Rebecca Rachin’s painting based on Number the Stars

CLC Students Win 1st & 3rd in Holocaust Art & Essay Contest

Several CLC students participated in this year’s Holocaust Art and Essay contest, with two students winning awards in their categories.  Fifth grader Rebecca Rachin won first place for elementary art, and sixth grader Nina Kimelman won third place for her middle school division essay. Tallahassee’s Mayor Marks presented the awards Sunday, May 19th, in a ceremony at Temple Israel. Congratulations, Rebecca and Nina!

By David Tarbert

At NASA they are big into taking measure. We slept under Saturn V, the biggest rocket in the world. We learned about the first chimp in space (Ham), the first person in space (Yuri Gagarin), and the first person to step on the moon (Neil Armstrong).  As I was enjoying chaperoning this field trip, I couldn’t help but take measure of our own 4^th graders.  As things turned out, I had the opportunity to see how our favorite 10 year olds fared outside the comfort zone of the Cornerstone campus, how they compared to older students from other schools, and how they handled a little bit of adversity.

From 8:30 AM Thursday morning until Friday night after 8 PM, all 17 fourth graders were “not in Kansas anymore.”  Gone were the comforting routines provided by drop-off and pick-up by their parents, their classroom, their table, their stool, their scheduled special area classes, etc.  These kids were unfazed.  They were excited to go on the NASA trip, and they remained excited throughout it.  Each of them is comfortable in his or her own skin, and the class has an esprit de corps that travels well.  This is only possible because the most important part of Cornerstone’s 4^th grade was with them the whole time – Ms. Annmarie.  When it was time for everyone to launch the rockets they had made, the loudest cheers were reserved for Ms. Annmarie’s countdown.

Being ever so slightly competitive by nature, I couldn’t help but notice how our 4^thgraders did compared to the other students who went through NASA’s overnight adventure with us.  We were the youngest group; the others were in middle school.  Cornerstone’s students more than held their own, and always raised their hands with right answers and even better questions.  One of my favorite parts of the trip was the Astronaut Encounter – a brief talk by one of the 500 men and women who have ever flown in space.  The schools were then allowed to send students up to ask the astronaut a

question. After being asked for the millionth time how he went to the bathroom, the astronaut then listened to the question from Cornerstone’s 4^th grader.  Not once but twice he commented what a good question it was.

There was a hiccup on the trip that allowed me to observe how the children would respond to a little adversity.  About 8 miles from NASA, the Big Green Bus decided it was going no farther.  Despite the best efforts of the best bus driver there is, Mr. Keith, we were officially without wheels.  It was very hot, the traffic around the bus was heavy, and no one could tell the students exactly what was going to happen next.  The kids took their cues from their leader and stayed calm.  They knew everything would be fine – a “knowing” born and nurtured at a wonderful school by a superior teacher.  Ms. Annmarie arranged for NASA to send a bus to scoop us up, and the 4^th grade’s adventure was on!

“All About Book” Publishing Party
by Jennifer Edgar, 2nd grade Lead Teacher
What a sweet party! Calm company, healthy snacks, and the best of 2nd grade literati in our company!
Last Friday, 2nd grade celebrated the recent publication of their non-fiction, “All About,” books by inviting parents and grandparents into our classroom to hear our stories. With our second grade authors stationed around the room and library, parents and grandparents travelled from author to author, hearing the children’s work and simultaneously being instructed on a wide range of topics. From “The Paris Book” (suitable for the travel crowd) to “The Rollie Pollie book (for the more stay-at-home audience), our titles were an assortment of our cares and interests. Complete with non-fiction features (dedication pages, tables of contents, “how-to” pages, diagrams, indexes and glossaries), each All About Book was unique and informative. Beautifully illustrated and bound with bamboo and rubber bands (it’s an easy way to make a book- ask any 2nd grader to teach you how!), our books delighted our audience, and our audience delighted us. Thank you to all who came and listened to the voices of our dedicated young authors. How fortunate for our children to receive such community support!

By Leslie France Patterson

I made a cool connection this week: Cornerstone and my son Oscar were born the same year: 1999.  Oscar entered Miss Patty’s kindergarten class in 2004, and since then I’ve had the privilege of watching my son and his school grow, hit important milestones, and make remarkable changes.  He’s now in 8^th grade and will be graduating next spring, headed for new challenges in high school.  I can’t help but feel that our school has earned a right of passage of its own and is ready to reach new heights in fulfilling its mission, especially when I reflect on all that our community has accomplished since my family arrived.

In 2004, when the school was still very young, Miss Patty was teaching my son and his classmates methods for peaceful conflict resolution, while older CLC students and their teachers were participating in a demonstration in front of the capitol to save Joe Budd from disastrous funding cuts.  I was awed to see Cornerstone so boldly establish a commitment to social justice.

While Mr. Jason’s 4^th graders were out planting trees at Birdsong in 2008, the Middle School students were putting in hours at both the McCain and Obama headquarters, and thus embracing our commitment to a broad definition of diversity.  Meanwhile, back at school, we committed to green technology by adding solar panels and acquiring school busses that operate on bio-fuel.

And maybe one of our most important steps toward our school’s maturity came at the same time that our 5^th graders were publishing a video to raise money for Haiti after the horrific earthquake in 2009 – we launched the Annual Fund.  I’ve come to see our Annual Fund as an important milestone of growth because it enables us to find bigger and bolder ways to meet our mission.  I give because I believe in our mission, and I’ve come to see how it informs every new hire, program, field trip, acquisition, and curriculum choice we make at Cornerstone.

After nine years here at CLC, it’s clear to me that our mission lives in our children.    When I hear Oscar patiently explaining to my 85 year-old mother, who recently had a stroke, how Google Maps works, reassuring her that we will arrive to our destination on time, I see Cornerstone.  I see Cornerstone when he, as a matter of course, designates a trashcan next to his homework area specifically for recycling papers.  And I see Cornerstone when I hear the excited little voice of a former reading buddy calling from the East House porch, “Hi Oscar!”

I’m certainly proud of the qualities my 8^th grader has developed at Cornerstone. But I’m also proud to have been a part of the growth of our school, and to have shared in the opportunity to build a learning community that will contribute to the “body, mind and spirit” of children for many years to come.

by Alison Jackson-Wood, Upper School Director/IB Coordinator

We have completed two weeks of school already. I have always been awed by schools. The fact that so many children, a large number of whom are very young, move through a day physically, intellectually, emotionally – guided by a sense of discovery and a few committed adult life-learners  is really kind of amazing. A school is a machine of many moving parts. Yet a school is also a community, because the moving parts are people. Cornerstone is a special kind of community. The commitment to progressive education brings a unique group of families and educators together. We all want the same thing for our students – to learn well, be fully prepared for what comes next and find joy in that journey. We do differ, at times, about how those goals should be achieved. This is, in part, what I am learning from West House parents who are coming to have tea with me.

I have extended an invitation to all West House parents to join me for tea during the first month or so of school. There is no agenda for tea time. It is simply an opportunity for me to get to know a little bit about families. I am hearing parents’ hopes for their children and for Cornerstone. I also get to answer questions about my own hopes for Cornerstone and the IB feasibility study. Any parent who would like to chat is welcome to contact me to establish a tea time (ajwood@cornerstonelc.com). I welcome your input as we shape my role in reaching community-set goals.

One of the community goals for this year is the exploration of an IB middle years program authorization for our middle school. I encourage you to refer to the IB Blurb for weekly information regarding this process. In addition to this community goal, each teacher has identified a goal for the year. Mine is to live well. Those who communicate with me via e-mail may note that I, on occasion, sign off with “live well.” The meaning of this (in case anyone wonders) has nothing to do with economics and everything to do with doing things with passion, sensitivity, excellence, and great joy. May all I do reflect an intention to live well at Cornerstone.

What makes our kindergarten unique?  Look here at an excerpt from Ms. Patty’s Friday News from the second week of school:

Our second week in Kindergarten has been a busy and productive one. We are continuing to build a class family by stressing the importance of being kind. We are also learning to better communicate our feelings using the “peace chairs.” We are having “silent time” in our morning circle and discussing ways we can calm ourselves and feel peaceful. Our intention in these and other class rituals is to help the children learn ways of negotiation and self regulation. These skills will not only help them develop as good citizens but are also needed for optimal growth as learners.

A few times a month, 2^nd grade receives a very special visitor, our own Ms. Bev.  Ms. Bev speaks to us about the Core Virtues in a unique and helpful way.  This week she referenced Jon Muth’s The Three Questions and spoke to us about the word “evidence.”  2^nd grade defined the word using the context Ms. Bev provided for us. Ms. Bev then asked us if we could find “evidence” in our classroom showing the Core Virtues were important to us.  We found them referenced in a few special places. Ms. Bev then helped us reflect about evidence showing the Core Virtues live in our core. What are external ways we can show the virtues in our core?  How might our preschool reading buddies see the virtues in our core?  The children gave examples of compassionate, respectful, responsible ways they could interact with their young friends.  Be ready to see evidence of the beauty that lives in our core!

By Nichole Patillo, Preschool Lead Teacher

Conscious Discipline is a comprehensive social and emotional classroom management program that empowers both teachers and students. Conscious discipline is based on current brain research, child development information, and developmentally appropriate practices.

The “Safe Place” was created by Dr. Becky Bailey to provide a place where children can learn to self- regulate their emotions. Self Regulation is crucial to children’s social and emotional growth. Children use the “Safe Place” to change their inner emotional state from upset to calm in order to maximize their learning potential.

All children have the choice to use the “Safe Place” whenever they are feeling sad, lonely, or mad. The children can use a “Safe Place” pass at anytime during our day to calm their body using a variety of calming techniques and activities that are stored in the “Safe Place.”

Our main active breathing technique is being a S.T.A.R. which mean to Stop, Take a deep breath, And Relax. You might begin to hear childen talking about being a S.T.A.R. , taking deep breathes, and even singing our “S.T.A.R.” song.  The children are so excited about having the “Safe Place” and being S.T.A.R.’s!

The “Safe Place” is NOT time out. The traditional use for “timeout” is removing a child from the group or activity who is being disruptive to the learning environment, or is a danger to themselves or others.

Feel free to visit Dr. Bailey’s website on Conscious Discipline at http://consciousdiscipline.com/default.asp.

By Jennifer Edgar, 2^nd Grade Teacher

He’s intelligent, fabulously funny, and, as we came to find out, quite a cool character. No, it’s not Mr. Jason, keep thinking…not Mr. Chris… it’s adored author and writing mentor, Nick Bruel, creator of the very popular and quite humorous Bad Kitty books.  And 2^nd grade spoke with him, right here in our very own classroom.

Here is what our kids had to say:

“I loved it!”

“He’s awesome!”

“It was really fun and so cool to see him.”

Thanks to Skype and Ms. Amanda, my ever-supportive-techno-go-to-colleague, 2^nd grade was able to speak live with Nick from his Tarrytown, New York residence. Our hour-long connection was clear; a real person, not just a name on a cover, came to life in front of us. We even shared time with Esmeralda, his family cat and inspiration of his clever and humorous book series.

Nick spoke with us about his history as a writer, letting us know his beginnings as an author started when he was in kindergarten and have never stopped.  Hearing this from him reminded us of the importance of our writing voices as young people, and inspired us to continue on with our creations, improving and elaborating, finding those topics near and dear to us and expanding on them.  Who knows what our writings may become or where they might lead us?  Who knows what audience we might inform or delight with our writer’s voices?

Nick reminded us to write at home, not just in school, and to have fun illustrating as well.  He answered all our questions and later commented to me in e-mail that our questions were quite interesting, ones he had not formerly been asked.  From learning his favorite color (we knew to use purple and black to decorate his thank you package!), to clarifying that the narrator in the Bad Kitty books is supposed to be each of us, to learning that Uncle Murray (one of the book’s characters) is based on his real life uncle, Nick became a living breathing, thoughtful person just like one of us.  His writing comes from his experiences and his imagination; he collects, and writes and rewrites, and he enjoys the process.

Today we sent off a thank you package to writer and real-life person, “Mr. Nick Bruel,” in Tarrytown, New York. Our package was heaped with bags of homemade cookies, numerous versions of the kids own Bad Kitty stories (Bad Kitty Goes to the Dog Park proves quite action packed!) and many sketches of Bad Kitty characters. We even put in some cat toys for Esmeralda. Jazzily decorated and thoughtfully created, we hope it relays a big CLC thank you to this very popular, very busy author, who took the time to inspire our young writers, and remind us of the potentials of our very own writings.

Backstage superstar

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All photos by Jason Flom