If you spend time with children between the ages of 5 and 9, you have heard from them just how big and interesting the world really is. You may have even heard some of these questions- What do ambulance workers do? How does our school/house get water? Can we plant a garden? Who trains police dogs? How come bees don’t sting the beekeepers? How do you tell different birds apart?  Who teaches people to drive the bus? How do flower shops get the flowers? Why do teeth fall out? Where does our trash go? How do you make mittens? Sometimes school moves forward and these very important questions and wonderings remain unexplored.  

    In response to these -and many other questions- W. G. Mallett School and its PTA, are in the planning stages of a special day for our K-3 students. In May, we will be having a day for students to learn about and explore different hobbies, occupations and skills. The intent is to involve a wide array of parents, grandparents, and people in the community – and give our students a chance to explore something outside the school curriculum.  Would you be willing to share something you do - a hobby, job, or a craft? It would involve demonstrating and/or directly engaging students in learning.  With the help of our W. G. Mallett PTA, we are calling this project  ‘S.E.E.D.’ - which stands for Students- Exploring- Everything- Day. The topics are wide open and based on what adults are willing to ‘show and tell’ and/or engage students in. Some examples of sessions to offer our students are: bee keeping, gardening, fire fighting, nursing, writing, wood working, running/fitness, spinning wool, carpentry & home repair, recycling, musicianship, acting, farming, baking, snowshoeing, maple syrup making, artistry of any form, ambulance/EMT work, scrap booking, knitting, photography, cheese making, baking, mechanical repair, yoga, drawing, storytelling, bird watching, nature walks and observation, quilting.... etc. There are many possibilities to explore!  

            The plan is to have one day (May 11th) devoted to this workshop style of learning. Adult, high school & college student ‘presenters’ would need to plan to carry out a demonstration, display or activity with students for sessions of 30 to 60 minutes in length. The Mallett students would then be able to choose a couple of sessions from a menu of options This is a great way for students to learn more about the many ways that we work and play in our community- and engage in learning that breaks away somewhat from the typical day in school.

       If you can either present a demonstration for students  - or actually involve them in an activity, craft or skill - we are interested in hearing from you! The S.E.E.D. workshop day is a great chance for you to bring in your areas of expertise and interest for the benefit of students. It will take a lot of participation to make this day come together. Please mark the date on your calendar and plan to be part of it. PTA will be sending home a separate flyer and sign up with students in the near future. You may also learn more by contacting the school directly, or getting in touch with Sara Dean (PTA president) or one of the other PTA members. Additionally, contact me or the W. G. Mallett office for further information; 778-3529 Our community is filled with people who have something to share and young students who are curious about the community and the world; what a great combination!

    I hope we hear from you!

 

Tracy Williams