Fourth Grade Garden Explorers

This week, our fourth graders took a stroll down the street to visit a large patch of milkweed growing along the roadside — now setting seed! Along the way, they stopped to study our school’s pollinator garden, observing which plants were still blooming and which were preparing for fall.  The class is planning a special area in our garden to dedicate to native milkweed plants, providing a future haven for monarch butterflies and other pollinators!  We are so proud of their hard work.

Fourth and Fifth Grade Mott's Run Adventure

On Thursday, our fourth and fifth grade classes traveled off campus to Mott's Run Reservoir to enjoy a warm fall day of outdoor adventure. Callie Brown, Superintendent of Outdoor Education with Fredericksburg Parks and Recreation, warmly hosted the group and led an engaging program.

Students spent the day hiking the trails, canoeing on the reservoir, and practicing campfire-building skills with support from their teachers and Master Naturalist, Mimi Dempsey. These activities naturally sparked a sense of adventure while also providing opportunities for students and teachers to deepen connections. Many children built confidence by taking on new challenges and stepping just beyond their comfort zones.

The outing also strengthened our school’s partnership with Fredericksburg Parks and Recreation, an organization dedicated to connecting children with the natural world throughout the year. Marking the close of our first trimester, this adventure was the perfect way to celebrate the students’ accomplishments while embracing the beauty of the fall season.

Thanks to the students’ enthusiasm and the success of the day, our upper elementary classes will return to Mott’s Run on Tuesday, January 27th, to experience the reservoir in a new light—this time during the winter season.