Week of 7/17

Summer At Forest School

We humbly acknowledge that our school rests on unceded Abenaki land. We recognize that the indigenous peoples of the Winooskik band have cared for this land since time immemorial and continue to do so to this day despite strategic, systemic, intentional erasure through genocide and eugenics. We commit to continuous learning from the Abenaki Nation about our roles as teachers and students in decolonizing and anti-racist work.

Notes and News:

We at BFP feel deeply humbled by the force of last week's flooding and are heartbroken for our neighbors. The farmers at New Farms for New Americans and throughout the Intervale have lost most, if not all, of their crops. We have attached two links below if you would like more information or if you would like to donate to support recovery efforts. We will keep you updated with volunteering opportunities in the upcoming weeks as the flood damage is evaluated (if you are interested).

*NFNA is located right on the Ethan Allen Homestead!

Please remember to apply sunscreen and insect repellent to your child before leaving them with us. We will reapply as needed throughout the day. Children may not keep sunscreen or bug spray in their cubbies/backpacks. Thank you!
If your child is going home with another BFP family, please make sure to inform teachers before pick-up time, over text or in person. Thank you!
Summer drop-off routine - When you arrive at school, please put your child's lunch box and water bottle in the wagon to the right of the BFP door in the foyer. This wagon will be outside during the day and join us on picnic adventures, so please pack ice packs to keep your child's food cool. Put your child's belongings in their cubby, outdoor shoes on the boot racks, and indoor shoes on their feet. You can then check the chalk board to learn which classroom we will be in that day, and join our adventuresome crew! Thank you!
We do tick checks at school, and encourage all families to do the same at home. Please let us know if you find a tick after a day at Forest School so we can begin to track tick populations at the Homestead.
We politely request that if you are running late (arrival post 8:45 am), keeping your child home, or if they have had any noteworthy health or mood changes, you text us and let us know before the start of the school day. This allows us to plan and be better prepared to manage the classroom environment and students' individual needs that arise throughout the day. Thank you!
Do you have extra plastic bags at home? We would absolutely LOVE to take them off your hands! Given our hands-on, dirt and mud-centered school, we will certainly put them to good use :)

Photos from this week in the forest:

The river has receded a fair amount since we last checked. On Monday, it was no longer on the bike path, but the water was still present on the trails.