Our school year is off to a joyful start!  This is going to be a year of new beginnings, new adventures, and discoveries! We have new teachers and new families joining us, new classrooms, and new routines.  Students arrived ready to learn and eager to get to know one another.  It is such a joy to have students back in the building again!

I spent time in each of our seven classrooms last week and loved what I saw.  I observed Upper Class acclimate to the new space Mrs. Butler created for them, routines being established in our new Primary 2 classroom, and students and adults spread out in the library and centrum during DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time. What struck me most, however, was the initiative I saw our students express to help those who are new to our school feel welcome. This month our character quality is initiative. Our definition includes striving to “Do useful things without being asked” and to “Be alert to the needs of others.”   Our students are embracing these ideas and putting them into action!

Welcome to all of our new and returning teachers, students, families, and staff.  I am looking forward to our year together!

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

At a time when many schools are increasing class size to meet budget cuts, Japhet is adding a second-grade class.  We see it as growing to stay small.  At Japhet we are committed to teaching each child as an individual learner.  Teachers get to know their students, and all of our students know one another. Education at Japhet is more than just meeting standards.  Knowing and understanding how each child learns is key.  We believe students learn best when information is shared with creativity, enthusiasm, and in a variety of ways that supports different learning styles.  It is why we are committed to the small class sizes, caring teachers, and family-like learning environment that makes Japhet different.

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.”

~ e.e. cummings

Last month as I watched my son graduate from Michigan Tech receiving his degree in mechanical engineering, I was reminded of his journey to this moment. If you met Jake for the first time today you would meet an optimistic, social, and outgoing guy.  For Jake, life is a “Hey, let’s go rock climbing” kind of adventure. If you met Jake as a Kindergarten student you would have met a shy boy who hid from crowds and avoided the spotlight and anything unknown. Jake’s journey from then to now  began at Japhet.

Next week we will celebrate the graduation of five Japhet students.  They have shared with us their sense of justice, curiosity, and joy. We have shared with them a solid foundation on which they can build their futures. Graduation at Japhet is more than a celebration of their academic successes. It is a celebration of the people they have become. Celebrate with us on Friday, June 10, at 11 AM and see not only the difference Japhet has made in their lives but the difference they have made in ours.

Our students are actively embracing April’s character quality, thrift!

Yesterday, our Recycling Committee sponsored a seed-planting activity that engaged little-buddy/big-buddy pairs in a thrifty gardening project.

Today we learned more about what it means to be thrifty from our eighth-grade INSPO speaker, Chase.

“Thrift is a character quality that can be expressed in a visual way or it can be expressed in a way that you can’t see. Thrift is an idea that — with the right amount of work and energy — can become a big project that benefits everyone. Remember to do whatever you can from recycling a pop can to giving clothes that don’t fit you anymore to a local thrift store. Little things can make a big difference.”

What a wonderful week of celebrating thrift!

Last week I had the pleasure of spending a morning with our Kindergarten students. I observed peaceful, cooperative play in the kitchen area, industrious building at the Lego table, and creative expressions of individuality at the craft table. Students were learning through discovery, building number awareness, and developing reading readiness. I enjoyed listening in on conversations about the solar system, the letters in someone’s name, and who had a bunk bed in their room.

My intention had been to observe inconspicuously, but the Kindergartners drew me in closer. One child kindly inquired why I wasn’t in the front office and wondered who was doing my work. Another student graciously asked if I’d like to make a watercolor butterfly and showed initiative by checking with Mrs. Partridge to see if there were enough supplies to include me. There was, and so I joined the craft table. What a warm and peaceful morning!

Our Kindergarten program is everything it should be.

A Primary Class parent stated recently that her son’s teacher “embraces his education as though she were teaching one of her own children. I know she wants the best education for him and is willing to provide it. Japhet educators understand that children are not numbers in the system and that they are more than a district obligation.”

Japhet School believes that students learn best when information is shared with creativity, enthusiasm, and in a variety of ways that supports different learning styles. Our teachers are doing a wonderful job of living that philosophy! Thank you Japhet teachers!

“Be teachable and willing to learn from those who have more wisdom and experience than I have.” ~ Japhet School’s Humility definition statement

In Leo Lionni’s children book, Frederick, the mouse family gathers food and supplies for the winter but not Frederick. He gathers the colors and feelings of spring. The other mice think Frederick is lazy and not working, but when the dreariness of winter sets in they humbly ask for his help. Frederick’s storytelling lifts their spirits, and he accepts their gratitude with humility.

Humility is what we are expressing when we come to terms with the fact that there are some things we just can’t do without help. Asking for and accepting help when needed is a way to show appreciation for the talent and kindness of others. It builds community, and is where gratitude starts.

Industry continues to be our focus for the month of January. Here are two more poems from our 5th/6th grade students.

BegIn on time
Do one task after aNother
Always have a positive attituDe
Get involved in yoUr lessons
Understand your taSk completely
Start withouT complaining
Ignore all distRactions
When assigned a task show joY

I will use Industry every day
You caN‘t be lazy
Math anD science and writing and reading
Use all of the time I have
AlwayS put my mind to it
Find more Tasks when I’m done with one
Help otheRs in need of assistance
Do mY personal best

How are you expressing industry?

“Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Character education is integrated into everything we do at Japhet School. The expression of good character and use of a common language is at the heart of our school climate, and the teaching of character is woven through the daily lessons crafted by our nurturing teachers.

What does an integrated character education curriculum look like? Here are a few examples that provide a glimpse into daily life at Japhet School:

In Integrated Technology class, students learn about what it means to be a digital citizen: citing resources and not plagiarizing, posting respectfully in online Wikispace discussions, protecting privacy, and working cooperatively on group projects.

In Music Appreciation class, students listen to music from around the world and have an opportunity to share their observations. Naturally curious, children express joy when they hear music from other countries, building respect for others.

In Preschool, the Japhet language of good character begins, and little ones are reminded to “use good judgment” when playing outside, “be reliable” when taking a book from the library, and “show initiative” to clean up their blocks after play.

In Kindergarten, read-aloud stories occur daily, followed by a class discussion about the character qualities expressed in the book.

In Math classes in all grades, students are coached to use industry in computing all the steps and showing their work, and to express courage by trying a method that is new to them.

I believe that “true education” is taking place at Japhet every day!