March 2024

"There is a way that nature speaks. Most of the time, we are simply not patient enough, quiet enough, to pay attention to the story."

— Linda Hogan

Letter from the Head of School

From the heart of Amanda Martin...

Hello Wauhatchie Families!

Happy Spring! I can't believe I just wrote that short sentence. As parents, I think we all begin to realize how true those cliche sayings are about just how fast these years go by! The days are long at times, but the years surely do feel shorter and shorter. Spring always reminds me of transformation and the complexity of time. It is a magical season where we see nature change drastically right before our very eyes. The bare trees and dark, frosty, cold soil will soon be blooming with vibrant colors, the hums of insects, and lush bundles of green everywhere.

During this time of renewal, don't forget the power of wonder and the importance of taking the opportunity to stop and notice. Notice the leaves, the blooms, the changing sounds. Notice the bumble bees, step aside for the snakes, and listen to the trees. It's pure magic. And it is all around you...right now. Take notice and dwell there.

I am reminded of a poem by Mary Oliver.

"I rose this morning, early as usual, and went to my desk.

But it’s spring,

and the thrush is in the woods,

somewhere in the twirled branches, and he is singing.

And so, now, I am standing by the open door.

And now I am stepping down onto the grass.

I am touching a few leaves.

I am noticing the way the yellow butterflies

move together, in a twinkling cloud, over the field.

And I am thinking: maybe just looking and listening

is the real work.

Maybe the world, without us,

is the real poem."

We are grateful for this time with all of you and your beautiful children. This season brings our school into a time of transformation for the next school year, which is very exciting! We are currently dreaming and planning our vision for 2024-2025. This time is very full and intentional as we create a safe space for teachers to discuss positives and negatives of this year and what they intend for next school year. We ask each teacher to freely express where they seek change and growth for themselves. It is a privilege to support and process with our amazing educators during this time.

We are also hiring a few new teachers and should be close to finalizing those contracts by the end of March. We are so excited about these new teachers, many of whom have actually come to Wauhatchie via our current teachers and school community. One of them has beautifully disrupted her current school by creating an outdoor program for students. However, she continues to face unrealistic restrictions and has now found us. It's truly a perfect fit.

I'm so very honored that these new teachers have connected with Wauhatchie School, bringing their own spark and a shared desire for education to be more. They seek something unique and outside the box, have a love for nature, and already have experience teaching outside. I look forward to introducing these new teachers and sharing more about next school year in the coming newsletter!

Enjoy this season together. Welcome your own transformations as everything around you invites you into that space.

With Gratitude,

-Amanda Martin

STEAM at Wauhatchie

from Ms. Rebecca, STEAM Coordinator

Coming Up: Earth Pigments Project

The next phase of our learning is as STEAM project collaboration between our STEAM and Art teachers, as well as Wauhatchie community partners. Back in January, Ms. Jaime, STEAM Ms. Rebecca, and Ms. Brittany took a full-day workshop with local artist Amanda Brazier to learn how to harvest and process soil and rock samples to transform them into art materials. 

Kiddos have already started learning sustainable harvesting techniques with Ms. Britt and Ms. Jaime, and are learning how these pigments form in Nature with Ms. Rebecca.

Over the next weeks, our students will be processing and making their own earth pigments, they’ll visit the Hunter Museum to check out the Landscape Collection. After this visit, students will create their own landscapes for display at the Hunter in the Spring. Stay tuned to MiNGA for more updates on our project plus dates and times for field trips and the Student Exhibition.

Earth Pigments Project Wish List

BIG THANKS to families who sent in mortar and pestle sets. We now have plenty of supplies for little hands on this project and many others to come. We have almost everything we need to make our locally-sourced art materials, but there are a few things that we are still hoping to get to be able to scale this project up to the whole school. If you have any of these items at home and can send them in, that would really help! If you have items that you are willing to lend but would like to have returned, please let us know and we’ll get them back to you.

Used or borrowed items: Altoids Tins (or other small metal tins), Glass Baking Dishes, Bottle Caps, 1”-3” Drywall Knives, Wish List Items: Mullers, Palette Knives

Hunter Museum Field Trip Dates

RR 3rd-5th:  Wednesday, March 20th 

AA K, 1st & 2nd: Thursday, March 21st

RR 1st & 2nd: Friday, March 22nd

*Pickup/drop-off schedules will remain the same for students on these days. We will carpool students from campus and then back to campus. If you would like to volunteer to carpool, please let your child’s teacher know how many spots your vehicle has.

Nicole's Song Annual Fundraiser

As many of you know, the Wauhatchie community lost our dear teacher Nicole Song in the summer of 2022. Her creativity, lively spirit, and uncanny ability to find the tiny beautiful miracles in every day life live on in each of our forest school classrooms.

This year, Wauhatchie School's annual dance party, silent auction, and scholarship fundraiser in honor of our beloved forest fairy will take place on Saturday, May 4. All of Chattanooga will be invited to cut a rug and raise money for our scholarship fund so that more children can experience the lifelong impact of nature-based education!

We're currently seeking volunteers to help plan the event! If you're interested, please contact Ashley Baker at (940) 222-1144.

Forest School Fifth Graders

As we draw nearer to the end of the 2023-2024 school year, our Wauhatchie School 5th graders and families have been considering and deciding the next steps of their educational journeys. We are so proud of these kind, smart, resilient, thoughtful, creative, hard-working, and dedicated students. Our five amazing graduates will soon be embarking on new and exciting adventures as middle school students!

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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