Hello Green School!
Since our last correspondence, middle school has adventured far and wide! We camped in tents under the fall foliage at Grayson Highlands State Park, hiking many miles and riding bikes even more. Upon arrival, we hiked to see ponies and the ponies thanked us with a face to face visit. At first, we simply observed quietly as they wandered nearby; however, when "Buttercup Cumberpatch" approached us on the trail, Miss Kathleen instructed us to quietly and intentionally lower our bodies to lower our collective energy. It worked! Buttercup stood in communion with us for a silent and peaceful few minutes, nose to nose.
What a moment!
The next day, we rode seventeen miles of the Virginia Creeper Trail, overcoming fears and fixing rickety bikes, crossing bridges and viewing some of nature's most spectacular colors. That evening, we hiked in the dark, using our senses, to the same mountainside from the day before. We built a bonfire, told stories, and ate cookie smores. Again, we gained an experience students will take with them in their memories for years.
(Parents received a link to a complete set of our photos, so please go visit there for lots more glimpses into their experience.)
Since returning, students have continued reading A Long Walk to Water in class and are working on independent book reports during their work cycle. Their assigned genre is "climate fiction." We briefly studied Easter Island, using its mystery as a practice for critical thinking and research using words, photographs, and graphs. During our most recent social studies day, we addressed the Israeli/ Gaza conflict through an inquiry based conversation. Thank you to parents that sent positive feedback; it's always helpful to know when students take their curiosity home for further discussions.
In other news....
Students have figured out a number of fundraising activities and will be planning and implementing the marketing and hosting of these events. In preparation for the ELFT, they are researching four potential locations and will present their findings next week! We'll keep you updated as we plan and prepare for all the stuff.