I know there hasn't been a lot of blogging going up here.  Guess what our New Year's Resolution is?  Truly there just hasn't been a lot of time for blogging, what with RUNNING A SCHOOL.  And our first semester has been amazing.  Here are some cool things we did:

1. We opened.  We opened with 10 students, and have since added two more, bringing our current enrollment up to 12.  This was our enrollment goal for 2017-18!

2. Our students have been out in the community.  We have visited the State Capitol, Southern Heights Food Forest, the Humane Society, Bloom Where You're Planted Farm, and the UNL Arboretum on East Campus.  With each trip, we could see our students' eyes open a little more.  New interests are being ignited; new roads are being opened.  

3. Our students planned and put on a talent show, completely on their own!  I mean, we helped with scheduling an evening and sending emails to parents, but other than that, this was a fully student-led project - exactly what Montessori should be.  

4. We have seen so much growth in our students.  We've seen growth in reading, math, telling time, tying shoes, and all kinds of knowledge about insects, South America, United States history, or whatever ignited their passion.  More importantly, we've seen so much growth in the fundamentals.  Confidence.  Leadership.  Empathy.  Supporting one another.  Our students are learning what it means to be part of a community.  They are learning that they can make their world better.  They are learning that there is so much in this world, and that they have the power to learn about it and participate in it.  It has been truly awe-inspiring to watch this growth.  

All of us at Bluestem are so proud of what we've accomplished.  We're grateful for the community's support.  And we cannot wait to see what 2018 has in store for us.

Happy New Year!

Until Next Time,

Laura