Bittersweet Graduation Day

Today is Graduation Day for our eight graders, and we are so proud of them and know they will do well. In this group is my only Grandson, Lance, who has been at CDS since he was three. I have been so blessed to be able to watch him grow and learn everyday and get those special hugs on the fly. I know it is time for him to experience a larger world and yet I also know it is the end of a very special time we had. Both his Mom and his Dad work as teachers at the school, so I know they are experiencing the same feelings. He is so ready to move on and do great things at Catholic High and beyond. I will just miss seeing his face and knowing he is there. Congrats and Good Luck to all our grads, but especially to Lance.

School year almost over!

Next to last week of school is here already....how can that be? Just yesterday they were walking in the door with new lunch boxes and shoes, all ready to start their journey. But look at how they have grown...physically, socially, emotionally and of course, intellectually. All in all, it has been a very good year. We have enjoyed our time together, laughed lots, cried some, and learned so many new and exciting things. From Preschoolers in awe over rainbows and shadows, to primary students learning to read, to Voyagers building their villages in the woods, to navigators performing Julius Caesar.......they were the best of times. Now on to graduation which includes my Grandson, Lance. He has been at Country Day since he was three.I hope I can hold it together to give him his diploma and send him on his way to the big world out there. Thanks to everyone who made this year special. Have a safe and restful vacation!

Lessons Learned

As most of you probably know, our area was devastated by an outbreak of tornados last Wednesday resulting in loss of life and many homes. Another result of the storms was a complete power outage which is still going on for some six days later. As far as we know our CDS families are all ok and we will re-open school tomorrow.

During this time of simple survival, there were no lights, just candles or lanterns. There was no TV, no Internet, no cell phones or landlines for many of us. Those who had batteries and radios could hear what was happening, but some of us were in a complete communications blackout. We cooked what we had in the fridge or freezer on our gas grills if we had our propane tanks full. Soon we realized that automobile gas was a real problem to find.I waited in a gas line in Morgan City for two hours on E but made it to the pump to find a $25 limit for cash only.That brought up the next problem....cash. The banks did not open because of lack of power for several days and the credit card equipment would not function as they also depend on electricity to operate. It was a spiral of realizations that we would have to draw upon our own creativity and resources to get by. It was problem solving at the core of our daily existence.

During this time I heard on and off from staff and parents via Facebook messages. They all had a common thread...how blessed they felt to have been spared and how sorry they felt for their neighbors who were not. Also everyone began to notice how much simpler and enjoyable family life can be without our daily distractions. It was of interest to many that the Voyager class had been recently studying a time in history when their survival depended on the same things we were now facing. Their simulations of their colonial villages and families in the country day woods were now happening in their own homes in real time. They were watching their parents problem solve as the challenges kept coming. What a life lesson this provided.

As we begin to recover and rebuild, the lessons learned during this time can be reflected upon and can affect our lives in the future.

New Technology

Our oldest kids returned from a trip to Williamsburg last Friday. They had a great time, learned a lot of history, and enjoyed each others company. They also took along the school's FLIP video camera to document the trip. This week they went to the Apple Store to learn how to make a real iMovie using their footage with all the bells and whistles. They were so excited and proud to show their work and reflect on the trip. We plan to start an iPad project next year to see the effect integrating this amazing tool can have in enriching the environment for the older students. I am daily amazed at the possibilities technology offers teachers and students in the 21st century classroom. The trip movies are on the school Facebook page if you would like to see their talents firsthand.

August to June...a new documentary

I just viewed a new film which documents the life of a class in an Open School much like CDS.
It starts in August and follows the progression of the teacher in her last year of teaching after 35 years. It let's you see the interactions as the class comes together as a real community. The teacher is wise and witty and respectful of children. Project works is totally integrated into academics and the social and emotional needs of the students are as important as academics. It was so good it brought tears to my eyes. I will show this to our teachers at next years inservice as a motivator to aspire to the best for our students on all levels. I think I related to this teacher at the end of her career. If parents would like to view the film, just ask and I will check out a copy to you.

Communing with Nature

When I was a little girl my Dad used to take me out every Sunday afternoon to do what he called " commune with nature". We would go to a park, or vacant overgrow lot and explore. Our favorite places usually had a creek or pond to throw pebbles in or wade into. He grew you on a farm in Ky and had a strong tie to the land and outdoors and wanted me to enjoy nature, as well. As I have grown older, I know how important these Sunday afternoon outings really were to me. It developed my senses and they made me comfortable in almost any outdoor setting. It stimulated my love of gardening, and my interest in all God's creatures. As some of you know, I live on a horse farm and have a beach cottage on the coast of Ga. These natural environments are important to my personal sense of balance in my life. I recently read a wonderful book which spoke to this need for nature in children's lives, particularly today in our tech- oriented world. The name of the book is Last Child in the Woods. You can hear an interview with the author on NPR Archived as 'Saving our kids from Nature Deficet Disorder". We have the book in the school professional library if you would like to borrow it.
Thank You, Daddy!

Best schools in the world

I just read a very interesting article on the school system in Finland which is ranked #1 in the world in both reading and math. Guess what? They have many similarities to our school. One of the most interesting to me is that students stay with the same teacher for several years, just like at CDS. They also do not push formal reading before age seven(I knew this was true for Russia) and yet students do very well by third grade when they first measure their ability. It shows that earlier is not necessarily better! Some other factors were the emphasis on creativity, and the high esteem teachers are given. They stated they took $s which might have been used for early standardized testing and put it towards higher teachers salaries...makes sense to me. I have visited the schools in Denmark, and they too have many things like CDS. We have done exchanges whereby our teachers have visited and taught in schools there and we hosted a intern from there recently.