September Leila Day News and Notes

Parent Night

Dear Parents and Leila Day Community:

It was gratifying to see so many of you attend Parent Night at Leila Day. Your commitment to working with your children's teachers bodes well for the upcoming year. On the first day of school, I saw more parents crying than children. And by the end of the day all the children were busy at the work of childhood--playing, making friends, exploring the world. I urge all of you to share with us the cultural traditions and family funds of knowledge that are important to you, the family stories, and what you do together to have fun. As we build relationships with each other, we provide a solid foundation for the children to make the friendships that will allow them to learn, thrive and grow.

Fall Equinox

This Thursday is the Fall Equinox and all the classes are bursting with enthusiasm as we embrace our commitment to outdoor education and connecting with the natural world. Your children are digging in the earth, splashing in puddles, finding out about dinosaurs and geology, playing with sticks in constructive ways, making animal friends, discovering the animals that live in East Rock and Connecticut, connecting with the trees as the trees connect the earth and sky, learning about the cardinal directions, rising up with the sun in the East, and going home with peace in our hearts, as the sun sets in the West. Summer gives way to Fall, the seasons change and your children grow and become the wonderful human beings they already are.

Tim Dutcher from the Beekeeper Project sharing his bees with the children

During our orientation week the teachers leaned into three big ideas: 1) how we can build our emergent curriculum around the six childhood competencies that allow each child to reach their full, whole, human potential; 2) how we can cultivate the emotional intelligence and mindfulness necessary to support each child sort through their feelings and transform challenges and adversity into understanding and empathy for one another; 3) how we can unearth joy, help each child find out what makes them happy, and discover the true joy and pleasure of living together, loving the earth, and renewing our shared world in common.

Be on the lookout for our schedule of monthly walks and adventures in East Rock and beyond. We look forward to seeing everybody at the Fall Fair on October 14th. And spread the word. Let's have an abundance of fun and joy this year as we all work, and play, together, to make Leila Day the best school in the world. As the Pointer Sisters sing in the great song Yes We Can, Can: "And we gotta take care of all the children/The little children of the world'/Cause they're our strongest hope for the future/The little bitty boys and girls."

with love and respect,
Charlie Malone

Pointer Sisters singing Yes, We Can Can on Sesame Street in 1975 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da76oT4aJDs