Building Community Between Campuses

March 6, 2020

Academics

GNS

Patterns, shapes and friendships are what Grade 9 and Junior Kindergarten students were collaborating on when the JKS visited the Pemberton Woods campus on March 2. The students had a fun afternoon identifying how patterns are—everywhere.

“We are always looking for ways to connect the little friends with big friends,” said Mrs. Nielson. “We often collaborate with the Junior School in different ways, and it’s fun for the Junior School students to come up here and see what happens with the big kids. It’s a chance for the big kids to play again and be a friend to someone younger—it brings out a vulnerability in them.”

The Junior Kindergarten students weren’t shy to ask questions of their big buddies as they all got involved throughout the afternoon. Some of the highlights for the older students were seeing the younger students, learning their perspective on things and just hanging out together.

“It’s about community. I think building community in our school is such a big part of who we are,” said Mrs. Nielson. “When the younger ones come up to PW and get a chance to be part of what we are doing, and when we get a chance to go there and be part of their community it links us all together. It’s a core value of our school that we try to create opportunities to follow that and be part of that.”

The games they played focused on what the Junior Kindergarten class was learning, specifically their IB PYP unit on patterns. The students made bookmarks by crafting different shapes, matched shapes together, found shapes outside, played at a word wall and built a house.

“This unit just started on patterns. Patterns in nature, patterns out there, and how there are patterns everywhere,” said Ms. Meera Bandechha. She noted that in addition to seeing that there are patterns everywhere, there are other important things that she wanted her Junior Kindergarten students to get out of the experience. “It’s more about the friendships and realizing that the big kids are friendly. Just making connections, having fun and realizing school is fun and there is a lot of learning to be had here.”

In the past, the Biggest to Littlest program has made cookies together, had Senior School students come to the Nature School for “senses in the park” and more. The Junior Kindergarteners will be back at Pemberton Woods later in the year to work with the Senior School Band for their unit on art and more.