Dear Parents,
These middle schoolers continue to astound me daily. They defy the stereotype of adolescents in every which way. I thought I would give you an insiders guide to what they are saying within these walls and during our off campus adventures.
Out of the Mouths of Middle Schoolers:
Hillel: "I'm so sad, Mrs. Reed." "Why?" "There are only fourteen days of school left. How could it be over already?"
Donte: "This (eating lunch with his classmates) is so special."
Savannah: Crying at night to her mother, "I want to have school on the weekends!"
Chloe: "School ends in two weeks! Yes! I'm so relieved. I thought we only had one week left."
It is more than magical to me, that at an age when many pre-teens turn away from school, they remain as invested as the day they arrived. If you could only be a fly on the wall during lunch you would revel in their confident banter about politics, environmental issues, sports and literature. They have spent the last couple of weeks during recess creating their own countries. They work collaboratively to design a government and develop a culture for their kingdoms. Whether we are putting our face to the sunshine or cozied up on a rainy day in our classroom, their observations and discussions are inspiring. From the noon-time concert series to the Phillies baseball field, I am proud of who they are, what they say and do.
The Philadelphia trip was the perfect culmination of our Revolutionary War/Constitution study. During the visit to the National Constitution Center, I was amazed by how invested, engaged and knowledgable they are about the Constitution. The museum was interactive and the Spirit Bears did not let a single opportunity pass them by. Each of them took the oath of office as President of the United States, participated in a heated Jeopardy game and tried on Supreme Court Justice gowns. After the museum, we headed out to cheer on the Phillies! We feasted on ball park food and laughed late into the night. With Ms. Stacey along, no one was going to skip out on the exercise. The following afternoon we raced up the Rocky steps in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Afterwards, we lingered in front of paintings, mesmerized by their beauty, bold colors and incredible light. We frolicked in the fountain, said goodbye to the "City of Brotherly Love," and headed back home.
In additon to our Philly trip, we have experienced quite a deal around town. Mr. Skadron and company gave us an insiders' tour of the new engineering building at UVA. The children were astounded by the thought and effort that went into every detail of the architecture. They were inspired by the passion and investment displayed by our tourguide. They sat in specially designed swivel chairs, asked and answered questions in the high-tech auditorium and looked at Charlottesville through a professor's eyes.
Our garden growing enrichment is hugely successful and reading the Omnivore's Dilemma has been an eye opening experience. All of the Spirt Bears are reading labels and discussing healthy options. We recently ventured down to the Market at Meade to talk to local growers. The children broke up into small groups to ask the farmers questions about conventional farming, industrial organic farming and local growing. Their Science Day projects reflected a deep understanding and interest in the farming industry. Later this month, we will be visiting Polyface Farms.
I look forward to finishing the year with a bang! I am certain that the next two weeks will be filled with new experiences, nostalgic reflections and teary goodbyes.
As always, thank you for your continued support.
Warmly,
Karin
