Weekly NewsNotes
To conserve resources, BMS offers "paperless" Friday backpack mail. Everyone in our community automatically receives Newsnotes and its attachments electronically, with no need to sign up, and beginning September 14, 2007, families and staff must "opt in" to also receive backpack mail on paper. At BMS, our students learn to be responsible citizens of the world – and the environment. Our school and our community are environmentally conscious, and many parents have been eager for us to save trees and reduce paper communications. Providing “paperless” Newsnotes is another step in the greening of BMS. To "opt in" for Newsnotes on paper, please email bmsnews@bmsonline.org.
Click on the dates below to open PDFs of our weekly newsletters.
June 12, 2008 Backpack Mail:
1) Newsnotes for 6-12-08
2) Annual Fund Donor List a/o 6-11-08
June 6, 2008 Backpack Mail:
1) Newsnotes for 6-6-08
2) Annual Fund Donor List a/o 6-3-08
2) Hoedown Flyer
May 30, 2008 Backpack Mail:
1) Newsnotes for 5-30-08
May 23, 2008 Backpack Mail:
1) Newsnotes for 5-23-08
2) Annual Fund Donor List a/o 5-21-08
May 16, 2008 Backpack Mail:
1) Newsnotes for 5-16-08
2) Annual Fund Donor List a/o 5-15-08
3) "Price of Privilege" PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Anne Brodzinsky
May 9, 2008 Backpack Mail:
1) Newsnotes for 5-9-08
2) Kids' Yoga Playshop with Lily Dwyer
3) Annual Fund Donor List a/o 5-8-08
May 2, 2008 Backpack Mail:
1) Newsnotes for 5-2-08
2) BMS Logo Apparel Order Form, Spring 2008
3) Annual Fund Donor List a/o 4-30-08
April 25, 2008 Backpack Mail:
1) Newsnotes for 4-25-08
2) Bread Workshop Lunches order form through May 30
3) "Price of Privilege" Parent Ed. event flyer
4) Auction Catalog Supplement
4) Jane Brown Adoption Workshop Information
April 18, 2008 Backpack Mail:
1) Newsnotes for 4-18-08
April 11, 2008 Backpack Mail:
1) Newsnotes for 4-11-08
2) "Low Carbon Diet" workshop flyer
March 28, 2008 Backpack Mail:
1) Newsnotes for 3-28-08
2) Middle School Play: "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" flyer
March 21, 2008 Backpack Mail:
1) Newsnotes for 3-21-08
2) "Instant Wine Cellar" Auction Opportunity flyer
3) Strategic Planning Survey and Summit flyer
4) BMS Student Recital flyer
March 14, 2008 Backpack Mail:
1) Newsnotes for 3-14-08
2) ECC Summer Camp flyer (El./MS)
March 7, 2008 Backpack Mail:
1) Newsnotes for 3-7-08
2) Spring Extended Day flyer (El./MS)
3) Spring Extended Day registration form (El./MS)
4) "Navigating Children's Social Realities: How Parents Can Help" Parent Ed. Event flyer
5) Bread Workshop Lunches order form, March 3-April 4
Letters from The Archives of "News Notes"
- "On Change" -- November 9, 2007
- ""Playground Politics" Helped Parents -- November 2, 2007
- "Teaching for Understanding" -- October 26, 2007
- "Party On!/We All Scream!" -- October 19, 2007
- "Without Ice Cream, There Would be Darkness and Chaos" -- October 12, 2007
- Yard Sale Packs 'Em In -- October 5, 2007
- A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words -- September 28, 2007
- Wanted! -- September 21, 2007
- Hello From the New Kid on the Block -- September 14, 2007
- Welcome, Returning and New Families -- September 7, 2007
- Thanks for a Milestone Year -- June 15, 2007
- Thank You, BMS Ambassadors! -- June 8, 2007
- "Yes Is the Answer" (John Lennon) -- June 1, 2007
- The Birds and the Bees in the Middle School -- May 25, 2007
- Family Day Forges Community -- May 18, 2007
- Report from a New Kid on the Block -- May 11, 2007
- Weaving Together the Threads of An Adopted Child’s Life -- May 4, 2007
- Writers on Fire in Sweet Briar Creek -- April 27, 2007
- ¡Saludos de El Molino! -- April 20, 2007
"On Change" – November 9, 2007
“If you have always done it that way, it is probably wrong.” -- Charles Kettering
As BMS Director of Communications, I understand the need to make school communications efficient and convenient to receive. As a long-time BMS parent, one who has in the past managed to miss a fair number of important school communications myself, I also understand parents’ frustration when that’s not the way it works out in practice. At BMS, we’re dedicated to maintaining excellent communication with parents, and we’re always looking for ways to improve our methods.
Newsnotes and the Montessori Voice are the two major publications BMS Communications puts out, and we are revamping both to make them more user-friendly. Many parents consider Newsnotes too cumbersome, and complain that important information can get buried. So, we’ve decided to try a method that works for many other schools: weekly, unformatted emails with “bare bones” news, and links to more detailed information. If you’ve requested paper copies, you’ll still get them, although they won’t look like the current Newsnotes. Our new system will start next Friday.
We’re also changing the Montessori Voice, based on feedback from some of our readers. We would like to produce a more frequent, less formally produced newsletter, with more relevant, in-depth and timely content. Look for the first edition in the New Year.
Last, it’s important to emphasize that we look on these changes as a work in progress. We’re anxious to hear what you think of them as time goes on, and we intend to fine-tune them based on what you tell us. Please send us your feedback at bmsnews@bmsonline.org. And if you haven’t been receiving our emails, please take a moment now to send us one, so we can be sure we have your correct address.
Laura Gorjance
Director of Communications
"Playground Politics" Helped Parents – November 2, 2007
Parents who attended the "Playground Politics" presentation on Wednesday last week, led by school psychologist Anne Brodzinsky, found it very helpful, and many questions were answered during the 1-1/4 hr Q&A session.
Anne talked about the developmental stages of children, from infancy through adolescence, that influence the way they interact socially. She counseled parents on how to "metabolize their children's anger" with active listening and warmth from toddlerhood onwards, so that children may put their anger into ideas when dealing with rivalry on the playground at school and beyond. She commented that, while all BMS classes teach children peacemaking and active listening skills, parents need to play a role in helping their children cope with their aggressive or unhappy feelings. While bullying as it’s seen in other schools is virtually non-existent on BMS playgrounds, rivalry does happen, especially among older children who are exploring and flexing their social "muscles." Anne offered parents tips on how to help their children maneuver through these rivalries. Although it is always difficult for parents when their children experience social discomfort or what appears to be exclusion, Anne reminded us that learning to deal with such discomfort is an important part of growing up to be competent and sturdy adults.
Several parents commented afterwards that "this has been so helpful, I'm attending ALL of Anne's talks from now on!" Anne's next talk will be on "The Price of Privilege," on Monday, February 25, 2008, from 7:00-9:00 pm on the El/MS campus. For those who couldn't make the "Playground Politics" talk, copies of Anne's PowerPoint slides are available from the ParentEd Lending Library; please email parented@bmsonline.org for more information.
Agnes Lord
Parent of Robert (Middle School) and Peter (Wildcat)
BMSPA Parent Ed. Chair
Teaching for Understanding – October 26, 2007
What do you remember from your grade-school education? If, like most BMS parents, you sat at a desk and learned endless factoids about topics such as the American Constitution, the answer is probably “not much.” How many of you, for example, remember what the Third Amendment is? (See below.)
BMS is taking an entirely different approach to teaching and learning, as Janet Stork outlined to parents and staff last week in the first of three talks on ‘Teaching for Understanding.’ In this paradigm, developed at Harvard University’s “Project Zero,” where Janet has been working and teaching for over 20 years, learning goes far beyond the facts by helping students develop a framework for deeper understanding.
Going back to the Constitution… in a more traditional educational setting, students might be asked to memorize the amendments, write a report about the Founding Fathers, and take a multiple choice test. At BMS, our children are asked think in terms of generative topics: not just what the Constitution is, but why it is significant and how it impacts our lives. For example, in most BMS classrooms, students work together to develop their own constitutions, including a list of rights and responsibilities, which become the foundation of their own communities.
“Teaching for Understanding” has inspired our faculty, 12 of whom attended Project Zero last summer, to review the BMS curriculum and implement changes based on the following questions:
* What is the significance of the subjects we are teaching?
* What do we want our children to understand?
* What are the core building blocks and habits that will support a child’s understanding of a topic or problem?
* How do we evaluate whether a child has developed understanding?
* How can we help students assess their own progress?
* How do we help students apply the knowledge and understanding they have developed in one area to other subjects and problems?
Maria Montessori understood that children learn best by doing. Now BMS teachers are further updating this hands-on experiential learning so that our children will grow up with a deep understanding that can be applied to life’s rapidly changing reality.
Johanna Eigen (Dominik in Sweet Briar) & Sarah Kerruish (Rosie and Natasha in Blackberry)
Don’t miss Part 2 of Janet Stork’s ‘Teaching for Understanding’ presentation, coming up on Thursday, November 8, 7:00-9:00 pm at the El./MS. You need not have attended Part 1 to benefit from the second part, which will more closely examine the use and misuse of student assessment -- what it’s meant to achieve and what it should look like to accomplish its goals.
Answer: The Third Amendment says, “No soldier shall in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.”
Party On!/We All Scream! – October 19, 2007
PARTY ON! (by Catherine MacNeal)
Wow! The BMS school community sure knows how to party. Thanks to a throng of eager partygoers and a fabulous collection of parties offered by creative hosts, we raised over $25,000 for our school and programs on Sunday. Way to party!
And we’re not done! Although there are 15 sold-out parties, there are 30 with some space left, so I hope you’ll sign up if you haven’t already, and take a second look if you have. There’s a flyer and sign-up form in your child’s backpack today – some parties are so close to selling out you’ll need to call in and grab a spot!
It takes a posse to put these parties together. First and foremost, überthanks to Ann Fischer Hecht, the original Pick-a-Party diva and my personal mentor; Christine Trost and Jolie Coursin, catalog-writers and proofreaders extraordinaire; Karen Soleau for the fabulous party birds; Jennifer Kirk and Laura Gorjance for daily staff support; Cindy Schaub for buzzing me in and giving me whatever I needed these past few weeks; and Mojgan Saberi, Colleen Neff, Denise Reagan, and Lauren Adams for all their help. Ultimately, it’s the hosts who make it all happen – thanks to all of you for the parties and wonderful displays on Sunday! And to the BMS community – you are party animals!
WE ALL SCREAM! (by Theresa Halula)
What a glorious day we had for the Annual BMS Ice Cream Social! The BMS Parents Association would like to take a few moments to thank all those that made the event go so smoothly.
First, we want to extend our gratitude to this year's Co-Sponsor, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream of Berkeley. BMS parent Parisa Samimi owns the Oxford Street Ben & Jerry's and supplied the premium quality ice cream, all made without food dyes and from fair trade ingredients, that we all enjoyed.
Without parents and friends lending their support we would not have such great events. Jane Shamaeva, took on her first leadership role at BMS as the Ice Cream Social Co-chair. She has agreed to return next year in the same capacity. We had a great team of volunteers for set up, on our scooping team and the take down crew. We recognize them all: Stephanie Alvelda, Audrey D'Andrea, Manfred Auer, Lucy Bradshaw, Shannon Collins, Lisa Hanson, Kathie Hoehn, Dan and Matt Jackson, Mary Reed Johnson, Michaela Liedtke, Hesteah Mann, Lauren Meyer, Colleen Neff, Kee Nethery, Marina and Osvaldo (Val) Ramos, Parisa Samimi, Colleen Shelley, Rebeka Silva, Karen Soleau, Eugenia Toimil-Molares, and Jacquie Ward. Valued and intrepid comrades, thank you!
Jeremy Shafer was on hand to entertain with juggling and oragami folding activities. The live flame portion of his act seems to be expanding. We really enjoyed his clowning around with a hot foot and flaming unicycle! And yes, Jeremy did warn us all not to try these tricks at home!
"Without Ice Cream, There Would be Darkness and Chaos" (Don Kardong, 1976 U.S. Olympic marathon runner) -- October 12, 2007
I scream, you scream, that it’s time for Ice Cream! This Sunday, October 14, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm, the BMS Parents Association hosts our Annual Ice Cream Social on the BMS University Campus. Parisa Samimi, BMS parent and owner of Ben & Jerry's Berkeley, is our ice cream supplier this year. Parisa will captain our Expert Scooping Team of Parent Volunteers. Jeremy Shafer, juggler extraordinaire, returns to delight us again and will bring his flaming torches. The ice cream is free and so is the entertainment. This is always a terrific, fun-for-all-ages event, so bring the whole gang along to enjoy the afternoon. With the newly refurbished Depot and Temescal spaces available, we’ll have a great time rain or shine!
The Pick-a-Party Posse will be on hand to help you sign up for the parties of your choice. Check your catalog before you arrive, as some parties will sell out quickly. The BMS Parents Association will also be offering scrip and gift cards during the event.
Street parking is free on Sundays. Or, ride your bike and park on campus. Limited parking is available in the lot behind the Ledgers liquor store, but we may only use spaces 1-20.
I hope to see everyone there!
Theresa Halula
BMSPA Secretary and mom of Thomas and Clara Halula-Jackson, Strawberry and Wildcat Creek classrooms
Yard Sale Packs 'Em In – October 5, 2007
I’m still dreaming about heaps of clothing, piles of computer keyboards, bicycles, books, golf clubs, whole computers!, book shelves, fine furniture, dishes, toys, and just about anything else that could be sold…. I want to thank everyone who contributed their efforts to the Middle School Yard Sale, kids and adults, donors, and those incredible people who helped to sort and sell. Oh, and of course, those who bought new treasures and those who carted away our unsold treasures. It was wonderful to see everyone pitching in, from Head of School Janet Stork to parents I had never met, dropping off truckloads of wonderful items. All of this meant that we were able to raise over $2,100! Our last yard sale, two years ago, raised approximately $1,500 and I was hoping to top that. Thanks to all of you, we did -- by a mile!
Karen Juster Hecht
BMS Yard Sale Chair
Mother of Sofi, 7th Grade; Sam, BMS ‘04; and Zak, BMS ‘07
For making this great contribution to the Middle School Travel Fund happen, BMS gratefully thanks parents Shannon Appel, Nora Bayani, Nancy Boissy, Shannon Collins, Margaret Gutowski, Monika Koch, Steve Lowinger, Lauren Meyer, Colleen Neff, Melina Ocampo, Richard Reiben, Nancy Saldich, Jenny Shy, Christine Trost, and Pam Zumwalt; Middle School students Madeleine Appel, Geoffrey Broque, Ben Feiner, Genevieve Gorjance, Sofi Hecht, Nojan Kazerouni, Matthew Marletta, Aaron Meyer-Splady, Oswaldo Nieva, Joshua Ramos, Jacob Reiben, and Kimiko Russell-Halterman; BMS staff Dee Hammons, Janet Stork, Mohammad Kazerouni, and Yard Sale Czar Zaq Roberts; and most especially Karen Juster Hecht for her hard work before, during and after the sale. We apologize to anyone whose name was inadvertently left off this list; we deeply appreciate and want to acknowledge everyone who helped.
A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words – September 28, 2007
This week's Newsnotes letter section contained photos taken by parent Mark Kohr at the ECC Picnic on Saturday, September 22.
Wanted! – September 21, 2007
You’ve all seen us – chatting up new families at the welcome luncheon, lurking at the back-to-school nights, hanging around at pick-up time, crashing committee
meetings – you know, the folks with the orange flyers. Who are we? We’re
the Pick-a-Party Posse.
And we want you… to host a party!
Yes, it’s Pick-a-Party time -- and for those of you who are new to BMS or overwhelmed by back-to-school schedules to remember, Pick-a-Party is a fundraiser in which parents, teachers and staff offer to host a range of fun events. Each event is assigned a per-guest cost to attend and the money raised goes to the school.
Right now, the Pick-a-Party Posse knows of 20 fabulous parties in the works. Our goal is 30-35 parties ready for our catalog release on October 4th and for signups during the Ice Cream Social on Sunday, October 14th from 2:00-4:00 pm.
So, grab a hosting form and let your imagination run wild – and if you need inspiration, ideas, or just plain help, get in touch! We’d love to do some matchmaking. Right now, we have several hosts looking for co- hosts for their events, so if you’d like to be part of a delicious and relaxing “Backyard Bliss”
party (not in your backyard), a scrumptious Crab Feed or the hugely popular Persian Feast, please let us know. We’re also looking for ECC families to co-host
a repeat of last year’s successful Habitot Happy Hour.
Forms are available in both school offices, and online at http://www.bmsonline.org/pdf/PartyHostingForm07_08.pdf, and the Pick-a-Party posse is waiting to round them up. We’re putting together the catalog in the next two weeks, so if you’re thinking about hosting, NOW IS THE TIME to let us know. Just fill out a form and drop it in either office or email us the details. If you’re unsure of how to describe, size or price your party, we are here to help! Many thanks to all who have signed up already -- it’s going to be a marvelous party season!
Catherine MacNeal
Pick-a-Party Chair
cwmacneal@mac.com
And the rest of the posse:
Mojgan Saberi: mojgansaberi@yahoo.com
Christine Trost: ctrost@berkeley.edu
Jolie Coursin: joliec@comcast.net
(home phones removed for web publication)
Jennifer Kirk, BMS Development Director:
665-8800, ext. 108; jkirk@bmsonline.org
Hello from the New Kid on the Block – September 14, 2007
I am grateful for this opportunity to say hello and to thank everyone for making me feel so welcome at BMS. If you don’t already know, I started as the new Director of Development on August 15 th.
One of the fun things about starting a new job is that you get to meet so many interesting people – and at BMS that is triply true. I love talking with teachers about their classrooms, with parents about why BMS is important to their children, and with kids about almost everything under the sun.
In my conversations with parents and teachers, I keep learning more about the many ways this community nurtures children’s innate love of learning. It makes me want to be a BMS kid!
The first day of school, I was lucky enough to be at the ECC to watch as many of the returning students came flying through the gate and made a beeline for their teachers. Clearly, the all-important relationship between student and teacher is strong at BMS.
I am also impressed by the remarkable achievements this community has made over the last few years including the amazing success of last year’s Annual Fund – the largest ever in the school’s history – and with 95% community participation. Wow! I can already see how the community’s generosity has been put to work – enhancements to the Depot and Cedar classroom environments, for financial assistance, and to the all-important investment in professional development for our teachers, which translates directly into student learning.
I am looking forward to the chance to talk with you at upcoming BMS events – the annual ice cream social (10/14), a slew of tantalizing Pick-A-Party parties (be sure to submit your party idea by 9/21), and Alumni Night (10/15).
If you have other ideas, great BMS stories, questions, or just want to say hello, please give me a call (665-8800 ext. 108), send me an email (jkirk@bmsonline.org), or stop by my office on the University campus. I look forward to working with you as the year progresses.
Jennifer Kirk
Director of Development
Welcome, Returning and New Families – September 7, 2007
I feel ready for a great year (although it was a huge push to finish all the summer projects!) as I enter my second year as Head of School. We are all extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished in a short time. Thanks to Mohammad’s oversight, we have finished every facilities project slated for this summer. At the ECC, Cedar has a new roof and skylights and there have been changes to the yard and general repairs made. At the Elementary/Middle School, the Depot has a new roof, skylights, heating system, radiant heat and wood floors, new paint, air circulation system, library area, commercial fan in the kitchen, and a new office for Linda, our Learning Specialist. We installed interior French doors connecting all the Upper Elementary classrooms; in Temescal, we put French doors leading to the solar system courtyard and redid the entire interior to become an arts studio; we put air conditioning in the Middle School amphitheater and reconfigured all the classrooms. That is a lot of work completed in two months!
There are positive changes to our staff, too. Anne Brodzinsky, our half-time psychologist, and Jennifer Kirk, our new Director of Development, have begun their work. Most of you know that Carol Clark is no longer at BMS, and we are in the midst of a search for a Director of Admissions and Marketing. Robert DeRosa is assuming this role during the interim.
ECC parents may have noticed wonderful changes there, thanks to Chris Middlemiss, who has jumped into her role as ECC Program Director with great gusto! Tanya Madrid-Campbell, former BMS Spanish teacher, returned this fall, and will teach Lower as well as Upper Elementary and also work in the Extended Day program. Mahealani Bernes has left BMS, and Julia Marshall, BMS Elementary Summer Camp counselor, now works in Extended Day. Extended Day teacher Liz Heck is also teaching movement/P.E. to Lower Elementary students, as she did at her previous school. Lisa O’Reilly, Middle School art teacher, is now also teaching Upper and Lower Elementary students, together with Julianne.
We are excited that more music will fill our school. Madeleine King, beloved ECC music teacher, will be working with our Lower Elementary students. Soon we will be starting our (mostly) Upper Elementary chorus, facilitated by Mark Powell and parents Willie Pettus and Gunnar Madsen. I have been recruited to help as well! The Middle School will continue to develop their rock band.
What a lot to talk about! The most important thing is that the faculty, staff, and I are excited to start another year, and are full of ideas (many inspired by our work together at school and Harvard Project Zero) to make it a great one, in partnership with our terrific parent body. Here’s to a great year, and I look forward to meeting and talking with all of you!
Janet Stork
Head of School
Thanks for a Milestone Year – June 15, 2007
This is always a bittersweet time of year! We all feel ready for summer to begin, but we are also saying good-bye to faculty, staff, parents, and children—some for just a hiatus, others possibly forever. At these transitional moments,
I am reminded of a wonderful image captured by writer Katherine Mansfield: “How hard it is to escape from places. However carefully one goes they hold you—you leave little bits of yourself fluttering on the fences—little rags and shreds of your very life.” So, for all our departing adults and students, remember that you will remain a part of BMS forever, as BMS will be part of you. We will welcome each of you back with open heart.
As the end of this school year comes to a close, I have conflicted feelings as well. I don’t mind ending my first year! Any first year presents its unique gifts and challenges, and much of a head of school’s first year is a time of intense learning, coupled with the necessity of making important decisions. With gratitude to the entire BMS community for helping me all through this year, I am eagerly looking forward to my second year. I have learned enough this year to make better sense going into next year (learning from my mistakes as well), and I am prepared to continue looking closely at all aspects of BMS and boldly leading forward.
In the beginning of the year, I described BMS as a diamond in the rough.
I still believe that, although I think we have begun to more fully reveal the diamond. There are many people who’ve contributed to this progress. To those of you who have stuck with us, helping us reveal our greatness—many, many thanks. To all of you who understood the importance of contributing to the Annual Fund at whatever level made sense for your family—many, many thanks. To all of you who understood that none of us is perfect and can forgive the (unintentional) mistakes we have made—many, many thanks. To all of you who have volunteered endless hours, and contributed wonderful ideas—many, many thanks. And to all our teachers who have given their hearts and souls to our children—many, many thanks.
And, finally, every year we say good-bye to our graduating 8th graders, who become our cherished alumni. I will always have a fond spot in my memory for this year’s class. They were very welcoming to me, the new kid on the block. Although we have overlapped for only one year, I will remember being so struck by the intelligence, maturity, honesty, and sense of fun that this year’s graduates demonstrated all year. Please join me in congratulating all of our graduates! To our 8th graders, we know you will carry all the lessons, skills, knowledge and understanding you have learned from your experiences at BMS to high school and beyond. Dare to dream big dreams and be comfortable with who you are and who you’ll become. You make us proud.
Have a wonderful summer.
Janet Stork
Head of School
Thank You, BMS Ambassadors! – June 8, 2007
Last weekend’s New Family Welcome potlucks were a powerful reminder for me about everything that’s wonderful about our school. On Saturday at the ECC, and again at the Elementary/Middle School on Sunday, our current families came out in force to meet our incoming and transitioning families and welcome them into our community. The students who came in particular were fabulous hosts and hostesses, and went out of their way to meet the new kids, show them around, and include them in their play. Parents, staff and faculty came to both events and were also great ambassadors for BMS, reaching out to new families, answering their questions, talking to them about their own experiences, and asking them about their concerns
and expectations. Several of our current parents came to me afterward, sharing with me what they’d learned about particular parents’ backgrounds and their interests in terms of participating in our community.
Both events were very well attended by new families. On both days families seemed glad to be here, pleased with their decision to choose BMS and to be coming to our school. They seemed eager to be here, not just to be greeted but to reach out themselves and become active members of the community.
I was especially glad to see how the incoming students themselves seemed to be making themselves at home. At the ECC, there were several little ones who thought they were coming to school that day, and didn’t want to leave! And at the Elementary/Middle school, the current students who came really went out of their way to welcome the new students, which was so appreciated by the new families, parents and children alike. A school transition can be harder for older children, so this welcome made a real difference. When they start school in the fall, there will be friendly faces they’re already familiar with.
There was fantastic food at both events, which is always a great icebreaker! Bringing something to share with others is such a great way to break the ice and welcome people in. The weather cooperated, too!
I really want to recognize and thank all the BMS families who turned out, and all the faculty and staff who came on their days off, to welcome our community newcomers. And of course, many thanks to the parent ambassadors from the BMSPA who did the coordination, set-up and clean-up for both these events. Thank you to Lauren Adams, Theresa Halula, Lisa Hanson (and her parents -- grandparent power!), Dan Jackson, Ellen Keohane, Judy Malamut, Jennifer and Jay Momet, and Kee Nethery.
Carol Clark
Director of Admissions
"Yes Is the Answer" (John Lennon) – June 1, 2007
Over the past three days, I have had the distinct pleasure of calling up BMS families to ask for their participation in the Annual Fund. No, really, seriously, it has been a pleasure.
Now, I know this sounds perhaps a little crazy, as most people would put making fundraising calls right up there with tax audits and dental work, and more than one person wondered whether I were on some sort of medication… but truly, I am high on the power of “Yes!”
My first round of calls yielded 12 “Yesses” and my next round yielded another 16 families who promised to get their checks in over the next few days. Taken with the gifts already received from parents, these “Yesses” put us at 78% parent participation, tantalizingly close to the 80% mark, which will release the next $4,000 from the challenge grant. And we are still making calls! By the time you read this, I am confident we will have passed 80% in pledges, and be galloping on toward the magic 90% which will trigger the last $5,000!
To the family who is moving out of the area and leaving the school next year, but who said “yes,” thank you! To the family who is really struggling financially right now, but who said “yes,” thank you! To the family with a beloved grandparent in the hospital, whose lives are upside down right now, but who said “yes,” thank you! To the family who is supporting extended family right now, which means paying two mortgages, but said “yes” anyway, thank you! To the family whose child has had a rocky year, but still said “yes,” thank you! To the family who has been extraordinarily generous with their time as volunteers, but who said “yes” to this one last request, thank you! To the family who changed their “no” to a “yes,” when they realized we really needed them to be able to meet the challenge, thank you! And to everyone else, who gave early, gave late, gave big or small, thank you, thank you, thank you!
To those of you who have not yet had the chance to feel how good “yes” feels, it’s not too late. We still need another twenty-five families to participate in order to reach our goal of 90% parent participation. This in turn will release the last $5,000 of the challenge grant. Feel how it slides off the tongue, Yesssssss. Feel the warm glow of your own generosity, feel the gratitude of the entire community, feel the power of Yes.
Ann Fischer Hecht
BMS Board of Trustees member, Development Committee member, Pick-a-Party goddess, and parent of Dylan Hecht, Strawberry Creek, and Kailey Hecht, Sweet Briar Creek
The Birds and the Bees in the Middle School – May 25, 2007
In the Middle School, we believe that it is part of our mission to help students understand their place in the world as they navigate the challenges of social, emotional, intellectual, and physical development. Of course, understanding the birds and the bees is part of this.
In the name of experiential education, we now have both birds and bees in the Middle School. Since their arrival in late April, our honeybees have been settling into their new locale, finding sources of nectar and pollen in nearby gardens and parks.
Unlike the bees, the birds were not on this spring’s agenda. However, after someone abandoned three chicks outside the school’s basketball court last week, the Middle School decided to take them in. We are doing our best to observe their development and provide a nurturing environment for them. Admittedly, we are proceeding with a bit of denial, knowing that if the birds turn out to be roosters, we will have to find them a new home. For now, however, we are enjoying having them – THINK EGGS!
As I begin teaching an environmental and systems-based science curriculum in the fall, it is my goal to engage students in understanding the systems on which we all depend. Ecosystems, human physiology, telecommunications networks, and the electric grid are just the beginning. One of the most exciting and meaningful systems that all of us here at BMS can focus on is our contribution to a sustainable food system. This is where our birds and bees play starring roles.
Did you know that an estimated 90% of our fruiting food crops rely on honeybees for pollination? How many of you love the taste of sweet honey in your tea? How many of you know what propolis is? Beyond science, let’s not forget the interesting social dynamics of a beehive – a queen, her workers, and drones. How many of our students have ever eaten a truly fresh egg from an organically fed hen? Have you ever compared the delicious orange yoke - and its nutritional value - from the egg of a healthy hen to the sadly pale yellow yoke from of a factory farmed bird? How do the environmental stewardship practices, inputs, and outputs differ? Speaking of outputs, we will be the lucky recipients of nitrogen-rich chicken manure. Added to our composting system, this manure will ultimately be used in the gardens on campus. Sure, our campus is not huge, but experiential learning opportunities at even our modest scale can yield enormous results in understanding the interconnectedness of systems on which we all depend. Please feel free to stop by to visit all of our Middle School members.
Simon Hurd
Middle School Cultural Studies teacher
Family Day Forges Community – May 18, 2007
On a cold, foggy morning last Friday, my son Sam and I arrived at the ECC early to help set up for the Family Day event at the ECC. Being new to the ECC this year, I really had no idea what to expect, although I had invited Sam's grandmother to come and participate in the event.
When I arrived, there was no food, no tables or chairs set up, nothing to indicate that within one hour the majority of families, extended families and other guests would be arriving for a gathering of treats and fun. With the participation of many, many parents and staff, the ECC yard was quickly transformed, with tables and tablecloths, flowers in vases, tables with drinks and fruit salads, and classical music playing in the background. So many parents brought wonderful goodies that we literally ran out of space in the Art Room to display everything. From scones to sausages and strawberries to cheese, there was a beautiful assortment of goodies to nosh on.
At 9:15, Cedar and Eugenia parents, grandparents, and guests sat down to be served while a few parents from Live Oak and Magnolia helped the Cedar and Eugenia children serve. Boy, were they adorable, these little waiters and waitresses who took their jobs so seriously! Many times Grandma and I were asked in such a well-mannered way, "Would you like a bagel?" or "Would you care for a muffin?" The children kept going back in for more trays, and many of them continued to serve for the full 45 minutes. Later, parents from the other two classrooms sat down to be served, while parents from Cedar and Eugenia helped the Live Oak and Magnolia children. The whole experience exemplified how unified and connected the BMS community is. It really was a communal effort.
After we enjoyed our delicious treats, Sam led Grandma and me into his classroom, where he proudly snuggled up with her in the reading corner to share the storybook he has created. It was a cozy time, with all the guests enjoying the opportunity to explore the classroom and take in all the wonders of the Montessori materials, while the children showed them their work.
The entire Family Day from start to finish was a beautiful event. As I glanced around the yard, I noticed parents talking with parents from other classrooms, grandparents mingling. It felt as if the whole community had truly been brought together in a meaningful way, to forge new connections and reinforce existing ones. It allowed those people close to the children, whether as a parent, grandparent, relative or friend, to come and celebrate what Berkeley Montessori is so good at, "following the child." It was the children who made the decisions about what food they wanted to serve, who served the adults, and gave the classroom tours to educate their guests about the materials and works. Despite the cold, it warmed my heart to be part of such a special event and community. This truly is a community of beautiful families, definitely worth celebrating!
Gail Reagan
Mother of Kayla in Sweet Briar and Sam in Cedar
Report from a New Kid on the Block – May 11, 2007
On Tuesday, I attended the Community Forum and I left feeling really proud to be a member of this community. As a new teacher here, it’s amazing to feel the warmth from the parents and the enthusiasm of the other teachers and the administration. People are coming from different perspectives, and they have their own individual backgrounds and philosophies, but everyone shares a common priority, which is knowing these children whom we serve, and putting their experience in the center of everything we do here. There’s another extraordinary piece to what’s happening here, which is that there’s a great deal of focus on the teachers and their professional happiness and learning. We’re in this place learning right along with the kids, and that’s really a strong thing. There’s no, “Teachers know everything and we’re here to tell the kids about it.” It’s more like, “We’re all in this together, we’re all students.”
I was moved when Daralyn [Durie, new President of the Board of Trustees] said that the survival of the school in recent years was owed in part to Dan [Jackson, outgoing President]. Watching people nod in agreement, and then stand in a spontaneous ovation, I realized that many others thought so, too.
I felt the slide show, with the results of the school evaluation, was presented in a really balanced way. We heard the highlights of the things that are going well, and we came away with a real understanding of the things that we need to work on. It’s great that we’re so intentional about our mission, and that we have plans for how to focus our energy. I love the emphasis on fact-based decision-making; I’m so excited that decisions are going to be based on research and on analyzed input from our community, not just faith and opinions.
As my first year at BMS comes to a close, I’m feeling so grateful for the support and the common understanding here. Speaking just for myself, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the parents of the students in my class, and I’m really looking forward to expanding the number of families I’ll know with the changes in the Upper El. program next year. I can feel what’s going on at this school, and it’s sustaining for me as a person and a teacher.
Leah Moorey
Assistant Teacher, Cerrito Creek
Weaving Together the Threads of An Adopted Child’s Life – May 4, 2007
“Is he adopted?” The eight-year-old boy facing me screwed up his face in disbelief as he looked from my four-year-old son, with his chocolate-colored skin, to the creamy white skin of my daughter and me. “Yes,” I answered, “and we love him very much.” I pulled Malakhi close to me. The boy persisted, “You adopted HIM?” His words and expression stung and confused my children. We found our way outside the martial arts dojo and felt relief in the fresh air. Malakhi skipped ahead while Sylvie turned to me, shaken. She had seen instantly what we would encounter, and what her little brother would face throughout his life. Later that night, Malakhi asked me probing questions, trying to understand the meaning of “adopted.”
As an ethnically blended family, we are never invisible. In our divided society we are often subject to judgments by strangers and are a source of curiosity for others. Our choice to adopt has brought with it a more conscious parenting than we experienced with our biological daughter. Nothing about the bonding process is taken for granted, there are many unknowns, and each transition brings new challenges as our son grows and sees himself in relation to what is considered “normal.”
Families who choose adoption go into the process with faith and determination that whatever challenges their child experiences can be overcome with the love and security of a nurturing home. Last week, some of us came together in the Depot to hear psychologist Anne Brodzinsky discuss some aspects of child development that are particular to adopted children. She is an adoptive mother herself, the author of “The Mulberry Bird,” and has recently moved here from New York.
Anne shared anecdotes and listened patiently to our stories, providing practical and insightful suggestions. The room was full of all kinds of adoptive parents: those who have adopted infants and older children from overseas, those who have open adoptions (ongoing contact with a birth parent), and those who have adopted from the foster system. Although our questions were dramatically different (when should we take him back to Ethiopia? what do we tell him about his siblings?) we knew that our children share one fundamental experience – the trauma that we can never undo – separation from their birth mothers at some point in their fragile childhood.
Our discussion focused on the importance of weaving together the threads that link a child’s biological birth mother/culture/history with that of our newly-created families into a strong fabric. As simple as this metaphor sounds, it will require tough self-examination and careful planning by adoptive families, as we guide our children toward being strong, happy and caring adults who can discuss their adoption confidently and without shame.
Dr. Brodzinsky is initiating a monthly support group for adoptive parents at her home in Oakland. Contact her at [Information removed for web publication] for more information.
Writers on Fire in Sweet Briar Creek – April 27, 2007
If you’d been a fly on the wall in Sweet Briar Creek recently, you might have overheard the students saying things like, “I think that I should put this here, because it matches what I am telling the reader,” or “You’ve got to hear what I just wrote! Did you hear how I changed that -- isn’t it juicy and powerful?”
In Sweet Briar Creek, we’re celebrating ourselves as writers. We’ve studied non-fiction and how it differs from fiction. We’ve learned the steps of powerful writing: information gathering, organizing, rough draft, editing/revising, and final draft. We’ve talked about writers’ tools, such as simile, powerful words, dialogue, and alliteration. Mar-y-Sol [Salinas, Assistant Teacher] and I have conducted lengthy author’s conferences to discuss thorny literary issues.
And we’ve found the power, not just in reading published authors, but in learning from each other’s work: “Did you hear how Iona tried dialogue in her personal narrative?” We talk about how we can use the writers’ tools we’re learning about: “You might try adding maps to show where each creature is found, like the author in Tiny Terrors...” “Remember how much we enjoyed the matching game, ‘Whose baby bird?’ at the end of Eggs and Baby Birds? You might want to try adding a game at the end of your writing.” We’ve practiced, practiced, practiced what we’ve learned, checking in with each other on our progress: “Who tried what we talked about today? How did it work for you?”
All this hard work has paid off. Each student in our class has chosen a research subject, growing out of our studies in birds, mammals, and the Big Bang, and written a book on it. Our books include poems, diagrams, word searches, puzzles, and pictures. They have titles like, “The Exciting Life of the Squirrel,” “The Intelligence of Chimps,” “The Abilities of the Armadillo,” and “My Fellow Dog Mates, the Chihuahua.” As I write this, we’re planning our publishing party, complete with authors’ reception, for noon on April 27. The students will present short speeches about their books, and then sit with their invited guest(s) to read them more closely. We’ll serve light refreshments and bask in a job well done. So if you see a Sweet Briar Creek student, be sure to ask about The Book!
Danette Swan
Head Teacher, Sweet Briar Creek
Your Newsnotes staff can personally attest to the powerful nature of Danette’s writing lessons. As we observed in Sweet Briar Creek one afternoon, Danette said to her students, “Now I’m writing along and I come to a word I don’t know how to spell. What do I do?” “Here it comes,” we thought glumly, “ ‘I go to the dictionary and look it up.’ ” One or two students dutifully suggested the dictionary route. “No!” Danette shouted, “I keep going! I’m a writer! I’m on fire! I’ll look it up later, during my revision process!” Your Newsnotes staff left the classroom with a spring in our step.
¡Saludos de El Molino! – April 20, 2007
It‘s Tuesday morning and I‘m at the internet spot near the camp. There‘s some pop music playing on the radio as a marching drum corps from the local elementary school passes by, a few stray dogs linger in the street, and flies hover in the doorway. Local middle schoolers pass by in their navy blue uniforms - it must be their morning snack break.
Our kids are at their second day of workshops and the world was warmer and rosier this morning after a full night’s sleep. We - MaryBeth, Dee, and I - had a chance to visit the workshops yesterday morning. In weaving class, kids twisted thread on a jury-rigged bicycle spinning wheel, then shifted, shot, and banged on the loom; weaving requires both hands, both feet, and the brain! Next was a design class where a white-haired German new-age hippy (Gunther) helped kids build elaborate geometric figures out of toothpicks in his domed, earthen-brick studio. We had kids in two different animal care workshops. At the first, led by a vet, we arrived during a mini-lecture. I picked up from my limited middle school Spanish the amazing fact that horses cannot vomit because of their unusual esophagi. The horse on hand ate greedily from the student-held bucket and nodded enthusiastically each time the kids asked “¿Quires comer?” The second animal care workshop was alive with puppies crawling out from under the front gate, bunnies of every size - Giant Spanish to newborns too small to pick up - and a duckling still yellow and downy, cupped in Nicole’s hand.
This is my third trip to El Molino, but I see it fresh in the responses of kids. Sophie G. is filled with wonder: “It’s all so beautiful.” And Sophie S. loved the markets at Patzcuaro, how aesthetically pleasing the displays were, and how alive the marketplace. The general feeling is that it is great to be here really learning experientially, without having any homework or other pressures (Isaac P.). Even our computer lads are emerging from their screen dependency.
There’s a fresh set of workshops in the afternoon, which the teachers will visit today. There’s a block of free time in the middle of the day between the morning workshop (10:00-12:00) and lunch (2:30). Art materials are out and a gaggle of (mostly) girls draw and water color during this time. Others head for the volleyball court or the lower soccer field, which are relatively shady. The mid-day meal is the big meal of the day. Yesterday Isaac R. ate seven pieces of chicken (Carmen was counting and amazed). Kids are trying new things: grated carrot and mango salad, chayote (Mexican squash), beans for breakfast! Two fresh peeled fruits at every meal: melon, papaya, mango, pineapple, watermelon, and a delicious combo of peeled apples, cinnamon, and yogurt. I’m learning to appreciate the condiments, which are arranged thermodynamically, with the mild ones near the edge of the serving table and the deadly hot ones near the center. Teachers serve the meals so they can see that all kids are eating.
I need to save some for the other teachers to tell! I loved reading MaryBeth’s earlier message and looking back over my diary of previous trips. More later,
Gretchen Griswold
Middle School Math Teacher
Reporting from the 8th grade trip to Erongarícuaro, Mexico
“We Can Also Stop It” – April 13, 2007
As we talk with one another, our families, and friends, it has come to our attention in the Middle School that more people need to be aware of the threat of global warming. This letter is to help provide some information about the scientific reality of global warming, and to share some of the projects that BMS Middle Schoolers are doing to make a difference.
The quick scientific explanation of global warming is this: As sunrays come through the atmosphere, the Earth absorbs many, and many are reflected back into space in the form of infrared radiation. Because of pollutants, primarily carbon dioxide from cars, factories, power plants, etc., these greenhouse gases are becoming more concentrated in the atmosphere. This prevents heat from escaping the Earth’s system. The result: the Earth is heating up much faster than anticipated.
Two recent studies show that rising carbon dioxide levels are coming from us, and that the likely effects of the problem will be profound: more devastating storms, diseases, droughts, and floods. This is a scientific reality, and we are causing it.
We are using too much energy, and releasing carbon into the atmosphere. However, there are many simple things that we can do to reduce our “carbon footprints.”
Leaving a computer screen on overnight uses enough power over a year to print 5,300 copies. Simply turn off your computer or put it in a sleep mode overnight. You will be saving 950 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. Recycling just 50% of your recyclable materials (glass, aluminum, certain plastics, etc...) will save 2,400 pounds of carbon each year. It’s simple: reduce energy usage and reduce CO2. Here are some other personal goals: drive 15 miles less per week by walking, carpooling, riding your bike, or using mass transit, and you’re saving 900 pounds of CO2 a year. Use fluorescent light bulbs - they use only 25% of the energy that regular bulbs do. And go the extra mile by getting light dimmers. They turn off the lights when you’re not in the room, saving unnecessary energy use. (All these suggestions come from www.stopglobalwarming.org)
At BMS, we are proud of the actions we are taking to reduce our carbon footprints. The 8th graders have been working for most of this year to research and develop projects that address global warming in the BMS community. Current projects underway include: construction of a compost facility to accommodate all of BMS’ compostables; establishment of a native tree nursery to absorb carbon (and help habitat restoration); a “Turn it Off!” campaign; a letter writing effort to key corporations and government officials; acquisition of more reusable - and fewer disposable – cups, plates, and utensils; a survey and campaign to increase carpooling, biking, walking, and transit use; and educational video and presentation projects.
We encourage you to use these tips, and join the work already being done by many students at BMS. Go a few extra miles by checking out “stop global warming” sites for even more tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint. We are causing global warming, but we can also stop it.
Julia Hannafin
BMS 8th Grader
News from Extended Day – March 30, 2007
The Extended Day program at the University Avenue campus has been undergoing a gradual transformation. With Janet’s vision for the school as one vibrant community and Mohammad’s creative look at enriching the environment of the site, we are continually working toward more closely aligning the daytime classroom experience with the Extended Day program. Mahealani Bernes, Community & Program Support teacher, has been working together with staff and students on practicing Montessori routines in grace and courtesy.
Spring Extended Day registration has been extended until Friday, April 13. Register as early as possible, as we want to confirm our teachers. We have restructured class pricing to be almost equivalent to daily extended day care, so we encourage families to register students in classes of interest. Daily cooking classes with Janet Martorano offer students a small group experience of hands-on cooking and dining fun. Our Wednesday Hawaiian crafts and music class, with Mahealani, gives students an enriched experience of Hawai’i and Hawaiian culture, creating an environment that transports participants to a magical place. Lower and Upper Elementary students work with Cathleen Daley on drama classes. We also offer Mandarin, indoor soccer, and clay classes. There’s something for everyone, so join the fun!
A bit of background on our program’s evolution: we recognize that the community created in Extended Day is comprised of a diverse group of students. We are working with establishing new routines, where Lower Elementary students and Upper Elementary students meet in separate groups, for a 3:30 snack and 15-20 minutes of interactive group time. From 3:45-4:45, students self-select indoor or outdoor activities, with children of all ages mingling together. I am interested in working with students and their parents on helping reveal interests that students can explore in affinity groups. Historically, in the BMS after-school program, there has often been a group of students who are attracted to physical, interactive, imaginative games. At this time, we have a large group that enjoys this kind of play. Maimone Attia, who teaches classes in our Middle School and elsewhere in the Bay Area, has developed a class for this creative play. In a Tuesday Adventures class, Maimone will take students around the campus solving a different mystery each week.
Our new Middle School Extended Day program of sports and homework offerings has been well-attended. As we go forward, we hope students will be inspired to create affinity groups that would meet on campus in the after-school hours -- dance club, art exploration, media arts and more. We recognize the time after 3:30 pm can be a great time to relax and interact with friends socially in ways that are not easy to duplicate off-campus.
See you in Extended Day!
Julianne Hughes
Director of Extended Day Programs and Elementary Art Teacher
The 100% Solution – March 23, 2007
After serving on the development committee for many years, it’s taken me until now to understand why 100% participation in the Annual Fund is considered so important. I’ve seen how gratifying it is to support BMS in many different ways; shouldn’t we really focus on those who enjoy contributing, and leave everyone else alone?
This year though, I get it, and not only because the demands – and the rewards – are so much greater for the Annual Fund now than in the past.
I get it because this year’s emphasis on understanding the gifts and challenges of every child, and the responsive changes the new administration is putting into practice, translate directly into a benefit for every child, and, I believe, all of their parents.
Most profoundly, I get it because every single member of the faculty and staff has made a personal financial commitment to the Annual Fund’s success. Teachers have written one, two and three checks; administrators have made generous contributions, and given again; after-school staff pooled the contents of their change jars.
Although it seemed like a tall order, we are now within $75,000 of our $275,000 goal. It’s critical that we meet that target, of course – there’s a lot that we want but can’t have if we don’t – but it is equally important that we all share our gifts to help our school community meet our collective challenges. Our kids practice this principle in the classroom every day. Can we?
When art teacher Julianne Hughes thanked the development committee for the soup lunch that was our expression of appreciation for the staff’s unprecedented support of the Annual Fund, she said, “I’m so glad that we, as a community, are showing appreciation for each other in many ways.” Your child’s teachers have done it by reaching into their own pockets.
Have you?
Lauren Adams
Upper Elementary Parent and Development Committee Chair
Summer At The University Avenue Campus - March 16, 2007
Hello friends and families,
It is my pleasure to let you know that the 2007 BMS Elementary Summer Camp brochures have arrived and are on their way to your doorstep!
Building on the success of last year's inaugural camp, we've redesigned this year's program to allow both a wider array of options, and greater freedom of choice. Campers will be able to register for the courses in which they are most interested, choosing from among several morning and afternoon offerings. All courses are run by current or former BMS classroom teachers, specialists, and after-school staff.
This year's courses include offerings titled Beginning Hip Hop Dance, Bellydancing, Capoeira and Drumming, Cartooning, Creative Writing, Crochet, Digital Arts, Drama, Eliminate Math Anxiety, Frisbee Flying Fun, I Love Animals, Pencil Magic, Mandalas, Mexican Folk Art, Mimic the Masters, Mythos, Mathemagicians, School of Rock, Sea and Sky, Soccer, Spanish Storytelling, Sports Madness, and Totem Poles, Medicine Wheels & Mandalas.
We're also offering a limited number of special programs, including an overnight Environmental Adventure and Service course with camping at Mt. Diablo and Point Reyes for grades 6-9, Audio/Video Production and Movie Making for Upper Elementary, transition programs for incoming 1st and 6th year students, and three cooking classes: Tastes of Spain/Tapas, and Flavors of Italy, Parts 1 & 2.
Our Teen Leadership/Counselor-in-Training program is open to current Middle School students and alumni. Teen participants are responsible for working as a team, helping plan and lead activities, and creating a positive community for the elementary campers. We enjoy drawing upon the CITs' unique skills and perspectives while growing their leadership skills in a fun summer setting, and hope both that some of last year's 22 CITs return, and that we enroll many new students in this program.
Every family is being sent a full camp brochure in the mail today. More information, such as the dates and prices of the camp, as well as downloadable PDFs of the camp registration form, is available online at www.bmsonline.org/summercamp.html. Please don't hesitate to call or email me with any questions you might have.
We're looking forward to a great summer!
Zachary Roberts
BMS Elementary Summer Camp Director and Middle School English Teacher
zrobertsATbmsonline.org, (510) 665-8800 x 260
Thank You, Teachers! - March 2, 2007
Another admissions season is winding down, and it's been a very rewarding one. We have a large pool of well-qualified applicants at all levels, especially at the ECC and Lower Elementary, traditionally the more common entry points. Parents are very excited about BMS - they're hearing great things from friends in the community, and they're really seeking us out. I'm still receiving applications, even at this late date!
This has been a long admissions season. We started classroom tours in October, and we're still inviting parents into next-level classrooms to observe. Prospective parents have had multiple opportunities to get to know our program. They came in to tour the school during an open house, when they had a chance to talk to teachers and look around. Then they were invited back to do a formal observation in the classroom. Later, after their applications were received, we scheduled parent interviews with an administrator, usually Janet or me. We're very excited about this last part of the process, since it gives us a chance to get to know the families on a deeper level and to get some information about their expectations of BMS. What are they looking for when they apply here? What are their hopes for their children's experience? With this knowledge, we have a better idea of who each family is and whether BMS is the best match for them.
This long admissions process raised the question, "Is it too much?" The parents' answer, maybe surprisingly, has been "No." I've had a lot of positive feedback about the process, which parents say has helped them make an informed decision. Both current and prospective parents say the process has made them feel very welcome, included, and listened to. The credit for this goes mainly to our wonderful teachers, who have borne most of the responsibility for staffing open houses, accommodating student visits, and patiently answering questions. It's been a lot, but it's part of what makes us who we are here at BMS. We want to let families know it's not about us and our convenience, it's about them and (especially) their children.
So thank you, BMS teachers and staff, for everything you've done and all the ways you've helped make this admissions season so successful. It hasn't gone unnoticed or unappreciated, especially by the families who have benefited from your dedication and professionalism.
Carol Clark
Director of Admissions
Taking a Seat in the Circle - February 16, 2007
This past Tuesday morning, just after drop-off, twelve ECC parents met with Head of School Janet Stork, Lower Elementary teacher and Faculty Coach Chris Middlemiss, and ECC Director Robert DeRosa for the first meeting of what will be an ongoing early childhood parenting circle.
Janet, Chris, and Robert wanted to offer ECC parents an informal opportunity—much like the spontaneous chats on the porch in close-knit neighborhoods of yore—to share about the "gifts and challenges" parenting brings. So over coffee and scones at parents Jayne and Ted Kluger's house, we swapped insights and brainstormed solutions to sticky issues (like how do you handle a younger sibling's exposure to media?).
As the mother of two boys aged 4 and 6, I'm always interested in hearing from other parents, both those who are dealing with the same concerns I have and those who've already been there, done that. (Janet, Chris, and Robert have, oh, at least 55 years of professional experience with children between them… Janet and Chris have raised kids to adulthood… Let's just say I'm dying to hear their well-won wisdom!) Not only do I get reassurance that my family and I will probably make it through this adventure intact, but I also get ideas for tools I can try. Family meetings, anyone?
…
It was refreshing to get a glimpse of the spectrum of "beliefs and practices" in each family represented at the gathering. Of course, not everyone handles parenting issues, like their children's exposure to media, in the same way. But that's the point: When we share from our experience in a group, each of us gets the opportunity to broaden or fine-tune our own thinking. And besides, when you get together with other parents, you just don't feel so darn alone.
The early childhood parenting circle has been scheduled for the second Tuesday of each month, just after drop-off; watch backpack mail for news of location. There will also be an alternative time scheduled for parents who can't attend a morning meeting.
We hope you'll come and take your seat in the circle!
Kate Madden Yee
ECC and Lower Elementary Parent
"If Not Us, Who Will Give?" - February 9, 2007
Dear Parents,
An extraordinary thing has happened at our school. For the first time in BMS history, every single teacher and staff member has made a gift to our "Imagine That…" annual fund campaign. Julianne Hughes, Elementary Art Teacher and El/MS Extended Day Director, explained her support. "The direction Janet wants to take the school feels very right, and I wanted to do my part to make sure it would happen. This year I'm really excited by the creative ideas I see being implemented. I gave a larger gift this year because I wanted to help the momentum of the campaign and keep these creative innovations coming."
Zachary Roberts, Middle School English teacher, said, "If not us, who will give? The annual fund is symbolic of our values and our commitment to this community. There is so much magic happening here. The potential of this community is vast, and requires support from every individual. The goal was doubled this year, and I doubled my contribution."
Eugenia teacher Maureen Beck explained, "I was convinced this year by Janet and Mohammad that giving to the annual fund is a public show of commitment to the mission of our school. It's about community spirit, not about how much we can give. Everybody's in this together, and that's a good model for the children. It's like a spiritual bouquet. And the little gifts put together add up." And Magnolia teacher Anahita Bakhtiary added, "I really believe in Montessori and I believe in this school. By giving money to the school, we can provide more to the children. I wish I had more to give!"
Wildcat Creek teacher Norman Johnson said, "My vision for BMS dovetails with Janet's and the Board's. The annual fund is an investment in BMS as a place worth supporting, above and beyond what I do as a teacher and as a parent paying tuition. There's a difference at BMS in how we look at education, and children. Here we're looking at the whole child. We're saying 'no' to what has become the status quo of education and 'yes' to BMS, both where we are now and where we're going."
Strawberry Creek teacher Mark Powell said, "Janet is really determined to strengthen BMS' position as a beacon of quality progressive Montessori education. I'm behind her 100% because I think she can do it. She doesn't hide behind generalities, and she doesn't let anyone on her team shy away from being their best. As she says, this school is a "diamond in the rough" in some ways. Her vision needs some capital so we can polish our facets!"
Please join the entire BMS faculty and staff, as well as the many families who have already made a gift, to help us "Imagine That…" by making a tax-deductible gift to our campaign. You can also make a pledge and pay over six or 12 months, if you prefer. We've already raised $164,000 of our $275,000 target, so we're well on our way, but to reach our goal of an average of $1,000 per child, we need every BMS family to make as generous a gift as they can. Thank you for your support of our children.
Penny Peak
Director of Advancement and ECC Parent
"Strengthening Our Strengths" - February 2, 2007
On Monday, I had the welcome opportunity to join the BMS faculty at a workshop by Dr. Mel Levine, a well-known pediatrician who originated the "all kinds of minds" learning differences paradigm. Dr. Levine talked about his work organizing the many kinds of neurodevelopmental functions. He and his colleagues have created what he calls "the placemat," an 11"x17" sheet with eight main categories he calls neurodevelopmental 'constructs' (to emphasize that they're "man-made, reflecting the best we can do right now. These have not been handed down on a stone tablet"). Each of these constructs ("Higher order cognition," "Spatial ordering," etc.) encompasses several subheadings (such as "Verbal pragmatics," "Social behaviors," and "Political acumen" under "Social cognition.") "Everything kids are asked to do at school takes at least several of these functions," he said. "The goal of education should be to strengthen neurodevelopmental functions. It could be that the brain functions it takes to do algebra are more important than algebra itself."
Dr. Levine advocates giving students the language to describe their learning profiles. He says that we all have a number of neurodevelopmental dysfunctions, which should be decoded so we can improve them (and thus say things like, "I'm still working on my receptive language skills," not "I'm a terrible reader"). We also all have "content affinities" - areas to which our minds gravitate naturally, and which become passions when we're allowed to work on them. (Gifts and challenges, anyone?) He points out that we learn reading best when we're reading about something we like, and that this impulse toward specialization is to be encouraged, not discouraged by misguided parents hoping to create a "well-rounded" child. (His message to parents included the idea that part of our job in our children's education is to make sure they get enough sleep -- at least 9 hours a night, kindergarten through 12th grade -- and to help build their capacity for work and delayed gratification.)
Although Dr. Levine believes that one of the goals of education should be "the strengthening of strengths" as well as addressing problems, he differentiates between describing a child's learning style and labelling that child. Because of the neuroplasticity of young people in particular, "things change [in the brain] over time," so children should have profiles, not diagnoses. Nor are moral labels helpful; we can describe what we see ("Walter had a hard time sitting still in class from 11:00 to 12:00 today,") but we should not try to interpret it ("Walter can get his work done when he wants to, but after 11:00 he decided not to make an effort.")
Dr. Levine's work is a perfect fit with our school's mission and focus, and his phrase "All kinds of minds" makes it clear that when we talk about the wide range of learning profiles, we're talking about EVERYONE, not a minority. This has direct and immediate implications for teaching at BMS. Dr. Levine both showed us our familiar world in a new light, and gave us teaching and demystification strategies that every teacher (and parent!) in that room can use in his or her work right away. The faculty was so enthusiastic that we are having an all-school faculty meeting on Monday, ECC through Middle School, to discuss next steps for our continued learning on this topic.
Laura Gorjance
Associate Director of Communications and Middle School, Upper & Lower Elementary parent
The entire collection of Mel Levine's videos, describing each neurodevelop- mental function, is available in Janet's office for faculty and parent check-out.
"All of Us Who Are Willing to Push" - January 26, 2007
There hasn't been a more exciting time than this at BMS since our family joined the community a decade ago. If you were present at the Community Forum on Tuesday evening, you surely felt the pulse of the new BMS. The excitement in the air felt like that in a birthing room, where the obstetrician shouts encouragingly at the laboring mother, "Pu-ush!"
Apart from her last name being Stork, I am wondering if our head of school is the obstetrician in my analogy. Then who would be the pregnant mother? Maybe it's all of us who are willing to push. Actually, while watching the movie Sarah Kerruish made about BMS, I realized that, while we've had some serious complications in the past, the "birth" has already taken place, safely and happily. Great things are already happening at BMS, but we need to keep pushing, to make sure they can continue.
I have never missed a single Community Forum, and the one on Tuesday was by far the most amazing one for me personally, because no one was pulling out a long list of grievances or muttering to their neighbor. Everyone was so happy! That's when I understood what Janet meant when she said, "BMS is a diamond in the rough, and our job is to remove the dust and varnish to allow the brilliance to shine." Wow, I thought. Janet's right: this really is a great place, and this really is the time for us all to step up and contribute, so that our children can reap the benefits of the changes the new administration is making. Just like parents with a new baby, BMS wants the best for our children. For a baby, the list includes a crib, a stroller (not the old-fashioned kind, but the kind that collapses, and possibly flies if necessary), a car seat, a changing table, a Swing-o-matic, and Schubert's "Lullaby." For our children, the needs are different. It's lucky that so many things on our list have already been checked off, with the resources discovered in our community. But BMS still needs your generous contributions so that there will come a day when our children will put on their resume in bold, "Graduated from Berkeley Montessori School," to proudly emphasize the education that shaped who they are, with all their gifts and challenges; and there will be employers and universities who know how much that means, lining up to embrace them.
Hyungsook Kim
Middle School and Upper Elementary parent
Please join Hyungsook Kim and Bernd Sturmfels in contributing generously to the "Imagine That…" 2006-2007 Annual Fund.
A Special Letter from Janet Stork - January 19, 2007
Dear Families:
Over the last several months, Business Officer Mohammad Kazerouni and I have been working very hard on all aspects of our budget in order to ensure the most accurate projections going forward, reflecting our realities and dreams for the immediate future and beyond. This year, we have increased tuition by a slightly greater percentage than in the recent past (although we're still below the average of other independent schools) in order to ensure funding for all the exciting programs we envision for next year. You are not going to be paying more for the same program; we are going to apply your tuition increase directly to the increased value of the education we are delivering to BMS students across all levels. Value for money is something we can all understand, and that is what BMS is already offering throughout the program. You have heard me say over and over again that our greatest asset is the consistently high quality of our faculty. Now we want to turn our attention to building upon our great program to offer new possibilities for program enhancement.
We have already started delivering this enhanced program, the results are showing, and the momentum is building. Come to the Community Forum next Tuesday from 7:00-9:00 pm to hear more about the specifics of our plans for this spring, next year and beyond. This is one school function you won't want to miss! BMS parent Sarah Kerruish's creative offering to BMS, a short film depicting daily life at BMS, will be shown as an opening to the Community Forum. I know everyone will feel proud to be part of the school shown in this film, one that consistently and authentically supports the growth and development of every child, encourages the ongoing learning of our faculty, and values the involvement of all parents. There was little time to prepare for filming, so what you will see will be the 'real deal'—no staged scenes or rehearsals!
Mohammad and I have already shared the budget process with our faculty, staff, and Board. To honor our commitment to transparency in decision-making, we now want to offer you the same opportunity to understand all that goes into developing an independent school budget that is sustainable in the short- and long-term. We invite you to join us at these times to learn more through a PowerPointâ presentation and discussion:
Tuesday, 1/23, 12:00-1:00 pm in the Conference Room (in lieu of Lunch with Janet);
Thursday, 1/25, 8:45-9:45 am in the Conference Room (in lieu of Chat with Janet);
Thursday 1/25, 5:00-6:00 pm in the Middle School (in lieu of Chat with Janet).
Please note, we are setting aside these times (and we are happy to add more times, if enough people cannot attend any of these options) specifically to discuss the tuition increase and the budget. At the Community Forum on Tuesday, we want to focus on our accomplishments and our plans.
I do recognize that, regardless of the value your child will receive for the additional tuition, this increase may cause hardship for some families, even affecting a previous decision not to apply for financial aid. For these families, we will re-open the financial aid application process until Friday, February 2. Please contact Verena Tent-Braucher at 665-8800, ext. 107, or verenat@bmsonline.org if you want to pursue that option. As we've already announced, the tuition and fee schedule for 2007-2008 (along with this letter) will be going out today electronically. You can pick up paper copies in either school office. Re-enrollment contracts will be going out by U.S. mail today as well.
This is an exciting phase in the history of BMS. I am deeply appreciative of all the positive support and confidence you have shown in my leadership thus far. I promise you that greater things are coming.
Best,
Janet Stork
Head of School
Elementary Summer Camp Catalog Coming Soon - January 12, 2007
Yes, Virginia, it's only January, but that's why we've started planning the 2007 BMS Elementary Summer Camp! Building on the success of last year's inaugural camp, we've redesigned this year's program to allow both a wider array of options, and greater freedom of choice. Campers will be able to preregister for the courses in which they are most interested, choosing from among several morning and afternoon offerings ranging from musical and performing arts to sports to cooking.
Our fun, hands-on, experiential arts curriculum helps elementary-age students develop their self-confidence, self-awareness, and increased leadership, independence, and community-building skills in a safe, developmentally-appropriate setting. Here are the session dates for this summer's program:
Session Dates
1 June 25-29
2 July 2-6 (No camp on July 4th.)
3 July 9-13
4 July 16-20
5 July 23-27
6 July 30 - Aug. 10
7 Aug. 13-24
8 Aug. 27-31
Many of our staff members are associated with BMS in some form, whether as members of the art program, on the lunch and after-school teams, or as classroom teachers. However, we're extremely interested in including parents in our program as well, so if you have a special talent or skill and are interested in leading a course this summer, please get in touch with me!
For more information, including preliminary session schedules, check the BMS website at ww.bmsonline.org/summercamp.html, or contact me at 665-8800 x260 or zroberts@bmsonline.org. We'll have a full catalog of course descriptions and registration information available in early March.
Zachary Roberts
BMS Elementary Summer Camp Director
Exciting Developments in Service Learning - December 22, 2006
Dear Families,
At the heart of the BMS mission is our commitment to make authentic connections to the larger community, and there is no better time to focus on it than now, a season of giving and gratitude for so many of the world's cultures. Social and civic responsibility was an important theme in Dr. Montessori's work, which focused on the notion that children are the future 'remakers' of the world. Other educators talk about the importance of service learning opportunities (often called 'community service'), that help children develop the values of the power of giving to others beyond oneself. At BMS, it's one strand in the curriculum-wide focus on a child's relationship and responsibility to the greater world.
We already have the philosophy at BMS of nurturing a sense of social responsibility in our students. And in fact, there have been some wonderful classroom projects that have gotten the students outside of their classroom world into the larger community, i.e. helping plant organic gardens in Strawberry Creek for the elderly and youth programs, sewing washcloth bags to contain hygiene products for the homeless, baking cookies for the elderly, etc. But our focus this year on creating stronger thematic connections between levels, and our continuing goal of teaching our students that service for the larger good is just as worthwhile as academic achievement, have made us want to devote some real cross-campus creative effort to this learning strand.
Renu DaSilva, mom of Cairo in Live Oak, Rashi in Cedar, and Rakesh in Blackberry, has volunteered to help coordinate school-wide service learning opportunities, which we hope will also support cross-level/grade participation. Thank you, Renu! I strongly support this initiative, and want to share some history from my experience in NYC when I was head of the lower school at Dalton. At that time, a couple of amazing parents like Renu spearheaded the initiative. We ended up being involved in extraordinary local and global efforts (including our young elementary students being invited to present at the United Nations, once our efforts became known).
We have planned a community-wide meeting (faculty, administration, and parents are invited) for Wednesday, January 10, at 3:45 pm, in the Middle School. We hope that everyone interested in being part of this initiative will attend. I know a number of you have relevant experience in other communities, and/or have ideas that we could consider in terms of coordination, implementation, and possible school-wide projects. I encourage those who are inspired, generative, and ready for action to attend. The greater the cross-level/campus representation, the better!
I hope to see you there, and I wish every member of our community a joyous Christmas, Kwanzaa, (end of) Chanukkah, or other generally festive holiday!
Janet Stork
Head of School
'Tis the Season To Be Thoughtful: A Note from the Administration - December 15, 2006
It's that time of year again, that time of warm feelings, goodwill toward our neighbors, and peace in our hearts. That's right, I'm talking about dropping off and picking up our children during the rainy season. With all the potential driving snafus that come along with the rain, it's more important now than ever to let our driving and parking habits reflect our community values, not our momentary frustrations.
The situation at the ECC is much improved with the new dismissal system (see Half Note on the front page), but please keep in mind how important it is never to block our neighbors' driveways or double-park, even for a moment. We will need our neighbors' goodwill in order to get approval for future work at the ECC, so please -- this applies to all of us!
At the El./MS, parents and visitors should park only in spaces marked "Visitor" in the school lot. The area in front of the basketball court gate is reserved for Yu Ren Lin, our custodian, who often has heavy material to unload. The drive-through lane should be kept clear except for loading and unloading (which must never happen during morning drop-off or afternoon pick-up). If you have children in different levels, please remember the staggered pick-up times and help us reduce congestion by arriving at the later time. Remember that you are free anytime to park in the lot on Acton Street behind Ledger's Liquors, just off University and only one block from BMS.
And remember, too, that our children learn more by watching what we do than by listening to what we say. Do we really mean to teach them that it's an intolerable inconvenience to walk a block or two, or that our own convenience always trumps other considerations?
Miss Cranky Responds to Your Excuses for
Egregious Parking Violations
Q. "But I'm only going to be a minute!"
A. Just as it only takes a minute, girl, to fall in love, it only takes a minute to create an annoying and/or dangerous situation with your car. Please follow the same parking rules as everyone else.
Q. "But I am a staff member/BMSPA officer/tireless volunteer/other very special and privileged person!"
A. And I am the queen of Romania. Please follow the same parking rules etc.
Q. "But I can't find/don't have time to use street parking!"
A. That dog won't hunt. There is virtually always parking available within a very few minutes' walk of either campus. At the Elementary/Middle School, you are welcome anytime to use the parking BMS rents at the lot on Acton just off University, behind Ledger's Liquors.
Q. "But everyone ELSE does it!"
A. Come now. Do you accept that excuse from your children? If everyone ELSE jumped off a cliff...
Board Operations 101 - December 8, 2006
To the State of California, our school is a "public benefit non-profit Corporation." Our non-profit status means that your generous donations to the Annual Fund are tax-deductible, and that, as for other non-profits, the governance of the school and responsibility for its long-term well-being rests with a Board of Trustees.
The Board does not run the school. The Head of School and her administrative team is responsible for hiring staff, admitting students, and handling the many issues that arise every day at a place like BMS. The Board hires and evaluates only one employee: the Head of School. The other staff members work for her.
As well as selecting and supporting the Head, the Board's job consists of articulating the mission and strategic plan for the school, exercising financial oversight, and setting general policies. It is charged with ensuring the long-term viability of the school, and should be as concerned about the children who will attend the school ten years from now as it is about today's students. This involves a balancing act of supporting and providing resources for the administration, while also holding it accountable and evaluating the school's progress.
The composition of the BMS Board is unusual in that it is community-based, made up of eight current parents (elected by the parent body), four teachers (elected by the faculty), and three community trustees from outside BMS (elected by the Board). Board meetings are open to BMS community members, and are held in the Middle School at 4:30 pm on the second Tuesday of each month during the school year. The next Board meeting will be this Tuesday, December 12, during which we will start the process of approving next year's budget. We will be looking at new proposed program initiatives for next year, and re-examining some past budget assumptions with an eye toward ensuring the school's programmatic and economic sustainability.
Our Board members have a deep commitment to the school and donate much time on its behalf, as well as providing generous financial support. Trustees serve three-year terms. While there were no open seats this past year, this year several long-time Board members (including myself) will end their terms. We have been working on a Board succession plan, selecting new officers for the future, including selecting parent Board member Daralyn Durie as President-elect for next year.
There will be parent and teacher elections this spring to fill the vacancies. Anyone who might be interested in becoming a Trustee should talk to one of the current Board members listed in the BMS directory to find out more about it.
Dan Jackson
BMS Board President
Alumni Night from an ECC Perspective - December 1, 2006
There we were, worried about college, checking out schools, concerned with the results of Montessori and how our daughter will assimilate… did I mention that she is four years old? For her, kindergarten is the next big step, and like many parents, we're wondering whether she should stay at BMS, where she has done so well, for K-8. Okay, maybe we are taking the whole education thing a bit too seriously, but to us it's like what you experience when you first have a child: suddenly, everything matters. And after many hours of questions and discussions, it was as if someone had read our minds: "Come to BMS Alumni Night."
Finally, an opportunity to talk with someone who actually went all the way through BMS, and "crossed over" to high school success (hopefully). With some skepticism, or at least a desire to see if these kids could live up to all of the expectations raised by Montessori, we walked in. I was glad to see that all the kids looked normal, then came the catch... we had to write our questions down for them. I thought to myself, I knew it was too good to be true; they must have been prepped and will only answer certain questions. OK, I'll write down a few… a few too many, apparently, as my wife kept saying "That's enough!" Right from the start, I was blown away. They were fantastic (the kids, not the questions). Each one was an individual — articulate, well-spoken, spontaneous, fun, talented and smart, but the underlying tone was pure confidence, and I was IMPRESSED! They shared their thoughts about the pros and cons of the BMS experience. They were even so bold as to offer the teachers some suggestions. As the evening progressed, I found myself wanting to ask more and more questions, primarily because the students had me so engaged. Moreover, it was clear they could handle it. Before we knew it, the questions we'd written out were all answered, and they were spontaneously fielding tough questions about life, peer pressure, the benefits of private vs. public high school. By the end of the night, they had addressed all of my issues and concerns, and even I didn't have any more questions.
What's the take-away, you ask? To me, it's that these high school students are ready for whatever the world throws at them, and they made me feel proud to be a part of BMS, the school they came from. As for our daughter, I have every confidence that she is a better person for being a part of the BMS experience.
Jay Momet
ECC Parent
Montessori Math Workshop a Hit - November 17, 2006
The BMSPA parent workshop on "Montessori Math" Tuesday night was attended by 40 enthusiastic parents, and the kudos for Mark Powell's terrific presentation keep coming from those who were there. I'm particularly thrilled by this because, simply put, it is the math education that brought our family to BMS. The math here keeps our sons challenged and gives them an amazing foundation for any math-oriented work they may do in the future.
The presentation involved a lesson about polyhedras. Parents were split into three separate groups, representing the most commonly-used methods for teaching math in the Western world:
1. Behaviorist (i.e., B.F. Skinner); views children's minds as empty vessels to be filled with knowledge and facts — characteristic of traditional schools. Parents were given a worksheet showing how to build three polyhedras with toothpicks and gumdrops (they couldn't work together), and later took a quick quiz on what they'd learned.
2. Progressivist (best known for the Summerhill experiment); unfortunately, it's what many people mistakenly think Montessori is. Parents were told about polyhedras and given toothpicks and gumdrops; they were free to work together or not, to work at all or not.
3. Constructivist or Interactionist; most closely resembling math at BMS, although Montessori can incorporate some elements of the other two methods as well. Parents were given a worksheet with a question, "Why are there only five polyhedras; could there be a yet-undiscovered sixth?" They worked individually but shared thoughts.
The results were:
- The Behaviorists were the first to finish (in one-third the time). They built beautiful models, aced their tests, and began chatting. Only one parent built more models; all learned a few facts about polyhedras but nothing beyond that. They felt a great sense of accomplishment and were the only ones with something to "take home."
- The Progressivists bantered back and forth about polyhedras. One father built a nice pentagon shape. A few didn't work and just observed. Some lost interest and chatted with the Behaviorists who were finished. A few finally "cheated" and stole the worksheet from the Constructivists, but didn't seem to get as far with it because they lacked the social structure.
- The Interactionists didn't want to stop at the end of the session (some parents continued working/thinking throughout the discussion period). They worked out equations, measured angles and were close to working out a mathematical solution to why there are only five polyhedras.
The discussion afterwards was enthusiastic and wide-ranging. Janet Stork pointed out the similarities of these three approaches to the "Authoritarian," "Permissive," and "Authoritative" parenting styles. A father felt the workshop helped him see how he could better teach his children at home. There was great interest in follow-up workshops, with demonstrations going from the ECC all the way through Upper El, showing how, for example, a 4-year-old's puzzle can turn into quadratic equations in the 5th or 6th grade. A parent also videotaped the workshop, so once some editing is done to compensate for uneven lighting, the BMSPA hopes to have the tape available in our Parent Education lending library. Thanks again to Mark and everyone else who helped with and attended this enlightening event!
Agnes Lord
Chair, BMSPA Parent Education Committee
Reflections on the Journey - November 10, 2006
Being a parent gives me a new opportunity to play and be joyful in the world. On the other hand, the business of preparing my children to be curious, thoughtful, engaged adults is something I take seriously.
The Journey Through the Environment is head, heart and body all the way in. Starting with the mad post-work dash, thrust into silent observation and forced to quench those inner voices - "Why can't I talk or touch, why is there no food, how long will this take…," I find an opportunity to satisfy my intellectual curiosity as a parent and to begin at the beginning - just like our children do.
In silence I begin the discovery with observation and move slowly through the classrooms, letting the carefully prepared space invite me in- and interestingly it is strong enough to pulse through the parent chatter going on in my head - "don't be seduced by the math, I need to see the language materials…."
Through the process of discovery on the second day, I start off feeling game, I take it like play but quickly note that this is far more engaging, more satisfying than simple play.
The ECC and Lower Elementary are organized around works engaging our children as they strive to figure out their place in the world. The materials reflect it: leaf rubbing, folding, serving snack, clock of eras, shapes of the continents…
The work laid out in Upper Elementary and the Middle School shows the subtle shift from the particular to the abstract, reflecting the child's growing understanding that the world is bigger than them. As Gretchen Griswold, Middle School math teacher, understates, "Middle School is an egocentric time, and also a time when our students have a great capacity to get excited about ideas. We invite them to look outside themselves and to be expansive in their thinking…" Then with effortless finesse she leads us through a demonstration on discovering the angles between the hands of a clock, teasing us with something simple, satisfying and compelling. Wow.
"There is an intensity of listening," Chris Middlemiss, Blackberry Creek teacher, explains while describing the upcoming presentation of the Creation of the Universe story. "They know what their work is. It is to listen, to think, to imagine." For a moment I am there in the darkened room, anticipating the unfolding of a great story; and then suddenly I am back, a parent sitting in a circle on the rug. It is tempting to idealize the educational choices we've made and relinquish some responsibility to the educational institution, but it is better to be an active agent, and I feel richer and more engaged after indulging in the Journey.
Aiko Pandorf
BMS Parent
How Are You Smart? - November 3, 2006
Last week, I had the pleasure of guest teaching Middle School English. Dee Hammons, middle school resource teacher and Zaq's replacement during his paternity leave, asked me to talk to the students about learning gifts and challenges in terms of the concept of multiple intelligences proposed by Dr. Howard Gardner. As most of you know, many years ago I joined Dr. Gardner's initial research team at Harvard Project Zero to examine and develop curricular and assessment applications based on the framework of multiple intelligences. I think most of you have already guessed that I am a passionate advocate for schools adjusting teaching to the learning styles of students, as well as for finding strategies for working with students' learning challenges.
I tried something with the middle school students that I have done with older students and professional educators. On the board I wrote the question, "How smart are you?" and I asked the students to pair up and answer this question. Responses like, "averagely smart," "a lot smart," "not so smart," emerged from each group. In every group, at least one student said, "It depends."
Then, I changed the question on the board to, "How are you smart?" (notice: same words, different question). This time, pairs of students responded with answers like, "people smart," "I compose music," "I love drawing," "fixing machines," "playing soccer, " reciting poetry," " literarily smart" — the conversation could have gone on and on.
Next, we discussed the differences in the responses depending on how the question was framed. Immediately, students said the responses to the first question were, "general," "ranking," "judging," "comparing," "quantitative." Students remarked that responses to the second question were "descriptive," "personal," "specific," "interesting," "more information," "broader than school."
This led to my talking about the framework of multiple intelligences and a description of seven 'intelligences' (at least eight are now proposed, but the number doesn't really matter): verbal/linguistic, logical/mathematical, musical/rhythmic, visual/spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal intelligences. We considered what intelligences are most associated with well-known people like Michael Jordan, P. Diddy, Martin Luther King, Madonna, etc. The idea is that, depending on the situation, we will use one or more of these intelligence types to achieve our goals.
The discussion was rich in making connections to our own learning styles, gifts and challenges. We talked about the fact that most of education is linguistically driven, which is very challenging for those students who don't learn as easily through processing language. Each discussion could have lasted far longer than the 45-minute class, but it was a great conversation starter, I think, and an area for further reflection throughout BMS. It was a pleasure to meet and 'teach' the lively, dynamic middle schoolers!
Janet Stork
Head of School
Bulletin from the (Admissions) Front - October 27, 2006
It's shaping up to be a great year for Berkeley Montessori School admissions! I'm thrilled to say that interest in our school is at an all-time high, and I want to invite each of our families to join me at some exciting upcoming events.
Please mark your calendars now for November 9, 7:00-8:30 pm, when a panel of BMS graduates will return for Alumni Night. They will talk about their post-BMS academic life and answer questions about how they feel BMS prepared them for high school and beyond. Many parents say that, more than anything else, Alumni Night confirms for them that they've made the right choice for their child's education. Middle School Open House , on Saturday, November 18, from 2:00-4:00 pm, is your chance to meet the entire Middle School faculty, see the classrooms, and have a hands-on experience of the BMS Middle School. Everyone is welcome to both these events, and Upper Elementary parents are particularly encouraged to attend. Bring your questions!
Next level tours are happening now and over the next few weeks. These tours are your chance, as parents, to see what awaits your child as s/he moves from one level to the next in our spiral curriculum: from 4-year-old to Kindergarten, Kindergarten to Lower Elementary, Lower to Upper El., and 6th year to Middle School. Even if you have already decided to continue at BMS, please consider attending the Next Level Tour; often there are insights and ideas parents haven't considered which arise for them during these opportunities. Monday, October 30 is 6th year to Middle School; Wednesday, November 1 is ECC to Lower El.; Monday, November 6 is Lower El. to Upper El.; and Monday, November 27 is 4-year-old to Kindergarten. All next level tours are 9:00-10:30 am.
Finally, with the good news of increased interest in our school comes the need to be mindful of our own deadlines. In order to reserve space for your child, we need you to return your Letter of Intent as soon as possible after it comes out in December, and to honor the December 1 deadline for sibling applications. Of course we will always make every effort to accept siblings, but with heightened interest in our programs, we cannot guarantee priority to late applicants.
I look forward to seeing you at upcoming school events!
Carol Clark
Director of Admissions
Gifts & Challenges: An Education for Parents and Children Alike - October 20, 2006
Fifty parents came to hear Chris Middlemiss, Blackberry Creek teacher and BMS Faculty Coach, talk about gifts and challenges last week, and we went away with a paradigm shift. We heard how our children are learning at BMS to view their talents and struggles not as realities they're stuck with, but as dynamic "gifts and challenges" about which they have choices and power in their lives. Our children are learning that there's no hierarchy of skills, no judgment of better or worse, just a broad continuum of gifts and challenges that give them opportunities to grow and learn.
Instead of looking upon a challenge as something they "can't do," something to give up on or hide away, our children are learning how to consciously choose to work with a "challenge" and turn it into a "gift." Chris told us that "there is no shame or blame for challenges, no pressure or prizes for gifts... only the choices you make about what to do with them. It's about how you are you, how you live your life, and what you choose to do."
And not only are BMS children learning to work with their own gifts and challenges, they are learning to see others (and themselves) through a lens of tolerance and patience that comes from understanding that we all have some gifts and we all have some challenges -- no one has all of one or all of the other. Although some gifts and challenges are clearly more visible than others, we all have our unique package that was given to us at birth.
This way of thinking -- this paradigm of life that turns something static into something dynamic and full of choice and autonomy -- is being taught to BMS students from early childhood through middle school, and is becoming part of the fabric of our school culture. While many of us grew up with a sense of helplessness about the things we weren't "good at," parents at the "Gifts and Challenges" presentation last week shared inspring stories of how our children are learning to see life in a different way -- a way that helps them to view learning and human nature in a more positive light, and to welcome both gifts and challenges as opportunities. In a world where "emotional intelligence" is the key to happiness and success, the "gifts and challenges" paradigm will help our children navigate their lives with intentionality and clarity.
Johanna Eigen
BMSPA Co-Chair
P.S. The "Gifts and Challenges" workshop was videotaped and will be made available to BMS parents through the Parent Education lending library that is currently being developed. For more information, please contact Agnes Lord.
F.A.T. City Blues - October 13, 2006
Last Friday, the faculty, staff, and I watched a film called, 'How Difficult Can This Be: A F.A.T. City Workshop." No, this isn't a nutritional program. F.A.T. stands for frustration, anxiety, and tension: the feelings that students with learning differences typically experience as part of their daily lives in and out of the classroom.
The film depicts a workshop designed to sensitize the participants, who included psychologists, teachers, learning specialists, and parents, to the ways that students with learning challenges experience their world. Although the DVD is slightly dated (certain terms like 'learning disabled' have been replaced by other definitions), the simulated experience touched the hearts and minds of our faculty, prompting a heartfelt, lively group discussion. Some teachers recognized the "frustration, anxiety and tension" of their own school experiences in the DVD. We also recognized that what's missing in many teacher training programs (Montessori or not) is actual instruction on specific teaching strategies for working with students who struggle with processing language, visual-motor coordination, reading comprehension, reading decoding, oral language, auditory and visual capabilities, and/or 'reading' social cues.
We talked about the opportunities within Montessori classrooms to personalize and meet the range of students' gifts and challenges. The power of observing and learning from children to inform our teaching strategies is central to Montessori. We are fortunate that there is a tremendous amount of teacher commitment, intuition and wisdom within BMS, although we know we need to schedule more opportunities for teachers to learn strategies from each other. The weekly Child Study Review is one important way for us to come together around how best to serve the learning needs of our students.
We all agreed that additional professional development on working with learning differences is important, and that we should invite practitioners skilled in learning differences, child development, and Montessori education to lead workshops for our teachers on classroom strategies. Over the course of the school year, I will be planning more professional opportunities on this topic.
I want to show this film to parents as well, and I am in the process of planning the date with the BMSPA. It has just as much relevance to parents as it does to teachers. So, stay tuned!
Best,
Janet Stork
Head of School
Why Professional Development Days? - September 29, 2006
On Friday, October 6, school will be closed for one of our three scheduled Professional Development days. For some parents, arranging alternative childcare can make this seem like a necessary evil (and maybe not even a necessary one!). I want to take a moment to explain my passionate support for dedicating some of our most precious commodity, time, to professional development.
The "What We Value" statement of the BMS Strategic Plan says it loud and proud: "We are lifelong learners, each in our own way." The Plan goes on to say that, in order to "cultivate and support an outstanding faculty," we will "support and encourage faculty professional development." Just words on a page? Far from it; strong statements of belief such as these are some of the reasons I chose to come to BMS. The bottom line is this: If you want students to learn, then teachers need to be engaged in their own continuous learning. If you want students to find and solve problems, share ideas, take risks, and work cooperatively and collaboratively, then you need teachers to have similar opportunities. If you want students to develop enduring interests and passions, to cultivate habits of mind and heart, to demand the best of themselves, then you need teachers who do those things, too. And, if we assess students' growth and performance throughout the year, then we have to agree to assess ourselves throughout the year to determine whether we have reached our goals.
Educators, like all professionals, benefit hugely when they have the opportunity to come together to refresh their practice. What's unusual about teaching is the isolation from other adults in which it's usually practiced, which makes it all the more important that our teachers get extended time together, within and across levels, to share what's working well, brainstorm about what's not, and learn additional tools and strategies for working with students and parents. I wish our whole community could observe one of these sessions to see firsthand the commitment of faculty to learn with and from each other. The benefit to the children in the classrooms is direct and immediate. There is just no substitute for this kind of dedicated time together, to give our teachers the perspective they need, and the renewed passion for their work which they, and our children, deserve.
Janet Stork
Head of School
Unleashing Our Power - September 22, 2006
As a diligent reader of Newsnotes, you are aware that Tuesday, September 26 at 7:00 pm will be our first Community Forum for the year. It will also be the first one led by Janet Stork, our new Head of School. Janet will share with us her impressions of BMS and its potential after her first few months on the job. Most important, Janet wants to listen to the community's ideas and concerns, to shape in partnership the future of our kids' education.
Why should you attend? Well, the answer is probably right in front of you, trying to get your attention. It's your child, the one you have trusted BMS to educate.
Perhaps you considered alternatives for your child's education, but in the end, we all made the same decision. We enrolled our kids in BMS, and now we're all part of this vibrant community. Unlike many other independent schools, BMS is a community-based and -structured school. Here we need your input and your voice. Many voices heard translates into a better and enriched education for our kids. Deprived of your voice, we are all poorer.
At BMS, paying the tuition is not the only opportunity to show your support for the school. It's just the beginning. Here we are not passive consumers of education; we are active participants. This community is very rich in creativity, diversity, experience, and energy. To the extent that we can unleash that awesome power, our kids will have a richer experience at BMS. It will be an experience that is truly larger than the sum of its parts. BMS community power unleashed means your child is getting a more valuable education than the price of tuition suggests.
That is the whole reason the Community Forums were started. It is the premier place to unleash our power and help shape the future of our children.
To make it easier for families to attend, the BMSPA is offering childcare. So mark your calendar now, sign up for childcare if necessary, put on your listening ears and raise your voice. You won't want to miss it.
Helmut Kapczynski
Chair, Strategic Planning Committee & Parent
To all families, returning and new: WELCOME to BMS! - September 8, 2006
Whether we're a child, parent, or teacher, we all experience the ritual of the beginning of another school year. It is a time that presents new possibilities, hopes and dreams, and often brings conflicting emotions, from anticipation and wonder to nervousness and worry. It is the beginning or continuation of the complex home/school relationship that involves children, parents, and teachers in a dynamic dance of perspectives, values, cultures, vulnerabilities, assumptions, and beliefs. We all come together in the fall after a summer hiatus and strive for a positive partnership on behalf of our children, our common ground.
At Berkeley Montessori School, we are committed to building productive alliances with families. We know it is hard work that takes time and effective communication between school and home. It is far easier to create a policy with very clear boundaries that limit parents' attendance to a few school-wide traditions like back-to-school nights, conferences, and special events. But, at the heart of BMS (and Montessori principles) is the understanding and appreciation of the importance of creating meaningful connections with every family. Although parents and teachers have different roles and sometimes contrasting perspectives, we are all advocates for the children, and our goal is that together we will contribute to their healthy growth and development. Throughout the school year, we plan to create many opportunities for open, honest, and collaborative communications, so that we can continue to strengthen the connections between BMS and our families.
Janet Stork
Head of School
The House that Lee Built -- June 02, 2006
Last Thursday, May 25, BMS community members past and present came together to celebrate Lee Davis' six years as our Head of School. It was both a wonderful social occasion, as colleagues from years back greeted one another del