Instincts

Headlines - April 6, 2012

I like all animals but cats really push the limits. . .

We have a young orange tabby, Simba, who has yet to learn table manners and believes everything in the house belongs to him. Sometimes he’s amusing. A while back, he discovered that Anna owns an actual rabbit fur. I forget how she came to own it, but Simba is highly interested and seeks it out whenever he can. We have taken to hiding it in a closed dresser drawer. Wednesday morning I got up early and heard sounds of scratching and bumping in the other room. Being bleary and not quite awake, I decided to head down to the kitchen and make coffee instead of investigating. The noises continued for awhile and then stopped. Soon I heard a sharp meow behind me. When I turned, I found Simba with the rabbit fur latched between his teeth. He taunted me. So at 6:00 a.m., I was chasing my cat around the house trying to extradite the rabbit fur without waking everyone up. While this game of cat and mouse confirmed for me that I really like my dog, I had to appreciate the power of instinct. Our cat hasn’t set foot outside and only hunts paper balls, yet he knew the rabbit was the cat’s meow.

On the same day, I also had the opportunity to witness another type of instinct. This one involved one of our volunteers and the teaching instinct. Robert was in his granddaughter’s classroom helping with writing workshop. The children were working independently illustrating and revising their writing. Students were spread throughout the classroom. Teacher Sunna was working with a few students in the hall while Teacher Michelle was having an individual conference with a student in the corner of the classroom. Robert looked totally at ease patrolling the rest of the classroom. I watched as he moved from student to student checking on their progress. He got down on their level, asked questions, and was genuinely interested in their writing. The children felt the interest and proceeded to share their work with him. During their conversations, he would ask key questions to get students thinking about their writing and to help them navigate any blocks they were facing. Watching him, I realized that I was witnessing another instinct; a teaching instinct in Robert. His ability to relate to the kids, assess their progress and help without smothering was remarkable. He seemed to be really enjoying his time in the classroom and I would encourage any parent or grandparent who feels the urge to volunteer in a classroom. I just hope none of you find the rabbit fur.

Announcements

Grandparents, Friends, and Family Day: Monday is our annual Grandparents, Friends, & Family Day at school. Visitors are welcome in classrooms from 9:00 – noon. We’ll serve lunch to our guests at noon in the Community Room. (Students should bring their regular packed lunch.)

Chinese Club: We will be hosting a Chinese club for all 4th through 8th grade students beginning Monday April 16th and running for the next six Mondays. The PSU Office of the Confucius Institute will provide the school with teachers and resources for the program. They will lead the group in an exploration and introduction of Chinese culture, games, language and history. Look for a sign-up sheet in next week’s Friday folder.

K/1 Recycling Project: - Teacher Dorothy’s and Teacher Megan's class has begun their community service project. The class is collecting recyclable miscellaneous plastics that the recycling center has recently agreed to collect. The class will collect the plastics from each classroom and then take the recyclables to the Centre County Refuse and Recycling Center at the end of the year. While CCRRC will now recycle these materials, they will not be picked up curbside. Thanks for your help with this community service project.

Fun Fair – Coming SOON: Nothing beats the Fun Fair for a day of family fun, community building and fundraising for our school. Plans are well under way for another fantastic fair filled with games, crafts, animals, local foods, a silent auction, and so much more! Be sure your calendars are marked for May 5th, and keep an look out for more information coming via email and Friday Folders.

Summer Camp: This is a reminder to register promptly if you’re interested in our summer camps. Some are already full and the rest are filling fast.

Summer Maintenance Work: We’ll be hiring help this summer for maintenance, painting, and cleaning work. Please call if you’d like an application, and feel free to spread the word to anyone you know who may enjoy this type of summer job.

Please enjoy the Easter Weekend.


Dan