April 23, 2010

What's coming up?

April

23    Viewfinder Film Series

May

2   Spring Festival, Noon-4:00 pm 

3    Parent coffee with Vicki, 8:20-9:15 am, LS libraray

11-14   4th gr. trip to Seattle

17-19   3rd gr. trip to Whale Cove

19-21   2nd gr. trip to Champoeg

27   2nd gr. Portfolio Night

28   *No classes, Report Writing Day

31   No classes, Memorial Day

 

*After School Care Available

Note: New or changed items will appear in bold.

Celebrate Global Education with Head of School Lark Palma and Global Education Coordinator Spencer White

Global Education Themed Viewfinder Screening Friday, April 23, 6:30 p.m.

Special guests: Maru-a-Pula Marimba Band from our sister school in Botswana, Maru-a-Pula

6:30 p.m.
Maru-a-Pula Marimba Band
Schauff Circle (or the Upper School library if the weather is uncooperative)
Light snacks provided

 

7:30 p.m.
Viewfinder Global Film Series
note: the films were originally scheduled for the previous week

The evening is free and open to all.

 

Eye of the Leopard  (young audience)
Dereck and Beverly Joubert follow the life of Legadema, a young leopard in the Mombo region of Botswana.

 

Baraka
An incredible silent film containing images of 24 countries from 6 continents.

 

FLOW
Irena Salina's award-winning documentary investigates what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st century - the world water crisis.

 

Alethea
Since 1989 the local Turkish community in Bergama, Turkey, has resisted an Australian and Canadian joint venture to mine gold with a cyanide leaching process.

 

Hosts: Peter Shulman, Dan Griffiths, Eric Shawn, Nagme Karamustafaoglu, and Carter Latendress.

Article text

Notes from Vicki

How do you teach philanthropy to children?

The generosity and philanthropy in this community inspires me and brings tears to my eyes. How did you learn about the concept of giving to others? And how do children learn to be philanthropic?

 

We know that modeling is critical; likewise, giving children “practice” in giving is something we need to build into their world if this is a value we hold. And it is.

 

Sometimes this happens through our service learning work. Last Friday was our “Campus Day” where every Lower School student spent about an hour helping to beautify our own school campus. Students weeded, spread bark dust, worked in our school garden, etc. Our youngest students live in the “here and now” – so we try to keep our work close to home and make sure they can see the immediate results of their efforts. Think globally – act locally. One student leaned on her rake, with work gloves on her hands, and cheerfully exclaimed, “Now THAT looks so much better than before!” Third and fourth graders help pack food at the Oregon Food Bank on a regular basis. Whether they are sorting fruit or bagging rice, this “hands on” service work is a tangible way for them to help families needing more food. This generosity of time, done in the spirit of sharing, is a powerful way to give.

 

The Lower School raised an unbelievable sum of money to help survivors of the earthquake in Haiti. Granted, money is a little less tangible for young children; however, the student-initiated readathon gave each student the opportunity to do something that could raise money to make a difference in Haiti. A Mercy Corps volunteer spoke at a recent community meeting; her slide show SHOWED how the money was actually helping Haitians.

 

Children cannot give to others unless their own basic needs are met. Maslow’s hierarchy reminds us that if a child’s basic physical and emotional needs are not met, they will not be able to self-actualize and consider the needs of others in a sincere way. It amazes me that several of your kids have asked for donations for the Humane Society or another worthy cause - even our own school as we do important work ourselves – in lieu of birthday gifts. Bailey offered to cut off her gorgeous curly red hair to have a wig made for a cancer patient. I can go on and on with acts of kindness from our own little flock of compassionate children whose hearts are in the right place. Parents, you should be proud.

 

I recently read Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Pulitzer prize winning journalists. Research has found that presenting raw data of need – i.e. the HIV statistics from Africa – does not cause people to donate to the cause. Instead, they become daunted by what feels like a need too great to fill. So Kristof and WuDann decided to put a face on the needs by interviewing and photographing real people in real places. Their first-hand stories of pervasive human rights violations in the developing world certainly brought me out of my day-to-day world and challenged me to be more of a global citizen. “Women hold up half the sky” is a Chinese proverb; this particular book focused upon the oppression of women and girls. I share this quote:

 

“Social psychologists have learned a great deal about happiness in recent years, and one of the surprises is that the things we believe will make us happy won’t. People who with the lottery, for example, enjoy an initial spike of happiness but then adjust and a year later are not significantly happier than those who haven’t won.”

 

But there are a few factors that CAN affect our happiness levels in a sustained way. One is “a connection to something larger” – a greater cause or a humanitarian purpose. Most any meaningful initiative can provide a sense of purpose that boosts one’s happiness quotient. We are neurologically constructed so that we gain huge personal dividends from altruism.

 

Thank-you for finding ways to meaningfully teach our youngsters about giving to others. Planting the seeds now will nurture a generation of philanthropists.

Leaving

Teressa Barsotti, fourth grade Teaching Assistant, will not be returning next year, but instead will be off on other adventures. She would like all the families to know how much she has appreciated getting to know their kids and that she will miss them all.

 

Spring Festival - Sunday, May 2, Noon – 4 pm

Garden Club Volunteers Needed

The Catlin Gabel School community garden behind the middle school is expanding by eleven more raised beds this spring and summer. This will bring our total up to seventeen beds. In preparation for this expansion, the Garden Club is earnestly seeking volunteers to help them for an hour with the following tasks: stripping sod, digging in drainage and irrigation, and laying drain rock, cloth barrier, and cedar chips. Let’s channel some of that Rummage Volunteer spirit! Together we can do this. The finished product will be a beautiful educational, community space. Students, teachers, staff, and Catlin Gabel community members will visit the garden to raise food for the Barn, to learn art and science, and to enjoy a place of peace and relaxation. Please volunteer an hour of your time to help make our dream a reality. We need your help between May 6 – May 15. Please go to the main page of the Catlin Gabel website. Click on Quick Links, then Volunteer Opportunities. You will find hour-long volunteer shifts on different days. Thank you very much.

--Carter Latendresse

Catlin Gabel Garden Club

After School Care News

Lower School After-School Activities next week include: 

• Monday Chess Club for experienced Chess players meets in the Barn after School, 3:30-5:00 pm. This is the final session for the school year.

• Tuesday after-school Homework Club for 4th and 5th graders whose parents have made advance arrangements with Sue Sacks, LS Learning Specialist.  Students report to the Barn for snack before 3:30 pm. HWC is billed by the session attended and lasts until 5:00 pm.
 
• Wednesday LS Strings Ensemble and Spring Festival Playing Group will meet right after school from 3:15-4:00 pm in the US Choir room. LS Strings players who wish to perform at Spring Festival this year must be in at least their 2nd year of strings study and must attend practices on at least 2 of the following 3 Wednesday afternoon from 3:15-4:00 pm: The final practice is 4/28. Students should bring a snack from home. If not picked up by 4:00 pm, they will go to after school care.

This program is administered by After School Care.  To obtain registration paperwork, email Ginny Malm.  For questions regarding Spring Festival requirements and performance, contact Peggy McDonnell.

• Wednesday Individual Strings Lessons as scheduled afternoons.

• Thursday Chess for Learners meets in the Barn after school 3:30-5:00 pm. This is the second to last session for the school year.

• Fusion Yoga meets in the LS Library at 3:15-4:00 pm on Friday. This is the final session for the school year.

• Spring Robotics for Middle School students and 5th Graders continues this week for pre-registered participants.  

Also After School: Girl Scouts  The Grade 2 Girl Scouts will meet this week. Girl Scout groups in Grades 4 and 5 will not meet this week.

College counselors present free event for Portland students and families

College counselors Kate Grant and Nancy Donehower provide expertise and insight to Portland families who seek guidance about the college search process. This outreach event is a way for Catlin Gabel to share one of our strongest programs with students and parents who have limited access to college counseling services. The program is free and open to the public. Tell your friends and neighbors.

Tuesday, May 4, 6:30 pm
Hillsdale Library, 1525 SW Sunset Blvd., Portland 97239

Laptop Program Showcase

April 28, 5:30 – 7:00 pm, Upper School Library

Do you want to know more about the Upper School laptop program? How are laptops used for schoolwork? Should you buy a Mac or PC? What are the latest laptop models? How does purchasing through Catlin Gabel work? Learn all the ins and outs of the laptop program at the seventh annual laptop program showcase.

Discover the many ways audio and video tools introduce modern language concepts. View student film projects from the media arts classes. See how social networking tools are used in a variety of classes including English and history. Students, find out how you can participate in the robotics program and learn about computer languages taught in programming class.

Take the new Lenovo and Apple laptops for test drives. Talk to IT staff about the pros and cons of each model. Get the scoop on accessories available for purchase with your laptop.

Catlin Gabel information technology staff members will be available to answer questions and provide laptop ordering information. Light snacks and giveaways will be available!

The showcase is geared toward new students and incoming freshmen, current Upper School students, and parents, but we also encourage any interested students, parents, faculty, and staff to attend. You won’t want to miss this event! Please mark your calendar now!