INTEGRATED NEWS Boulder Community School of Integrated Studies February 24, 2006 BELLA LUNA FUNDRAISER FOR BCSIS Bacaro Restaurant Sunday, March 5th $60 per person Tickets available in the office Call Beth Parish for more information: 303-665-2450 LEAD TEACHER REPORT Dear Families, We know many of you are anxious to hear an update on the BVSD Stratification Proposal. As you know, the Stratification Proposal includes a recommendation that currently involves BCSIS. The recommendation is that our school, along with High Peaks, move toward a more diverse student population through Open Enrollment (OE) preferences. No changes would be effective for the 2006/2007 school year. The proposal is for families that qualify for free and reduced lunch to be given preference for up to 20 percent of OE spaces in the school, starting with the 2007/2008 Kindergarten group. Other recommendations are being considered, including providing an English Language Learner's program at Aurora 7 and creating a geographic location from which the majority of our future families would Open Enroll. Creating a geographic location for our school has been the focus of the majority of parent questions and concerns. The benefits and drawbacks of this aspect of the proposal are still being weighed by the district at this time. Dr. Sheri Williams, Director of Elementary School Leadership, has visited our school twice to meet with parents and teachers. The involved administrators are also meeting regularly to discuss the recommendations. As of now, no further developments or decisions have taken place. The district is still considering many options and listening to input from schools and families. Once the district has solidified a revised proposal to bring to the BVSD School Board, we will inform you of the date of the board meeting at which parents can voice input. Also, we will communicate the revised proposal to parents, so that you can voice your comments to your Ed Council Representative. The Ed Council will share your input with the district and/or School Board. Reading to End Racism This week our school hosted the Reading to End Racism program. Community volunteers visited each classroom and shared engaging and age-appropriate literature and forums designed to explain and explore racism with students. Readers facilitated class discussions and assisted children in creating proactive solutions for real-life situations. Reading to End Racism is sponsored by the Boulder Public Library, BVSD, and other local organizations. The teachers found the program very effective in helping children to safely explore these important issues. New BCSIS Art Gallery Starting this week, we invite you to watch the development of a new BCSIS Art Gallery in the hallway. Large boards will be hung in the hallway. The boards will be painted and used to hang amazing children's art. Jan May is the creator of this idea and will be hanging art from her classes. In the coming month, please take a few minutes after school begins or before school ends to visit the developing gallery! BCSIS and the Media We would like to remind you that BCSIS strives to build a school environment that is relatively free of the ever-present influence of the media. Our goal is for students to create their own unique, creative world at school that is deeply connected with our natural environment and our relationships with others. You can support us in this goal by discouraging students from wearing clothing with large logos, keeping walkmans and other electronic devices at home, and reminding students to save conversations about movies and TV for after school. Thanks very much. Phil Katsampes and Sabine Smead THE BCSIS BROWN BAG BOOK CLUB A discussion of the book "Hold On To Your Kids" will take place Friday, March 17 from noon to 1:30pm in the Conference Room. Written by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Mate, this parenting book deals with the issue of keeping our kids family orientated instead of peer orientated, and the issues that arise as we choose this path in a commercial society that values children as an economic marketing commodity and believes that early independence is a sign of success. Feel free to bring a lunch and younger siblings too. Questions? Please contact Kimberly Zerbey at 303-530-0627 or mamaberl@yahoo.com. GETTING THE WORD OUT There are several wonderful events coming up this semester. If you would like to add an extra page to the newsletter or Friday folders about an event, please run the material by Phil or Sabine first and have it in the office to be copied by 8:30am Friday morning. Thanks for your continued involvement and enthusiasm! SPRING PLANT SALE It is time to start planning the annual BCSIS Spring Plant Sale. The Plant Sale is one of our biggest school fundraisers, and a tradition that many of our parents and teachers look forward to every year. This year the order forms will be sent home in early April, with the plants arriving for pick-up May 3rd to 5th. You are invited to join Robyn Churchill Rathweg for a planning and plant selection meeting on Friday February 24, from 12-1:30pm in the Conference room (to the left of the office). Please bring a lunch or snacks if you like. Younger siblings are welcome. If the meeting time does not work for you but you wish to be involved, please call Robyn at 303-604-1876. DISABILITY ETIQUETTE FOR STUDENTS AND ADULTS From Anna Stewart, Parent as Mentors Liaison When meeting friends with disabilities: 1. It’s okay to offer your help to someone, but ask first. 2. It’s okay to ask people about their disabilities and it’s also okay for them not to talk about it. 3. Remember, just because people use wheelchairs, it doesn’t mean they are sick. 4. When you are talking to people who use wheelchairs, sit down so their necks won’t get sore looking up at you. 5. It’s okay to use words like "see," "hear," "walk" and "run" when you’re talking to people who have disabilities. 6. It’s okay to ask people who have speech problems to repeat what they said if you didn’t understand the first time. 7. Never pet or play with Seeing Eye dogs. They can’t be distracted from the important job they are doing. 8. Invite friends with disabilities to come to your house or go out socially. Think about ways to make sure they can be included in the things that you do. 9. Don’t let the people you are with park in places reserved for people with disabilities. 10. When you go to restaurants and shopping malls, see if a person with disabilities could be there with you. If not, ask the manager to put in ramps, get Braille menus printed or whatever you see needs to be done. 11. Treat a person with a disability the way you like to be treated and you’ll have a friend for life. From the Easter Seals, www.easterseals.com TEACHER FEATURE A newsletter-length autobiography by Will Humke The beautiful combination of nature and nurture whispered and later screamed of the intrinsic calling in me to teach. With grandparents, aunts and uncles on both sides of my family who are teachers, I always knew that I would never teach. I was raised by loving, and crazy, divorced parents in Madison, Wisconsin. They taught me to love questions, the diversity of the world and the environment. In hindsight, my spirit has been that of a teacher at BCSIS since I was throwing fishing lures overboard with papa. A combined passion for learning, and the quick, meaningful ways I have always connected with youth, led me to a masters program at CU in secondary science three years ago. Self reflection and excitement around academic creativity spurred a programmatic change into elementary education on the day of initiation. I knew I was in the right school when I visited my first-grade students last year as kindergarteners. Instantly welcomed with bear hugs and wide smiles, I joined Leson on a hike in the morning, and read an enchanting folk tale before the students left for lunch. The afternoon greeted me with the same love and excitement and a marimba band presentation had nearly all students wiggling and jiving in the open space. I was teary-eyed and thrilled for the upcoming year and have every day been grateful for this dynamic community of learners and teachers. Thank you for the love you bring to this humble and charming school. NEWS AND NOTES Stratification Proposal Meeting Please join us next Wednesday, from 3:45pm to 4:45pm in the Open Space, for an informal conversation with other parents about the Stratification Proposal. This will be a chance for the Ed Council Reps to share information about the BCSIS parent community's response to the district's recommendations, and for parents to discuss and consolidate their input. Also, it is a time for parents to plan how they can be proactive and involved with the School Board and District regarding the Stratification Proposal. The meeting will include BCSIS parents only. BCSIS Ed Council Parents The Fifth Grades would like to thank everyone for the support they received for their Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser! Those of us who attended and are also keeping up with the Olympics via television can vouch that they transformed the cafeteria into an Italian café resembling one found in Torino. The efforts of the chefs, waiters, artists, musicians, decorators and everyone involved made this a wonderful community event and a great chance to wish our fifth graders the best as they start their transition to middle school. Grocery Certificate Rally Is On! Did you know that if each BCSIS family bought just $100 of grocery certificates per month, the school would raise over $1,000 per month?!? Given that our families probably average $400 per month for grocery bills, we have the potential to raise $4,000 per month for the playground improvement fund. High Peaks is now involved with buying grocery certificates as well since both schools will benefit from the sales of them. Anyone in the school office is always happy to sell the grocery certificates to you. Making the decision to park one morning or afternoon and walk into the school if you are usually a drive-through parent can make a big difference for our schools! We are still quite a ways from reaching the needed funds to purchase playground equipment. Thanks for your continued efforts with this. Springbreak Activities If anyone has recommendations for parents seeking activities, camps, classes, etc. for their children over spring break, please email them to cynthiacarosella @hotmail.com. We will publish a list in the next newsletter. MARK YOUR CALENDAR March 5 (Sun) Bacaro Fundraiser March 7 (Tues) 7-9pm, Fairview High School. The BVSD Capital Improvements Planning Committee will discuss the building conditions, educational suitability, information technology infrastructure, capacity, utilization and historical significance of all BVSD schools. All BVSD parents are urged to attend a session. BCSIS is in the Fairview High School service area. March 13 (Mon) Roots & Shoots meets March 27 (Mon) Roots & Shoots meets April 7-20 The BCSIS Spring Plant Sale orders will be accepted May 1 (Mon) Roots & Shoots meets May 3-5 (Wed-Fri) Pick Up Plant Sale Orders in the gym! May 11 (Thurs) 4:30-6:30pm. BCSIS 10th Anniversary Celebration at Rocky Mountain Theatre for Kids May 12 (Fri) Community Service Day May 15 (Mon) Roots & Shoots meets <>