SEPTEMBER 2023 NEWSLETTER
The Importance of Family
At Garden Gate we believe that parents (and other significant adults in the home) are the child’s “first teachers” and we value parents’ participation in all aspects of our school. Collaborative partnerships between teachers and families help ease the transition from home to school for our children and provide a strong foundation for learning. We encourage parents to join our Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) - please see Alaric’s mom, Jess, or any one of the teachers if you are interested in learning more!
On September 21, from 5:00-7:00, we are hosting an Open House for parents (no children this time) to meet each other and see what’s happening in the classrooms. Please mark your calendar and be sure to attend.
We are starting off this year with a wish list. We are always on the lookout for interesting and creative materials - odds and ends, recycled materials, craft supplies. Check with your employers - we’ve received cool samples from architects and designers, great cardboard tubes from rug shops, acrylic displays from retail stores, old keyboards from offices - we can find a use for it all. Please check with us before bringing any large items or large quantities as storage is always an issue! Specifically we are looking for corks, beads and wires, cardboard cereal and cracker boxes, small loose parts, game pieces, small sea shells, buttons and old jewelry for our first upcoming project. Thank you!
In the Gallery
Our first curriculum project is inspired by Featherstone’s recent gallery show, specifically the work of Cyrus Kabiru. Kabiru was born in Nairobi, Kenya. He is known for his sculptural eyewear made of found objects. By using found objects Kabiru gives a new life to the old materials, and the work deals with topics like transformation and imagination of the future. The children in Studio One, Studio Two and Kindergarten visited the gallery during the first week of school and are working on creating their own masks and portraits in our studio classrooms . We’ll use these portraits to learn about each other and make connections in the first weeks of school.
The current gallery show, SUMMER CELEBRATIONS AND REFLECTIONS runs September 17 - October 9. Opening Reception: Sunday, September 17, 4-6PM. Families are invited to attend the opening or view the exhibit with their children after school or on weekends when the gallery is open to the public.
STUDIO ONE
We have had a great start to the new school year in Studio One! The new children are settling in and all the children have been busy exploring materials and learning spaces indoors and out. We have jumped right into our mask project, starting with photo portraits of each child that have helped with learning each other’s names. Children have begun to paint and glue their masks - come in and take a peek at drop off or pick up! Family photos have been an important part of our daily transitions and the children love having their families displayed prominently in the classroom. If you haven’t sent in your photos, please do as soon as you can!
STUDIO TWO
In Studio Two, friends, new and old, have been exploring the classroom and beginning to share stories and build relationships. We are using materials and activities designed to help children develop connections and make new discoveries about themselves and our school community. The children have been hard at work exploring tools and materials for collage work; drawing faces of themselves, family and friends, and enjoying our walk-a-bouts on the trails.
KINDERGARTEN
The kindergarten group has come together this fall to reconnect, share stories, and begin to plan for the investigations and explorations we will be undertaking in the next few weeks. New thinking books have been opened to the first blank page to great excitement. They are being used to record thoughts and ideas and plan for the work ahead, including our upcoming masks project. Other interests emerging in the short term are related to science, engineering, technology, sculpture and nature. Our kindergartners have collected several oak worms, and through research figured out that they need a unique habitat to thrive. Ask them about their discovery!
