by Renee Owen | Mar 29, 2018 | Alumni News & Accolades, Director's Blog, Home Page News
Academic Achievement of Rainbow Learners: Alumni Performance After Rainbow
We wanted to track our alumni performance after Rainbow and share just how well our students perform.
Finding data that accurately reflects how our holistic learners perform academically is complex.
Standardized tests certainly don’t reflect our curriculum or our beliefs about developmentally
appropriate education. Our curriculum emphasizes critical thinking and innovation.
In looking at facts and figures in math, Rainbow students score highest on quantitative reasoning and sometimes lower in rote computation. Language arts and reading scores commonly reflect slightly lower numbers on mechanics (spelling, punctuation, etc.), but high on reasoning, analysis, and organizing ideas.
Our Students Are Prepared to Lead
As we move into the age of artificial intelligence, our graduating students are prepared to be leaders. They know how to truly think, design, plan, and act. For a child who progresses sequentially through the grade levels at Rainbow, the early years allow ample time to explore, think, and learn content – especially science and social studies. Students explore their world, ponder it, organize, and eventually learn how to re-create it, with unique ideas.
In later years, students learn mechanics and perfect their computational skills. This allows them to learn those skills quickly and easily. This frees up time in the younger years so that they have every opportunity to “light up all areas of the brain.” They don’t have to overly drill on these few, narrow skills. By the end of 8th grade, our students are ready for high school and beyond. They often test out of introductory courses into more advanced levels of Math, English language and reading, as well as more advanced world language classes.
How Do Rainbow Graduates Do In High School?
One of the most common questions parents ask during the admissions process is “How well do Rainbow graduates perform in high school?” While the majority of our graduates attend SILSA – an all honors science inquiry-based program at Asheville High – RCS students attend a variety of schools.
The Data
Recently we asked SILSA and Asheville High to disaggregate the GPA data of Rainbow students attending high school there. They analyzed all 29 RCS graduates, from freshmen to seniors, and compared their GPA averages with the rest of the SILSA student population overall:
We’re grateful to SILSA for compiling this data for us! SILSA often compliments us on our Rainbow graduates. We get news of the many awards they win, and this numerical GPA data is very helpful in helping us track how well our students are doing.
The second most common school our graduates attend is Carolina Day School. We will be sure to collect a list of the many awards they will be garnering at the end of this year. Last year, a Rainbow graduate won the Faculty Prize at the Carolina Day graduation. This is a terrific honor. This prize is prestigious: all the faculty vote for a student based on character, academics, and service.
We are so very proud to send Rainbow students into the world who are accomplished, confident, and creative learners. They are prepared to be compassionate leaders in a changing world. They think out of the box and are poised to innovate.
In fact, our current 4th grade teacher, Susie, shared a funny story recently. In her first year at Rainbow, she was administering a standardized test to her students. She knew she was at a different kind of school when her students started coming up to her saying, “We don’t like any of these answers. Can we just write them in?” This is not unusual for an RCS student, and it’s what sets Rainbow Community School apart.
by Cynthia Calhoun | Mar 28, 2018 | News
The Charleston Chronicles
Our Omega 7/8 students are on their annual trip to Charleston – and this post entry is “The Charleston Chronicles.”
Their teachers have been updating all of us with emails of their trip, including details of what they have been doing.
As they chronicle their voyage and educational experiences, we wanted to share them here with you. These entries are courtesy of Susan Waddell.
March 26
We had a FABULOUS first day! After getting ice in the coolers filled with snacks and breakfast foods at the first rest stop we came across, we were on our way. We watched The Princess Bride when en route. Many kiddos enjoyed seeing it again, quoting it, and even, for some, seeing it for the first time.
We arrived at Bull Island at 1:00PM and boarded a boat/ferry that took us across the Intercostal Highway to the barrier island, Bull Island.
We experienced many different ecosystems, and we saw a variety of life forms. Almost immediately, we spied some chilly alligators trying to soak up the few sun rays that made it through the clouds today. Additionally, we traversed the barrier island and made it to the ocean where we all played and explored the windy landscape for just over a half an hour.
Once we returned to the main land, we boarded our bus and headed out for dinner to finally settle into our home for the next three nights.
Thank you to everyone for getting your Omegans to us on-time this morning. Gratitude for the Kerns who grabbed some milk jugs of water. Additionally, a huge thank you to the Tintingers for getting out snacks and breakfast items. They then sorted them in the most efficient way. Finally, they also created a special homemade treat we all enjoyed after dinner tonight.
It takes a village!
Enjoy the photos, and if I didn’t get a close up of your Omegan today, don’t fret, more photos will be coming each evening.
Until tomorrow!
March 27
Wow, what a LONG and incredibly fulfilling day! Alarms (that had been left set for a normal school day) started to chirp, buzz, and play at 5:30AM in some cabins this morning. Even though that was earlier than necessary, with sleepy eyes, our Omegans started to stir. By 8:15, we were able to circle up and center before our adventures.
We began with a tour of the aircraft carrier, USS Yorktown. Next was the destroyer, the USS Laffey. Afterward, we went to see a submarine, the USS Camagore. Students (and teachers) marched up and down stairs, and across grates and steel. They experienced the day in the life of our veterans.
From there, we moved to the waterfront to enjoy lunch and quality community building time in play. Students saw dolphins in the bay, and practiced their latest gymnast tricks. Of course, they also showed off their ninja moves, and laughed (a lot!).
In the afternoon, a small group of students ventured to the Charleston Museum, and a larger group investigated the Aquarium. From sea turtles to stingrays, tea parties to dress-up, smiles were infinite.
Dinner was at the Screen Door, and everyone had their fill, for we had all worked up quite an appetite.
Our final destination was the beach where students jumped waves, enjoyed a sweet treat, and eventually formed a HUGE volleyball game.
All is quiet in the cabins now as we rest for Day 3.
Here are some shots of the day, and (lucky us!!) we have more to come from Sheila!
Look out for an update tomorrow night.
Thank you for trusting us with your kiddos. We are enjoying the time with each of them! Click on the gallery of images to enlarge them.
March 28
What an amazing last day.
We had a late start, which was nice, so we didn’t circle up until 9:15 this morning. We started in circle and by stating the following quote:
“The more often we see the things around us- even the beautiful and wonderful things- the more they become invisible to us. That is why we often take for granted the beauty of this world: the flowers, the trees, the birds, the clouds- even those we love. Because we see things so often, we see them less and less.” –Joseph B. Wirthlin
A quote to remind each of us to listen deeply to those who had information to share with us today: information new to some and known by others, regardless, information and ideas easily and often taken for granted.
We boarded the bus for the 40 minute trek to the Birds of Prey exhibit. It is beyond words. From bald eagles, to baby owls, we were reminded of the impact humans have on our planet and the creatures on it, and how truly incredible ALL birds are.
After our 2 hour tour, we boarded the bus and headed back to Charleston. We ate lunch on the bus while we were entertained by the Gullah Tour founder, Alphonso Brown, who opened our eyes to some of the history that doesn’t make its way to traditional history books. After he serenaded us through the East side, we switched to a second tour guide and headed off to the Angel Oak. It was majestic and this tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable.
We returned to the city for dinner at Mellow Mushroom ~ and some time in community. It is so great seeing these kids eat a meal while laughing and sharing tales from our week.
We then returned to the water front to play before our haunted tour. The guides were fantastic story tellers leaving many of our Omegans a tad frightened to go to sleep tonight!!
Take a look at the gallery to see the photos that illustrate our adventures.
I hope to send another message out before we get home tomorrow. Again, thank you for letting us spend this time with your children. Memories have most certainly been made and will be cherished for a long time to come.
Until tomorrow,
The Omega Team
by Michael Valentino | Jan 23, 2018 | Blogs, Events
Vampires, werewolves, goblins and ghouls, welcome to the annual Monster Cabaret.
Monster Theater
So begins our adventure down into the underground world of monster theater, where monsters, who have been rejected from human society, finally feel safe to express themselves authentically. That is until four human kids put on monster disguises and infiltrate the monster world!
As the human ‘spies’ slip in and out of vampire dressing rooms and werewolf howl-offs, they each discover the pitfalls of their own assumptions. Soon however, eyes are opened, long lost friends are reunited, and working through conflict leads to lasting connection.
More than anything, “We Are Monsters” reveals the power of compassion and friendship through self expression and loving acceptance. During these overwhelming times of divisiveness, there is no message more vital to our transformation as a society, than this one.
Thank you to all of our incredible monster families for your absolute dedication and support. You have deeply inspired us and we could not be more grateful.
Who:
Rainbow’s End After School Students
What:
“We Are Monsters”
Where:
Rainbow Community School Auditorium
by West | Oct 30, 2017 | Blogs, Home Page News, Rainbow Institute
The centering rituals, although all rooted in mindfulness and in sacred spirit, vary from Rainbow classroom to Rainbow classroom. For example, the middle school, known as Omega, opens each centering with a reflection on a quote, a lyric, or a blessing. As centering opens, the students turn inward by recording the quote, which is displayed on a whiteboard, in their centering journals and connect with it through silent reflection.
This daily “food for thought,” sets a reverent tone, encourages contemplative thinking, nourishes class coherence while reminding us that learning is scared. A volunteer is asked to recite the quote and then the facilitator fishes for any reflections, questions, insight or comments. Students are encouraged to offer their own wisdom, tweeze out meaning, make connections, share personal stories, and/or give an emotional reaction to the quote.
On one particular morning, Freddie, an eighth grade student lead a centering inspired by the words of spiritual teacher, Eckhardt Tolle,
“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.”
Freddie paused after the quote and waited for responses. One student offered, “that we are often caught up in our past memories and mistakes or are thinking about what will happen next, that we dont realize the important things that are happening right in front of us.” Another student responded with “the past is full of memories, the future of hopes or dreams and the present- the present is where the two collide. It is important to savor that.”
Interacting with students in this way, keeps me in constant awe of the wisdom that is alive within them. What if every child had the opportunity to be contemplative, like this, each day? How would their inner potential and their inner wisdom reveal itself?
After a round of sharing, Freddie attempted to put the quote’s wisdom into practice. He asked that we each find a comfortable position somewhere in the classroom, close our eyes, and begin to focus on our breath. He began to ring a bell and noted that the bell would serve to anchor the breath. He said that if our thoughts wandered or drifted, each time he rang it, it would remind us to come back to our breath and to the present moment.The students seemed to relax into the meditation with ease and Freddie held space for this practice for about five minutes. Each individual student emerged from the practice relaxed, calm and focused and the group’s energy seemed more bonded or in a higher state of flow.
Overall, I feel that the mediation succeeded in supporting the transition from home to school, supporting class coherence and in opening up additional pathways to learning.
Meditation is one crucial tool that our children access…it allows them to focus on their breath, their bodily sensations, or on a word or phrase. In today’s fast paced society, it has become increasingly challenging to direct attention or efforts to a single point of reference or action. Alarms, meetings, deadlines, chores, commitments and to do lists can make it hard to embrace a mindfulness practice, a mediation or any deep relfection. A mediative practice, like the one described above has the power to turn attention away from distracting thoughts, past memories, mistakes or regrets, or future obligations and into the present moment. It is not only empowering but powerful.
What if alarms were used to remind us to be present, to pause, to notice- instead of to wake us up or get us somewhere on time? What if our to do lists became to be lists? What if every child was equipped with these tools and resources? What if…
by Admin | Oct 31, 2016 | Events, News
Come to Omega Middle School at 60 State Street in West Asheville on Thursday, November 10th from 6:15 to 8pm for presentations from EIGHT different local high schools! Choosing where to go to high school is a big decision. We’ve made things a little easier by bringing all the high schools together for one night and one night only! Each high school will briefly introduce their program before opening up the floor for questions and more in depth conversations. All are welcome to attend!
High School Presentations from:
Buncombe County Early College
Franklin School of Innovation
School of Inquiry & Life Sciences
The Learning Village High School Initiative
FMI: sheila.mraz@omegamiddleschool.org
