Hózhó Academy Newsletter

Dear Hózhó families,

Enjoy the week!

If you have questions, please contact our front office at (505) 722-8922.

• October 10th - Early Start (7:45)/Early Release (1:15)

• October 11th - No School (Parent Teacher Conferences)

• October 14th - No School (Indigenous Peoples' Day)

• October 25th - Hózhó Harvest Festival

School Breakfast/Lunch Menu

School Website

Click Here for K-8 Weekly Lesson Summary

Second Grade: Growth Mindset & Goal Setting

Your child is learning ways to improve when they’re learning a new skill and ways to keep going when they make a mistake or face a challenge. Second graders share what they can do to help themselves learn new skills—for example, asking for help, practicing, and trying hard. They also learn that mistakes can help us figure out what’s not working, so we can make changes, try again, and do better the next time. Toward the end of the unit, students practice identifying and changing unhelpful thoughts (“I can’t do this”) into helpful thoughts (“I can’t do it yet!”).

Why is it important? Research shows that children who learn the skills in this unit are more likely to:

• Make positive choices

• Experience greater well-being

• Contribute to a better school environment

Practice at Home

What to Look For: Notice and praise your child when they are working hard to learn something. Focus on the effort they’re putting into learning and the strategies they’re using to improve. For example, when they ask for help, when they practice, or when they keep trying even through mistakes and challenges. You can say, “You tried really hard and kept practicing so you could learn how to ride your scooter. You’re getting better and better!”

Practice: Help your child choose a task or a skill they would like to learn to do independently. For example, reading a story, caring for a pet, or drawing a favorite animal. Set aside a few minutes each day for them to practice. Remind them to ask for help when needed and use helpful thoughts to keep going. Don’t forget to tell them that if they practice and try hard, they’ll get it!

Discuss: When your child is doing something challenging and makes a mistake, ask, “What do you think isn’t working? What’s a small change you can make the next time? What are some helpful thoughts you could say to yourself to help you keep trying?”

What is Classical Education?

This is a question often asked by families upon enrolling their children at Hozho Academy. Hozho Academy is a classical education school. You may have enrolled your children for that very reason, or perhaps you enrolled your child for other reasons, but 'classical education' is new to you. So, what exactly did you sign you students up for?

The next few Classical Corners will be dedicated to answering this question. There are many pieces of a classical education, making it a difficult question to answer in a small paragraph. So, I will begin with my 'elevator pitch' or my go-to response, and then, over the next couple of weeks, will present a more in-depth, detailed explanation of those various pieces.

If someone were to ask me on an elevator, "what is classical education" and I only had that elevator ride to pitch them this beautiful form of education, I would say the following:

Classical education is an education, rooted in the liberal arts and sciences, that aims to form the whole student, body, mind and soul. It seeks to instill habits of virtue, a love for what is beautiful, a desire to do good, and the need to seek our truth. It does so with a timeless pedagogy that had withstood the test of time, encouraging wonder and questioning.

Follow along the next few weeks as we dive deeper into the beautiful realm that is classical education!

School of Athens

By Raphael

When researching classical education, this image is bound to surface. It encompasses the main ideas behind a timeless, classical education. In this room, on the same set of stairs, are various philosophers, thinkers, mathematicians, astronomers, artists and musicians from across ancient times. Many did not live at the same time, however, these great minds are gathered together out of wonder and love of learning in order to pursue knowledge and wisdom.

Hózhó Academy Charter School

Principal: Juliane Hillock principal@hozhoacademy.org

Email: office@hozhoacademy.org
Website: https://hozhoacademy.org/
Location: 515 Park Ave, Gallup, NM, USA
Phone: (505) 722-8922
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hozhoacademy
Twitter: @HozhoA