The Saplings Times

"What we do know, and what we can assert without further hesitation, is that the universe had a beginning.

The universe continues to evolve.

And yes, every one of our body’s atoms is traceable to the big bang and to the thermonuclear furnaces within high-mass stars that exploded more than five billion years ago.

We are stardust brought to life, then empowered by the universe to figure itself out – and we have only just begun."

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

The First Great Lesson is one of five lessons in Montessori curriculum called The Great Lessons. In these lessons, students are introduced to the history of the universe and their place within it (more information on Cosmic Curriculum coming soon!). In the First Great Lesson, students are presented a story of how the universe began up to how planets were formed. This lesson provides a broad overview with the intention of sparking interest and curiosity. Through follow up lessons, students dive deeper into various concepts and areas of study based on curriculum plans as well as personal interest. This year is year 2 in Lower El's 3 year cycle in our cultural curriculum, where we focus on land (air and water make up the other 2 years in the cycle). We will be studying the formation and composition of Earth and other planets in our solar system, plate tectonics, states of matter, and geology. There are many exciting observations, experiments, and research topics on the horizon this year!

We've spent lots of time these first few weeks of school learning about how our classroom will function so that everyone in our community feels safe, happy, and ready to learn. Every detail of our classroom is practiced with repetition from how we line up for lunch down to how we roll out work mats and put shoes away in our cubbies. All of these little pieces come together to create an environment that is calm and peaceful as well as one where everyone participates in the care and function of our space. Here are some photos of new Saplings being shown how we roll out, roll up, and put away work mats by returning Saplings.

We have been building up our work mornings slowly over the past couple of weeks to ensure that everyone has an understanding of how they function. Here are the Saplings engaging in independent choices during the work morning as well as doing follow up work from math lessons.

Gear:

The seasons of chilly mornings and warm afternoons is upon us! Please make sure that your child is coming to school in the morning dressed in layers for chilly weather. There have been a lot of cold Saplings in the morning! Being prepared for the weather helps to ensure that our outdoor time in comfortable and fun. It is a very good idea to label all outdoor gear with your child's name.

Food:

Please make sure to check in with your Saplings about whether they have enough for in their lunchbox for snack and lunch. We have some hungry lower el students each day checking in that they are still hungry. Overpacking is always a good idea!