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.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
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
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/
"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/
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/
"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/
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.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Welcoming Fall with Moon Cakes and Lights
Just a quick note about an upcoming event!
My friend Linh Song works with the Mam Non Organization and they are putting on a most fantastic sounding Mid-Autumn Moon Festival on Friday, October 2nd. It's a wonderful way to welcome Fall, eat the most wonderful Moon Cakes and enjoy a breathtaking lantern parade (200 Vietnamese lanterns at night!) You can find out more about it here: http://www.mamnon.org/ Enjoy!
Mid-Autumn Moon Festival
Friday October 2, 2009
6:30-9:00PM
6:45PM (Teen and Pre-Teen Meetup)
Three Cedars Farm
7897 Six Mile Rd.
Northville, MI 48167
My friend Linh Song works with the Mam Non Organization and they are putting on a most fantastic sounding Mid-Autumn Moon Festival on Friday, October 2nd. It's a wonderful way to welcome Fall, eat the most wonderful Moon Cakes and enjoy a breathtaking lantern parade (200 Vietnamese lanterns at night!) You can find out more about it here: http://www.mamnon.org/ Enjoy!
Mid-Autumn Moon Festival
Friday October 2, 2009
6:30-9:00PM
6:45PM (Teen and Pre-Teen Meetup)
Three Cedars Farm
7897 Six Mile Rd.
Northville, MI 48167
- Mooncakes
- Crafts
- Lantern Parade
- Hayride
- Corn Maze
- Bonfire
- Facepainting
- Performers
- Storytelling by Frances Kai-Hwa Wang
- Breakdancers
- Pair of Bananas
Monday, September 14, 2009
Feed others with your brain
This is a site that is so geared to kids that like to challenge themselves and help out at the same time. My friend send me an email with a link, so I thought I would pass it on:
***
I just came across this cool site today. Many of you may have already
seen this, but I thought it was pretty neat. Basically you go to
www.freerice.com and you can take a number of quizzes (spelling, math,
etc) and for every answer you get right, they donate rice to those in
need (they are partnered with the World Food Programme)....the more you
know, the more they FEED.
I can see this being a great way to 'do good' and have fun with your
kids....and educate them about the world around them too!!!
***
Sounds like a cool project and a great way to get kids excited about using their brains for good. I love that idea: use your brain to help others. What a great idea!
***
I just came across this cool site today. Many of you may have already
seen this, but I thought it was pretty neat. Basically you go to
www.freerice.com and you can take a number of quizzes (spelling, math,
etc) and for every answer you get right, they donate rice to those in
need (they are partnered with the World Food Programme)....the more you
know, the more they FEED.
I can see this being a great way to 'do good' and have fun with your
kids....and educate them about the world around them too!!!
***
Sounds like a cool project and a great way to get kids excited about using their brains for good. I love that idea: use your brain to help others. What a great idea!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Begin the Beginning of a Journey Full of Light
Amid the bustle of this incredibly busy and exciting first week, I had a minute or two to gather some glimpses of what families are thinking and feeling about our community. So many of our children are new to S-K, and their excitement is palpable. Comments like "My child came home the first day and taught me what he'd learned in french, he's just soaking it up!" and "I have been amazed at the many conversations I've had with my child's teachers--already! How amazing it is that I can reach out to them with questions or just to check in." Other parents told me about the excitement their children felt about school. One student woke up at 6am every day dazzled with excitement about what lay ahead while another sighed "Isn't school WONDERFUL?" as she rested in the evening with her brother. Time and again, I heard parents say that this school feels meant for their child in all the right ways.
For students new and old, this is a tremendous time of discovery. Reading Renata's blog gives me chills when I think of the diversity of things students in her classroom took to explore last week.Walking through the lunchroom and seeing Ruth's diagrams of geometric patters found in North African art demonstrates the synergy in learning here. It's not just math or art or writing or science, each in their own separate silos. It is the weaving of learning across all of these disciplines, the warp and woof of a student's learning and the creativity and joy of discovery. (I suggest subscribing to all of the blogs, even if it's not your child's classroom--it's so exciting to see what everyone is doing!)
Leaving the picnic in the park today, I was struck by the faces I love seeing and the many friendships we have forged over the past year. But, I have a confession to make. When we were considering where to send David to school, I was anxious about not choosing our neighborhood school. "Will he still have friends in the neighborhood? Will he miss being able to walk to school every day? How will it be with him having friends all over?"...all of these thoughts would work their way into my mind on a daily basis. I was most worried that he would have to choose between a community at school and another in our neighborhood. Today as I watched my little guy race down the soccer field with teammates from our neighborhood team and then, not much later, defend "Water World" with buddies from school, I realized that my concerns were for naught as he truly has the best of both and, for that, we feel incredibly lucky.
So, thank you, again, for being part of this community of ours, special as it can be. Here's to an auspicious start to a really fabulous year!
Fran
For students new and old, this is a tremendous time of discovery. Reading Renata's blog gives me chills when I think of the diversity of things students in her classroom took to explore last week.Walking through the lunchroom and seeing Ruth's diagrams of geometric patters found in North African art demonstrates the synergy in learning here. It's not just math or art or writing or science, each in their own separate silos. It is the weaving of learning across all of these disciplines, the warp and woof of a student's learning and the creativity and joy of discovery. (I suggest subscribing to all of the blogs, even if it's not your child's classroom--it's so exciting to see what everyone is doing!)
Leaving the picnic in the park today, I was struck by the faces I love seeing and the many friendships we have forged over the past year. But, I have a confession to make. When we were considering where to send David to school, I was anxious about not choosing our neighborhood school. "Will he still have friends in the neighborhood? Will he miss being able to walk to school every day? How will it be with him having friends all over?"...all of these thoughts would work their way into my mind on a daily basis. I was most worried that he would have to choose between a community at school and another in our neighborhood. Today as I watched my little guy race down the soccer field with teammates from our neighborhood team and then, not much later, defend "Water World" with buddies from school, I realized that my concerns were for naught as he truly has the best of both and, for that, we feel incredibly lucky.
So, thank you, again, for being part of this community of ours, special as it can be. Here's to an auspicious start to a really fabulous year!
Fran
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