“An Amiable School”

” Our goal is to build an amiable school, where children, teachers and families feel at home. Such a school requires careful thinking and planning concerning procedures, motivations and interests. It must embody ways of getting along together, of intensifying relationships.” (Loris Malaguzzi)

When we opened Nature School 6 years ago, Kate and I discussed this quote at length. It resonated deeply in our hearts because we dreamt of having a school that embodied exactly these principles. Throughout our team meetings in the week prior to school commencing this year and during our professional development day last Friday, we re-visited this vision with our team. Our team has grown a lot this year and we felt it is was important to discuss the intersection of vision/values/implementation. Our main goal this week was to connect and build relationships- it is the foundation of all our work. We hope you felt welcomed, valued and comfortable. Welcome to our TNNS family- we are so excited to grow our community of learners together!

We were most honoured last week when one of our alumni families offered to make a staff lunch for us! The family, including the grandmother, made a delicious meal and spent time with us enjoying our food. This small act represents so much- relationship and connection that far exceeds a typical “drop and go” school environment. We hope to build this type of relationship with each and every one of you!