Dear Harbor Families,

Ahoy, mates! We are “diving deep” into Spiral learning and projects! 

On any given day in January and February, students may be building and testing boats, engaging in sensory play with nautical materials and water, designing nautical flags, creating stop-motion animation projects with original clay sculptures, researching information about “ghost ships”, creating a school-wide nautical mural, sequencing numbers and creating boats with magnatiles, or writing a collaborative play about the Titanic - to name a few Spiral learning experiences. Each of these experiences are guided by students’ interests, interactive, and hands-on - which we know as educators is the most effective way to learn!

This year, a unique aspect of our Spiral experience is our collaboration with KID Museum educators who have worked with the teachers several times this year for professional development and to plan projects in their classrooms. Students are learning methods for weaving, cardboard construction, 3D design and printing, and coding, and applying these new skills to projects related to their Spiral inquiries. It has been exciting to see their ideas take shape as students explore, create, and iterate!

Although the focus of the students’ classroom experiences is on the process of learning, discovering, creating, and collaborating, we are looking toward a very special celebration of the final products of their efforts on the evening of February 22nd! We are excited to host what we think is our 33rd annual Spiral Night (according to our records, the tradition began in 1990) - a fundamental aspect of our educational program for over half of our 50 years! On that evening, you’ll have the chance to explore your child’s classroom displays that will showcase their inquiries into nautical topics of their interest, as well as to explore other classrooms and engage in interactive experiences, together as a family. Each year, as students take center stage and share their learning with the larger community, there is a strong sense of pride, connection, and community. We are eagerly anticipating this community celebration of learning!

In the meantime, we hope to see you tomorrow morning for our next Parent Session and Open Classrooms, where you will have the opportunity to visit the next grade level for your child. Our goal is to help you see the next step for your child in our dynamic program, as you consider re-enrollment for your child for the 2024-2025 school year, which will be shared next Friday. 

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning!

Warm regards,

Leah Musico
Head of School
The Harbor School