SEBASTOPOL CHARTERNOTES

SEBASTOPOL
CHARTER NOTES
September 2014
Monthly Edition
Notes from
the
Director
by Chris Topham, Executive Director
Student Initiated Capital
Campaign and New Campus
Update
During the first week of school,
Leila and Cleo in the 5th grade
class asked me if I would accept
a donation towards the new
campus. In my complicated adult head I first
thought how we have not yet launched an official
capital campaign requesting donations for the
new campus, but I quickly recovered and said, “Yes,
it would be much
appreciated.” So,
Leila and Cleo set
up a lemonade stand
at Safeway and sold
lemonade to the
public. On Wednesday, September 3,
I received $9 from
them. This donation
was quickly followed
by pleas that I use
the money towards
purchasing horses
New Campus Master Plan
for student
use at the new campus. While I couldn’t promise
horses, I thanked them heartily for launching our
student-initiated capital campaign, which didn’t
sound nearly as exciting to them as the horses.
Similarly, I was asked at our New Parent Orientation meeting when the school might begin to
accept donations for the new campus. I responded that for now we are emphasizing donations to
our annual campaign (pledge program), which we
rely on to fund our expansive Waldorf curriculum. I also pointed out that our pledge program
through the Charter Foundation has had such
wonderful success over the years that we’ve been
able to purchase our beautiful new site (with
the support of the Rudolf Steiner Foundation as
our lender), as well as set aside some funds for
the construction project itself. Under the expert
guidance of Kelly Kim, the school’s Development
Director, in the coming months we will launch a
well-planned, strategic, and official international
capital campaign to support the construction of
our new campus. (I say “international,” as I know
I’ll get at least a small donation from my mom in
Sweden.)
It’s been wonderful to hear the enthusiasm from
people regarding our move to a unified campus
in a couple of years. There have been many hours
spent by many people in developing the master
plan for the campus design. After garnering input
from the school community at several workshops,
from the new site’s neighboring residents and
businesses, from the
Master Plan & Design
team and their design
consultants, and from
the teachers and staff,
we have developed
a plan that lays out a
coherent, functional,
inspiring and enlivening
campus. We are now
putting together all of
the reports, drawings,
and other documents
for our zoning use
permit application,
which will be submitted
to the Sonoma County planning department in
the next few weeks. We expect that it will take
a year or so for the application to make its way
through the review process and for a use permit
to be issued.
We’ll keep you posted about the progress of the
permit – and of course, we’ll be counting on you
for contributions large and small when we begin
our capital campaign that will make this dream a
reality.
Maybe we’ll even be able to get those horses.
6th Gr. Geometric Drawings
September Issue Highlights
New Campus Update Pg. 1
Meet our Development
Director
Pg. 2
Three Streams of Student
Support
Pg. 3
Music News
Pg. 4
Festival of Courage Pg. 5
International Walk & Roll
to School
Pg. 5
Student Support
Corner
Pg. 6
Awakening Arts
Pg. 7
1Revolution
Pg. 8
Upcoming Events
Oct 3 - Festival of Courage and
All School Picnic,12:45 Early Dismissal at Ives Park
Oct 4 - 7th Gr. Rummage Sale
Oct 6 - SICS Board Mtg, 6p
Oct 8 - International Walk and Roll
to School Day
Oct 9 - Photo Make-up/Retake
Day, both campuses
Oct 13 - Columbus Day, School
Closed
Oct 16 - Enrollment Tour, 9a
Oct 24 - Halloween Dance, 7th &
8th Gr., 7-10p
Introducing Kelly Lord Kim
by Chris Topham, Executive Director
Meet our newest staff
member, Kelly Lord Kim,
Development Director, in
this interview with Chris
Topham.
C: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
K: Sure. I was born and raised in the Midwest (Illinois). I went to public schools from
K-12 and to college in Chicago. I moved
to San Francisco when I was offered a job
at Stanford about 15 years ago. I thought I
would be here for a couple of years, then
move back to Chicago, but it didn’t work
out that way. I met my husband here, and
we never left.
In 2006 my husband and I bought a small
property in Sebastopol. We began coming
here each weekend and I spent 3 summers
here. Slowly, over the years, we began to
notice how much we appreciated the area.
By this time, we had 2 children, and our
kids couldn’t play outdoors by themselves
in the city. Living here now, I can’t imagine
that life anymore, given how much my kids
thrive with this kind of freedom. We decided to move to Sebastopol full-time just
over a year ago, and it’s been a wonderful
change and a fairly easy transition.
C: What is your professional background?
K: When I was graduating from university,
I was only interested in working for a nonprofit. Most of my friends were going into
finance or consulting or into the corporate
world in some capacity, and I was simply
not interested in any of these careers. I
told my college counselor that I was either
going to graduate school or getting a job
in a nonprofit. A few weeks later, she called
me with an interesting proposition. She
informed me that there was a job in the
development office at Northwestern (my
college) that could be flexible enough that
I could also go to graduate school, provided I was admitted into Northwestern’s
graduate program. This way, I could both
work at a nonprofit and get a graduate degree. I took her advice, and it worked out
beautifully. I ended my academic career at
the master’s level, but I continued to work
in development. After working in the development office at Northwestern for many
years, I took a development job at Stanford.
I am also an “integral coach,” which is a
method of working with people based on
integral theory popularized by American
philosopher Ken Wilber.
C: What made you choose to have your
children in a Waldorf school?
K: From the moment I heard about Waldorf
education, I was hooked. Meeting some of
its students and graduates only confirmed
my interest and my choice.
I tried to get into early parenting classes
at the San Francisco Waldorf School when
I was pregnant with my first child, but the
school informed me that the classes were
already full with families who had (real)
babies. So I waited until my daughter was
9 weeks old to begin my education as a
parent in the Waldorf system.
I took early parenting classes at the San
Francisco Waldorf School until my daughter was ready for nursery school, and then
continued my learning in the classroom.
About a year ago, my family moved to Sebastopol and we’re now learning from the
from the many wonderful faculty members
of the Sebastopol Charter School (where
my son is a 1st grader) and from the
fine teachers at Summerfield (where my
daughter is a 3rd grader).
C: What made you choose to be a development director at Sebastopol Charter?
K: This is a hard question to answer,
Notes from
the Editor
by Carrie Heim, Receptionist
We are back! Welcome to the new school year parents,
faculty, and Charter School community. The children
are flourishing wonderfully, back together in the hum of
our busy, productive rhythm of school. I love watching
from my window as they gather from being outside,
whether after recess or games class, and seeing just
how refreshed and cohesive they look, faces flushed and slightly
out of breath. It reminds me of the way Steiner saw the whole
2 CharterNotes September 2014
since it wasn’t really my choice alone. It
was more of a co-creation between the
school, the Foundation, and me. But I would
have to say, from my perspective, it was a
combination of life circumstances and my
assessment that I could make a contribution to the school in meaningful ways.
C: What does a development director at
Sebastopol Charter do?
K: As we all know, the cost of a Sebastopol
Charter School education far exceeds the
investment made by the State of California,
especially since facilities are not covered
by the state. The Director of Development
educates the greater community of both
the needs of the school and the opportunities for investment to help bridge that gap.
C: The timing of creating this new position in the school’s 20 year history has a
lot to do with needing someone to lead
the fundraising efforts for the new campus, and you have a lot of experience
with this. Considering the school has not
had a development director before, we
hope you will lead the school’s development work in addition to the new
campus fundraising, which may entail
making a few strategic changes that
benefit the school community.
For our last question, if you could have
dinner with anyone (alive or dead), who
would you choose?
K: Rudolf Steiner? But seriously, while I
would love to meet Rudolf Steiner (why
not?) I would have to say the founders of
the great spiritual traditions -- Shankara
who rejuvenated the doctrine of Advaita,
Gautama Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad.
Some say that these are the most enlightened beings who have ever lived. I’m not
sure if this is the case, but I wouldn’t mind
being in their presence to see for myself.
child, fed by the necessity of a main lesson and subjects, but also
through movement and being with community. This month’s
edition reflects those topics as we prepare for our updated Festival of Courage and All-School Picnic this Friday, a wonderful
way to connect with our school community through a schoolwide play, service projects and a potluck. We hope you join us
for this event.
Also, learn about the faculty training with Kim John Payne,
celebrated family and school consultant, our wonderful student
musicians, how to participate in International Walk
and Roll to School day, and so much more!
How can I support Sebastopol Charter?
New Parent Welcome Tea
by Anna O’Neil, Pledge Program Manager
by Kelly Kim, Development Director
Greetings from the Charter Foundation! The school
has come alive once again, as the fall season brings
the changing colors, the start of a new school year,
and the excitement of making wonderful friends and
learning fun things. The changing of seasons also
brings an opportunity to reflect on years past and to
make plans for this year and for the future.
Thank you to all of the parents
who joined us for the New Parent
Welcome Tea! This year, we held
it at the K-2 campus, and over 20
parents attended.
Here are just a few simple ways to make a difference
for our school, our community, and our children:
• Participate in the Pledge Program and make a
gift by December 31 (TheCharterFoundation.org/
pledge)
• Sign up for eScrip (TheCharterFoundation.org/
escrip)
• Sign up for AmazonSmile (Smile.Amazon.com)
Thank you always for your support.
Three Streams of Student
Support
by Laurie Tuchel, 6th Gr. Teacher
Nine years ago, our faculty held a threeyear training with Kim John Payne on
Social Inclusion. This work described a
school-wide approach to social difficulties
among students. We began to adopt the
approach in our school.
Like so many of our approaches to
parenting and education, the principles
underlying our social work with the children are fairly simple. However, they do
require a shift in some of our automatic
responses. Social inclusion is based upon
the model of Restorative Justice. Rather
than labeling and blaming, it asks, “How
can we set things right?”
Our social inclusion work was inhibited
by the budget cuts of 2008. At that time,
we lost a full-time Pedagogical Coordinator position that provided organizational
support. Of course, much of the work has
been carried on by the teachers in the
classroom, but without the organizational
infrastructure, and with changing faculty
members, we have been limited in what
we can do outside the classroom.
As a school, we have also observed that
Also, special thanks
to Mike and Crystal
Doherty for the fabulous tea and coffee
from Sunshine Coffee Roasters
(http://www.
sunshinecoffeeroasters.
com), and to
Gillian Helquist
for her delicious baked
goods.
the need of children and their families
extends beyond the social realm. How
do we address behavior problems?
What about children who have academic
challenges? And some students seem to
experience a combination of the three!
This year we began a second training
with Kim John Payne. Kim has heard
our questions over the years, as well as
those of the countless other schools
he has worked with. He is helping us
develop an approach that addresses all
three realms (“streams”) in which students face challenges: social, discipline,
and care/therapeutic (learning support).
The beauty of the approach is that it is
comprehensive and collaborative. The
faculty works together to understand
how best to support the child. The eighth
grade student group (formerly the Social
Inclusion group, now the Student Social
Action Committee, or SSAC) is trained
to support students with a variety of
needs. Also, trained parent volunteers are
helping fellow parents understand the
principles behind the work.
You’ll be hearing much more from us
about these “Three Streams of Student
Support.” Here are some things on our
horizon:
•
•
•
•
•
^ : David Tucker & Nick
Sanders, < : Crystal
Doherty & Carrie Heim,
v : Daria Jacobs-Velde,
Sabine Tucker, Rochelle
Kelso, Crow Morgan
On October 24, our parent volunteers will lead a morning chat in the
assembly room after drop-off. We’ll
announce a topic soon. Please join us.
Some of you may be asked to join us
for a Support Circle, where teachers
and parents meet together to discover how to build upon the child’s
successes, both at home and in the
classroom.
You may be directed to talk to the
Student Support Coordinator about
matters you might otherwise have
taken to the director. In that case, I
look forward to speaking with you!
There will be a community meeting
in January to describe the Three
Streams of Student Support more
fully.
You will be invited to attend a presentation by Kim John Payne in the
spring.
This is an exciting time for us. I’m proud
to work for a school with this level of
commitment to developing the healthiest
possible environment for the children and
their families. I know it will take time and
education on all of our parts, but I do believe we will succeed as we strive to meet
the needs of the children in our care.
September 2014 CharterNotes 3
Sebastopol Charter Student Mentors Strings
by Cynthia Albers, Music Director
You may have seen her
on stage with one of the
Santa Rosa Symphony
youth ensembles, but
Miranda Ronan (Grade 6)
is also employed by the
Santa Rosa Symphony.
She serves as mentor
for the “Simply Strings”
after-school program,
providing free in-depth
music training to underserved students at Sheppard Elementary School.
Miranda Ronan, Gr. 6
and takes individuals aside for private instruction
when needed. She admits that her fluent bilingual
skills in English and Spanish are invaluable when
needing to instruct or discipline a student.
Miranda has observed a student’s eyes light up when
progress is achieved, and joyful pride from those who
run next door to the Boys and Girls Club to boast
of what they learned in Strings that day. Parent involvement is always key to the children’s interest and
success. Miranda and her mother Marcela, K-2 Spanish teacher, have both worked to inspire interest and
enthusiasm in the parents, with excellent results.
Congratulations, Miranda!
Miranda keeps an eye on
violin students posture,
Musicians to join San Francisco Orchestra
Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Orchestras
by Cynthia Albers, Music Director
by Cynthia Albers, Music Director
Special congratulations to violist Sophia Valenti (Grade 6)
and alumna violinist Sophia Conti (Summerfield Waldorf
High School) who were selected by competitive audition
for the prestigious San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. The SFYO is a pre-professional group that trains with
members of the San Francisco Symphony and performs at
Davies Symphony Hall. Following their full concert season,
the SFYO will embark on a European concert tour in
June 2015. Both Ms. Valenti and Ms. Conti were also prize
winners at the local Etude Competition in their respective
Junior and Senior categories.
Congratulations to Sebastopol Charter students Daisy Abbott, Anya Brink, Naia Dolan, Sevannah Dufloth, Adelina
Heath, Antonio Heath, Miranda Ronan, Kelsey Perlman,
Isabelle Tickle, Avery Reed, Jayna Snyder, Sophia Valenti,
and alumni Jone Bacinskaite, Koleah Bayen, Nic Casey, Sophia Conti, Jeramiah Kampmann, Amelia Malpas, Sophia
Patrascu, Oliver Rogoff and Ava Scura-Iseyama, who were
selected by audition for the Santa Rosa Symphony youth
orchestras. This tiered system of symphony orchestras
(beginning, intermediate and advanced levels) offers an excellent education and tremendous experience for students
who wish to add to, and indeed, reach beyond, their school
music work.
Please also note:
Santa Rosa Symphony Youth Discovery Cards are available
in the school office.
Discovery Concerts are open rehearsals where parents
and students may listen to how a professional orchestra
works. One pass admits one adult and one child to several
dates throughout the school year.
Sophia Valenti (pictured left) and Sophia Conti (pictured right)
4 CharterNotes September 2014
Events are held in Weill Hall at Sonoma State University.
Festival of Courage
Volleyball Season has Started
by Chris Topham, Executive Director
Come support our 7th and 8th grade teams!
Games are generally held on Monday and Wednesday late afternoons
(the full schedule is listed on our
school calendar). The first game was
against Summerfield Waldorf School
with our teams taking the win! This
year we have two co-ed teams with
lots of enthusiasm, some great parent
coaches and of course, our very own
games teacher Mary Schwall putting
7th Gr. Volleyball team
it all together. Go teams!
Michael taming the
dragon
I am excited to share with you
that the faculty of Sebastopol
Charter School has been working hard on a new and improved
Festival of Courage. In our
opinion, it’s improved because
the play now includes students
in grades 2-8, and it has a
stronger community gathering
component.
The play will take place
from11:45am-12:15p on Friday,
October 3, and you are warmly invited to attend.
October 3 will be a minimum day with dismissal at
12:45pm in Ives Park for all students in grades 1-8
(grade 1 will be there as spectators). Kindergarteners will not attend the play, however, kindergarten
parents are encouraged to join the community picnic
after their pick-up time.
It is a short and sweet play that tells a story about Michael. Many people are familiar with the tale of Saint
George slaying the dragon. Most Waldorf schools
(including charters) have made a modified story
that uses components from the ancient tale of Saint
George, but they have made the story about Michael
taming the dragon. Michael is known from ancient
times as a “great prince who stands up for the children.” Michael is mentioned as an important figure in
the Hebrew Bible, the Christian Bible and the Muslim
Quran, so he is not exclusive to one religion. The story
of Michael in Waldorf schools does not promote a
religion or any spiritual philosophy. It serves as a story
of courage, and it’s often celebrated in the fall as the
days get shorter and darkness creeps in. The dragon
in the story is symbolic for dealing with a challenge.
(Waldorf teachers often encourage each other “to
be Michaelic” when dealing with a difficult situation.)
Some Waldorf schools call the festival Michaelmas,
but we simply call it the Festival of Courage.
Parents of children in grades 1-8 are asked to pickup their children in Ives Park at 12:45p, and class
teachers will be responsible for the hand-off. Please
communicate to the teacher if someone else will be
picking up your child. Any students not picked up will
be brought to the Main Street campus, and parents
will be called for pick-up there.
As the Festival of Courage ends at 12:45pm in Ives
Park (with grades 1-8 in attendance), we invite you
to stay and eat your own packed picnic lunch with
the school community. We will have some vegetable
soup that the 2nd grade is preparing, in case you
forget your lunch. We are so lucky to have the use
of Ives Park, but we want to make sure to keep this
relationship, so we ask that you please try not to leave
a footprint and clean up after yourself at the end of
lunch. So, pack a wonderful family picnic, bring your
blankets or chairs, and prepare for a what is sure to be
a wonderful Festival of Courage.
Thank you for your support for this adjustment in our
calendar, and for our festival and community
gathering.
International Walk and Roll to School Day
by Paul Fritz, 8th Gr. Parent
On October 8th, our school will be counting the number of
kids who walk, bike or carpool to either campus and report
our total to the county walk and roll coordinator. We award
the ‘Golden Sneaker’ award to the class with the highest participation of walkers and rollers. We are also introducing the
‘Golden Hubcap’ award to the class with the highest participation of carpoolers.
In 1969, 48% of kids walked or biked to school. In 2009 that
number was down to 13%. Recent Walk and Roll days at our
school are right at that national average. But we’re above averPaul Fritz keeping tally
age, right? Let’s work on getting that number up.
Because our school attracts students from beyond Sebastopol, not everyone is close
enough to walk or bike directly to school. However, I’m certain we can increase our
number of walkers and bikers with just a little advanced planning.
To start, there are many reasons why walking to school is beneficial to our children:
• It helps teach children safe walking and biking behavior
• Since 1963, the rate of obesity has increased from 4% to 16% in kids age 6-11
• A child who lives 1 mile from school (a 20-30 minute walk depending on the age
of the child) can burn 5 lbs of body fat per year by walking and biking to school
every day.
• 75% of CA students are not able to pass basic fitness standards
• Travel to school accounts for 20%-30% of morning traffic and cars are responsible for 50% of the Bay Area’s greenhouse gas emissions.
• Walking to school boosts a child’s self-confidence
• Walking to school helps children develop a sense of independence as they are
allowed to walk and bike on their own
• Strengthens our communities by reclaiming our streets for people
• Exercise helps children stay focused during their lessons
Movement is an important part of our school’s curriculum. I know my daughter’s 8th
grade class starts every day by running in the park prior to sitting down to Main Lesson. It helps shake out the sleep and gets them ready to learn. Let’s help our teachers
by sending in our kids alert, awake and ready to engage.
My daughter has been walking to school since kindergarten. When we began walking
to school nine years ago it was amazing to see her strength and stamina increase. It
is about a mile from our home to the lower campus, and she walked at least one way
pretty much every day, rain or shine. The time spent walking to school was truly magical. It was a great opportunity to touch base, talk about the day ahead, explore the
plants and animals we saw on the way to school, and tell stories. I feel so fortunate we
were able to provide her that early experience. She was so proud when she was finally
allowed to walk to the downtown campus on her own. This experience also translated
into walking and biking to after-school activities and friend’s houses around town. I
am now confident that my 8th grader knows she can get herself safely around town
story continues on page 6
September 2014 CharterNotes 5
Student Support Corner
Notes from
by Laurie Tuchel, 6th Gr. Teacher
Q: “I have a question regarding my youngest daughter, who is
near Kindergarten age. While I know that mimicking is healthy
in a young child, at what point do you need to make the child
aware of their behavior? She came home from school mimicking a
classmate of hers, but it got to the point where her voice became
so elevated, and the look in her eye seemed a bit out of body, that
I said to her, “come back to me.” She looked shaken up, like she
came out of a trance, and crawled onto me crying. It was a really
strange experience, and I’m not sure how to curb it before it gets
to that breaking point. Any suggestions? Many, many thanks”
A: You’re right. Imitation is a natural, healthy developmental stage
in young children. That means that we adults have an enormous
responsibility to provide our young ones with actions and words
that are worthy of their imitation.
Mimicking is not the same as imitating, though your child has
probably picked up on mimicking by imitating someone else who
was doing it. Mimicry in a young child is a way of putting someone
else down. When we allow put-downs we are allowing socially
exclusive behavior. We can intervene immediately with young
children by letting them know, “ We do not talk about others
that way.” This educates your child about your family’s values. No
more needs to be said. If you do get a “Why?” the answer can be,
“Because it is hurtful. We use golden words when we speak of
others.” Of course, we must model this for them in all that we do.
Unfortunately, our actions speak much louder than our words.
Often, children try out behaviors at home that are perplexing to
them. Our response helps them place the behaviors they have
seen into a context. Perhaps your daughter was seeking a clear
guideline as to what mimicking others is, and her escalation resulted when she did not get it. How lovely that you took her into
your lap so that she could find her safety zone again.
The lovely thing about the interactions with our children and our
students is that they always give us a chance to try it again! They
repeat the behavior until we get it right. They’re good teachers.
Do you have a question for the Student Support Corner?
Email [email protected].
International Walk and Roll from page 5
without depending on her parents to drive her.
I think this is a lesson that will serve her well
for her future.
Walking and rolling to school does take advanced planning and extra effort on the part
of the parents, but the results are well worth it.
Here are a few suggestions:
•
•
•
•
•
Make lunches the night before
Lay out clothes for the next day the night
before
Pack school bags the night before
Give them a good healthy breakfast to help
give them energy for the journey
Plan your route ahead of time
Even if you live outside of town, you can still
participate in Walk and Roll to School day. If
you come from Santa Rosa, park on Morris
Street in The Barlow. If you are coming from
Forestville/Guerneville, park on Murphy St. to
walk to either campus, or park at Ragle Park
6 CharterNotes September 2014
the
Office
by Barbara Philipp,
Office Manager
We are at an all-time
enrollment high!
This year we started school with 286
students, more than
we’ve ever had before
at the school. Thank
you to everyone for
your commitment to
our school and your
children.
Our school directory
is almost finished
being edited. If you
have any directory
changes, please notify the office ASAP.
Expect directories
to be available by
mid-October.
When at the upper campus, please
make sure to follow
pedestrian safety
practices. Being in a
downtown location,
there is a higher
traffic flow and this is
very critical. We have
been getting calls of
complaints from local
residents who have
observed pedestrian
negligence from our
parent body.
Independent Study
submission is going
wonderfully--thank
you to all the parents
who are taking the
time to get these in.
Please remember
that we can only
accept them if they
are submitted before
school begins that
day. It is a simple
process that makes
a huge difference for
the school.
Please make sure that
your child is picked
up on time after
school lets out. Keep
in mind the construction happening on
Hwy 12 coming into
Sebastopol, causing
long traffic delays.
Students are allowed
to use the office
phone, but please do
not leave playdates
and carpools to the
last minute. We do
not allow students to
if you are only walking to the lower campus.
Coming into town from the south, park in the
Palm Drive parking lot.
The Walk and Roll team also wants you to meet
for a walking and/or rolling school bus. The
basic idea is to have several designated points
where students in the same neighborhood can
meet and walk or bike to school together. The
groups will be led by a parent volunteer. Please
contact Paul Fritz at paul@fritzarchitecture.
com if you’d like to help with a walking or
biking school bus.
The school will be counting our walk and rollers weekly. The first Wed. of the month we will
hand out pencils, and the class with the highest
participation percentage of walkers and bikers
will win the ‘Golden Sneaker’ for the month.
At the end of the year the class that won the
‘Golden Sneaker’ and the ‘Golden Hubcap’
awards will win a bike-powered smoothie
party offered by the Safe Routes to School
program.
use the phone to setup playdates, these
issues should be
taken care of before
school begins.
Our Lost and Found
basket is filled to the
brim! Please look
through it to claim
your childs clothing. Also, marking
your childs clothing will ensure you
get it back! We sort
through the clothes
just before Thanksgiving Break and
distribute clothing
that is marked.
The 7th Gr. Hot
Lunch fundraiser is
going great. Check
the website under
Forms and Publications for the October
sign-up sheet.
Our first Enrollment
Tour is scheduled for
Thurs., Oct 16. This
tour is for prospective families only, so
please spread the
word to any families
that might be interested in our school.
We will also be offering a raffle at the end of
the year for all participants to win a $200 credit
towards a new bike from West County Cycle.
Thank you to Nick Sanders, WCC owner,
school board member, and SICS parent, for
offering this generous contribution. In order
to qualify for the raffle, stamp cards need to
be filled out when you walk, roll or carpool
to school. Each card has 10 stars. When you
walk, roll or carpool one way, color, circle or
‘X’ through a star. Once you have completed all
the stars on a card, drop it in the basket at either campus. At the end of the year a raffle will
be drawn from the submitted cards for a prize.
Thanks so much for your participation in this
important program. Start thinking now of how
you can help your child walk and roll to school
Wed. October 8th. Maybe start out participating monthly, build it up to weekly, with the
goal in mind of allowing your child to walk
to school every day. Let’s get our children to
school under their own power and watch how
all the benefits develop.
7th Gr. Rummage Sale! Sat. Oct 4, 8 am-3 pm
-- in 5 days! Clear out those drawers, closets, garages and
basements, and bring us your BEST rummage for this year’s sale.
With Halloween nearing, it’s a great time to hunt for costumery,
so come on down to score your get-ups! We will be accepting
donations at pick-up on Thurs. 9/25/ and 10/2, and all day long on
Friday, 10/3.
Awakening Arts – a Waldorf Arts Experience for
Adults
By Mary Bowen, SICS 2nd Gr., 3rd Gr. and 7th Gr. Grandmother
Outside, it is a breezy Autumn day, the leaves are turning, the gardens
are heavy with ripe harvests. Inside the room, the tea is brewing, there
are flowers on the table and a quiet candle burning. It is a carefully prepared time and space for a nurturing and aritistic experience. But this is
not a Waldorf classroom. Adults gather here to paint, draw, sculpt, and
more. Some are adept at art, but most would not consider themselves
“artists.” Here, the process, not the product, that is important. If you
can draw a line, dip a paintbrush or feel the clay in your hands, you are
ready.
Our children are shepherded in Waldorf classrooms with stories, drawings, paintings, sculpture, movement , music and drama – a rich soil for
renewal and growth. As adults, some of us wish that we, too, could have
had such a wonderful education. Awakening Arts classes give adults a
chance to have this artistic experience. In fact, Awakening Arts is often
referred to as “Waldorf Education for adults!”
A number of themes provide inspiration for a class session: seasons and
festivals, temperaments, the four kingdom of nature, stories, biographies
of others or oneself, or the development of human consciousness. Each
session has time for pure observation - quieting the soul and seeing into
the natural world with new eyes. Then, plenty of time for creating, for
quiet, for focus, for beauty, using the same materials our children use in
the classroom.
Awakening Arts, also called Nurturing Arts, was brought to the United
States in the 1980’s by Maria de Zwaan, an Art Therapist from Holland.
The practice has grown, and many facilitators have trained right here
in Sonoma County in the past 19 years. For more information, visit the
web-site at www.nurturingarts.org.
As adults, it can be hard to find time and space to nurture oneself in
a deep way. Awakening Arts classes foster a life-giving experience that
nourishes adults in personal and social development. A quote from a
Nurturing Arts
participant: “This is the best kept secret in Sonoma County.....it is an
artistic soul bath.....a cleansing of the senses.”
Mary Bowen, M.Ed., is an Awakening Arts facilitator and experienced
Waldorf teacher, who has led groups for 24 years. Now semi-retired, Mary
still offers limited classes. New classes are forming: 7-week courses Wednesday or Friday morning (Oct 1-Nov 12 or Oct 3-Nov. 14) 8:45-12:00, $140
suggested fee. 3-session Saturday morning course on the Life and Work
of Great Painters, Oct. 4, Nov. 1, Dec. 6, 8:45-12:00, $90 suggested fee. To
register, contact Carol-Jean Boevers ([email protected] or 545-2153) or
call Mary Bowen (526-5667).
1Revolution: A Global Citizens Youth Brigade
by Paul Lambrecht, SICS 1st Gr., 4th Gr, and 8th Gr. Parent
Connections are being made in the
Sebastopol Charter community
inside and outside of the classroom.
Over 40 of our families have taken
part in my local not-for-profit 1Revolution’s school-year and summertime community-based experiential education programs. Merging SICS students on a whitewater
nature connection and wilderness rafting adventure
adventure, 1Revolution brings youth together with a developmentally appropriate team and skill-building curriculum.
“1Rev is the best,” says 5th Grader Paxton Gude, “you make
new friends and have fun times with classmates, too.”
This past summer, 32 Charter School students completed
either a 5 or 7-day program. Perhaps none is more qualified than Ayla Cimen to report on her experience based on
the three different trips she took part in this past summer.
“I learned a lot about myself. I learned to trust myself
and that I’m strong. I felt so alive.” Though participants
backpacked in remote places like the Trinity Alps and the
Desolation Wilderness, and whitewater rafted the Trinity
and the South Fork of the American, these place became
friendly and familiar as each group found its natural camaraderie and rhythm.
During the school-year, programs include Nature Immersion, meeting one-weekend day a month, the Thursday
After-School Club, and school-break trips. “Celia came
home totally grounded after each session. We love how
happy and comfortable in her skin she seems when she
comes home,” shared parent Jonas Goldstein. Participants
can expect a fun mix of adventure activities, including rock
climbing, nature-based skill building (i.e. making fire), and
plenty of time playing games and exploring our local wild
spots. “1Revolution is definitely rooted in community and
really encourages kids to know more about where we live. I
think our whole family feels a sense of belonging,” reports
Paxton’s dad, Bryan Gude.
I founded 1Revolution in 2013, with the mission to help
shape a new generation of global citizens. “I really appreciate 1Revolution offering these amazing programs, not to
mention doing it with a sliding scale that’s sustainable for
working families,” offers 1Rev parent Anna O’Neil. Scholarships are also available for all programs. My hope and wish
is to make life-impacting experiential programs and trips a
reality for families of all backgrounds and means. I suppose
our version of making a difference is to help people build
sturdy relationships with nature, themselves, and others
and provide real-world opportunities to try on and grow
those relationships.
To learn more about 1Revolution visit www.1rev.org.
September 2014 CharterNotes 7