Prepare to Harvest!

This is a big week at Willowwind and in the Prairie Racerunner Classroom! I look forward to seeing you on Curriculum Night, Thursday, September 15, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. This is not an open house event, but rather a chance to see your child's classroom and hear about our classroom and community goals for this year and beyond. It will also be a time for you to ask me general academic questions regarding routine, expectations, and studies. Our friends have been busy preparing a Prairie Mural for you to see on your visit.

We will talk more specifically about your child's progress during our upcoming PEP Goal Setting Conferences. Teachers have set aside Thursday, September 22 (2:30 to 5:00) and Thursday, September 29 (2:30 to 7:00) for these conferences. If you have not e-mailed me with a time and date preference, please do so soon so that we can adequately prepare for this 20 minute meeting.

On Wednesday we are heading to Mechanicsville, IA for an afternoon of observing local Iowa farmers and harvesting our own produce! Chef Gaby will lead us in choosing the most scrumptious locally grown products as we prepare for a future  autumn cooking session and plan preserves for the winter. This field trip experience will enrich our study of  Growing Things, habitats and the life cycle that we have already observed in our Tadpole Pond, Zucchini Flowers outside our classroom and at Kent Park. We are still in need of drivers for this particular field trip, so if you are able to spend the afternoon with us from 11:30 to 3:15 please e-mail me A.S.A.P.


Spelling Tests were a huge success this week! This was a trial run to get students acquainted with the routine and they did beautifully. Throughout the week you might find friends doing a blind sort with a partner, playing a game with their words or pasting words in a notebook. Please remember that the spelling words come back and forth to school each day so that your child can participate in daily word study both at home AND at school. Graded assessments will come home Monday evening as well as a new Word Sort for the week.

Here is to a great week of integrated studies that allow your child to identify their passions and expertise. The fluidity that has become our classroom community is magical and I am excited see the relationships, questions and studies that are developing from this crew.

Thank-you!