January 27, 2012

January 27, 2012

Joy...always present.

Some weeks just feel like nothing is going right. We all know I had one of those weeks! Ha! And yet, as I reflect (thank goodness we have been trained to do this on a regular basis!), there is so much more that went right. So much joy at Renaissance. While I didn't get many pictures taken, I did pop into classrooms and without exception, I saw joyful children; joyful teachers; laughter; smiles; sharing; enthusiasm and love. While there were problems to solve, good things happened for kids and for families.

 I stopped in at a store this week. In the store aisle a mother and her son were studying the merchandise on the shelves. The mother didn't really notice me. The little boy turned to look at me and his eyes got HUGE. After his initial shock, he said to me, "Wow! You really grew big!"

Life is good.

Calendar

Winter Festival this Friday!
Starts at 4:00 p.m.

January 30 - February 3rd:

Monday,: 

* New Family Orientation 8:00 a.m.

Tuesday

* RTI meeting 7:15 a.m.

Wednesday

*Choir Performance

Friday

*  Evening Choir Performance 6:00 p.m.

February 6- February 10th:

Tuesday

* RTI meeting 7:15 a.m.

Wednesday

* All School Meeting

* Discovery 2/3 to Snow Mountain Ranch

Thursday

* Discovery 4/5 to Keystone Science School

Stewardship

Kim, our kitchen manager, is actively supporting the mission and philosophy of Renaissance. Kim has arranged with Nutritional Services to order trays and trash bags that are a corn starch based product that is engineered to biodegrade when placed within a designated trash bag. Yeah Kim!!!

Kim has ordered some trays,that will arrive soon, that she will place in each of your mailboxes a few days prior to when she will begin to use them. This will allow you an opportunity to introduce them and educate our students about how these trays will support our environment. Perhaps this could be a Morning Meeting sharing? 

It's important that when the kids see them appear in the cafeteria that they understand why we are using them and that it is one more way that our school puts ideas into action.

Thanks Kim for your leadership in this area!

Love and Logic

Did you know that Restorative Practices is part of the Strategic Plan under the topic of World Class Education? This is the new focus of discipline for our district. Great news! Love and Logic is tightly tied to this philosophy and we are in alignment with the district strategic plan! I want to make you aware of the vocabulary 'Restorative Practices' and just a snippet of how it is defined.

Restorative practices is a new field of study that has the potential to positively influence human behavior and strengthen civil society around the world.

Education Restorative practices is the study of building social capital and achieving social discipline through participatory learning and decision-making.

Here is a link if you would like to know more:

http://www.iirp.edu/pdf/whatisrp.pdf

There are also courses being offered through staff development if you are interested and if you are looking for credit.

February 16th from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.

February 22nd from 4:30  until 8:15 p.m.

Featured Folks

authored by Kathy Carter

Hi Renaissance Staff Crew,

I have really enjoyed reading and discovering so much about you all! Thank you for the glimpses into your lives beyond Renaissance School!

Facts and Info. About Me (Kathy Carter)

·      When I went into Goodwill on Sunday, the young man informed me that I qualify for the senior discount. At first I was elated (an even better bargain!). Then I was deflated (must REALLY be looking old!!!).

·      The children know that my hair has SILVER highlights (and never to use that nasty word grey).

·      Working with children is one of the very best ways to stay young (even if you don’t look it). They are so full of life, vitality, and the joy of being! My present mantra is, “What will make my heart sing today?” It is always about loving the children. When I love them they seem to grow taller and do so much more!

·      I grew up in working class Liverpool, England.

·      The English professor at college offered to give me elocution lessons so I would lose my accent (I declined).

·      Class sizes in Liverpool were approximately forty students per elementary classroom in the late 70s when I taught there.

·      For anyone who knows who the Beatles were: I once saw them pass by sitting on the top of a double decker bus and waving to people.

·      Fond childhood memories include Sunday morning outings to the Pier Head in Liverpool. My family always rode the ferry across the Mersey River and then we fed peanuts and stale bread to the pigeons.

·      On the first day of my first teaching position (at a residential school for severely handicapped children) the assistant principal led me to my classroom of eight children with a range of severe needs. Trevor showed me the students, and when I asked what to do he replied, “Anything you like. You can’t go wrong.” He closed the door and a strong student in a wheelchair pulled me onto his lap. I sat there trying to figure out what to do. Mark finally laughed, let go, and I began my career. I LOVED that job!!!!

·      My parents, brother, and two sisters all live in Europe.

·      I am the proud mom of three amazing young adults: David, Michelle, and Sandra. Of course, I could write volumes about them but I will just say that I am privileged to be their mom. They are amazing young people who have huge hearts. Spending time with my kids is one of the main highlights of my life!

·      The other highlight is being with my husband, Larry. We married last July (we eloped to Taos – just the two of us). Is it eloping when you are as old as I am? Larry is an artist who worked in graphic art for many years and is now focused on fine art (oil painting).

I live in Parker during the week and migrate to Larry’s home in Denver every Friday evening. We laugh at everything. What a gift to enjoy being together so much!

·      My dream job: teaching kindergarten. I feel like I won the jackpot every day!

·      I have taught in a range of schools and can honestly say that Renaissance is the most amazing, wonderful place to work. It even gets better every year! (I joined Renaissance in 1998).

·      Favorite book right now: Death is of Vital Importance, by Elizabeth Kubler Ross.

·      Favorite punctuation: exclamation point (kindergarten teachers LOVE to use them)

Thanks for reading!

                             Kathy

Peek Into the Life of Our School

Piggie and Elephant Skit

I warned you that I didn't have many photos!

What a blessing that I had the opportunity to view and photograph two of our special ladies creating such joy for kids!

I left smiling and healed!

WORDS TO COMFORT:

(Particularly helpful to me this week...)

YOU CAN SPEND MINUTES, HOURS,
DAYS, WEEKS OR EVEN MONTHS
OVER-ANALYZING A SITUATION
TRYING TO PUT THE PIECES
TOGETHER, JUSTIFYING WHAT
COULD'VE, WOULD'VE HAPPENED
...OR YOU CAN JUST LEAVE
THE PIECES ON THE FLOOR AND
MOVE ON



AND...OR

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!
DEBORAH