We take care of ourselves, each other, and our environment. Those are our community agreements. In times of joy, as well as in times of challenge or uncertainty, we lean on our community agreements to guide our work together from the creek to the classroom. Each group dedicates time in the fall to reviewing the shared agreements and creating a list of specific ways that their class community can uphold these agreements. When finished, each group signs and often illustrates their work. Soon after, they are posted prominently in their space for all to be mindful of throughout … READ MORE »
By Geetha Holdsworth, Head of School For over 90 years, The Miquon School has treasured and celebrated childhood. Growing, playing, and learning are the work of children. And our work as Miquon educators is to nurture, craft lessons, and encourage the inherent work of childhood. Currently, we serve children ages 3-12, or Nursery-6th grade, is another way of thinking about it. Over the years, the question of adding older grades has come up. After all, children have had an incredible experience in their younger years, why not continue it through adolescence? Nonetheless, we have remained an elementary school for a … READ MORE »
Fifth and sixth grade students at Miquon designed and implemented their own experiments, developed testable questions, planned procedures, and collected data. View their projects and results here! READ MORE »
Transitions are hard for most people and can be especially difficult for children. Add in the increased anxiety and mental health problems for children and their families due to the pandemic and we have the potential for some serious morning meltdowns. Here are some ideas for managing during this time: 1) Children thrive on routine and predictability. They love to know what is about to happen. It can increase a sense of control in a world that often feels very out of control. Think about having a “morning message” like we do at school. It could be on a whiteboard … READ MORE »
Linda James-Rivera and Nick Rivera’s journey of good deeds. By student Mila Shane Originally published in The Miquon Celery Stick, our student-run publication. Their Story In 2020, Linda James-Rivera and Nick Rivera noticed that a lot of their neighbors and people around them in the Germantown area were food insecure. This was around the early days of the pandemic, so people were losing jobs. It was a very stressful time. They wanted to help people, so they created the idea of Northwest Mutual Aid Collective (NWMAC), a free food delivery service that helped people get what they needed. “We thought … READ MORE »
Izzy attended Miquon from nursery through sixth grade, then went on to Friends Central with classmates Sophia Diaz and Jacob Bower. They are all still great friends. Currently in his junior year at Bennington College, he joined us over his winter break as an aide in the nursery before heading off for a semester at Bath Spa in England where he’ll focus on creative writing. What’s it been like to be back at Miquon these past few weeks? There’s no better way to spend my free time. My roots are here, and there is something very centering about this … READ MORE »
But a closer look shows how kids can uncover their individual way of learning. Here, co-teachers Eléonore and Reem talk about incorporating group activities to nurture learning in their 1st and 2nd grade group. This week in 1st grade, we imagined and solved a number of story problems involving adding two quantities together. Some of us enjoyed acting out the stories to visualize what was happening. Others used math manipulatives to represent the numerical operations. We practiced different ways we can represent our thinking on paper and are beginning to move into our work with subtraction. In 2nd grade math, … READ MORE »
These are significant philosophical quandaries to be engaging in with young people, and of course, stories are the very best vehicle for engaging them. READ MORE »
This summer brought Spotted Lanternflies to Miquon. The messaging from the media has been clear: Kill them on sight. As a community member and science educator, I understand the need to engage and mobilize the public in managing the early stages of this infestation. As a parent and teacher, I also know that children are sensitive creatures. READ MORE »
