If your house is anything like mine, the question “What did you learn today?” did not end up leading to engaging conversations. There were pauses followed by ”nothing.” As parents, we knew that was not the case and began asking more pointed questions: “What was something hard that you did today? Something that was easy? What was funny? What would you have changed?”. In later years, we changed our conversations to what were your highs and lows of the day.

I treasured these conversations that helped me get insight into my children’s learning. We wanted to celebrate their learning. I also treasured their “work”. Any piece of school work that required creativity was saved. Larger pieces of artwork were place under our bed and under various mattresses. Spring cleaning at my house was full of welcomed surprises. I have also come to realize that all my children’s work and pieces were just a small part of their learning journeys.

At WCS we have discovered that celebrating learning has a positive impact on learners’ memory and other cognitive functions. It instills a love of learning and can propel further learning. Research shows that when actively engaged in their learning, your children are more likely to succeed in their studies. We begin with teaching students that each of them has gifts. As educators we take pride in nourishing this potential to bring glory to God.

On April 26, the school will be opened in the evening (6:30 -7:30pm) to see a sample of what your children have been working on. The effort, hard work and process of your child’s project will be celebrated. These projects will demonstrate that success is possible and that a process has been followed. Presentation skills are being rehearsed and we are waiting for an authentic audience…. YOU!

                                                     Linda Westerveld JK/SK teacher