Dear Moms and Dads,

As our culminating activity for the local history unit, the primary unit will re-enact an Old School Day on Monday, December 21^st. We will transform the stage into an old school complete with a model woodstove! The children will be given a name of a townsperson and a grade (1^st-8^th) they are in. They’ll find that they are in the same classroom as their pretend brothers and sisters! We’ll have "first graders" sit up front on benches and proceed through the grades so that the "eighth graders" are in the back. The children will be given some assignments similar to those children worked on long ago, such as reciting the alphabet or working on penmanship by copying a verse on the blackboard.

As part of this reenactment, we are asking that your child dress up similar to children of earlier years. For example, the girls can wear a long dress and an apron (pillowcase or large towel could be used) and a kerchief around their head. The boys could have knickers by tucking their pants into their socks (or a pair of Dad’s socks). They could also wear button down shirts. Books may also be carried with a belt. Children may also wish to bring a small piece of wood for the stove!

To enhance our special Old School Day re-enactment, we would like to have the kids experience part of the past practice of a box lunch social. The tradition was that people would pack a lunch in a decorated box and then pick out one that someone else brought. We are going to change the practice by having the children eat their own box lunch due to food allergies and children having very specific preferences about what they will eat. We will send home a box today for your child to decorate and pack his/her lunch in for old school day on December 21^st. Please encourage him/her to be creative when decorating the box as in years past the boxes were quite fancy. You might consider using fabric, buttons, or other materials as part of the decorations.

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Sincerely,

Brenda and Kathi