Today we dressed as our favorite character from a book. We had Harold from Harold and the Purple Crayon, Laura Ingles from The Little House series, Ghost A. Spade a character from a Japanese comic book, Prince Caspian from Chronicles of Narnia, Flower Fairies, The Cat in the Hat and Hobbes from Calvin and Hobbes.
Rainbow Mountain’s Spirit Week is off to a fun start. Today is Crazy Hair Day and many folks have me laughing out loud with their ‘dos. Take a look.
When you ________, I feel _________, because________. I need you to ________________, please.Â
Having trouble communicating with someone? Most of us have heard about using “I” statements for conflict resolution. Our students grow up at Rainbow learning how to recognize their feelings and how to express themselves compassionately, yet firmly. In many cases, they are better at it than adults.Â
Recently, the faculty had two opportunites to learn more about healthy communication and conflict resolution, both so we can teach it to our students and for our own personal and professional growth. Jerry Donoghue led a Compassionate Communication training at our faculty retreat in August, and in September, Rachelle Sorensen-Cox, from Girls on the Run, incorporated communication issues into her ADHD training. Rachelle taught us the “When you-I feel-because-I need you to… please” technique. The Girls on the Run program teaches this technique to girls in third through eighth grade.
Try it out, and you will find it really works. Why? Because it requires the speaker to identify what their true feelings are and what their needs are, without blaming anyone. As Jerry Donoghue puts it, “Most people are living in a right/wrong paradigm. Compassionate Communication gets us out of the ‘I’m right and your wrong’ mindset, and helps us communicate about what the true issues are, so we can solve problems.”
By the way, we learned in Compassionate Communication the difference between feelings and verbs. For example, If you were to say, ” I feel judged.” That isn’t a feeling, per se. Why not?  Your main clue is that judged is a verb. What you are really doing is accusing the listener of  judging, or of being judgemental, so it’s not really an “I” statement. Whereas, if you say you feel uncomfortable, that is an emotion.Â
Social and emotional intelligence is the key to successful friendships, relationships, and careers. As we learn to develop new communication habits as adults, hopefully, our children will learn from our example, and they won’t have to unlearn poor habits later on. To learn more about Compassionate Communcation visit www.cnvc.org.
Dulcimers made and played, beautiful clean hardwood floors to hold morning circles, private lockers for preteens in Omega, creative art supplies for budding artists in preschool and the lively interactions on the playground of a truly economic and socially diverse group of children…
Where do all these additions to enrich Rainbow Mountain Children’s School come from? They are made possible by each and every Rainbow Mountain family making their tax-deductible donation to the Rainbow Mountain Foundation. The Rainbow Mountain Foundation has for over fifteen years enriched our school and paid for creative and practical ideas and supplies for our wonderful, dedicated and talented teachers to enrich our children’s experience like no other school.
What and who is the Foundation? You, each and every Rainbow family, from preschool to Omega are the Rainbow Mountain Foundation and the way to support all the extras that every school requires.
The Foundation’s goal this year is $55,000. We move toward our goal with this letter to your family and plan to celebrate your support for our children by December. Please take the time now to pick up a pen and write out a check to the Rainbow Mountain Foundation, or simply indicate on the form provided the amount you wish to have billed to your account. It is essential that we all participate, whether we choose to forego a Friday night pizza and movie or we have the ability to make a large donation, each and every donation adds to creative programs and supplies that make Rainbow Mountain Children’s School a special place to grow and learn.
We all have so much to be thankful for at Rainbow Mountain Children’s School: a loving community of families; healthy children, eager to learn and grow; and motivated, talented teachers. Let’s show our support today.  If you have questions, please ask one of the volunteer Foundation members or your class parent. Some additional information is provided on the back of this letter about the Rainbow Mountain Foundation.
With love and gratitude,
Sarah Corley
Chair, Rainbow Mountain Foundation
Rainbow Mountain teachers offer our children education from the heart to the heart. In order to do so effectively, they need your support. The Rainbow Mountain Foundation provides a classroom allowance to each teacher to spend on items needed to effectively teach your children. Maps, microscopes, books, chairs, and lockers, are all items that teachers have purchased with RMF funds to enhance the learning environment in their classrooms.
Rainbow Mountain should be open to anyone whose heart calls them to the school, regardless of material wealth. You can make this vision a reality through your donation to the RMF. Money raised by RMF goes to provide scholarships to families who could not otherwise afford the tuition. These families increase the economic, social and cultural diversity that make our community vibrant.
Rainbow Mountain nurtures children in all realms: spiritual, emotional, social, physical, and intellectual. This holistic approach to education requires a strong emphasis in the arts, which connects all the domains. Funds raised by the Rainbow Mountain Foundation support visiting artists in residence at Rainbow Mountain. Students have learned puppetry, performed on their own hand-made dulcimers, choreographed and performed original dances, and sung and recorded original world music — all drawing upon the wealth of local artists in our community.
Smiling, squealing, Kindergarten “Mariposas” had a lovely first week of school, continuing several long-held Rainbow Mountain traditions. Beginning with themselves, students created self portraits, talked about their families, and each day shared individual reflections at the Closing Circle. Every morning with friends they explored their classroom finding seashells, river rocks, blocks, kitchen items, wooden animals, magic stones and much more. Along with teachers Doreen and Joy, they sang songs, did yoga, created watercolors, heard stories and learned how to “shake their sillies out!” Within the wider Rainbow community, they hosted a visit by the first grade class, introduced themselves to director Renee Owen, and played soccer with the second and third grade students. Mariposas will have numerous enriching experiences as they cross the bridge between the magical, creative playfulness of preschool and the cognitive development of the elementary years.
Our silly Mariposas!
For the past month Rainbow Mountain students have been learning alongside Asheville artist preparing for Imagine! An Asheville Arts Extravaganza. Fine artist, performance artist, and musicians have been all over campus. Jon Cooley is a little of all three and he is working with fourteen fourth through sixth-graders. First he taught them how to make a dulcimer and now they are learning how to play it.
Yesterday the Rainbow Mountain Dulcimer Players put on a performance at Barnes & Noble in the Asheville Mall. They started with the first song they learned on the dulcimers, Mary Had a Little Lamb. They also entertained us with This Land is Our Land, and Ode to Joy as well as Groundhog and other songs.
It was a great show and we look forward to seeing them on stage May 20th at Imagine!
