OCTOBER 14, 2021

Honoring Indigenous People

Stolen Words by Melanie Florence, tells the story of the beautiful relationship between a little girl and her grandfather. When she asks her grandfather how to say something in his language, Cree, he admits that his language was stolen from him when he was a boy. The little girl then sets out to help her grandfather find his language again. The book explores the intergenerational impact of a school system, which separated young Indigenous children from their families. The students in Class 225 reflected on what it means to have your language taken away from you. They made watercolors pictures honoring words from the Cree language of the Algonquin people while listening to traditional Cree music to help keep the language and culture alive and participate in acknowledging history’s mistakes.

Be Who You Are Day

On Thursday, September 30th, Cluster A celebrated Be Who You Are Day, inspired by one of our favorite authors and illustrators, Todd Parr.

Cluster A students wore their favorite outfits and brought a special item from home to share with their class. We all read Be Who You Are by Todd Parr and participated in several fun art activities!

We had an amazing time celebrating how amazing our Cluster A students are!

Self-Portraits Inspired by Picasso

Our third graders studied the abstract paintings created by the famous artist, Pablo Picasso. Then they brainstormed ideas to select different shapes and colors they liked, to draw their cubist self-portraits. Next, our students chose various art mediums and recycled materials to decorate their portraits. Finally, they explained the art process to create their Picasso inspired self-portraits.

Bentley is Back!

We are excited to welcome back our special faculty member, Bentley! He began his transition back to work at the end of September. Bentley is a Schnauzer-mix (wire-hair coat so he is considered "hypoallergenic"). His title is a "comfort dog" who works with the middle school students. Bentley's role includes making people smile and helping them to relax, lending an ear when needed, and encouraging everyone to be the best versions of themselves.

Hispanic Heritage Month - Milagros and Music

The Middle School is continuing to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with various classroom activities.

7th grade students learned about the tradition of milagros in Latin American culture. Milagros are small folk charms that originated as a token of appreciation to a saint for answering a prayer to help with life's problems. Over time, these charms have come to represent a hope or wish for the future. The symbolic form milagros take can be universal, but also highly personal. Students identified a hope or wish they have for themselves, their family, or the larger community, then created a ceramic charm whose form symbolizes this wish.

6th and 8th grade music classes have been watching and discussing the film Vivo, which celebrates Cuban culture and music. Some 6th graders also did a group reading of the book Separate is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh, which is based on a true story about a Mexican American family that fights to end segregation in schools. We will continue to honor and celebrate Hispanic and Latinx heritage even after the official end of the month on October 15th.

Student Council - Arts & Snacks Event

STUCO sponsored an Arts and Snacks event on the High School Art Terrace, attended by students and teachers. Dennis talked about idea of landscapes and gave an example, and everyone created a seascape painting while socializing and snacking on sweet and salty foods.