The Friday Note - Randolph School with numerous reasons to stay busy-on the ... for children to use and develop their large-muscle skills ... their bird Museum and Birdhouse show,

Events Calendar

December 2010 Mon. Dec 20th - Fri. Dec 31st Winter Break. No School.

January 2010 Monday, January 3rd Teacher Work Day – No School Tuesday, January 4th Winter music lessons begin Saturday, January 8th Admissions Open House 10am. Tell a friend. Monday, January 17th Martin Luther King, Jr. Day No School Tuesday, January 18th Authors to the Farm Wednesday, January 19th Downstairs to the Farm

The Friday Note December 17, 2010

The Randolph School, 2467 Route 9D, Wappingers Falls, NY 12590 tel: 845-297-5600 email: [email protected] fax: 845-297-5617 web: www.randolphschool.org

DOWNSTAIRS 3s and 4s


January 2010 Monday, January 3rd Teacher Work Day – No School Tuesday, January 4th Winter music lessons begin Saturday, January 8th Admissions Open House 10am. Tell a friend. Monday, January 17th Martin Luther King, Jr. Day No School

Week of January 4th Fruit Cafe Provider

Sophia della Bitta

Outdoors...in this cold weather?? In the outside playground children can learn math, science, ecology, gardening, ornithology, construction, farming, vocabulary, the seasons, the various times of the day, and all about the local weather. Not only do children learn lots of basic and fundamental information about how the world works in a very effective manner, they are more likely to remember what they learned because it was concrete and personally meaningful (Ormrod, 1997). Outdoor play is an important and integral part of the Downstairs (and Upstairs) curriculum. Our beautiful five acres allow children to be a part of and study nature, whether they are in the playground, hiking to the stream, or watching birds and butterflies from the front porch. These past two weeks we've even observed a red-tailed hawk sitting on the branch of a tree just outside our playground. Our one hour of daily outdoor play may be part of the reason you chose Randolph School. Our culture has provided us with numerous reasons to stay busy-on the computer or at various events-taking time away from play rather than getting the time we need outdoors. We know that outdoor play provides daily opportunities for children to use and develop their large-muscle skills by running and climbing structures, slides, and balance beams. And there's nothing better than being able to freely and loudly express themselves on a sled as they zoom down the back hill or call out as they teeter back and forth making their way across the rope bridge.

Parents, we need your help to make this happen. We've asked your child to be in charge of gathering their 5 items everyday: coat, snow pants (or as we call them, winter/warm pants warm boots (puddle boots are not warm enough), water proof mittens (gloves ONLY if your child can manage them), and a hat. Children may leave these items in their cubby, along with slippers which are a warm and cozy touch of home. Remember that the transition back to school in January may seem a little bumpy after two weeks home with family, presents and fun. Some of this frustration may even come and go. We’re looking forward to the promise of snow, the “brown truck” arriving with 40 new lego guys and being together again!

UPSTAIRS The Authors


January 2010 Monday, January 3rd Teacher Work Day – No School Tuesday, January 4th Winter music lessons begin Saturday, January 8th Admissions Open House 10am. Tell a friend. Friday, January 14th Ski Trip @ Catamount Monday, January 17th Martin Luther King, Jr. Day No School Tuesday, January 18th Trip to Farm Friday, January 21st Ski Trip @ Catamount

Next Snack Provider

Tues. 1/4 Flynn Johnson

Next Snack Provider

Thurs. 1/6 Jossie Bieler

“Swirling, whirling snow in Hokkaido...” As you read this, the Winter Show, the piñata breaking, the gift exchanges, and the holiday hugs will be over. We know that you are going to need many tissues to dry your tears, but we are writing in advance. The work leading into the Winter Show for the Authors is profound. You have now heard familiar songs sung in English; enjoyed a skit of speaking, singing, acting, and musical orchestration; and heard songs in Spanish and Japanese. All of this has been built up though small pieces, practice, and brilliant direction by Gina. Everything you witness is precious, because it will only happen this one time. But the process of learning, listening, and working together is preparation for a lifetime of success. This is the part that we hope will be repeated. This is a special event and a beautiful time to celebrate. As we write this, we are still rehearsing, revising, and rejoicing. The Authors have constructed what they think is the world's longest paper chain; Alisa, however, assures us that her group’s chain many years ago was longer. The piñata is nearing completion. Our visit to The Nutcracker last week was beautiful, but it also taught us how much work is necessary to perform. One of our writing activities has been to craft invitations to Jacob Bernz (a May 2010 graduate from Randolph) to come and sing more songs with us at the Winter Show. Your child has brought home an envelope of Winter creations: acrostics, snowflakes, and snowpersons. The Authors have taken a journey this year. They studied the Farm, harvested vegetables, wrote songs and created dances, prepared a Harvest Feast, and worked so hard to take care of each other. They found a shared group identity by calling themselves “The Authors." We have many stories to tell, invent and illustrate. There are so many questions to answer that we need help in learning how to ask questions. We are becoming skillful at reading, writing, counting, calculating, and reasoning. Sometimes it is really hard to remember which pair of shoes to wear. Some of our goals for early in the New Year are: * learning about penguins *learning about fairness and justice *skiing in a community *sledding on the back hill *making pancakes for one and all *creating a listening center of our own voices We also have a garden to plan, plant, and tend; stories to tell, revise, and embellish: songs to begin, change, and share. This is quite a journey. Walk with us. David and Anita

UPSTAIRS Emperor Penguins

The Emperor Penguins have had a busy few weeks. Last week they spend a lot of time getting ready for their bird Museum and Birdhouse show, and they did a fantastic job. This week they've continued to practice for their winter show performance and it's sure to be a real treat. As we reflected upon our now completed Bird Study, students shared their favorite parts of the study, and talked about why they thought the study was a success. William thought that one of the reasons for the successful experience was that everyone was interested in the topic. The rest of the group vigorously nodded their agreement. I asked the group to raise hands if they agreed. Every hand went up. Then I asked, “How many of you were interested in birds before we started the study?” Now only a few hands went up. “So, the more you learned and studied, the more you enjoyed the topic.” While this was possibly a new idea for some of the group I could see them thinking about it. Let's hope they remember the experience as we move onto a new study. (If not, you can be sure I'll remind them!) Speaking of new studies – after the break we'll be launching our next study integrated study - Native American history and culture. On Monday I'll be meeting with Dave Beck, one of the naturalists at Bowdoin Park, to discuss ways we can make use of his expertise on the subject. Also in the planning are a possible trip to an American Indian museum, work with other experts, and as much hands-on experience as possible. At the beginning of this past week, the Emperor Penguins decided to make gifts for their buddies in the Authors. Today, they gave their work to their friends. As we sat in the circle, passing out hand made presents, it occurred to me that this was a perfect example of what our kids can come up with when they are given a chance to follow their hearts. When we come back from our break, we'll be starting on a keepsake tablecloth for the school. The last time the Upstairs made such a table cloth was when Alisa was a student in the Upstairs. (You may have seen it. It is currently on display in the office.) We will be embroidering the name of all the Upstairs children on the tablecloth. This morning I met with the Authors to introduce the project and we'll be meeting together to get started in January. Goldy


January 2010 Monday, January 3rd Teacher Work Day – No School Tuesday, January 4th Winter music lessons begin Saturday, January 8th Admissions Open House 10am. Tell a friend. Friday, January 14th Ski Trip @ Catamount Monday, January 17th Martin Luther King, Jr. Day No School Friday, January 21st Ski Trip @ Catamount

High School

Avery & Cody


January 2010 Monday, January 3rd Teacher Work Day – No School Tuesday, January 4th Winter music lessons begin Saturday, January 8th Admissions Open House 10am. Tell a friend. Monday, January 17th Martin Luther King, Jr. Day No School

As 2010 winds down and we prepare for our winter break, it is heartwarming to sit back and watch Cody and Avery work their way through their days here. This week they have had their final exams at DCC. Debbie and I have been working with them and they have been working on their own for a couple of weeks as they prepare for their exams. They both have taken their studies very seriously and they seem fairly relaxed as their exams approach. The semester has flown by and it has been exciting to watch them grow and mature as they accept these new responsibilities. Avery has come up with some unique and unexpected art for his 3-D class. It has been so impressive as he forms a vision in his mind of the completed project and then finds a way to create it. He adapts and adjusts without any ego. His Italian has been a challenge and he has spent hours working on his vocabulary and sentence structures. He has been an excellent teacher as he patiently instructs me(!!) in the mysterious world of Music Theory. We review the lessons and it is always astounding that he organically understands this world with its infinite complexities. Cody is a dynamo. He has successfully conquered his Calculus and Programming classes this semester. On his own he has structured his time so that he has completed every assignment on time. He has gone for extra credit work and he has totally embraced the responsibilities necessary to be a successful college student. He has demonstrated his programs to us and his comfort with ones and zeros is easy to see. He organically can visualize the whole program and he has never gotten overwhelmed or upset with any of his assignments. Cody has begun teaching a computer programming class for three of the Penguins. He will be working his way through all of the interested students. This week he taught them IF/THEN/ELSE and has given them homework to create a simple "Choose your own adventure" story. He has prepared lesson plans as he learns the fine art of teaching. He has also been working with the Authors on one of their Winter Show pieces. Avery has written a "Game Book" of the cooperative games that the students have done all spring with Evan. He has worked with Evan- interviewing him, editing the book and understanding the nuances of the games. Avery is playing guitar in a song with the Penguins for the Winter Show. On Thursday we cooked with Jacob Bernz, one of the former King's Men and a Randolph alumni from last year. He was saddened to hear that we had skipped the traditional Latke Lunch and offered to come in and prepare a Latke Snack. We who love the smell of cooking oil and onions prepared a yummy treat for the other students throughout the school. Both of these fine young men continue to demonstrate to all of us that, at Randolph our community is without age barriers and we are all here together. Brad

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

2

3 4 Admissions Tour 10am Parent Group Educ. Comm. Mtg. 10am

5 Holiday Crafting Day 1-5pm Invite a family!

6 7 8 9 Upstairs Bardavon trip

10 Penguins’ Bird Study Museum 2-3pm

11 Birdhouse Art Opening @ Hudson Beach Glass 5-7pm

12 13 14 15 The Farm visits the Downstairs

Parent Group MapleFest Mtg. 7:30pm

16 17 All-Family Winter Celebration 1-2:30

18

19 20 Winter Break No School

21 Winter Break No School




25

26 27 Winter Break No School





December 2010 Events Calendar

(Key: All School, Downstairs, Authors, Emperor Penguins, Cody&Avery)

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

2 3 Teacher Work Day No School

4 Winter music lessons begin!

5 6 7 8 Admissions Open House 10am

9 10 11 12 13 14 Ski @ Catamount

15

16 17 Martin Luther King Jr. Day No School

18 *Authors to the Farm

19 * Downstairs to the Farm

20 21 Ski @ Catamount

22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30 31

January 2011 Events Calendar

(Key: All School, Downstairs, Authors, Emperor Penguins, Cody&Avery)

* Trip is dependant upon the status of Stonykill and Common Ground Farm.

School/Community Announcements

3-bedroom home for rent in Cold Spring. Includes water, sewer, garbage, wireless internet access, washer/dryer, off-street parking and other amenities. Contact Anita 845-265-3545.

Randolph Twitters!! Come follow our Tweet.

If you write them, they will follow….your children’s quotes

that is. And we’re not only writing them down, we are

tweeting them on Twitter! Come “follow us”

@RandolphSpeaks…. …….on Twitter!

WKIP 1450 AM WPKF 96.1 FM WRNQ 92.1 FM

WBWZ 93.3 FM WRWD 107.3/99.3 FM WCTW 98.5 FM WELG 1370 AM WHUC 1230 AM

Snow Days and Delays Delays and school closing due to snow or inclement weather will be available in three ways. We will record a message on the school’s answering machine at 297-5600. Keep trying if you do not get the message the first time (it is not available on our second roll-over line).

You can also check Randolph School’s website for up-to-the-minute school closing information. Go to the school’s website and follow the links to “Snow Day Information” or go directly to www.randolphschool.org/snow.htm. Delays and closings will also be announced on the following radio stations:

WCZX 97.7 FM WPDH 101.5 FM WPDA/WPDH 106.1

WRRV/WRRB 96.9/92.7 FM The WOLF 94.3/97.3 FM

WHUD 100.7 FM WSPK 104.7 FM WBNR 1260 AM WLNA 1420 AM WXPK 107.1 FM WBPM 92.9 FM

Parents, don’t forget to check the school calendar on our website and click on Meal in a Bowl to find out who’s making it and what’s in

this week’s Something in a Bowl! http://www.randolphschool.org/events/calendar/

Need a babysitter during the holidays? Call Lucia (Luke) Berliner

Former Randolph Student & Summer Camp Assistant Teacher (845) 797-4470

School/Community Announcements Parents, if you would like to receive a text message to your cell phone alerting you to school closings due to inclement weather, please go to www.whud.com, click on the WHUD STORM CENTER box, then click the big red box that says, “Click here to sign up for text alerts.” Follow the directions, it’s really easy!!!

Admissions Open House Tour Saturday, January 8th 10:00am

Tell a Friend.

The Randolph School posts wonderful photo albums on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/randolphschool. You don’t need to have a Facebook

account to visit our page. Just visit the link and check us out!

Join the randolph-families GoogleGroup, a forum for current and alumni families to reach out to other

parents in our community… http://groups.google.com/group/randolph-families

Congratulations, Oliver! Welcome baby Isadora!!

Documents

The Friday Note - Randolph School with numerous reasons to stay busy-on the ... for children to use and develop their large-muscle skills ... their bird Museum and Birdhouse show,