Please welcome another wonderful post by our Master Gardener Colleen Alexandra. She has been a great help in starting Via Vita Academy's garden and establishing a love for the outdoors for our students. Enjoy the read! It was late August and while many of us were thinking about harvesting and putting our gardens to bed for the winter, Via Vita Academy was in garden start-up mode.
I enjoyed the wonderful meal and the opportunity to meet the families and students who came out to participate in preparing for a new school garden. Bellies full, we headed out to the garden area. Our task list included staking out and leveling areas for new raised beds, identifying an area for a grassy play area and general weeding and tidying. Enthusiastic helpers picked up tools and got to work without prompting! It was a pleasure to watch how each child approached the work. Some stayed close to mom while others ventured off independently to learn how a landscapers measuring reel worked or to pound in wooden stakes. Older students explored nature with younger ones while others found the blackberry patch and spent some time berry picking and feasting. It was a happy mix of work and play! With the school year now in full swing, the garden will become an integral part of the curriculum at Via Vita Academy. Already, students are planting, watering, composting, and maintaining the garden - experiencing hands-on learning that will stay with them for years to come.
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It's go time! With just one week left, we have been busy getting everything ready. The classrooms are painted, the backyard is mowed, the garden is prepped, and the supply rooms are filled to the brim!
As we sit here for a moment and reflect on the past 8 months, from the first day we announced the opening of Via Vita - the surprise and words of support we first received, the various tours and meetings with families, the open houses and community events. We can recall each parent get together, the conversations, the excitement - it's humbling to realize that we have done it! We have opened a school. And not just any school, but a school that encompasses everything we believe education should be, together with a fantastic group of people. We've found amazing families who are on board and working with us to build a school we all dream of. A thank you is in order. A BIG thank you. So please, let us offer our sincerest thanks to you. YOU are apart of those who supported us along the way. The comments and words of advice, the messages, the emails, the look of genuine shock when you asked what we've been up to lately and we causally say, "well, we're opening a school." The social media shares, the generous volunteers we've been so grateful to have, the time and effort put into every detail. The connections we've made this past year, the programmers working with us, the groups and organizations who are now connected with us for the long haul. And mostly, those who are apart of this whether they signed up for it or not, but are no doubt our biggest supporters - our families and friends. We wouldn't be here, days away from opening our doors to families and students, without you and everything you've done You have all played a key role in shaping this school. You have helped shape the foundation for what this school means. Thank you. We hope you'll stick around to see what comes next. The journey continues now into the next chapter as students being to walk our halls and learning takes place at the forefront. We are eager to get the year started! We're sure you're interested to see what comes next! This is what dreams are made of - moments like these. Thank you, thank you, everyone. We wish everyone a wonderful start to your new school year, near and far! Let the school year begin! Please welcome our guest blogger today: Amanda. As a parent of three Via Vita students, it's important to her to know and trust her children's teachers. We are just as excited to call her a friend! We're all in this together! Enjoy the read. Thank you, Amanda ,for sharing your thoughts! To be or not to be... That is the question!!
More specifically ...should I become friends with my children's teacher? Not just friendly with them but actually take the time to get to know them on a personal level. Something that once was considered "normal" has in the recent past become something that seems to be very taboo. Years ago families would have teachers over for supper at the end of the day or they would be invited to events in the community (if they weren't already from that area). Parents wanted to know who their child was spending their day with and wanted that person to feel comfortable within the community. For some reason this all changed and now people feel that the relationship between parent and teacher should be strictly professional. Well, I disagree... I have been lucky enough over the years to have some amazing teachers in my children's lives Most of them I have been friends with outside of school as well and I think that our friendship is part of the reason I found these teachers so incredible. Let me explain... These teachers took extra time to get to know me personally so right away they had a better insight as to who my child is and how they tick, what works for my kids and what doesn't. In turn, I knew them better, too. So I knew if they were the type of person I can trust to help me raise my child, because let's face it, teachers spend as much time with our children in a day as their parents do, and sometimes more! I want to know that this person is someone I am comfortable with and if their values and morals are similar to our family's. Not only do I want them to be a good teacher but a good person in general! Another huge benefit that comes with this is the vested interest that they will have in seeing my children succeed, It's just human nature, the closer you are to someone the more you care about helping them succeed in life. On the flip side of that, I will also want to help that teacher out in anyway I can, whatever it takes to make their life easier because, well, that's just what friends do! A teacher is an extended part of your family impacting your children in a huge way EVERY SINGLE DAY. I, myself, don't understand why you wouldn't want to be friends with them. Part of the reason we chose Via Vita is because of the small size of the school and the fact that we will be able to get to know all of the teachers personally, along with the other parents and children attending the school. Each of them will play a role in my children's lives, so it's comforting in knowing, actually knowing, and appreciating who they are. We are all in this together and all looking for the best education for our children. Why not be friends? How lucky am I to already start the year off knowing these teachers personally, having them teach my kids, and call them friends! |
Welcome to Our BlogEach post is written by a supportive member of Via Vita Academy, be it a teacher, parent, student, community member, who is invested in the topic of education. Take a read and comment below! Archives
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