When reflecting on this year, looking forward to summer, and trying not to become too sappy, I’d like to bring our focus to play.
Anne Wil often hears from visiting and touring parents how much our middle schoolers play. And play they do. They come in from recess giggly and sweaty. We watch students play games with balls – sometimes showing incredible athleticism, sometimes simply enjoying being part of it. We watch students play imaginative games, using toys and parts of the playground as pieces of a new world they’ve created. They develop elaborate point systems and rules for games that exist only between their friends. We watch students play confusing card games, inviting others in to learn while groups gather nearby to watch and referee.
All of this play, happening every day, takes place free from screens and alongside their peers. They move their bodies, they fall and help each other up, they get hot in the sunshine, and they are truly kids.
When I think about my own summers as a kid, I remember exploring the woods, climbing trees, falling off my bike, and drinking from the hose. While these kids may have Owalas and Stanleys, the spirit of their play feels the same — rooted in innocence and joy.
It is my hope that they don’t lose that going into the summer, a time when technology can really suck you in and make a few hours disappear. I hope they get their shoes dirty in the marsh and their clothes soaked from running through sprinklers. I hope they run around their neighborhoods, get sweaty, teach someone a new game, or, even better, invent a new game together. I hope they explore new spaces, help someone up (literally and figuratively) and make memories that don’t need to be documented to matter.
Play is so important for healthy development, and it can easily be lost at this age. We see it every day – these kids still have plenty of play left in them, and I’d say we’d be fools not to savor every last minute of stinky, giggly, sweaty childhood. Whatever your summer holds, I wish you and your kids buckets of play.
-Ms. Riley
***
REMINDER: Next week is Spirit Week! Wrap up the school year by showing your TCS Spirit!
Tuesday, 5/26 – Pajama Day
Wear your favorite comfy pajamas to school!
Wednesday, 5/27 – Wacky Wednesday
Get creative and wacky! Mismatch your socks, dress like your teacher or twin with a friend!
Thursday, 5/28 – Fan Day
Share your fandom for your favorite books, sports teams, bands, or anything else you love!
Friday, 5/29 – Field Day! (Cluster Colors)
Gear up for TCS Field Day by dressing in your Cooper Cluster colors!
Important Dates
May 25th – Memorial Day (No School)
May 28th – 8th Grade Graduation (11:30am Dismissal)
May 29th – Field Day/Last Day of School (11:30am Dismissal)
ELA: 5th graders shared their historic marker proposals with one another this week – it was a precious celebration of place and memory! We did a film study of Sounder, where we compared and contrasted a story from a similar setting and time to our reading of Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry.
We will finish the film and class discussions next week as we prepare for final days of school and field day!
Science: This week in Science, 5th graders explored saturated and supersaturated solutions through the sweet science of making rock candy. Students investigated how dissolved substances can come out of solution when a mixture becomes supersaturated, connecting their observations to the process of crystal formation. They also applied their math and science skills to determine the concentration of solutions using the mass of both the solute and solvent.
Next week, we will review the concepts we have explored this trimester and celebrate all that we have learned as we prepare for the final days of school!
Social Studies: I want to say how proud I am of the fifth graders and the amount of effort they put into their research papers! This was something they have never done before and they tackled this project head on. Their ability to use critical thinking to answer questions about their topic and use their own writing skills to put it into a historical perspective was fantastic! For the last week of school we will be reviewing what we have learned about this year and will be going over next year’s curriculum.
Math: This week in, 5th grade took a trip to The Charleston Museum and explored different exhibits, taking notes, drawing pictures, and asking questions to help them understand the history a bit more. When we returned to school, we used our imaginations to turn the exhibit into a historically accurate “night at the museum” story, turning the people and animals we learned about to life! We shared them with our classmates, and learned about different historical Charleston eras along the way.
