Dear Eatonville Staff, Families and Community Members,
What do you look for in the Fall or Autumn in a traditional year? Is it the crisp fall feel in the air, pumpkins and scarecrows? Is it making soup and staying inside to watch the football game or walking outside when the air is brisk? Do we look for the small things...the changing colors of the leaves...the wooly caterpillars and the geese flying in formation? Many of us have fond memories of starting schools and making new friends.
I hope you take time this season to talk about Fall and all its wonders with kids. This year in this Pandemic many things are different for us, yet nature remains the same: constantly changing with the seasons.
Every year I wonder about this time of year. I have long been fascinated by the changes that we are beginning to see in Fall and the colors that paint the trees with yellow, orange and red. How does this happen? Why are some years so brilliant and others less so?
A science lesson for this question reveals that the color yellow always exists in the green leaves. Carotene, the same pigment in carrots and egg yolks are present in leaves all Summer long. The green Chlorophyll in the leaves bleaches out after the first cold chill to result in the remaining gold color. The new tints we see are not new at all, they are colors that have been there all the time.
Reds, however, are caused by addition, the addition of something that was not present in the leaf before. These are called anthocyanins: the cell sap pigments. These pigments are carried in the sap of the tree. Wherever the sunlight hits the leaves or fruits like apples, the colors occur. This is a genetic tendency so apples that remain green have no anthocyanins.
Addition or subtraction. RED: Something new that circulates throughout the organism and reacts with sunlight or YELLOW: the discovery through subtraction that something brilliant was already there. Perhaps there is a lesson here for our organization this year in particular?
Eatonville schools has started our Hybrid model this week on September 28, 2020. Our focus is on the health and safety of all of our students and staff. A large effort of being healthy and well is part of our Whole Child Initiative . We are functioning in new ways to learn and grow whether remote or in person. We have established Chromebooks for all students this year as a 1:1 initiative. We have welcomed back our elementary school families with new DOH/PCDOH/CDC/OSPI Reopening Guidelines with joy and celebration.
This is a district that loves kids! This has remained constant: This is our Carotene!! And new ways to reach all children is being developed and refined as we move through these months: Remote and distance learning, Google classrooms, hybrid and in person, mask wearing and attestations to keep people safe in a social distancing setting…and so many other new ways of doing school. These are our Anthocyanins.
We remain committed to our ESD values of Creativity, Excellence, Responsibility, Character, Equity and Diversity. Schools serve as the natural environment for children in our community. Eatonville Strong: Strong Schools equals Strong Community remains as pertinent as ever this year 2020.
We know that the world continually changes, children grow and learn in leaps and bounds, and families gather each season to renew the year and celebrate the successes. As the leaves turn and fall, we know that they will serve as nutrients for the next batch of spring leaves that will grow green and strong in the Spring and Summer. The cycle of nature reminds us that there is renewal in growth and learning, and that change is welcome. We look forward to working with you as we navigate these changes this year and we thank you for the grace you have given us as we have moved through the last month.
Have a wonderful October!
Eatonville Strong 2020-2021!
Sincerely,
Krestin Bahr, Superintendent
