Deciduous versus Evergreen?
This past week I had the pleasure of sitting in on our kindergarten class’s lesson on deciduous versus evergreen trees. Marissa Lollie, VBFS kindergarten teacher, did a brilliant job teaching young Friends the difference between the two types of species. The lesson was fun and engaging, but more importantly, Marissa did a wonderful job creating a lesson that addressed a number of different learning styles. There were visual components for visual learners, hands-on learning elements for experiential learners, moments of movement for kinesthetic learners. There were even silly voices to help imprint the lesson in students’ minds. Marissa’s lesson was the embodiment of bringing learning to life. I am sure Marissa’s students will remember and understand the difference between deciduous versus evergreen for years to come. This is Friends in action!
Lessons like Marissa’s happen every day in VBFS classrooms. The value in a Friends education is that it’s a gift that keeps giving. Our kindergarteners have learned (not memorized) what deciduous and evergreen trees are. Learning lasts forever, memorizing lasts for moments. Friends School teachers stress learning, not memorizing. So, whether it’s in Marissa’s kindergarten classroom, Teacher Dafna’s 3/4 classroom, or Teacher Gabby’s middle school math classroom, the goal at VBFS for all teachers and students in all classrooms is to always bring learning to life.
Now that we all have learned the difference between deciduous and evergreen trees, this weekend as you see deciduous leaves falling to the ground, I hope the collective VBFS community can find a warm fire to curl up in front of and enjoy fall as it happens. Have a great weekend, VBFS!
See below for all your Need-to-Knows & our new “Fun at Friends” weekly Student Newsletter.
All the best,
Mike
Head of School
Need-to-Knows
– Middle School basketball practice will start Monday November 8. For questions, contact [email protected].
– A second session of First Art Explorers Club is being added for 1st/2nd graders on Tuesdays. A SchoolCues sign-up will go out this afternoon. For questions, contact [email protected].
– Special invitation for a community wide Meeting for Worship on Wednesday, November 10 from 10:45-11:15. Please join us via ZOOM:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 715 8218 9264
Passcode: 20c811
– No School Thursday, November 11 for Veterans Day.
– Skinny Dip school fundraiser on November 19 from 4PM-7PM at the Hilltop location.
– The school will host a virtual Grandparents/Grandfriends Day this year due to COVID-19. This event will occur on Tuesday, November 23 during the morning. More information will follow as we get closer to the day.
– Daylight Savings this Weekend! Clocks fall back an hour.
– As parents begin to have their children vaccinated for COVID-19, please submit copies of your child’s vaccine card for record-keeping purposes and contact tracing purposes to Candice Jarden.
