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| Presented to our Chef, Mr. Ricardo, by third graders. |
On their own, one of the third grade classes decided to let our new Lower School Chef, Mr. Ricardo, know how they feel about the lunches. The comments speak for themselves and give insight into the supportive values that are so important for our school community.
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| 22 lbs. of potatoes! |
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| Kindergartners digging potatoes out of the garden |
Surprises from the Garden
Young scientists/gardeners from kindergarten through fourth grades dug through our early snow to unearth a treasure trove of potatoes. Somehow discovering vegetables from underground is far more exciting than just picking tomatoes or even pumpkins off the vine. Fourth graders compared it to the archaeological dig that they did last year.The potatoes, weighing in at 22 pounds after rounds of estimations, were closely examined and analyzed. The variety of the potatoes that we planted had far more eyes and protuberances than those children are used to seeing in stores. They even found one that had a remarkable resemblance to Mickey or Mini Mouse, depending which students were reporting.
The next step will be to have our new Lower School Chef, Mr. Ricardo, cook up a special potato dish for us all to enjoy at lunch. |
| This potato got named Mickey. |
Lessons in Resiliency
Since life is full of surprises, unexpected obstacles, challenges and opportunities, it is our job to help our children and students learn to welcome the unexpected and to see obstacles as challenges and challenges as opportunities.
Certainly our October snow was unexpected. For some it was just a novelty, but for others it meant the loss of electricity, heat and the ability to communicate easily. The first day, it may have been an adventure,but as the days passed, it became increasingly stressful, especially if others around you had not lost power or had already gotten it back. I talked with parents who were beside themselves, even if they had the ability to go to a hotel. As one who did not have power for four days,I have to admit that I was overjoyed to have all the modern conveniences back.
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| The last tomatoes and onions of the year |
But what were the positive take-aways from our premature snow, the obstacles-to-opportunities and the growth-in-the-face-of-adversity moments?
- I witnessed realization in some students that they might have to pitch in at home and support their parents in a way that had not happened before.
- There was new found appreciation for some of the conveniences that we now normally take for granted and were not in existence during the lifetime of their grandparents.
- Some students actually expressed that they had an opportunity to learn things that they would not have had a chance to learn if it hadn’t been for the effects of the storm.
- Others expressed that they realized there are some things that man can’t control.
Most often such realizations don’t just happen, but result from timely guided conversations with adults. It is our job as teachers and as parents to scaffold children as they reflect on their experiences, whether they are part of “the” curriculum or the unexpected curriculum that surprises us all each day.
The presentation by Dr. Brooks about “Raising Resilient Children” on the evening of November 16th will provide parents with guidance on how to help children embrace the challenges of life rather than being overwhelmed by them.
