Forest Kindergarten at TCS: A Solid Foundation
Mon., February 2nd, 5:00-6:30pm in The Community School Sweet Fern Yurt
Join our Sweet Fern Forest Kindergarten teaching team for an evening in the yurt as we explore the interweaving of the Forest School pillars of outdoor and social-emotional learning, along with emergent nature-based academics and mindfulness, to build resilience, wonder and a strong foundation for 4-6 year-olds and the elementary years ahead.
Life-Long Learners: A conversation with Community School alumni, reflecting on their Place-Based Education
Thurs., February 5th, 5:00-6:30pm at VOLTA Climbing Gym
Join The Community School (TCS) at Volta climbing gym to meet and hear from alumni about how their TCS education has inspired life-long learning in their High School experience and in meaningful work in our wider community. Learn about how the TCS 8th grade Capstone Project has been influential in many alumni's young-adult path. Come climb and then stay for the event!
Middle School at The Community School: A Place-Based Approach to These Crucial Years & the Transition to High School
Mon., February 9th, 5:00-6:30pm in The Community School barn classroom
Join The Community School (TCS) middle school teachers Sam Murray and Maria Chambers-Hutchins as they explore the factors that make the middle school experience unique at TCS: honoring robust academics, leadership, and community. Hear from alumni and teachers about the transition to high school and how TCS prepares student to be thriving learners, critical and creative thinkers, and engaged citizens in their years beyond TCS.
The Elementary Years at The Community School: Learning through Place, Curiosity and Community
Wed., February 11th, 5:00-6:30pm in The Community School Schoolhouse
Join lead teachers Autumn Soares and Alisa Hearn as they journey through the elementary grades at TCS, highlighting how a sense of self, place, and community are cultivated through the academic and social-emotional curriculum as classes engage with our island community, led by curiosity, inquiry, and meaningful learning experiences.
Building Resilience and Interdependence Through Place-Based Education at The Community School: A Talk with Terrestrial Ecologist Tom Wessels
Wed., March 4th, 5:00-6:30pm at the Ellsworth Public Library
Resilience and interdependence are essential for a community to thrive. At The Community School (TCS), these mutually beneficial relationships are modeled daily in the approach to teaching and learning. Join friend of TCS and Terrestrial Ecologist, Tom Wessels, for a reflective conversation about how Place-based Education in action at TCS mirrors the interdependent and resilient relationships observed in the natural world that have been successful for millions of years. Following the talk, founding director of The Community School, Jasmine Smith, will lead an art activity, illustrating the interconnected relationships among living things.
Wonder Walk Series
Join teachers from the Sweet Fern Forest Kindergarten for a four-part immersion in the natural world each, hosted every fall and spring.
Each week, participants will explore a location through hands-on, nature-based activities that foster conversation and community-building among parents and children.
This series is designed for children aged 1-3 years and their caregivers to enjoy, explore and find community!
Email OFFICE@THECOMMUNITYSCHOOL.ME for interest in the Spring 2026 Wonder Walk Series.
