Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (June 2, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            How does one begin to speak of the end?  This will be my last head message to you and, frankly, I am struggling with what to say.  It will, of course, be safe to remain clinical and give you specific data about my tenure here.  This is approximately my 238^th head message to parents since 2007, with just a few emails in between.  I suppose that I have repeated myself a few times and I will admit that I have gone back to retrieve earlier messages about instruction at certain times of the year.  This is because I believe that a school leader must not simply advocate the “flavor of the day” when it comes to best practices.

 Many of the things we discuss at our staff meetings are the same general topics that we discussed seven years ago.  This has worked out well and we know this because of developing research that appears in educational journals.  Many times, when presented with the latest “innovation” in an article, our teachers commonly remark, “We already do that!”  If you have been following innovations in education as long as I have, you will know that things have a way of resurfacing with another, more up-to-date title.  One famous educational author once exclaimed that he had been hit by the educational pendulum so many times that he has become numb to its strikes.  Another has said that there is nothing new under the sun in education.  A book on my shelf is called, The Art of Teaching by Horace Mann (1796-1859).  This little book is 31 pages long and contains most of what is embraced today as the way to teach children.  For example, one quote of Horace Mann is, “By leading pupils to discover for themselves, the teacher gives them a natural reward with every new discovery.”  Does this sound familiar?  So, be heartened that your teachers are where they need to be instructionally.  In fact, I think we are way ahead of where other schools are in preparing our students for that uncertain future that’s out there.

            The future – what does it hold?  For me, retirement is an exciting proposition.  However, I know that for a time, at least, my soul will be like Swiss cheese with 110 holes in it.  I will miss your children terribly.  I have known for many years that being with children, watching them grow, playing with them and listening to them is something that gives adults, and especially teachers, a joy that cannot be quantified.

 It has been an exceptional privilege to be the head of this school for the last seven years.  I leave hoping that I have made things better for you and your kids and for the staff.  I know that the future of GreenMount is bright and I will keep in touch in the coming years.  If you think of it, let me know how your children are doing.  My home email address is cb7sw@comcast.net. Thank you for all of your support over the years.  You have certainly helped to make this the best experience of my entire educational career.

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.  – An Irish Prayer

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (May 27, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            Where can I begin to describe how incredible our students are?  On Thursday, we saw a perfect example of what sets GreenMount students and staff apart from all others.  As I said at the end of the theme, I was blown away by the knowledge of art and the way it was presented by our students.

Many schools can boast beautiful art projects and equally wonderful artwork created by talented children.  However, in addition to that, our kids understand art.  They know the complicated history of so many artists and how they struggled to be recognized for their abilities.  When we listened to students describe the artists and periods they represented, it was clear that they had learned so much more than their names.  Our students understand the artists and understand what their work represents.  And then there was the amazing work by the children that was inspired by the masters.  This was the part that confirmed the value of our program, whether it be about artists, inventors, or those who have shaped our history.

We always tout the fact that our objective at GreenMount is to prepare our students, beginning with kindergarten, to approach life with an open, yet critical mind; to approach a changing society through collective problem-solving techniques and to shape their future rather than react to it.  Seeing the confidence with which our students present their learning and the pride they take in it continues to reaffirm that a GreenMount education is one that is very hard to replicate anywhere else. Thanks to all who attended the theme event and the support you have given to our program.  Your appreciation for what we do here is priceless and it means a great deal to all of our students.

            With only nine days left in the school year, we are winding down quickly.  Remember that our last day is Friday, June 6, and we would like you to help us arrive at that day in good shape for the summer.  Please check the lost and found (in a bin under the book return) and make sure all those lunch boxes go home.  We will display all left items on the picnic tables for the last five days, beginning on Monday.

Also, there is a lot to do over the summer and, selfishly, I would like to see most of it completed before I leave on June 30.  Would you like to have some fun with the power washer or get to see your art work displayed as a newly painted wall in the library?  Opportunities abound for lots of summer fun between June 10 and June 30!  A comprehensive list of summer “activities” will be published soon, so be the first to get those cushy jobs like cleaning out the trash shed before they are scarfed up by another ambitious parent.  Remember, our minimum wage is $20 an hour as calculated by the 40-hour requirement.  Where else can you “earn” that amount and help your children’s school at the same time?  Contact Heather TODAY to be the first on your block to pledge your services.  But wait, there’s more!  For the first ten parents to call or email Heather, something special will happen (not sure what yet, but we will think of something).

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (May 19, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            Can you believe that there are only 14 days of school remaining?  This year has just (what’s a better word than “flown”?) soared? Sailed? Winged? Raced?  I guess it’s all of the above.  We certainly spread our wings this year as we soared high above expectations.  We negotiated the changing currents of student interest as we sailed our way through three exceptional themes.  And while we were not racing anyone or anything, we find ourselves crossing the finish line in fine style.  It’s been a great year, and for some of us it is ending all too soon.

            At today’s Monday Morning Meeting, we again discussed the need for everyone to exercise patience with one another as we are left with these last few days.  The students are very excited about the theme event on Thursday, the beginning of summer vacation, summer camps, trips, sleeping late, eating whenever, couch potatoing, and running with scissors.  This excitement often ends up with short tempers among the students and/or separation anxiety.  Teachers too, in their final push to get everything done, don’t want anyone to keep them from their mission.  As the old military proverb says, “Lead, follow or get out of the way!”  Also appropriate is the Chinese proverb which states, “The person who says it cannot be done (in the time left) should get out of the way of the person doing it.”  These are good thoughts, but we all need to take a breath now and then to stop and appreciate where we are and what we have been able to do in just 170 days.

            I want to remind you that the theme event is on THURSDAY and begins at 12:30 p.m.  The plan is for the event to be finished by 3:00.  Basically, you will move from the gym after the introduction to several rooms around the building where you will be greeted by “docents” who will describe the period in art history you are visiting and the paintings you will see there.  It will be important that you follow the suggestions of the staff members who will be placed strategically around the building.  They will be advising you if a wing of our museum is overcrowded and direct you to another area.

You will be visiting the GreenMount Museum of Art or GMA and must conduct yourself as you would in any other museum.  I tell you this because the “guards” (kindergarten) will be on duty and making sure that you do not touch the art or get too close to it.  Ms. Laura has trained these guards well and they are very protective of their museum, so you have been warned!  They are short and can sneak up on you without you knowing it to enforce the rules of the GMA.  Do you think they are loving this role?

See you there!

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (May 12, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            If you missed Taste of Summer this year, you missed our best event ever.  Thanks to the hard work of parents and staff expertly led by Jill Goodman, we all enjoyed wonderful food (the tuna was my favorite), a huge silent and live auction, and best of all, the opportunity to have some fun with so many in the GreenMount community.

 Among the most impressive auction items were the mosaic tiles that students from every grade created.  They were absolutely stunning!  Each student was given a small portion of a painting and asked to duplicate it in his or her own style.  Some students chose oil paints, water colors or acrylics, while some chose to use just markers and pens.  None of the students had an idea of how the final product would look, but it was simply amazing how beautiful and true to the originals the mosaics are.  If you now own one of these treasures and have buyers’ remorse, I predict that one day your investment will produce a significant return.  Can’t you imagine these works in a children’s museum?  Otherwise, you will retain a truly unique work of art.  My special thanks go to  Jon and Chrissy Maxwell, Tim Parmer, and Elizabeth Reed for hatching this idea, organizing the students and assembling their work for display. This project served as a significant learning opportunity for students as well as a great model for demonstrating how a team of students can come together and create something of significance.

            I would also like to take the opportunity to thank so many of you who expressed their best wishes to me on the occasion of my retirement.  I won’t go into how much it means to me for parents to be so generous with their comments, but I do appreciate your positive words. A few parents asked if I was sad that this was my last Taste of Summer event. My reply is that I am sad that I have to wait another two years for the next one!  And I’ll be here for next year’s Walk to the Green. In the memorable words of The Terminator, “I’ll be back,”

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (May 5, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            This morning, I would like to share a personal experience that I believe actually does have some significance for your children.  This weekend, I traveled with my wife and more than 600 other couples to my alma mater, Frostburg State University (FSU).  The occasion was the 50^th reunion of the fraternity for which I was an original Founding Father, way back in 1964.

It turns out that this event was the largest reunion the university has ever hosted, which gives you some idea of the impact our organization had on it.  The weekend was full of individual reunions and meeting brothers who range from those who are still students at Frostburg to those who have been “lost” for as many as 45 years.  The newest members of the fraternity were somewhat in awe of us old guys because we had started the fraternity.  They also had to know just about everything about us as part of the pledging ritual.  So a young, recent graduate would say, “You’re Mr. Warner!  Wow, it’s really you!”  Naturally, I enjoyed the limelight and absolutely let it go to my head.

Otherwise, the entire weekend was filled with great events, including a semi-formal dinner dance and a golf outing at Rocky Gap.  Most of the older guys and their spouses took over the Hampton Inn in Frostburg and crowded the lobby for several impromptu reunions that included exaggerated stories that our unfortunate wives have had to listen to far too many times.

            So, why am I sharing this with you?  First, I would definitely include FSU on my list of universities to visit when the time comes.  For some of you that search is only four years away!  The university has grown considerably from the time when most of us had to live in town because there was only one men’s dorm.  (Students today ask what a men’s dorm was!)

Secondly, I have always been impressed with the bonds that many of our students here at GMS share.  They are already on the way to having life-long friends that 50 years from now will be the same people that they knew so long ago.  And that’s the point.  We cannot change the ravages of time; the graying, the wrinkles and the extra spare tire.  But when it all comes down to it, we are the same people.  We reunite with someone we knew 50 years ago and suddenly their mannerisms, speech, and laugh thrust you both back in time, remembering fondly those good times you shared.

The lesson for future reunions is this: Treasure the friends you have and nurture as many new ones as you can.  And while I know that Greek organizations are not so much in favor these days, they do provide a unique bond that keeps people together for many, many years.  Encourage your children to always reach out to others and gather as many diverse people around them as they can.  They will enrich their lives and provide comfort in times of need.

            On May 14, folks from The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) will be here to film our school.  They will be conducting interviews with Mr. Fletcher and me and filming students as they are working in their classrooms.  The reason that they are here is because our eighth graders participated in the testing, and the NAEP folks were so impressed with us that they want to use our school for a promotional video that they hope will encourage other independent schools to be part of the testing program.  This is important because the data gathered from private schools is disaggregated to show how independent schools achieve compared to how public schools achieve. Attached with this parent newsletter is a release form that is self-explanatory.  Please return it this week.

            Finally, I want you to know that I received the only prize as a result of the golf tournament.  It is a prize that I have received before.  This time, I got a new golf bag and a golf umbrella.  Can you guess why I keep getting this prize?

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (April 28, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            Ah, spring - three to four inches of rain coming and temperatures dipping to the 50s.  There must be some botanical/biological reason that spring is taking so long this year.  Perhaps nature is teasing the plants to grow deeper roots and the animals to lose their winter coats more slowly in order to avoid rashes.  Maybe she is mitigating the onslaught of annoying insects.  Of course, I haven’t a clue.  Probably it is just what the meteorologists tell us about the jet stream, and the plants and animals are in as much vernal shock as we are.  I just remember that in Baltimore of past years we went from winter to a few days of spring, right into summer.

Oh, well, there is nothing we can do about it except plan appropriately.   As part of that plan, I am suggesting that tomorrow and Wednesday, the students bring in board games and such for our imminent indoor recesses.  I am sure our students are tired of the activities we have typically used when we have been confined to the building because of the weather.

            During our staff meeting on Friday, teachers reported on professional articles they have read. Once again, the idea of modeling was highlighted as a very important way to get kids to start thinking about what they are reading or how they are solving problems in math or in their research.  This idea cannot be emphasized enough.  As adults, we have many opportunities to model for our children, both in the classroom and at home.

Modeling, however, is not as simple as setting a good example, which is obviously a good thing to do.  In order for modeling to be most effective, we must talk to the children about what is being modeled.  In the classroom, this is manifested in a technique called the think-aloud.  For example, when trying to find the main idea of non-fiction text, a teacher may say something like, “As I look at this text, I notice that some of it is bolded.  This must mean that the author thinks this is important and, therefore, something I should remember.”  Or, when solving an equation in math class, a teacher might think aloud saying, “This one is hard.  I think I am going to have to remember which step comes first and work out from the parentheses, doing those operations first.  I think that I’ll also test my answer for /x/ after I think I have solved for it.”

A parent visiting the aquarium with his or her child might think aloud about his or her observations; “That sea turtle is missing a leg.  I am very curious about what could have happened.  I’m thinking that he may have been wounded by a predator.”  Statements like these can be provocative and spark good conversations.  Along with good questioning techniques, we can actually model the kind of thinking that our students will need to be competent, curious, creative, and contributing as adults.  We can teach their brains how to work well as long as we use ours to model and share our thinking with them.

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (April 22, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

                I hope today’s message finds you in good spirits and happy about your spring break.  I understand that for most of you, it wasn’t a break like it was for us and the children, but I hope you had a chance to enjoy part of it with family and friends. Today, at our morning meeting, I asked the students who had traveled the farthest during their spring break and we had sort of a tie with Ireland.  (We couldn’t determine which part of Ireland was farthest, so we didn’t declare a “winner”.)

The students seemed very happy to be reunited with their friends at school and ready to tackle these last 33 days (but who’s counting?).  Speaking of winding down, it is important to note that at GreenMount we traditionally keep up the instructional pace until the last day, with the exception of some housekeeping chores on the very last day.  Please encourage your children to stay focused and I will do the same for the staff.  One of the “traditions” that I have observed over the last 46 years (yipes!) is what I call the “You’re kidding me, only seven weeks left – I can’t possibly get everything done before the year ends” syndrome.  Teachers  race hysterically to give their students every benefit of their instructional wisdom and expertise before the final curtain in June.  While this may cause some anxiety, it is a good indication of the dedication that teachers have - especially ours.

            We welcomed back our eighth graders today from their amazing trip to Costa Rica.  I had a chance to speak to a couple of them and they were full of the experience.  This trip is an important part of the GreenMount experience for many reasons, not the least of which is the opportunity to experience a different culture and feel comfortable with foreign travel.  Let’s face it, the odds are that this generation will be traveling a lot more than any other as the world grows smaller and the American marketplace expands even more.  It’s exciting to think about the experiences that these kids will have.  Our thanks to Ms. Elaine and Mr. Luca for chaperoning and organizing this experience for our students.

 I would like to announce something worth celebrating that few of you know about.  On weekends, a young man named Derrick Brooks uses our gym to train basketball players for competition and college admissions.  Some of his older students have gone on to Division I Schools on basketball scholarships and today I am pleased to say that his second grade students will be traveling to Memphis to compete in the national championship at their level.  I saw these little guys this summer as they worked out and they are amazing future stars.  Derrick provides this program for inner city kids and I can tell you that he makes a difference in their lives.  Our small part is to provide the space he needs to implement the program.

Finally, I would like to share an experience that I had on my break.  On Saturday, April 12, we headed over to the Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C., which was beautiful.  In our travels around the tidal basin, we visited the WWII Memorial, an amazing sight to see. Several WWII veterans were also there in their wheelchairs and with their families.  One veteran posed for pictures, looking very strong and fit.  I asked to shake his hand and was amazed at his grip.  It turns out that he was a B-24 bomber pilot in Europe.  I mentioned that my dad was in the 29^th Division and he said, “Oh man, those guys had it rough.  All we did was drop bombs and then head back to the base for a drink!”  He was a character and, of course, a true hero.  He is 91, and as he said, “I’m close to the end, but still kickin,’,”  I was in awe of this man.  Let’s all try to remember and thank our veterans whenever we get a chance.

Cheers, 

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (April 7, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

                I am sure that everyone is aware of the fact that we often describe ourselves as a school that is “experiential”.  We tout this term in virtually every piece of our marketing and we discuss it often during meetings with parents and among ourselves at staff meetings.  Well, just to make sure you know that we walk the walk, here are a few examples of what our middle school students have been “experiencing” very recently:

            Last week, Mr. Fletcher and Ms. Elizabeth took the seventh grade students to Washington, D.C. to participate in a program called the Youth Service Opportunity Program (YSOP).  The students spent two nights sleeping on the floor of a church at night and during the day they were out and about helping the homeless and poor of the District.  The students cooked, served meals, and engaged their “guests” in conversations about their lives and their wishes, hopes, and dreams.  Our students engaged the homeless and the poor in the church center and they also ventured out into the city to meet people “on the street”.  Some of our kids even went to the home of a 93-year-old woman to clean her bathroom and other parts of her house.  I understand that the students were enthralled with this lady’s experiences over her 93 years.  The feedback we got from the YSOP people was that our children are exceptional beyond what they could have imagined.  Our thanks to Mr. Fletcher for his passion about this opportunity and to Ms. Elizabeth, who now has proclaimed that no one else will accompany Fletcher on this trip in the future but her!

            Today, our eighth graders are in a small village in Costa Rica working hard to paint a fence that surrounds the village to protect it from rusting in the wet jungle atmosphere.  They are also getting to know their host families and taking strolls through the rainforest and climbing up to the top of an active volcano.  Ms. Elaine and Mr. Luca are making sure that the students not only provide service to the families that live in this remote village, but that they experience a habitat that is very different from that of good old B’More.

            Also today, sixth and seventh graders went to court.  As a result of a book they had read in language arts, they have been practicing and preparing a case for a mock trial to emulate one that could have taken place in the story.  Ms. Allison arranged with Ann Kehinde, a Baltimore County parent and judge, for her to preside over the mock trial in a real courtroom in Baltimore County.  Another judge who presided over one group commented to me that this must be a pre-law class based on the performance of the students.  She congratulated our students for following procedures and for presenting convincing arguments.  The verdicts in both trials of the main character were the same.  To find out what you think that verdict should be, read Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo.

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (March 24, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

                In a past newsletter I referred to a “Buddha Day” during which we take the time to be the learner in our interactions with our children.  I hope you have had the opportunity to do that.

On Saturday, I found myself very much the learner as we spent the day with our newest grandson in New Haven, Connecticut.  He’s just seven-months-old, but provided us with an amazing demonstration of how quickly the learning process takes place at very young ages.  Not having seen him since Christmas, you can imagine how much he has grown in that time.  Of course, he is a genius and has surpassed all the child development milestones for a person his age – of course!

But honestly, it was so amazing to see how he has progressed in just three months.  I watched as he tried over and over to grab a 4”x 4” wooden floor sample while at the same time untangling his legs from under himself so that he could get better leverage to complete the task.  The little hands tried in vain to pick up the sample, but were just too small to grasp it.  He also hasn’t figured out how to incorporate his other hand to provide a fulcrum so that he can get under the piece with the other hand.  As he taught me his problem-solving techniques, I observed that this little guy is decidedly right-handed – so far.  In the end, he found that sliding the piece along the floor was just as much fun as picking it up, and he repeated that activity until mastery apparently led to boredom, at which point he moved on to another task.

This time, he crawled into the kitchen and attempted to open the refrigerator.  Evidently, he has learned that one can pull the door at a certain spot and direct his energy to the left and the door will open.  He has also apparently learned that the shelves on the door make excellent handholds in order to get up one his feet.  From that position he has access to numerous things that rattle and clank when he moves them around.  But perhaps the best thing I learned about him in refrigerator mode was that he can solve the problem of removing a pot that is blocked by other containers in front of it.  Naturally, he was supervised by his “Poppy” while working on these tasks and I held some plastic bottles in front of the pot so that he could not actually yank the pot and its contents onto the floor.  He became somewhat frustrated with this situation, and he tried to solve the problem by simply exerting more force on the pot.  Finally, when that didn’t work, he actually attempted to move the obstacles in front of the pot by pushing them aside!

Think about it.  I actually witnessed learning happening.  Pathways were established in his brain that will be reinforced every time he realizes that he must move something out of the way of something else.  What a miracle this learning process is.  And if we watch our children carefully and pay attention to what they are doing, we can watch the learning happen.  Then they become the teachers.  Happy learning!

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (March 18, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

                Yesterday, spring was just three days away. Now, it looks like it’s really far away. Oh, I believe in yesterday.  Actually, can you believe yesterday?  That was one of the strangest winter storms we have had so far.  Unfortunately, it started just in time to mess up rush-hour traffic and then continued showering us with what looked like tiny salt crystals for much of the morning.  And then it was gone.  I hated to make the call to close school, but many accidents had been reported, and when I finally arrived here at school I could see that it would have been difficult for you and the staff to use 30^th Street and the walks.  Today, thanks to our stellar shoveling parents, the walks are clear and it was safe to open on time.

The bad news is that Monday took us into overtime and we have to make up that day somewhere.  As I mentioned in an earlier newsletter, we will be adding a day to the end of the year, making June 9 the last day for students.  That’s not great because it’s a Monday, but the alternative would have been Easter Monday.  If we took that day, parents might be rushing from hither and yon, quite possibly covering long distances to get back in time for school on Monday.  Additionally, if we had another snow day, we would then take Easter Monday and add June 9 to the calendar.  In that case, I feel it would be rather better to add June 10 to the calendar.  So, keep your fingers crossed that we don’t have to add another day!

            Tim Parmer addressed the students at this morning’s meeting and informed them about a unique theme project that you will be receiving at home today.  Each child in a homeroom class will be getting a piece of a painting and a wood block that Tim primed.  Each will paint his or her piece on the block by March 31, after which the pieces will be assembled to complete the puzzle and form the finished painting.  All six art pieces, representing the various movements from the Baroque to Modern periods, will be displayed.  The students were encouraged to interpret their piece of the puzzle and use any one of a variety of mediums.  Detailed directions will accompany the folder that you receive.

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (March 10, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

                The third theme has begun and all classes are getting revved up to learn about this vast period from Rembrandt to Rothko.  I think the students are excited and I know that the teachers are.  The kindergarten students began this theme by describing art in their own words:

Well, art is something that you make that you really like.

Art is pictures

Art is creating.  Art is something you can invent, like a painting.

Some art is parts of the human body.

Art can be something you find and see and discover.

People from long ago taught us about art.

Art is making something that is real, like a painting.

Art is concentration. You have to concentrate on what you’re doing

Earth.  (A kindergartener came up with that)

            Ms. Laura can’t wait to see how these ideas change when this theme is complete.

            Speaking of kindergarten, a wise mentor of mine told me many years ago that when the day becomes tiring, when you have had enough of paperwork, misbehaviors, phone calls and directives from the central office, just go to the kindergarten and spend 30 minutes interacting with the children.  Never have I received better advice.  This is a place of pure joy and curiosity.  Every five or six year-old is just completely immersed in learning about books, why water freezes, how the calendar keeps track of days in a row, why an /8/ is so hard to draw.  They are fascinated about history – things that happened a long time ago (like last Thursday) or what happens when we learn to share.  They learn how to take care of themselves and the things in the classroom that belong to EVERYBODY.  They learn that when the teacher says that she likes the way a classmate is following directions they should be doing what he or she is doing.  They learn that with a seed in a Styrofoam cup, the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.  They make amazing connections about people, nature, and the way things work.  And they tell us everything – “Mommy has a sippy cup for wine!”  Laughter is a natural part of a kindergartener’s communication tools.  They love new words and try to say them, providing non-stop entertainment for the adults in the room.  But beyond all the fun and pure joy is a learning curve that will never be steeper.  Let’s all try to keep the kindergarten spirit in all of our children, and in the adults, too.

                Finally, at our morning meeting today we celebrated the fact that we will finally get to go outside for recess.  And thanks to the work of parents, the playground is clean and ready for us.  However, it may be a while before we are able to use the fields. A lot of vehicle traffic has left the area a quagmire and it looks like it will be some time before we are able to play there.  I have cones up to discourage vehicles from going on the field, so please do not remove them.  The field is not part of the property we lease.  It is Wyman Park and we have no right to drive on that property.  Once everything is dried out and we can get the grass growing again we will be able to sneak back out there to park in time for the theme event in May.  Thank you for your cooperation.

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (March 4, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

                At today’s morning meeting we all chanted, “Go away snow, go away snow.”  Students were also instructed to wear pajamas right-side out and to refrain from any more snow dances.  I think they all agreed.  And for children to want the snow to go away, you know that this has been a tough winter.  The good news is that we are four days into the meteorological spring.  Can you feel it?  Actually, the seasons are defined in three-month periods and spring turns out to be March, April, and May.  So rejoice - it’s spring! (Yeah, right.)

            I hope that you don’t mind that we were two hours late today.  I know that this can be inconvenient, but I wanted to make sure that the walks were clear and free from ice.  Thanks to our shoveling crew who came last night, all that needed to be done this morning was to scatter salt, which took some time to have any effect.  I am surely hoping that this is the last of it.  And in case you are counting, Monday was our last built-in snow day.  If we have to close any days from here on, we will add days to the school calendar beginning with June 9.

            This morning we also talked to the students about the spread of germs.  We have had many students fall ill due to the “thing” that is going around.  We reminded them about hand-washing and sharing things like Blistex (yes, they do that).  It would help if you also have these conversations at home (and please, do not send sick children to school).  The spring (which we are now in) can be especially germ-infested as temperatures fluctuate between warm and cold (warm?).

            Many of you, as well as visitors to the school, have enjoyed the portraits of families that are displayed on the bulletin board in the lobby.  These will have to come down to make room for theme-related information.  Please feel free to take photos of your family to keep before all of the photos are taken down by this Friday.

            Finally, as I am 118 days from “graduating” from GMS, I continue to enjoy every single moment with you, the staff and your children.  Winding down is exciting and yet sad for me.  So if I seem to hold onto you in conversation or problem-solving together, forgive me if I am over-attentive.  When we know the end is in sight, we tend to cherish each day more.  Believe me, I do.

           

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (February 24, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

                Our thanks to all of you for helping us enjoy another successful theme event.  Your participation as an audience is extremely important to the students and definitely adds to the success of the program.  I heard many parents asking probing questions and helping our students clarify points that they had rehearsed.  I think it is obvious that students have learned a lot when they can be steered away from their script by your questions and still demonstrate their learning.  I hope you realize that the time constraints of the theme event allow our students little time to share all that they have learned.  You probably have figured out that what you get to see and hear is but a sample of the learning that has taken place.

            Also, you have played an important role in the success of the program by contributing to the gym renovation, which has made a very significant difference in the quality of how we experience student performances.  Most of all, you provide enthusiasm for and support of the theme events by your presence and your encouragement of your children.  We put together three theme events each year to showcase student learning as well as social and emotional growth.  But these events are also a showcase for our school community and the support and participation of parents.  Without your nurturing and obvious interest in your children’s education, we could not hope to have events as successful as the last 20 I have witnessed.  That’s right, I have one more to go to complete 21 theme events and each has been a joy. 

We have already started planning for the theme event on May 22.  Remember, the title is Rembrandt to Rothko and we will be immersed in art from several “movements”.  If you have some ideas for experiences for the students, please don’t hesitate to contact the teachers.  We are planning several trips to the BMA, so if you or someone you know has connections there, please let us know.  We would love to see the art they have in “storage”.

You may have noticed some excavation in the front of the school and a very tall post at the corner of the playground.  The post will have a camera and a listening device to record parents’ conversations about the school. Actually, that’s not true, but I wanted to give you just a little pause.  The post is actually there to extend the Comcast line from the telephone pole at the corner of the church.  The line then runs underground to the school, giving us that coveted access to a high-speed Internet connection.  Right now we have only three megabits per second coming into the building.  Can you believe it?  With the Comcast line we will improve to 100 megabits per second.  This is something we have been working on for over a year and it is finally going to happen!  We are fortunate to have so many parents who are very tech-savvy and who contribute many hours of research and work to improve our technology infrastructure, which gets better each year.  Their work is “Bully”!

           

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (February 18, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

                It’s theme week!  That’s right, we are going ahead with the theme event on Friday in spite of all the days we have lost.  This will be a test of our resiliency and our ability to work cooperatively to get a lot done in a short period of time.  As a little preview, let me describe some of what you will see and hear.

            We will begin the morning with some rousing patriotism and the performance of our sixth through eighth grade “recruits”. You will then see that this period in history was a time of America’s expansionism, which included activities such as women’s suffrage, World War I and the sinking of the Titanic.  It was the time of Theodore Roosevelt and “Boss Tweed” as well as many other familiar names in history.  You will be able to follow a timeline from about 1876 to 1917 and our students will teach you some interesting things that I’ll bet you did not know (remember to have a Buddha Day).  The musical portion of the program will interest you as you will hear selections from this time period that you surely will recognize.  The students have learned songs that include everything from trench warfare to lullabies and marches.  You are certainly invited to sing along.

            One disappointment we may have to endure is our parking situation.  You may have noticed that we have had some snow recently and for the rest of the week we are likely to see a significant meltdown accompanied by some rain.  While I know we welcome this change in the weather, it will make for some very muddy conditions on the field, which does not belong to us.  On Friday morning I will assess the condition of the field to see if we can allow parking there.  It may be that we can use the lower half of the field and I will try to mark off areas that are not suitable for parking.  We’ll just have to see how this plays out.  I’m guessing at this point that is the ground will be too wet.

One area that we have not considered in the past is the parking lot across from the Burger King on 29^th Street.  This lot never has any cars on it and there are no prohibitive signs there.  Parking there would be easy for about 20 vehicles and access to the school is just up the slope to a break in the fence. Our neighbors, Potts and Callahan, have agreed to let us use this space, so you may want to consider this alternative.  In any case, we hope to see a great crowd and I know that you will be impressed with the learning that has gone on for the last 53 days.  We are all very proud of our students and I know you will be, too.

            Finally, on another logistical note, I would like to begin planning for our summer spruce-up.  We need painting done and several other organizational and “brightening” activities.  Please let Heather or me know if you would like to help us during the month of June. 

           

           

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (February 10, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

                As part of our ongoing professional development, I provide the staff with journal articles, which individuals volunteer to read and then report back to the staff at our next Professional Development Meeting.  Most of the these articles come from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and their publication, Educational Leadership.  The beauty of this publication is that each month the journal focuses on just one topic around which many contributors submit their articles.  For example, the November issue focused on tackling informational text.  In January, the issue was devoted to student mastery.  And this month, each article addressed building school morale.

You may wonder if morale is an issue at GreenMount, and to be honest, it isn’t much of a concern.  However, two articles struck me.  The first is about the language of appreciation.  According to the author, schools typically show appreciation within the school community by having recognition programs or ceremonies.  These are fine, but a better way to show our appreciation for someone else is to speak or write to a person individually – to take the time in the course of a normal day to just say “thank you,” or recognize someone for a job well done.  This is something that our teachers try to do for students as a matter of course.  We don’t often do that for each other.  Adults often miss opportunities to show personal appreciation to colleagues and friends, according to the article.  At our staff meetings we recognize each other for the good work that we do, but even then it is not as personal and effective as an individual effort.  Another factor to consider is that some people do not like public attention, even if for a positive reason.  Those folks welcome that kind of personal recognition.

            The other article that I found interesting involves those “teachable moments” that we all refer to so often.  However, in this article the teachable moments are not those opportunities that we find to teach children, but the ones that occur and provide an opportunity for adults to learn.  Mentioned in the article is a man named Jack Kornfield, who happens to be a Buddhist monk.  In his book, A Path with Heart, Kornfield talks about treating every person or experience as an opportunity to learn.  He suggests that, instead of seeing the frustrating moments of a day as negatives, we treat each as an opportunity to grow as a person and cultivate those qualities we have to deal with people and events.

The author of the article suggests that everyone try to have at least one “Buddha Day” during which we try to find a lesson for ourselves.  So, this weekend I tried to have my Buddha Day.  The burned toast taught me to look more carefully at the inner workings of my toaster.  When I was cut off on the way to the grocery store, I tried to learn a better way to express my feelings with my wife in the car (“Drat, that motorist must be having a hard day.  Perhaps he is just now thinking what a stupid thing he just did and wishing he could apologize somehow.”).  Wegman’s on a Sunday afternoon is a mad house and a good place to learn.  The guy who gets you that piece of fish that you want (three pieces up on the left hand side) needs better directions because he can’t actually see which piece you are talking about.  I learned that you have to say, “Put your hand over the fish rack.  Now go left – No, your left.  Move toward you.  Put your hand down.”

I also learned that it’s better to watch “Love it or List It” than a PGA golf tournament.  The only thing I ever learned from watching golf was what I cannot do.  Watching home renovations in Canada taught me that there is something very strange about the value of a dollar in that country.  Happy Buddha Day!

           

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (February 3, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            Today, I would like to talk a little about our strategic plan.  Like most every organization, The GreenMount School must have a plan for the future in order to establish goals and the strategies to meet them.  A group of parents and staff members are currently working on a plan for the next five years.  This plan considers all of the social, technological, economic, environmental and political factors that may affect our ability to remain resilient in the face of many unknowns.  This is especially true when we consider the economy.  Over the past decade we have felt the impact of a sagging economy and, thankfully, we survived a couple of years during which we saw a stagnation of our enrollment.

Since then, things have improved greatly and, as you know, we are enjoying a stable enrollment that is near capacity.  In fact, this admissions season has been quite busy with more than 40 applications in hand for our kindergarten.  This presents its own “problem” as we have to choose only 12 from a list of some wonderful children and families.

But who knows how long this popularity of our school will last? This and other considerations make the job of the strategic planning committee vitally important.   We must use the data we have and to try to predict which key issues will confront our school.  Things like our facility and our relationship with the city will determine if we must one day look at another location.  Other considerations include the curriculum, teacher and student retention, keeping up with technology, our reserve fund, and building a strong alumni association.  In May, the committee will produce a final draft of the plan for the community and at that time we will all be able to share in the vision for GreenMount.  Then it will be up to all members of the GreenMount community - all GreenMountaineers - to do the best we can to preserve this unique and wonderful institution.

            Changing gears just a bit…what happened to the Broncos??  Denver fans must be as crushed as the Seahawks fans are overjoyed.  But this game illustrates our inability to predict outcomes even with considerable data in hand.  I’m not a betting man, but I will bet that there are a lot of people out there this morning who have lightened their pocketbooks after using that data that they considered reliable.  I doubt that anyone could have predicted a point spread of 35!  This just goes to show us that there are so many things that are unpredictable, including the future of our school.

The good news is that, like the Seahawks, GreenMountaineers come to play and to win.  We have the talent in our school community to overcome any obstacle and to keep this school vital and progressive.  The future may have some surprises for us, but we are ready for whatever comes our way. I predict the next five years will be especially grand for the GreenMount School.  Make sure that you remain a part of our success.

           

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (January 27, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            By now we have all recognized that this winter is one of the coldest in memory (your memories, that is).  Why, I can remember winters so cold and so snow-filled that ALL the animals migrated to the south, except for that one little sparrow that remained perched on the tree limb outside my bedroom window for weeks.  And of course, the schools were never closed, I walked uphill both ways and my mom could only afford to give me one glove.

On a more scientific and accurate note, I have found some interesting data concerning cold and heat and how it affects our productivity at school and in the workplace.  It seems that our highest productivity occurs in temperatures around 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a 2006 study by the Helsinki University of Technology, Laboratory for Heating Ventilating and Air Conditioning in Finland, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Environmental Energy Technologies Division at Berkeley, Calif. I guess the Helsinki folks did the cold research and the Berkley folks did the hot research. These results indicated that an 80-degree environment or a 64-degree environment had negative effects on memory ability and our ability to remain focused on work. Maybe it would be a good idea to keep that in mind when determining your child’s homework place.

Here, at GreenMount, we always try to create an environment that is best suited for learning and that includes the regulation of temperature.  Of course, our ventilators in the classrooms in the main building have two settings – hot or cold.  However, teachers have become very good at keeping the temperatures in their rooms comfortable and conducive to learning. In an effort to keep our building ready each morning for students we have had to leave the heat on all night, which adds to our expenses, but diminishes the possibility of frozen pipes and adds to our ability to start the day in a comfortable environment.  This will be especially important tonight (single digits).  C’mon spring!

            At today’s morning meeting we discussed choices and the fact that we make hundreds of them every day.  I told them the story of an All in ihe Family episode in which Archie and his son-in-law (Meathead) argued about whether it is better to put one shoe on and tie it, or to put both shoes on before tying either.  I told them how funny it was and how the argument went on and on.  I got blank stares.  I guess they saw it as another Mister Steve old humor thing.  Anyway, we talked about the need to think about our choices during the day and to make every effort to make them positive.  It seems that a simple formula for having a good day is to make many positive choices.

            So, have a positive-choices day!

           

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (January 13, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            I am happy to report this morning that our Open House on Saturday was very successful.  In spite of the rain and the lack of parking (the grass area is temporarily off limits due to mud), we had 25 families visit and all seemed very enthusiastic about our school.  As in the past, we also had families visit who are considering us for their children who will spend another year or two in pre-kindergarten.  This is a great indicator of how the word about GreenMount has spread in communities.  Our thanks to all the parents who came to help with this event and especially to our students, who always demonstrate the very best face of GreenMount as they show their knowledge of and pride in the school they attend.  We talked about this today in our morning meeting and how their participation in the tours and the feedback we have received about them is a good indicator of how “excellent” they are.  We are all very proud of our student emissaries.

            On Wednesday evening, we will have an All Family Parent meeting starting at 6:30 p.m.  This is an important meeting for parents to attend as we will be discussing the state of the school and the contracts for next year.  We have planned the meeting to last only about an hour or so, and we hope to have you out of here before 8:00 p.m.  I hope to see everyone at this important school community function.

            On Friday, the staff had our second Student Support Meeting.  At these meetings we discuss all students, noting their strengths and any needs they may have academically or behaviorally.  When reporting on observed strengths we are focused on how we can best accommodate students’ interests and areas in which they can see specific achievement.  We know that the best way to encourage academic growth is to build on success.  When identifying needs of students, we discuss strategies that we can use to help students in areas where they may be struggling.

We can also develop specific plans, which we call Individual Intervention Plans (IIPs).  These plans contain one or two specific goals for a student and several strategies that teachers and parents can use.  The plan is created by the staff with parent input and approved at the earliest possible time so that we can begin our interventions.  Included in the plan are the titles of people who are responsible for implementing it.  This creates a clear mandate for everyone involved to be accountable.  Then each month a benchmark meeting is scheduled so that the team of teachers and parents can review the plan to see if the strategies are working.  At that point we can alter the strategies and eventually agree as to whether a student’s goal has been met.  We may decide to include another goal in our strategies or simply concentrate on any remaining goals.  The IIP, unlike and IEP (Individualized Educational Plan) is not an official document that would carry weight in a school attended after GreenMount.  It is strictly an in-house plan that we create to help students.  For an “official” IEP plan, parents will have to request a team meeting at their home public school to determine if a disability exists.  An IEP created must be implemented by any school that the student attends.

            We all have our areas of strength and needs, and as adults we can readily identify them.  We must let our children know that they are just like us (and we are just like them).  We all have struggles and victories and we all are constantly working to grow, no matter how old we get to be.  When I was a young, new teacher, I commented to a much older 6^th grade teacher that I admired the fact that she seemed to know just about everything about life and especially teaching.  Her reply to me summed up the idea of life-long learning when she said, “No, Steve, I have much to learn – God isn’t finished with me yet.”

           

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (January 6, 2014)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            Welcome back and Happy New Year!  It was great to see the students this morning, and they all seemed happy to be back in school (can you believe that?) and especially happy to reconnect with their friends.  The friendships that our students develop while at GMS are the kind that I know from experience will last a lifetime.  Believe it or not, I still have several friends from elementary school that I see regularly.  Over the holiday we had a dinner out with some of them at which we embellished all those wonderful stories that we love to tell about how our mile-long trek to school was uphill both ways, etc.  Our wives love to hear these stories over and over (NOT!).  But to see these people several times a year is a testament to how we connected so many years ago.  I certainly hope, and I do anticipate, that the kids here will have the same wonderful experience.

            This morning we reconnected with all the students at our Monday Morning Meeting and, among other things, discussed New Year’s resolutions.  We all know how that works, so I suggested that instead of making a resolution for the new year, we each make daily resolutions to be a better person each successive day.  We talked about “reflection” and how we can reflect on our own accomplishments at the end of each day and then plan for how we can repeat our success or improve on them the following day.  I think for children especially, a daily resolution is something that they can grasp and build upon.  So often, if we fail to meet our yearly resolution, we just give up and forget about it.  On the other hand, if we fail one day to do better than the last, we can still have success the next day.  This concept might not be a bad idea for us big people, too.  Perhaps you can help your children by modeling the idea of reflection, setting aside 15 minutes or so each night to reflect as a family on your day.

            Also, at this morning’s meeting we discussed the need to be safe during extremely cold weather.  In temperatures like we are about to have, it is very easy to be frostbitten, especially on cheek bones, ears and the nose.  Please make sure you all take the necessary precautions when venturing out this week.  As the wind is blowing right now, I am hoping that the moisture on the streets and sidewalks is drying up.  However, tomorrow we may have some bad ice with which to contend.  Remember to check WBAL TV for closing or a delay in our school day.  It also looks like we will be having indoor recess this week because of the cold temperatures.

            We are looking forward to Friday and our Community Day because we will once again have ellen cherry (no caps) here to perform for us.  You are all invited to join us for this concert, which will begin at 11:00.  She has a wonderful voice and is a talented guitarist.  Additionally, she is great with children.

           

Cheers,

Steve