Friday, November 04, 2022
At Ladybird, we believe it is important to be an active part of our community. We model community engagement as an organization by sponsoring and supporting numerous local events such as the Booda Halloween in Buda City Park, Buda Trail of Lights at Stagecoach Trail, Buda Weiner Dog Races, Buda Movies in the Park, etc. Our school also helps support the Hays County Food Bank with donations as well as volunteer hours. Over the holidays, our school adopts a few local families who are in need to help them have a happy holiday season as well.
As a school community, we host a variety of events such as our quarterly music concert for Ladybird families to come sit on our lawn and enjoy a free live concert and get to know the other families and staff at Ladybird, our annual Earth Day Event, and a variety of meetups around the community at places such as a pumpkin patch, the Austin Nature Center, etc.
In the classrooms we foster a sense of community by having multi-group aging which provides a mix of children within a 3 years span (birth-3 years, 3-6 years, 6-9 years, 9-12 years, and 12-15 years) can collaborate and socialize. These inter-age relationships naturally strengthen the entire community. Older children are seen as role models in the classroom and even get to help present some lessons to younger peers. They support the growth and development of younger children through socialization, assisting with new work, or teaching skills they have mastered themselves. They can also work with younger students in areas of the curriculum in which they themselves may need more practice, without stigma. Younger children follow the example set by the older students and have peers to work with in areas of the curriculum in which they may be more advanced. This multi-age community provides opportunities for all individuals to learn from each other, at times leading, sharing, or serving as role models. It also develops an appreciation of differences. Within this supportive, inclusive community, children work through the curriculum at their own pace, accelerating during some tasks or taking additional time with others. (The American Montessori Society)