 |
June 30, 2010
Howdy Families and Friends,
How's your summer going? Who's been where, read what? I'd be pleased to hear what's happening with your family. Summer is a bit slower here (and I don't wear a tie!), but the building is still alive. That's a good thing! What's happening with camp?
 From Tobie: On a daily basis we'll have 120 campers coming and going -- mostly going. In June, for example, our kids have have had so much fun. From daytrippin' to the Zoo, to bowling and visiting the Pizza Farm to catching Shrek at the Chase, to swimming at the Y and visiting Kemper Museum at Wash U. More: from hunting for dinosaurs at the Botanical Gardens, to watching future thespians in Diane's Performing Arts Camp, to watching glass blowers and making tiles at 3rd Degree Glass Factory, mucho Mad Science, days of fishing and a trip to Cabela's at the Mills. From Photography/Science Olympics camp and all those great pics, videos and fun science discoveries to RiverKids and Naturalists camp. That was just the first three weeks of camp. We topped it all off with the SNOWCONE SLED.
|
|
 |
 Summer is a time for catching up on the building, doing maintenance that is best done when there are fewer kids in the building and for moving ahead with some improvements. Bill and his trusty crew have lots to do.
We're reducing the size of the "green room" (the theater room that is under the stage); this results in more space in our kindergarten classroom. No worries: the turrets will stay! We're also building a mini-stage in the Performing Arts room so that Ben and the kids can practice their theatrical magic there. Broadway, here we come! (In this photo, you see some of our Summer
Campers from week one of Camp Chameleon enjoying the shade before water
play and ice cream.)
 We're also installing 12 SmartBoards (so that every class, grades 1-6, will have one, along with a digital video camera), new cubbies and tack board for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades, new drinking fountains on the playground and second floor, new shelves in the art room, and a new projector and microphones in the theatre.
In addition, we are painting a couple of classrooms, and
there is touch-up painting being done in other classes and hallways. All
of the carpets and rugs are being professionally cleaned, and the tile
floors will all be scrubbed and waxed.
|
|
 |
|
 |
Technology brings it to your screen
|
|
What's happening in the art room at New City School? Wonderful things! Have you visited Shannah's SPATIAL BLOG lately? It's a visual treat. Click here: Shannah's blog
|
|
|
|
|
Summers are for fun -- and for learning!
|
|
 Our faculty has been busy. Just this week, a group of us met to watch the PBS DVD of Jared Diamond's classic book, Guns, Germs, and Steel. It led to a wonderful discussion. Last week a faculty book group meet to discuss Atul Gawande's book, The Checklist Manifesto. (You may recall me writing about it last year). Later this summer a faculty book group will meet to discuss Kate Stockett's book, The Help.
In each of these cases, the content is relevant to our work. Thinking about the issues that these authors raise will help us do a better job with out students. The content is made even better, though, by the fact that we interact with others about what we've learned. When it comes to learning, whether kids or adults, I'm a constructivist; that is, I believe we learn best and understand more when we create meaning for ourselves instead of just absorbing it. Sitting around a table with colleagues and discussing meaning and implications causes this to happen! (Guns, Germs, and Steel is my favorite book!)
|
|
 You can generate money for us every time you buy something at Amazon! Such a deal! Instead of going directly to Amazon.com, first go to our website -- www.newcityschool.org -- and hit any icon on our opening screen. That will take you to a page 2 on our site, and you'll see the Amazon icon at the bottom left. Then when you click there to go to Amazon, we get a percentage of the purchase.
We've used the payments from Amazon (the percentages we get when people go through our NCS link) to purchase three Panasonic Digital Cameras. Last year we used the Amazon-generated funds to purchase a laptop storage cart and LCD projector. So please do an additional click before you travel to the Amazon.com so that we can get a piece of the action. (Here's another Summer Camp photo. In this one, Missouri State Conservation Department employees are teaching our summer campers the tricks of the trade, during Mega Camp week one, "Gone Fishin.'")
|
|
Way to go, 2009-2010 sixth grade! They gathered 568 pounds of food which they donated to Operation Food Search.
|
|
|
|
|
Our staff members are our biggest assett!
|
|
 The most important factor in a child's education is the quality of the teacher. Knowing that, we give lots of attention to getting and keeping the best teachers (and keeping them growing too!). All of our staff members are important, not just our teachers, and we make efforts to keep them too. We're quite proud of our staff longevity.
As a way of celebrating our experience, we give longevity awards at
5-year benchmarks. Each year at the School Picnic, we award Griffin Pins. Five years here yields a silver Griffin Pin, people with ten years of experience get a gold Griffin Pin, and fifteen years here results in a Gold Griffin Pin with a ruby eye. Cool beans!
Twenty years at New City School results in a $2,000 grant to use for a trip, and staff members with 25 years of experience receive a named seat plaque in our theater. This photo shows our Griffin Pin recipients at the 2010 picnic. From left to right: Cheryl Roberts (board chair); me; Laurie Falk and Nina Nichols (5 years); Jami Dix (10 years); Joyce Lanos and Tobie Taylor Hudson (15 years); Susie Burge (20 years); Carla Mash Duncan (25 years). Thanks to all who joined me in applauding them and thanks to each of them for all of the work and skill and care that they have given to us!
|
|
| From Harvard University: Francis X. Shen ('90) is the co-author of a book, The Casualty Gap. The book's jacket says that it "shows how the most important cost of American military campaigns -- the loss of human life -- has been paid disproportionately by poor and less-educated communities since 1950." He is currently a Fellow in the MacArthur Foundation Law & Neuroscience Project. |
|
|
|
|
Another Kind of Diversity
|
|
New City again had an informational booth at the PrideFest Festival in Tower Grove Park last weekend. PrideFest is the annual LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) community festival and celebration. Thanks to our LGBT parent group, the Diversity Committee, and everyone who braved the heat to support us.
I'll zap another PL in July, and then the big back-to-school packet will be mailed in early August, both electronically and through the U.S. mail.
Stay cool!
Thomas R. Hoerr, Ph.D.
Head of School
trhoerr@newcityschool.org
Quote of the week, from Will Rogers: "The more you read and observe about this Politics thing, you got to admit that each party is worse than the other. The one that's out always looks the best."
|
|
|