Peek at the Week for December 17-January 7, 2010
December 17, 2009December 17-January 7, 2010
December
| 18 | 6th & 7th grade potlucks |
| 21-1 | Winter Break, no school |
| 31 | Calendar Year End Giving ends |
January
| 4 | Classes resume |
| 8 | Middle School Coffee House in Narnia, 7-8:15pm. Students only |
| 13 | Middle School Service |
| 15 | Last day to register with Mt. Hood Meadows for Catlin Ski Bus program |
| 18 | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, no school |
| 22 | Middle School dance, 7-10:00pm in the Barn |
| 25 | Basketball for 6th graders begins |
Notes from Middle School Head, Paul Andrichuk
On behalf of the Middle School faculty I’d like to thank families for their generosity around grade level activities, including St George & the Dragon, ERIC, and 6th grade knitting sessions, and this does not even include potlucks.
Have a safe and restful break!
School Supply Drive
Brittany Douglas, an alumnus from the class of 2002 will be traveling to live and work in Tanzania in mid-January. Before her departure she will be gathering supplies (see below) and coming to a Middle School assembly. The name of the US-based non-profit organization is the Tanzanian Children's Fund (TCF), which secures local funding for the programs run by the affiliated Rift Valley Children's Village (RVCV) in
Tanzania. The URL to their website is:www.tanzanianchildrensfund.org.
The Rift Valley Children's Village is a refuge for street children who have been orphaned or abandoned. At the village, the children receive food, shelter, health care, a holistic education and most importantly, love and nurturing. Sixty nine children live in the village, which is located in the Karatu district of Tanzania and
attend the local primary and secondary schools (funded by TCF and run by RVCV), with educational systems that are accredited by the Tanzanian government.
At an assembly on Monday, January 4th, Brittany will present some basic
information about Tanzania, introduce TCF and possibly show a brief
informational video from the website. Then she would like to encourage
the Middle School students to donate basic school and medical supplies
throughout the week to support the children of RVCV. Brittany has included a list of items that would be most useful at the village
and in the schools.
Tanzanian Children’s Fund--Supply Wish List
1. Children’s and infants’ over-the counter chewable medications (i.e. Tylenol
Cold and Cough, TUMS…etc.)
2. First-aid supplies (i.e. Band-Aids especially the larger sizes, alcohol and/or
betadine wipes, gauze, tape, antibiotic cream, hydrogen peroxide, q-tips…etc.)
3. Twin bed sheets, flat and fitted, and pillowcases
4. Quilts/blankets
5. Fleece clothing, particularly jackets
6. Rain gear, particularly jackets
7. Shoes
8. Sneakers
9. Pajamas
10.Socks, preferably dark colors (so the dirt won’t show)
11.Boys’ boxer shorts and girls’ underwear
12.Sweatshirts
13.Puzzles and other critical thinking games (i.e. memory games)
14.Arts and crafts supplies (i.e. construction paper, pipe cleaners, sidewalk chalk,
markers…etc.)
15.Sports equipment (soccer balls, volleyballs, shin guards…etc.)
16.Back packs
17.Pencils, pens, erasers
18.Notebooks, lined paper, and alphabet paper
Parent Discussion Groups:
Please join us for one of two books groups for parents, facilitated by Paul Andrichuk and Lynn Silbernagel, the MS Librarian. This will be a time to discuss parenting and learning for students at the Middle School.
If you are interested please email Paul with your choice. We are happy to order the book and charge these to your account.
Here are the books and short summaries of them.
Not Much, just Chillin’: The Hidden Lives of Middle Schoolers, by Linda Perlstein
From Publishers Weekly:
In contrast to the recent spate of books that focus on bullying (e.g., Rosalind Wiseman's Queen Bees and Wannabees and Rachel Simmons's Odd Girl Out), Washington Post education reporter Perlstein examines all facets of being an ordinary "tween." She discusses such issues as consumerism (according to Perlstein, 12- to 15-year-olds spend on average $59 a week, not counting money their parents spend on them); romance, which doesn't necessarily imply the couple ever spends time alone together; and the phenomenon of instant messaging-all to give parents of young children an idea of what lies ahead. True, much can be learned from reading catalogues and magazines geared specifically to preteens, like Delia's catalogue, CosmoGIRL! and YM, but Perlstein delves deeper into how boys and girls view life by tracking five students at Wilde Lake Middle School in Columbia, Md., a "rough" suburban school in an affluent area. Her subjects include the likable eighth-grader Eric Ellis, who is very bright and very bored, and seventh-graders Jackie Taylor, who is learning to deal with crushes on boys, and Elizabeth Ginsburg, whose favorite answer to her parents' questions is "nothing." There are also sixth-graders Jimmy Schissel, who is unhappy with his changing body, and Lily Mason, who worries about wearing-and doing-the right thing. In addition to details about the children's confirmations, bat mitzvahs, friendships and homework, Perlstein interweaves information about how middle-school children learn best and what parents can do to help.
Nurtureshock: New Thinking about Children, by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman
From Publishers Weekly:
The central premise of this book by Bronson (What Should I Do with My Life?) and Merryman, a Washington Post journalist, is that many of modern society's most popular strategies for raising children are in fact backfiring because key points in the science of child development and behavior have been overlooked. Two errant assumptions are responsible for current distorted child-rearing habits, dysfunctional school programs and wrongheaded social policies: first, things work in children the same way they work in adults and, second, positive traits necessarily oppose and ward off negative behavior. These myths, and others, are addressed in 10 provocative chapters that cover such issues as the inverse power of praise (effort counts more than results); why insufficient sleep adversely affects kids' capacity to learn; why white parents don't talk about race; why kids lie; that evaluation methods for giftedness and accompanying programs don't work; why siblings really fight (to get closer). Grownups who trust in old-fashioned common-sense child-rearing—the definitely un-PC variety, with no negotiation or parent-child equality—will have less patience for this book than those who fear they lack innate parenting instincts. The chatty reportage and plentiful anecdotes belie the thorough research backing up numerous cited case studies, experts' findings and examination of successful progressive programs at work in schools.
These will always run from 8:30—9:30, with the location TBA.
Dates:
Monday, 1/25
Monday, 2/1
Monday, 2/8
Monday, 22
Monday, 3/1
Catlin Gabel Ski Bus Program
The snow is flying and it’s not too early to start planning for this season’s Catlin Gabel ski bus program! The ski bus will roll out every Saturday morning for six weeks beginning February 6, 2010. If you are looking for a fun holiday gift for your 5th grader, middle or upper schooler, this may be the ticket. Sign ups and payments for these programs will be made online this year, but transportation by Catlin Gabel school bus is paid directly to Catlin Gabel and is an additional $150 for the six weeks. Please check the Catlin Gabel website for downloadable Catlin Gabel ski bus forms and a link to the Meadows online registration system - or click here www.catlin.edu/news/middle-school/catlin-gabel-ski-bus. The deadline to register is January 15th. Any questions can be directed to Kathy Sloan, Len Carr at ex. 406, or Chris Bell at ex. 403. Financial aid will be available.
MS Coffee House
On Friday, January 8th there will be a Middle School Coffee House from 7—8:15pm in Narnia. It’s a great event for Middle Schoolers.
The kids recite original poetry, sing, play instruments, and perform monologues. Riotous clapping follows each act. Sorry, the days of snapping are over. It all happens in the transformed setting that is Narnia. Tables and chairs are removed for couches, throw rugs, pianos and low lights.
Due to the size of the room, parents and guests are not allowed. Students should go home between the end of school and the beginning of coffee house. Please contact Spencer White at whites@catlin.edu with questions.
Books, books, and more books
Often this time of year, we receive requests from adults for gift book recommendations. Judy and I now create a yearly list with outstanding titles published in the last 12 months. We include the publisher’s age range to assist you, but we have found that our students read and enjoy titles both above and below these levels depending on their interests. This year and previous years’ lists are available through the Catlin web page by selecting Library Catalog in the quick links drop down. Once at the Middle School Library page, clicking on the book icon and then the “visual” tab will allow you to select the gift icon titled Holiday Gifts.
Happy Holidays and Library Cheer,
Lynn and Judy
7th grade RICE photos
RICE photos are available for online viewing. Many thanks to the parent photographers, hard working students, and supportive folk who made RICE a success this year. If you missed your child’s presentation, we have all the presentations on tape. Just contact Chris Bell (bellc@catlin.edu) to schedule a time to pick up the tape. For environmental reasons, it is not possible for us to make copies of the tape or burn to DVD. Here’s the link...
http://www.catlin.edu/classroom/seventh-grade/world-cultures
http://www.catlin.edu/classroom/seventh-grade/world-cultures
Winter Outdoor Program Trips Announced!
The Outdoor Program has several exciting trips planned for this winter. In January we are going to a fire lookout tower for the weekend and in February we have a girls cross country ski weekend planned.
For more information and trip descriptions, see the Middle School Outdoor Program website: http://www.catlin.edu/middle/outdoor/trips
To sign up, or for more information, please email Olivia Miller at millero@catlin.edu