There was good food and great company at our annual Secret Dinners! Thanks to everyone who hosted and attended. Your funds will support our work with Reggio Emilia!
The whole NSW staff is working double duty to raise funds for our further study. Friday, Roleen hosted a workshop on the culture of welcoming and on Saturday Jaqueline, Katherine and Nerea hosted the first in a series of natural dye workshops! Kelly McGuigan, Jude and Ozzie’s mom, attended and had this reflection: “Last Saturday I attended the natural dyes workshop led by Katherine and Jaqueline. I had some idea that this project was happening at school but I didn’t know much about it.
It was both fun and inspiring. Jaqueline walked us through the macro context, giving us information and resources about synthetic dyes and their impact on both the environment and the pressure for cheap (child) labor. Jaqueline did a beautiful job of presenting these issues for adults (being thoughtful about our own consumption) and for our children (thinking about systems and connections between plants, food, and the earth). I learned that children have been bringing in avocado skins and pits and that they are reusing certain food waste from a snack for creating dyes. They are also experimenting with plants from the garden. Katherine presented the community context, how this is being taught at New School West. It began with a child’s discovery of flowers making marks on paper, and how this small provocation has led to something much bigger. The documentation she shared was positively delightful. Listening to her story reminded me of how authentically our teachers believe in children as co-researchers. We prepped our fabric and used various shibori folds as we prepared for the actual fabric dyeing. The teachers showed us the fabric swatch sample book from the children, and it was fascinating to see which plants produced colors. It was really surprising to find that avocado makes a pink dye color. I could just imagine how much fun this must have been for the kids to guess and experiment as well. We had some time to walk through both wings and look at the current documentation on display. The other teachers were clearly excited and inspired by our children’s work. I took a little time to marvel at the environment the teachers have put together which makes all this brilliant work possible. Above all, I felt gratitude for our school and our community, and for getting an afternoon to share in the everyday magic of our children’s learning.
Next up, Atelierista Amy is hosting a woodworking with children workshop on a Saturday 3/28!
We hosted Kindergarten Night for our own families with alumni parents from charter and private and public schools and Teacher Melanie was there as Miles’ mom and was gracious enough to set up and document for everyone – thanks for your double duty, Mel!
Snack is a constant delight and this week it was brought by both Poppys (EW and WW), Tallulah, Will, Diego, Barrett, Kou, and Golda and appreciated by all – the thank you cards are a daily practice at snack.
We were covered in flowers from Rondie, Will, Rosie Mae, and Arnon
And, we were covered in love at the teacher appreciation monthly staff lunch on the first Wednesday of February – Thanks to Diego, Colin and Chloe, and Christoph’s families!
