In conjunction with our school-wide focus, we have been having an ongoing discussion about making sure that everyone feels welcome and safe in the classroom and the school.  We have put particular emphasis on including others.  We read a great book on this topic, Odd Velvet, about a girl who is not included because she is different.  However, we noted, it is her differences that make her interesting and unique and there is much to be gained from including people who may be different than us in some way.  We have also revisited the book Stand Tall Molly Lou Mellon, about a girl who is taught to celebrate and be proud of her own differences.  While children in our class all know each other pretty well at this point in the year, during snack this week children have been challenged to sit next to someone they might not know quite as well as others, and we are working especially hard at including others during choice and recess times.  This a discussion we will continue throughout the remainder of the year.

It has been fantastic to get back to the forest for ECO.  Our first week back we reviewed old our forest routines and this week we focused on beavers.  We were amazed at the changes in the forest in just a week, and we will be paying close attention to changes over the coming weeks, especially noticing the birds that are slowly coming back, as well as the new growth that happens as the weather gets increasingly warmer.  Each week we will focus on a different bird song- so far we have done song sparrow and American robin (and we couldn't help hearing the Canada geese and red-wing blackbirds as well).  In addition, each child has also adopted a bud at his or her sit spot and we will be documenting the changes in these.  Parents are always welcome to join us!