January 2018 Classroom Updates
The Otters have increased their focus on handcrafts, an excellent use of time indoors during the winter. The children have made cuff bracelets and pillows. They are working on their button-sewing technique. During the “arctic blast,” the Otters studied liquid and solids by freezing ice ornaments outside…
Cider and Conversation
I just love homemade apple cider. I mean, what’s not to love? It’s warm and sweet, it has all the spices that make you think of the holidays, and if you make it in a crockpot, the entire house smells like one enormous pie…
Ask the Girl
My son is four. He’s known for a lot of things—his boundless energy, his enthusiasm for life and the people he loves, his adventurous spirit and the way he wakes up ready to attack the day with gusto. But self-control? Yeah, he’s not known for that. Impulse-control? Not his strong suit. A gentle, tentative, approach to life? Not my kid…
Transylvania Vocational Services and Mountain Sun Students Team Up with Books
Transylvania Vocational Services (TVS) and Mountain Sun Community School have teamed up to create a Reading Buddy program that allows first through third graders (Acorns) to connect with TVS clients through reading and storytelling…
Celebration
‘Tis the season for traditions. Those look very different for everyone. Even with all our difference, we can all feel comfort and connection knowing those around us can all find joy in this cold, dark season. As our Thanksgiving gatherings pass and we get closer to the shortest day of the year we look forward to more reasons to be with friends, family and take time to enjoy good food with them…
Why So Many Bake Sales?
I love baking. Since I can remember, I've always wanted to be a baker. As a child, I spent summers in Iowa with my grandmother on the farm my father grew up on. And we baked. She was your quintessential farm wife and grandma. Everywhere we went, we brought baked goods with us to share…
Peaceful Conflict Resolution Workshop
Recently, parents of students at Mountain Sun Community School participated in a peaceful conflict resolution workshop. Parents acted out scenarios and were given guidance from three MSCS teachers on how to handle conflict peacefully…
Celebration of Life
Birthdays are special for children and adults alike. I have fond memories of birthday celebrations at home with friends and families. I remember eating homemade cake and bobbing for apples on one particular birthday…
Parent and Teacher Conferences
It is finally that time of year! This time of year offers an opportunity for the Owl class to take a deep breath and realize that the school year is in full swing and to relax into it. For the teachers, it is also a time to trust that there are still plenty more hours and days for all of the teaching that feels so vital and crucial to happen…
Raising Monarchs
As a teacher, sometimes you feel a calling in your inner core towards something you must do in the classroom. This summer, I began dreaming about Monarchs. While I dream about students quite often, I’m referring to actual Monarch butterflies. Ever since we named the Monarch class in 2009, I’ve collected Monarch paraphernalia, mostly as gifts from students or parents or friends…
Parental Personal Time
This morning, we were discussing our health and how we can care for our bodies to promote our wellness. The children all had wonderful suggestions and comments. I shared with them the basic expectations of hand washing (running water as well as creating friction with the hands), drinking plenty of water (we noticed that if running water could help "wash" the germs off the outside, that maybe drinking plenty of water could help the germs move through the inside), eating fruits and veggies (protein and carbs too), and sleep…
Circle Time
Here at Mountain Sun Community School, we like to make circles. This shape is inclusive and lets you see those around you. We are a community made up of all kinds of people with different experiences and ideas. These circles are used to give everyone the chance to hear others and to be heard by others…
It Takes a Village
Many times I have heard the proverb: “It takes a village to raise a child." I have often reflected on that concept and agreed. There are many times when parents and friends help in ways such as driving a child to school or an activity, child care when family members have meetings or unexpected work needs, sharing of clothing items, or materials for backpacking…
A Word for the Real
Several years ago, I was visiting a friend who was getting her Ph.D. in counseling at a large state university. Part of her commitment included working with the student services counseling program. She was telling me how difficult it was for the college “kids” to overcome their social anxiety and go out and have a good time without self-medicating….
From the Archives: The 2016 Kinder Experience
If you haven’t had the opportunity to sit in “the invisible chair” and observe the natural flow of this energetic, yet peaceful classroom, please schedule a time soon. You will likely see Kinders acting as leaders in the classroom…
Back to School Excitements!
You wake up, jump out of bed with more energy than most mornings, eat a hearty breakfast and put on the outfit you have had picked out for weeks. Your backpack is packed with fresh pencils and glossy folders; you are officially ready for your first day back to school…
A Place at MSCS
This was my first year with Mountain Sun Community School and I was turned loose in a world full of discovery, exploration, creativity, belonging, and inspiration. I can’t describe this place without these words so it is so fitting that we use them to shape our school. My time here has been eye opening to what education can be for our community’s children and me…
The Mountain Sun Family
As an assistant teacher in the Otter classroom, I look at our school through the eyes of a teacher. But I’m also a mother to a spunky, funny, energetic three-year-old. He is an Owl, meaning that he is in the other primary class just a few feet away from my own. And being his mom allows me to also look at our school through the eyes of a mother…