Community Minded
9/14/2019
One of the things we strongly value and strive to nurture at PNA is the sense of community. While the term community is often referred to a group of people living in the same place or having the same common characteristic, the Oxford dictionary also defines community as "a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals." It is this result that we are all striving for everyday inside and outside of the walls of PNA. One might ask why this is so important and why we spend so much valuable instruction time in the nurture and care of our community. In a recent article in Huffpost entitled "The Importance of Community", the author identifies 5 questions to consider and reflect on when developing a community. Three of these questions are important for our purpose of building our school community. 1. What are your values and what values do you want to be aligned within the community? 2. What is the purpose and goal of creating or joining a community? 3. What do you have to offer the group and what do you want to receive? How can you share and collaborate? The answers and reflections from these questions lead to the idea that we are looking to build a place where students, faculty and families all play an equally important role in building a place where every member is loved, respected and supported. Not only this, but true communities motivate, push and drive its members to better themselves and their surroundings in a safe and goal-oriented environment. Here are a couple of examples in which our sense of community was strengthened over the last week at PNA. 2nd and 5th graders continued to develop their "buddy" relationships by enjoying some great books together. Middle School students enjoyed a retreat at nearby Birchwood Camp as they continued their important work of building a strong 6/7/8 community to embrace the joys and challenges that middle school entails. The second graders worked together during an exploratory time to collaboratively build this great land, encouraging and supporting each other along the way. Some friends spent their weekend supporting a fundraiser to end childhood cancer during the annual Trick or Treat in the Heat. The first round of Lower School ACE classes met together in multi-age groups where they enjoyed doing activities in these different electives that spoke to their own personal interests. The whole school turned out to support one of our own, Ms. Annie as she moves on to new opportunities and adventures. The students created cards, posters and gave out flowers as we lined the halls to say a bittersweet farewell to a much loved member of our community. And we are all looking forward to another of our much loved annual traditions - the Fall Outing next week. This is a time for more multi-age magic to happen as students in grades K - 8 walk over to a nearby park where they enjoy a picnic lunch and play games and engage in team building activities. The Fall Outing will end with the students supporting the past and current MS students at a ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate their student designed and created obstacle course in the woods near our school. That's what being community minded at PNA means - supporting, encouraging and growing alongside each other. Spero, Harper. "The Importance of Community" https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-importance-of-community_b_6978186
Comments are closed.
|
Marcella HitchcockMs. Hitchcock teaches second grade, is a mom of two, an avid reader, lifelong learner, and a seeker of sunshine! Archives
March 2021
Categories |