Hello Dear Ones,
Hard to believe we are rolling into the end of the school year already! This year has been full of so much love, laughter, and learning. I absolutely cherish each and every one of my students and I commend you as parents for doing such a fine job in raising them. I have a number of things to touch on in this letter as it will outline all of our activities for the next five weeks. Our last day of school is Thursday, May 26 th!

Taste Buds and Visit to the Farm (recap)
A huge and sincere thank you to everyone who helped with the Taste Buds fundraiser! After paying for everything we made approx. $3400!! I am super pleased with these results and of course we can continue adding to that through the sale of raffle tickets. Just let me know if you need more.
Our little field trip to see the lambs in Fromberg was lovely! It was a beautiful chance to soak up some vitamin D and connect with Mother Nature as the children experienced the sweet (and often gross) flow of life on the farm in spring and got to frolic in the lush green fields. Thank you fellow children herders of the day!

May Day Festival
Sunday, May 15 th is our annual May Day Festival! This is a long tradition we have had dating back to when my children were young. It has had years of dormancy but I am happy to revive it! This festival will flow much like our harvest festival. It will be a potluck, at the school, beginning at 11am. We will have some crafts & activities for the kids followed by a maypole ceremony at 11:45 and then feasting and visiting. Please bring a dish to share and a picnic blanket to sit on. There are some signup sheets for festival helpers! I’m hoping everyone can make it and the weather is lovely. (If the weather is foul or if there are a great many people who can’t make it, we will postpone-so please let me know)

Parent-Teacher Conferences
I have decided to postpone conferences until next week (May 2 nd -May 6 th ). I would prefer to meet with as many of you as possible on Friday May 6 th , but will make other arrangements if that’s not possible. Please think about a time that will work best for you. During our conference we will simply connect in regards to your child, discuss any thoughts or concerns that you may have and discuss plans for this summer and next year. Please bring any and all questions you may have to the meeting.

Graduation
We will have a small ceremony on our last day of school (May 26 th ) to honor those students who are transitioning on to other programs. For this last day of school I would like all students to attend for the full day and our ceremony will be at noon followed by lunch and goodbyes.

Lasagna Gardening
Hopefully you all saw the email regarding the gardening class on May 7 th . I am super excited to learn about this technique and honored that the class will be building a garden bed for us at the school! If you have materials to contribute or if you want to register for the class, please contact Laura directly @ (406)698-6788

**********************************************************************

As always, a huge thank you to the weekend cleaners! It has been such a relief to have your help this year!
Warmly, Miss Lista

Dearest Families,
Happy spring! (a couple days early) and what an incredibly gentle end to winter so far! It has been a little bit confusing each morning trying to decide how to dress for the day. Please bear in mind the changing temperatures when preparing your child for the day. Layers are best so that we can add or take away as needed. Also, we will be encountering mud and sand and sometimes snow so extra clothing in case something gets wet would be great.

We have been excited to see the grass (and mud) in our yard again, to watch as our little bulbs, which we planted last fall, emerge, and to play in the sand box again. The Monday class walked to the youth garden last week and planted peas with Miss Robin, we are working out a day next week for the Tuesday-Thursday kids to do the same. I will let you know when we decide upon the best day! If you haven’t heard yet, we also have a new addition to our school – red wrigglers! Miss Robin was kind enough to trust us with her precious worm farm and the kids are loving learning about them and feeding them.

Extra Pots?
We are going to start planting some seeds. If anyone has extra pots around that the kids could use that would be great! We need some larger ones for each child that will eventually go home with them and we need a variety of sizes that will live at the school.

Fundraiser
Many of you have been involved in the planning of an upcoming fundraiser for the school, but here is a little update: We are having a tapas/ wine/ music/ silent auction event at the Regis, Sunday, April 17 th . This will be an early evening event, catered by Ox Pasture w/ music from JP Westbrook. We have another planning meeting this Wednesday, March 16 th at 6pm at the library. A couple ways that everyone can help are:
1. Unique and awesome silent auction items
2. Spreading the word! Once we finalize the details, we will begin hanging flyers and taking reservations, I will have a stack at the school so that we can all pitch in to distribute them.

Spring Break
There is no school the week of the 28 th – 31 st . Have a wonderful Easter and a restful break! School will resume again on Monday the 4 th of April.

Parent/ Teacher Conferences
I would like to meet with each of you in April, the week of the 18 th -22 nd to talk about your child and plans for the next school year. Please contact me to set up a meeting at your convenience. And/or I will have sign-up sheets out when it gets closer.

May Day Festival
Our School May Day festival is on the calendar for Sunday, May 1 st . I would love some help planning for this event. Please keep it in mind and I will be calling a Festival planning meeting when it gets closer.

Warmly, Miss Lista

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

Hello Dear Families,
Well apparently Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow so an early spring is in the forecast! Which is not surprising as we’ve already been experiencing spring-like weather in January. This week we will likely take advantage of the warmer weather by spending more time outside and soaking in the sunshine.

Coming up is our Mid-Winter (or Early spring) Potluck Gathering. I have secured the Regis for this event which will simplify things and ensure plenty of space for all. Friends and family are invited as well. This is an opportunity for all of us to visit, eat wonderful food, and celebrate the returning sun. Here are the details:
Sunday February 21 st , Regis café, from 4-6pm.  Please bring a potluck dish and a suggested donation of $5 per family to cover the rental of the Regis, (Any extra donations will be invested back into Mountain Bluebells). We will have some kids activities from 4-5ish while visiting, We’ll eat around 5pm and then there will be a story for the kids before 6. Set-up help is needed at 3:30 and we are responsible for all the clean-up so a clean-up crew is also needed. There is a sign-up sheet at the school for your potluck dishes and various jobs. I hope everyone can make it!

Miss Robin has been a blessing as my helper on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The extra help is allowing me more one on one time with the kids and more time to work on special projects with them. Thank you Miss Robin!

This next week we will be working on some special Valentine’s Day projects. I personally love this day- not as the Materialistic hallmark holiday that it has become- but because it reminds me to pause and appreciate my loved ones. I’m excited that it falls on a Sunday this year so that I can be with my children and we can enjoy some amazing food together.

Wishing you all time to pause, soak up some sunshine, and spend some time with loved ones.
Warmly, Miss Lista

"Peace is not only in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace is in the midst of things as they are, when there is calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace."  -From the story "Portrait of Peace"

December at Mountain Bluebells,

One of the most magical things for me this year so far, is to observe how the play of the children has evolved. More and more the children are learning how to work together peacefully and how to really go deep in their imaginative play. I love seeing how the stories they’ve heard, in particular the ones told with puppets or props, are coming through in their play. Not a day goes by where the children aren’t making “stone soup” or going on a journey. This month we are focusing on the arrival of “king winter” in the land and the need for warmth. “The Mitten” will be our story for the next few weeks and we will move from reading it to acting it out.

There are a number of calendar items this month, but I have worked to keep things sweet and simple during this busy month. In addition to this newsletter I have attached an article on keeping things simple during the holidays. Enjoy!

Parent meeting Sunday, Nov. 13 th 3:30pm – 5pm at the Red Lodge Carnegie Library*
This Sunday we will be having a very important “all parent” meeting. At this meeting we will be discussing the current status of Mountain Bluebells and the future. We very much hope that all of our families will attend and be a part of this discussion. Child care will be available at the school while the adults are meeting at the library. Please let me know if you are in need of childcare.

Solstice celebration Friday December 18 th , 9:30am – 12pm Will be our end of semester solstice celebration! We will meet at the school at 9:30 and then head up the west fork and park at the gate by the Girl Scout camp. We will then hike up the road to wild bill lake where we will have a fire, picnic, and decorate a tree for the animals.
Please pack: a lunch for your child, plenty of warm clothes, a sled if you have one, and let me know if you can join us!

Handwork night: Tuesday, December 15 th , 6-7:30pm
The first and third Tuesday’s of each month are handwork nights at the school. These are informal gatherings to work on projects of any kind, enjoy some conversation, and perhaps a cup of tea. I am always there as I have a plethora of projects to tackle at any time! So far, attendance has been fairly scarce but I’d love to see this change! Even if you don’t have a project of your own to work on, there are many things that need to be made for the school, so if you’d like to learn a new craft or work on a project of your own in good company, stop by from 6-7:30 the first and third Tuesday of each month.

School cleaning:  I can’t tell you how grateful I am to the parents that have pitched in to clean the school on weekends thus far! Our little school is at its greatest when loved and cared for by all! I will be doing a deep cleaning over the break, the more hands the merrier! If anyone would like to join me please let know.

Lending library:  In my office I have a shelf of wonderful books on the topics of parenting, Waldorf, and LifeWays philosophies. As well as an extensive collection of resources for festivals, storytelling, crafts, etc. These books are available for parents to check out and take home to peruse. Just let me know if you’d like to take a look or if you want a suggestion!

Christmas break: December 23 rd – January 4 th. In following with the Red Lodge school calendar, Christmas break begins Wednesday, December 23 rd and school resumes Monday, January 4 th.

Have a wonderful holiday break!
Warmly, Miss Lista

Dearest Families,
The sun is shining, the sky is blue, I’m having a great time and the kids are too!! I can’t believe we are already well into our third week. We started the year with an apple theme and we are now beginning to transition to an autumn/ harvest theme in our circle and story times. The kids have settled into our rhythm with ease and have bonded with each other. What a special group of kids we have here!

There are a few events happening this month:

This coming Tuesday, Oct. 6 th will be our first handwork evening. This is open to the community and is a chance for adults to gather, sip tea, work on whatever project suits your fancy and engage in some adult conversation. Handwork evenings will run from 6pm until around 7:30 and will be held every first and third Tuesday of the month. Come anytime, no advance notice is necessary – I’ll be here regardless! I am hoping that crafters of many varieties pop in so that we can all learn from each other.

Thursday, October 15 th , (contrary to what our school calendar says) will be our pumpkin patch field trip! We are scheduled to meet at J&K farms at 10am for a hay ride, a corn maize adventure, a chance to pick out a pumpkin from the field and a picnic lunch together. I’ll need chaperones to help with driving etc.Please add your info to the sign-up sheet if you can help on this day. I will provide more details when we are closer to the date.

Sunday, October 18 th is our first school festival! We will be having a harvest festival and I am in need of some parent volunteers to help with the planning and execution. Our first festival planning meeting will be Tuesday October 6 th at 5pm at the school. Please add your name to the list if you can attend or let me know if you want to help in some capacity but cannot attend the meeting at that time.

As we are transitioning into autumn, temperatures can vary greatly on any given day. Please keep in mind that the children spend about an hour outside each day and it is best if they have layers to choose from as the weather changes. I am attaching an excellent article about the importance of warmth for young ones.

Your children are a joy to work with! Thank you for the opportunity. As always, if you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to ask.

Warmly, Miss Lista