Foreword |
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What our logo "WOLO" symbolizes?
We believe that human beings of all ages and especially young children, at some point live in the world of imagination. A phenomenal space where perception, will, memory, intuition, and reasoning thrives. These marvellous tools can allow us to experiment, explore, and discover different ways to being, doing, and living. Our imagination can take us to unknown areas to explore our highest form of thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.
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We facilitate children's ideas and find ways to explore new ideas and thoughts together by encouraging them to ask questions, build-upon or break down theories and belief systems, creating new ideas, all in the realm of continuous growth and learning. We are here to assist, guide, and mentor children to bring them to their highest level of learning and well-being. We believe in thinking and exploring in multi-perspectives, and this in turn reflects our Reggio Emilia inspired philosophy where children have more than 100 languages or ways to express one self.
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Our stories become who we are and the stories that we tell our children and students shape who they will become. We believe in continuous growth, a love for learning, and community. We imagined a space where the arts thrive and children have access to care that is catered to emergent learning and well-being. The school is an ongoing space of changes and we strive to create a place that is ever evolving and changing to meet the needs of our families and students, thus becoming "our unique" WOLO space.
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Child-like Drawings: We were thinking about the children at our centre and the ideas of drawings came up. As adults, we all were once a child and it is integral that we maintain that child-like energy to be able to have the energy to explore, create, and discover. When we begin to draw, it is our first experience of putting our ideas out there, thus energy flowing through our body and being expressed through our fingers. As children begin to formulate ideas and explore the world through our imagination, they begin by drawing scribbles. Scribbles that can turn into many spirals and many lines. That is something so simple, yet powerful about using our hands to create and play and it starts from within. What does creating from within look like? Sound like? Feel like? (from a child's perspective or from an adult's perspective)
Unique Fingerprint: As human beings, we each have our own unique stamp in the world. We are essentially alone in the world due to our uniqueness and it is okay to be in that solitude. But we are the same too and it is through these similarities that we are connected. We each have our own ability to have an impact and leave an imprint in the world. We all have the ability to serve and give. Each life is valued. Each being and spirit has value. Our logo's spiral is imperfect. Why? Because that is what makes it unique. What makes you unique? What makes you also the same? How can we elevate and support each other while being our unique selves?
Collaboration: This is the core of our centre. We value our community and what each individual has to offer. As human beings, we not only thrive better when we are supported by a community, but we need each other to share ideas, build upon ideas, and take action on ideas. When you know you are all connected, you are part of a collective. We not only empower ourselves, but we seek to empower others. We are here to create a new reality through collaboration. What brings joy to you? How can we support your joy without harming others?
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Natural World: Nature is filled with spirals. Look for the tornadoes, galaxies, snails, art, plants, etc. Nature exudes simplicity and complexity. There is beauty in the world when we choose to seek it. The energy that is generated from the spirals begins from within and expands outwardly. This vortex of energy is not only captivating but alive and listening. What can nature teach us about ourselves? Our world?
Connection: As human beings, we tend to lose touch of our intuition and our trust of nature’s gifts. Due to the great adversity of life, it is these innate gifts that need to re-introduced to our daily lives. We are more than just physical beings. We are beings who are connected to our world, our Earth, and beyond. There is beauty in simplicity and in simplicity there is complexity. When we find connections in simple things and complex things, we feel that there is something more than just living, but instead also being. What are these connections that you would like to explore?
Tree Rings: Trees represent growth and evolution over time. As human beings, we need nourishment and patience to grow into the person that we are to become or wish to be. Just like any living being and/or tree, it grows on it’s own terms and evolves over time. Remember, each year a tree is older, it grows another ring. Children grow and just like trees they require attention, care, and love! A sprinkle of patience, time, water, and sunshine goes a long way! Trees not only grow over time but they also provide life. We love nature and trees. What type of nourishments have you been shown or given while growing up? Do we all need the same type of nourishment in order to grow fruitfully?
The human mind always makes progress, but it is a progress made in spirals. - Madame de Stael Consciousness: We begin from our inner being and we expand outwards to the world. While creating many adventures, we will always have that connection to our inner being as our logo's spiral loops back. Hence, consciousness begins from within and we are all in each other's consciousness. By being conscious beings, we are conscious of each other's energy and impact on the world. We all have the ability to be that difference or to shape what we want out of life...but it always starts from and begins from within. What does beginning from within mean to you? What would your inner child share with you?
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