January 8, 2018

Elementary Class Newsletter

Dear Families,

Welcome to 2018! We are excited to return for a new year and into (what feels like) a
new school! The 1st and 2nd graders have moved into the new classroom, while the 3rd-5th
students stay in the Amethyst Room for the rest of the year. (The Enrollment Committee has
already met three times, and the fate of our class size and location will be democratically
decided within the next two months – we hope! – so, ideally, by April we will all know the future
shape and space of the Elementary Class.)

We have plenty of news to share this week, so let’s get going! …..

(1) Our annual Martin Luther King, Jr celebration

- NEW DATE of Saturday, January 20. (We realized the class wouldn’t have enough time to
prepare for the celebration on its original date of January 13). This is our annual celebration to
shine a light on the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., and to honor social justice heroes of the
past, present, and future. This year we are focusing upon (a) youth activists, particularly young
people working to save the oceans, to emphasize that people of any age can make a difference;
(b) self-esteem and self-love, which are at the heart of social justice, and (c) current local
activism, to remind ourselves that Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights activists of the
1950s and 1960s didn’t solve our social justice and environmental problems forevermore – the
work continues, and it continues here!
MLK Celebration Schedule:
5 p.m. Dinner
6 p.m. Cake Walk
6:30 p.m. Student Performances
7:00 p.m. Presentation on proposed clear-cuts by local activists
7:30/8p.m. Music begins! We are in the process of hiring a band,

How You Can Help:

1. Bake cakes! We need approximately 6-8 cakes for a successful Cake Walk
2. Help cook and serve dinner! And help with dishes!
Contact Ariel Pruitt (Asher’s mom) to help with dinner: 541-415-6435
3. Help your children practice the song lyrics to two songs we will be singing
at the celebration, “Save the Ocean” and “In the River”

(2) Welcome, Melissa!

We are happy to welcome Melissa DeNardo as our new Elementary Co-Teacher! Melissa
has many years experience teaching elementary students and most recently taught in our
Rangers program. Melissa will be working with Taryn in the 1st/2nd grade classroom, and also
co-teaching with Kaci when our entire Elementary class gathers together. If you haven’t met
Melissa yet, stop by and say hi!

(3) Save-the-Date for our first ever (as far as we know) Dome School Dance-a-Thon on
Saturday February 3! We will collect pledges between January 22 – February 2, dance all day
on Saturday February 3 (12pm – 6pm, with plenty of breaks!), and then donate 50% of our
pledges to the Dome School Field Trip Fund and 50% to the Illinois Valley Safehouse! We could
use volunteers to help D.J., provide snacks, lead dances, and dance wildly with the kids! All Dome
School kiddos are invited to join us (Secondary, Kindergarten, Preschool).

(4) The next Pancake Breakfast is this Sunday 1/14 from 10am-1pm! Support our Secondary
Program while eating delicious student-made and student-served pancakes, eggs, sausage, fancy
toppings, coffee, tea, etc.

(5) A few notes for the 3rd-5th grade students:

(a) We are going to Science Camp! Save the Date for April 25-27 (3rd-5th Grade).
We’ll be headed to the Wolf Creek Education Center in Redwood National and State Parks
(inside Prairie Creek State Park in Humboldt County; drive time = approximately 2.5 hours each
way). Science Camp will last two nights and three days, departing Wednesday morning and
returning Friday afternoon. Redwood National and State Parks provides interpretive rangers to
lead instruction, while teachers and parent chaperones provide meals and evening activities. Let
Kaci know if you want to chaperone! The cost for the entire group is $300 + meals. Financial and
other details to be worked out soon...

(b) Also Save the Date for Saturday, March 17 if your child decides to join our
Oregon Battle of the Books Team (3rd-5th division). The regional “battle” takes place that
day at North Medford High School. More details to come.

(c) This Tuesday begins “Science With Ruth”! Ruth Becker, mother to 4th grader Felix
Becker, will begin teaching science class every Tuesday afternoon from 1:00-2:30 p.m. to our
3rd-5th grade students. Ruth loves science and is so excited to teach science that she also
hopes to teach the 1st/2nd grade class soon! (We’ll keep you posted!)

**don’t forget to check www.ElementsofElementary.weebly.com for new blog posts and the
revised weekly schedule (to be posted this week).

With love from Taryn, Kaci, and Melissa!