Ferland's Findings

Friday Newsletter, September 16

With this week has come real evidence of the approach of my favorite season. Several children have made slight detours on their way into the building in the morning, stopping to  “pick” a leaf to keep or show, or even share. I’ve got two of these beauties in a jar on my desk at this very moment. I know they will undoubtedly be dry and brittle when I return to school Monday morning, but for a day or two, they brightened my office and brought a smile to my heart. 

There’s something special about someone sharing a piece of nature they find to be beautiful. I love the gesture for so many reasons. First, it gives me hope for our crazy world when small children pause to notice the little things nature gives us; dandelions, daisies, deep red and orange maple leaves, an acorn with a crooked cap, a rainbow peeking through the clouds, a fuzzy caterpillar working its way quietly along a leaf, or a perfectly round pebble. Secondly, I find that beauty is multiplied when it is shared. Isn’t it amazing how a handful of people can all look at the same oak tree, ablaze with color on a crisp fall morning, and none of the magnificence is diminished? 

This week as I wandered through the halls of WDES I saw lots of things that made me smile. In Third Grade, I stumbled across a group of kids playing with a type of block I’d never seen before. When I commented on them the reply was, “Yeah, they’re really, really old. Like even older than Legos, and they were invented in World War II!” It turns out the Legos company was founded in 1932, and the plastic bricks we all think of were first manufactured in 1949.  But, none of this would I have learned had I not passed through Third Grade that day and had my curiosity sparked by excited kids who were engaged in learning and building. Don’t I have the best job ever?

In Library news, Mrs. Bourgoine is a woman on a mission to build our library. She has managed to line up a book fair to be on display during our parent conference days coming up in November. She boasted that the last book fair resulted in five hundred dollars worth of books for our library. How cool is that? She works hard to keep our library stocked and organized, and we are very lucky to have her working behind the scenes to make it even better. 

We have one more week before Harvest Break, and we aim to pack a lot of good stuff into that week. Not only will Fall officially arrive on the 22nd, but next week the 3rd Grade will walk to the post office to mail postcards to all 50 states and Romania! The Sixth Grade will go on a field trip to the Nordic Heritage Center.  Wednesday we’ll wear blue and gold to show some Washburn pride. (The most recent recognition for creativity has to go to Journey for her super cool hand-print paintings!) And finally, on Friday we will celebrate our September Students of the Month. Be on the lookout for all that news and more next week!

Until then, I hope you celebrate the coming autumn in some way this weekend. Thank you again for all you continue to do to support your children, their teachers, and each other in this community.