Part of Something Special
8/28/2018
This week, we continued learning about community, this time focusing on how our classroom is part of something bigger. It's part of our school - Pacific Northern Academy - which is a pretty special place. We brainstormed a list of the people in our PNA community: students, teachers, families, administrators, the custodian, the board. Then we explored how each of these members have different, but important, jobs and ways that they contribute to our school community. We all depend on each other and work together to make PNA the amazing place it is to learn and spend our days. (Ask your little one how we recognized what Mr. Joe and our administration do for us every day.) One way for our students to truly know that they are part of the PNA community is for them to be part of things that make our school unique, joining in traditions, like singing PNA's song together. Years back, PNA students, led by Mr. Lee (then, Senior Santos), created a school song, a song that captures PNA's mission and some of its best attributes in a catchy tune. At the end of this week, Mr. Lee came to teach our kindergartners the school song (... and then they sang it all day long!). It was a perfect way to end our study of the wonderful community at PNA - by reminding students that they are an important part of it. It was really meaningful to dive into PNA's community with your little ones this week. Last year was my first year at PNA, and something I continue to be blown away by is the community here. This summer was a big one for PNA as we moved our entire school down the street to our new location. Moving is always a crazy time, but what stood out to me most was not the massive undertaking of moving an entire school, but the amazing involvement of our PNA community. And when our new facility did not have the ideal playground yet, what stood out most was not the play area's blank slate, but the way the community came together to make it a wonderful place for our learners to play, explore, and build friendships. Families jumped in yet again to help, investing one of their last weekends of the summer to cleaning up our amazing playground space. In both of these examples, we not only had teachers, administration, and current families donating resources, time, and vehicles, but also alumni families as well. Our staff and families, of both current and former students, believe in our school and our mission so much that they want to ensure that PNA continues to thrive for future students and families, even when that means investing more. It is such an amazing thing to have families see, and share in, the vision for PNA. It's what makes PNA a community, not just a school. It's also one of the things that makes PNA the incredible learning environment it is, an environment in which our students know they are a valued and important part of something special. These two are just the most recent examples of how our amazing PNA community loves and serves our school. I continually see our staff, families, students, and alumni invest in our school throughout the year, giving what they can, whether that be financial resources, time, or their talents and creativity. I am so honored to be part of something that people believe in so deeply. So, thank YOU. Thank you for being part of our PNA community and helping us serve our most important members - our learners and their families! I hope that as the year continues, you lean into our wonderful community and see that your family and your little one are an important and valued part of something truly special.
Creating Community
8/25/2018
The first weeks of school are always dedicated to creating the classroom community, a community where our students feel loved and supported, where they can learn, try new things, take risks, and help each other learn. In short, we create the environment that will allow us to deeply grow, learn and build beautiful, genuine relationships throughout the year. This week, we focused mainly on choosing kindness, working together, and making everyone feel like a valued member of our classroom. In the coming weeks, we will shift the focus to being ourselves and having the courage to take risks and try new things. We will continue to develop all of these skills throughout the year, but we take the time to carefully establish this classroom culture in the first few weeks. Creating the classroom community is one of the most important aspects of teaching - and one of my favorites. It is a privilege to share my days with my students, seeing the world through their eyes and creating a place in which each of them know they belong, a place where they know we will share special, fun moments together throughout the year, a place where they know they will explore the world and start to find their place in it. I am excited about the community we are building, and each one of your sweet little ones is an important and treasured part of it. Thank you for sharing your kindergartner with us! |
Saania AliMs. Ali graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelors of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. She specializes in Early Childhood Education, ESL, and Special Education. Her hobbies include traveling, reading, and painting! Archives
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