In this edition of Notes from the Field, we want to celebrate two pieces of news. First, in response to popular demand, we’re expanding our offerings to include a Preschool.
As vibrant and holistically oriented as the curriculum for Kindergarten through Year Eight, this program will serve children who are 2 years to 3 years and 9 months. And while those doors are opening, we’re very close to reaching our goal of 90 enrolled students. There are only 107 days left before children, parents, and teachers walk through our fields and into the shelter of the bamboo classrooms to start the Green School learning adventure. But we’re almost at capacity, so please send in your applications now before the wait list starts to grow. We’re thrilled: the word is out about Green School, and our vision is connecting with everyone from villagers next door to new friends from far abroad.
We’ve got other people and happenings to introduce you to, as well, so please read on and learn more about our new Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten teacher Susan Allen. Meet Thom Henley, a leading environmental educator and a recent visitor, and see what he has to say about our School. Follow or even join us on a trash collection project on the border of the Kul-Kul Campus. Watch and listen to a video of some of our youngest neighbors playing badminton, one of Bali’s favorite pastimes. And make sure to mark your calendars for the next Open House on May 25th and a new permaculture workshop on May 30th and 31st.
Finally, please be in touch. Do you want to attend our school? Schedule a tour or meet our staff? Teach here? Volunteer ? Let us know how we can link our lives with yours.
Highlight of the Week
Tropical Tots
Parents spoke and we listened. They needed a safe and invigorating Preschool for their children that would also provide a chance for adults to build a community as well. Last week, we broke ground on an elegant and playful new building, which will go up near our Kindergarten facility. Children ranging in age from 2 years to 3 years and 9 months can attend a morning or an afternoon option, with a maximum of 16 students in each session. Please contact Ami at admissions@greenschool.org or call +62 361 469 875 for more information about our curriculum, teachers, tuition, and details of the schedule. Please join us in spreading the word about this exciting development.
Before and After
First Steps: Kindergarten
This month, construction crews began to lay the foundation for Green School’s Kindergarten. The mushroom-shaped design features a central tower made of bamboo, which supports an undulating roof of alang-alang.
Inside, steps and a gentle, built-in slide connect a series of levels arranged in a circle. Furniture that derives its shapes from organic forms will also create fun and stimulating environments for learning and play. An enclosed outdoor space shaded by palm trees surrounds the entire area.
Helping Hands
Trash Talk
Recently, several of us at Green School went for a run and stumbled on a trash pit near a verdant patch of sawah or rice field. Imagine this: banana plants, coconut trees, fields of peanuts and then: a cleft in the earth filled with shiny bits of tin foil, plastic bags, and bottles. Amidst the luxuriant green, a small disaster. Inspired, we decided to take a few small steps toward connecting with our neighbors and doing what was right. What you’ll see below is a picture of “before” and a little bit of “after.” This engagement will evolve into an ongoing project with multiple participants and multiple problems to solve.
We’d love your help on this and lots of other endeavors. Want to spend time with us collecting trash and meeting neighbors? Would you like to spearhead another environmental effort? As recent visitor Thom Henley notes, when children learn to love the planet, they develop a natural desire to preserve it. In any case, let us know your thoughts, and keep your eyes out for updates on our progress on cleaning.
Residents and Friends
Gusde, in the background, and Gede, new playmates from the neighborhood, learning to use baseball mitts just below the Director’s House.
Rumput the Rabbit nibbles his organic lunch.
Bumba the Billy Goat gets ready for his close-up.
“Find your place on the planet, dig in, and take responsibility from there.”
~Gary Snyder, poet and activist
Green People
Susan Allen
Classroom Teacher
Pre-K/Kindergarten, 2008-2009
Susan Allen comes to Green School with 17 years of experience in the fields of environmental education, integrated arts education, and English as a second language. She’s taught students ranging in age from toddlers to adults in settings as diverse as gardens and museums, galleries and primary schools. In addition, Susan has trained teachers in the methodology of learning through the arts. She holds a Masters in Environmental Studies and has completed two years of her doctorate in Holistic Education. Fluent in Bahasa Indonesia, Susan loves to study language acquisition and its connection to storytelling, movement, visual arts, and music. And she’s a gifted practictioner of wayang kulit, a form of Indonesian puppetry.
Thom Henley
May 2008 Internationally known as an environmentalist, human-rights advocate, and educator, Thom Henley has helped preserve millions of acres of wilderness and inspired thousands of young people worldwide to love and preserve the earth. About his visit to Green School Thom said, “Brilliant, bold , visionary—does not begin to describe what is happening at Green School—a paradise setting, inspired architecture, and a revolutionary approach to education.”
Green School Open House Sunday, May 25th Come get earthy. Help us build and decorate a new mud wall. Learn about our eco-friendly building techniques and our earth-centered curriculum and practices. Visit our spectacular campus embracing sustainable education and entrepreneurship. Please RSVP to (0361) 469-875 or write to us at info@greenschool.org.
A Greener Future: Permaculture for the 21st-Century Friday, May 30th andSaturday, May 31st
Green School and Yayasan Kul-Kul would like to share their extensive experience as stewards for the earth through a workshop on permaculture. Participants will be directly involved in making compost, designing an organic garden, and creating a worm farm.
Recent Events:
April 2008 Green Schoolers about to immerse themselves on a whitewater rafting trip down the Telaga Waja River.
Pardon Our Appearance
Images of our Flourishing Campus
Workers engaged in the early stages of building a three-bedroom faculty house out of bamboo and alang-alang.
This road, made of lava rocks that will be cushioned by sand, will provide safe passage for students, teachers, parents, and neighbors walking along the west side of the campus.
Campus Chorus
A clip of a friendly game of badminton played on our campus last Saturday afternoon.
About Green School
Green School opens in September 2008 for students in Preschool and Kindergarten through Year Eight, with highly talented students and faculty from communities in Bali and around the world. Our beautiful eight-hectare Kul-Kul Campus is located in Sibang Kaja, Bali, 15 minutes north of Denpasar or 20 minutes south of Ubud.
As vibrant and holistically oriented as the 
Parents spoke and we listened. They needed a safe and invigorating Preschool for their children that would also provide a chance for adults to build a community as well. Last week, we broke ground on an elegant and playful new building, which will go up near our Kindergarten facility. Children ranging in age from 2 years to 3 years and 9 months can attend a morning or an afternoon option, with a maximum of 16 students in each session. Please contact Ami at 
This month, construction crews began to lay the foundation for Green School’s Kindergarten. The mushroom-shaped design features a central tower made of bamboo, which supports an undulating roof of alang-alang. 
Inside, steps and a gentle, built-in slide connect a series of levels arranged in a circle. Furniture that derives its shapes from organic forms will also create fun and stimulating environments 
Recently, several of us at Green School went for a run and stumbled on a trash pit near a verdant patch of sawah or rice field. Imagine this: banana plants, coconut trees, fields of peanuts and then: a cleft in the earth filled with shiny bits of tin foil, plastic bags, and bottles. Amidst the luxuriant green, a small disaster. Inspired, we decided to take a few small steps toward connecting with our neighbors and doing what was right. What you’ll see below is a picture of “before” and a little bit of “after.” This engagement will evolve into an ongoing project with multiple participants and multiple problems to solve.
We’d love your help on this and lots of other endeavors. Want to spend time with us collecting trash and meeting neighbors? Would you like to spearhead another environmental effort? As recent visitor Thom Henley notes, when children learn to love the planet, they develop a natural desire to preserve it. In any case, let us know your thoughts, and keep your eyes out for updates on our progress on cleaning.
Gusde, in the background, and Gede, new playmates from the neighborhood, learning to use baseball 
Rumput the Rabbit nibbles his organic lunch.
Bumba the Billy Goat gets ready for his close-up.
Susan Allen
Internationally known as an environmentalist, human-rights advocate, and educator, 
Green Schoolers about to immerse themselves on a whitewater rafting trip down the Telaga Waja River.
Workers engaged in the early stages of building a three-bedroom faculty house out of bamboo and alang-alang.
This road, made of lava rocks that will be cushioned by sand, will provide safe passage for students, teachers, parents, and neighbors walking along the west side of the campus.
Green School opens in September 2008 for students in Preschool and Kindergarten through Year Eight, with highly talented students and faculty from communities in Bali and around the world. Our beautiful eight-hectare Kul-Kul Campus is located in Sibang Kaja, Bali, 15 minutes north of Denpasar or 20 minutes south of Ubud.
