Rainbow at Asheville Mardis Gras Parade
Rainbow was a fantastic Mardi Gras Krewe at the front of the whole parade with our Rainbow Goddess, the big blue bird, the sun and moon, and lots of sweet children flying around as butterflies.
Transformation
Friday morning was the new moon and the Lunar New Year. We move into the Year of the Horse, and from a “water” time — a time of lots of flow and flexible change — into a “wood” time. Saturday was Imbolc — the true beginning of spring, energetically. Seeds and other forms of life are stirring inside, preparing for their time to burst forth.
What does this mean for you? What does it mean for Rainbow? What transoformation is taking place?
Here are some suggestions for how we can each look inward– and outward:
- Light a candle for renewal
- Meditate and visualize your spirit and how it is connected to Rainbow as a spiritual entity.
- If you are a general classroom teacher, take a long quiet moment to picture each of your students’ faces and heart…then picture their family…then picture their connection to community. How are they changing?
- Have a conversation with a friend about your life from a gestault perspective.
- Have a conversation with a friend about the “state of the school” and what are the possibilities for the future. What transformation is taking place?
- Find a place to watch the sunset.
With love,
Renee
Celebrating International Day of Peace at Rainbow
Today is the official International Day of Peace.
Our children celebrated on Thursday with a little play and poetry about what peace means to them, led by our 4th grade class.
We met at the outdoor stage and the whole community gathered to hear about peace.
Our 4th grade students leading our Peace Assembly
The International Day of Peace is sanctioned by the United Nations who began to formulate this day as early as 1982. The UN General Assembly uses this day to encourage a day of cease-fire all over the world and asks all nations and all peoples to adopt or strengthen ideas of peace.
In 2001, with the help of James Gilley, a British citizen who petitioned world leaders to adopt and observe a day of peace, the UN ratified the 21st of September as the official International Day of Peace.
“On this International Day of Peace, let us pledge to teach our children the value of tolerance and mutual respect. Let us invest in the schools and teachers that will build a fair and inclusive world that embraces diversity. Let us fight for peace and defend it with all our might.”
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
At Rainbow Community School, we strive to uphold the virtues of tolerance and mutual respect.
Traditionally, the UN as well as many world leaders observe a minute of silence at 12 noon in all time zones.
The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has a Message for Peace on this day. (Click on the link to see his message.)
Ideas for Celebrating Peace Day
If you would like to participate in celebrating this day of peace with your child, there are many things you can do.
- Light a candle with the help of an adult
- Get a peace lily
- Read about peacemakers
- Adopt peace
- Organize a peace march
- Write a poem about peace
- Make a peace crane
- Print out some peace quotes and post them in your room/home
- Make a peace chain
