by Renee Owen | Sep 27, 2011 | Director's Blog
Research within schools has shown that the time spent on social curriculum – on team building activities, class meetings, character studies, and the like, which promote social skills—is not time taken away from academics. By training children how to get along with one another, they can actually focus better on the academic tasks they have to complete because they are less distracted by, and less anxious about relationships with their peers. At Rainbow Mountain Children’s School, we take it one step further. As a holistic school, our social curriculum isn’t an “add on.” It’s completely embedded, and it’s regarded as being at least as important as the other domains: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
by Renee Owen | Sep 23, 2011 | News
Are you ready to feel more joy, peace, and confidence in parenting? Do you want to find new solutions to old problems? Do you want to learn how parenting can be easier?
You’re invited to join Michele Bryan, Positive Discipline Facilitator and parenting consultant, for a Positive Parenting introductory meeting Monday, 26 September from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at Rainbow Mountain Children’s School.
Positive Discipline is a respectful, non-punitive approach to parenting. It teaches parents how to balance kindness and firmness while encouraging children to become more responsible, achieve self discipline and problem solving skills. Ultimately, you will create an atmosphere of joy, cooperation and mutual respect.
Michele Bryan is a former Rainbow Mountain preschool teacher and was an active parent in the Rainbow community for ten years. She was trained in Positive Discipline as a teacher and for the past ten years has supported families with her Positive Discipline classes at multiple Asheville schools.
Free childcare is available. Please call Michele at 280-4722 to reserve a space and childcare if needed.
Classes begin October 3rd.
by Renee Owen | Sep 21, 2011 | News
Rainbow’s second grade Cheetahs, as part of their thematic unit on community, have been busy designing what they envision as a peaceful town to live in.
After learning about communities they discussed and decided what a peaceful town would look like. Then they partnered up, and with much imagination, compromising and possibly negotiation, drafted their ideas into a large map. Soon after the plans were approved and all permits attained they started construction, building their Peace Towns with cardboard boxes, paper and paint. They then added people and plants and all kinds of extras.
“The project was completely student driven,” says Sheila Mraz, the second grade teacher. Each building needed to be an example of peace. One Peace Town had a grocery store that gave food away and a farm which showed a family having dinner because there is peace in a family. Another town had a non-religious school where no one’s holidays would be more important than anyone else’s.
Today, in honor of International Peace Day, Rainbow’s second grade invited the other classes to come tour their Peace Towns. It was well received and even a fifth grader was overheard to say he would like to make his own Peace Town. Following our second grade Cheetahs, we can all make our town, a more peaceful town.
by Renee Owen | Sep 20, 2011 | News
Today Rainbow Mountain held it’s first Student Council meeting of the year. Two students from each class, preschool through sixth grade, and three students from Omega, seventh and eighth grade, will meet monthly to discuss and generate ideas on school and community issues. Today they talked about theme days for Spirit Week, naming our campus buildings and ideas for future Student Council meetings. Student Council, a past Rainbow tradition, was reinstated by Rainbow faculty who wanted to involve the students in school decision making. Welcome to community leadership, kids.
by Renee Owen | Sep 9, 2011 | News
(Asheville, NC) – On September 10, 2011, the Moss Garden at Rainbow Mountain Children’s School will be a part of the 2011 West Asheville Garden Stroll. The Moss Garden was co-designed by the Third Grade this spring in collaboration with Annie Martin of Mountain Moss Enterprises and teacher, West Willmore who holds a degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies. The moss garden installation and stroll participation were coordinated by lead sponsor Dulcita Love and tripled in size through sponsorships by students, parents, teachers and local businesses.
The moss garden is located within the Outdoor Classroom at Rainbow Mountain Children’s School in West Asheville. Stroll participants will have the opportunity to ask Annie Martin, aka Mossin’ Annie, about the environmental benefits of ‘Going Green with Moss’ and how to begin their own moss garden. “Mosses require no chemicals typically used to maintain grass such as fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides” says owner of Mountain Moss Enterprises, Annie Martin. The Hop West, who hosts many family-friendly events in support of building community, will be scooping local homemade ice cream and is the Exclusive Sponsor for the ‘Go Green with Moss’ program featured at the moss garden on the day of the stroll.
Also in the Outdoor Classroom are vegetable beds replanted this year by the Fourth Grade as part of their Botany, Gardening, and Community Building curriculum for Social Studies and Science with teachers, Eddy Webb and Julie Ludvigsen. There are two large bird nest installations designed by the Third Grade remaining from earlier this spring which were part of an Andy Goldsworthy-inspired Imagine art project coordinated by teacher West Willmore and art teacher, Richmond Smith.
The Honeybee Project will share how bee pollination helps our gardens grow. SJ Bee, Executive Director of The Honeybee Project says “If children can understand the importance of the bees and how bees work together, this understanding can potentially deepen their connection and relationship with their community and the world around them.”
The stroll kick-off begins at the West Asheville Library at 10:30 am on September 10, 2011. Stroll guides will be handed out after the kick-off and will have a map and suggested parking/restroom locations. Stroll guides will also be available at gardens on the stroll. The stroll lasts from 11 am to 4 pm, rain or shine. Garden-themed art and bags, garden-inspired natural soaks for the bath, and bottled water will be available for sale. Restrooms, limited parking, and a drinking fountain will be accessible during the stroll at the school.
Thank you to the Exclusive Sponsor of the “Going Green with Moss” program at the moss garden during the stroll: The Hop West. Thank you to Supporting Sponsors of The Honeybee Project: The Attorney Search Group, Bandidos Restaurant, Greenlife Grocery, Harvest The Sun.
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– Submitted by Dulcita Love
Research within schools has shown that the time spent on social curriculum – on team building activities, class meetings, character studies, and the like, which promote social skills—is not time taken away from academics. By training children how to get along with one another, they can actually focus better on the academic tasks they have to complete because they are less distracted by, and less anxious about relationships with their peers. At Rainbow Mountain Children’s School, we take it one step further. As a holistic school, our social curriculum isn’t an “add on.” It’s completely embedded, and it’s regarded as being at least as important as the other domains: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
