by Renee Owen | Feb 5, 2010 | News
Approximately 75 children and adults from the Rainbow Mountain community enjoyed a fun-filled day on the slopes skiing and snow-boarding at Cataloochee in Maggie Valley, NC. Participants rose early to carpool from the school parking lot at 7:30 a.m. After arriving and suiting up, students, staff and parents had the opportunity to take an hour-long skiing or snow-boarding lesson from the Cataloochee staff. Afterwards, everyone hit the slopes for the next four hours, challenging themselves, learning from one another and sharing fun times with family and friends. The annual ski trip for 4th through 8th graders and their families has been a tradition at RMCS for 12 years and was organized this year by After-School Coordinator, Andi Morrell. The tired – but happy – group wrapped up the day by swapping ski slope stories over dinner at Garlic Knots in Maggie Valley before heading home to Asheville in yet another winter snowstorm.
by Renee Owen | Feb 1, 2010 | News
The results are outstanding! This past fall, Rainbow Mountain Children’s School students, third through eighth grade, took the Stanford Achievement Test, or SAT10. Compared nationally, Rainbow students score, on the average, in the 94th percentile in Reading, the 84th percentile in Language Arts, and the 90th percentile in Math by the eighth grade.
There are several remarkable things about the scores. First, that the average is so high. Such a large number of students score in the 95% and above (many are at a post-high school level) that the overall score is extremely high. More importantly, no students score low enough to pull the average down. This can be attributed to the small classroom size that affords every student the attention they need to be successful and to the research-based and innovative methods Rainbow teachers use. Second, the students’ test scores steadily increase from the third grade through eighth grade. Although the chart isn’t a straight line, the general trend in all three subjects is to be well above average in the third grade, while steadily rising through the middle school years. This data trend speaks to the academic foundation Rainbow provides students in the primary years (focusing on imagination, concrete/hands-on learning, broad content, creativity, and multiple intelligences) and to the increased academic rigor in the older grades.
Rainbow Mountain is a holistic school that assesses students using a wide variety of methods. Standardized testing is only one strategy among many others, such as project work, research, oral response, and more. Rainbow teachers do not, in any way, teach to the test or prepare students for the particular SAT10. Rainbow administers standardized testing in the fall, so that teachers, parents, and students can better understand their academic skills and goals for the year. Also, since Rainbow students don’t receive traditional classroom grades prior to seventh grade, the experience with conventional testing is valuable in preparing students for high school.
Finally, Rainbow Mountain always looks at the whole child. Yes, we are thrilled that our students excel academically, but that is only one piece. Ultimately, true success in life comes from living peacefully, working hard, being creative and resourceful, acting on compassion, and having integrity.
by Renee Owen | Jan 15, 2010 | News
Spontaneous excitement about learning occurs frequently at Rainbow Mountain. Recently, a preschool teacher sharpened some snazzy pencils, slipped sparkly gel grips on them, and set them out in a basket. Two children discovered them immediately and asked what they were for. “These are for practicing writing letters and words,†the teacher said. “Where can we get words?†asked an excited child. “Look around the room. We have words hiding all around us,” came the reply. The children immediately began to look and discovered words everywhere. The teacher supplied clipboards and showed the students how to hold and use them. Soon, with great excitement, they were moving around the classroom, diligently copying as many words as they could find and returning to ask what they said. Other children noticed and asked for their own clipboards. A ready supply of clipboards and snazzy pencils are now on the teacher’s desk.
by Renee Owen | Dec 14, 2009 | News
Parents at Rainbow Mountain believe in modeling service to the community for their children. Last week, the American Red Cross Bloodmobile visited the campus so that several dozen parents could donate blood for the busy holiday travel season.
by Renee Owen | Nov 9, 2009 | News
As part of their Appalachian thematic unit, Rainbow Mountain’s third and fourth grade students recently enjoyed Fall Festival 2009 at the Arthur Morgan School in Burnsville. Seventh, eighth and ninth graders from Arthur Morgan School planned and coordinated all the events. Over the course of three hours on a gorgeous fall day, each Rainbow child had the opportunity to press cider, dig for potatoes, take a hay ride, paint a mural, taste goat cheeses, and try their hand at blacksmithing; learning first hand how people lived in our beautiful part of the world.
