Happy New Year at KFC!

We are very excited to start a new year at KFC (Kindle Farm Central)! On our campus, we have two classrooms, Pink and Purple. The Pink class serves students in grades 4 & 5, while our Purple class is filled with students in grades 6 & 7. Both our student and staff populations are a healthy mix of seasoned veterans and first-year Kindle Farmers, which allows us all to be both learners and teachers.

The beginning of each new school year gives us a chance to focus on one of our top priorities- creating a physically and emotionally safe school environment. We know that in order to be available to learn, each of us needs to feel safe at school. We know that if our brains are in self-protection mode due to not feeling emotionally safe, we are unable to learn and practice valuable skills and tools. It can be very difficult to trust new people in our lives, so we create many opportunities to get to know each other through joyful shared experiences. The first couple of weeks are filled with scavenger hunts, indoor and outdoor games, and structured classroom “get to know you” experiences that are fun ways of getting used to connecting with new folks and following directions and schedules. And of course, we conclude each day with Afternoon Activities, which is a huge part of our successful culture. This first quarter’s schedule includes Treasure Hunting, Campfire Cooking, Dungeons & Dragons, and of course, Drumming, Art and Seed to Plate during which students get their hands dirty and learn how seeds become the delicious and nutritious meals we serve.

As we get to know each of our students, we start to learn what they really enjoy. Then we can use that knowledge to build and modify our programming to include experiences and rewards that will motivate each student to work on the academic and behavioral challenges that will benefit them. Students might identify a favorite food or item that they would love to receive, and staff will help them choose a particular goal for the student to earn that reward. It is so fun for the whole community to create opportunities for positive reinforcement! When we feel good feelings, we do good things!

Of course, it doesn’t always look so idyllic here at school. We challenge students to expand their comfort zones and this can get a little messy. We teach the students how to ask for what they need- to utilize respectful, functional communication. We create the expectation that students take breaks as an emotional regulation strategy and hence, strengthen their stamina to remain on-task for longer periods. We reward them for taking steps and actions towards self-care. We teach calming strategies for managing the inevitable frustrations. And we fill them with praise for putting in effort and being safe members of our community. Maybe things can be both messy and idyllic?

This time of year is so exciting and packed with possibilities and potential! We are grateful for the chance to have fun together while we discover new ways to communicate, problem-solve, and learn more effectively.