Coupla Things wk29 (4/16/17)

I hope that all is well with all of you on this wonderful weekend. Amy and I went to enjoy the beauty and sunshine of Pacific Grove for our 21st anniversary on Friday & Saturday and then came home to a freshly cleaned house and newly painted wall courtesy of our wonderful daughters. Egg hunts and a great breakfast this morning made the weekend even better!

Mosaics: Thanks to the generous donation of our family friend, Marie Grace, the kids in room 25 learned a new skill last week: stained glass mosaics. Marie gave us a huge supply of her art glass and we learned how to assemble them into artistic patterns, glue them to tile, fill with grout, and polish and clean into a great work of art. During buddy time on Wednesday the kids showed their buddies how to do the project and many made projects of their own. The kids who were in SF last week will be doing this project as well, and Stella's art class is making a large mosaic for the drinking fountain in the k-5 quad.

School survey: Debby Perry sent us teachers an email on Friday asking us to remind you parents to fill in this survey. Eight of you have done it so if the remaining 16 families could do it now, we'd be in good shape. Parent feedback and suggestions is really important and very impactful at a school like ours.

Bill of Rights: The founders carefully wrote the first ten amendments to The US Constitution to limit the powers of government over the population. These have had far-reaching effects and are under constant scrutiny, interpretation, and debate. For the past two weeks the class has been learning more and more about the Constitution and our discussions have been engaging and long. The PBS series called "Constitution USA" with Peter Sagal has shown just how relevant and important the Bill of Rights is! Friday, for example, I gave them 12 scenarios to consider, and they engaged in an informed and educating discussion about capital punishment. As a result watched a West Wing episode and they really understood the issues, the dialog, and the values, morals, and beliefs involved in this kind of thing. Hopefully, they'll come to see that politics can be interesting and will consider the human aspects to it. Next week we will begin hearing the kids' presentations on all the amendments and I'm certainly looking forward to that!

Food for Monday lunch? Isabelle Chappius sent out a note and sign up sheet regarding an idea that she had... let's celebrate more! This can be a "Welcome back SF kids" party. I'm in and I'm going to bring rice, beans, tortillas and salsa. What could you add to our big lunchtime feast (and feel free to join us -- 1:00 in room 25).

Graduation performances: The 8th grade graduation at DCS is a very important and special event. The venue is big and beautiful, the kids are excited and sharp looking, and the performances are always very meaningful and well-received. Kelly Reinhardt and Debbie Lew are in charge of this amazing event and have created this form for students to fill in if they would like to be a part of the performances. We usually have about 12 "acts" and THAT is what makes the DCS graduation a special time for all.

Conferences: During the first week of May we'll have your final conferences of your DCS career! There is much to discuss and celebrate and plan for next year; I'm mostly looking forward to just spending a half hour with the families that I've come to know and love so very much! Please use this document to sign up for a spot.