Green School Weekly Newsletter – 17 Aug 2012

“To the uneducated, an A is just three sticks.”
A. A. Milne

2012-2013 Inaugural Green School Weekly News

Welcome to our first newsletter of the year! Much of the information below has already been sent to you, but we want to make sure that all channels of communication are open, and there is new material as well. Please take the time to at least have a quick read. We’ll be sending out more details next week. Look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Tuesday the 21st, or in the meantime at the GS family beach day at Double Six in Seminyak tomorrow!

Thanks so much and terima kasih banyak,

In this issue:

1. Letter from Director/Facilitator Chris Thompson
2. Welcome letter from Pak Andy
3. Sturday August 18th Beach Day Double 6 Seminyak
4. Alan Wagstaff speaks
5. Student Village Boarding Update
6. After-school activities 3 September -8 October
7. Soccer practise (training) and games (matches)
8. Balinese culture after-school programs
9. New Offers at the Living Food Lab: Sign Up This Week!
10. 3:30 – 6:00 PM Friday, August 24 Mepantigan Extravaganza!
11. Galungan Assembly: Monday, 27 August at 2:00 PM
12. Slow Food Event
13. 6 September Back to School Picnic
14. Our own weekly news

Letter from Director/Facilitator Chris Thompson

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to Green School, and a warm welcome to our new families. This year we plan to build on and expand the scope of our previous parent involvement program by introducing a new Green School Community Association (GSCA).

The purpose of the GSCA will be: “To provide a collaborative and supportive association that focuses the collective energy, skills and valued time of our parent community on activities which advance the mission of the Green School.”

For the coming school year, as the Green School’s Facilitator, I will meet every month with the proposed Teams and Task Groups of the GSCA, together with Ben Macrory, Head of Communications. Teams will be ongoing while Task Groups will be more project-oriented, with specific completion dates. For now, we will focus on the immediate action items below, but are always open to new ideas throughout the school year. We strongly encourage parental involvement in order to build up and strengthen our school community. Please review the opportunities below to see where you might become involved, and contact the coordinator of the team/task group, or myself if the coordinator is “TBA”. Additionally, please read the Weekly Green School Newsletter to learn about further opportunities for participation as well as the timings for meetings.

GREEN SCHOOL YEARBOOK
Description: Following on from the fantastic yearbook from last year we will create a yearbook that reflects the beauty, energy and passion of our children and school.
Coordinator: Margot Anwar (Arts teacher) manwar@greenschool.org

BAMBOO POST
Description: Our student-led newspaper covering news and events throughout the year.
Coordinator: TBA

ORIENTATION TEAM
Description: Organize the Orientation Fair (Aug. 16th), prepare welcome packages and help set up support networks for incoming families.
Coordinator: Tim Fijal (Head of Admissions) tim.fijal@greenschool.org

CLASS AMBASSADORS TEAM
Description: Assist the Orientation Team in welcoming new families, gather parental support for classroom activities, be part of a communication network and emergency phone tree when necessary.
Coordinator: Joanne Guelke (parent) joguelke@gmail.com

PERFORMING ARTS PRODUCTION TEAM:
Description: Assist with designing and building sets, props and costuming associated with our various school productions. Invite parents with expertise in sound and lighting design, shadow puppetry and carpentry skills to particpate. Go Team!
Coordinator: Sarita Pockell (Drama teacher) sarita@greenschool.org
.
ANNUAL FUNDRAISING AND SPECIAL EVENTS
Bamboopalooza: Ben Macrory ben@greenschool.org
Earth Day: Andy Slavin (Teacher and Student Manager) andys@greenschool.org

STAFF APPRECIATION TEAM
Description: Work collaboratively with the Students Council, Class Ambassadors and gather feedback from GS community to determine and initiate thoughtful gestures of appreciation to all our dedicated Green School staff throughout the year.
Coordinator: TBA

HEALTH AND WELLNESS TEAM
Description: Arrange weekday and weekend activities for parents, staff and families. These might include all levels of fitness & yoga classes, hikes, bike rides, dance walking, immune strengthening programs through the Living Food Lab and other providers.
Coordinator: Joanne Guelke (parent) joguelke@gmail.com

PARENT AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION SERIES:
Description: Organize programs on topics such as education, health, parenting, environment, First Aid, nutrition, language classes.
Coordinator: Andy Slavin andys@greenschool.org

GREEN ENERGY TEAM:
Description: Team meets weekly at 9 AM in Heart of School to discuss the continued goal of getting the school off of the grid with solar, hydro and other technologies. The team had a very successful year last year and got the school running on 80% solar.
Coordinator: David Facey (dvfacey@gmail.com)

Additionally, we plan to organize the following Task Teams:

Database of Staff and Parent Skill Sets
Description: Organize available information on every parent, teacher and other staff members to categorize skills, determine possible mentors and identify expertise that may be utilized in the classroom for the third (Experiential) Frame of the day. Input into an appropriate database that complements GS systems.
Coordinator: TBA

School-wide Culture Survey
Description: Survey Green School staff, parents and students to determine areas of potential improvement in the areas of community respect, inclusion and learning.
Coordinator: TBA

Welcome letter from Pak Andy

Dear Green School Families,

Believe it or not it is already August! New teachers arrived last week for their orientation training and returning teachers joined us yesterday. This must mean that the start of the school year is coming soon! The 2012-13 school year begins Tuesday, August 21st.

While you have all hopefully been enjoying your summer holiday it has been a busy time at Green School. We are in the final stages of completing 5 new classrooms: three new Middle School classrooms, a new primary classroom, and a Middle School Mini Science Lab. And, the new yoga studio is nearing completion as well.

We have many new families joining us for this school year and over 50 new students across the grades. We also have 11 new teachers joining us including four new primary teachers (due to the doubling up of Grades 1, 2, and 3), two part-time primary specialists (art and PE), an ESL teacher, a Middle School Maths teacher, and a school counselor. We had new teacher orientation last week and they are a stellar group of passionate teachers!

A few reminders as you begin to prepare for the first day of school:

The School Day
We begin at 8:15am each day and end at 3:15pm. Please plan to have your child at school before 8:15am so that s/he can be present when class starts. The beginning of the day is an important time for students to connect with their classmates and the teacher and to be part of the morning rituals that set the tone for the day.

School Supplies
All students should have the following items:
*a bag or backpack to carry their belongings
*good supply of pencils
*erasers (rubbers)
*colored pencils
*sharpener
*30cm ruler
*glue stick
*pencil case
*scientific calculator (Grades 6 and up)
*reusable water bottle (new students will be given a new bottle)
*hat
*small bottle of sunscreen
*PE kit and tennis shoes/runners on PE days (teachers will let you know the days)

Your child’s classroom teacher may request particular items in addition to this list and they will contact you with their requests.

Dress code
At Green School we want our students to be cool and comfortable, but not to be overly-casual. We politely ask all students to be sensible and to use discretion with attire. We appreciate your support in sending your child off each day dressed appropriately for school, particularly making sure that clothes are not excessively dirty and and/or torn (though we reserve the right to send them home dirty!). Additionally we ask that you send your children to school in clothes that are free of media images or advertising. A few additional notes:
*Footwear – Given the rugged nature of the campus, we recommend shoes with closed toes and backs. Though students do wear Flip-flops, they are not recommended for running around and outdoor use.
*Students must wear shoes at all times when walking around the campus, except in classrooms and HOS.
*Physical Education Class (PE) – a change of clothing is essential for every PE lesson. Sun hat, light cotton T-shirt or school PE shirt, sports shorts, and sports shoes are required.
*Hats – It is a requirement that hats are worn for outdoor activities including break times.
*Clothing advertising alcohol, cigarettes, and/or drugs are not permitted
*Special note for girls: Any female student dressing in excessively short shorts, thin strapped or low cut shirts, and/or any clothes that are unnecessarily revealing will be asked to change or put on a shirt or sarong provided by the school.

**Please label your children’s clothing for easy return! Last year we donated large amounts of “lost” clothing to a local charity. While we feel good about donating to the charity each year, we’d prefer to return items to their rightful owners.

Lunch coupons
For those new to Green School we use lunch coupons when paying for lunch. Lunch coupons are available for purchase at the welcome/concierge desk and cost 20,000Rp for Indonesian menu, 25,000Rp for International menu per meal. You may purchase them individually, on a daily basis, or in larger quantities.

PE and Sports Kits
You may purchase PE kits (300,000) and/or sports uniform (350,00Rp) from Risa who will be stationed by the concierge/welcome desk for the first two weeks. All new students will be assigned a house color during the first week and new families should wait to buy a PE kit until the house color is known.

Communications
If you are not already familiar with our School Blog I’d like to share the on-line address. We use this blog to communicate weekly classroom updates, share important information and upcoming events, request items for the classroom, and to make you aware of assignments that your child may need to work on at home. Teachers are expected to post weekly and we rely on these posts to stay in contact with you. http://blog.greenschool.org/

We also use email! Teachers will frequently send email reminders or will contact you to check in about something specific to your child. Teacher emails can be found with teacher profiles on the Green School Website: http://www.greenschool.org/staff/

Here are two more important links:
Events Calender: http://www.greenschool.org/calendar/
School calendar: http://www.greenschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Green-School-Calendar-2012-2013.pdf

Back to School Picnic
Finally, please join us on September 6 for our Back to School Picnic. We will begin at 3:30 with a short gathering in the Mepantigan followed by individual classroom meetings. We’ll end the afternoon with a picnic dinner on the field at 4:30. Please bring yourself a picnic dinner and join us on the field!

We begin at 8:15am on Tuesday, August 21. Please come early so that you can meet your child’s new teacher and so that you can be sure that your child arrives on time for the first day! We are looking forward to an amazing year ahead and we are thrilled you are with us!

Looking forward to seeing you soon!
Pak Andy

PS: Please note that the week of August 27th, our second week of school, we have both Tuesday and Wednesday off to celebrate Galungan. We will have an assembly on Monday, August 27th to celebrate Galungan. Please join us at 2pm.

Sturday August 18th Beach Day Double 6 Seminyak

This is open to all Green School families and friends meet at the beach with boogie boards, frisbees, soccer balls, and just yourself for a full day or make it a weekend in Seminyak. You don’t want to miss out on this, we always have a blast. We’ll start to gather around 11:00 AM – hope you can join us!

For directions, please see http://cocoon-beach.com/location/

Alan Wagstaff speaks

Pak Alan begins his series of parent and community talks this coming week. Location still TBA, but especially if you are new to GS, this should be an interesting and enlightening way to learn about the school’s direction.

Thursday, 23 Aug 3:30 p.m.
Subject centred to Student centred learning

Thursday, 30 Aug 3:30 p.m. 95% Rule – TAP and PAT

Tuesday, 4 Sept 3:30 p.m. SLOs – Specific Learning Outcomes

Thursday, 6 Sept 2:30 p.m. ILPs – Individual Learning Programmes

Student Village Boarding Update

The Student Village is very excited to welcome Ibu Madalena as lead Resident Parent for the 2012/2013 school year. Joining us from Portugal, Madalena is a mother and holds degrees in both teaching and psychology. We also welcome Pak Scotty Ze as assistant Resident Parent! Scotty plays a lead role in Green School’s amazing Green Supercamp program and possesses an infectious love for life and learning. Looking forward to a fun year!

After-school activities 3 September – 8 October

In a few weeks we’ll start our first set of after-school activities. The one exception is soccer, which will begin the first week of school- please see schedule below.

Noan / Graphic Design / Tuesdays, Grade 6 and up in computer lab
Shaun/Poetry Reading/Tuesdays in the Heart of School upstairs, Grade 3 and up
Ultimate Frisbee starting early Oct: Mary, Matt & Benny/Thursday, Grade 6 and up

Library and computer lab should also be available most days Monday-Thursday for all students in Grades 1 and up, but we’re still working on scheduling and staffing. More details to come next week.

Soccer practise (training) and games (matches)

Mondays: 11/12 Boys- Pak Chris M
13/14 Boys- Pak Yeshi

Tuesdays: 9-10s- Pak Peter

Wednesdays: BSSA Games for 9-14s
6-8s with Pak Eduardo, Ibu Michelle

Thursdays: 11-14 Girls- Pak Colin
BSSA Games for 7-8s

BSSA PE time: 15+boys and girls with Pak Colin

First round of games will take place on Wednesday 5 September and Thursday 6 September(7-8s). Coaches will e-mail parents about times and venues very shortly!!

Please keep checking the Weekly newsletter for updates!

Many Thanks!

Pak Colin

Balinese culture after-school programs

We’re very excited to begin this term a Monday-Thursday set of after-school Balinese cultural activities that includes martial arts, contemporary dance, carving, and gamelan. These will be offered to children in K and up. Unlike the programs above, these will involve additional cost, in the range of IDR 50,000 per class session, payable upfront for the whole quarter (ie, not available on a dropin basis). There will be discounts given for multiple class sign-ups. More details on pricing and schedules to come in next week’s newsletter.

New Offers at the Living Food Lab: Sign Up This Week!

Hope everyone had a great summer and is as excited as we are for the new school year. We met lots of new families and welcomed back many familiar faces at the orientation…great job by the organizing committee!

The Living Food Lab is happy to announce that our “Choose your own Adventure Bar” will be operating from Tuesday.

For lunch: start with a base of organic greens from the Green School Garden and choose your own adventure through a huge variety of toppings and homemade dressings to create a meal sized salad that is perfectly crafted just for you!

3:30 – 6:00 PM Friday, August 24 Mepantigan Extravaganza!

Did you know that Green School is home to a Balinese martial art form called Mepantigan that takes place in our purpose-built mud wrestling arena? Next Friday all GS families are invited to stay after school for a Mepantigan festival. Audience participation is encouraged, so bring a change of clothes if you feel like getting muddy. Entrance is free for GS families and all Balinese friends; IDR 50,000 per person for non-GS international friends. Feel free to bring people! Food and drink will be available for purchase. Please see program details below:

For breakfast: custom make your perfect breakfast at our make-your-own-granola Bar! This will be up by the end of the first week or early in the second week.

This year, we have three new offerings that require signing up:

1) Morning Smoothies: When your child arrives at school, a micro smoothie of (at least) 1 fruit, 1 vegetable and 1 superfood will be waiting to help them start their day with energy and focus. Each day will be a different colour!
2) Snack Wheels: By popular request, we will be offering school snacks in our own custom bamboo snack wheels. Each day will feature a wide range of items, like fruits and veggies, raw dips and sauces, living chips or other items out of the dehydrator, with a sweet raw treat to finish it off! Also possible as a lunch option.
3) Family Salad Bowls: Freshly made salads are sent home on a preordered basis, so you can boost your family’s intake of organic veggies without having to plan it. Salads and fresh dressings come in 3 sizes and are sent home 1, 3 or 5 times a week to suit you, and we can adapt your salad to account for allergies and other dietary requirements.

Check out the flyers here for more info and pricing.

These three programs will be starting from the 2nd week of school. Come in and talk to us about them and sign up, or call 081-337213649 or email info@livingfoodlab.com.

Happy Eating!!!

Living Food Lab Team (Steve, Avara, Ketut, Komang, Lukman and Gede)

p.s. As with last year, the Living Food Lab offers a tab system. You can put money on your account and designate who can use it and if there are any limitations on what you would like your children to spend money on.

Galungan Assembly: Monday, 27 August at 2:00 PM

Grade 1 teacher Ibu Peni sent the following piece about Galungan, one of the most important ceremonies on the Balinese calendar. As always, we welcome parents and friends to all assemblies. And while you won’t be sent home if you show up in normal attire, we strongly encourage you to wear appropriate Balinese ceremony dress as a sign of cultural respect.

Hi all,

All Indonesian teachers and classroom assistants are going to organize Galungan assembly on Monday, August 27, 2012 in Mepantigan at 2.00-3.00. We would expect all the students and teachers to wear sarung and sash as we’re going to have short ritual in Mepantigan on that day. Generally, the assembly will be a demo of what Balinese usually do during the celebration and the classroom assistants are going to perform a short dance called “Mejangeran”.

The Galungan itself will be celebrated on Wednesday, August 29, 2012.
Regarding to this, I would like to give you an idea of what these holidays mean to the Balinese.
Galungan is the biggest celebration for Hindu Balinese. It celebrates the victory of dharma or “the right way” over adharma (the opposite) which is taken from the story of Maya Denawa, a demonic king who did not allow the Balinese to worship God. He wanted to be worshipped as a god figure.
The gods were upset by this and the God Indra (God of War) waged war against Maya Denawa and won. And since that time, Galungan is the commemoration of this victory.

Galungan holidays are not only the one day of Galungan. The Thursday and Friday before Galungan are sugian Jawa and sugian Bali, a day of cleansing the household compound, the village of negative influences.

Those Balinese who are descended from Javanese do this on the Thursday. And those who are descended from Balinese do this on the Friday.

The following Sunday is called penyekeban, which means to cover up or hide and this is when the bananas to be used in offerings are placed in a cool dark place and covered so they will ripen in time for Galungan.

The Monday is called penyajaan and this is the day when the women make a special kind of cake to be used in the offerings.

The Tuesday is called penampahan and is when the animals are slaughtered whose meat is used in the offerings. Mebat or mincing of the meat is done on this day by the male members of the household. Also on this day, the penjor are erected in front of every Balinese house. Penjor are long decorated bamboo poles that represent a naga or dragon.
The top of the penjor is the dragon’s tail and there is a coconut placed in the small shrine at the bottom of the penjor that represents the naga’s eye. Penjor shows the ancestors that it is time to come into each family temple and represent everything that is need to sustain us on this earth (food, clothing, shelter, spiritual needs).

Wednesday is Galungan. On this day, the deified ancestors of each family descend into the already decorated family house temples where they will reside for ten days until Kuningan.
They are prayed to and given numerous offerings. Everyone dresses in their best, goes to the local temple to pray and visits their other family members.

On Thursday or Manis Galungan, the streets will be filled with people going on picnics, visiting relatives, etc. This is a very happy time.

Barong (four legged mythical creature that looks like a bear-lion) parade in the streets, where people give it money to dance in front of their home/shop to bring good luck. Ten days after Galungan is Kuningan when the ancestors return to their heavenly homes. Offerings called tamiang or shields are placed on the major buildings in every Balinese home and on automobiles.

Terima kasih,

Peni
Gr.1 B Indonesian Teacher

Slow Food Event

Here’s information on an upcoming event held by our good friends at Slow Food Ubud, many of whom are also GS parents. This organization does great work that is very much aligned with the mission of the school, and as the year goes on we’ll be cooperating in more and more projects together.

6 September Back to School Picnic

Thursday, September 6: Back to School Picnic. Begins at 3:30 in Mepantigan following by classroom meetings. 4:30 picnic.

Our own weekly news

To submit your own news updates for inclusion, please send it to communications@greenschool.org by 12 noon each Wednesday.We cannot always guarantee inclusion and we may have to delay for a week at times.

Visit the Green School Website: http://www.greenschool.org

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