“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”
―C.S. Lewis
We have had an enjoyable and relatively smooth start to the new school year at Meadowbrook. It has been so nice to catch up with returning friends & get to know our new friends. We played several ice breaker games to help us become familiar with each other. One activity required students to play reporter and interview someone else in the classroom. The reporters then presented their interview to the group. We discovered that we all have lots in common (I believe that a love for cheese pizza was unanimous).
We spent a lot of time settling in this week - learning the expectations, getting the routines down, finding the right notebooks and supplies, etc. We did have time for a few science experiments & language lessons. Next week we'll be in full swing with book groups, violin lessons, art studio and daily subject area lessons.
Last year the students asked repeatedly for more work space in the classroom. Over the summer we moved many of the lower el materials to the new upstairs classroom and left large open spaces downstairs. Every day, the upper el students rearrange the furniture, so that they are all working in the same room - leaving the other 3 rooms empty. Upper el students are certainly social beings! Most of my favorite childhood memories come from ages 9-12, so I am truly enjoying spending time with this age group.
Our new lower elementary intern, Christy, is a big hit with everyone. The students have been quick to learn new signs and they are enjoying asking Christy to teach them new ones. If you missed parent orientation, please stop by the classroom and introduce yourself.
We are very lucky at Meadowbrook to have beautiful classroom environments. The ugly plastic switch plates being the one exception. The students helped us fix that this week with a decoupage project. Take a look at these fun switch plates! I'll post more photos soon or you can peek in the classroom during drop off. Thanks to my creative neighbor, Nicole, for this great idea.
We were thrilled when the rain let up on Wednesday afternoon and allowed us to take our first trip to the Freeport Community Library. Everyone was glad for the chance to curl up with friends & a good book. Students received their first book group assignments this week - look for a note about book groups early next week.
For more information about the week, remember to read your child's Friday Note, which they will bring home tomorrow. Enjoy the weekend! I hope to see some of you at HenryFest on Sunday at Skyline Farm in North Yarmouth.
