From the Head of School

Meaningful Learning

I can’t remember the last time I received a handwritten letter more than best wishes at Christmas or on my birthday, so it was quite the treat to receive 20 last week, all hand delivered by Jory Bolton on behalf of her Grade 1 class. Cece’s letter got straight to the point, “We are doing a lemonade stand for a charity called Abernecessities.” Isla explained that “we need £20 to buy the ingredients.” Bogdan assured me that I would “get £20 back … the rest we will give it to the charity.” Nikola explained that they would sell the lemonade at “£1 for a cup.” and that “might be adding cookies” Elizabeth M felt that Grade 1 deserved the investment because “we are mature.” She also assured me that “to get mint, we are going to use the school garden” thus saving money. Sally tempted me with the offer of a “free lemonade.” Zosia thought that “some of us had behaved” and Sofia admitted that “sometimes we can be mischievous” But that Grade 1 could be trusted because they had previously done a book drive. Earlier this week, Morio Kajiwara, the elementary school principal, and I accepted an invitation from Grade 1 to talk through their proposal a bit more. We were met by a very smartly dressed welcoming committee, including Mikael who was posted on security. We were asked to ask further questions about their proposal; clearly their thinking had developed. They recognised that not everyone would like lemonade, that they would make money offering a range of drive, and thought about getting a card reader for those without cash They also told us about their upcoming trip to a farm to see where food came from. We talked about whether they would be able to pick up lemons and oranges there and decided we would have use Spanish ones. They explained how they would divide the cash - one bag to repay their investment, one bag for their charity. Several things struck me. First, how engaged all the children were. They had worked hard on their letters and were keen to answer questions about their proposal. Second, the range of skills they used for this project: persuasive writing, maths skills is measuring the ingredients and deciding price. They designed posters and put together business proposals. They thought through where food came from and how it was supplied. When teachers give meaning and purpose to learning, it transforms the experience. Students were doing something that connected them to their community and developed skills that gave them greater agency.

Grade 1’s Book Drive for Abernecessities