by Sarah Post
Wintertime with Hawks is filled with joy, routine and projects! We started the season by considering different kinds of poems and then picking out poems we like. Each Hawk worked diligently to memorize and then perform a poem (or two or three!) at our annual Poetry Recital in December. We also wrote poems about ourselves (bio poems) and drew self-portraits to accompany them. We found comfort in our routines; for example, every day we have morning meeting to talk about what the day ahead will look like and share about our evenings and weekends. Routines are important to build consistency and know what to expect each day. Every day we practice cursive letters, do math warm-ups, read books, have movement breaks, play outside, and gather at meeting time to start and end the day, just to name a few of our routines.
Equally vital is the importance of breaking a routine. Project time is a great way to break from the norm and get excited about ideas and possibilities. Our 100 Day Project brings excitement and new energy to the month of February. Each Hawk thought of a unique way to represent and explore 100 – from puzzles to building with cubes and cardboard to creative painting. We also loved studying fractions in math using paper and real brownies to show equal shares. The sheer joy of the first real snow and all the possibilities of building and play that it offers are magical parts of Winter that we all love. We also shared a topic from our holiday break that brought us joy and then worked on writing paragraphs based on these topics. Thinking about what is happening to seeds during the cold months was intriguing. While many seeds are cold underground, we took the opportunity inside to soak and then dissect some seeds to learn about the anatomy of a seed. We look forward to learning about sprouting seeds and growing some starter plants indoors this spring.
While we recognize that Black History is American History and important throughout the year, we also honor Black History Month during the wintertime. We learned about the Underground Railroad and read Henry’s Freedom Box. We also learned about Harriet Tubman through books and a song. In connection to our seed and soil study, we read about George Carver Washington and the important discoveries he made regarding the science of healthy soil. Spring is coming and we are excited to bravely take on new projects while finding comfort in our familiar routines as well.
"Yesterday we listened to a quartet at school. It was fun because I never heard anything that made me want to dance even more than normal." - Winter
"I am moving to New York. I get to see Loki and Kai everyday! And I get to go to Brooklyn New School." -Barnaby
"The Hawks and Owls made very dry brownies for fractions. We cut them into twenty-four pieces. Everyone thought they were to dry. Next time we will add way more water. We made them because the Hawks were studying fractions." - Ava
"We are all working on 100 day projects! We have to make something into 100 piece or more. The ideas came from planting seeds in people's heads. And we brainstormed ideas. Everyone did projects at school. We will share them at our 100 day celebration." - Harrison
"The snowplow that we named came to out school. Its name is Snow Penguin. Bonnie is the driver of snow penguin. Oreo is the mascot of Snow Penguin. Oreo is my 4 foot stuffed penguin." - Cassia
Explore. Discover. Learn
Some of our adventures this winter:
Our annual Winter Gathering with parents, students and staff.
Ice skating at Riley Rink.
Our Poetry & Music Recital
Simple Meal at RFCS!