Friday, December 26, 2008

Fireside Chat

I’ve been a part of so many interesting things since becoming Assembly President that it seems high time to report on some of my experiences.

So here are some random notes (à la Matt Garrity):

  • Work party (11/16): I did a bunch of detail work on painting the railing, following after broad-brush painters like Robert (14), Gregory (11), and Gabriel (10). While painting, I bored Chloe (11) with the maxims I derived from my misspent youth, caught up with Stephanie (staff), got Kevin (parent) to paint the parts of pillars that I was too short to reach, and turned down an offer of a “Kindness Cookie” from Jesse (6), only to come to my senses later and go get one--it turned out to be a totally fantastic chocolate chip cookie. I wore a beige sweatshirt, which my offspring pointed out was not a particularly wise choice for painting...but I only got one streak on the cuff. I guess it wasn’t going to be for dress-up anymore anyway.

  • Piloting the New Parent Welcome Wagon program: First I had a great talk by phone with a father who is philosophically on-board with the Sudbury model and very comfortable with the way Clearwater is set up, but who was still processing his reactions to the school. The veteran parent who introduced him to Clearwater told him this processing still goes on after many years. Then I had a very lengthy phone conversation with a mother with lots of questions about helping a younger child adapt well to Clearwater. I was able to remember what it was like for me when Gabriel started at Clearwater coming from a very structured preschool. She said she felt much better after talking to me, and I hope it was true! Later, I also made contact with two other new families who are feeling very happy with the school and don’t have any questions right now.

  • The first official Community Building Committee (CBC) meeting: We got off to a great start with mystery herbal chai and my raw-in-the-middle whole wheat maple quick bread. Martha (parent) agreed to head up the Family Game Day effort and to help shape the incipient Parent Handbook, though she was coy about whether she would join the committee or not. Sharon (parent) agreed to head up the revamping of the Parent Chat program to see if we could make it more relevant to parents and draw larger groups. I loved her idea of looking into alternate locations so that we could vary the neighborhood each time to make it more accessible to all. Susan (parent) agreed to be the first official Welcome Wagon parent until such time as she needs to call in reinforcements because of a deluge of new families. I was so thrilled with my delegating...but I still need to write up my recommendations for the Welcome Wagon.

  • Another graduate: I was disappointed that my job kept me from attending Claire’s graduation presentation. I’m always excited and proud to see Clearwater graduates reflect on their experiences at the school. I’ve known Claire for six years and she has always been an impressive and talented person—it sounds like I missed quite a performance. Shawna (staff) stopped by my house so I could add my signature to Claire’s diploma, my duty as Assembly President and a great honor. Sorry my signature isn’t very ornate, Claire, and best of luck in your new pursuits and adventures!

One thing I have discussed with staff and various committee members several times in the past few months is that our various efforts in support of the school sometimes keep people so busy that it can be hard to find time to update the broader community about our progress and to fully acknowledge everybody’s contribution. I hope this report gives a window into the commitment of the many people putting forth time and energy on behalf of Clearwater. I encourage all to stay in the loop by continuing to check the school blog. And please free to email me any time with questions.

Keep the enthusiastic participation coming!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Winter Break Started Early

Like many other Seattle area schools, Clearwater started its winter break unexpectedly early due to the snowstorm. But how many other schools can say that their students were disappointed by the early start of vacation?

Happy Holidays and safe travels, everyone. See you next year!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Caroling Rehearsal

Carolers rehearsing

For the past three weeks, nine students and I have been preparing for a school performance of Christmas carols. If the weather holds we are all excited to sing tomorrow at 3:30pm.

This project began soon after the Thanksgiving break, when some of us sang carols on the bus ride home. I asked the singers if they would be interested in practicing singing carols at school and giving a performance. They all thought it sounded like fun and we invited other students to join us the next day.

At our first meeting we all named carols we wanted to sing and sang samples of each. We agreed on eight songs: older, sacred, modern, secular and most of them lively. Several songs were unfamiliar to some, but everyone wanted to learn and sing all of them. We started out meeting once a week, but during the past two weeks we've met three days a week.

It has been wonderful working on this project and seeing the commitment each singer has to rehearsing, learning songs and singing in a group. They all practice the songs at home and at school, even when they're not in rehearsal. The singers are a high-energy group and have dramatically increased their stamina for standing together in one place for the length of eight songs. We have also had to negotiate whether to include the extra bits at the end of phrases in "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer". (You'll have to attend the performance to find out what everyone decided.)
If snow doesn't close school tomorrow, I will video the performance and put a clip on the blog. Happy holidays everyone!

Pledge Drive Begins

The Clearwater School announces the beginning of its 2009 fundraising campaign. End 2008 by giving a tax-deductable donation in support of our generous tuition assistance program!

Like other schools, families and businesses, Clearwater has been affected by the current economy. But even though our income decreased this year, our commitment is as strong as ever to ensure that any student who wishes to, is able to attend The Clearwater School. With our dedication to making our school available to families from all income levels, each year 40 to 50 percent of our students receive tuition assistance.


Give a little, give a lot. You donation will provide the additional funding needed for the school-year general budget, including reinstatement of approved staff salaries. It also represents half of the amount of tuition assistance we are providing to Clearwater students during the 2008-09 school year.


Contact the school office by calling 425-489-2050 or mail payment to
The Clearwater School
1510 196th St SE, Bothell, WA 98012

Monday, December 15, 2008

Joey's Background

This picture of the school is a wallpaper made by Joey using Inkscape and Gimp. It can be found in 4 sizes, below.

800x600
1024x768
1280x960
1280x1024

Thursday, December 11, 2008

All Quiet on the blog

The members of the PR committee are also members of the Fundraising committee, which has been very busy this week with the end of year campaign. We'll be back here soon!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Claire's Graduation Photos and Video

Claire's recent graduation was held on such a beautiful and sunny day. And yet, I don't know what was brighter--the sun or Claire's frequent smiles. She was glowing that day.

On a personal note, Claire has been a big part of my life. I first met her and her parents when she and our son Ian were only a year and a half. Seeing her at her presentation as a confident and articulate young woman filled me with pride. I could so easily click into my geezer voice and reminisce about all the memories... but I'll spare her that.

Throughout the presentation and the party afterwards I snapped a lot of pictures. I also shot some video of her hula dancing. I'll post a couple of pictures here, but I have put a gallery up on our family website.

Congrats Claire!

Photo Gallery
http://www.theflees.com/Gallery/Claire%20Graduation/ClairesGraduation/index.html
Video
http://www.theflees.com/Gallery/Claire%20Graduation/Videos/index.html











Field Trip Thursdays

Tucker is organizing a field trip on the first Thursday of the month to a museum. First Thursdays are free, and Matt takes them on the bus. Everyone chips in for gas, one whole dollar. Today they went to the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.

Artwork by Delayney



Delayney does paintings on fabric. She stiffens the fabric first by ironing it.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Reading, Gaming and Getting Serious

When my son entered a Sudbury school, he was not yet a reader and this worried many of the people that we knew. He spent his days building forts, talking and playing with friends, and boasting to his friends in “regular” school that he did not have to wear shoes or learn anything at all. He was seven.

God only knows why this was OK with me; I clearly remember the intense desire to ‘crack the code’ of letters and words, and it was obvious to me almost from the beginning of my son’s life that this was not something we shared. Letters and words are, in a way, too two-dimensional for him, too precise. Once things are out of his head and articulated, they are too final. Even now the written word is not a part of his creative process; he simply remembers everything. But I knew that he would learn to read, and that he did not need to be enticed, badgered or embarrassed in order to learn. So I watched him pass a few years without really caring about reading, and then one week I watched him read the last Harry Potter book on his own. He was ten.


This is not a reassuring scenario for many parents. It’s practically an advertisement for not sending your child to a Sudbury school. How could I just stand by and allow my child to remain illiterate for so long? I could have hired a tutor, or worked with him at home, or sent him to a traditional school where he would have been sure to learn to read at grade level. But the reality was more nuanced than it seemed. He was doing a lot of casual reading every day, reading signs and cereal boxes, following along with Captain Underpants, and going over the Pokémon books on his own, for example. He kept much of this to himself, knowing there was a great deal of power, most of it emotional, that other people conferred on his ability to read. He did not let on that he could read at an ‘everyday’ level. He was like a magician, pulling a reading rabbit out of a hat. It was a game, a trick.

Now he is engaged in another form of illusion, another hot-button issue that worries many adults who are involved in his life or who are looking for examples of how Sudbury kids waste their time and do not do anything serious, anything worthy. He is a gamer. I see him playing games every day, all of the time. He loves games, really loves them. He prepares for a day at school by going through his complicated collection of Magic cards, assembling decks that he hopes to ride to victory. He plays with anyone who is willing, and he is not exclusive in the games he will play. He’ll play almost anything. He goes through phases, where one particular game will rise to prominence over all others. One week it is Magic or poker, one month it is World of Warcraft. He’ll spend a few days beating a video game, and for variety he’ll play Apples to Apples or some other board game that is currently hot. He’ll exhaust a game and go back to it later and find more joy in it. He is twelve.

The trust I had in him when he was seven is still there. What he is doing is not a waste of his time; he is developing social and strategic skills, and many more strengths I don’t recognize. Part of me feels that it is unfair to try to parse his gaming to extract some reassuring list of accomplishments. He does not play to further a long-range plan, he does it purely for the joy of it. I mention skills because I know that parents worry about them and want to see the light at the end of the dark tunnel. But for him there is nothing dark about what he loves, no light beckoning to him. He knows how he wants to turn this love of his into a vocation, and he has been actively getting to know video game designers and getting advice on what to study, where to do it, and what he needs to know before he gets to college. He meets these developers at a big gaming store where they get together and play Magic. He plays with them (and has begun beating them).

I have had moments of anxiety about all of this, most of them caused by conversations with people I know who are critical of our decision to raise a Sudbury student. But the faith I have in him is always there to reassure me. I am very glad that I have not spent the last six years wondering when he is going to ‘get serious’.

Karen Hyams

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Enhancing Settlers of Catan

Photo by Claire

Settlers of Catan, a German strategy board game, is popular with a number of students and staff members this year. Creative play has gone beyond figuring out the best strategies to win to creating custom tiles to enhance the game play. Joey, Robert and Mat have so far created five custom tiles, which are randomly placed on the existing board.
  • Volcano Tile: Gives any resource; when a 12 is rolled, everything around that tile is destroyed.
  • Fortress Tile: Provides protection against the robber to anything surrounding the tile; if a 2 is rolled, active player can destroy someone's unconnected road or lay siege to a city, unless the player under siege spends one wheat and one ore to lift the siege. Tile does not produce any resources.
  • Road Building Tile: Allows player to choose wood or brick when the number on the tile is rolled.
  • City Building Tile: Allows player to choose wheat or ore when the number on the tile is rolled.
  • Bazaar Tile: If player ahead of you rolls a double, then you roll a double, you can move the tile (a traveling port) anywhere on the board.

Have fun enhancing your game with these tile ideas. If you've never played Settlers, you can try it out online at Aso Brain Games.

Introducing Teared Taco

Lily (8), Max (9) and Arlo (9) are inventing a new language--"Teared Taco", which in English tranlates to Weird Language. They create words as they need them.

Words they've invented so far:
Upadam = car
Pap = means (verb)
Youp = yes
Ro = no
Yus = bus
Ucalami = cat
Poopydallance = allowance (this was the first word they invented with a meaning)
Pabay = a guy
Pa = a
Bay = guy
Pubby = hi
Teared = weird
Tibby = Lily
Cacks = Max
Cappy = cute
Tuddy = little
Nare = they're
Cubbia = kitten
Capcup = the
Ostondou = tree
Ameaklofo = house
Scotwudi = building
Twyake = fire
Usoomi = camp
T = we
Teed = need
Poo = to
Fydie = find
Adoe = Arlo
Taco = language
Ucypoop = I don't know
Kaday = rain
Littleoo = Shawna

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

New Computer


Mat installing Vista

The school got a new computer a few weeks ago, the result of efforts begun by the Computer Corporation last year. They got donations from Tucker's family, Javier and a Microsoft match. They ordered the parts online. Mat, Miles, Robert, Joey, Gabriel, Souren and Gabe put it together at the beginning of the year. They had to cut a hole in the case to fit the large fan required.

It is Clearwater's best computer, full of programs that would slay a lesser computer, and it is intended for drawing, music, video, web design, video game creation, and other multimedia creative projects.
Bob donated some Adobe CS4 programs, and Doug picked up Vista Ultimate at the company store. They still have a wish list; ask a member of the Computer Corporation what else they need if you'd like to contribute to the project.

Monday, November 24, 2008

What gamers were doing today!

I went into the computer room on Monday and decided to ask all the people what they were doing. These are the things people were doing.

Mat R. and James (17) were playing a battling game called Robot Arena.
Joey (16), Gabriel (10) and Cass (13) were all making maps for a game called Warcraft 3.
Caitlin (8) was playing a cute penguin game!
Leo (11) was playing a strange fruit game called Locoroca which I was informed was based off of a PSP game.
Maddy (9), and Meghan (10) were playing a game called World of Warcraft or WOW while Gabe(9) watched. (I do believe that WOW was based off of Warcraft).
Vera (6) was playing a cute little dress up game, while right next to her Kevin(7) played a shooting game.

That's a day in the computer room
!
-Chloe J.

Birthday Party at School

Often, students whose birthdays occur during the school year bring birthday treats to share with students and staff at school. Jacy (middle in black & pink floral print) recently turned 8. Jodi, her mom, brought in a yummy cake to share with everyone.


After a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday", the cake was enjoyed by many. Happy birthday, Jacy! Thank you, Jodi, for taking these photos.


Friday, November 21, 2008

Random Notes from Beginning of School year

  • Ivy (8) and Maddy (9) are in the house reading the dialogue to a game on Ivy's Nintendo DS. I remember how last year the two of them were so interested in forming reading classes, some of which I taught. Today, they read on and I walk on by.

  • James (17) just threw a touchdown pass to Gregory (11). Celebration! Today it's four on four in the parking lot.

  • I lob a long pass to Nici (7) and hold my breath as he runs toward it...he looks back, stretches out his hands as far as they can reach and YES, he pulls it in while running full stride! He turns to look back at me with a huge grin on his face. Celebration!

  • Nici, Gabe (9), and Kevin (7) are in the parking lot practicing football plays. It's amazing how fast they have improved in less than a week. On Monday, they barely knew the rules; now they organize their own games, make plays, and practice fundamentals.

  • Lily (8) and Verity (5) just left me at the recently formed "Club Camp." I am in communication with them via walkie talkie while they do a school patrol. Club Camp is a very cool place. There is a sleeping area and a nice big rock is used for putting out food to share. Club Camp is situated under a tree near the parking lot and has been a major hub of activity over the last four days. The tree and its surroundings have been carefully decorated with flowers, woven grasses.

  • Arlo (9) just got back from a trip to Greece, so I asked him how it was and what he did. "I hung out at the beach in Crete for a week," he said. "It was a nine-hour ferry to get there! In the morning we would hang out for awhile in the room because it was really big. Then we would go to the beach." He said the waves were medium small and were perfect for swimming. He and his family spent three days in Athens and a night in Santorini. He told me a few more things and then we were interrupted; he was dragged off to a game.

  • Lily is reading a book to Max. Lily is learning to read, Max reads very well. They laugh at the Dr. Seuss brilliance. When Lily doesn't know a word she points at it and Max readily jumps right in.

  • The football games continue to improve. We get in the bus, drive to the nice fields. When we get there we carefully mark the boundary with cones and warm up with some drills. We pick teams and play. It's so cool to see the older kids help the younger kids play. Even though the games are competitive, everyone is included. There are arguments, there are fights and intensity. We work things out, sometimes we are still working it out on the bus drive back to school....

  • Stuck in traffic on the bus ride home. I hear Gabriel (10) imitating Joseph Biden's V.P. debate performance. He is making fun of how Biden kept saying Bush's name. This leads to a discussion of Palin. No one likes her.

  • Delayney (13) playing piano while Sage (8) and I lie on the floor with our eyes closed and listen. I notice Delayney is using the sustain pedal to wonderful effect. She has little or no formal training but spends a lot of time experimenting. I mean, she really plays a lot. And it sounds good. Now she is talking of taking some formal lessons.

  • Robert (14), Gabe (18) and I have started a morning exercise plan. Everyday for the last week and a half we have met first thing and practiced a routine. It's a great way to start the day.

  • Michelle (13) let me read the first two chapters of the novel she is writing. It reminds me of Tom Robbins. She doesn't know who that is. Seriously, she is an amazing writer.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Claire's Diploma Presentation

On Wednesday, November 19, 2008, Claire Peckham was granted a diploma by the Clearwater School Meeting. Claire is our first graduate who has attended Clearwater since she was 5, beginning the same year the school opened.

Her presentation was attended by all ages of the Clearwater extended community—students, past graduates, parents, and life-long friends of Claire. She stood in front of a wall of her recent photography, and displayed paintings, collages and books she has created over the years on a nearby table. The reading of her paper was followed by a performance of three Hula dances—a discipline that she embodies, loves and has studied deeply.

As I watched the multiple dimensions she used to share herself with the community and demonstrate her accomplishments, I was deeply moved. There is a complexity of growing up, and a mystery of education, that cannot always be explained in words—but can be occasionally grasped in moments. Claire’s presentation was one of those moments.

So many of our youngest students intently and silently watched the presentation and asked Claire questions about her dancing, life and future plans. The coming together of our community to witness and mark Claire's transition speaks to the power and influence that each student brings to our community.

I was honored to be a member of her Advisory Committee and impressed by her desire to take in feedback and reflect on her choice to graduate. I am also honored to count myself as Claire’s friend. The grace she brought to her presentation reflects the very high integrity Claire brings to all that she undertakes in her life. We will all miss Claire and wish her the best in the next steps of her life. Copies of her diploma paper are available through the school office.

Photo of Claire

Photo Thursdays





Audience at Claire's thesis presentation

Drawing by Elizabeth


Full size (1000x1000)

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Hey, tires again.


Photo Thursdays

I always end up with more photos on Thursdays than I can use. Here is one:

Music Room


Clearwater's Chickens

Hard-Hitting Interview with Lily, Max and Justin about Clearwater's Chickens

KH: Tell me about the chickens.
Lily: They...do you want to know their breeds, or what do you want to know?
KH: Tell me about the breeds first.
L: I know the school has a Wyandotte, Rhode Island Red, Buff Orpington, the Appenzell Spitzhauben which is a crazy chicken which originally came from Switzerland.
Max: Isn't there an Arucana?
L: Also known as an Easter Egg Chicken.
Justin: What about the rooster?
L: I'm pretty sure he's a normal black chicken.
KH: OK, what about their names?
M: OK.....do you have to write down everything we say? This is supposed to be about chickens.
L, M, J: Nightshade, Sunlight, Um..Kawinkeyakink, Pheonix, Aria, which is an Arucana, Wink, Kawinky, Snowball, Snowflake, Peanutbutter, Rhodey the Rhode Island Red, Cheetah......

KH: What else about the chickens?
L: Nothing really is about what I have to say.
J: They really like when we feed them snacks.



Note top photo, where Delayney has the rooster eating out of her hand, which is totally amazing.


Thursday, November 6, 2008

Introduction to Michelle

My name is Michelle, or Eddy. I'm 13 and have been at this school for about 2.5 years. Furthermore, I can post to the blog now, and there's nothing you can do about it!
I will now proceed to menace and terrorize you with a cranberry sauce recipe I developed last Thanksgiving in Cleveland. Eat it and despair, for it is delicious and may very well cause diabetes in large amounts.



















But wait, I'm not done yet! Here's a more recently-made cookie recipe:

Apple-carrot-granola-raisin cookies!

Ingredients
2 apples
1/2 cup baby carrots
1 cup Golden raisins, cranberries, or both
1 stick o' butter or equal amount of margarine
5 eggs or package-directed equal proportions of egg substitute
2 cups flour
1/2 cup pumpkin granola (or any other kind of granola you prefer)
1/2 cup turbinado sugar or agave nectar
Baking soda
Vinegar
Directions
Core and peel the apples and grate them finely (or not-so-finely if you like them that way) along with the baby carrots.
Toss together and set aside.
Carefully melt the butter in the microwave, then fold it into the flour in a biggish bowl until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Add the granola, then the sugar, then the apple-carrot mixture, then the raisins, then the eggs.
Add a teaspoon each of baking soda and vinegar.
Mix in any way you see fit until the whole thing is of a uniform consistency.
Grease a baking sheet and preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Get the biggest spoon you have in the house, unless it's a soup ladle. In that case, get the second biggest spoon.
Plop cookie dough onto the pan, making sure to leave enough room between them for them to spread out.
Bake for 15 minutes, then check to see if they're done, then bake for 5 more minutes just to be sure.

Voila!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Introduction to Chloe!

Hi all! This is Chloe J. , I am a former student at Clearwater. I attended for four years and I am doing an internship at the school. I am eleven years old and am the daughter of one of the schools lovely staff. I have two little sisters, one who used to attend Clearwater and she is four, and the other is around a couple months old. I will be helping with the blog so you will probably see more things being posted by me.

PS. Happy election everybody!

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Things to do with tires


Make a barricade or something (photo by Chloe)


Sit in one during School Meeting


?????