A Lens into Elements
- 8:30AM – 9:00AM
Welcoming Our Community
Children and families are individually greeted as they enter our outdoor classroom entrance. Each child washes their hands at our outdoor sink, has their temperature checked and recorded, and fills a daily health questionnaire. Once cleared, children transition to joining their community of classmates and educators outside.
- 9:00AM – 9:30AM
Early Snack
Children are offered a morning snack to begin fueling their day. At this time, all snacks and meals are provided by families.
- 10:00AM – 10:30AM
Morning Reflection Meeting
During our morning gathering, children represent their thoughts, feelings, reflections, wonderings, and plans for the day. They share their play work, projects, and partnerships, and design community agreements that help station the day with enough predictability to feel safe and secure, yet enough flexibility to feel spontaneous and autonomous over their choices.
- 10:30AM – 12:00PM
Self-Directed Exploration
Children learn in lasting ways when engaged in their truest forms of play. This authentic relationship with learning emerges best when given the space and freedom to access it. Educators participate in a blend of guidance and observation which informs not only each individual day, but our school and classroom studies as a whole. During this time, children participate in discovery that is prompted by daily outdoor provocations, including, but not limited to, our mud kitchen, tree house, sensory space, log-center, climbing station, and environmental seasonal changes. Following the children’s interest, we supplement our days with meditation, forms of free and guided movement, and a range of process and sensory based art mediums that invite children to learn through the self initiated methods of experimentation, trial, error, cause, and effect.
- 12:00PM – 12:30PM
Community Lunch
Community lunch is shared amongst staggered tables amidst our outdoor environment. Lunch is a time of noticings and conversations: the food we brought in for the day, the sounds we hear as we chew. Through shared moments like these, we build food fluency, competency and inclusion by celebrating the different meals we enjoy with our families.
- 12:30PM – 2:20PM
Rest
At Elements we think of rest as more than just a break from the day, and instead, think of it as an extension of independent mindfulness and reflection. Rest looks different for every child, and children’s needs are met individually. While some use the time to sleep, others use it to read literature, think, build with small tools, or create art on their personal rest mats or cots. During rest, educators liven the room with mood lighting and gentle, steady music, which creates a peace-driven warmth and comfort for all within.
- 2:20PM – 2:40PM
Afternoon Snack
Children participate in a second snack as a way of fueling their bodies after rest, in preparation for the second portion of their day, whether at home or in school.
- 2:40PM – 2:50PM
School Day Dismissal
- 2:40PM – 2:50PM
Extended Day
Extended Care is a smaller cohort of children who come together to build further meaning from their day. Extended care is not just a resource for families, but an opportunity to dig deeper in play narratives and materials. During this time, children will also participate in an additional late snack.
- 5:20PM
Extended Day Dismissal
Our 2020-2021 Community Calendar
September 10 – September 16 | Thurs-Wed | First Days of School half days and staggered arrivals |
October 12 | Monday | School Closed for Indigenous Peoples’ Day |
October 30 | Friday | Annual Bonfire and S’mores Event 4:00pm-5.20pm* |
November 3 | Tuesday | School Closed for Staff Development |
November 11 | Wednesday | School Closed for Veteran’s Day |
November 25 | Wednesday | 2:50pm Dismissal Extended Day will not be offered this day |
November 26 – 27 | Thurs & Fri | School Closed for Fall Break |
December 23 | Wednesday | 2:50pm Dismissal Extended Day will not be offered this day |
December 24 – January 1 | Thurs-Fri | School Closed for Winter Break |
January 18 | Monday | School Closed for MLK, Jr. Day |
February | Mon-Fri | Grown-up/Educator Conferences |
February 15 – 19 | Mon-Fri | School closed for Mid-Winter Break |
March 11 | Thursday | School Closed for Staff Development |
April 1 – 9 | Thurs-Fri | School closed for Spring Break |
May 7 | Friday | Spring Planting* |
May 22 | Saturday | Elements Spring Fair* |
May 31 | Monday | School Closed for Memorial Day |
June | Mon- Fri | Grown-up/Educator Conferences |
June 23 | Wednesday | Last Day of School Dismissal and Celebration at 12:00pm |
July 6 – August 27 | Summer Program Begins |