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Newsletter: February 2009- Issue 1

Words from Wondertree

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

The time has also come, the teacher said, to write the monthly newsletter. And so that’s what he did, one fine Sunday morning.

January was the month that didn’t quite work out. The kitchen was a tad delayed due to… technical difficulties… but now has arrived and will be constructed with care the first week of February. The cooking, by the way, continues to get better and better (more on that later). The science experiment with sugar crystals was also a bit of a disappointment (nothing really happened), and the compact slippery ice, that refuses to go away, has delayed the construction of the shed/ greenhouse. And that was merely the beginning. C'est la vie.
It’s also been a little quiet on the Western front for mentors. Grown-ups don’t seem to be that motivated in the snowy month of January (maybe human motivation hibernates --- who knows?), so hopefully February will be a bit more ‘mentor-ish’. Sandy came in and helped students glaze and finish off their Christmas tree decorations, so those are now finished… for next year’s trees.
But it’s not all bad news. I found a penny. No, that’s not it. The good news is that the wonderful world of Wondertree seems to be creating quite the stir, all across the known universe. I recently got a phone call from New York (that’s the Big Apple people! --- I’m not kidding) from a mother interested in moving to Creston in order to send her three children to our fine school. There seems to be a lovely, lovely number of interested parents that want to see the kindergarten program blossom (like a red, red rose/ that’s newly sprung in June) and the meeting on February 13th should prove interesting. We may also see the beginnings of a teen program, as we link up with ISK (International School of the Kootenays) and the Vancouver Wondertree. Check out the ISK website to see what kind of courses they offer. Unfortunately they are only offering courses for ages fourteen to eighteen, but hopefully they will grow and expand as we do.

In the academic end of things, the students have discovered they actually like writing. Weird. Lately, they’ve been working on ‘communal’ writing projects, whereby one student starts the story with a paragraph, and then passes his/her story on to a peer, to continue with another paragraph, and so on, until the story develops over six or seven paragraphs. Then they started singing “I Get A Kick Out Of You” in their best Frank Sinatra voices. (“I get no kick from champagne…)

For those of you that don’t have access at home to the Internet, the desktop computer at our fine, fine school is now equipped with First Class (the ‘Village’) so come in and hang out, make yourself some tea and go for it (connect four!).

Also, at our fine, fine school is our new pet pony (just kidding girls). If you haven’t noticed, we now have a list of events available for easy viewing on the back wall of our ‘office’. Check it out, mark your calendar, and sign up to drive (if you haven’t already). There’s also a ‘Parent Notes’ whiteboard highly visible as soon as you walk in the main doors.

We’ve moved onto Step 2 of our cooking program. With the help of our lovely Miss Lori, students have been shopping for their cooking supplies --- choosing what to buy and what not to buy, in order to be within budget. A big ‘Way to go!’ goes out to all students that have made some delicious dining delights. Why, just the other day, Kaedyn and Brody made a fine homemade hamburger from scratch, with very clean (surgically clean) hands.

Finally, a couple thank-yous (and a hug, if you’re good). Thanks to Meme for organizing the Kimberley ski trip, Annette for organizing the Nelson ski trip (to come) and to Alison for organizing the field trips (to come) to the Cranbrook swimming pool, Nelson rock wall and other local trips.

--- Ciao for now! --- Chris Brauer

Newsletter: January 2009- Issue 1

Words from Wondertree

Hello all, and welcome to the first issue (at least for me) of the Wondertree newsletter. Hopefully everyone (young and old) had a relaxing holiday, got lots of rest, played with new toys, ate lots, and had fun in the snow. With the sun (barely) starting to poke its head out of the clouds, the tinsel shining on the tree, and a classic episode of Looney Tunes on the idiot box, I figured I should plunk myself down with a cup of tea and a Christmas cookie and compose this fine issue of what will become our monthly newsletter.
***
First of all, as many of you may have noticed, the online ‘observation for learning’ (or O4L) logs have changed in format. After discussing the matter with the Executive Committee this winter, and after talking to a few of you, I have decided that rather than write long ‘journal entries’ for the school, I will instead re-direct my time and energy towards these wonderful newsletters and concentrate more on individual observations in the O4Ls themselves. Feel free, at any time (almost), to approach me with any questions on what we’ve been doing, or what’s planned for the future. I believe that talking to you all in person, in the mornings and afternoons, is better than writing up long journal entries that may or not may get read.
***

December was a fine and fabulously frosty month, and I just want to mention a few highlights. First of all, our little office area is starting to take shape. The girls’ bathroom door was moved, an office ‘window’ was cut out, a new fax machine/ photocopier has been put in, and the Apple desktop is ready to go. Ilana Cameron will be coming in once a week to set up computers, help me with administrative duties, answer phones, juggle chainsaws, and so much more…

I am very happy with how the cooking program has gone so far. I wanted to see if students could first create a menu within a budget, prepare a meal in a timely fashion, and clean up without too much trouble, which they have done. I would now like to see students move from cooking prepared meals in a box or can, to actually cooking with ingredients. I’m also very happy with the sense of community a program like this encourages. If you’re interested in the lunch program, please remember to pay at the beginning of the week, as it makes shopping easier. Students will be shopping for the groceries in the future, and I don’t want to run too far over-budget. On that note, I will try to post the lunch menu in advance, for those that would like to make the decision on a weekly basis. Also, please note that it is very difficult for those preparing the lunches if some students only arrive with ‘some of the money for some of the lunch’.

I was really happy with how the students did at Swan Valley Lodge. After handing out homemade Christmas cards and little candy canes, students had cookies and hot chocolate with residents. It was, perhaps, not the easiest thing in the world, to be in a forced social situation with elderly strangers, but I know the residents of Swan Valley Lodge really appreciated the visit.

The students and I have been looking at the science behind various science experiments --- the non-Newtonian mixture of cornstarch and water; the chemical reaction between Mentos candy and diet cola --- and I’d like to continue doing those kinds of things in the new year. If you have any ideas, or would like to help with any of the science ‘supply lists’ keep your eyeballs on the village.

As I’m sure you all know by now, the Apple computers (two laptops and one desktop) have finally arrived (after travelling via Outer Mongolia and the third moon of Jupiter), as well as a couple Flip video cameras. Students have now been experimenting with the cameras for a couple of weeks, and helped put together some short videos. Check out the videos on YouTube --- look up Creston Wondertree --- and leave a comment. Also, Ilana and I have started revising our website with some updated information and pictures. Have a poke around. There are still some sections of the website I want to revise and add; so if you have any pictures, text or suggestions, let Ilana or I know.

Finally, congratulations are in order to Kaedyn, Liam, Adam, Clyde, and Brody for finishing their goals they set in late November. With minimal encouragement on my part, these boys took upon themselves to set their individual goals and finish them by a certain date.

***

The school continues to get even better and better. January should see a brand new, fully awesome kitchen with an oven, generous counter space, drawers and kitchen sink. The students have been doing a fantastic job so far cooking and cleaning every Thursday, and now this kitchen will allow students to make even better meals. Also, students will be taking part in planning and building a new outdoor shed, which will have space for a greenhouse, craft area and storage closet.

I’d like to see more mentors in the school, in addition to the carpentry mentor for the shed, and the music mentor starting again in spring, so I am currently in talks with more community members to come in and guide the students in different areas. Before the holiday break, students were mostly interested in bringing in a painting mentor, so I will look into that first. Also, our own Miss Lori will be coming in the mornings to do her teacher’s assistant practicum in January, which will give me, and the students, a helping hand, especially during more academic times of the day. Students are interested in planning and taking more field trips, both locally and not-so-locally, so if you have any ideas or suggestions, let us know! Ski trips are in the works, and when the snow melts, I’ll get a hold of the dinosaur people again.

Before I wrap up, I want to throw out some thank you-s. Thanks first to Bob Morrison for giving us an office space. Looks good. Darn good. Also, thanks to Sandy and her sister, Cathy Fiedler, for bringing in some clay and helping the students make Christmas tree decorations. Thanks as well to Bruce and Mary Johnston for sprucing up the place, Debby for organizing our trip to Swan Valley Lodge, Carryanne for researching our new kitchen, and resupplying the school with various stuff, and also a thanks to all of you parents for choosing Wondertree and having faith in me to shape your children’s future… and all that happy, hippie stuff! And thanks to the students for being wicked cool!

This ‘numero uno’ issue is merely a launching pad. Bong! Bounce! Ka-chow! I want to see submissions from you --- parents and students --- for future issues. Write some words of encouragement, educational-type things you’d like to say, or even a poem about a melting snowman that symbolizes the futility of life.--- Ciao for now! --- Chris Brauer