Welcome to the Rainbow Community School Blog!
RCS News and Updates
We are so excited to share with you everything that makes Rainbow such a unique blend of holistic education, academic excellence, social responsibility, and integrated community. Here you can find our reflections on the seven domains, our opinions on mindfulness in schools, our upcoming events, and how we’re revolutionizing education from the inside out. Explore the posts below to get a sense of what being part of the Rainbow community is all about.
Kaleidoscope – September 2019
Kaleidoscope A publication by Renee Owen for parents to get a better understanding of what's happening through her perspective I believe that every child should feel utterly special. That’s what we are aiming for at Rainbow. Therefore, in early September, when I found...
Collaboration and Renewal Before the First Days of School
Collaboration and Renewal Collaboration and Renewal: two key words that describe what it is for faculty to come back together for ten days of training before the start of school. Faculty and staff began their August workdays with something that is so integral to...
Imagine 2019 – Who Be The Whoman
https://vimeo.com/346434043 Imagine 2019 - Who Be the Whoman? Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? These are the questions humans have been asking themselves for as long as they have dwelt in this world. But how to answer such eternal questions? As...
Kaleidoscope – May 2019
Kaleidoscope - May 2019 I am the earth and the earth is me. Each blade of grass, each honey bee / each bit of mud, and stick and stone / is blood and muscle, skin and bone. I am the earth and the earth is me! ~One of Rainbow’s May Day songs The song “I Am the Earth...
What to do when your child is anxious
When your child is anxious In the two decades I have been in education, it has been alarming to watch the levels of anxiety increase in children. Child anxiety has become widespread, often crippling youngsters of the self-assuredness they need to be happy and...
Kaleidoscope March 2019
Happy Spring - Kaleidoscope March 2019 Happy Spring, everyone. We made it through winter! I am reminded of the line from the Merle Haggard song, “If we make it through December, everything’s going to be all right.” The thing is, I always wondered why Merle doesn’t...
Heart of the Matter – February 2019
In this edition of Heart of the Matter, Renee talks about Ends Policy #3: Community Resource. RCS is a community and as such, it serves as a resource for students, families, and staff.
Student Flipbooks Illustrate Newton’s Laws of Motion
Newton's Laws of Motion We stepped into sixth grade recently to find them learning about Newton's Laws of Motion. But it wasn't just any science class. The Kitsune created flipbooks to illustrate their understanding of these universal laws. The first law of motion is...
Kaleidoscope – January 2019
Kaleidoscope January, 2019 From the age of six to fourteen I took violin lessons but had no luck with my teachers, for whom music did not transcend mechanical practicing. I really began to learn only after I had fallen in love with Mozart’s sonatas. The attempt to...
Winter Program 2018
Imagine 2018 – It’s About Time
Kaleidoscope
Kaleidoscope, October 2018 I wrote this Kaleidoscope before we had another national tragedy occur: The Tree of Life Synagogue massacre. It is with a broken heart that I add this “introduction” to Kaleidoscope. Collaborative for Spirituality in Education As I write, I...
All in a day’s work
So many things...all in a day's work Sacred geometry, science experiments, and literacy - all in a day's work. Maybe not even a day's work, but in the span of an hour and a half, students experienced some incredible learning. Language Arts It was mid-morning, and...
Be the Change
In 2012 Rainbow Community School (RCS) was selected as an Ashoka Changemaker School, a network of schools that empower students as changemakers by prioritizing empathy, leadership, and collaborative problem-solving as student outcomes. They recognize the capacities of...
Points of Connection
Connection and community at Rainbow is often nurtured through rituals, traditions or celebrations that mark the passage of time. We begin the school year with an opening ceremony during which the entire school comes together to offer blessings and intentions for the...
The Heart of the Matter: What’s In a Mission?
What's in a mission? This school year I will be writing a series for Heart of the Matter based on our board Ends Policies. Ends Policies are written by the board as the guiding light for our school. They point the way toward who we want to be and where we want to go....
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...
Opening the Heart
Opening the Heart – Reflection and Centering At a recent admin meeting, Cynthia shared a centering designed to bring awareness to, and open the heart. Renee asked her to share it on the Director's Blog for others to enjoy, as well. Point to yourself Take a moment to...