Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (January 9, 2012)

Greetings GreenMount Community,

            As we approach the halfway point in the school year (January 25), it is time to revisit our goals for the year and evaluate our performance thus far.  It’s time for a state-of-the-school appraisal.

            The timing is good for this as this benchmark occurs on the last day of parent conferences.  These conferences are especially important because we must look at the progress of each child and make plans for successful learning as we go forward into the second half.  Teachers know that these conferences are important, which is why we are willing to relinquish class time on these days to make sure that we have time for good conversations and planning with parents.  In order to make these conferences effective and efficient, I recommend that you come prepared with specific questions and that you e-mail those questions to the teachers ahead of time so that they can be prepared to answer them.  For ideas about how the conference should proceed, check the National PTA web site at http://www.pta.org/2532.htm.

The sign-up sheets for conferences will be posted next week and you are encouraged to try to schedule conferences so that you can discuss your child’s progress with several of his/her teachers at once.  Even with 15 hours of conference time allotted over three days, you or the teachers may find that you need additional time to complete your discussions.  This is why your planning for the conference is so important.  If you have an agenda of what you would like to learn, it will be fairly easy for you and the teacher to prioritize the topics and decide what can be discussed in a subsequent conference.

            Another important benchmark around our halfway point is the All Family Meeting on January 25 at 6:30 p.m.  At this meeting, you will learn the board’s decision about tuition for 2012-2013 and you will receive contracts for the coming year.  Similarly, teachers will be holding their mid-year goals conferences. At these conferences, teachers revisit their three goals for the year and evaluate their progress in reaching them.  Goals for teachers are professional goals - ones which are designed to enhance their craft and build on their knowledge of best practices.  The goals are inextricably connected to your children’s success, which is the result rather than the goal itself.  In other words, what does a teacher need to learn to make his/her students more successful?

            This is also the time of the year when the administration evaluates its leadership effectiveness and the goals we have set for the year.  Also, the board evaluates my performance based on my self-reflection and the input of board members.

            So, you see, this is a time of reflection - a time when we look back…and forward.  What have we done well? What have we learned?  How can we improve? Where do we go from here?

I hope you reviewed the vision statement that came home last week.  It is the vision of what we hope to become that establishes our goals and the strategies to reach them.  Look at the vision and think about its components.  Is this still the vision we have for our school?  Have we reached a point where we envision loftier things for GreenMount?  If you have suggestions concerning the vision, please contact me so that we may begin a discussion.

"If you do not know where you are going, every road will get you nowhere." - Henry Kissinger

           

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (January 3, 2012)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            Welcome back, and Happy New Year!  It was great to see the students this morning –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 that I see regularly that were my friends from elementary school.  In fact, we had our 10^th annual elementary school reunion last year.  To see these people at least annually 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.

            So, it’s 2012!  Have you made all those resolutions?  I recently heard that one should not make resolutions but rather set goals.  As we think about the bright future of The GreenMount School, we have some very specific goals for 2012.  These goals are based on The GreenMount School Vision that is attached to this bulletin for your annual review.  It is important that we consider the Vision often, for it is from the Vision that we derive our goals.

If we look at the Vision for students, a clear goal is to constantly improve our instructional program and strengthen the skills of the teaching staff. One way we will be doing that this year is by reviewing our science curriculum as a committee of parents and teachers.  Also, at our first staff meeting for 2012 on Friday, we will be reviewing the adult learning that has taken place over the last year and setting goals for future professional development based on what is best for your children.  It is only through a strong, committed, learning faculty that we will continue to have a steady curve of improvement and refinement of best practices.

A goal for parents is to facilitate communication and opportunities to participate effectively in the educational process and contribute to the health of the school. 

The administration will look for every opportunity to improve leadership skills in working with students, parents, and teachers.

The Board of Trustees will provide supportive oversight of the school and monitor the financial health of the school as it sets tuition rates and replenishes our reserve fund for future growth and security.

“The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. What it makes of you will always be the far greater value than what you get.”

Jim Rohn

As expressed in the quote above, the staff at GMS believes that the process is often more important than the product.  As we have seen with so many of our students who go on to other educational experiences, they are well prepared to meet almost any challenge that faces them.  This is because we value the learning experience above what is learned.  The experience of reaching a goal as an individual or as a school is what will continue to make us an exceptional place for students and adults to learn and grow to be capable, competent, contributing and confident.  I look forward to this new year and wish each of you happiness and satisfaction, especially as they relate to your child’s life as a GreenMountineer.

Cheers,

Steve

8th Grade Trip to Paul's Place‏ (from Mr. Fletcher)

GMS Community:

            I want to report back on our trip to Paul’s Place with our Eighth Grade. It was very successful. It was a success to a great extent because of the gifts that you so graciously donated. We stuffed the two cars we had designated for donation and still had more gifts, so we had to put them into other cars. It was so wonderful and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. You should have seen the people at Paul’s Place when donations kept coming out of our vehicles. Because of your kind donations, you all have made the lives of a lot of folks who need help a bit easier. The staff at Paul’s Place would like to thank all of you for your generous giving especially in this time of need as the weather gets colder. They said that we must come from a “blessed community”. I told them that we do. I know I can always count on you when help is needed. This is one of the reasons I feel privileged to work here.

            Our students were amazing. We had students helping with job searches on computers, serving in the kitchen, and helping women and children pick out clothes. The stories they came back with were very touching. You would have all been proud of them. I know that I was. The staff at Paul’s Place always tells me that they look forward to our students serving because they all come with a positive attitude and are willing to do whatever is asked of them. They treat everyone with kindness which is why they fit in so well with the philosophy of Paul’s Place.

            Again thanks to all of you for making our serving a huge success on many levels.

Peace,

Mr. Fletcher

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (December 12, 2011)

Greetings GreenMount Community,

            At today’s Monday Morning Meeting, I asked the students to evaluate the song “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. We first had a quiz about how many reindeer there were (sorry, are), and then we took a look at the lyrics. We discussed how the reindeer violated our pillars! Indeed, they should be sent to Santa for behavior reflections because they were not “being aware of their impact on others,” “treating others appropriately,” “showing common courtesy,” or “being inclusive.” Who would have thought that the reindeer could be so mean? At the end of the discussion, one of our students pointed out that it all turned out because Rudolph became so famous. That led to a discussion of how people who have to overcome differences often do become leaders and famous people. Sometimes, the trials and tribulations of childhood and adolescence build character in people, and even reindeer. 

Since this is the last newsletter to you before the long holiday, I want to express to you my sincere hope that your holiday is filled with family, fun and friendship. Notice that I didn’t say anything about presents or gifts. Age has a way of helping one appreciate the things in life that truly matter and I certainly have had plenty of time to develop that appreciation. Like most families, ours has had its share of heartache and a healthy dose of good fortune. This year, distance and growing family commitments of children will leave my wife and me by ourselves for the first time on Christmas morning. As we discussed this fact, we quickly realized that we are fortunate that our children have found their partners in life, and while some still struggle, they are happy. We’ll see some of them later in the day and others later in the week. Nonetheless, it’s hard to let go of years of a tradition that in hindsight was much more important than presents. The blessing of family and friends is priceless and cannot be purchased at Wal-Mart, Target or even Nordstrom.

So, treasure the true gifts that you have - your friends, family members and your children. Have a wonderful holiday and fill it with lasting memories. I remember eating Christmas dinner and watching the tree slowly fall over onto the living room floor. My wife simply said, “Pass the potatoes,” and we all laughed. Lesson learned: If you put a tree in the corner and put all the ornaments on the outside, gravity will do its thing. Simple physics.

"During holidays, leisure replaces work as a priority. You are filled with the enthusiasm to explore, travel and learn. So indulge in laziness. Spend time with your loved ones and let your heart dance.”  Roger Bannister

Cheers!

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (December 5, 2011)

Greetings GreenMount Community,

            Today, at our Monday Morning Meeting, we discussed homelessness and the fact that more than 4,000 men, women and children will be homeless this holiday season.  We asked the students to imagine what it must be like to have no place to sleep, have little food and certainly none of the things that we use to enjoy life.  We pointed to all of the things left in our lost and found, which were laid out and literally filled the stage steps.  I spoke of how fortunate we all are to have so many things in addition to the basic needs, like the coats, sweaters and shirts that they have left for our lost and found.  The point of this discussion was not to make our students feel guilty about all they have, but to help them realize how you have worked hard to provide your families with the comforts and enjoyment that life has to offer and that they need to be more responsible with the things that they possess.

            In asking the students to imagine what it must be like to be homeless, I realized that it must be hard for them to actually do that without some frame of reference or experience.  I asked the students to close their eyes and imagine a polar bear.  When asked to raise their hands if they could see a polar bear, they all did so.  They know what a polar bear looks like.  Then I asked them to keep their eyes closed and imagine the polar bear wearing a green dress, roller skates and sunglasses.  Immediately, they began to laugh at the sight they had created in their minds.  Then, with their eyes open again, I asked the students to tell me why they could imagine the polar bear with a dress, roller skates and sunglasses.  They seemed unsure, so I helped them by pointing out that they could imagine this because I asked them to picture familiar things.  Our imaginations can pull together any combination of things that we know to create any number of images or scenarios.  We discovered that we cannot imagine homelessness unless we had some experience with it.  It’s not part of what we know.  Teachers asked the students to imagine some aspects of homelessness, like being cold, wet, hungry, sick, and afraid.  This they understood, and I believe that they came away with some sense of what homelessness must be like.

            On Wednesday, Mr. Fletcher’s 8^th grade students will be going to Paul’s Place to deliver the things that you and your families have generously donated.  If you have not done so yet, I encourage you to bring some of the items that were noted on the flier you received last week in order to lessen the pain of homelessness for the people our students will meet at Paul’s Place.  Our students have had some wonderful experiences as part of their service learning, and the 8^th graders especially are gaining some understanding and skills that they will take with them when they visit Costa Rica in the spring.  There they will also help families in a village with a project designed to make their life better.

"No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." - Aesop

Cheers, 

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (November 28, 2011)

Greetings GreenMount Community,

            I hope this morning’s message finds you happy about your long weekend, during which we had some great weather, and the opportunity to share with your families.  It seems to me that no other holiday is more important to the idea of family than Thanksgiving.  In that spirit, I must say that I am very thankful for the opportunity to be associated with so many fine families here at GreenMount.  The expression of family was highlighted last Wednesday as we celebrated Grandparents and Special Friends’ Day.  The grandparents and special friends that visit us each year bring a special quality to our school as they express their appreciation for their grandchildren and special young friends to attend a school that responds so positively to our students.  Grandparents are especially gracious as they compare their own school experiences to ours and can so easily see the relationship between what we do and the challenges that our students will face after they leave us for their next educational experiences, and life in general.

            On Wednesday, I spoke to our visitors about what we feel our students will need as they venture beyond the hallowed halls of GreenMount (okay, so we only have one hall).  Consider what life was like just 20 years ago.  Think of all the technology that has changed the way we live.  It was only a very short time ago that a phone’s primary function was to contact people who were located remotely.  Now the phone has to talk to you, tell you where you are on the planet, play games, store more data than the 1969 Lunar Lander, and take pictures and video that can be instantly transmitted anywhere in the world.  What will the next 20 years have in store for us?!

According to futurists, we have no idea.  We have undergone a paradigm shift in the last 20 years that some compare to the Enlightenment, when people like Galileo and DaVinci were changing how we think and act.  These shifts in culture have occurred over long periods of time, the last of which was perhaps the Industrial Revolution.  But now, technology has accelerated our ability to learn and store knowledge.  The next shift may come in just 10 years, about the time our 8^th graders are just beginning their careers, which will change as many as eight times over the course of their lives.  Notice that I did not say “jobs,” but rather “careers.”  Those futurists now predict that our new “silent generation” will actually change their careers several times in their lifetimes.  And they may not retire until they are 85!

At GreenMount, we are aware of the need to help our students think creatively and provide them with opportunities to explore problem solutions deeply.  However, we must work constantly to improve our craft to meet future needs for our students that are yet undefinable.  For now, we will continue to stimulate thinkers.  Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu would agree.

No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking. ~Voltaire

Cheers, 

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (November 21, 2011)

Greetings GreenMount Community,

            What does it take to produce an excellent theme culmination event?  On Friday, you witnessed our students performing, debating, drilling and singing about a time in our history that was consumed by a great war.  How was it that they were able to demonstrate their learning so well and address a topic that centered around a terrible time in our nation’s history? 

            The first step in planning for a theme event begins with a staff meeting in June to decide on the three theme topics for the year.  At these meetings we work to find themes that will build upon knowledge and skills that our students already have and to find ones that will engage them experientially and authentically.  This is often a difficult task, especially when you have a staff that is brimming with ideas.

Choosing the Civil War caused a great deal of discussion because of the nature of war and the fact that children, especially our youngest ones, may have difficulty with some of the concepts that would naturally evolve from a discussion of such a time.  When our theme topic was agreed upon, we began to plan for how the theme event might look.  We typically begin with the end in mind so that we can decide on what we need to do to get there.

Once we had a general idea of the content and what the theme event might contain, someone had to write the theme.  The job of putting everything together for our history theme always goes to Mr. Fletcher, whose knowledge of history gets us started.  He wrote the history theme over the summer, giving suggestions to each grade level for activities and experiences that they may have to understand the time period.  When we met again in August, Mr. Fletcher produced his theme in a written format for each teacher, and we spent several hours discussing how his suggestions might be adapted for each grade level.  It was then up to each teacher to use the new guide to plan for activities and learning that was appropriate for their students.

Then, at every staff meeting between the beginning of the year and the theme event, we shared how we are each implementing the ideas laid out in the planning guide.  At least an hour of every staff meeting was spent doing this.  As the trimester unfolded, the theme event began to take shape and the ideas kept coming about how to best demonstrate learning.  Once we determined the scope of the theme event, teachers became very focused with their students on the parts they will play.  Finally, students and teachers worked to create props, scenery, costumes (with a lot of help from parents), and scripts.  The students participating in debates spent hours researching their points of view and preparing for questions they would be asked.  Those in plays rehearsed, and then rehearsed some more.  Art work was completed over the trimester that complemented the theme and represented the time period of study.

Finally, on the day of the theme event, anxious students (and teachers!) prepared to give you their very best.  They marched, debated, sang, danced, acted, made bandages, and even treated some “wounded” parents in the field hospital.  A dramatic ending with parent participation capped off a successful event, one which students will long remember.

            In his book, Out of Our Minds, Sir Ken Robinson states that the role of education today must be implemented in three domains.  The first domain is Individual.   In the individual domain we are to develop individual talents and sensibilities.  In the Cultural domain we must deepen our students understanding of the word.  And in the Economic domain we need to provide the skills required to earn a living and be economically productive.  At GreenMount, we do these things, and the theme event is proof positive that we do them well.  Think about how the opportunities your children have to develop their individual talents, how they gain understanding of the world in which we live, and how they are gaining the academic skills to be productive citizens.  The theme event is like the pasta sauce – it’s all in there.

Cheers,
Steve