Roots School is offering parents in the community some new childcare options as part of their fundraising drive this April, with an Easter Day Camp, bi-weekly Friday movie nights, and an Earth Day-commemorating song-o-gram program.
The school is a new, non-profit organization focused on returning children to a more holistic, natural, and project-based learning philosophy. It currently accepts about 30 students from pre-Kindergarten to Grade 8 and follows the Saskatchewan education curriculum.
While the school has received tremendous support and enthusiasm from the community, its students, and their parents, its fate remains uncertain until it has completed two successful years in operation. Amy Cojocar, the school's founder, has explained that the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education is following the school closely for the next two years. If it can sustain itself and prove its students are meeting provincial learning outcomes, the province will then provide funding for Roots School up to 80 per cent.
The Roots School is offering the following:
- Easter Day Camp
- April 11 to 14, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Roots School's camps provide a sample of the school's programming with activities such as nature crafts, recycled art projects, birdwatching, and hikes
- Sign up at www.rootsschool.ca/daycamp
- Friday Movie Nights
- Offered every other Friday for ages 4 and up
- Safe, supervised environment from 4 to 8 p.m. — the whole family is welcome, too
- March 31 - Sing
- April 14 - The Jungle Book
- April 28 - The Mitchells vs. the Machines
- May 12 -The Secret Life of Pets
- May 26 - Moana
- June 9 - Raya and the Last Dragon
- Sign up at www.rootsschool.ca/movienight
- Earth Day song-o-grams
- Student-led program allows businesses and individuals to send a song to workplace or home
- Friday, April 21 in Moose Jaw, and Friday, April 28 in Saskatoon
- Cost is $50 — book a time at www.rootsschool.ca/song
"It's our mission to provide Moose Jaw with the opportunity for children to experience a deeper connection to self and nature and their community," said Jacqueline Geoffrion. Geoffrion works as the school's fundraising administrator. Her daughter is a student.
"We're trying to deepen their sense of self through project-based learning, nature-based learning, and holistic growth," she continued. "A lot of the struggles that children are facing today are things like rising anxiety and depression because of unhealthy relationships with technology and too much time indoors. By bringing them outside and connecting them with nature and self, we are developing their confidence and self-esteem."
The school has done away with desks in favour of learning centers and activity stations. They recently obtained a permanent location for their outdoor classroom and are planning on building a garden to grow community produce.
Abstract skills such as math, reading, and the sciences are taught in hands-on ways alongside emotional intelligence skills like mindfulness, self-regulation, and creative expression.
"We know we're doing something the community wants and needs," Geoffrion said. "Some kids need different ways of learning. I can't see my own kids sitting in a classroom all day. There's just too much energy and too much wonder that needs to be fostered. So, as a parent, I'm really happy this school is here and developing and I'm really happy to be a part of it.
"They don't need to just show up somewhere and be told what to learn. They need to know how to learn, and if they have that skill set, then they're ready and they can do anything."
