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With each new school year comes a "changing of the guards." A new class of students has entered its final year at High Meadows School and, as is tradition, they began their year with an overnight retreat. The retreat was a time for togetherness, as well as a time for setting the tone for an exceptional capstone year. For some students, this year marks the last of as many as 11 years growing and learning on the meadows!
 The students and teachers camped out on the Lower Meadow for two nights, cooked meals over campfires, and headed to Stone Summit for a day of rock-climbing. The purpose of the retreat was to focus the 8th graders on their unique role at High Meadows as leaders, as well as to highlight the importance of their last year as fully participating members of the community.
Many aspects of camping offered good opportunities to practice leadership: setting up camp, organizing meal preparation, doing the cooking and cleanup. But the students also took time to reflect, journal, and discuss attributes of good leaders. On Friday, after cooking a pancake, egg and bacon breakfast, the 8th graders participated in a workshop to craft a leadership statement. The students divided into small groups and brainstormed the top five attributes of a good leader. After organizing these thoughts into meaningful topics, each group crafted one portion of the leadership statement.
Focusing on the specific areas of group dynamics, communication, leadership skills, and outcomes, the students' statement included these points:
- As an 8th grade class, we believe that we should all cooperate together and should be directed toward accomplishing the same goals.
- We will be open-minded to be able to empathize with each other.
- Leaders must also take responsibility for their actions and those of the group.
- A good, open-minded leader is considerate to others and listens and acknowledges all ideas.
*Click here to read the complete leadership statements the group generated.
After the Retreat, the 8th graders felt prepared for their final year at High Meadows. More importantly, however, these students have built leadership skills that will serve them well in high school, college, and beyond.
Sincerely,
Pat Wolf, Middle Years Principal
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| A Surprise Delivery to Pre-K Ignites Imagination and Cooperation By Pre-K Teachers Lisa Williams and Amy Hastings
When a mystery box was delivered to their classroom, Pre-K students in the Hastings/Williams "Owls" class couldn't wait to see what was inside! When they tore off the wrapping paper, they were perplexed to find the box empty. So, what to do with a big, empty box? As it turns out, the Owls had so many ideas it was hard to decide! When asked what they should turn the box into, the 16 students had 16 terrific suggestions. Students were then asked, "How are we going to make a choice that will make everyone happy?" After making a list of everyone's ideas, they concluded that taking a vote would be the best way to help them decide. By using blue dots and then photographs to represent their votes, students decided to transform the box into a rainbow helicopter, a task that they have taken on with great enthusiasm! Through this process, not only have the Owls identified a fun re-purposing project for their class, but they have also learned about cooperation, compromise, charting, voting and more!
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Transdisciplinary Learning Connects 4/5 Class to the Congo
By Fourth- and Fifth-Grade Teachers Kerri Irwin and Brian Ivey
You know you're a 4th/5th grade student in the Irwin/Ivey "Crawdads" class when you make paper, cook and eat crickets, create "The World's Oldest People" picture book, and interact with a friend from Ghana all in a single school day.
Our class's "How We Organize Ourselves" unit provoked thinking of the universal characteristics of cultures. Specifically, the Crawdads studied the Mbuti people of the Ituri Rain Forest in the Northeast portion of the Democratic Republic of Congo. As a culture of hunters and gatherers, the Mbuti continue to hand-weave nets for hunting and live as nomadic tribes.
After learning about the Mbuti tradition of making bark cloth by pounding bark into pulp, the students worked with Art Teacher Brenda Major to create their own textile, paper, using a similar process. Come by their Fall Festival booth to make a bookmark with Mbuti art using the class's organic paper!
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| 4th and 5th Grade students make organic paper in their classroom. |
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| Students enjoy a visit from Nana Bandoh, Princess of a village in Ghana. |
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Ipads Bring Music to Middle Years Ears
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Fall Music 101 mini course students showed off their iPad music skills during a lunchtime performance. Click image below to see them show off their skills!
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High Meadows Families Connect Under the Stars
Over 80 people joined hosts John Dovic and Chad Brinker for the annual Fall Family Campout on Friday night. Campers enjoyed a beautiful, casual evening on the high meadow full of fun and fellowship. The evening included a hike on Shadowfox Trail through our forest and a campfire with S'mores. Campers were treated bright and early to a hearty campfire breakfast of eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, sausage and more.
A spring campout will be scheduled as well. Look for registration information in the spring after-school program brochure.
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The Hobbit,
A Middle Years Production
Showtimes:
5:00 p.m.
Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
Sept. 24, 25, and 27
Barn Theater
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Meadow Mile
Saturday, Sept. 26
9:00 am
Lower Meadow
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Fall Festival
Saturday, Sept. 26
10:00 am-2:00 pm
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8th Grade Parent Meeting
Wednesday, Sept. 30
7:00-8:30 pm
Middle Years Commons
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Positive Discipline Workshop
Thursday, Oct. 1
8:45-10:00 am
Library
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SHARE Meeting Monday, Oct. 5
8:45-9:45 am
Library
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Community Gathering (Parents Welcome)
Tuesday, Oct. 6
8:30-8:50 am
Early Years Courtyard
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5th Grade Trip to Rock Eagle
Wednesday, Oct. 7 - Friday, Oct. 9
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Fall Family Photo Day
Saturday, Oct. 10
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Thursday, Nov. 12
6:30-8:30 pm
The 2nd Annual High School Admission Fair
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Put your 2016 Taxes to work now!
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Sign Up Now to Volunteer at Fall Festival
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Join us for the
Annual High Meadows
Fall Festival
Saturday, September 26
10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Please click on the link
below to see what role you can play in this fun event!
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Crawford Cabin
was built in 1986 and first housed the computer lab and "Mema's House." "Mema" was Florence Crawford, founder Bill Crawford's mother, who served as an "on-site caretaker, office systems manager, summer camp craft director, and general model of good sense," according to founder Jody Holden. "Mema" lived in Crawford Cabin until 1991.
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