Raven’s Call February Newsletter
Chortle Chortle Caw Caw!
Our resident raven family has grown from two to three! We usually see our two adult ravens daily, and now it looks like they have a juvenile who has decided to stay. Just as they have opened their hearts to one more, we are opening our hearts in a big way as well! How, you ask?
We have transformed our Valentine’s Day celebration into a full month of acts of kindness. Our halls are filled with heart shapes, artwork, and pictures adorned with notes of appreciation for classmates, teachers, and staff. The Great Room is decked out in all things pink and red, and on Tuesday, February 18th, we are coming together for a whole-school community potluck!
Recently, we reaffirmed our school values, and the first one is: "We are kind." We see this not only in the way our students interact with each other but also in the actions of our families. This year, our families have gone above and beyond to embrace a school culture of kindness, support, and care for one another and our staff. To say our hearts are full each day would be an understatement.
Last week, our students bid farewell and good luck to our baby salmon as they were released into our creek, sparking conversations about how they will look upon their return. Upper School teacher Chase took the learning even further by dissecting an adult male and female salmon, inspiring curiosity and deeper discussions.
We also received a delightful five inches of snow during the recent winter weather, and it stuck around! Our students have been sledding, perfecting their snowball skills, and fully immersing themselves in the magic of snow—such a rare treat on the coast.
With open arms and caring hearts, we are excited to announce that enrollment for the 2025-26 school year is now open! We have updated our website and admissions process, so we encourage you to check it out. Our financial aid program is growing, and we welcome all families who align with our mission and purpose, regardless of economic background.
As enrollment applications come in, we are excited to see the school growing, with more amazing families joining our community.
We hope that kindness finds its way into your lives and keeps you warm for the rest of this winter season.
In Kindness,
Kelsey Leatherman
Board Chair
Interim Executive Director
Upcoming Events
February 14 - 17: Presidents day 4 day weekend - NO SCHOOL
February 18: School Valentines Day Party and Potluck
March 7: Teacher Conferences
March 14: Pi Day - pi and pie school event
March 24 - April 4: Spring Break
Spotlight on Learning
From our Trackers (preschool-prek):
The Trackers have discussed winter themes and watched the groundhog make his prediction of a longer winter! We have explored the snow and ice in new ways every day, from following snow tracks to cracking ice with hammers. With Valentine's Day around the corner, students have used red and white paint and process art methods to create their own heart-shaped messages to the other classes. With the freezing temperatures, we have had lots of practice putting on and taking off all of our layers--snow pants, jacket, snow coat, hat, gloves, extra socks, and boots! As the kids say, they look like "marshmallows" or "puffballs" as they run through the frozen meadow. - Teacher Miss Annie (what her students like to call her)
From our Explorers (lower school):
The Explorers are learning to compare and contrast the anatomy of various animals to humans using Venn diagrams! They were excited to release our very own salmon fry into our local creek. As February is the month of showing kindness, students have been writing love notes to their parents and putting them in their lunch boxes. They have also been writing encouraging notes for the NVS community. Empathy and compassion have grown as students practice including more students in their play. The big coastal snow has been a delight for over a week. Sledding, boarding, sliding and building filled hours of time. On nature walks, students have noticed how the snow changed over the week from flakes to crust to large ice crystals! The Explorers are looking forward to celebrating their hundredth day of school next week. - Rhonda
From our Upper School:
Upper schoolers discussed the meaning of justice having just read the first book of Plato's Republic. We made posters about prokaryotes' role in: the environment, infectious disease, and early biotechnology. Students worked on grade-level math concepts ranging from working with exponents for the first time (5th grade) to proving triangle similarity and congruence using theorems and basic trigonometry (HS). We worked to perfect the second song in our band's repertoire: "Birds of a Feather" by Billie Eilish. We are building our own brands in Adobe Express including logo, color palette, font, voice, slogan, marketing template, values and mission statement. We played roller-hockey every day the weather permitted. And we discussed all aspects of healthy sleep. - Sam
Career Opportunities
We are Hiring!
We are hiring multiple positions for our 25/26 school year and summer day camp program.
Joining our team at Neskowin Valley School means becoming part of a dynamic and passionate community dedicated to outdoor and experiential learning. We offer opportunities for professional growth through mentorship, training, and hands-on experience in a student-centered environment. Educators here can develop expertise in nature-based learning, emergent curriculum, and social-emotional development while working in a supportive and collaborative setting. Whether you're an experienced teacher or an emerging educator eager to explore innovative early childhood education approaches, we welcome individuals who share our commitment to nurturing lifelong learners.
Visit our website to see all available positions, and for all inquiries, please email kelsey@neskowinvalleyschool.com