Our class will be a "Tribes" classroom this year. The Tribes Learning Communities curriculum was developed by several California teachers about thirty years ago. The main goal of Tribes is to use small learning groups to increase participation and peer support, and to "call forth the unique potential of every student".

The Tribes process centers around several "Community Agreements": attentive listening, appreciation/no put downs, the right to pass/the right to participate, and mutual respect. These agreements will be posted in the classroom and will be in lieu of "class rules". I encourage you to ask your child about the agreements in the weeks and months to come. Once the class has learned and understands the agreements, and we have completed multiple community-building activities, the students will be placed in small groups called "tribes". This won't happen until mid to late September, and your child will surely let you know of the exact date when we have one.

Another element of the Tribes process is the community circle. As a Tribes classroom, we will begin and end each day with a community circle. Students will learn to listen attentively and reflect on what their fellow students have to say.

Finally, you may hear your child use the term "I-Message" at some point during the school year. An I-Message is a statement of the speaker's feelings in response to the behavior of others. An I-Message does not convey judgment and is not a put-down. Notice the difference between the following examples:

You-Message: "Kim, you dummy, you're always cutting me in line!"

I-Message: "Kim, I feel angry when you cut me in line."

In conclusion, I look forward to initiating this program with the current group of students and I welcome your thoughts, questions, and input as the school year progresses. If you'd like more information on the Tribes program, please go to www.tribes.com.