Bright Water School

This Blog Has Moved

2012-01-27T12:40:00.000-08:00

The new site is here: http://www.brightwaterschool.org/blog/

January 23rd is National Reading Day

2012-01-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

The Twenty-One Balloons, by William Pene du Bois, is a thrilling adventure story

Each year, I spend two class periods per week teaching in one the grade school classes. In the past, I've taught fifth grade handwork, and sixth grade woodwork. This year, I am with Grade Two twice a week for 'Song and Story'. We do a little singing or flute playing together, and I spend the rest of the time reading while students draw. Sometimes Mr. Tiny, my dwarf hamster officemate, comes to visit and hear the story, too.

We began the year with Comet in Moominland, by Swedish-Finn Tove Jansson. If you're unfamiliar with the Moomin series, Comet in Moominland is an exciting place to start. Moominpapa at Sea is another good choice. At the beginning of January, we moved on to The Wheel on the School, by Dutch author Meindert DeJong. The second graders got quite a shock when they learned that the children in DeJong's book attended school on Saturday! They are learning a little bit about life in the Netherlands, and are getting some new vocabulary words ('dike' and 'polder'). They will get a better idea of what 'ditch jumping' is this week; it is one of the favorite pastimes of the children in the story.

DeJong and Jansson are two of my favorite children's authors. In my own family, we read to our son nightly from a very early age. As he grew, he moved from our laps to the seat next to us, and finally, as a sixth grader, he took over the nighttime reading himself. I hope you are able to celebrate National Reading Day with a child in your life by enjoying a story or poem together.

Snowy Friday

2012-01-20T15:17:00.000-08:00

This is what Bright Water School's front entry looked like this morning when I arrived. I went in to finish up some work and reset the modem because the power knocked us offline and remote email wasn't working. While there, I checked in on the classroom animals: three chinchillas, two fish, one rabbit, and one hamster were each quite cozy in their homes (if fish can ever be cozy), but did need a little refill of their food, so I took care of them. I'm looking forward to Monday when we can get back to normal! See you then.

A Little Solitude is Good For Everyone

2012-01-18T07:58:00.000-08:00

This Salon.com article, "Why Kids Need Solitude" was passed on to my by Grade Six teacher and former Waldorf student, Kirsten Dahlberg. It has some nice points about constant busy-work in classrooms, lesson content and structure, and how building distractions into schoolwork impacts individuals' ability to focus on tasks for long periods of time. In short, in many educational settings, students are being 'trained' to have short attention spans.

With today being a snow day, you may get a moment of solitude yourself. If so, maybe you'll have the opportunity to see what you think of some of the ideas presented in the article.

What Color is Your Smart Phone?

2012-01-12T13:42:00.000-08:00

Electronic devices have changed a lot in just a few years. Smart phones with touch screens abound, and rare is the person who has a mobile phone that functions primarily as a phone/awkward texting device. Netbooks almost got a foothold, but the launch of the iPad two years ago introduced the tablet revolution. E-readers were a novelty three years ago, and now, in many households, there are multiple e-readers. There is plenty to talk about regarding these devices and the evolving technology and media millieu. Think for a moment about what electronics were in your life four years ago and what you have now.

As a Waldorf elementary and middle school, BWS does not have computers for student use. We have media guidelines, and cell phone policies, and preferences, procedures, and pleas. We have conversations in parent meetings, bring speakers in who talk about media use and the education of young and adolescent children, and offer parents books, articles, and more. But the reality is, we get in our cars and drive home with a GPS on the dash, or a screen that pops down from the roof in the back of the van, or attaches to the seat. Our kids are on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. So are we.

'Screens' have been prevalent in American public spaces for a long time. They're at the airport, in restaurants, and in libraries. They can't be avoided. Which is why a Waldorf school is a wonderful oasis. The majority of students today are going to schools that are dominated by screens. This can begin in preschool. By grade school, most students are using computers during and after school for their work and for fun. Technology and screens are used without hesitation in the overwhelming majority of schools.

As a person born in the early 1960's, I remember three channels of TV, an occasional trip to a giant movie screen, and a film strip in class now and then (my favorite days!). I spent my teenage years in England, where TV actually went off the air at night, and morning
television wasn't instituted until the early 1980's. In fact, the BBC used to go off the air at the dinner hour so that families could eat undisturbed!

I traveled as an 'untethered' child when I wandered around my neighborhood with my friends after school and on the weekends. There was no cell phone for parental check-in. I had freedom to roam, get into trouble, and figure out how to get myself out of trouble. I had to plan things, such as where to meet people and when. I couldn't call my mom from the check-out line at Macy's and ask her to meet me by the back door. What good was all of this inconvenience and freedom? I built skills in problem-solving and organization. I developed independence and learned how to use public transport. I learned how to think things through and plan what I might need later ('Mom, I'll meet you at the front entrance at 3 pm.). These are valuable skills that children need to develop. They are just as valuable as developing an inner imagery, which is facilitated by limiting or eliminating 'screen time' for young children.

'Screen time' is not so simple any more. It's not just a case of 'turn off the tv'. It's really about technology in general, and so the list to consider is now longer than just tv, movies, and computer time. It's also worth considering whether your child should have a cell phone and when. What about an iPod, DS, or e-reader? What are the benefits of the devices that are available? What are some of the drawbacks? There can be interesting discussions about our technology choices and uses. About why, when, what, and how much.

It's undeniable that the list of postives regarding technology is long. My favorite form of internet 'art' is the creation of songs and pictures that are pulled from other sources. Just do an internet search for The Gregory Brothers and you'll see some things being done with newsclips that couldn't have happened without technology. So virtual public spaces can be very fun and creative. This aspect of group creation, of living art, whether it's LOLcats or the Princess Beatrice 'Hat Meme', can be clever and social.

If you're a parent in a Waldorf school, sometimes the message can seem like all screen time is bad. I think the conversation is wider than that these days. What types of technology do we have today, and what is appropriate for children and when? How can we help older kids with technology when they do use it? What do we, as parents, know about what children are doing with their technology time? How can we model a healthy 'technology lifestyle', and how can we help children develop one for themselves?

Walking the Path of Childhood When You May Feel Pressured to Run

2012-01-09T20:16:00.000-08:00

It's not easy to let our children be children. So often, children are seen as 'mini-adults', as if they are ready for driving their vehicle of life but simply can't reach the pedals. Most parents know that childhood is fleeting and precious, and we try to treat it with reverence and care.

But parents feel pressure, right from the start. What about the birth experience? What about breastfeeding? When did your child sit up? First word? Organic food? Enough food? Childcare? A safe neighborhood? The field of uncertainty is vast.

And then there comes the time for school. Academics are pushed earlier and earlier, despite research that this has many negative effects on children. So, you chose a Waldorf school. If you were able to join in preschool or kindergarten, you learned the value of play, movement, and outdoor time. You knew that out there, in other schools, kindergarteners were sitting at tables and learning how to do bar graphs, or flash cards. And sometimes, you may have had doubts about whether you were doing the right thing. You may have had talks with your teacher, spouse, or friends, about kindergarten and preschool. Ultimately, you saw your child fill up the wide expanse of childhood with exuberance and emotion.

The pressure some parents may feel begins to really take hold in the later grades. Parents may feel fear, anticipation, bewilderment, and anxiety. They may also (we hope!) experience great joy as their middle school student becomes more and more independent, gracious, and capable. If you happen to be the parent of an eighth grader, this is the time of year when you and your student may be experiencing anxiety about high school. Some may begin to feel anxiety about college.

Many parents experience bits and pieces of this anxiety beginning as early as their child's entry into fourth grade. It's easy to be pulled into fear-based thoughts and feelings around our children. Will they be happy, productive, and independent? Will they be kind and giving? Most of us can feel some level of fear as our children gain independence and begin to find their place in the world. But it is as important that our students be allowed to 'be here now', and live as sixth, seventh, or eighth graders, just as they were allowed their kindergarten experience.

Children who are pulled out of their developmental stage and pushed into a later stage are said to be making a withdrawal from the 'bank account' of their future. For example, young children do best when they are not asked to make decisions. Even something simple like 'Do you want to wear the blue coat, or the red coat?', has the effect of pulling the youngster out of today to take a little walk to the future, and make a withdrawal. Decisions are for older children and adults. The result can be that they end up with a very low 'bank' balance when they will need it most: those adolescent and young adult years in which they are meant to be developing independence.

Recently, a preschool class in Kent took a field trip to a college campus to show the children 'where they were headed'. This is an extreme example of the kind of pressure that parents and children are experiencing about the academic future. But there are many other, less-obvious ways that we pull our children out of their childhood on a regular basis, no matter what their age.

So when is the time to think about achievement and success, or college and career? Each family will have their own thoughts on this. It can be helpful for the adults in a child's life to be aware of where their children are developmentally. Children can't and shouldn't be sheltered from everything. What we can do is be aware of our own uncertainties about the future, and recognize them as adult fears. Remember toilet training? Or sleepless nights that seemed endless? You probably had at least one person say, 'Don't worry! Your baby will sleep through the night! Soon, you'll be lucky to get them out of bed by ten am!'.

Although it seems as though there is more and more at stake as children grow up, you have been building a path for them along the way. They will be able to walk down it, and, when they are old enough, they will run.

Diversity Question of the Month

2012-01-06T14:12:00.000-08:00

In our ongoing discussion and focus on diversity, the faculty question this month was "What are we talking about when we say 'diversity'?". Because the most usual way for adults to communicate is often to have a discussion, the Social Inclusion Committee, which is guiding this topic, utilized a written activity rather than hosting a conversation. We used a two step process, the first of which was a timed writing exercise in which we formed groups of three or four and wrote down our 'answers' to the question. This was done through words, phrases, full sentences, and even some diagrams. We then spent about ten minutes moving from table to table reading the completed sheets.

In our next step, we hung three large sheets of paper, each with a different category, and gave everyone a stack of sticky notes. The categories and instructions were:

New discovery: please add a thought or idea that was new to you
Common Themes: please note down any common themes you saw on two or more sheets
Wish: was there something that was not represented that you would like to see?

We then spent ten to fifteen minutes filling those three category sheets with sticky notes that held ideas gleaned from the group sheets. Finally, we took the remainder of the meeting to share ideas and talk about some ideas for the next diversity session in February.

Our diversity topic always sparks lasting conversation that lives on for days and, sometimes, weeks, after the meeting. This exercise was simple, and was an easy way to for everyone to get their ideas and hopes out in front of the entire group without hoping to have enough time for everyone to speak. Likewise, there can be much fruitful discussion after an exercise like this, and a multitude of topics for future discussions presents itself after such a session. There is an additional benefit in that the written sheets can be kept for future use in a way that conversation cannot.

This month, we will begin working on the school's Mission Statement with parents at parent evenings, and will likely use this technique because it is so lively and engaging. I look forward to seeing you!

Faculty/Board In-Service Day, January 2, 2012

2012-01-03T19:30:00.000-08:00

The faculty and board began the year by engaging in some practical and artistic work during the in-service day on January 2nd. In the morning, the full faculty prepared for our upcoming open house (this Saturday, January 9 at 2 pm) with a whole-group brainstorming exercise to highlight important points we'd like to convey about Waldorf education and about Bright Water School.

At noon, the full membership of both the Leadership Team and Board of Trustees held a half-day retreat with the school's Mission Statement as the theme. This included both artistic and practical elements. We began with eurythmy led by Melissa McCall and accompanied by Gust Burns. Our next hour and a half was taken up with an artistic activity devised by board members (some participants pictured at left). There were three components to the activity, two that were created with paints and one that was done using dip-ink pens, charcoal, calligraphy brushes, and pencils. Our final step was to write our current Mission Statement out for use in the second portion of the afternoon. Board members had prepared a large sheet of paper (with a colored border of course!), with lightly penciled numbers in place of each word of the Mission Statement. Each participant took one (in some cases, two) word to write on the sheet, using whatever medium they chose. This was a satisfyingly unique way to bring the Statement into focus.

After light refreshments we returned to the art room and discussed the process and the results of the artistic activity and then adjourned upstairs to work with the Mission Statement as the final segment of the day. Among the points discussed were:

purpose of a mission statement
founding intentions
age of the school
geography, and the role it plays
goals and ideals

A small committee will be formed to continue the work on our Mission Statement. You'll hear more soon, and the current parent body will be invited to participate in this endeavor.

Our group would like to thank the owners and staff of the Shafer Baillie Mansion. They generously donated the use of several of their rooms and facilities for the afternoon.

BWS Now a Full Member of WECAN

2011-12-19T13:30:00.000-08:00

This year, our school applied and was accepted for Full Membership to the organization WECAN, the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America. The process involved a self-study and a visit by a WECAN evaluator, who wrote a report about our school and our early childhood programs as a part of the application process. This was a joint effort between the EC department, and the office faculty, and was undertaken with the approval of the Leadership Team. You can find more about the process and what it means in the WECAN Membership Handbook. We're proud to be a full member of WECAN!

Upcoming Workshops

2011-12-16T15:49:00.000-08:00

In March, Bright Water School faculty will attend the 2012 Special Education Conference in Shoreline. Pedagogical Chair Trish Bondurant and Educational Support Teacher Marla Smith will attend all three days of the workshop.
Below are the areas of concentration. I will attend 'The Big Four':

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Evidence-based Interventions for Students Struggling with Reading, Writing, and/or Mathematics: Basic Reading & Spelling Skills (3 day course) by Nancy Mather, Ph.D., University of Arizona, Department of Disability and Psycho-educational Services
The Big Four: Central Auditory Processing Disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders, Dyslexia, and Autism Spectrum Disorders: What's New? What Can We Do? by Martha Burns, PhD, CCC-SLP, Northwestern University, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders
Developing Communication and Access Skills for Children Who Face Severe Physical and Multiple Challenges (3 day course) by Linda J. Burkhart, BS, Special Education, Technology Integration Specialist
Pre-Requisites Required for Developing HandwritingSkills: Multi-Sensory Techniques for all Children by Kimberly M. Wiggins, OTR/L, listenWRITE shineBRIGHT™

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Evidence-based Interventions for Students Struggling with Reading, Writing, and/or Mathematics: Fluency, Mathematics, and Vocabulary by Nancy Mather, Ph.D., University of Arizona (3 Day Course
Childhood Apraxia of Speech: New Research on Effective Clinical Interventions by Martha Burns, PhD, CCC-SLP
Developing Communication and Access Skills for Children Who Face Severe Physical and Multiple Challenges by Linda J. Burkhart, BS, Special Education, Technology Integration Specialist (3 Day Course)
Effective Strategies for Teaching Handwriting in the Classroom: Strategies for Teachers and Classroom Staff by Kimberly M. Wiggins, OTR/L, listenWRITE shineBRIGHT™

Friday, March 9, 2012

Evidence-based Interventions for Students Struggling with Reading, Writing, and/or Mathematics: Reading Comprehension and Written Expression by Nancy Mather, Ph.D., University of Arizona (3 Day Course)
Executive Function and Theory Of Mind: Moving on up to Higher Level Functions by Martha Burns, PhD, CCC-SLP
Developing Communication and Access Skills for Children Who Face Severe Physical and Multiple Challenges by Linda J. Burkhart, BS, Special Education, Technology Integration Specialist (3 Day Course)
Enhancing Classroom Learning Through Sensory Integration Techniques for Teachers and Therapists by Bek Wiltbank, OTR/L

Science and Creativity

2011-12-15T13:16:00.000-08:00

Board member Barry Shuman helped the Science Task force get creative yesterday morning when he visited the new science room. Barry imagined how best to form the main classroom and storage space, along with a special room for optics experiments. This will involve removing some walls, which means a fun work party for those of you who enjoy demolition work! We hope to begin the demolition in either the February break or spring break, dependent on removing some of the existing electical from the walls slated for destruction.

Barry also schooled us in a creative exercise designed to create the lists of equipment we will need, the best confiugration of the furnishings, and to delinieate specific space uses throughout the rooms.

In keeping with the theme of science and creativity, here is an interesting blog entry.

What's the Leadership Team Been Up To?

2011-12-14T13:01:00.001-08:00

The Leadership Team (see 'School Organization and Roles) meets every Wednesday afternoon for two hours to take care of some of the business of the school. Each Leadership Team member commits to attending two Board meetings per year. Leadership Team members are:

Trish Bondurant, Pedagogical Chair
Laura Crandall, School Director
Andrea Eichinger-Wiese, Salmonberries Lead Teacher
Mia Fioravanti, Grade Eight Teacher
Bryan McGriff, Movement Teacher
Cindy Weinberg, Grade One Teacher

Due to the demands of the eighth grade year, it is our group's policy that the eighth grade teacher rotate off the team in spring. A new member will be selected by the faculty to join the group after Ms. Fioravanti's departure.

Our group routinely reviews the policies of the Board making a particular policy the topic of review and
discussion in the month preceding a monitoring report. Monitoring reports are required by the Board of Trustees, and are written by the School Director according to a planning cycle that is determined by the board. These reports provide evidence-based assessments of school compliance with board policy.

Another regular part of the Leadership Team's work is to provide input and guidance for the Pedagogical Committee, as requested or as necessary. The Pedagogical Committee has worked on scheduling and reviewing grades teachers' evaluations, has formed their guidelines for membership to the Pedagogical Committee, and has finalized some extra elements for grades teachers' evaluations. The Leadership Team provided input regarding the last two of those three items.

Our group also writes policy or approves/vets new policies and proposals. This year we've looked a parent fundraising proposals, Sugar Plum Faire proposals, and we'll look at a revised field trip policy and procedure and a yearbook proposal in the new year.

Some of our most exciting work this year has been around School Culture, our Mission Statement and Core Values, and our new science room plans. We've brought these discussions to our faculty at our Thursday meetings, and continue with the theme tomorrow, when we discuss our school's identity further and bring our Mission Statement for review. On January 2, the Leadership Team and the Board of Trustees will ring in the new year by engaging in a half-day retreat to engage in work related to our Mission Statement and Core Values. I look forward to sharing the fruits of that work with you in the new year.

Regional Waldorf School Leaders' Meeting

2011-12-12T17:16:00.000-08:00

Today, I attended a meeting of regional Waldorf school leaders hosted by Seattle Waldorf School and held at the Seattle Waldorf High School. In attendance were school leaders from Tacoma Waldorf School, Whatcom Hills Waldorf School, Sunfield, Whidbey Island Waldorf School, Madrona School, Three Cedars Waldorf School, and Olympia Waldorf School. Among the topics we discussed were areas of future collaboration, and the region's relationship to The Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA).

Possible areas of collaboration within our region are mentoring and evaluation, shared adult education events, and shared faculty events.
Last year, Seattle Waldorf School hosted a
session with Christof Wiechert during faculty review days and invited faculty from area schools to attend. SWS would again like to host something like this for the region during the month of June, in the week that most schools hold their review day meetings.

Another point of potential collaboration is adult education evenings. Our school is hoping to partner with Seattle Waldorf School in hosting an adult education event this academic year.

Effective communication between the school and parents was also a topic of interest, and schools shared some successes they have had such as:

having alumni students be involved in the school in some way
parent teas hosted by the Head of Administration and Head of Pedagogy
small weekly email updates to complement a twice-monthly newsletter

The hottest topic on the docket was the discussion of AWSNA and its role in our region. The Pacific Northwest has the largest number of developing schools in the country. Tim Morrissey, Dean of Education at Tacoma Waldorf School, is the Regional Coordinator for AWSNA. Tim noted down questions about AWSNA's budget and operations, to be brought the January meeting of the Leadership Council and Board of AWSNA.

Finally, we ended with a discussion of the High School, and its importance to all of our regional elementary schools. Reiterating that a Waldorf education is meant to be through Grade 12, ideas were shared about how our schools could support the Seattle Waldorf High School as an institution that belongs to our region, and serves all of our schools.

Our next meeting will be before the February break. Do you have a question for regional schools? Let me know!

Pogo A-Go-Go

2011-12-07T20:33:00.000-08:00

Grade Five is featured again today, as they enjoy the gleeful exuburance of pogo stick races with Movement Teacher Bryan McGriff. The pogo sticks were a donation from a grandparent and come in a number of different sizes to fit our grade school students. This morning at recess, kids were lining up for a turn. All of our grade school students are very thankful for this donation!

Winter Spiral With Seattle Waldorf School's Board of Trustees

2011-12-07T10:09:00.001-08:00

Seattle Waldorf School's Board of Trustees hosted a winter spiral for current and former board members and administrators of area Waldorf schools on December 5th. The spiral was held at Seattle Waldorf High School and was a welcome opportunity to build relationships between schools. This was my third winter spiral at SWS, and I always appreciate the opportunity to celebrate the season with beauty, light, and friendship.

On Monday, December 12, SWS is hosting a regional administrator's conference, during which we will discuss such topics as collaboration between schools and AWSNA membership.

Geometry Lessons Applied to Gnome Roof Construction, by Guest Authors: Grade Five Class

2011-12-05T13:42:00.001-08:00

Part of Grade Five with class teacher Beth Simpson and Handyman Dave DeShaw.

On Monday, December 5th, part of the fifth grade applied our geometry skills to the construction of the kindergartens' gnome house roof. To do that, we measured the radius of an arc to establish the roof's dome shape. Unfortunately, we ran out of tape measure space, so we determined the radius by means of a 'magical' string that ended up being the perfect length. To complete our task, we measured the string, which was 32' 1/2" long. Handyman Dave then asked us what the diameter of that arc would measure; the response was 65'.1", no sweat!--Grade Five

Below is an additional shot of the gnome house under construction. This is a final phase of the renovation of Honey Hollow, paid for in part by the Fund A Dream at last year's auction. The house will have a 'green' roof, with plants growing on top of it. I'll keep you updated as the house construction continues. Thank you for your generous donations that helped us fund the renovation of the playspace for our youngest students.

Workshops: Differentiation in a Brain-Friendly Classroom

2011-12-03T07:29:00.001-08:00

On Friday, December 2, I attended Gayle Gregory's workshop Differentiation in a Brain-Friendly Classroom with Pedagogical Chair Trish Bondurant and two members of the Education Support committee, Nazneen Kateli-D'Souza (Grade Three Teacher), and Marla Smith (Education Support Teacher). Hosted by Hamlin Robinson School, this day-long workshop provided educators with practical tools
and ideas for creating a classroom that invites student participation and maximizes student success, making success less dependent on skill level.

What is differentiated instruction?

flexible grouping
student-centered
based on readiness
for all learners
changing all the time
meeting individual/personal student needs

What differentiated instruction is NOT:

tracking
a new strategy
static
teaching to the middle
lowering the bar

What is differentiated?

content and materials
process and stategies
assessment and assignment

Waldorf education, deeply invested in creating thinkers who seek to understand, rather than test-takers who can 'get it right', seems naturally suited to optimizing differentiation. To illustrate the importance of sparking student understanding, Ms. Gregory showed us a paragraph about the Montillation of Traxoline (this is incorporated in an interesting blog entry--if you'd like to just see the paragraph, click here). It's easy to see the absurdity of trying to memorize facts that have been presented without any opportunity for students to understand the material through any other methods. She humorously referred to this type of learning as 'sit-git-spit-fergit', and I'm sure many of us spent hours of our school life doing just that, rather than acquiring a real understanding of our subject matter. On the flipside, we watched veteran teacher Kay Toliver (video above) inspire her students to succeed by creating a classroom that was fun, safe to make mistakes in, and allowed for a high level of student participation.

While some of the material presented was not new to us (and reinforced what a great method Waldorf education is!), we did get new ideas for enhancing collaborative and group learning throughout the grades. A productive classroom uses a mix of whole-class instruction, individual work, paired work, and small group work. We found new ideas for paired and small group work, and are excited to pass on some of the methods to our colleagues. Of great value were some practical, easy ways to assess student understanding and skill level without testing or singling out. When teachers know where gaps in understanding and skills are, their lessons can be more targeted for student success. Grouping students in heterogeneous groups is more effective than homogeneous groupings.

As much as we need quiet sometimes in the classroom, giving kids the opportunity to talk fuels learning. Small group work allows students to ask a question more easily--it's more comfortable for students of all ages to take risks in a small group rather than a large one. Small group work also helps build up the sense of safety in the classroom, and can give students the courage to voice new ideas. Dialogue between students:

clarifies thoughts
allows misconceptions to emerge
strengthens language patterns
develops vocabulary
deepens concepts
assesses skills (teacher can overhear misconceptions)

Cooperative learning:

improves retention
builds social skills
allows for differentiation

Best scenarios for differentiation:

discussion
practice
peer teaching

Other Resources: Classroom Culture and Learning Communities,Gregory, Gayle; Chapman, Carolyn (2007) Differentiated Instructional Strategies: One Size Doesn't Fit All

You know how we love the topic of sleep!Here's a Frontline presentation on teens: click on #5, From Zzz's to A's.

Connecting With Area Schools--Annie Wright Schools

2011-11-30T20:13:00.001-08:00

It seems that many Heads of School in our region are interested in getting out to meet each other and tour other schools this year. On Wednesday, November 30th, I met with Christian Sullivan, the Headmaster of Annie Wright Schools in Tacoma. We toured the school and discussed governance models, board work, faculty committees, and fundraising. Annie Wright Schools, which has a co-ed Prek-8 school and a girls-only upper school, has just introduced a five-day boarding option in an effort to attract more regional students to round out their mix of international students who board seven days a week. The school hosts a Scholar Search event in January to acquaint prospective high school students with the school.

Our next school visitors are faculty from Hamlin Robinson School, who will take part in an Educator's Tour, a special event hosted by Vivian Syme. My next meeting with Seattle Waldorf School's Director of Administration Tracy Bennett is Monday, December 5th. On Monday, December 12th, I will attend a meeting of regional Waldorf school administrators hosted by Seattle Waldorf School.

A Virtual Tour of the New Science Room: Planning Begins

2011-11-28T18:24:00.001-08:00

During Parent/Teacher conferences, the Science Task Force met and discussed equipment procurement, science curriculum, and began planning the new science room. The space is quite large, and is divided up into a number of smaller rooms. The area we are moving into used to be part of the photo lab when Cornish College of the Arts was in residence here.

You can see the eye wash on the right, just below the 'safety' bulletin board: this room was meant for science!

This area was for making photo prints. There are two of these rooms. Lighting upgrade is needed here.

Another shot of the photo print area--plenty of wall sockets available here. Lighting upgrades are needed here.

Also in the photo print area, on the opposite wall. This enclosure was for the big sink that held the developer, fixer, and water baths for photo prints.

This black hallway will be an excellent place for optics experiments and demonstrations.

There are windows, too!

We imagine that this may be the chemistry section, with locking cabinetry above the countertops.

This room is undegoing a multi-day cleaning by our cleaning crew. Part of the construction of this room will involve removing at least one wall, installing cabinetry, appropriate countertops, and upgrading some of the light fixtures. We may want to preserve some of the darkroom aspects for possible future use. And of course, we will need to paint. We'll keep you posted on the work as it continues!

Culturally Responsive Classrooms--A Workshop by Rosetta Lee

2011-11-17T14:33:00.001-08:00

On October 24, four out of five members of our Social Inclusion Committee attended a workshop by Rosetta Lee entitled 'Culturally Responsive Classrooms'. Ms. Lee is a math teacher at Seattle Girls' School who leads SGS's outreach program. Some of her presentations can be found here. Social Inclusion members are: Laura Crandall, School Director; Lauren Kerr, Grade Four Teacher; Gust Burns, Eurythmy Assistant and Pianist, and Choir Teacher; Emily Affolter, Spanish Language Teacher; and Bryan McGriff, Movement Teacher. All but Mr. McGriff were in attendance at the workshop.

The workshop was so informative and helpful that the Committee made a request to the Leadership Team that we host Ms. Lee for our March 12 In-Service day. The Leadership Team approved the request, and our group will meet with Ms. Lee in the new year to talk about our school's diversity work. This will allow her to tailor our In-Service day for our school's needs. Some of the questions I developed as a result of the workshop that may provide good break-out discussion topics for the day are:

How do you influence school culture through your role?
Identity formation—as educators, we are responsible for co-authoring it. How can we support kids’ identity plans?
How does our own internal dialogue shut us off to or influence what we take away from the speaker?
What do I (we) communicate to students from our own inner monologue?
How can we increase diversity within the parameters of Waldorf curriculum?
What are age-appropriate ways to discuss culture and cultural differences? Mental Models—what is yours and how can you challenge it?
How is our (school) culture co-created? Are our classroom processes and projects allowing all kids to participate and shine? Is the path to success clearly delineated?
How can our classroom instructional approaches accommodate a wider range of 'codes and modes'?
Critical self-assessment of the school (fish in water)—what are the distinguishing behaviors?
What are we talking about when we say ‘diversity’?

A Snapshot From the Minnows Preschool

2011-11-16T13:10:00.001-08:00

Vegetable soup day in the Minnows class means plenty of work for all the students, and delicious results!

Connecting With Area Schools--Giddens School Visit

2011-11-10T10:10:00.000-08:00

I recently spent part of a morning touring Giddens School with Head of School Robert Kogane. Mr. Kogane and I first met last May at the Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools (PNAIS) Heads' Conference. Giddens School is perhaps most well-known for being one of the most ethnically and economically diverse schools in the area. As Bright Water School sharpens its focus on creating a more diverse school community at the student, parent, faculty, and board level, our Social Inclusion Committee and I will be reaching out to other area independent schools to make connections and to learn about any diversity work they have or will engage in.

Mr. Kogane has an impressive work history in education in the Seattle area. He has set specific goals for students and faculty, and is emphatic about providing both teachers and students with the resources they need to succeed. While Giddens School's classrooms are quite different in a number of ways from Bright Water School's, both schools have students who are actively engaged with their teachers and the learning process.

During my time at Giddens, Mr. Kogane and I discussed academic goals and benchmarks, financial aid, and diversity. It was from this conversation with Mr. Kogane that I saw an opportunity to make improvements to our financial aid program in an attempt to support families entering the school at the preschool level. Up until last week, financial aid was only available to families in the kindergarten if the child would be of first grade age the following fall. There was no financial aid in the preschool. While this made sense for our school once, as we look at expanding our economic diversity, financial aid must be available at the preschool level. I'm excited about bringing financial aid to preschool families.

As we finished up our time together, Mr. Kogane extended an invitation to our faculty to visit Giddens anytime and see the classrooms in action. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Giddens School.

Future Focus: Science News

2011-11-10T09:52:00.000-08:00

As a part of our ongoing focus on School Culture this year, the Leadership Team and the faculty as a whole have been looking at various elements that contribute to who we, Bright Water School, are. We are also looking at who we want to be. Thus far, we have been working with the School’s Mission Statement and Core Values, diversity, our ’branding’ (physical representation via brochures, website), and our programs. We will undoubtedly have more to tell you about this study as the year continues to unfold, and as we begin to move the work from who we are into who we want to be.

Before the new year begins, the entire faculty will review the Mission Statement and Core Values. At our January 2 in-service day, the Board of Trustees and the Leadership Team will engage in a half-day working retreat, some of which will pertain to the Mission Statement and Core Values.

In this study of School Culture, when looking at programs our Leadership Team very quickly decided, and the faculty agreed, that we would like to bring our science program to the fore. Bright Water School intends to be recognized for and known for its science program, and to provide an optimal science program for students. We also aim to strengthen our middle school. To that end, we have formed a Science Task Force. We have acquired an additional classroom, complete with lockable storage closets to keep equipment safe and organized. Having a dedicated space for middle school science studies will allow for the program to expand and deepen in a way that is not possible at present.

Currently, middle school science equipment storage is woefully inadequate, despite best attempts at organization. A dedicated science room will allow teachers and students to sink into science with more depth and space, much as having a dedicated woodworking room has been essential in forming the foundation of our sturdy woodworking program, and as our theater has been for our eurythmy program. Providing a proper space for experimentation and for equipment will allow faculty and students to fully attend to lesson content and thus enhance learning.

But it’s not just space and equipment that we will focus on with this endeavor. Professional development will fuel our efforts, and teachers will engage in appropriate trainings now and in the future. Another of the things we envision is to hold a science fair within the next five years. Our hope is that many area schools would participate in such a fair, not just Waldorf schools.

This is the beginning of what we see as a three to five year process. We intend to have the new classroom ready this year. It is because of our expansion and augmentation of this program that our auction theme is Science. We hope to get each and every one of you interested in and curious about our science program. Science doesn’t just take place in the middle school. Our youngest students are engaging in physics studies every day, inside the classroom and out. For the younger students, science equipment is shovels, buckets, planks of wood, and wheelbarrows. Students in preschool through grade three engage in ‘stealth’ science, whereas students in grades four through eight take up overt scientific studies of botany, physics, organic chemistry, and more.

Bright Water School has applied for a grant to help fund the start of the program and the set-up of the room. This may also be the focus of our fund-an-item at the auction on March 12, 2012. Below is more information about our Science Task Force. Please feel free to ask me any questions you may have about this undertaking.
Our Science Task Force is:

Beth Simpson, Grade Five
Trish Bondurant, Pedagogical Chair
Bryan McGriff, Movement Teacher
Laura Crandall, School Director
Ellen Davis, Operations Manager

The Task Force is responsible for:

designing how the room will be set up and used
inventory of current equipment
shopping list of needed equipment
costs of stocking the science program, annually, for three to five years
sketching out professional development recommendations

Time to Play: It's Fun and Fruitful

2011-11-07T11:24:00.000-08:00

Our Parent and Child class enjoyed circle time one recent, clear morning. There is plenty of play to be had in our Early Childhood classes: Parent and Child, Preschool, and Kindergarten. In the November/December issue of Scientific American, in an article entitled, 'The Death of Preschool', by Paul Tullis, the fruits of childhood play are illuminated. More and more preschools and kindergartens are bringing in academic lessons via lectures and tests, despite research that shows these activities work against the learning process and can be detrimental to later academic work. Although most educators understand this to be true, they feel pressured by parents and by standardized testing to show 'results' at an early age. Bright Water School's early childhood program protects the younger years and allows children to grow and develop as they were meant to: through play, movement, and exploration.

Waldorf Education in the News

2011-10-27T09:38:00.000-07:00

The New York Times Sunday edition recently featured Waldorf Education. Take a look at what other parents have to say about the relevancy of Waldorf schools today.

BWS at the Independent School Fair for People of Color

2011-10-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

Independent School Fair for People of Color:
The Bright Water School Admissions staff is looking forward to joining over thiry local private schools at the Independent School Fair for People of Color on Thursday, October 13th, from 6 to 8.30 pm at the Rainier Community Center. This education fair, begun five years ago, provides an opportunity for families of color to learn about private school options, opportunities, and resources. To learn more about the fair, go to www.ISF4POC.com .