Literacy in the Adventure Primes
Sandy Browne, Adventure Primes Teacher Sandy Browne, Adventure Primes Teacher

Literacy in the Adventure Primes

Many children in the Adventure Primes have been creating their own books in recent weeks. After spending time observing two frogs found by Uppers teacher Vanessa, two children were inspired to write fictional stories about frogs. One student created a comic book based on the movie Jaws and another created a story about a monster truck doing tricks. 

Read More
Uppers on the Farm!
Andy Charlton, Uppers Teacher Andy Charlton, Uppers Teacher

Uppers on the Farm!

The Uppers returned to Red Gate Farm last week for a few rousing, albeit rainy days of fun. Having gone many times now, we, both the students and the teachers, had a deeper and quicker uptake at the farm.

Read More
Hosting a caterpillar to butterfly transformation in the Power Primes
Elendë Connor, Power Primes Teacher Elendë Connor, Power Primes Teacher

Hosting a caterpillar to butterfly transformation in the Power Primes

Each year in the Power Primes we host a caterpillar to butterfly transformation. As a class we dig in the whole process together. We read books, have discussions, and practice observing with patience and care. We set up a special space in our classroom for the transformation to take place. There the Power Primes can gather and draw pictures of the different stages. This is a great opportunity for the Power Primes to try and draw something from observation.

Read More
On Campus, Off Hours
Kara McColgan, Uppers Teacher Kara McColgan, Uppers Teacher

On Campus, Off Hours

This weekend, I had the opportunity to spend time on campus for two very different events. The first being the Uppers dance on Friday night, and the second being Grounds Day on Sunday. Although dramatically different, both events speak volumes about the community here on campus. Additionally, these events were only successful because of the tremendous amount of work done by all the family volunteers. 

Read More
Connecting With Our Community - Uppers
Vanessa Ricketts, Uppers Teacher Vanessa Ricketts, Uppers Teacher

Connecting With Our Community - Uppers

The Uppers have been working with people outside of our school community to teach, learn, and grow. There have been several opportunities for our students to leave an impact on the world around them, and we are excited to share them with you. Although we have had a very successful Community Service elective for the past two years, this trimester felt like a good time to branch out beyond our school community.

Read More
8th Grade Ambitious Projects
Josie Dulles, Uppers Teacher Josie Dulles, Uppers Teacher

8th Grade Ambitious Projects

Last Tuesday night, the school was abuzz as this year’s 8th graders presented their work for our annual Ambitious Projects Night. The Ambitious Project (known as the “AP”) is an independent, out of school project that 8th graders design and pursue over the course of 8 weeks. They then present their work to the community at AP Night.

Read More
Social Emotional Learning in the Wonder Primes
Katie Moffett and Julie Savage-Boeding, Wonder Primes Teachers Katie Moffett and Julie Savage-Boeding, Wonder Primes Teachers

Social Emotional Learning in the Wonder Primes

Spring is such an exciting time in the Wonder Primes classroom!  The children have grown and changed so much since their first days at the Center School, and the skills that once needed to be developed are being practiced and perfected each day.  A large part of our springtime curriculum focuses on deepening social emotional learning and, for the youngest Center School students, this work begins with increasing their ability to identify emotions, when they are feeling them, and name the feelings of others.

Read More
Partner Teaching in the Mups
Sara Johnson, Mups Green Teacher Sara Johnson, Mups Green Teacher

Partner Teaching in the Mups

There are so many reasons to love working at the Center School -the families, the traditions, the children.  Teachers have the ability to vary the curriculum, modify the schedule if needed, and receive support and encouragement around professional development. Teaching with a partner, or in some cases, a team, is another reason to love working at the Center School.

Read More
Light Investigation in the Adventure Primes (4-5 yr-old)
Sandy Browne, Adventure Primes Teacher Sandy Browne, Adventure Primes Teacher

Light Investigation in the Adventure Primes (4-5 yr-old)

In the Reggio Emilia philosophy, a “big idea” is an overarching idea that inspires, unifies, and resonates with the children-- something that offers many possibilities for collaboration, study, and exploration.

Read More
Science Concepts in 8th Grade
Andy Charlton, Uppers Teacher Andy Charlton, Uppers Teacher

Science Concepts in 8th Grade

8th-grade scientists have great rapport at this point in the year, you might even say they have chemistry. Combining their work from film and their emergent understanding of basic concepts in chemistry, the 8th graders are making short films to both show and deepen their learning. Costumes, props, and dance moves are a must. But mostly, we are trying to take something small, obscure, and invisible to the human eye and make it large, clear, and visible. 

Read More
Stewardship Jobs in the Mups
Joe Makuch, Mups Orange Teacher Joe Makuch, Mups Orange Teacher

Stewardship Jobs in the Mups

We call our end-of-day classroom jobs stewardship jobs. Every day, before getting backpacks on and sitting on the rug to wait for dismissal, each student completes their weekly assigned stewardship job. Tasks include working with a partner to remove chairs from the classroom and stack them out front, erasing the whiteboard, making sure our classroom pet rats have fresh food and water, and putting away any books left out in our Mups library in the room between the two Mups classrooms.

Read More
Talk It Out with the Middles
Courtney Allen, Middles Teacher Courtney Allen, Middles Teacher

Talk It Out with the Middles

Talk It Out is something we started this year in the Middles. It’s our weekly half hour on Thursday afternoons to sit together and talk about what’s going on. For our first Talk It Out, we hiked up to the top of Grasshopper Hill, sat in a circle, and discussed the options for naming our two classrooms. From there our conversations ranged from how to create equitable rules around camp chairs, to the impact of blurting in the classroom, to how anger feels in our bodies.

Read More
Copy Machine Lost and Found
Josie Dulles, Uppers Teacher Josie Dulles, Uppers Teacher

Copy Machine Lost and Found

Behind Anna’s desk, in the front of the school, lives a cherished member of our community. Their name is RICOH and they are a copy machine. Just like the rest of us, RICOH has good days and bad days. Sometimes everyone wants to work with you and sometimes you feel lonely and empty. Whenever I’m down making copies with RICOH, I take a minute to inspect a folder, stapled neatly to the bulletin board above RICOH, labeled “Copy Machine Lost and Found”

Read More
School vs. In-home Mechanical Teachers in Uppers Lit (6th/7th)
Vanessa Ricketts, Uppers Teacher Vanessa Ricketts, Uppers Teacher

School vs. In-home Mechanical Teachers in Uppers Lit (6th/7th)

This trimester we are reading and writing short stories. Last week, we read, “The Fun They Had”, by Isaac Asimov. This science fiction story, written in 1951, challenges the reader to think about the purpose of, and their experience with, school and technology. 

Read More
Sap Boiling Season in the Woods Primes (K/1)
Amy Jackson, Woods Primes Teacher Amy Jackson, Woods Primes Teacher

Sap Boiling Season in the Woods Primes (K/1)

Our Maple Sugaring season has (almost) come to an end, and we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who came to the fire and helped make this year’s sugar boil a success. Making maple syrup is a perfect example of many hands make life delicious! 

Read More
Mups Artist Studies: Music as a Force for Change
Matt Emmer, Mups Green Teacher Matt Emmer, Mups Green Teacher

Mups Artist Studies: Music as a Force for Change

This winter, our Friday music periods have been dedicated to exploring the lives and legacies of musicians who used their art to inspire change. Through our artist study unit, the Mups have been immersing themselves in the powerful connections between music, storytelling, and social movements.

Read More
Counted Out Viewing with the Uppers
Kara McColgan, Uppers Teacher Kara McColgan, Uppers Teacher

Counted Out Viewing with the Uppers

Last Wednesday, the Uppers students brought snacks and pillows into the All School Room to watch the documentary Counted Out. We started our viewing by talking about two potentially new vocabulary words: “gerrymandering” and “parole”. You, like many of the students, may be wondering what those words have to do with math. As it turns out, a lot.

Read More
Exploring the concept of “quiet” in the Wonder Primes
Julie Savage-Boeding, Wonder Primes Teacher Julie Savage-Boeding, Wonder Primes Teacher

Exploring the concept of “quiet” in the Wonder Primes

Spring in the Wonder Primes classroom is a rich time of growth in many ways.  The children have settled into their school routines and are confident in their knowledge of their days. Interpersonal relationships have solidified and deepened, and new skills are being refined. 

Read More