Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (April 29, 2013)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            We had an interesting morning today.  Our seventh and eighth grade students, some of their teachers and a good many very brave parents set off in the rain for Rocky Gap in Western Maryland and four days of camping.

Just to be clear, our students are not staying at the Rocky Gap Resort and Conference Center.  They will get off at the next exit for the campground, which is actually in Flintstone, Maryland.  I understand that they will be staying in rock cabins with showers that are fueled by mammoths.  The camp counselors, Mr. and Mrs. Rubble, will be teaching the students many things about rocks, including how to drive a foot-pedaled car made of wood and stone.  Ms. Elizabeth will also be along to lead the kids on hikes and discover the natural world of the western part of our state.  A return trip includes a tour of Sidling Hill, which is a great place to see some plants that grow nowhere else in the world and to see great examples of fossils exposed when “the cut” was made creating a road west right through the mountains.  The weather forecast looks better for Western Maryland than it does for here, so we hope they drive into some sunshine today.

            We were also privileged today to host Larry Kimmel, the founder of Team Larry.  Larry is a two-time cancer survivor and has been running 5K races for 16 years to support the Hopewell Center, a free cancer support facility for patients, their families and friends.  Larry spoke at our Monday Morning Meeting to celebrate GreenMount’s role in raising money for the center and for participating in this year’s 5K run. Recently, Chris Cucinotta and Genny Dalton established a new club at GMS to encourage running as a sport and healthy pastime. This club became one of the most popular clubs we have ever had, with many students joining and running every day.  The culmination of the club’s experience was the Hopewell run and being part of “Team Larry”.  Amazingly, the team raised over $14,000, with Angelina Cucinotta raising about $11,000 of that by herself.  Wow!  Larry made a presentation to our school from the “Reach Out and Run 5K” because we were the largest team in the race.  I am told that one of our students on the team, Will Kardas, came in first for the team. And that was with having to stop to tie his shoes twice!  Seeing Will come in the building every morning, I can understand why he was in first place in this run.

My doctor told me that jogging could add years to your life.  I think he was right.  I feel ten years older already! – Milton Berle

P.S. - Don’t forget to plan on attending the parent meeting next Monday at 6:30.

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (April 22, 2013)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            Today, our fourth and fifth grade students will be visiting the planetarium at Towson University, and between now and the end of the year, several other field trips are also planned.  We will visit a few museums, including the “Newseum”.  We have plans to see actual printing presses in operation and, of course, we have our camping trips coming up.  In fact, next week, seventh and eighth grade students will be camping at Catoctin in Western Maryland.  This is a great site and wonderful for hiking.

As a teacher, I took students on field trips to Catoctin myself as part of our study of Maryland.  An interesting experience occurred as we took a longer and different route on one hike.  We strayed from the marked trail and it wasn’t until we were confronted by two armed U.S. Marines that we realized that we were close to Camp David.  That was one of those memories of Mr. Warner’s class that my former students still talk about today.  Another was when I was demonstrating centrifugal force by swinging a bucket of water over my head to show that the force of the orbit of the bucket would keep it from coming out.  What the students really learned was that when a bucket’s arc is interrupted by an overhead light fixture the water will come out directly on the person swinging the bucket.  I was a great science teacher!

            Being the science teacher that I was (am), I will be conducting an experiment at lunch on Wednesday.  It’s a simple experiment.  I will weigh our two trash cans before students discard their trash and then once all the trash is collected.  The reason for this scientific activity is that it is apparent to me that our children throw away great quantities of food, especially on pizza day.  Whole slices are often discarded, and most students do not finish their pizza on Wednesdays.  I have talked to the students about wasting food and about how fortunate they are to have such abundance in their lives.  I will let the students know the amount of food they discard and then help them determine how many pizzas the discarded food would equal (based on the weight of one pizza).  Only discarded pizza will be placed in one can so as not to contaminate the experiment with other trash (very scientific).

            The point, parents, is that we all need to impress on our children the need to conserve the resources we have and also to make sure that when you pay for your child to eat pizza, he/she is actually eating it.  Please note that they have plenty of time to eat and I encourage anyone not finished to move to the risers and take their time with their food.

You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six. – Yogi Berra

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (April 15, 2013)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            Mark Twain once said that the difference between the tax collector and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist only takes your skin (an awful visualization!).  So, today is April 15, in case you forgot; the day to pay our uncle his due.  I guess it’s good to joke about taxes, especially if you are one who actually owes the government at the end of the year.  But jokes don’t hide the fact that, as Americans, we have to support our government by working for it for as much as 28 percent of the time.  If you work a 40-hour work week, you are probably working between six and twelve hours for Uncle Sam.  There’s a happy thought…

However, the reality of this 100 year-old exercise is that our government needs us to pay the bills, to protect the country, to create and improve our infrastructure, and to pay our legislators for all their hard work and accomplishments on our behalf (pause for digestion).  And just remember, “There’s nothing wrong with the younger generation that becoming taxpayers won’t cure.” – Dan Bennet

            This morning’s meeting was a special one as we were entertained and educated by Lindsey Bauer and her Elm City Dance Collective.  The performance was called Contemporanea, and combined contemporary modern dance with Capoeria ( pronounced Capoada).  Capoeria is a Brazilian martial arts dance that was used by slaves in Brazil in the 1600s to train for fighting while disguising their training in the form of a dance.  Today, we saw a demonstration of Capoeria, after which all of us learned four forms or “moves” that the dancers perform.  Also, a student from each grade was invited to “play” with one of the dancers using the moves we had all learned.  As our students danced we all sang a Portuguese chant and clapped to the rhythm of the dance.  It was a lot of fun and the students were exceptional.  I am very proud of our students and their willingness to try new things in front of their peers.  I was also very proud of everyone for being such a good audience.  To learn more about Elm City, visit their web site at www.elmcitydance.org.

           

             It looks like we are on the way to receiving approval for our new learning cottage, which students and teachers will occupy when we return from our summer break.  The new unit will be placed adjacent to the existing one and extend out toward the ball field.  In preparation for that installation, we will need a lot of help as we did when we installed the first unit.  This Saturday is a Co-Op Day and we need help clearing brush away from the fence, which will have to be moved once the new learning cottage arrives. The workday typically begins around 9:00 a.m.  If you need those hours, this is a great way to get them.

“Volunteers are not paid -- not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless.”  Thank you in advance for helping us with this initial phase of getting our new classrooms.

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (April 8, 2013)

Greetings GreenMount Community,

            I believe that I said something about spring being here in the last head message.  I was correct technically, but we certainly did not have any weather that indicated the season.  And now it appears that we are preparing to jump right into summer.  Isn’t that just like Baltimore?  Tomorrow we may hit 80 degrees, which can be uncomfortable inside GreenMount.  Unlike a home HVAC system we just cannot change to air conditioning with the flip of a switch.  The city has to come out and reroute water and make some adjustments on the roof.  It’s a complicated process.  This means that we basically have to guess when to switch over, and given our temperamental weather, we are sure to have some days that are too hot or too cold.  So have your children dress so that they can add or subtract clothing as the day progresses.  We will survive as always.

            Attached to this newsletter is a notification of an exhibition by artist Timothy Horjus that will be presented at The Creative Alliance from March 9 to April 13.  The exhibition on the April 13 includes a dance performance by the Elm City Dance Collective and inspired by the Brazilian martial art of Capoeira.  This sounds like an interesting opportunity for families to enjoy a unique program together.  We also like to inform you of events at The Creative Alliance as we have toured their facility and have a relationship with the folks there.

Additionally, on the morning of April 15, the Elm City group will be performing here at GreenMount from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. We invite you to join us at that time for a free performance and a program that I know you will enjoy as you begin your week.

            This morning, as students came back to school, I saw lots of smiling faces.  The chatter and greetings reminded me of the unique nature of the children who attend GMS.  Basically, it boils down to the fact that our kids like being here.  This school is a big part of their lives and the happiness that shows as they return is evidence to me that school and learning is important to them.  And yes, friends are an important part of their feeling of belonging and satisfaction.  As long as we continue to have students learn to love learning, I will be satisfied as well.

            Among those returning today were the eighth graders who went to Costa Rica.  I haven’t heard all the details yet, but the students I talked with were more than happy with the experience.  I know what a great bonding opportunity this is for them and each has learned something about themselves that will give them confidence as they eventually face the world independently. The students will be presenting a program about their trip at Community Day on April 19.  Please make plans to attend so that you can understand why this program is so important for our students’ learning.

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (March 25, 2013)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            Ah, spring!  It is finally here and the crocuses are coming up in front of the school.  Soon, we will be enjoying the warm sun and that beautiful spring green around our area.  Gym classes will be outside, and instead of coats being left on the stage, they will be left on the grass.  Then there will be that tricky time between heating and cooling our building, which is always a challenge, especially since our weather in Baltimore is so finicky.  Nonetheless, it will change and the students will be chomping at the bit for summer vacation to begin. It will all happen too fast and before you know it, we will be in summer mode.  For now, we still have a lot of work to do. 

            Our third theme is coming along nicely as students are learning about the history of journalism and media.  Some great discussions are taking place about journalists’ responsibilities and the role of media in shaping opinion and even policy.  And speaking of experiential opportunities for students, our kindergarteners experienced what it was like to be a carrier pigeon with a message attached to their bodies.  Can you picture them “flying” around the gym, delivering their messages?  A subsequent discussion in class amazed Ms. Laura as the students identified all the disadvantages of using pigeons to carry messages.  Some comments were very practical, such as, “The pigeon could get shot!” or “The pigeon could be attacked by a hawk!”

(exclamation points always come after a kindergarteners comment). Other students recognized that the pigeon just might get tired and decide to go visit a pigeon cousin or that it was not his job to deliver messages.  We’ll have to have a lesson with the kindergarteners about what a “bird brain” is.  Teachers will be letting you know about some of the activities as we move forward and perhaps you can find a way to contribute in class as well.  Our thanks to Ann Foster for stepping up and creating an artistic and imaginative bulletin board for the theme.  I haven’t seen that much newspaper since the last time I moved.

            The other day I received a note from one of our second graders.  It came in an envelope and in very neat Denelian handwriting said, Dear Mr. Steve, I am having a great time at GreenMount.  GreenMount is awesome!  Love, ­­­­­______.  As I sit and look at this lovely sentiment, I am struck, as I often have been, by the power that lies within us as adults to bring about so many wonderful attributes in children.  This young student has a family that encourages independent thought and openly expressing feelings.  This student has teachers who provide the tools of self-expression and the skills necessary to put thoughts down on paper. And when I think of this child, who is benefiting from a supportive family and skilled teachers, I think of all the children in our school and the extent to which we mold them into the big people they will surely become.  Will they still love learning?  Will they still innocently express their feelings and opinions?

A lot of research out there, such as that done by Ken Robinson (How Schools Are Killing Creativity), indicates that as students get older they become more inhibited, less creative, and less communicative (talking that is).  I remember my own teenage son’s phone conversations (pre-Internet) that lasted about ten seconds and went something like, Hey, yeah, when?, Cool, Later.  He’s a great adult now, but he was a much more interesting 6-year-old.  And now that he has his own 11-year-old son, I can talk to him about trying to preserve the inquisitive, thoughtful grandson that I have.

I think we all have a responsibility to not make the assumption that children just “get it” as they grow older.  We need to continually stimulate their imaginations and to be thoughtful and deliberate in how we educate them about their world.  And in order to do that, we have to understand their world.  This is what we strive to do at GreenMount.  Why are our seventh graders so excited about the trip they took to help the homeless in D.C.?  I think it’s because it is real to them.  It is something that gives them the opportunity to make a difference and have value.  We tell a kindergarten student regularly that he or she is special and wonderful.  Let’s make sure we say the same thing for our middle school children, because they are, too.

            Cheers,  

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (March 18, 2013)

Greetings, GreenMount Community,

            This is an exciting week for us at GreenMount!  On Wednesday, our seventh and eighth grade students will embark on their respective journeys away from school, representing everything that is great about our school and our students.

Our seventh graders will be traveling to Washington, D.C., for an overnight visit to work with an organization that brings in young people to provide assistance for homeless individuals.  They and their chaperones will be sleeping in a church on Wednesday night and will return on Thursday.

The eighth grade students will be going a bit farther to Costa Rica for nine days, including travel.  They will start by learning what “0 Dark-Thirty” really means as they basically open the airport at about 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday.  They will spend a day in San Jose, after which they will depart to a remote village inland, which comes complete with a waterfall and a volcano.  But it won’t be all fun and games as they will complete an actual service project for the villagers there, with whom they will live for several days.  Every time we visit this village we bring school supplies for the children there because the village is very poor and they lack a lot of the things we take for granted.  Today and tomorrow we are asking for donations of school supplies (Mr. Fletcher sent you a list) or money to buy paper since it is too heavy to carry on the trip.  This is a great experience for the students and I will provide you with updates as the week progresses.  Ms. Elaine is great at texting us and keeping us informed about all the experiences that the students are having.

            We are very proud of the kinds of programs we have established for our students that allow them to experience the world in real terms.  From taking walking tours of Baltimore, where we learned about our own neighborhoods, to an ascent through the jungle to see a volcano, our kids get to experience things that help them appreciate their place in the world and the value of others.  We believe that these kinds of experiences shape young people and that they come away with a new appreciation for their fellow human beings.  These experiences also provide for some lifelong bonds, such as the ones we see form between the students who sweat and build together in Costa Rica when they return as a team that has learned the power they possess from working together.  If you want to see this bond in action, come to our community day when the eighth graders make a presentation about their trip.  We will announce that date once the students are prepared.

            As we plan for the new learning cottage that we will open in September, we realize that we will need more technology to support that learning environment.  We are looking at purchasing another netbook lab and projectors for the Mimio.  And as we contemplate our technology needs, we are thinking about the future and how we will be able to provide for what students will need in years to come.  We have heard that netbooks are being replaced by another generation of computers for schools even as we anticipate buying another lab for the school.  Many schools are actually embracing a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) program and we are thinking about something like that to gradually augment the computers the school owns.  Several of our students currently bring their own laptops and they seem to like the idea of being able to save all their work on their own device rather than sharing with other students.  Those pesky flash drives have a way of going missing as well.

We will be discussing this some more as the new year begins in September, but I wanted to plant this seed in your minds now so that you can begin to think about how you might assist with your child’s assistive technology.  In a recent TV ad, I saw a Samsung Chrome laptop advertised for $249.  Wow, have the prices of laptops come down!

Cheers,

Steve

Weekly Message from Steve Warner, Head of School (March 11, 2013)

Greetings GreenMount Community,

            Last week at this time I was actually listening to what the weather people were saying and my whole message was centered on the impending blizzard.  Needless to say, I assume that your kids did not get out and play some of the snow games I suggested. What a disappointment!  Then again, it was an opportunity for our students to rest up and maybe even catch up on some of those assignments they are missing.  And now the crocuses are up and the robins have made their comeback.  This weekend, families were out on the NCR trail walking, biking, fishing and hiking in shirtsleeves and shorts.  How the weather does turn in Baltimore.  Today, as I exited the JFX onto 28^th Street, I saw the daffodils sprouting on the reservoir hill.  It won’t be long now.  But don’t forget the blizzard of ’58!

            At today’s morning meeting we talked about cyber bullying and how we choose words that we use with others.  Some of the students were familiar with two recent events of cyber bullying that appeared in the news, and it was determined that just about everyone has either been bullied in this way or bullied others.  I was proud of the fact that the students acknowledged that they have used unkind words with others and that they recognize that they can be hurtful even if they think they are only “kidding”.  They were very attentive as we discussed how much words can hurt and the fact that cyber bullying has no face or voice.  We also discussed their responsibility for self-advocacy when someone says or does something hurtful to them.  I encourage you to discuss this further at home and to model for them the idea of self-advocacy.

           

            You may be aware that we have begun our final theme for the year titled, Printing Press to Paperless.  The overarching idea as stated for upper school students is as follows: “With the emergence of our industrialized nation, delivering news has evolved, requiring an audience of critical thinkers.”  For the lower school, this is stated in simpler terms as follows: “Getting the news has changed over the years and so have the people who receive it."  Students will be learning about the effect of media on our lives today as well as how it affected the lives of people over the many years since the invention of the printing press in 1456.  This will be an interesting theme requiring a lot of writing.  The students will come away with a much more critical eye on media today.  We think this will serve this generation well as they are part of a rapidly expanding age of information.

            Many of you are aware that Ms. Ali will be having a baby soon (It’s a girl!) and will be leaving at the end of the day on Wednesday for the rest of the year.  Blair Latraverse has been subbing for us and spent a week with Ms. Ali last week learning the routines and more about the students in the class.  She is well prepared to take over.  We will let you know when the blessed event occurs so that we can all celebrate a new member of the GreenMount family.

Cheers,

Steve