Goodness Weekly 5.12.25

“Teaching is the greatest act of optimism.”
–Colleen Wilcox.

WHAT’S GOOD

Our community includes teachers from all over San Antonio, one of these schools is Camelot Elementary. Sunset Ridge Church and Sunset Ridge Collective have been partnering to serve the students and teachers there through Snack Packs 4 Kids, Camelot Christmas, and other special events. Last week, during teacher appreciation week, we got to serve lunch to seventy-five members of the faculty as a small thank you for all of their hard work for their campus.

One of our raffle winners from last week’s lunch at Camelot Elementary

If you are looking for more ways to get connected through service in our community, please consider checking out our volunteer opportunities here. We'd love to find out what you’re passionate about.

Resiliency in Rain

Linda Charlton, Director, Sprouts School

This week, we are sharing a message from Linda Charlton, Director of Sprouts School, our beloved neighborhood nature based preschool. This message originally appeared in her parent newsletter and we hope you find it as inspiring as we did.

It rained last week in San Antonio! We desperately need rain, the Edwards Aquifer is 30-40 feet below where it should be at this time of year. Our plants needed some rain if there’s any hope for the butterflies and birds to find nectar now and later in the summer, seeds. Plus if you were lucky & paying attention at just the right moment, you may have seen the birds or the squirrels or the raccoons frolicking in the puddles.

The kids needed the rain too. I love watching the kids play in the rain. I love so much of the learning that happens from playing in the rain. I love the sensory experience of rain falling on your limbs. This kind of play helps build the neural pathways from extremities back to the brain. I love listening to the kids explain what is happening, all the real time language growth while they are trying to find exactly the right word to describe the experience of water falling out of the sky in San Antonio. I love listening to them talk to each other, the problem solving around which is the best puddle and how many of us can jump in it at once and how to make sure we are all jumping at the same time and what will happen to the puddle if we all jump at once. I love the giggling that puddle jumping inspires. I love the preschool calculus (change over time) in action when the kids are noticing that the places where the rain has fallen are different from the places where it’s still dry or that the grasses in the park are bent over from the weight of the raindrops or that there’s water falling “in a river” from the shade cloths on the playground. These are precious and unique learning opportunities that come up rarely in San Antonio.

I also love to watch each child’s learning style come up when we are playing in the rain. Some of us play with abandon in the rain, some of us frolic like the birds and squirrels, some of us are more cautious, some of us can’t believe that it is actually ok to play in the rain and the mud. I love the kids that want to splash in every puddle. I love the kids that are really trying to see if they can jump so hard that the water splashes out of the puddle and over their heads. I love the kids that act the same in the rain as they do in the sunshine or the wind. I particularly love the kids that complain at first, “I am getting wet.” We say, “It’s okay. You are waterproof. You will be ok. You can change your clothes once we’re done playing and we go inside if you are uncomfortable.”

The best lesson of all that we learn from playing in the rain is resiliency. We can play if it’s raining, we can play if it’s sunny, we can play if it’s cold, we can play if it’s hot. We don’t have to wait for perfect conditions. We can always learn, no matter what the conditions are. A puddle to run through or sunshine on faces - both are opportunities to learn. We just have to reach out & grab them.

Or jump in them.

Depends on the conditions.

Peace y’all,

Ms. Linda

This Week

You're invited! Join us this Friday morning for a free event in partnership with CreativeMornings featuring our friend, Elizabeth Le’anani Coffee, Director of Storytelling at the H. E. Butt Foundation. Elizabeth will share insights on community, trust, and storytelling rooted in the Hawaiian practice of aloha—and how love for people and place can transform a city. Come by on your way to work for tacos, coffee, and an inspiring start to your day.

Friday, May 16th, 8:30 AM Creative Mornings SAT, Free Registration Here

Friday, May 16th, 7:30 PM Movie Night in Charis Park, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Coming Up…

May 26th, Office and One Another Coffee Closed, Memorial Day
May 31st, Beginner Watercolor Wellness for Adults, Exploring Metallics Limited Spaces, register today!

Every Wednesday, Mission Compost Pick Up
Every Saturday, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, Charis Park
Every Sunday, Worship at 9 AM and 11 AM

Event Rentals - Interested in hosting your event at Charis Park or in our facilities? We are currently booking for 2025–please email rentals@sunset-ridge.org
Community Partners: For updated schedules and events please follow One Another Coffee, Sunset Ridge Farmers Market, NYX Wellness, Scott’s Pizza, Mission Compost, Sprouts School, Good Acres, Community First Food Pantry, and Betty’s Co.