December 21, 2018

Celebrations

Traveling to Japan to support my daughter was an experience I will cherish forever. How lucky am I to return to a community who stops me to ask how they are doing and to welcome me home. I am humbled by your care and support.

Many of you asked me about it, so I promised to share. One thing that really struck me about the Japanese - they seize any opportunity to celebrate. They have their own cultural celebrations and then they fully embrace American celebrations. 

I paused to appreciate the purpose of celebrations - the wonderful sense of connection that is created between people. 

Enjoy the special days ahead - time moves quickly and these precious times will be memories you will hold in your heart forever.

Wishing you so much joy,

Ms. Deborah

My grandson,
Arlo Jameson Hargus

This is my daughter and grandson at Zama Shrine.
Japanese newborns are given a special celebration called
Hatsu Miyamairi
 to wish them
good health and a happy life.
A Japanese friend arranged this special celebration.

Deborah, Morgan, Arlo, Roosevelt and Ben

Kaori, my new Japanese friend, showing me the hat and backpack that first graders wear.
Kids in Japan purchase a backpack in kindergarten and use it through sixth grade.
I wanted to buy one to bring back to show our first graders, but they cost $600.00!

Three years ago Kaori's daughter came home from kindergarten and announced she wanted to learn English so she could talk to the Disney Princesses. Kaori said they would need to make an American friend to learn English. And so they did...and three years later they are both fluent in English!

 Lucky for me because Kaori arranged for me to visit her daughter's elementary school! This was a traditional, public elementary school in her neighborhood. I learned so much and was actually a little giddy being able to have a an authentic glimpse into another culture. 

Roosevelt, Deborah and Japanese elementary school principal

The racks where students take off their street shoes.

The canvas shoes they wear inside the school.

Students serve one another lunch in their classrooms.
This is first grade.

The playground.

Doing the custodial work.

Yes, I felt a little like Alice in Wonderland!
And... they made me take my street shoes off and wear plastic slippers.

Two story, cement buildings.

A sixth grade classroom.
I saw no technology in any classroom.
30 plus students in each class.

A sample of first grade writing.

First graders getting a bucket to wash the bathroom floor.

First grade classroom.
Look closely and you'll see they are making calendars for December

I was so shocked to see our holiday symbols.

Kids stay in their classroom and eat at their desks.

Student writing displayed in the hallway.

More classroom decorations.

Third grade classroom

Third graders sang a traditional Japanese song for me.

First graders playing at recess.

Look closely and you see bread! They get a slice of bread once per week - otherwise it is rice.
See the cloth mats spread below the tray? These are their lunch kits they bring from home. Includes a cup, toothbrush and toothpaste

They love everything American and Disney.

So many more pictures, experiences and reflections than could ever be shared. If you get the chance to go to Japan - GO!

October 31, 2018

Let the Good Times Roll...

Woo hoo and a huge thank you to our community! 

Together we raised $42, 000!  

We will be using those funds to off-set our transportation challenges!  Over fall break, an email was sent letting us know that transportation would not be able to transport our kids on their Winter Voyages. 

I wish I could tell you exactly what the plan will be. I am in conversation and planning with district leadership to determine the most appropriate way to move forward. We are looking at purchasing a 71 passenger yellow bus. This way, we will be able to transport an entire grade level. This has never been done in the district, so we are setting a new precedent, which means the process is slow!

As I know more about the plan, I will communicate how we will move forward. It is with so much appreciation that I thank you for the dollars raised to allow us to have the money to have a viable solution to the transportation challenges. We know the power of taking the kids out into the world - and we know this is powerful learning for them. We are so grateful to have a community so invested in supporting us when we have a need. We are committed to not letting the transportation challenges impact what we can do for our kids.

Costume Parade

Thank you all for coming to the Costume Parade today! What fun to see each of the students have their 'Tah Dah' moment showing off their costume. It is so wonderful to honor the joys of childhood.

A Mom First

My daughter Morgan, is having a baby...in Japan! I have arranged to take the month of November to go share this special time with her.

Costume fun!
Jenny and myself

Jenny Henry, a fourth-grade teacher here at Renaissance, holds a principal’s license. Jenny has generously agreed to cover the building while I am gone so that we do not need to bring an outside administrator in. Jenny will continue to be the primary teacher in her classroom and will have a full-time substitute teacher (Ms. Staci Teague, who designed our RAD t-shirts!) in her classroom for the full month of November. When something arises that would pull Jenny from her classroom, Ms. Staci will be there to take over.

While I will be supporting and helping my daughter, and soaking up the precious early weeks of my grandson's birth - I'll also be able to check email and stay connected to support the needs of our school. I will monitor those things that can be done remotely and Jenny will be in the building to take care of the face-to-face interactions. Please reach out to Jenny if you need her either through contacting the front office, or emailing her at jenny.henry@dcsdk12.org.

See you soon!

Deborah

September 27, 2018

Adventure Education...
Priceless

Our Fall Fundraiser is a big deal. Transportation for our Voyages and getting kids out into the world to act as scientists and historians is at risk. 

For the last several years support from the school district for transportation has dwindled - not because the district doesn't want to support what we can do for our kids - but because the district doesn't have the transportation resources. We purchased two white buses several years ago to off-set the challenges we were having at that time with transportation. What a blessing that has been. The two white buses are no longer enough. The future of this reality is bleak. This year transporting our students has been an incredible challenge. We have had to shorten the time frame of Voyages and have had to use our white buses, running back and forth to try to shore up the holes.

Our Adventure Education program is going to take a major hit if we don't raise the funds to address the transportation issue at our school level. The district is not going to be able to provide any of our transportation going forward. We are on our own to solve this problem. 

Our hope, is that the funds raised by our fall fundraiser (Renaissance Adventure Day - RAD), will allow us to lease a large yellow bus that can transport an entire grade level at one time on their Voyage and fieldwork.

I'm not sure this message is coming through strongly enough that our community understands just how dire the situation is. We have provided our students with messaging to share about RAD, however, the transportation issue isn't something that the kids can easily communicate. So, I wanted to share with you on an adult level, what is behind the scenes in why this fundraiser is so critical to our school. The kids know we are raising funds for our Adventure Education program because they can talk with passion about the experiences they have had and feel connected to the purpose and service of this fundraiser. They don't, however, really understand the critical issue of the transportation. I don't think it's something they should be worried about.

There is no question that we are committed to the goals and outcomes of Adventure Education. Indeed, it empowers them to believe in themselves and experience that they are limitless in what they can accomplish.  Let's not allow transportation to limit this unique and powerful program. Help us raise the money!

Adventure Education...
Priceless

When I checked today, we had earned $2,470.

We have a long way to go to hit our goal of $100 per student = $40,000.

Here is the link to the website where you can donate and pledge.

August 16, 2018

The Decision To Have a Child...

This is the quote on our conference room wall. It's there to remind us every single day what it feels like to be a parent.

I put it there. I'm a parent. 

(* Just in case you don't read any further - the purpose of this blog post is to announce that we will be offering a Love and Logic Parenting Seminar here at Renaissance starting Monday August 27th. It will last for five weeks. Look for sign-up information in the Newsletter this week.)

Thirty years ago I had three children at home. I was unprepared for how challenging it could be. I lost my temper. I threatened stupid things. I cried. I was embarrassed sometimes. And yes, somedays, I wasn't sure I even enjoyed my kids. Can I really say that out-loud?

What I lacked were some techniques for setting limits, identifying power struggles, some tools and words for 'teaching' my children. I only had the tools I could remember from my own childhood - and most of those were loaded with criticism, shame and fear. But I used them, because it was all I had...especially when I was frazzled.

It was about that time I came across some literature about Love and Logic and then attended my first parent seminar. It changed my life. 

I then attended seminars for teachers and administrators, and when we opened Renaissance we made a decision to be a 'Love and Logic' school. 

Sometimes we have a 'Visiting Teacher' (substitute) and kids will grumble to me that this teacher doesn't know 'the Renaissance way'. What they are really saying is, this teacher doesn't interact with me with a Love and Logic foundation. The substitute teacher isn't bad, we've just found a better way to guide students.

Parenting with Love and Logic is all about raising responsible kids. It's a win-win philosophy. Parents win because they love in a healthy way and establish effective control over their kids, without resorting to the anger and threats that will haunt them later through rebellious teenage behavior.  Kids win because at an early age they learn responsibility and the logic of life by solving their own problems. Thus they acquire the tools for coping with the real world. 

Why the terms love and logic?

Effective parenting centers around love; love that is not permissive, love that doesn't tolerate disrespect, but also love that is powerful enough to allow kids to make mistakes and permit them to live with the consequences of those mistakes.

The logic is centered in the consequences themselves. Most mistakes do have logical consequences. And those consequences, when accompanied by empathy - our compassionate understandings of the child's disappointment, frustration, and pain - hit home with mind-changing power.

Two parents from Renaissance attended the facilitators training in May with the purpose of being able to offer parent seminars at Renaissance. 

*We purposefully have greatly reduced the cost to eliminate that barrier. The cost for an individual parent, or the couple is $40.00 for the six-week course. (Compared to $120 for an individual!) *Child care will be offered for children potty trained and older. 

*The course begins Monday, August 27th and runs for five weeks ( August 27, September 10, 17, 24, October 1st )
from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm. here at Renaissance. 
*When you sign up you will get a weekly email reminder with a live link to sign up for child care if you need that. 

A second component will begin after this initial parent seminar. Those parents who have attended will then be invited to attend a bi-weekly support session to support parents in implementing these strategies, problem solve, and be a support to one another. Those dates will be coming soon.

This is going to be fantastic!

Warmly,

Ms. Deborah

August 10, 2018

Crew

On a boat, passengers are catered to. Their main purpose is to arrive at the destination with as little effort as possible. They are involved in the activities, but not wholly engaged in the journey. Crew, on the other hand, are responsible for the entire journey. They are engrossed in the activities of the ship. In fact, without their individual and collaborative effort, the passage cannot happen. 

Crew reach the same destination as their passengers, but their experience is significantly richer.

Author Unknown

* Thanks to Staci Teague, a mom at Renaissance, for designing our staff t-shirts! We will make them available to all of you very soon!

"What if students went to school with a mission, not just to get smart, but also to become a better person, and contribute to a better world? School could be a place of compassion and courage, a place of hope. I am a high school student in Chicago. My neighborhood has challenges; poverty and violence make life difficult for many families. But I have a privileged life. My privilege doesn't come from money or safe streets. My privilege comes from attending a school with a different vision of what is possible. Our test scores are good, but that's not the most important thing. Our work is beautiful, but even that's not the most important thing. This is what's most important: we work together to get smart for a purpose, to make our community and the world a better place."

These are the words of Ameerah Rollins, a student. These were the opening words I spoke to staff on our first day of this school year.  It's important to ground ourselves in the very core of why we are here; a call that drew us all to Renaissance. Moving outward from our 'why', we talk about 'what' we are; a school. We talk about the ten Design Principles that reflect the educational values and beliefs we share.
And finally, we will spend much of the year talking about the 'how' we do this purposeful work together... with our kids and with you.

A year ago I wrote a lengthy blog post for our community to share and explore our roots and beliefs. If you are new to our community, I really encourage you to take a minute and read that now. Even if you have been a part of our mission for years, grounding yourself in the heart of our work, will renew your passion and validate your choice to have sent your child to Renaissance. Here's that blog post.

Can We Change the World in the Kiss and Go lane?

 'Kiss and Go' lane in the morning : 

Yep...this is where you give a very quick kiss, and off you go.

If  
- you are getting out of the car,
- or your child is on the far side of the car away from the sidewalk -

 you are in the wrong place.

 Please park.  But not in the Kiss and Go lane!

If you need to watch your child physically walk into the building, please walk with them to the school, or watch from the parking lot.

Doing anything other than a quick kiss and driving away, creates a traffic flow problem and a safety problem. If this is a challenge, please give us a call and let's see what we can figure out to support you.

'Kiss and Go' lane in the afternoon:

Hmmm, the lane seems to be a parking spot? 

"If I get their early, I can get in the line and be able to pick up my student quickly and off I'll go."

 Hmmm. Doesn't seem to be working that way - or at least not the 'quick and off I'll go'.

I also know that it's frustrating because all the kids are not outside at 4:00 pm. We have our younger kids make their way outside first, followed by the older kids. I wonder if you watch for a few days if you can gauge about the time your child does appear outside? If they aren't one of the first to be outside, does it make sense to be the first car in the Kiss and Go lane?

I don't know of a school where this is not a problem. 

It feels so uncomfortable for us to have to approach parents to remind and explain the procedures. We worry it will jeopardize our relationships with you.

I wonder if we could solve this together?

The good news - dismissal is usually over in ten minutes!  In spite of our challenges, that is still incredibly quick for 400 students!

A New Procedure This Year:

Kiss and Go lane and Storm Dismissal:

The Kiss and Go lane during storm dismissal is for pre-arranged students. With very few exceptions, all of our community should be parking and coming in the building to pick up your student.

You received emails from your teacher about this procedure.
Families with babies have been identified and we have a list of students we will deliver to cars in the Kiss and Go lane.
We ask that unless you are on that list (you can call and check if you aren't sure) - you park. 

Thanks everyone for your understanding, and willingness to look at this from multiple perspectives. Everyone wants the same thing - to end the school day looking forward to the next one!

Big thanks to Meaghan Vandeloo, Emily Overman, Rebecca Espinoza and all our wonderful parent volunteers!

The Back to School Carnival was awesome!

So much fun!

Can you believe our first Voyage goes out next week!

Woo hoo! Here we go....

Have a great weekend!

Ms. Deborah

July 25, 2018

Welcome Back...almost!

Today was a good day on the river!

What? Time to return to school?

You bet!

We've all enjoyed the much needed opportunity to refuel 

and we're ready to do great things this year!

It's my dream this year that you and your students think of school as a place where communities of learners gather to do interesting work that matters. 

We are excited to help our kids learn, smile and belong.

We are excited to ask hard and interesting questions.

We are excited to try new things.

We are excited to change the world with care and curiosity.

We will be a champion for every kid.

It's time for some new stories of great learning

and a community rich with caring and curiosity.

It begins now.

 

In the spirit of inspiring you and welcoming you back - 

what could be better than this?

I know you are receiving lots of emails from teachers and the school. It can be a lot all at once! Should any of it be confusing, or overwhelming - just give us a call, send us an email, or come into the school and we'll help you out with it.

The on-line components can be confusing. Be sure to do them from a computer, and not your phone.

We don't send out a class supply list. We do ask for a 'donation' in one section of the on-line registration. This is important. This 'donation' allows teachers to purchase the critical supplies needed in the classroom at the beginning of the year, and throughout the year. A traditional class list would cost more and not allow teachers to be responsive to the needs of the kids and their learning.

See you all very soon!

Deborah