Headlines -                                 September 21, 2012

Last night, I joined several of our teachers at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival at the State Theatre.  It’s a traveling show of short and feature films relating to the environment.   Some films carried a message of concern for the environment, while others emphasized the resilient and persistent nature of people committed to accomplishing good deeds. 

The feature film was entitled Mother Nature’s Child.  The film examined the benefits of unstructured outdoor play.  From toddlers to adults, we all reap significant benefit from spending time in the outdoors.  Nature’s classroom is ever-changing and this presents children and adults alike with a rich and diverse environment.  Our experience outdoors helps us to learn about cooperation, ingenuity and self-reliance.  Memories created outdoors last well into adulthood and provide for a richer experience than many other forms of entertainment.  After all, are you more likely to remember the camping trip you took as a child or the time you got the high score on some video game?  The film was enlightening and inspiring.  I am glad that teachers in our school also recognize the importance of outdoor time.  Recess provides many students with opportunities for creative play, and classroom activities and frequent field trips to parks and natural areas help our students connect with the natural world.  On the walk home last night, I began to think of how my outdoor experiences have been a positive influence in my life and  decided to go for a walk in the woods this weekend.  I hope you will join me.

Announcements
POTLUCK NEWS - HELPFUL HINTS FROM PAST EVENTS. The K-8 potluck supper is next Friday, September 28th from 5:30 to 7:30.  Buffet opens at 6:00 PM.  We'll have a big crowd, so please consider preparing a dish to share with 10+.  Bring place settings for your family - plates/utensils/cloth napkins (if you use them).  We'll provide juice, water, coffee, tea and cups.  It's really helpful if you arrive between 5:30 and 5:45 PM with your dish so our hospitality helpers can arrange everything before 6:00 PM.    After supper, we'll provide some family activities.  We'd like our teachers to have the evening "off" to relax and enjoy mealtime and socializing so we ask you to supervise your children both inside and outdoors.  This is a really fun event!  Please let us know how many in your family will attend.  Due to space constraints, the potluck will be postponed in the event of foul weather.

Speaking of hospitality helpers, we sure can use the help of 3 or 4 folks to set up tables and buffet items, prepare drinks, (arrive by 5:00 PM), and assist with clean up (from about 7:30 to 8:00 PM). If you can lend a hand, please let Lori Pacchioli know---  lorip@scfriends.org.

Field Day – Our all-school Field Day is scheduled for Friday October 5^th.  This afternoon of fun activities and games is planned and run by our 5^th-8^th grade students for the rest of the school.  Students will be mixed into multi-age groups and led by members of the 5^th grade class around a series of activity stations designed by the middle school students.  It is a fun afternoon of activities that builds community in our school.  Students should be sure to wear sneakers and bring a water bottle to school on Field Day.

Inservice Days – We remind you that our first faculty inservice days are scheduled for Thursday and Friday, October 18 and 19.  There will be no school for students on those days. We will, however, offer a child care program each day from 8:00 – 5:30. You’ll be receiving details about the program and registration soon.

Enjoy your weekend

Dan

Headlines - September 14, 2012

First of all, a big thank you to all the parents who were able to make the arrangements and find the time to attend our Back to School program last night. We had a very good turnout and I was very happy to see so many parents in the classrooms. I look forward to seeing all of you throughout the year in the classrooms, on field trips, and at special events.
Subbing
– Already this fall I have had the opportunity to be in several classrooms as a substitute teacher. I really enjoy filling in for our teachers as it gives me a great opportunity to get to know the students. Yesterday I was asked to cover Spanish in Tr. Nick’s 4th grade classroom. Spanish is not my forte and we exhausted my knowledge in about 2 minutes. However, I do have some experience in team-building and decided that building classroom community would be an appropriate use of the remaining time. I took the class outside and presented them with a challenge. They were stranded on an island (soccer goal) with a few life boats (hula hoops) and needed to get the whole class to the mainland (school porch) before the oncoming storm flooded the island. The catches were that students could not swim (extremely cold seas filled with kid-eating sharks) and that the life boats could only be moved when they were empty. With only five small lifeboats, I knew this would be a challenging task for any group to accomplish. Before the activity began, I gave the students a few minutes to talk and plan and, unlike many groups that I have observed, they used these minutes productively. They started talking right away and there were efforts made by everyone to be sure that all ideas were heard. They arrived at a potential solution and, after one false start, they ran it to perfection. I was amazed that this group of 4th grade students, in less than 10 minutes, accomplished a task I have seen adults take 30 minutes or more to finish. It confirms to me that our students, even at an early age, are eager to accept challenges and have the tools to work through them. Maybe it doesn’t happen all the time with every student but it was a real pleasure to witness this time.

Announcements

Potluck Supper
–The all-school potluck is scheduled for Friday, September 28th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Potlucks are a wonderful way for our community to come together in a relaxed and informal manner. Both events will be held in the Community Room. We hope you will join us to make new friends.

Field Day – Our all-school Field Day is scheduled for Friday, October 5th. This afternoon of fun games is planned and run by the middle school students for the rest of the school. Students in mixed-age groups and led by members of the 5th grade class around a series of activity stations designed by the middle school students. It is a fun afternoon of activities that builds community in our school. Students should be sure to wear sneakers and bring a water bottle to school on field day.

Enjoy your weekend.

Dan


"Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe" H. G. Wells