Kaleidoscope – July 2020

Kaleidoscope – July 2020

campus sophias garden

The Many Wonderful Things Happening at Rainbow

The Kaleidoscope Communication

As I sit to write my very first Kaleidoscope to you all, I can’t help but pause to reflect on the very nature and context evoked by the name of this publication. The etymology of the word Kaleidoscope comes from the Greek kalos, meaning beauty; eidos, meaning that which is seen in form or shape; and skepeo meaning to examine. So through my words today and into the future, I hope this communication will serve to explore the evolutionary shape of Rainbow. May it surface the potential and realized beauty that exists within, between, and beyond us all.

Our Reopening Plan

Our Reopening Plan has been shared widely and your feedback has been greatly appreciated. We intend to revise the hybrid model proposed for remote learning. Several families shared that this model would create a burden on transportation, and thus become significantly less viable for them. We are working on a revision and will share this with families soon, along with any additional details to the plan. Of course, it was disappointing that the Governor was not yet able to share more specific direction for schools; however, we are feeling confident that we will respond accordingly when guidance is released.

What will school and campus look like?

In the observance of transparency, many families have been wondering about Rainbow’s decision making process as we define what school and campus will look like in 20-21. Specifically, there is curiosity regarding our obligation to follow governmental guidance. While we do have some liberties as a private institution, all of our decisions are being weighed against best practices, health and safety (both physical and emotional), and the ability to achieve our mission. For example, we contextualize how these recommendations will be experienced by Rainbow’s students, families, and staff.  Furthermore, we are a small institution with over 5 acres on our campus. This affords us opportunities to realize physical distancing protocols that can be implemented with developmentally appropriate expectations still intact. In fact, we are building covered outdoor classrooms and by creating these spaces we are advancing the health benefits of being outdoors. In addition, we are supporting our teacher’s capacity to engage inquiry-based discovery and experiential learning.  This is a point of grace that we are grateful for as we continue to develop creative and student-centered approaches to our return.

Spiritual Grounding

Calling in our spiritual grounding and resilience, is possibly our most important work right now. We are being required to process radical shifts in societal “norms” as conversations are centered around public health and racial trauma, and in response to both, the transformation of community systems and agencies. At the root of it all is the question: What does it mean to be in community?  The depth and breadth of processing necessary to reimagine our world is visceral, powerful, and personal. Rainbow has been criticized in the past for being political in the ways we interpret our mission, and yet as a school we are a central element in offering expertise, safety, and leadership to our children and families who deserve support in unpacking these complexities. Our world continues to offer polarizing narratives that our children need to be able to analyze and think critically about. Rainbow seeks to offer this guidance to our students so that they can engage in healthy identity development and citizenship that embraces their family values, personal perspectives, and empathy for others. As a school, we cannot ignore these realities, but rather we must teach them through developmentally appropriate means.

In Partnership

In order for this type of education to thrive, we must be in partnership with you, and each other, to ensure that every family system is honored and valued. A community education takes into account the fact that we will not all agree, but that we will be able to communicate with compassion, listen with intent to understand, and work together in harmony.  I can not overstate the value of being in authentic relationships with one another, that allow us to be vulnerable without fear, so that we may truly realize the power of a united community. Please let this stand as an open invitation to speak with me at any time should you feel tension about Rainbow’s plans moving forward.

May we begin this year, with building connections among us that will realize the beauty that comes from each turn of the Kaleidoscope, adapting and reshaping to find the magic in every moment. 

In Love,
Susie Fahrer

Rainbows End Presents “We Are Monsters” (video)

 

Vampires, werewolves, goblins and ghouls, welcome to the annual Monster Cabaret.

 

Monster Theater

So begins our adventure down into the underground world of monster theater, where monsters, who have been rejected from human society, finally feel safe to express themselves authentically. That is until four human kids put on monster disguises and infiltrate the monster world!

As the human ‘spies’ slip in and out of vampire dressing rooms and werewolf howl-offs, they each discover the pitfalls of their own assumptions. Soon however, eyes are opened, long lost friends are reunited, and working through conflict leads to lasting connection.

 

 

More than anything, “We Are Monsters” reveals the power of compassion and friendship through self expression and loving acceptance. During these overwhelming times of divisiveness, there is no message more vital to our transformation as a society, than this one.

 

 

Thank you to all of our incredible monster families for your absolute dedication and support. You have deeply inspired us and we could not be more grateful.

Who:

Rainbow’s End After School Students

What:

“We Are Monsters”

Where:

Rainbow Community School Auditorium

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Thanksgiving

In Thanksgiving

The Power of Gratitude

We at Rainbow make it a habit to practice gratitude – not just around Thanksgiving – but all during the school year.

It happens in centerings, and teachers work to instill the two words, “thank you” into every student.

As Renee mentioned in her November Kaleidoscope, the practice of gratitude can boost happiness, optimism, overall life satisfaction, and more. So much more.

Around Rainbow, we speak a lot about the 7 Domains and how each teacher carefully plans lessons that integrate each one. Like a puzzle piece, gratitude fits beautifully into each domain, making it easy for students to become mindful of the power of gratitude.

In the days and weeks leading up to Thanksgiving break, students engaged in centerings and activities to help drive home the idea of a solid practice of giving thanks.

All over campus, students participated in centerings, song circles, and wrote things they were thankful for on leaves to create a gratitude tree.

gratitude tree

Indeed, students have a powerful sense of appreciation. We went to the After School to ask students what they were thankful for. They all instantly came up with life’s most precious and priceless gifts: family, friends, animals, nature.

Take a look for yourself:

Activities Around Campus

Gratitude is about connection.

In Preschool (Blue Door), they asked “What are you connected to?” This led to a discussion about how we’re all connected to the elements of the earth, how we feel love, and that gratitude is part of that.

The first grade Cheetahs made turkeys with feathers of gratitude. Fourth grade culminated their archaeology unit with a centering that incorporated appreciation for studying archeological discoveries.

Song circle this week incorporated songs about family, spending time in the woods, and the “Best Day of My Life.”

gratitude activity

We invite all students to lead their families in a centering with a focus on gratitude over break. They will know what to do.

However, if you would like some ideas, here are some ways to incorporate a centering with your child.

Gratitude Centering

  1. Gather in a circle. Take three deep breaths. You can optionally light a candle.
  2. Have everyone in your circle write down something for which they are thankful and put it into a jar. When everyone’s finished, each person can randomly take out a slip of paper and read it aloud. Younger students who are learning to write will need help with this activity.
  3. A variation of this could be to go outside, or to write down thoughts of gratitude on a ball and have people in the circle catch it and read off a line of gratitude nearest their right or left thumb. This activity can have so many variations!
  4. Have your child say a blessing over your food.
  5. Close with three more deep breaths.

For more ideas, a quick check on a search engine will give you many to choose from.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. — Melody Beattie

In closing, we hope that all Rainbow families, friends, staff, and students have a wonderful holiday break!

We are grateful for all the love you give, the hope, the inspiration, the peace, mindfulness, and how you give back to the earth.

love and gratitude

Sheila Mraz #teamhighlight

Sheila Mraz #teamhighlight

This Tuesday’s #teamhighlight features, Sheila Mraz, Rainbow Community School’s passionate, loving, and incredibly enthusiastic Admissions Director. Long before she arrived at Rainbow, Sheila was a committed student to the art of education. After growing up in Ohio and graduating from the University of Dayton, she took the bold step of moving to North Carolina on her own. She taught everywhere, from an inner city school in Charlotte, to a Hendersonville public school, to a local prep school. Her experiences, while fulfilling, left her questioning what her true purpose was exactly. Within each of the three very different environments in which she taught, she found restriction after restriction. She felt limited as a teacher and asked herself what effect she was truly having on her students. Not only that, she began seeking something more for children everywhere.

It was at this time that she brought two of her own children into the world and the issue became more pressing than ever. Sheila says, “I loved this child like nothing else. I saw perfection in him and wanted, needed a school that was different”. She homeschooled for a few years before stumbling upon Rainbow Community School. She had heard about it previously, but had been turned off by rumors from the past. When she visited the school herself, however, what she found astounded her. While she had experience with multi-disciplinary learning and broad thematic units, the depths of “holistic education” were totally unknown to her and yet resonated on profoundly personal and spiritual levels.

Having attended catholic school for all of her education, Sheila was used to having spirituality be part of her school culture. While she didn’t want catholic school for her kids, she did want them to have a safe space in which to explore and openly talk about their spiritualities. She was relieved to see that here was this school that neither shied away from integrating the spiritual into the pedagogical, nor held onto religiously dogmatic beliefs in the classroom. She both enrolled her sons and applied to work at Rainbow immediately. While she had always taught Middle School math and sciences, she was offered the special challenge of being the new 3rd grade teacher. Her sons started preschool and kindergarten and so began the epic saga of the Mraz family at Rainbow. Three years later Max Mrax, Sheila’s husband, joined the facilities department and soon thereafter Sheila transitioned from being a full time Rainbow teacher, to being a full time Rainbow cheerleader and Admissions Director.

It’s clear to anyone who has ever interacted with Sheila why she makes such a great Admissions Director. Not only is she insanely passionate about Rainbow and holistic education as both a teacher and a parent, not only can she bring her experiences as a teacher at other schools into the conversation, not only is she charismatic, emotionally intelligent, and socially adept, but she also has a sparkling authenticity that flows through her every interaction. When asked if she ever gets tired of giving the same tour to prospective families she responds, “Not at all. Every tour is going to be completely different. The first thing I ask is, ‘What question do you want to make sure is answered by the time you leave today?’ and always that first question that’s on the top of their heart helps me navigate the conversation because I know that that’s what’s most important to them.” In many ways Sheila sees her role as reaching far beyond Rainbow. She is both a gatekeeper to our community as well as a beacon of light to so many families who are looking for something different, something profound. When she welcomes prospective families into her magnificent sunlit, plant-filled office she takes the time, energy, and heart-space to create a safe environment. She explains it this way, “I know that when they’re talking about their most precious person in their world, their child, many emotions come up and I want to be able to let them know this is a comfortable place. It’s ok to be vulnerable, to open up. I want them to know that not only will you be accepted and loved but your child will be too”.

Sheila acknowledges that not everyone can attend Rainbow and when asked what the hardest part of her job was she immediately replied, “Telling families no. That we don’t have space. Time and time again. That to me, rips my heart out.” Just because a family doesn’t end up attending Rainbow doesn’t mean their relationship with Rainbow is over or that their time and emotional investment in the school was a waste. In fact Sheila thinks that it’s more important than ever before that families, no matter if they end up attending Rainbow or not, come to witness what is truly possible. She says, “I want them to know that this is what education can look like… and should look like. I want them to have this type of model to envision for their child. If they can come here, awesome, but in reality so few can, and I want them all to see education from a different angle. I see that as one one my most important roles.”

At heart Sheila is a changemaker, a feeler, and a doer. She is highly tuned into the emotional and social domains and is constantly considering her place within her community and how best to support all those around her. Plus, she is an absolute dynamo of a self-starter. A true live wire. Something you might not know about Sheila is that when her kids were little and she had stopped teaching for five years, she and her husband Max, started not one but two businesses: a white water rafting business and an event planning business. Now that she’s been in the groove of admissions for six years, she’s finally started the photography business she’s fantasized about for years. You can look her up at http://sheilamraz.com/photography/. This woman just does not stop.

And this featurette on Sheila would be utterly incomplete without an explicit shout out to Rainbow Community School Admissions, so… if you’d like to find out more about the school (especially Omega Middle School 😉 check out our website to request a private tour with Sheila! She’ll be so happy to welcome you into her loving office, ready to hear what’s at the very top of your heart.

Inmates or Classmates?

Inmates or Classmates?

Senior Deputy Ben Fields is seen pulling a student from her chair at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, S.C., in these three images made from another student’s video recording. AP

Like anyone who saw the video of the students at Spring Valley High being slammed to the floor and dragged out of her chair, I was sick, angry, and mortified.  The social media comments that followed mostly focused on Officer Fields, otherwise known as Officer Slam on Facebook.  But this is about so much more than whether Officer Fields’ actions were warranted.  Of course, they weren’t warranted. A counselor should have been called instead of a cop.

Students learn as much or more from the “hidden curriculum” of a school than from the “overt curriculum.”  The hidden curriculum is made up of everything else that goes on other than what is being literally studied in class.  How are students treated?  How do they treat each other?  Are the teachers empowered? Essentially, what is the culture of the school?  Since the rise of violence in schools in the 80’s and 90’s, many high schools started using school resource officers.  New high schools were built that look like prisons with almost no windows, designed more to quell a riot than facilitate education.  Some even greeted students at the door with metal detectors. The hidden curriculum in these institutions is one of oppression. What I see in the students at their desks in the Spring Valley video are students who have learned from the hidden curriculum to keep their heads down, so it doesn’t happen to them.  Indeed, so many black parents talk about teaching their children this very message.  It wasn’t that long ago that a young black man could be lynched for looking at a white woman.  Years later, that translates into a prison sentence for looking sideways at a cop, or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Niya Kennedy was the only student witnessing the violence who had the courage to do anything other than cower, and she was arrested for it.  What is the lesson in that?

As one student said in the attached link, this wouldn’t have happened if the student had been white.  Part of the whole point of the Black Lives Matter movement is that our society has become used to treating black people, particularly poor black people, as if their lives are not important–as if they don’t deserve the same opportunities in life as their white peers.  They don’t receive the same quality of services, housing, respect, or education.  (Black students in primarily black schools receive an average of $733 less on per pupil funding that students in primarily white schools.) The hidden curriculum of large public schools has enforced this message. So the issue is so much bigger than one racist or overly aggressive officer, it’s systematic.

Of course, the term “hidden” means more than “not-overt.”  It means that it has been taken for granted.  It is so much a part of the “atmosphere” that it can’t be seen any more than the air around us.  Everyone is so used to it, that it hasn’t been questioned — at least not by enough people for those questions to be heard or addressed.

We need to advocate for schools that have positive school cultures, where the lessons learned from the hidden curriculum are the following:

  1. I am a valued and accepted member of my community.
  2. My unique personhood is seen and appreciated.
  3. If I am in need, I will be helped

Students carry the “hidden curriclum” they learn in school forward into society.  Wouldn’t it be great to have a society with these values?

NPR: S.C. Sheriff’s Deputy Is Fired After Review Of High School Student’s Arrest