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. | | | | |
