The LP Bulletin #08Thursday, October 3rd, 2019

HEADLINES

Two Weeks Ahead at The LP

Friday, October 4th - 3rd Grade Parent Conference DayTuesday, October 8th - 4th Grade Parent Conference DayWednesday, October 9th - 5th Grade Parent Conference Day/1st Gradeto Allandale Farm 10:00am-1:00pmThursday, October 10th - 2nd Grade Parent Conference Day/SecondarySchool Morning (Parent Panel) 8:00-8:45am.Friday, October 11th - 1st Grade Parent Conference Day/KindergartenSpecial Friends Morning - 8:05-9:30amMonday, October 14th - Indigenous Peoples' Day (Columbus Day) NOSCHOOL.Tuesday, October 15th - 1st Grade to the MFA - 11:00am-1:00pmWednesday, October 16th - 5th Grade Parent Meeting Re: Cell Phonesand Social Media - 8:00amThursday, October 17th - 5th Grade - Museum of Science Overnight.

For the most up-to-date calendar, please click on the link below.

http://www.learningproject.org/upcoming-events/

Book Fair Sign-Up

Our Book Fair is just 16 days away--not this weekend, nor the next (three-day weekend) but the next weekend after. And it will be here sooner than wecan say "Jack Robinson!" Now is the time to mobilize. Now is the time for allLP'ers to come to the aid of our noble Book Fair Chair Bina Desai and hersplendid committee. Now is the time for 'All available hands on deck' in thefinal two weeks of planning and preparation-- and on the grand day itself.Now is the time to sign up for as much as you can: To volunteer to make something for Dinners-to-Go and/or the Bake table goto: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B45ABA62CA1FF2-dinnerstogo2

To volunteer for a work shift go to: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B45ABA62CA1FF2-book2 Here are the shift slots:

CURRENT 'HABIT OFTHE HEAD, THEHEART, AND THEHAND'

Grit

ATTACHMENTS

2019-2020 Calendar

WORD OF THE WEEK

Initiate

SPANISH WORD OFTHE WEEK

Disculpe - Excuse Me

Friday Set Up: 3:30-6:00 Saturday Set Up: 8:30-10:00 Saturday Room/Table Shifts: 10:00-12:00 12:00 - 2:00 2:00- 4:00 (includes some clean-up) Saturday Clean-up/Driving Books to More Than Words (SouthEnd) 3:00 - 5:00 Monday Morning: Driving Books to More Than Words (SouthEnd) 7:30 - 8:00

A September 'Thank You'

I am acutely aware of how much we ask not just of our students but also of their parents, and I am gratefulfor your especially active participation in the school during the very busy month of September. September isa whirlwind with Potlucks, Curriculum Presentations and Conferences all occurring simultaneously, but wesurvived once again and the intensity slows down a tad going forward--until the final month of the yearwhich again sets our heads spinning. I welcome any feedback you might have on the September calendar and, in particular, feedback on thechanges in the Potluck format that we instituted this year. Special thanks to all our expert Potluck cooks who fed us gloriously well each evening and whose left-overswere immensely enjoyed by faculty the next day. Thanks, too, to the parents who attended yesterday's inaugural "Meet the Subject Teachers Coffee." It's thebeginning, I hope, of yet another social tradition that will help parents know the people their children areexperiencing almost every day at school.

October

A busy month ahead, but with a slightly different rhythm than September--and one with two majorhighlights for the children: the Book Fair on October 19th and Halloween on the 31st. Bina Desai (Parent ofJaiden, 2nd, and Rahni, 4th) and her Book Fair Committee are working hard to bring that great event to youand, of course, on the day of the Book Fair we will need masses of parent volunteers. We also will needparent volunteers for Trick or Treating for UNICEF, on October 31st--between 1 and 2. For parents, Octoberis the month when everyone has a chance to spend time with LP children in moments of heightenedexcitement--a special, and enjoyable, time to observe. Here's a brief slightly annotated summary of October events --many listed above: Parent Conferences continue: Grade 3 tomorrow, and next week, Tuesday through Friday: Grades 4, 5, 2and 1 respectively. On Thursday, October 10th, from 8:00-8:50 am we have our Secondary School Panel of Alumni Parents totalk to Sixth and Fifth Grade Parents about next schools. On Monday the 14th, we havethe Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day Holiday (no school); on Wednesday, the 16th at 8:00 am; the FifthGrade Parent Meeting #1 on Social Media (the second meeting is a week later). On Thursday, the 17th,the Fifth Grade Class Museum of Science Overnight (NB: Children are picked up at the Museum by parentson Friday morning and go home to bed, having slept very little on the 'overnight.' They do not return toschool on Friday, but we'll see them at the Book Fair the next day!).

Saturday, October 19th: Book Fair 11:00-3:00 (Operational hours--set up and clean up before and after--seework slots above.) On Monday morning, the 21st, the Middlebury College Bobolinks, a sensational a cappella group willperform for the children for a second year in a row. (Ms. Matthews, currently our second year Intern in firstgrade was a member of this group when she was a Middlebury student). And, on Wednesday, the 23rd, wehave the Fifth Grade Parent Meeting #2 on Social Media 8:00 am. October 24 is United Nations Day--marking the 74th anniversary of this remarkable organization, which hasaccomplished so much despite enormous obstacles and (in my view) represents our best hope forinternational peace and justice. We will do a brief program on the UN at our Thursday, 24th, Assembly andour classroom teachers will also be telling their classes more about the UN. It is much more than 'justUNICEF'--although that is a good 'hook' for expanding our students' understanding, and we'll be collectingfor UNICEF the next week. Halloween is on Thursday, the 31st, and we will Trick or Treat for UNICEF and have our traditional Zoodiodance on the sidewalk. (Please see sign-up opportunities below for taking groups Trick or Treating forUNICEF.) Regarding Halloween, it's probably not too early to start negotiations around costume choices, knowing, ofcourse, that young children are likely to change their minds several times in the next few weeks. (SeeCostume Guidelines Below.) Please keep an eye on the weekly schedules at the top of each LPB in case there are changes.

Halloween Miscellany

Sign Up Opportunities

Kindergarten: Children change into costumes at 9:15, gooutside for UNICEF between 9:45 and 10:30. Arrival time forVolunteers: 9:15. Please sign up below:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805054FAEAD28A3F94-kindergarten

Grades 1-6: Students change into costumes at 12:30, gooutside for UNICEF between 1:00 and 2:00. Arrival time forVolunteers: 12:45. Please sign up here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805054FAEAD28A3F94-lpgrades Again, if signing up on line isn't 'your thing,' Mr. Krewson can get you signed up the 'old fashioned way.' Callhim if you can volunteer, or email him your times.

I. Halloween Costumes Guidelines:

No one is required to dress up. Typically, every child does, but we've had children who didn't--forreligious reasons or otherwise--and it's fine.

Elaborate is not essential; this is not a costume competition. Fanciful, fun, simple, and maybecreative--these are attributes to encourage.

Make sure your child can get in and out of the costume with minimal help. Complicated costumesand/or make-up are difficult for teachers on a large scale. If need be, come and help your child atchanging time.

Children should not wear distracting costume elements to school. Mostly this means that children canchange into their costumes in the classroom.

There is basically no room or time for 'privacy' (we cannot devote bathrooms or special rooms tocostume changes) and there really should be no need for it. Children should have costumes they arecomfortable putting on in front of their classmates; please make sure that is the case and/or helpthem arrive at that understanding.

Weapons of any kind are strongly discouraged and if essential to the character, they should beattached to the costume and not hand held.

Hideously scary masks that may be terrifying to younger children are not permitted.

II. Halloween Day Schedule: Kindergarten: 9:15 Parent Volunteers arrive to help with costumes and Trick or Treating; 9:15-CostumeChange; 9:45-10:30-Trick or Treat for UNICEF; 10:30-K Parade at school; ASM; Lunch Recess; 2:10: Arriveback at #107; 2:20-Zoodio; 2:35-K goes to Ballroom for Read-a-Loud; 3:15-Regular Dismissal Grades 1-6: 12:30-Costume Change; 12:45-Parent Volunteers arrive to help with Trick or Treating; 12:50-students assemble in ballroom and groups leave to Trick or Treat for UNICEF by 1:00; by 2:10-all groupsreport back to school for Refreshments; 2:20-Zoodio Dance; 2:35-Students return to classrooms; 3:15-Regular Dismissal

City Study (A Report from Mr. Hajj)

City Study is up and running in 1st, 5thand 6th grades! All other grades willkick off their units this spring. As part of their study on 'Food in theCity,' on Tuesday our 1stgraders, learned through their feet byexploring the produce at Star Market,taking note of which fruit came to usfrom other parts of the world. Then,each child purchased an apple fromeither New Zealand or Chile. They thenventured down to the Copley Farmer'sMarket where they heard from FarmerChris of Siena Farms in Sudbury, MA. He spoke about their local farmingpractices, answered children'squestions, and concluded by giving abeautiful, free sunflower to each of ourchildren. Thanks to Chris and SienaFarms for taking the time to chat with our group! https://sienafarms.com/ Children purchased locally grown apples at the farmer's market, then returned to class where theycompared/contrasted the fruit through observation that engaged each of their senses, and examined thedistance that their fruit traveled to get from orchard to The Learning Project. The 5th graders, who are studying 'Parks in the City,' will be walking the Rose Kennedy Greenway onThursday morning after learning about the huge transformation of that area as a result of 'The Big Dig.' Aninteresting side note: Several decades ago, when the removal of the overhead highway was still a proposaland not a plan, LP children sketched out ideas for what the city might do with the 14 acres of new, useableland that would be created above the tunnel. (Playgrounds were popular.) And, now, LP children get to enjoythat parkland!

The Lesson: We can accomplish great things with vision, determination, unity, and creativity, and our5th graders learned that today. As part of their unit on 'City Planning and Transportation,' sixth graders have studied the development of theMBTA and how to navigate it, and roadway/bikeway design. They had a tour of the Model Room at CityHall, and will be visited by a transportation planner tomorrow to learn about current initiatives in Boston -including the city's vision for sustainable transportation. Their unit will culminate with sixth gradersdesigning their own utopian city using the principles that they've learned throughout the unit. For more information about City Study, please see our article in the LampPost, set to hit your mailboxes inthe days ahead.

Our First Professional Development Afternoon (Another Report from Mr. Hajj)

Mr. Hajj has been taking charge of our PD program for the past two years, and this past Friday he led usthrough a thoughtful examination of what we already do for SEL education (Social and Emotional Learning)and what more we might do. Here, in his words, is a brief report on Friday's PD. Social-Emotional Learning has always been a cornerstone of a Learning Project education. It's embedded inour Mission Statement, and is carried out in various programs and direct teacher-to-student and peer-to-peer interactions on a daily basis. We teach our 'Habits of the Head, Heart and Hand;' we have built aninstructional model that develops each child's sense of autonomy, relatedness, and competence; we integratea multitude of cross-age and collaborative activities; hold high expectations for the demonstration of LPvalues; address SEL topics in Class Meetings; and, of course, we care deeply for each and every child in ourcare. This is the soil within which true social-emotional learning takes root. It stems from a culture steepedin connection and community. With that said, we also recognize the rise of depression and anxiety in children and adolescents across thecountry. The reports and statistics are utterly alarming in themselves, but we also wanted to examine ifwe're teaching and effectively following up on all of the 5 domains of social-emotional learning in asystematic way, in order to address the more immediate needs of our children. It's critical that we ensurethat children build on their social-emotional skillset each year, leaving no gaps along the way. These are 5domains we discussed: - Self-Awareness- Self-Management- Social-Awareness- Relationship Skills- Responsible Decision-Making As our staff examined our current practices at last week's PD, it was heartening to unearth and discuss ourmany lessons, techniques and strategies that address each of these areas of SEL. We also spent timereflecting on how to strengthen our programs moving forward, and we plan to take what we've developedand move toward a more structured, sequential program school-wide, which will help us to articulate theexact social-emotional objectives that we teach at each grade level, while also maintaining space for the moreorganic, heart-filled SEL that makes The Learning Project unique. Staff concluded the session by gatheringinto groups to develop what they see as our Social-Emotional Learning 'Vision Statements' for the future. Allwere inspirational and will guide us as we look to grow this aspect of our program over the course of the nextyear.

Our New Afternoon Receptionist

Starting on Monday, October 7th there will be a new face at the front desk for the afternoon: Alyssa Mossowill be joining us working five afternoons a week. Please introduce yourself and kindly don't expect Ms.Mosso to remember all of your faces right away. Parents and babysitters picking up children fromAfterschool should be prepared, at least for a while to show ID and also identify the child and grade you've

come to pick up. Eventually, she'll know who you are but certainly not for a while. Alyssa lives in Boston (Dorchester) and is a 2017 graduate of the John D. O'Bryant Exam School. She iscurrently a student at Bunker Hill Community College and, most recently, was working at the PrudentialCenter Barnes and Nobles as a sales associate. We're very pleased to have her join us in the Afternoon Receptionist position and I hope she will receive theusual 'warm greeting' from everyone in the community. And my thanks to Mr. Krewson, Ms. Stricker and Ms. Ocain for holding down the front desk during theafternoon for the first six weeks of the year.

Secondary School's Night

Last night six alums from the class of 2017--now eighth graders--came back to school to be a panel for oursixth graders and their parents. Fifth grade parents were also invited to attend this event. Our panelists (asthe eighth graders who came before them!) were, truly, impressive--a tribute to themselves and to theirability to adapt to schools that were entirely new to them last year, and, mercifully, familiar to them whenthey returned this fall. The sixth graders as always came prepared with questions--about extra-curricular activities, homeworkloads, friends, sports, recess, the cafeteria, adapting to a larger school, the application process, interviews,stress and anxiety, and so forth. They were the typical fare-- concrete and entirely relevant questions tothem. It should not be a surprise that no sixth grader in the history of this evening has ever asked about aschool's 'pedagogical approach,' or it's 'ethos' or 'culture', or it 'guiding principles.' Those overarching ideasare still a bit abstract--a bit "too overarching!"

A Brief Reflection on 'Wants vs. Needs'

You Can't Always Get What You Want/But if you try sometime, well, you might find/

You get what you need."--The Rolling Stones

Long ago and far away when Elisabeth and I were completely new to parenting, a good friend who alreadyhad children reminded me of this iconic Rolling Stones chorus. He would occasionally hum or sing thechorus to his young children when he thought they were pressing too far. And since his children wereturning out to be quite lovely --and responsive to reason--I decided to follow his lead by reminding ourchildren, also, of the lyric, and the core idea that 'wants' and 'needs' are not necessarily the same. I am quite sure that my children quickly tired of hearing this fragment of 'old fashioned' music, and, knowingmyself, I imagine I was undeterred by their reaction and continued referring it despite their groans. In anyevent, we mutually struggled our way forward through the land of 'wants and needs,' and, like all thestruggles of parenting, we all survived that one, too. Our children, also, 'turned out' quite nicely thoughthat's hardly proof that there was any relationship between the struggle and the outcome. And, now, ofcourse, they are adults and they make their own choices about 'wants' and 'needs' without consulting theirmom or dad and without needing reminders of The Rolling Stones' lyric. So it goes. In my current position, however, I still, occasionally have the opportunity to recall this lyric for thepresumed benefit of my 'other' children--those at this school-- and I did so again just this week. This week'sstudent, like others before, seemed quite interested in the story behind the lyric, and, also, like most LPstudents, somewhat bemused that I would know a 'pop' song from any era! But, being the curious fellow thathe is, he was eager to hear the song, which I played for him off my computer, not in its entirety, but thefamous introduction and chorus. What prompted me to think back to the Rolling Stones lyric was that he had been sent to my office forputting his wants above the needs of his teacher. That's a decision that usually doesn't end too well forschool children anywhere--and hadn't in his case, as he was required to see 'The Principal.'

His actual situation was a variant on the simplest form of the "want vs. need" scenario because in thisinstance there were two people (student and teacher) involved--one who had greater responsibility andhence greater authority than the other. We talked briefly about those complicating factors, but I wanted tobring the discussion back to the choices he had made and the difference between his wants in the momentand his teacher's real need for him to follow directions. This was not at all a difficult concept for him tograsp--at least not intellectually--and without too much dithering by him, and no further blathering fromme, we acknowledged that he hadn't needed to do what he did and that his teacher truly needed hiscooperation. Discerning the difference between needs and wants can be challenging for young children. However, thediscussions that will arise from that process of discernment are precious and highly teachable moments. Weshould seize them when they avail themselves. And while it is well for us to sometimes provide our childrenwith some of their wants, it is essential that we give them what they need, and it is vitally important thatwe help them to discern the difference.

Current Habit of the Head, Heart and Hand: Grit

This week we heard the true story about Humpty Dumpty (After the Fall, --a Caldecott Medal Winner-- byDan Santat). In this "true story", old Humpty gets patched back together again, but he's not satisfied withthe fix: "There were parts that couldn't be healed with bandages and glue." So he takes on the task of healinghimself--and that process requires imagination, persistence, and determination (grit). It also involves yetanother moment of failure which becomes the impetus for him to overcome his fear of falling off the wallagain and that, in turn, leads to the climatic ending--and transformation of Humpty Dumpty. It's a great story, and it can be the story, too, of anyone who isn't entirely beaten down by life and who stillhas a tad of grit left in their soul that is perhaps just enough to turn a fall into an opportunity. 'Life,' theauthor writes on the back cover, 'begins when you get back up.' Humpty exemplifies that idea.

Green Corner

We know for a fact that there are five huge 'garbage patches' of plastic waste in the ocean--the largest one,The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is the size of Texas--currently. It's growing. Earth Day Network(earthday.org) estimates that if we keep using and throwing away plastic all the time, in about thirty years --around 2050--there could be more plastic by weight in the ocean than fish. Much of that plastic won't beretrievable because it will have degraded into very small pieces the size of a fingernail and, much, also, willexist as micro pieces that will enter the food chain. This waste comes from multiple sources, including directdumping, run off into rivers and streams and rainwater drains, and careless disposal of plastic byindividuals. Handle plastic responsibly. Reduce use, Replace with glass or metal containers. Recycle what is possible.Write to food producers to reduce their use of plastic jars, bottles, etc. Refuse to buy products sold inplastic whenever possible. Rethink habitual practices, e.g., carry reusable water bottles to replace buyingwater in plastic containers.

Beach Plastic Art Exhibit, this Friday 5-8pm

Heather Burke's friend and business partner, Jenna Talbott, has been collecting plastic from the beach nearher house in Quincy and creating artwork with it in an effort to bring attention to the abundance of plastic inour oceans and on our shores.

Jenna has an art exhibit on show this Friday. The exhibit, entitled Beach Trash Rainbows, will be on displayat Minni in Boston's South End. This is a family-friendly opening, Friday evening from 5-8pm,during SoWa's First Fridays. Minni is both a Gallery and a space that offers art workshops for children andadults. Minni is located at 71 Thayer St.

A Little About the Show:In August of 2018, after reading about the 'unexplained mortality event' affecting East Coast humpbackwhales, local artist and designer Jenna Talbott made her first permanent trash rainbow collage. Beach TrashWhale, crafted entirely from beach trash found on Wollaston Beach in Quincy, is glued to braced masonitepainted with matte interior paint. Jenna now transforms household cleaner caps, straws and even plasticbags into bright works of art.

A Little About Jenna:Jenna Talbott is an editorial art director and artist. In 2018, after major spring storms flooded much ofBoston and the surrounding communities, she began an ongoing series of collages made from colorful plastictrash found on the beach by her home. What began as small trash rainbows crafted onsite for others toponder, quickly led to a habit of regularly picking up beach trash and saving (cleaned) hard plastics forfuture use.

Word of the Week: Initiate (v)

To cause or facilitate the beginning of.To induct into membership by, or, as if by special rites.

Spanish Words of the Week: Disculpe (Excuse Me)Disculpe (pronounced 'dis/kul/pay' with the accent on the second syllable)

Quote of the Week:

"Only connect! Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will beseen at its height. Live in fragments no longer." - E. M. Forster, Howard's End

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Rent a Rainbows

Sixth graders will soon begin their annual responsibilityof fundraising for their April trip to Washington D.C. As is tradition at The LP, they will be doing a year long serviceproject called Rent a-Rainbow to help raise money for this trip.The sixth graders are offering a list of services which you can hirethem to help you with!

The following list of potential jobs wasgenerated by the sixth graders. Equally, they are open to anyother suitable chores or tasks you might need help with.

Party help, car washing, baby sitting, dog walking, walking children home, watering plants, shovelingsnow, helping with recycling and trash, lawn mowing, carrying groceries, helping at yard sales, catering,raking leaves, tutoring/homework help, wrapping gifts, stuffing envelopes etc., etc., etc!

If you are interested, please contact Mr. Gerstenlauer at egerstelauer@learningproject.org

ARTISTS OF THE WEEK

Line DesignFor this project, the Kindergarten continued their study of LINE,an element of art. We read "The Straight Line Wonder" by MemFox, then the students got to work using oil pastels to draw four different designs and patterns using lines. They completed their abstract compositions by cutting their designs into many overlapping pieces and collaged them together.

Vivian Walker, Kindergarten

Matisse-Inspired CollagesFor this project, the second grade classes studied the element of artcalled SHAPE. The students looked at the work ofHenri Matisse and learned that he used organic (curved shapeswith no straight edges) and geometric shapes (shapes with pointededges and straight sides) in his work. To practice this, the students"drew with scissors" and cut out organic and geometric shapes withcolored paper. They then arranged their shapes to resemble thework of Henri Matisse.

Max Weber, First Grade

Textured Clay Underwater CreaturesThis project was a continuation of the third grade study of visual and tactiletexture. The students reviewed the difference between the two, and brainstormed what texture would look like when being represented visually. Thestudents examined images of underwater creatures and created a sketch of theaquatic animal of their choice, being sure to include the texture. They then usedclay, clay tools, and the pinch pot method to transform their sketches intowhimsical three-dimensional creations.

Avery Abu-Yousif, Third Grade

Creative Coil PotsThis project is a continuation of the Sixth Grade study of LINE, an element of art.The students thought about the difference between 2D and 3D artwork, andbrainstormed how various kinds of lines could be represented three-dimensionally. They learned about a clay technique using "coils" to create 3Dforms, and after drawing several sketches of their coil pot idea, the students usedthe coil method to create pottery that displays a creative approach to three-dimensional line making.

Saira Dagli, Sixth Grade

The Learning Project Elementary School | | ctoker@learningproject.org| http://www.learningproject.org107 Marlborough St.

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