“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.” ― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan   Our week was filled with song and dance!  We worked very hard to bring you our Forest Performance on Wednesday night.  Students practiced their parts and learned to be patient and work together.  We are so grateful … More Ana and Mary’s Newsletter: January 31, 2020

“Under the snow fat bullfrogs snooze.  They dream of sun warmed days, back when they had tails.” (from Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner)   Elfie came to visit our classroom this week.  Elfie is a little Elf who comes to visit our classroom this time of year.  Elfie was busy watching our … More Ana and Mary’s Newsletter ~ December 20, 2019

  “Frances stood very still. She opened her mouth, but the words would not come….All she could think about was how cold it was outside and how sad the organ grinder’s eyes were, even when he smiled.” From: Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo   In her book Great Joy, author Kate DiCamillo challenges us as … More Ana and Mary’s Newsletter: December 13, 2019

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen nor touched but are felt in the heart.” – Helen Keller We have been reading both The Wish Tree by Katherine Applegate and Someday a Tree by Eve Bunting this week.  An oak tree is prominent in both of these texts, so we … More Ana and Mary’s Newsletter: November 15, 2019

In November, the trees are standing all sticks and bones. Without their leaves, how lovely they are, spreading their arms like dancers. They know it is time to be still.                                                  Cynthia Rylant We began our week with a lovely book called In November by Cynthia Rylant. We asked students to linger with some … More Ana and Mary’s Newsletter: November 8, 2019

Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. by Rachel Carson Peter Wohlleben, German forester and author of New York Times Bestseller “The Hidden Lives of Trees”, just published a sequel called “Can You Hear the Trees Talking?”, written for a younger audience. We are … More Ana and Mary’s Newsletter ~ November 1, 2019

Ana and Mary’s Newsletter October 11, 2019 Are all evergreen trees pine trees? How can we tell what kind of tree we are looking at? As part of our tree studies this week we focused on learning to identify ponderosa pine, spruce, and fir trees. We observed the similarities and differences between their needles and … More Mary and Ana’s Newsletter ~ October 11, 2019

Ana and Mary’s Newsletter~October 4, 2019 “The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.” Albert Einstein Have you ever read a book or an article and stopped yourself in the midst of it because suddenly you had a question? “What? Can this be true? How did I not know … More Mary and Ana’s Newsletter ~ October 4, 2019

Ana and Mary’s Newsletter~September 27, 2019 “The moment we decide to fulfill something, we can do anything.” Greta Thunberg to Houses of Parliament, UK, 23 April 2019, Environmental awareness begins with the love for and knowledge of nature. On Wednesday, we went to Crown Hill Park and studied two enormous cottonwoods. As we attempted to … More Mary and Ana’s Newsletter ~ September 27, 2019

Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit. – e. e. cummings This week we read The Wise Woman and her Secret.  In this beautiful tale we found the secret that alluded the villagers in the story and was apparent to only one … More Mary and Ana’s Newsletter ~ September 19, 2019