Community and Belonging

Workshop Wednesday's -

The purpose?
Enhance Caring and Curiosity

We want to:

• Empower kids to change the world
• Discover their passions
• Enhance relationships
• Increase empathy
• Eliminating perceived boundaries

They start with a Morning Meeting

We gather together in circles.

Then our entire community gathers for The Beat

The Beat is an all school community meeting -
and we gather in a circle!

Ms. Billie's Crew
Bravely leading our new framework for The Beat

The first Beat of the year was an All School Drum Circle

Kids then head back to their classrooms for Workshop time - 

Workshop looks different across the grades and will continue to look different all the time! This is a block of time, for students to explore their passions, cross-age collaboration, cooperative responsibility and transparent learning. We are starting slowly, many of us starting in our own classrooms, and will let the work teach us how to reach our vision.

Then we head to Community Lunch -












A time for kids to see friends in other grades
and make new friends!

A fourth grader with her kindergarten buddy

Siblings get a chance to give and get a hug

Kids from many grade levels enjoying a game together

After lunch, there is some downtime in the classroom and then it's time to share together in a drum circle at the close of the day.

Leading a Drum Circle is one way kids get to experience independence and mastery,
and one way for the other students to practice generosity.
 Drum Circles are one way to build community and a sense of belonging to the group.

Can you answer these questions?

Why do we sit in circles?

When we sit it a circle it is a symbol about how everything is connected. There is no sense of hierarchy. There is a different type of awareness about relationship to one another and to the whole when we sit in a circle. It reinforces the idea that when we gather to make connections, we strengthen every part as well as the whole community. The work, like the shape of a circle, is ongoing.

Why do we drum?

The kids will tell you the answer to that question is, "To have fun!" - and it is! They might also say, "To be Crew".

The main objective is to share rhythm and get in tune with each other and ourselves. A new voice, a collective voice, emerges from the group as we drum together. Drumming is an active way to build a sense of belonging to a group and create community.

'Creating Community With a Beat'

What is that Circle of Courage I see in the hallway?

The Circle of Courage is a medicine wheel, which for tribal people in North America represents the need for all things to be in balance and harmony. The four colors symbolize the different races and their equality, while on the four points of the cross are the crucial developmental needs of children: 
belonging, mastery, independence and generosity.


 Belonging: The universal longing for human bonds is cultivated by relationships of trust so that the child can say, “I am loved.

 Independence: Free will is cultivated by responsibility so that the child can say, “I have the power to make decisions.”

 Mastery: The inborn thirst for learning is cultivated; by learning to cope with the world, the child can say, “I can succeed.” 

 Generosity: Character is cultivated by concern for others so that the child can say, “I have a purpose for my life.”

What is The Beat?

The purpose of The Beat is:

• Community building
• Situational awareness

The Beat will:

• Bring our community together
• Generate Collaboration
• Be a tIme for Community Celebration
• Provide opportunities for recognition
• Encourage and actively be leadership opportunities
• Call for acts of courage
• Opportunity for risk-taking in a safe environment
• Challenge by Choice
• Transfer from Adventure Ed

Why Community Lunch?

To meet, greet, talk, play and connected with everyone in our school. 

"Be related, somehow, to everyone you know." 

Ella Deloria