Inspiring Wonder and Awe - Madrona School shines it's light in December

Dear Parents,

December is filled with celebrations at Madrona School. They are celebrations of light, life, and joy. Here are some of our celebrations and why we hold them.

Advent
The definition of advent is "the arrival of a notable person, thing or event." In our school, we celebrate this event to recognize, philosophically and scientifically, our whole environment, with the crowning arrival of the human being. Here is the verse we sing and say during school in the coming days:

The first light of Advent is the light of Stones,
The light that shines in crystals, seashells and in bones.

The second light of Advent is the light of Plants,
Plants that reach up to the sun and in the breezes dance.

The third light of Advent is the light of Beasts,
Light that feels and moves in the greatest and in least.

The fourth light of Advent is the light of Humans
The light that thinks and wills, and seeks to understand.

These verses ring true for all of humanity. We all have the mineral kingdom in us; bones that hold and support us in a living way. We have life within us that sets us apart from the mineral kingdom that we share with the plants. We have movement and feelings like the animals but there is something that sets us apart as well. Humans are not perfect by any means; I'm sure you know that. But as a teacher, with the children I teach in front of me each year, I feel a certain truth that I am witnessing the evolution of humankind, slowly but surely, towards a brighter reality. This is the advent. The kindergarten and grades students gather every Monday morning to sing together in celebration of Advent.

St. Nicholas & Santa Lucia
The legend of St. Nicholas: One day, the wealthy Nicholas overheard his poor neighbor lamenting the inability to afford to care for his daughters. Each night, the three daughters would leave out their shoes to dry, so Nicholas took the opportunity to secretly leave each one of them gold in their shoes.

At Madrona School, the teachers delight in any chance to bring awe, wonder, and joy to our students! I hear St. Nick visited the whole school this year with some delicious "gold" to be found.

The legend of Santa Lucia: One night a ship arrived at a village during a great famine. Upon the ship was a girl dressed all in white with food and clothes for the needy. Since she needed both hands to give away her gifts, she placed a wreath of candles upon her head.

At Madrona School we usually select a 2nd grade student to wear a wreath of light. Then, the students of that class travel throughout the school, giving out treats with song and celebration. Sometimes the Santa Lucia parade also travels to our neighborhood senior residential homes. This year we will celebrate Santa Lucia on Monday, December 13.

Spiral of Light
I'm sure it has not gone without notice that our days are truly getting darker as we approach the winter solstice. Nowadays we have about nine hours of daylight. Remember those long summer days? It seemed like we easily had fifteen hours of light!

When all around us is dark, our school provides a celebration to remind us that we all carry a light within us. During the Spiral of Light, our school comes together in silence around a spiral of fir branches. At the center of this spiral one candle stands lit. Each family takes a turn walking into this spiral, lighting a candle of their own, and placing it along the spiral. Slowly, the entire spiral fills with light. The light of our community shines bright through the dark winter night.

This year we welcome all of you to join us in the Madrona School play yard in celebration of the Spiral of Light. Please bring a candle and candle holder, made out of an apple with the core whittled out for the candle. We will begin at 4:30. Please bring camp chairs for your family.

I am so excited to celebrate these festivals with the children and I hope to see you all at the Spiral of Light on December 12.

Warmly & With Light!
Ms. Catherine, 1st/2nd Grade Teacher