ACADEMIC ENGAGEMENT
The school year is running by as quickly as these Pikas move! The Pikas have been practicing their reading skills day in and day out, learning about digraphs, bonus letters, and the Caldecott award as they prepare for the winter months ahead as reading is fun activity for when we’re burrowed inside on a snowy day! In addition to becoming star readers these first three months of school, the Pikas have worked on counting up to 20, understanding the meaning of the equal sign, and decomposing numbers.
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT – Oh the people we greet and friends we meet
From greeting hikers along the trail to waving at RAD garbage trucks from the Main House window, the Pikas are becoming part of the community day by day! Our mystery readers have brought so much joy to our classroom, igniting excitement for reading. We visited the planetarium at the top of Snow King and saw stunning space photographs taken right next door. We have so enjoyed welcoming parents and friends for Welcome Wednesday each week! Looking outward to our community, we will also meet Vancie Turner, sparking wonder and curiosity as we ask about her horse, Clementine, and their unique means of transportation.
PROJECT LAB/WOODS DAY – from Victor, ID & beyond
Our focus in Project Lab has become knotted, tangled, and tied to form a nest around a central question: How can we explore our place through transportation? We started the year by building trails and pathways with loose parts, inviting our Pikas and the rest of the school to try staying on the path and completing the loop. After a hugely successful journey—where we took the TSS bus, public bus, gondola, and hiked along trails—we began brainstorming more ways to get around. Plane? Train? Horse? Bike? Hot air balloon? The K/1 Pikas are curious about all the ways we can move from place to place!
Our monthly Woods Day has been so much fun, and we’re incredibly grateful to have it as part of our curriculum! While hiking along part of the Sheep’s Bridge trail, we observe seasonal changes at our observation spot. Having parent volunteers out in the field is incredibly helpful, and we really appreciate their support! We try to end the day with a class picture along the fence, with the Tetons behind us.
STUDENT CORNER – What the kids are saying
What’s been your favorite part of school so far?
- “Woods Days are fun because we ride the bus and go into the forest.” – Grayson
- “The gondola in Jackson.” – Leo
- “Hanging out with the older kids.” – Jaymes
- “Making stuff in Project Lab.” -Ada
- “Going to the JC.” – Letty
- “Playing with friends.” – Hayden
