Kaleidoscope – May 2022

Kaleidoscope – May 2022

The Final Week of the School Year

Approaching the final week of the 21-22 school year, we embrace reflection and gratitude. Your children prepare Student Led Conferences and share a portfolio of carefully selected work that speaks to their story of growth. The teachers complete Learner Profiles, comprehensive narratives of your child’s growth and development. Additionally, our graduating 8th graders complete a Domains Walk across the campus moving ever closer to the culminating ritual of graduation. Our Preschool and K-8 Graduation ceremonies center collective celebration, and provide a wonderful send off for the year.

Graduations

  • Preschool will gather in the Outdoor Classroom on June 1st at 10:30am for a brief ceremony and fellowship to commemorate their year as Turtles and Dragonflies.
  • The K-8 graduation will be held on June 2nd beginning at 6:15pm. It has been a few years since we have been able to offer this school-wide ceremony, and it is a sacred experience to hear the highlights from the children and the speeches from the graduates. We will finish the evening with cake served by the Board of Directors. The entire ceremony will take place under a tent on the Omega Athletic Field.
    • Parking will be available on our campus, and we typically engage with a few local businesses to offer additional parking in the neighborhood. Stay tuned for more details about this in Rainbow Reminders.

Survey

Finally, this time of year is opportune to collect feedback from all our stakeholders in support of strategic planning this summer. We are hoping all parents can complete the following SURVEY knowing that your voice and perspective provide critical data for shaping our future. In addition, we ask all of our staff to complete a survey evaluating the leadership and their experience as employees. Finally, we have a student survey for 4th-8th grade that helps frame their perspectives on topics such as educational approach, belonging, and social connection.

We are in a season of hiring as staff retire and transition to new roles within and beyond Rainbow. Below are the most recent updates and hires for the 22-23 school year.

New Hires

Trey Thompson4th-8th Grade Division Head: Trey Thompson (He/Him)
Trey is an experienced educator and valued administrator at his current and previous schools. He will be leaving his most recent position at Earhart Environmental Magnet School in Wichita as the 4th/5th grade teacher and administrative “Teacher in Charge.” Prior to that, Trey was working in Chicago at The Academy for Global Citizenship as the School Culture and Middle Years Program Coordinator. Spending time with Trey you quickly learn that he embodies the Seven Domains personally and professionally. We are thrilled to have him as part of the leadership team.

Zoe BalaconisOmega 7/8 Language Arts Teacher: Zoe Balaconis (She/Her)
Zoe is an innovative educator with experience bonding groups and crafting engaging, interdisciplinary English and Writing courses at the lower, secondary, and post secondary level. She has been at the Buckingham Browne and Nichols School in Cambridge, Massachusetts for the past six years and holds a myriad of expertise and experience prior to that school placement. She is sure to bring a wealth of knowledge, energy and heart to Omega Middle School.

Katherine AyachiFirst Grade Lead Teacher: Katherine Ayachi (She/Her)
Katherine has taught in elementary school for the past 29 years the majority of which was teaching in the primary years programming at the American Cooperative School of Tunis in Tunisia, Africa. Over her tenure she has developed mastery in several curriculum areas including gaining a certification as a math specialist. She believes in designing instruction through inquiry and child centered programming. We are happy to welcome her back to the states and to her roots in North Carolina.

Kriya LendzoinCounseling: Kriya Lendzoin (She/Her)
Kriya has worked with Rainbow for years as our Addiction Educator in Omega Middle School. Along with continuing this role, she will also be joining our counseling team. She has a rich background in school counseling, substance abuse and wellness programming, and therapy. She has expertise helping families and students navigate adolescence to reinforce healthy and authentic identity development.

Changing Roles

Sandra McCassimFifth Grade Lead Teacher: Sandra McCassim (She/Her)
Sandra has over 22 years of teaching and administrative experience, and is one of our most tenured staff members at Rainbow. She fosters a classroom community built on student-centered and project based learning. She has a depth of knowledge in supporting the critical needs and opportunities of pre-adolescence, and she cultivates meaningful partnerships with parents and caregivers.

Rose HowleyPreschool Green Door: Rose Howley (She/Her)
Rose started working at Rainbow in the Student Support Department, became a full time sub, and most recently helped usher the third grade Tigers through a fabulous year. Starting this summer, our littlest learners will benefit from Rose’s calm demeanor, playful spirit, and ability to foster a supportive environment for all learning styles and needs.

AJ JonesThird Grade Assistant: AJ Jones (She/Her)
AJ began her time with us in preschool and then shifted to a role as a full time substitute. When Jenny announced her maternity leave earlier this year, AJ graciously filled the role of Interim Student Support Advocate for Middle School. AJ’s journey at Rainbow speaks to her diversity of skills and adaptability in applying them with a developmentally appropriate mindset. AJ will be a great support during the bridge year of third grade.

Evie JonesSecond Grade Assistant: Evie Jones (They/Them)
Evie has thrived this year in the role of full time substitute for the primary grades. Next year they will be taking their skills to the Second Grade classroom. Evie’s kindness, positive energy, supportive approach, and investment in learning will add to the magical experience of second grade with Eddy.

Kate ChassnerLead Art Teacher K-8: Kate Chassner (She/Her)
Kate recently completed her Masters in Art and has been running our Arts Elective program in Omega Middle School this year. Next year she will formally shift from her additional part time role in the office to being the Art teacher for Kindergarten through Eighth Grade. Her passion and creativity are sure to ignite a love of art in our children.

Susan WaddellSummer Camp & Rainbow’s End Director: Susan Waddell (She/Her)
Susan has been a part of Rainbow’s growth and evolution over the years, and will be able to bring her full set of experiences as a parent, teacher, summer camp leader, and holistic practitioner to her new role. She is a natural to continue the legacy of adventure, joy, laughter, and memory making in afterschool and summer camp.

Rachel HagenOffice Manager: Rachel Hagen (She/Her)
For years, Rachel has ushered our first graders through a beautiful journey of learning, growth and discovery. Fortunately, her gifts will be equally valuable as she takes on the role of Office Manager, and becomes a primary resource for staff and families to remain informed and engaged.

Lissadell GreeneP-K Student Support Advocate: Lissadell Greene (She/Her)
Lissadell has been working in preschool this past year as additional support. Fortunately, she will be able to offer her skills more holistically and comprehensively through this new role. She has been working in the educational field for the past 20 years as a music teacher and early childhood teacher. She also has a Masters Degree in Inclusive Education with a focus in Special Education, Infant/Toddler Mental Health, and Constructivism.

Moving on from Rainbow

We are so grateful to each of these staff members for their contributions to our community. We are better because of the time we shared.

Amethyst BucknerAmethyst Buckner
(She/Her)
Preschool

Desiree ReynoldsDesiree Reynolds
(She/Her)
Preschool

MaryJoyce WarehamMaryJoyce Wareham
(She/Her)
Preschool

Jess AlberiJess Alberi
(She/Her)
Second Grade

Emmaly RogalskiEmmaly Rogalski
(She/Her)
Fifth Grade

Jenn RyanJenn Ryan
(She/Her)
Sixth Grade

 

Honoring Their Legacy

We have a few special folks who are retiring from long term roles at Rainbow. We will be honoring each of these folks with a tree and a plaque on campus. 

Denisa RullmossRainbow’s End Director and LIA Coordinator:
Denisa Rullmoss (She/Her)

 

Lead Art Teacher:
Tracy Hildebrand (She/Her)

 

Stewart StokesTenured RCS Board Member:
Stewart Stokes (He/Him)

 

 

While the school year is coming to a close, summer is a time of great activity at Rainbow. Preschool and camps will be running all summer and the main office remains open with staff available between 8:00am-3:00pm. In addition, opportunities for equity discussions continue with a parent discussion circle about Ava Duvernay’s documentary 13th. You can express your interest here: 13th Interest Form

Maya Angelou said, “The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are, and not be questioned.” I hope that you and your children have found a safe place in Rainbow this year where you have felt celebrated for all that you are. Whether you plan to continue your Rainbow journey next year, or you are moving on to something new, may you find “home” in the people and places that surround you.

Many Blessings To You All.

Susie Fahrer
Executive Director
Rainbow Community School/Omega Middle School

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

2nd grade classification of…shoes?

2nd grade classification of…shoes?

Classification of shoes to teach valuable lessons

We headed to second grade recently to find students doing classification of…shoes! There is a very interesting reason why.

As students started out this lesson, they began with some silent reading time. These quiet moments helped get them ready for what was next.

classification shoes

It was so quiet you could hear their minds “thinking.” Little did they know, they would need their sharp minds and their shoes for the subsequent portion of their lesson.

classification shoes

Their teacher, Eddy, had them take their paired shoes and separate them. They put one on the checkered green rug in their main classroom, and the other on the green rug in the library/centering room.

Classification of shoes in different ways

The kiddos separated into two groups with the following instruction: to group or separate the shoes according to a system they would create. In other words, students could separate shoes by color, brand, size, or some other determining factor. They brainstormed different ideas of how they might classify their shoes within their groups.

classification shoes

Each group chatted and came up with a plan that all could agree with and implement.

classification shoes 2nd grade

Neither group had any idea how the other was classifying their shoes. However, they each came up with very different ways of grouping and organizing their shoes.

classification shoes2nd grade

In the library room, students grouped shoes by their overall color. In the main room, students grouped them by how they “closed” or secured to the foot, such as with velcro, slip-on, shoestrings, etc.

classification shoes 2nd grade

Once they did that, their teacher asked them to reclassify their shoes and come up with a second way to group them all. Students in the library decided to group by the “purpose of the shoe,” such as hiking or running. The other group classified all the different shoes by size.

classification shoes 2nd grade

classification shoes second grade

Why classify shoes?

Why would students do this?

They brainstormed about labeling and classifying things to make sense of the world and understand it better. Eddy asked them, “aren’t there lots of different kinds of trees?” All students agreed that there were. He asked them about animals, plants, and seeds. Everyone agreed that, yes, there are many different varieties of each of these. It is in classifying and grouping plants, animals, and seeds, humans can identify what they are and understand what they do and their role in the world ecosystem.

Learning about the animal kingdom

After everyone got their shoes back, they began talking about the scientific system of classification. They learned about the five main kingdoms of living things: plants, animals, fungi, bacteria (monera), and one-celled organisms (protists). Later, they went more in-depth with the animal kingdom. Eddy gave each student a piece of paper with the name of an animal on it. Each student had to determine if the animal they had was a mammal, reptile, amphibian,  fish, or a type of bird. Some of them were tricky! Did you know that a whale is a mammal? Or that a skink is a type of reptile?

classification shoes 2nd grade

Students walked away with a broader understanding of why people classify the world around them. They explored a number of ways in which it’s possible to do so. What a fun way to use methods of scientific thinking to reason, deduce, classify, as well as integrate other skills such as collaboration, discussion and reaching a consensus.

We love how Eddy integrated elements of the 7 Domains. Students were able to move around the classroom. They worked together to complete their tasks which reinforced the social domain. This process of reasoning and classification touched on the mental domain. Talking about organisms in nature brought in the natural domain. One lesson with multiple approaches. That is a day in the life of a Rainbow student.

 

Team Highlight – Meet Tracy Hildebrand

Team Highlight – Meet Tracy Hildebrand

This month’s team highlight: Tracy Hildebrand

We’d like to introduce you to Tracy, Rainbow Community School’s art teacher. We found her in the art room and asked if she’d agree to answer questions for a team highlight. She has some fun answers to our questions. We hope you’ll enjoy!

You’ve taught in Virginia before. Are you originally from there?

I was born in Norfolk, Va , attended college there and taught art in Norfolk Public Schools for 7 years.
I took a break from teaching in 1992 and moved to Western North Carolina to work at Nantahala Outdoor Center where I worked teaching kayaking, guiding river rafting trips and working in the outfitters store.

I realized soon after moving here that this area is my true spiritual home.

How did you find Rainbow?

When my husband and I were looking for a kindergarten for our daughter, a friend recommended we visit Rainbow. We knew right away it was the right fit for her. Emily attended RCS from K through Omega and is now a sophomore in high school.

What do you like to do when you’re not at Rainbow?

Mostly I love to spend time with my family hiking, paddling rivers, and camping. I also enjoy gardening, cooking, yoga, and taking walks with our dog, Teeka.

In addition to teaching art, it looks like you make jewelry. What sorts of art do you like to create?

I don’t make jewelry anymore, actually.

What’s the best way to start the day?

Sitting on our front porch sipping coffee, reading a good book, and watching the birds visit our bird feeder. I love observing them and seeing how they interact with each other.

What book(s) are you reading?

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and I highly recommend it!

What’s the farthest you’ve traveled from home?

I traveled to Rio de Janeiro with my Mom. She was born and raised there until she was 20. I was able to see where she lived as a girl.

If you could talk to any person, living or deceased, for half an hour, who would it be?

I would love to spend time with Georgia O’Keefe. I admire her strength as a woman and that at one point decided to lay aside what she had been taught in art school and developed her own technique and style. In addition, she lived a very unconventional life for a woman in her time. I admire that she lived her life on her own terms.

What is something your friends would consider “so you”?

My husband and daughter consider anything to do with flowers a ‘Tracy thing’. I especially love wildflowers – to find them along a woodland trail brings me great delight. I grow native wildflowers in our yard.

One of my dearest friends shared all kinds of native flowers from her yard with me years ago; mayapples, ferns, soloman seal, columbine, and many more.

One of my favorite quotes is “Earth laughs in flowers” by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

We hope you enjoyed Tracy’s team highlight. Don’t forget to tell her that “Earth laughs in flowers” when you see her!

Arming Teachers Is Not the Answer

Arming Teachers Is Not the Answer

A few years ago, I wrote a piece for the Mountain Express. It was after the Sandy Hook tragedy. I explore that why we as educators cannot resort to arming ourselves, but instead, embrace a hope for the future without arms. The article shows how this is still relevant in 2018.

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