Fall at Rose Rock ushers in the season of festivals, gratitude, and giving. As the daylight hours shorten, we search for ways to bring our own light to the world around us. It is a busy time, filled with festivals, a fundraiser, parent night, and projects to improve our school and connect with our community.
At our Michaelmas festival we joined together to maintain favorite play spaces in the school yard- the dirt hills, sandboxes and gardens all received some TLC. For our semi-annual parent night, we read and discussed together Kim John Payne’s Simplicity Parenting. For those unable to attend, we will revisit this event in the spring. Kids’ Rocktoberfest was a super fun success, and this year we were excited to partner with Earth Rebirth, a local nonprofit dedicated to teaching sustainable food and water practices and sponsoring school gardens in the community.
In a gesture of gratitude, we made lanterns with the children and prepared a meal to share with our school families at the Martinmas Festival. That evening, the teachers also presented a special shadow-puppet show, Grandmother Spider, as a gift to the children. This year we also began a new tradition and held a clothing and coat collection for the Women’s Resource Center in Norman. You can learn more about the Women’s Resources Center and how to donate to them here
At Rose Rock, our blessings are manifold and among them we consider the gracious volunteer work of our parents. We offer a heartfelt thank you to the parents for all of the help with our festivals and fall fundraiser. The fall is quite busy for many families, and so we especially appreciate the time you set aside to gather with us to share in all of the festivities!
Among our many blessings this season, we count newly welcomed Mama Sasha to our community as an assistant teacher in the afternoons. She has been in the Norman community all of her life, and has spent several years working with young children. When she is not caring for children here, Sasha cares for mothers as a doula, and is working toward certification in Midwifery. And we are happy to officially welcome Mama Ashley as another assistant teacher for the afternoons as her role at Rose Rock expands beyond the kitchen.
As our school community grows, our connection to the community around us grows. Along with our recent connections to Earth Rebirth, Mama Ashley introduced us to local artist Chris McDaniel, co-creator of an upcycled costume project called BRONT. Chris visited our school this October to present the work that BRONT does that encourages the reuse of materials typically not recycled curbside. After demonstrating his robotic-like costumes, the children were engaged in a hands-on workshop using supplies he brought along to create their own masks! BRONT’s artistic work would be a great addition to any school’s outreach program. Chris can be contacted at Chrismcdanielart@gmail.com for questions or more information.
So as we wrap up the busy fall semester, and look forward to this holiday season, we give thanks for those around us who shine their light on this community. Warmest wishes for happy holidays from all of us at Rose Rock!