by Susie Fahrer | Mar 29, 2023 | Blogs, CEO's Kaleidoscope, Director's Blog, Home Page News, News
Blooming Seeds
Working with a school based schedule, I often find my rhythm is deeply entrenched with thresholds built into our school calendar. As Spring Break quickly approaches, I feel the potential of the upcoming season with so many seeds from the school year beginning to bloom. Science Fair and PIP (Personal Interest Project) talks are just the beginning of student learning and celebration on display. The final months of the year invite several opportunities to gather for fellowship and celebration of the learning journey we have taken together this year.
While our focus is wholeheartedly on finishing this school year with integrity and presence, this is also a time of visioning ahead. This month’s Kaleidoscope will share several ways we are visioning forward as an institution.
Visioning Staff Transitions and Changing Roles
For our staff, this is typically the time of year that finalizes changes in roles and sometimes creates opportunities for new professionals to join our community. Below are a few shifts that we are excited to share with you for the 23-24 school year.
First Grade Assistant Teacher: We are excited to celebrate Josie Hoban’s decision to explore a new professional path. She will be joining the team at Asheville Community Yoga to help develop and lead their Children’s Yoga Program. We are so grateful for all the love, care, and community Josie has helped build at Rainbow over the years, and we look forward to opportunities for partnership in the future. We will begin the search process for a new First Grade Assistant after Spring Break.
Third Grade Assistant Teacher: We have loved having Donna Paxon with us this past year. Her joyful presence, heartfelt leadership, and quiet wisdom have been a huge asset to the third grade classroom and our broader community. We wish Donna well as she explores new ways to grow as a professional beyond Rainbow. We will begin the search process for a new Third Grade Assistant after Spring Break.
Omega ⅞ Team: We have a few shifting roles in our Omega team. To begin, Richard is off to a grand adventure taking advantage of his dual citizenship and moving to Scotland. He has professed that if he
could take Rainbow with him he would, and at the very least I am sure we will have some great pen pal opportunities in our future. Niki will be transitioning to a new role within the team. She will continue to teach mathematics and will be the primary coordinator for the diverse middle school programming that provides a natural counterpart to the academic coursework. This includes field trips, addiction and sex education, expeditionary learning, dances, community service and more. This is a role currently held by Lisa who will be reducing her time to serve exclusively in her capacity as a Spanish teacher. We will be hiring for Omega after Spring Break.
Facilities Team: Our long time Facilities Director, Max Mraz, has embarked on a new passion project with his family. They purchased some land and are building a wedding and event venue. This project has captured their heart and we can’t wait to watch it unfold. This has made room for Shaun Fain to advance to the role of Facilities Director and Eddie McCassim to take on a formal support role within our facilities team.
Hiring is a dynamic process at Rainbow. We use all types of outreach to attract high quality candidates that will help manifest the vision and mission of Rainbow. This process includes interviews with administrators, teachers, and demonstration experiences in the classroom. We will share updates about new hires as decisions are finalized in the coming weeks.
Visioning Resources for Federal Funding
As we look ahead to next year, we are also considering programmatic planning that needs our attention. Recently, families in K-6 received an outreach from Margaret Gerleve asking for some household income information. Please review this outreach and if you qualify, please return the forms by March 31, 2023. This is a wonderful way for our school to access funding that goes directly to student programming and teacher professional development.
Visioning for Living Our Mission
One of the things I deeply appreciate about our community is our ability to be flexible and compassionate. When Covid began we released some long standing traditions in support of fundamental wellness needs. We are now beginning the process of re-establishing these cultural norms.
- Technology– Computers provided a life-line to our community as children accessed education and social opportunities while in isolation. That being said, we are now ready to recalibrate our relationship with technology as a community in hopes of supporting moderation, meaning, and purposeful engagement of screen time and social media. Our final class meetings in grades 3-8 will be fostering a non judgmental space for families to dialogue about systems of healthy and mindful consumption of media and technology.
- Environmental Stewardship– Covid also had an impact on our use of reusable materials in the classroom and at community gatherings. We are hoping to revitalize our long standing tradition of using reusable materials such as water bottles, portable coffee mugs, plates and silverware any time we feast together. This often means Rainbow families travel with a “picnic pack” of plates and dishes to help reduce the need for single use materials. With all of the upcoming celebrations, we have several opportunities to practice this tradition.
Visioning for Safety
The recent news of another school shooting inherently creates ripples of grief, outrage, and disillusionment. Nothing can temper the sorrow we feel in witness to such tragedy. However, it often reminds us of how critical it is to continually communicate our approach to safety on campus. Faculty will be gathering this week to review safety protocols supporting shared responsibility for school and campus safety. We have installed a trial security system, and will grow that approach once we ensure it is worthy of replication to all buildings. All Rainbow staff complete a monthly ALICE drill training to help maintain proficiency with our emergency response systems and we complete regular age appropriate drills in the classroom. These topics can feel overwhelming to consider, and we recognize that there is power and security in preparation, shared knowledge, and consistency.
Visioning for a Thriving Campus: a message in partnership with the Board
It is with great enthusiasm that the Board of Directors and I announce that the Board has created a Futures Planning Committee to work on facilities and future planning. One of the primary roles of the Board of Directors is supporting the long term thriving of our institution. This is managed through the consistent and thoughtful application and review of policies governing the achievement of our ends and mission. One of the Board’s most visible contributions is through the acquisition and care of our facilities. In our recent history, this has included purchasing the Orchard House (Kindergarten), Omega Property, and our Allen Street rental property.
During the 2021-2022 school year the Board devoted time to evaluating our current campus. This evaluation surfaced the need to create a master facilities plan. After careful consideration, the Board has engaged Altura Architects to work in partnership with the Futures Planning Committee to design a strategic facilities document. Specific considerations include:
- Documenting a coherent short and long term vision for our facilities needs.
- Optimizing the green spaces and sacred elements of our campus with potential for remodeling and building new structures.
- Exploring the feasibility of a “More Than A Gym” structure that could provide adequate space for large group physical activity, gathering, and school-wide events.
- Considerations for traffic flow, parking, security and other safety needs that will enhance our current campus.
We will be inviting a cross section of the community to participate in an interactive visioning activity, facilitated by Altura. This step engages the wisdom of the collective, inspiring a final product in service to all of our stakeholders.
More details will be shared with the full community as we embark on this journey together. All questions can be directed to Susie or Kali DeWine, the Chair of the Rainbow Board of Directors.
May your Spring Break be filled with beauty, restoration, and connection.
Yours In Partnership and Gratitude,
Susie Fahrer
Executive Director
by Renee Owen | Aug 25, 2017 | Director's Blog, Home Page News
Dearest Families,
Welcome to the 2017-18 school year at Rainbow Community School and Omega Middle School. This is a very special year; it is Rainbow’s 40th anniversary.
In 1977, three visionary, highly educated women, who believed that education had the power to enlighten the world, decided to open a school founded on love.
Teach Love
Love — what a revolutionary theme for a school! It was so radical that these women spent a year educating parents about what a holistic school founded on love truly means.
Our founders began every school day – just as we do today– with centering, a mindful and heartful time used to create a compassionate classroom and support children in building a relationship with their higher selves.
Grow Love
Love is such a necessary part of being human that when love is nourished, children feel they can be themselves, freeing up their intellectual and creative abilities to become geniuses.
Children thrive when surrounded by love!
Because our children have thrived, our school has flourished.
Little did our founders know that 40 years later, the little school they had opened in a Sunday School room at All Souls Church, would have 222 students enrolled and be located on five and a half acres of central, verdant land.
Inspire Love
Love is contagious!
Not only does it spread from person to person, but when children feel loved, they in turn fall in love with learning.
What these founding women knew intuitively has since been empirically proven.
Thanks to MRI and other neurological technology that didn’t exist in 1977, we now know that emotions are deeply embedded into the brain’s learning processes.
Motivation is fueled by positive emotions, and when children are motivated to learn they can embody their whole selves, expressing their unique passions and sharing their diverse gifts.
Spread Love
Still today – 40 years later – we believe, just as our founders did, that an education based on love builds a solid foundation for strong communities.
Recently RCS founded Rainbow Institute with the purpose of spreading the Rainbow model of education.
This October 6 and 7 we hold our second annual More Than Mindfulness Conference.
This being our Fortieth Anniversary, one of our founders, Nura Laird (aka Ashrita Laird) is traveling from the University of Spiritual Healing and Sufism in California where she chairs the Department of Peacemaking, to give a keynote address on founding a heart-based school.
We are inviting all friends of Rainbow – including all of our former parents, students, and faculty – to attend the conference.
Alumni will also have a special opportunity to share stories about the fascinating and successful lives they now lead.
You are invited too! Register for our conference today.
Learn Love
Love is not to be taken for granted.
Like all good things, it must be learned, cherished, and practiced – at all ages – in order to strengthen it.
This year we begin our new parent enrichment program (PEP).
PEP will give parents and teachers the opportunity to learn from one another.
We will be exploring the science of childhood development and supporting one another in building compassionate understanding for our children and for ourselves.
Celebrate Love
This year, we celebrate 40 years of love.
We celebrate a vision of love that came true through forty years of service.
For forty years, teachers who chose Rainbow have dedicated themselves to enriching the lives of the children and families who chose love.
Serve Love
Ten years ago, I myself chose Rainbow.
And I chose Rainbow, like many of you, in large part because of our legacy of love.
I’ve seen our community grow and change dramatically over the last ten years, and always come back to that foundation of love.
I have learned that love often looks like service, and service is the best way to spread love.
I welcome your visits, insights, and questions as we continue to build on our foundation.
Let us each serve, in our own unique ways, so as to better extend ourselves into a socially just, environmentally sustainable, and spiritually fulfilling future.
Choose Love
I am so glad your family chose to be a part of our 40 year legacy of love.
A school based on love becomes an extension of home. We are honored to be a part of your loved one’s home, and by extension, part of your family.
To a year filled with love, inspired by learning, and committed to service.
Love,
Renee Owen Executive Director
by Renee Owen | Nov 4, 2011 | Director's Blog, Heart of the Matter, News
Gifted is an uncomfortable term. It seems to imply that some children are born with more gifts than others, and therefore, are more important or more special. The Multiple Intelligence Theory used at Rainbow Mountain recognizes that all children have gifts in various areas. One child may have musical gifts, while being kinesthetically challenged, for example. A child who may not consider herself to be academically gifted, per se, shines because they are talented in some other area, such as interpersonal skills, and at Rainbow, she will feel special for who she is. Our school’s mission is for all children to have the opportunity to discover and develop their personal gifts and talents.
This article is specifically about educating children who are academically gifted. A large proportion of our population at Rainbow Mountain is academically gifted.
Read entire article here.
by Webmaster | Sep 11, 2013 | News
Rainbow Community School has won a prestigious award: it has become a Green Ribbon School.
Why is this so important?
From the Green Ribbon Schools website,
The Green Ribbon Schools program is where health, education, STEM skills, technology and being green combine to propel entire schools towards a happier, healthier and smarter future. It is where students get more involved in school activities, not less, and where teachers and students become the true leaders of their schools and communities.
The community here at Rainbow is committed to a happier, healthier and smarter future for our students. We embarked on many projects in the last year to create a school that embraces sustainability. Our students are heavily involved in this process.
Take a look at some of the projects that helped us to gain such special recognition:
Building a New Playground
We built a playground that incorporated recycled materials wherever possible: from “dead” locust logs to urbanite (recycled concrete), the children can play in an area that was designed with nature in mind.
Our “Gnome Village” was built with recycled materials wherever possible.
Creating Gardens
Our fourth graders helped to build raised garden beds to learn about growing vegetables sustainably and organically. They used the scientific method to investigate vegetable growth, nutrition and predicted various results. They also incorporated their math skills by calculating the distance between vegetables and growth patterns. They also experienced the “farm to table” idea by eating the vegetables they grew.
4th graders learn about growing vegetables organically.
Create an Outdoor Classroom
In order to create what is dubbed the “Council Circle,” community members and builders found dead tree stumps and reclaimed them to become the “chairs” for our outdoor classroom.
The Council Circle fosters a community learning environment. Designed in a way that echoes the customs of Native American Indian tribes, this classroom promotes peace and appreciation for nature, as well as helps create an atmosphere of mutual respect and appreciation for not only the outdoors, but for fellow students and teachers. At Rainbow Community School, everyone has an equal voice.
Our outdoor classroom, aka “The Council Circle.”
Investigating Dinosaurs
Our second and third graders from last year did a paleontology dig to investigate dinosaurs. The dinosaur unit centered around investigation, writing, documenting, and seeing the world through a paleontologist’s eyes.
2nd and 3rd graders doing a dinosaur dig.
Build a Terrarium
Our first graders learned how to build terrariums. In the process, they learned about soil composition and how to create habitats for organisms such as ferns and moss. By the end of the unit, our students understood how important it was to balance water, air, and proper soil nutrition to create a suitable environment for plant life.
It’s fun to build a terrarium! First graders learned so much!
by Webmaster | Sep 18, 2013 | News
Before school started, the Rainbow staff had a chance to team-build on the Nolichucky River.
We met at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) and had a chance to do a centering before our rafting trip. Our fabulous upper grades Spanish teacher Lisa Saraceno helped make it all happen.
“I bring my family here to this very special place on the Nolichucky. I wanted the staff of Rainbow to experience this special, sacred place – together.” – Lisa said during our centering.
The rafting experience can’t be beat. Some staff members hadn’t been rafting and others had a lot of experience. However, they all built confidence and trust in each other as they ventured into the wilderness.
The Nolichucky River where everyone rafted was in western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee. Amazingly, there are parts of the river that can only be seen by train or by rafting on the river.
They encountered class III and IV rapids. Only two people ended up tumbling out of their rafts that day.
Do you think they’re concentrating hard?
Later that day, staff enjoyed more time with each other with a chance to see Mountain Lights Sanctuary. They had a simple dinner and enjoyed the natural surroundings. Colleagues could walk on forest trails, meditate, and take in the pristine beauty of a place designed to nourish the spirit.
With those experiences, the staff – centered, fulfilled and ready – could begin a new academic year.
Rainbow Staff enjoying the challenge of the river
