Dear Streams Families,

Let me begin by wishing everyone a wonderful winter break and holiday season, even if we are a little short on “the white stuff”! I’m sure that our time will come!

Also, I would like to remind parents that we continue to have a vast collection of jackets, coats, and mittens in our lost and found. They would love to return to their happy homes! Thinking ahead, it is always a best practice to write a first and last name in your little one’s jackets or sweatshirts!

Streams School kicked off our first building-wide STEAM DAY on November 18th. There was a special “Turkey Tray Challenge” for students in grades 1 and 2, and a different “Paper Chain Challenge” for students in grades 3 and 4. In both cases, students had to follow the Engineering Design Process (Ask, Imagine, Plan, Create, Test, Improve, Present) in collaboration with their classmates. It was great to see the innovative problem solving by our students. Our next building-wide STEAM DAY will be in February!

One important aspect for our STEAM projects, as well as other types of academic challenges is the concept of GRAPPLE. We strive to ask students to persevere, to stick with learning even when it is difficult, and to use their strategies and prior knowledge to tackle new information and content. This is a key aspect of learning, and you can help to mirror this concept at home. Help your child to develop the ‘MINDSET’ to keep on trying. Help them get comfortable with the idea that we aren’t usually good at most things on the first try. Guide your child toward a solution, but then step back and let them GRAPPLE with finding the solution. Some productive “failures” along the way are often part of the journey to learning something new. You may want to check out some of the interesting reading around “MINDSET”, and how this research by Carol Dweck can inform both educators and parents.

Other special building events included the teamwork between the Kindergarten students and their fourth grade buddies, who met together on December 18th to construct “Gingerbread Man Traps”. It was STEAM learning at its creative core and a lot of fun! On December 15th our fourth grade chorus went to two local senior citizen homes to entertain the residents with “Songs from Streams”. All students were invited to write cards with good wishes, make decorations, or design placemats to bring smiles to the faces of our senior friends! Mark your calendar to attend the district Elementary Choral Concert at the High School on January 11th at 7:00 pm. This is a delightful event for all families, even if you don’t have a student on the stage!

Other January reminders include the 4th grade PYP Parent and Student Meeting about the Inquiry Exhibition on January 19th at 6:30 in the LGI, the 4th grade Spelling Bee at the USC Rec Center on January 23rd, and the 1st grade Special Night on January 26th.

Thanks again for your support of our school, our staff, and our programs! We couldn’t do it without you. My best wishes for you and your family to enjoy a safe, snuggly, and scrumptious holiday season!

Best regards,

Dr. Miller