One of the many things I love most about the kids’ school is their access to art and technology, as well as their community values.  Today the 3rd grade had an open house celebration to demonstrate what they’ve been learning and to bring our community together.  The parents brought food for a potluck lunch. The kids shared their power point presentations and shadow puppet plays for our entertainment. You would be amazed.  

Each 3rd grader created their own power point presentation slide show, picking their own backgrounds and fonts and content. They’ve been doing an investigation, called Believe It Or Not, which has taught them about the world’s various religions and beliefs. They visited a Sikh Temple on a field trip two weeks ago, and have been learning about different values and traditions. Today’s presentation had them share their thoughts on what their own values and beliefs were and they made connections between their own beliefs and those of others. Charlie shared his connection with community groups such as Green Team, an environmental and recycling club on campus, and Boy Scouts, and Christianity and God.  He talked about what these values looked like and gave us examples, such as being kind, helping others, and turning off the lights when not needing them.  

Not only was I impressed with what his class is thinking about and investigating and sharing and understanding, but also that they were able to create a slide deck with 6 slides to communicate their thoughts so clearly. Each student created their own presentation on their own Macbook air, linked to their own website on their school community site. How cool is that? Each kid had to stand up in front of a small group to present their findings. The parents had a rubric chart to give the kids feedback, that they would then incorporate into their learning review. How cool is all this? 

The kids went outside for recess and the parents socialized and had coffee together. Afterwards, we moved down to the drama department to meet the drama teacher and to watch the shadow puppet shows. two clases were divided into groups of 4 and we were able to see 10 small shows. The students created their own art puppets too. Each group introduced the title of their fable, and then hid behind the screen and did their show. Afterwards, they came out and took a bow. I was so impressed. 

I enjoyed the community feeling at the potluck lunch today too. It reminded me of our hospitality lunches we put on for the staff back home. But this time it was a lunch for the parents and students and teachers, right before we break for the holiday. The parents gathered money and signed a card for the teacher, and the students presented the gift to the teacher, just like we do back home. I love this new little community too, and all that it has to offer, and hope my friends back home are enjoying the last few days of classroom parties and celebrations too.  Enjoy the moment my friends, with the craziness and busy-ness of all the holiday fun. xo