The LP Bulletin #18January 7, 2016

UPCOMING LP EVENTS

Monday, January 11th - 7:45 am - Auction Committee Meeting Tuesday, January 12th - 3rd Grade to the MFA/Girl Scouts

Wednesday, January 13th - Film Festival

Friday, January 15th - Frog Pong for Grades 1 & 4/ Film Fest.

Monday, January 18th - SCHOOL CLOSED in observance of MartinLuther King Jr. Day

Friday, January 22nd - Read-a-Thon - 6:30pm

Monday, January 25th - Kindergarten Conference Day

Tuesday, January 26th - 5th Grade Conference Day/Girl Scouts

Wednesday, January 27th - 3rd Grade Conference Day

Thursday, January 28th - 4th Grade Conference Day

Friday, January 29th - 1st Grade Conference Day/Frog Pond for Grades2 and 5

HEADLINES

It is always a special delight to see the children come through the doorafter they've been on vacation. We do get a lot accomplished when they'renot here, but the place isn't a school without them, and the return to'normal' always feel right and certainly energizing. This past Monday the lobby was quieter than usual. Most of the childrenappeared mildly content to be back (though resignation and contentmentcan look similar) and a few were noticeably taller, even after just two weeks.Many seemed sleepy, with one or two looking somewhat dazed as thoughthey were wondering where they were! Everyone takes a moment to re-adjust after vacation, but children,

WORD OF THE WEEK

ArrangeInterludeYearnElevateInquireJabberLollygagQuagmireBrimAttireDormantGenerousPatientPerceivePromenadeProactivePonder

CURRENT 'HABIT OFTHE HEAD, THEHEART, AND THEHAND'

Justice

ATTACHMENTS

Click here for 2016-2017 Calendar

Click here for ChessSign Up

Click here for Read-a-Thon Pledge Sheet

Quarter 3 After SchoolChanges Request Form- Due January 11th.

perhaps, more so. They are truly 'creatures of habit and routine'--one reasonsuccessful teachers are always good at establishing and maintaining clearand simple classroom routines. Children like to know what to do, how to doit, and when to do it. There is comfort in predictability and clarity--both ofwhich help children to locate and ground themselves in time and in space. Change a routine even in a small way, change their orientation or directiontwo degrees to the right or left, and everything seems new and different;they might as well be in Omaha. January is an incredibly busy time around here with the restarting of theterm, the upcoming "Intern" switch, the admissions process and theoutplacement process (for our sixth graders) in high gear. And then thereare a series of events that require special attention--some noted elsewherein this LPB: today's Open House, the annual Film Festival, Frog PondPencil Pal Skating, the Ski Trip and Read-a-Thon; Parent Conference Days,several Board Committee Meetings and the January meeting of the Board.There's never a dull day, for sure.

OPEN HOUSE AND ADMISSIONS One of the very nice aspects of the admissions process at The LP is theinvolvement of so many current parents. Just this week, I joined aconversation with several prospective LP parents in the lobby who had beentalking for forty minutes with Gina Powers, mother of Olivia in grade four,and a highly seasoned LP admissions volunteer. And today, for our OpenHouses--one in the morning and one in the afternoon--we have eightparents coming in to do tours. Over the fall and continuing through this and next month, many of youwill have helped with this critical admissions process--some at OpenHouses, some covering School Fairs on evenings or weekends, someanswering questions of parents while their children are having their visits,and some of you by thinking of parents in your community who shouldknow about the school and making a referral. All of you went through the LP admissions process yourselves, and acomment I have heard innumerable times is how valuable it was to heardirectly from parents in the school now (as well as from our sixth grade'ambassadors'). The website, the tour and interview, the Headmaster'srambling commentaries--all these can be helpful, too; but distinctivelyimportant are these one-on-one connections between parents whointimately know the school and parents who are curious to learn more aboutit. And because we have so many parents who do know the school so welland who are willing to help us with this admissions process, we keeprenewing our community with parents of like mind--parents who share ourvalues and who are attracted to what our community offers. The wholeprocess has served us well, and we are immensely grateful to all of you whomake it a success.

OUR JANUARY FILM FESTIVAL

Film is an important art form and using film both to prompt a beginningexploration of film as art and more vigorously the discussion about thefilm's content and messages is something we've now been doing since the90's. January has come to be known as our 'Film Festival' month. The films

WHAT'S DUE?Quarter 3 After SchoolChanges - due January11th.

Chess Sign Up Sheet -(first come first serve)

Ms. Royal and the 4thGraders jump right back into

the swing of things afterWinter Break!

we select, now on a three-year rotation, are ones that address issues ofequity and justice, which is our month-long theme, tied in some measure torecognition of Martin Luther King's life and work. We also watch the "Ihave a Dream" speech and will do so on Monday at our Morning Assembly. The children never seem to tire of it. This year we are watching two films over three sessions, the first onetoday. Grades 1-3 will watch 'Happy Feet'--a film that addresses the issue ofdifference, how difference is defined--and by whom. Grades 4-6 will bewatching Akeelah and the Bee, a film that also addresses differences, as wellas the matter of how feelings of 'not fitting in' can crimp potential. After viewing each segment of the film the children have a discussionaround several questions aimed at deepening their understanding of what ishappening and why, and, also at deepening the children's appreciation ofthe choices a film's producer makes to convey feelings and messages.

PARENT CONFERENCES Parent Conferences are scheduled to begin the week of January 25th. We hope that you have foundSign-Up-Genius to be useful, we welcome your feedback in this regard. Conferences, as in the fall, arescheduled for half an hour. A few quick reminders:

1. Please make every effort to come at your scheduled time. Cancellations are difficult to re-schedule, andinterrupt the preparation process.

2. Think in advance about your questions and/or concerns, and write them down so you don't forget tobring them up.

3. Students in grades two and up are included in the conference. We do that as a way to send them themessage that they, chiefly, are responsible for their own education and so should share in the responsibilityto report to you on their performance. In the younger grades, their participation might be only for fiveminutes; in the older grades it might be for all but five minutes of the conference. Help us reinforce theoverriding message about an education is something you "make" -- not "get."

There is additional information about Conferences in the Parent Handbook.

READ-A-THON (PLEDGE FORM AVAILABLE IN THEATTACHMENT BOX) Our Annual Read-a-thon, as you may have noted on the January calendar, is coming right up: Friday,January 22nd from 6:30-8:30pm here at school. Please get this onto your personal calendar now as it is anevent your child will not want to miss, if at all possible. For those of you who are new to our community, here is the announcement of this event largely liftedfrom an earlier Bulletin: The Read-a-Thon is a pledge driven fundraiser that we have done for 16 years. The children, in grades K-6, will collect pledges from family and friends on a pledge sheet and on a cold winter's night they will cometo school to "earn" their pledge money by reading (K's and other beginning readers mostly look at books andhear stories read to them) for two hours--or thereabouts. It's all great fun! The proceeds of this grand event have gone in a variety of directions. Initially the plan was to use half ofthe money to plant trees in Boston, which we have done several times, and the other half to buy books forour school, which we have also done. In recent years, Read-a-Thon money has gone to support variouscauses--Tsunami and Katrina and Haiti; and last year we donated $8,000 of the $8,700 to the Boston Public

Library Foundation in recognition of the new children's room and in appreciation for our four decades plusof having the BPL as our "school library." We also made a $2,520 gift to the Back Bay Garden Club fromresidual Read-a-Thon funds to plant a new tree on Clarendon Street. A portion of the Read-a-Thon money isalso provided for the stewardship of the Sixth Graders. At the end of their tenure with us in June, they areorganized to function as a Philanthropic Foundation. In that capacity, the class is responsible for researchingand deciding on several charities to which they will allocate Read-a-Thon proceeds on behalf of theirschoolmates. It is a large responsibility, and one our sixth graders take quite seriously. A scrapbook aboutthis process, called The Giving Book, is available in the Sixth Grade Classroom and you are welcome to lookat it. On the evening of the Read-a-Thon, children in grades K-6 will re-gather at school at 6:30pm, bringingwith them, if they so wish, their pajamas or other comfy clothes, their slippers, their stuffed animals, theirpillows and blankets and, of course, their books. We will use the ballroom downstairs for theKindergarteners. And they read and read and read. Younger ones get "read to" for part of the time, andeveryone has a snack break. The children raise a lot of money (several thousand dollars believe it or not!)and they have a fabulous time. A sponsor sheet for each LP child in your household will be sent home and is also attached to thisBulletin. If you need another (that is another sponsor sheet, not child) please let us know! Each student willread for a maximum of two hours. We count snack as part of the larger "reading experience." Students mayask family, friends and neighbors to sponsor them. A teacher will then sign the form at the Read-a-Thon andreturn the signed form to the child so he or she can collect pledges. Our goal, always, is to have 100% participation. Children who are unable to be here on the night of the Read-a-Thon because of travel, etc., are welcome to participate 'off location' and to feel at least a distantconnection to the event at school and help with this worthy community effort. Childrenraise whatever they can, and whatever they raise is just fine.

SAVE THE DATE!

Also, please keep in mind that the next Auction Committee meeting will be held on January 11,2016, at 7:45 am at the Learning Project. If you are interested in assisting with the planning of the AnnualAuction, we could use your help!

WELCOME TO HALEY SMITH It is an immense relief and great pleasure to share with you the good news that once more we have landedon our feet and found a marvelous replacement person off the normal hiring cycle. We have a new BoardMember, Michael Kascak, to thank for this referral. Michael is the Principal of the Hillside School, a publicschool in Nadick. We've know each other for longer than either of us would care to admit--dating back towhen he was at BB&N. Long story short, Michael had a teacher assistant whose career he was eager toadvance, and when he learned of our opening in Kindergarten, he gave me a call and Haley Smith began onMonday.

OTHER STAFFING NEWS

This news is 100% splendid and 100% 'bittersweet.' Ms. Ream, our stupendous second grade teacher anda member of The LP faculty for the past nine years is having a baby in early June and she won't be returningto The LP next year. We are surely over the moon happy for her, and we also know we will miss her--herhumor and warmth, her generosity of spirit and devotion to the school, her insights about children andteaching, and most certainly her outstanding performance in our second grade. Alas, we have about fivemore months working together and then we all will move on, with yet another --albeit brief--maternitycoverage arrangement for the final weeks of the year and a new person leading our second grade next year. The second piece of staffing news is that we have hired Amanda Hockensmith to cover our art classeswhile Ms. Schmidt is on maternity leave. Ms. Hockensmith was referred to us by Mr. Gerstenlauer, our sixthgrade teacher. They knew each other when they were Interns together in the Lesley/Shady HillApprenticeship Program. Ms Hockensmith (Mandy) is a 1997 graduate of Williams, and has been teaching adrawing class at Shady Hill and art classes at the Gardner Pilot Academy in Allston. I am pleased that shewas available to work with us during the period between February and April vacation.

WORD OF THE WEEKArrange v. to place in proper, desired or convenient order; adjust properly: to arrange books on a shelf. 2. Tocome to an agreement or understanding regarding: to arrange a bargain. 3. To prepare or plan: to arrangethe details of a meeting.

Some possible models for home usage: I like the way you arranged your clothes neatly on the chair (plateson the table; flowers in a vase; items on a shelf, etc.) Let's arrange a time for us to talk about the weekend (aplaydate with Herman; a time to read together, an evening of music). I would like to arrange for should lhappen when you are slow getting ready for bed (for taking turns with your sister to take out the trash, formaking sure you get your share of the chocolates.)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

CALENDAR CHANGE Please note a change of date for the Kindergarten play which was scheduled for later this month. The playwill now take place on Thursday, May 5th at 8:00 am for parents and 11:00 am for the rest of the school.

COMMUNITY SPEAKER SERIES

The Atrium School is hosting a speaker event at Atrium School this Thursday, January 7th from 7-9pm. The Atrium school will be hosting TIME magazine recognized parenting expert Deborah Roffman onthe subject of "How to Become Your Children's 'Go-To' Person About Sex." The talk/workshop isthe second event in our Atrium Speaker Series and it is free and open to the general public.

Kingsley Montessori School is hosting Dr. Sharon Maxwell who will be showing parents how children areusing and abusing media technology and will help parents set balanced, realistic guidelines that bring theInternet into alignment with family schedules and values in a workshop entitled "iChild or I, Child MediaTechnology With Values."

Dr. Maxwell is an award-winning author, educator, and practicing clinical psychologist. Her work hasbeen featured in TIME Magazine, US News and World Report, USA Today, Working Mother, The BostonGlobe, on NPR, Oprah and Friends, and Fox News. The Boston Parents Paper voted Dr. Maxwell a 2009Family Advocate of the Year. For more information, please visit drsharonmaxwell.com.

Please RSVP with Karen Diamond or call 617-226-4932. Location Kingsley Montessori School 26 Exeter Street Boston , MA 02116

FROG POND SKATING Mark your calendars for the fun filled visit to the Frog Pond!

Friday, January 15th--1st and 4th grades Friday, January 29th-2nd and 5th grades Friday, February 5th-3rd and 6th grades

Weather permitting, each group will be at the Frog Pond from approximately 10am-12pm and will enjoysome hot chocolate to warm up afterwards! Please be sure to send your child with extra warm clothing and ahelmet if you have one. If you don't have one, we have several here at The LP for your child to borrow. It'salways so much fun!

THE RAINBOWS ARE STILL HERE Sixth graders continue to work hard raising funds to get them to Washington DC for their yearly classtrip. As part of The LP tradition, students participate in a year long service project called Rent-a-Rainbow tohelp raise the money. Here's our New Year reminder that we are still here and ready to help you out withbabysitting, pet sitting, dog walking, walking children home, watering plants, shoveling snow, party help,carrying groceries, catering, tutoring, taking out the trash and any other suitable tasks you might need helpwith. Thank you for your support!

ADVENTURE TRIP II Our second adventure trip -- the ski trip for students in grades 4-6 to Pat's Peak in Southern NewHampshire is scheduled for Saturday, February 6th -- please mark your calendars if interested. Moreinformation will be sent home this week and sign-ups are due by Friday, January 22nd -- we rent a busand so seating is limited. We also need parent chaperones to help whether on the slopes or the trails. Pleaselet us know if you can volunteer, and whether you can ski.

CHESS CLUB Master Chess teacher, Igo Foygel, will once again be offering Chess Club at The Learning Project. Igor hasbeen teaching LP students the art of chess for over ten years. Chess Club is offered to students in grades 2through 6 and the next session will begin on January 28th and will run through to April 7th. It will beheld on Thursdays from 3:20 - 4:20. A sign up sheet is attached in the attachments block and children areadmitted on a first come, first serve basis; while teaching chess is Igor's livelihood, no family should fail tosign up for financial reasons.

QUARTER 3 AFTER SCHOOL A reminder that Quarter 3 after school changes need to be made by January 11th was sent via emailprior to our Winter Break. An after school changes form can be found in the attachment box should you wish

Sam Parsi, First Grade

to make a change.

FINANCIAL AID FOR 2016-2017 The Financial Aid application process is now open. The school uses the School and Student Service forFinancial Aid (SSS), a service of the National Association of Independent Schools, to collect and analyzefamily data in determining need. The first step in the application process is to complete the Parents'Financial Statement (PFS) on line at SSS. The deadline for completing this form is January 29, 2016. Complete information is available on outwebsite: http://www.learningproject.org/parents/documents/. A new application is required each year todetermine the grant for the following year. If you are not currently receiving assistance but think you mightqualify, I encourage you to read the Tuition Assistance Information memo found there. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me at emccord@learningproject.org Elisabeth McCord

ARTISTS OF THE WEEK

Underwater ImagesFor this project, the students built upon their knowledge of colortheory. After exploring the primary and secondary colors, the studentslearned about warm and cool colors. To create the background, thestudents chose either warm or cool colors and used tissue paper and aglue-like substance to overlap these colors to produce an underwatereffect. They then looked at images and model fish to draw varioustypes of sea life. These creatures were then colored, cut out, andcollaged onto the background.

Bird DrawingsThis project combined three elements of art the second gradershave studied so far his year: line, color, and texture. Eachstudent chose a photograph of a bird to draw. We discussed themain larger shapes that make up the bird and then they addeddetails as they continued to refer to the photo they had chosen.They concentrated on first sketching lightly with pencil beforeadding marker and finally coloring in the bird and thesurrounding environment with colored pencil.

Annie Wagner, Second Grade

Nicholas Carlson, Fifth Grade

Giacometti-Inspired FiguresIn art, the students have been studying the properties ofgesture drawing, and learned that artists use gesturedrawings to capture movement and a quick representationof a subject. For this project, individual students came upto the front of the art room and posed for a gesture study.We did eight gesture drawings in total, and the studentschose one pose to try to sculpt three-dimensionally. Forinspiration, we looked at the work of Alberto Giacomettiand saw that his sculptures consisted of elongated figuresthat appear to be in mid-motion. While his pieces weremade of bronze, the students built their sculptures with awire armature and covered them with plaster. We thenattached our figures to a base to resemble Giacometti'sfamous work, "Piazza".

Photo CollageAfter an extensive study of Impressionism, students observedthat a realistic composition can be created using small,abstract brushstrokes. To see if this idea would be successfulin a medium other than paint, the students examined thework of David Hockney and noticed that his multi-layeredand multi-pieced photo collages resembled the techniques ofthe Impressionism masters. To created their own photocollages, the students ventured around the Back Bay

Scarlett Bridgen, Sixth Grade

neighborhood, and took a series of photographs of smallsections of a larger composition. After printing theirphotographs, they collaged their pieces together to create acompleted image.

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