If you peek around this week, you might notice something sprouting outside on our classroom wall. A tree has begun to grow, filled with leaves that hold drawings and words that came from you, along with marks added by the children! Welcome to our Being, Belonging, and Expressing Tree!

This tree first took root during Back to School Night, when we gathered together to reflect on the Curriculum of Self: Being, Belonging, and Expressing. In small groups, you shared stories, words, and drawings about what these ideas mean for you and your child. Each of your leaves now lives on our wall, forming a tree that celebrates our White Room community. And if you take a closer look, you might notice familiar handwriting, overlapping thoughts, and new ideas, which reminds us of how we are all part of something growing together.

Our school theme this year, Rooted in Me, Growing Towards We, invites us to think about how our identities and communities grow. Like a tree, we are shaped by the people and experiences around us. Some moments are memorable and stand out, like starting school for the first time or making friends. Others are small everyday moments that may pass by quietly, like exchanging a smile with the bus driver on your way to work or holding the door open for a neighbor. Whether big or small, each moment leaves an impression and connects us, shaping who we are and who we are becoming, both as individuals and as a community.

This connects to developmental psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, which reminds us that a child’s world is made up of many interconnected layers, starting with the child at the center and extending outwards to family, school, community, and the larger world, each influencing and supporting the other. Taking these different ideas, we reimagined Bronfenbrenner’s overlapping circles as a living tree that grows and changes throughout the seasons:

Roots and trunk (Being)

A child’s sense of self, confidence, curiosity, and individuality. These roots help children feel grounded in who they are as they continue to explore the world around them.

Branches (Belonging) 

The relationships that support and connect children to others such as family, caregivers, teachers, friends, and the wider community. As a child’s sense of self continues to grow, they also begin to reach outward, forming trusting relationships that help them feel part of something bigger, like their classroom, family circle, and the world they are growing into.

Leaves (Expressing) 

The many ways children share who they are with the world. As children continue to discover who they are and connect with others, their expressions continue to evolve in different ways! New ways of communicating emerge depending on their environment and relationships. Each space invites a new language, sometimes through play, sometimes through sound, and other times through gestures or words shared with others.

Just like a tree, these parts grow together, where the roots strengthen the branches, the branches support the leaves, and the leaves feed energy back into the tree. This reminds us that Being, Belonging, and Expressing are always intertwined as children grow, learn, and connect with the world around them.

We hope our community tree will continue to grow! We invite you to stop by, take a moment, and reflect on what these frameworks mean for you and your child. What thoughts or new ideas might you want to share with our community? You’ll find extra leaves nearby so feel free to write or draw on them, or come find us to share your noticings!!!

Ask Your Child

Did you visit the gym? What did you see? What did you do?

What toys did you see in the classroom? Did you build, cook, or draw?

Which hello song did you sing today? “Hello Train” or “Around and Around”? How does it go?