By Jessica Cabeen

Woodson Kindergarten Center principal

Here at Woodson Kindergarten Center, the time between Halloween and holiday break is simply magical. From our Thanksgiving Feast to the always exciting Polar Express day, our teachers spend this time developing students’ academic skills while infusing literature, arts, music, and engineering into numerous seasonal activities.

Take our upcoming Thanksgiving Feast as an example. Students and teachers work together throughout the month to develop a deeper understanding of what it means to be grateful and thankful for all that we have. We integrate learning about the history of Thanksgiving into reading, math, the arts, and more. At the end of the day, before Thanksgiving break, our unit culminates in a whole-school celebration wherein we line the halls with butcher paper “tables” and partake in a popcorn and cornbread feast.  It’s always an incredible time that students remember for years.

After our Thanksgiving break, we come right back for our Holiday Sing. Students have been working hard to learn several holiday songs, and we will be performing them at 10:20 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 1, at Knowlton Auditorium. This concert is open to the public, and we will be streaming the earlier performance online as well.  Consider this your invitation to attend and celebrate the season with us!

Another yearly Woodson tradition is a magical trip to the North Pole on the Polar Express. Students (and teachers) come to school in PJ’s and participate in a reenactment of the Polar Express story.  We fill the halls with chairs to make train cars, and the students are welcomed aboard by our very own conductor. We then sing holiday songs and drink hot cocoa before “arriving” at the North Pole to meet a very special guest. Again, this is an exciting tradition that students remember for years. In the build-up to Polar Express day, students all read the book in class, which helps to develop important listening and comprehension skills. We even include some arts and crafts by having students create their very own gingerbread houses!

Here at Woodson, we strive to make learning fun, exciting, and magical throughout the year, but especially during the holiday season. Former students always stop me in the community to share memories from this time of the year at Woodson.

So, if this is your first trip as a Woodson parent, enjoy! These experiences and memories really do last a lifetime.

Season’s Greetings!

Jessica Cabeen is principal at Austin Public Schools’ Woodson Kindergarten Center.