Security Upgrades
Overfield was awarded a School Safety & Security Grant from the Ohio BWC to make security upgrades to our buildings. This will involve security camera installation at entrances and other additional safety/security upgrades to our school.
Beginning Monday, 9/21, you may notice a few workers around the building and specifically working at school entrances. These workers will all follow protocol for masking/social distancing and will do their best to keep any interruption to the normal flow of our day to a minimum. They should complete the project within two weeks. Please let us know if you have any questions!
As levels of COVID-19 are again on the rise in Miami County, we wanted to remind everyone of our plan in response to the Ohio Public Health Advisory System. We plan to operate in our current fashion as long as Miami County is at a Level Two or Level Three according to the Ohio Public Health Advisory System. To reiterate, there will be no changes to our current operation if Miami County is changed to a Level Three (red) county. In the event that we enter a Level Four situation, we will likely be closed and move to online instruction, since this Level mandates a stay at home protocol for our county. We will be sure to notify everyone with the utmost speed if there are any changes to our current mode of operation.
Please remember to go slow when on the driveway around our school. The speed limit on the drive is 10 mph for the safety of children and families.
We thank you also for not parking in areas where the curb is painted yellow. The yellow curbs denote an area where it is unsafe for cars to be parked due to blind spots and other hazards.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation!
Nature News
I am not sure everyone will agree with me, but the Covid-19 pandemic–as ugly as it is–has opened a lot of doors and windows. The Overfield School has transformed its natural surroundings into outdoor classrooms, making them very special areas for our students and teachers.
I have enjoyed hiking with the inquisitive Toddlers, who discovered caches of sweet gum pods, acorns, walnuts, and buckeyes; all foods the insects, birds and mammals will need to survive the winter.
Many of the students continue their interest in safaris, searching for the indigenous creatures that inhabit the Overfield landscape. Insects and amphibians are finding themselves on display in ventilated plastic containers around the school. Observation leads to curiosity, which leads to a desire to care for the captive specimens, researching diets and native habitats. The children often decide their tiny captives are best set free to be cared for by Mother Nature.
The Kindergarten class are watching over a female Katydid at the end of her brief life; the eggs she lays this fall will mature over winter, and hatch in the spring, continuing the circle of life. First grade students have been fortunate to observe Monarch caterpillars and metamorphosis this year. I get excited every time I spot a caterpillar munching on a milkweed plant, and absolutely thrilled to see one in flight. The southern migration is underway.
The Second and Third graders are planning on observing the Autumnal Equinox on Tuesday, September 22nd, during school hours. The semiannual celestial celebration of equal time between daylight and nighttime has been observed for thousands of years. The students have plans for dancing, singing, and costumes created from natural plants and fibers from our meadow and pollinator garden.
The vegetable garden was in full Halloween mode on Saturday night. Erin Barsotti, her daughter Luciana, and friend Alex helped cover our plants with sheets, protecting them from possible frost and leaving a serendipitous treat of ghostly figures looming in the garden. What fun!
Fall is definitely in the air –it’s a wonderful time to see our trees change colors, say goodbye to summer, and open our sweater drawers.
Deb – Overfield Naturalist
The environment as an additional teacher
“One of the fundamentals of the Reggio Approach is the environment as third teacher. The design and use of space encourage encounters, communication, and relationships. There is order and beauty in the design and organization of all the space in a school and the equipment and materials within it. Every corner of every space has an identity and a purpose, is rich in potential to engage and to communicate, and is valued and cared for by children and adults.” (Louise Cadwell, from Bringing Reggio Home)
At the Overfield School, we are inspired by the fundamentals of the Reggio Emilia philosophy. Every morning we look at our classroom spaces with fresh eyes to see how we can use the environment to capture the attention and curiosity of the children. What elements of surprise can they find that encourage deeper investigations, encounters, and interactions? How can we encourage the building of relationships, both among children and between children and their environment?
Unfortunately, because of COVID-19 restrictions, parents aren’t able to see the inviting spaces that welcome the children each morning. In an effort to bring families into the classrooms as we would normally be doing in person, we will be sharing photos of classroom environments in this newsletter. Please enjoy these peeks into the learning spaces of Overfield.
Facial Coverings
As a reminder, we are required to abide by the Ohio Department of Health Director’s Order regarding the use of face masks by both adults and children Kindergarten age and older. We require that all parents and caregivers wear a mask at both arrival and dismissal, unless they can consistently maintain a distance of six feet from all others.
We ask that parents send their child in a face mask rather than in a gaiter. We are finding that gaiters do not fit properly to the children’s faces, and thus are continuously falling down and having to be readjusted. They are also very distracting to children (they make a great full hood for dramatic play; fun, but not the purpose of wearing a face covering!)
Thank you for your attention to these important safety and compliance measures.
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