Mulberry School

2020 Halloween celebrations at Mulberry School: From costumes, to banana ghosts, to Halloween stories, a graveyard scavenger hunt, and trick-or-treating, we enjoyed it all yesterday at our annual Mulberry Halloween Celebration.

From costumes, to banana ghosts, to Halloween stories, a graveyard scavenger hunt, and trick-or-treating, we enjoyed it all yesterday at our annual Mulberry Halloween Celebration. While we had to make a few adjustments this Halloween, there was just as much laughter and excitement on campus as in prior years. We all started the day together on Zoom with a special Halloween-themed Friday Rhythm and Move. Each class enjoyed special activities during the day: painting pumpkins, ...drawing and decorating haunted houses, making banana ghosts, fondant monsters, grape worms, and bug eyes, before ending the fun with dance parties. This year’s costumes were amazing - from werewolves to princesses, wonder woman, ghostbusters, dragons, witches, police officers, spiders and spiderwebs, cowgirls, the Paper Bag Princess, and The Three Little Pigs and The Big Bad Wolf - we had it all. And what better compliment than when a student dresses up as their teacher. <3 Our parents could not join us on campus this year but that did not mean they could not join the fun: they supplied decorations, treats, food, and games, and even joined us to read Halloween stories via Zoom. Thank you, parents, for all you do. Our Halloween parties would not have been the same without you!! But the fun did not end there: Our 5th and 6th graders created a scary-but-not-too-scary graveyard outside for other class cohorts to visit. The best part was the scavenger hunt: once the kids figured out all the clues, a loot of individual treat gloves waited at the end as the prize. And since our kids cannot go trick-or-treating this year, our office team created a safe and fun trick-or-treat experience for all classes. There was so much excitement about the treats and knocking on courtyard doors: This is the best day ever. was overheard many, many times. Highlights: https://youtu.be/Y2krvMQvhq4 Happy Halloween from all of us at Mulberry School!! #themulberryway #teachingthewaychildrenlearnbest #losgatos #Halloween2020

Our 2nd grade class took advantage of the beautiful fall weather and moved their nature lesson outdoors. To truly appreciate the wonderful setting of Belgatos Park, they started their lesson in a circle, closed their eyes, and listened to nature. Then they shared what they experienced. "What did you hear?" "How did you feel?" "I felt calm." "I felt happy." "I felt safe." This was followed by nature journaling and a nature scavenger hunt. ... We are truly fortunate to have Belgatos Park right in our backyard. To take our lessons outside and experience nature with all of our senses is such a gift and we are grateful we can offer these outdoor lessons to our students. These experiences enrich their learning and their understanding and appreciation of the world. #themulberryway #teachingthewaychildrenlearnbest #losgatos #natureschool #outdoorclassroom

Nature is an integral part of learning at Mulberry School. Our 5th and 6th graders have been keeping nature journals since the beginning of the school year. Collecting observations, questions, and explanations in a journal helps students discover, think, and integrate new information with their existing knowledge. It enriches their learning experience, helps develop observation skills, and strengthens their memory. (John Muir Laws) Last week's STEAM activities for our 5th and... 6th graders included exploring and creating scientific illustrations of backyard fruit, observing a praying mantis, and using nature in a clay art project. Our remote students join via Zoom and follow the same lessons at home. By weaving creativity into lessons, we foster intellectual success for a lifetime. #themulberryway #teachingthewaychildrenlearnbest #losgatos #johnmuirlaws #STEAM #naturejournal

Imagination provides the foundation for learning and creativity. That's why at Mulberry School, imagination is not only encouraged but nurtured in the classroom. Beginning with play-based learning in our preschool, which stimulates brain development, to project-based learning in our elementary and middle school grades, imagination plays a pivotal role in our classrooms. Our second grade students know all about it: "You need imagination to be creative." "Imagination helps you... to know what you want to learn." Our JK students got creative and used crayons, colored pencils, and watercolor paint to show what their imagination looks like. There were many rainbows, hearts, smiles, and maybe even a horse. We love to see those happy "Imagination Portraits." "What the world of tomorrow will be like is greatly dependent on the power of imagination in those who are learning to read today." Astrid Lindgren #themulberryway #teachingthewaychildrenlearnbest #losgatos #imagination

It's fall and pumpkins are everywhere at Mulberry. Our students are studying, drawing, eating, sculpting, and even dissecting pumpkins. In Kindergarten, Teacher Jennifer led a directed drawing of a pumpkin. Kindergartners also got to experience a pumpkin with their five senses: 1. they looked at the outside and the inside of the pumpkin, 2. they knocked on the pumpkin and listened to the sound,... 3. they touched the outside of the pumpkin and the pulp and seeds from the inside, 4. they smelled the pulp of the pumpkin, and finally, 5. they tasted the pulp and and roasted pumpkin seeds. In a taste test, the roasted seeds took first place. One student exclaimed that the roasted pumpkin seeds are the best snack in the whole universe. First grade students not only sketched and painted pumpkins but also had the opportunity to each dissect their own pumpkin. Remote students joined the lesson via Zoom and lots of discoveries were made. First graders also took on the challenge of counting the seeds in their pumpkins... Second graders created beautiful pieces of art. They first sketched their pumpkins with a pencil paying close attention to each detail, the stem, tendril, and the ribs of the pumpkin. They then traced their sketch with art sharpies, and finally added color using watercolor paint. Our students in 3rd and 4th grade used a different art medium. They made an armature using crumpled newsprint and masking tape which they then layered with small, disk-shaped pieces of clay. Using their fingers and a bit of water, they rubbed in the pumpkin texture and then topped their pumpkin with a twisty stem. After the bisque firing, students will glaze their pumpkins and return them to the kiln for the glaze firing. The results are sure to be stunning. Whether it is math, science, or language arts, at Mulberry learning is hands-on. When you experience a pumpkin with all your senses or create art while studying biology, more information is retained, multiple parts of the brain are engaged, and fine motor skills are built automatically. Not to mention that this way of learning is much more engaging and fun for kids and teachers. It's the way children learn best, it’s #themulberryway. #teachingthewaychildrenlearnbest #losgatos #handsonlearning #projectbasedlearning

Our 7/8 middle school students currently meet in an all remote format. At the core of effective remote learning is trust, and these students have been working hard to build that trust: with each other, with their parents, and with their teachers. With trust comes connection, and in the context of connection, learning can thrive. "It feels like school is supposed to be," one eighth grader commented today during PBL. "If you enjoy school, then you want to go to school," said a... seventh grader. "And I enjoy Mulberry!" For the first eight weeks of Project Based Learning, students are exploring the relationship between freedom and responsibility. The sketch in the first photo is a preliminary design for a painting that will explore freedom of expression, specifically, the tension between self-expression and living in community. The painting in the second photo is the background of a project exploring animal rights, and the freedoms and responsibilities of animal owners. Each student has a teacher or family mentor to bounce ideas off of and to help with accountability and scheduling. We meet twice a week, but much of the work is done independently. It takes a tremendous amount of self-discipline to scope and complete these long-term projects, but the middle school students are up to the task. In Literacy, students are writing realistic fiction short stories, about topics from world domination (via highly inefficient schemes) to interpersonal conflicts. Working over Zoom and Google Docs is surprisingly effective for learning how to write fiction. I can grab a small group and head into a breakout room to do a mini-lesson on comma splices or increasing the obstacles faced by a main character. Through document comments, we can have a conversation as their stories evolve. And the kids greatly enjoy using virtual improv games to bring their characters to life. In Humanities, the essential question we are exploring concerns the Columbian Exchange: how and why exchanges of people, resources, trade, and ideas intensified and accelerated as a whole between 1400-1750 CE. We will examine the repercussions of the Atlantic slave trade and the worldwide shift from Asian-centered to Atlantic-centered trading systems. These are big ideas, and we use a combination of primary sources, read-aloud, video, discussion, Google Earth stories, and collaborative docs to tease them apart into digestible bits. Learning this way is different, for sure. Each of us works in a room isolated from the rest. But together, we build community. And through that community, we find joy. A big Thank You to Teacher Sara for this post, and much gratitude to our 7/8 Middle School team for creating such an amazing program!! #themulberryway #teachingthewaychildrenlearnbest #losgatos #distancelearning #middleschool

Happy Fall, Mulberry Community! On Friday, we celebrated our annual Harvest Festival enjoying many of our beloved traditions. We started the day with a visit from Mother Nature. She joined us via Zoom from the Redwood Trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains. As is tradition, she gave our students special assignments to protect the animals and plants on our earth. Each class was also asked to look after a special tree on our campus. Students received a bulb to plant in their garden ...for next spring. At the end of her visit, Mother Nature led us in an apple juice toast celebrating fall. After this beautiful ceremony, each class enjoyed many fall activities and crafts together. The kids made Mr. and Mrs. Apple Head, decorated fall leaves and pumpkins, made thumbprint pumpkin pies, sewed their own bean bags by hand, and enjoyed a corn hole game. What a fun way to end another amazing week and celebrate fall #theMulberryWay! #teachingthewaychildrenlearnbest #LosGatos #harvestfestival #HarvestFestival2020

Mulberry School Community! Please join us for our traditional visit from Mother Nature to kick off our annual Harvest Festival. Mother Nature will join us live via Zoom at 9:05 am. We hope to see you there!... #themulberryway #teachingthewaychildrenlearnbest #losgatos #harvestfestival #HarvestFestival2020

Today is World Teachers' Day and we celebrate each and every one of our teachers: You are our heroes!! Please take a moment to leave a message of thanks and appreciation in the comments below. World Teachers’ Day is celebrating teachers with the theme Teachers: Leading in crisis, reimagining the future.... "In this crisis, teachers have shown, as they have done so often, great leadership and innovation in ensuring that #LearningNeverStops, that no learner is left behind. Around the world, they have worked individually and collectively to find solutions and create new learning environments for their students to allow education to continue. Their role advising on school reopening plans and supporting students with the return to school is just as important. Joint statement from Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, Guy Ryder, Director-General, International Labour Organization, Henrietta H. Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF, David Edwards, General Secretary, Education International on the occasion of World Teachers’ Day 2020 https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/worldteachersday #themulberryway #teachingthewaychildrenlearnbest #losgatos #WorldTeachersDay #worldteachersday2020

Our first graders had an eventful week. In gardening, Teacher Debi introduced the concept of composting. Every classroom at Mulberry has a compost bin and we currently have two compost bins in our garden. We also have a worm bin and first graders got to take a look last week. Worm bins are a great place to sprout avocado seeds and that is just what Teacher Debi did. After learning about composting and vermiculture (worm management), our first graders helped transfer the newe...st baby avocado tree from the worm bin to join the other young avocado trees in the garden. Did you know that you need at least two avocado trees to produce fruit? At Mulberry, learning is always hands-on and our beautiful school garden often takes centerstage during science, art, and nature lessons. #themulberryway #teachingthewaychildrenlearnbest #losgatos #schoolgarden

A praying mantis decided to visit Mulberry today. She looked a little lost in the quad, so I moved her to the lawn. Did you know that praying mantis can turn their heads 180 degrees to scan their surroundings. They have two large compound eyes and three other simple eyes located between them. Learn more here: https://www.nationalgeographic.com//inve/p/praying-mantis/ Learning about animals is a lot of fun and we have many visit our campus every day, including crickets, liza...rds, and even deer from Belgatos Park. #themulberryway #teachingthewaychildrenlearnbest #losgatos #prayingmantis

Our Kindergartners had a busy week studying science. They learned about the equinox and the first day of autumn. They also learned a lot about apples: the parts of an apple, the life cycle of an apple tree, and all the ways apples can be turned into yummy things to eat. The highlight of the week was the apple tasting. The kids learned words to describe the shape of an apple, the color, and the texture. Then they tasted Honeycrisp, Gala, and Granny Smith apples and tallied vo...tes on favorites. The Granny Smith won by a landslide this year because of its very crunchy nature. #themulberryway #teachingthewaychildrenlearnbest #Kindergarten #losgatos