by Renee Owen | Feb 2, 2014 | Director's Blog, News
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
by Renee Owen | Jan 1, 2014 | Director's Blog
Jeffrey Sachs, one of Time’s “Most Influential People,” is the world’s most important economist. He works for the UN and countries around the world to promote sustainability, and he is on a life-long mission to wipe out poverty. Dr. Sachs is the originator of the Happiness Index — the concept that we should be quantifying a nation’s success on the measure of their happiness rather than their GNP. I was fortunate to meet Jeffrey Sachs when I was at Harvard this summer for the Future of Learning program, and was so inspired that I am going to be taking on online course with him beginning in a few weeks called the Age of Sustainable Development. Columbia University is offering the course free of charge, and it is open to anyone who desires a deep holistic understanding of how to move into the future sustainably. To resister for the course, go to https://www.coursera.org/course/susdev. If you are a teacher, Dr. Sachs and Columbia’s Earth Institute are allowing teachers to use the course materials to incorporate into their own instruction without copyright infringement. They are on a mission to spread the message. ~Renee Owen, Rainbow Community School
by Renee Owen | Nov 11, 2013 | Director's Blog
Photo by xedos4
From a fellow classmate at Harvard, “The only way for humans to compete with technology is to become more human.” (From the Future of Learning, Summer, 2013)
As I have written lately, the more technologically advanced society becomes, the less humans are valued for doing jobs that can be outsourced to computers. So the question we educators are constantly grappling with is, “What do we need to teach the youth of today, in order for them to be competitive in our new high tech world?
The overly obvious answer seems to be “computer skills,” but life is much more complex than that! Mika, one of my classmates this summer helped us realize that being MORE human, and therefore, more HUMANE, was the solution. As educators, the moral curriculum is more important than ever.
by Webmaster | Sep 29, 2013 | Director's Blog, News
Our circle at our All Hands on Deck parent meeting
Rainbow Community School has the opportunity of a lifetime: to acquire the church property adjacent to the campus.
We are a growing community in West Asheville.
Right now, our school has the highest enrollment in our 35-year history.
Our strategic plan compels puts us on the road to better-serve our current families, begin providing services and programming for alumni, promote our educational model all over the world, and ensure that the integrity and legacy of Rainbow remains stronger than ever
To that end, we’re bursting at the seams!
Sometimes opportunities come along that compel us to take action. And we must take action now.
An Opportunity to Increase the Size of Our Campus
The West Asheville Church of God is for sale – right next to Rainbow!
It is 2.64 acres of land and 3 buildings with 14,400 sq. ft.
This will allow RCS to fulfill nine identified needs:
- A community sanctuary
- A community garden
- Student support services
- Art and music classrooms
- Meeting rooms/community classrooms
- Parking
- A performance hall
- An athletic field & outdoor play space
….and most importantly…
9. Adequate space for classes!
The Capital Campaign – Rainbow Rising
In order to acquire the property, we must embark upon a Capital Campaign.
On Thursday 26 September 2013, we had an All Hands on Deck meeting.
Parents and Rainbow Community members gathered together. We had a Centering to put is in the mindset of being aware of our blessings and looking forward to the future with so much potential.
RCS parents had a chance to tour the church:
We began with Centering in the Community Center of the church
As with all of our Rainbow events, we begin with Centering. This time, it was at the Community Center at the current West Asheville Church of God. This allowed us to get a real feel for the new space.
Micah Pulleyn is an RCS parent who is heading up our Capital Campaign. Can you offer your time/talent/services as well?
If you have questions, you can contact Micah regarding our Capital Campaign. We need “all hands” to make this opportunity a reality.
If you can, we need volunteers who have skills and strengths in the following areas:
- office/clerical
- IT/tech
- event planning
- food/drink
- social media
- networking
- running errands
- photography
- writing
- graphic design
- fundraising
- hosting events
- willingness to make phone calls
- music/entertainment
RCS community members signing up to help
If you want to help we will have plenty of opportunities. **See dates below for more details.
During this Campaign meeting, community members had a chance to see the sanctuary. Renee asked everyone to write down, in one word, something that captures their vision, aspiration and hopes for Rainbow Community School on a card.
Renee, Director of RCS, writing down her intention
As we gathered in the sanctuary space, Renee had everyone place that card in a basket to embrace the realm of possibility.
Will you help us Embrace The Realm Of Possibility?
At Rainbow Community School, we have
We need your help to realize our goal.
One vision.
One dream.
One wish.
Our vision: acquire the church property.
Pictured: members of the Rainbow community touring the church.
The church property will usher Rainbow Community School into a new era.
We have big plans for the property
The property will provide Rainbow Community with the space it needs to fully blossom.
The Rainbow Rising! Capital Campaign includes five phases:
The first four phases of the Capital Campaign
An additional Phase 5 is not included in the Rainbow Rising Campaign. (Its costs are to be determined. Phase 5 funds will be from other revenues/sources raised in other years.)
**We will have another parent meeting regarding our campaign. If you would like more information, please consider attending our presentation at
MG Road
Monday 30 September
7-9 pm
$10 cover charge
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
