Traditions and Community

K-2 Traditions and Community Building Events

Children's Camp Retreat. Teachers and the long day (first grade) and super long day (second grade) students start the school year with a one night, two day retreat the week before school begins in the Fall. This is an opportunity to renew friendships and make some new ones. We play games, cook, talk about our summers, make plans for what the children want to do at the school the next year, and set goals.

Family Retreat. A September family retreat, overnight in a scenic quiet place, provides families an opportunity to get acquainted and reacquainted.

Kid of the Day. This is an opportunity for each child to have the "stage." It is a chance for the children to get to know each other better through a presentation about themselves followed by a question period where each presenting student responds to the queries of their classmates. The super long day students go first and serve as models.

Book Character Day. During National Children's Book Week, the children come to school dressed up as a favorite character from a book. They take turns occupying the center of the circle while the group tries to guess who they are.

 The Gingerbread Exhibit. The children bake, build, and decorate gingerbread houses which they display for the families and have a family sing a-long. Building the houses sharpens their math and spacial skills while also being a warm holiday tradition.

Martin Luther King's Birthday is a day 'on' and not 'off'. The class usually participates in events that honor the day.

Valentine's Day. Children write Valentine compliments for each other. These are presented orally in circle and are bound in book form and given to each child. These are special moments for the children as they practice consideration for each other and hear important things about themselves that build their self-esteem.

Kid's Auction. The children have an auction the Friday before the parent auction. Children generally donate some used toys, books, or games from home. In addition, they bring a minimal amount of money, as determined by the teachers, to buy things at the auction. This allows the children to understand how the auction works and gives them many learning opportunities and practice in using money, dealing with disappointment, and making decisions.

Quilt. Each graduating child designs a quilt that highlights the special memories they have from their three years together.

End of the Year Trip. A two night, three day trip where the teachers and the graduating kids talk about the three years that they have spent together and talk about moving on to a new class.

The Big Unit. Each year in Spring the students focus on one of three subjects that rotate each year: Native Americans, the Rain Forest, and Medieval Times. The school transforms into a different world for several weeks, and the children do multiple art projects, and what is called a Great Brain. This is a presentation on a particular subject of their choosing within the topic at hand.

End of the Year Celebrations. At the end of the spring unit we mark its conclusion with a student performance that coincides with the end of the year celebration. These are fun, community building events that are planned by the students and teachers and truly honors the work they have done.

3-5 Traditions and Community Building Events

Retreat. The teachers and the students go on a three day retreat, usually the first week in October. This is an opportunity to renew friendships and make some new ones. After several weeks of getting acquainted with the school, it is a good time to gather for community building and bonding.

Superstar. This is an opportunity for each student to have the "stage". The student brings as many important items as they are old from home to "show and tell" to help us get to know him or her better.

Martin Luther King's Birthday is a day 'on' and not 'off'.

Valentine’s Day Lunch. A special secret lunch is prepared by a student for another student for Valentine's Day. Included in this package is a card with a compliment for the valentine child.

Kid's Auction. The children have an auction the Friday before the parent auction. Children generally donate some used toys, books, or games from home. In addition, they bring a minimal amount of money, as determined by the teachers to purchase auction items. This allows the children to understand how the auction works and gives them many learning opportunities and practice in using money, dealing with disappointment, and making decisions.

Spring Shakespeare Festival. Each year, our fifth graders explore the lyrical language of the Bard both in a unit of study and in the rehearsal and presentation of one of his plays in an abridged form. Our 3rd and 4th graders will provide supporting musical, dance, or spoken activities before the performance, similar to the "Green Show" in Ashland's famous Shakespeare Festival.

Challenge Trip. The students will embark on a challenge trip for two nights and three days to bike, hike, or camp.

Fifth grade "Rites of Passage" trip An exciting 2-3 day outdoor excursion. The teachers spend much time discussing issues pertinent to the kids moving on and growing up. This trip is both a celebration and a recognition of all the growth the kids have made as students and as community members.

Yearbook. Each child and teacher create a page that expresses who they are and what they stand for in art, collage, words, poetry, quotes, comics, pictures, etc. These, along with several nostalgic pages commemorating the fun and important events of the year, are copied and bound into the 3-5 pod yearbook, which is handed out on the final day of school.