Thursday, October 29, 2009

Magic Carpet Concerts!

From our own Johanna Eriksson, a really cool event to check out!

The Magic Carpet concerts, Nordic Weave, at 10 AM and 12 AM on Saturday, are for children, featuring Scandinavian classical music. The audience get to draw on big papers on the walls in response to the music. Everybody should bring their own magic carpets to sit on! (Blankets, pillows etc. The seating will be on the floor). IKEA has donated cookies and drinks that will be served after the concert.

Ticket price $15 per family, at Kerrytown Concert House.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, I mean School...

Traffic was really a nightmare on Washtenaw today, clogged from 94 all the way up to Whole Foods.  I was sitting in my car realizing that I was going to be late, hating the traffic and cursing myself for having chosen this route instead of Packard when, out of the corner of my eye I saw a van pull up next to me.

I looked over and whose fantastic smile and wave did I see but Pare Gerou's, in her own car and heading to the same spot I was...and stuck in the same traffic! Now, I drive a car that many, many people drive and I, for one, never know what kind of cars other people drive.  Kids, yes, cars, no. But when she edged forward in her lane, I caught sight of her S-K magnet on the back of her car.  "That's it!" I thought, "I bet she recognized me from the magnet!"

Sure enough when we caught up with each other at school and I asked her how she knew it was me, Pare said that she'd seen the S-K sign that I was sporting with pride on the back of my otherwise typical car.

I have been reading a lot lately about "tribes", communities who share a sense of connection through commonalities, ideas, purpose and the like, and I am really drawn to the idea of identity, community and support.  Seeing Pare today brightened my dreary drive not only because of her friendly wave and cheerful smile, but also because it was someone familiar to me in a sea of unknown faces. I love that about our school. We are a tribe, we are a group of people drawn together because of our desire to educate our children in an open, thoughtful and compelling way. Our size as a school means that we are tight-knit.  When something happy or sad happens to one of our tribe, we all feel it in some form or fashion.  It's a true community, a family in many ways, a touchstone and a sense of belonging that is important to children and adults alike.

Wow, all of this from a magnet sighting on the back of a car?  Yes. That experience really gave me pause and made me think of how happy I am to know you, each of you.  I am happy to be able to wave at you on the road and have my kids smile when they see your S-K sticker in an unusual place (like at my daughter's daycare or in a parking lot downtown--two sightings in one week!). 

So, please consider showing your tribe identity and make a space for that magnet on the back of your car (and, wash off the metal first, they stick better!).  We have so much to be proud of at this school.  We are passionate, creative, curious and thoughtful people who have made choices and sacrifices for our children (and, by default, ourselves) to be part of this special community. We have fantastic faculty and amazing staff and caring supporters and alumni who are all part of the S-K tribe. And our children are learning every day to create their own sense of community by recognizing diversity and similarity, of tribe by understanding and supporting what they have and tending it. I am glad I am here, thank you for being here too.

See you this weekend at Curious Epicures. And ask the wonderful Susan Carpenter about how she uses tribes in her classroom.  Amazing stuff, worth exploring!

Fran 

Friday, October 9, 2009

Cool event tomorrow at UM: ID Day for Natural History

Here's something groovy tomorrow (Saturday, Oct 10) that your budding scientist might be into:

"Bring in your treasures and discover ours! Experts join us from the fields of paleontology, anthropology, archaeology, botany, zoology, and geology. Please bring your: shells; rocks and minerals; invertebrate fossils;Arrow heads; Shards of pottery; Vertebrate bones; Insects; Skulls; Seeds, leaves, twigs; Fish. Sorry, no appraisals."

http://www.lsa.umich.edu/exhibitmuseum

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Lunar mission on Friday, Oct. 9th!

Vanna Diptiman, mother of Veda in Mrs. Adhikary's class, wrote with this interesting piece of science to share:

"Thought that there might be a few other kids (and/or parents) at SK, who might be interested in the proposed double impacts of spacecraft on the Moon on Friday, October 9 on a lunar-water-finding mission! Sadly there is no local observatory in MI where the public can see the show. Regardless, more info is available at http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/05oct_lcrossvg.htm?list69285
including a chance to download a specatular slideshow."

Thank you, Vanna, for passing this on and please, other parents, share if you have something to post to the parent blog.  Together we will have even more fun and enriching things to share with our children.