Dear Parents and Friends,
We are wrapping up our eighth week of the school year (eleventh counting early start!), if you can believe it. The opportunity to be in-person this year feels like a precious gift and we’re grateful for each day we get to be together.
We’ve transitioned from bathing suits and cooling off at Prince Lake to gathering wood and building campfires. Over the past two months, we’ve seen the children adapt to their environment as they develop an awareness of and hardiness to being outdoors.
Resilience is a psychological skill that can be practiced and strengthened. When passion is fueled by a strong sense of purpose, we see the potential for building resilience through creativity, ingenuity and agency. This is what we set out to model for our children but are realizing more and more that it is often the children modeling this for us adults.
Together, we’ve created something special this fall. Staff, students, parents and friends have all contributed to a magical first eight weeks. We will continue to learn and grow into the school year as the days get colder and new challenges present themselves. What is clear already is that the new infrastructure - tents, decks, heaters, play equipment - is here to stay. We’ve built engaging, creative new spaces for learning that will serve our students and staff for years to come, even when we can finally all go inside on those really cold, rainy days.
Now, we are reaching out to ask for your support to help us continue what we’ve started. Join us in our endeavor to create a magical year for our children, one they will never forget.
To make a donation in support of the Upland Hills Outdoor School project, please follow this link: https://givebutter.com/SLRXn9
With Love,
The Upland Hills Staff