November/December 2021 Edition
Upcoming Events Calendar
Friday, December 10
River PVC Parent Coffee, 8:30-10:30 a.m.
MS Duncan Days, 3-4:15 p.m. (every Friday)
Thursday, December 16: Creek PVC Parent Coffee, 8:15-9:30 a.m.
Friday, December 17: Last Day of Fall Semester
Monday, December 20 - Sunday, January 2: Winter Break for Students and Staff
Thursday, January 6: MS Director’s Coffee, River Campus, 8:30-9:15 a.m.
Saturday, January 8:
Tuesday, January 11: HS Director’s Coffee, River Campus, 9:30-10:15 a.m.
Thursday January 13: Elementary Director’s Coffee, Creek Campus, 8:15-9:30 a.m.
Friday, January 14: Hawks Basketball Spirit Night:
MS Girls V. Founders Classical, Austin Recreation Center, 5 p.m.
MS Boys V. Founders Classical, Austin Recreation Center, 6 p.m.
HS Boys V. Waldorf, Austin Recreation Center, 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday, January 18: Early Childhood Director’s Coffee, Springs Campus, 8:30-9:30 a.m.
Saturday, January 22: MS/HS Admissions Open House, 1-2:30 p.m.
Thursday, January 27: IB Information Night, 6-7:30 p.m.
Thursday, February 3: Parent Ed: Loving Limits Teen Edition, 6:30-8 p.m.
Tuesday, February 8: Elementary Family Night
Thursday, February 10: Board of Trustees Meeting, 6-8 p.m.
Wednesday, February 16: Friends of the FUNd: Galentines Day
Thursday, February 17: Primary Family Night, 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Friday, February 18: Student Holiday/ Staff Development
Thursday, February 24: Parent Ed: Executive Function, 6:30-8 p.m.

See the entire calendar online at headwaters.org/calendar.
Ted Talks: Listening and Learning
By Ted Graf, Head of School

After weathering so much uncertainty over the past twenty months and making so many sacrifices, I entered the school year wanting to rebuild connection and dialogue with as many colleagues as possible. To that end, I began meeting individually with guides and staff back in September. There is nothing complex about these meetings—they are listening sessions mostly, and a chance to hear responses to the following questions:

  • If you returned to Headwaters this year, why did you return?
  • If you are new to Headwaters, why did you join us and what brought you here?
  • What do you imagine for yourself over the next three years (give or take)?
  • What do you imagine for the school over the next three years?
  • When you imagine your future path and the school’s future path, what might interfere or disrupt those paths?

Some of the themes are fascinating and inspiring. Click here to read those themes and more.
Guide Spotlight: Irene Kirschenbaum
We are so excited to feature Primary Guide Irene Kirschenbaum! Irene joined us this summer on the Springs Campus in the newly created Robin’s Classroom along with Chelsea Scott. Together they are leading a class of younger Primary students who are as young as two-and-a-half years old! 
 
Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, Irene’s experience with Montessori actually started as a student in early childhood education. She says, “With fond memories of this Montessori experience as a student, I know that the prepared Montessori environment promotes exploration, autonomy, and enthusiasm through a deep respect for the learner and the learning process.”
 
Irene then attended The Ohio State University graduating with a Bachelor of Arts English degree. She majored in Creative Writing and has a minor in Spanish. She continued her education and earned her Montessori Early Childhood Education Credential from the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies in Boulder, Colorado before moving to Austin in 2013.
Parent Education
Each year, we host a number of parent education events on each campus. These free events offer expertise, support, and connection to our families, and we strive to find speakers and topics that are timely and relevant to each stage of parenting. Here are the events that have happened or are coming up this school year:
  • Worries, Fears, & Tears: How to help kids cope with anxiety and overwhelm in a busy world with Bethany Prescott, MA, LPC | Session Recording
  • Headwaters Math Progression Workshop with Headwaters Guides from YCC through High School | Session Recording Coming Soon!
  • Middle School Matters Book Club with Terra Lynch in November | Stay tuned for a Spring Book Club discussion on Tech Generation: Raising Balanced Kids in a Hyper-Connected World before the author, Dr. Mike Brooks, comes to speak on April 14!
  • Sleep Workshop with Irene Kirschenbaum, Primary Guide | Coming in Spring Semester (date and time TBA)
  • Loving Limits: Teen Edition with Bethany Prescott, MA, LPC | Coming Thursday, February 3, 6:30-8 p.m.
  • Executive Function Workshop with Learning Specialists Alex Gantley and Lauren Rivas | Coming Thursday, February 24, 6:30-8 p.m.
  • Tech Generation: Raising Balanced Kids in a Hyper-Connected World with Dr Mike Brooks | Coming Thursday, April 14, 6:30-8 p.m.
  • Reducing Unwanted Behaviors in Your Young Child with Caroline Roesel, BCBA | Coming in April (date and time TBA)

We would love to hear your ideas and feedback on topics that might be of interest to you. Feel free to submit those to Amy Nylund at a.nylund@headwaters.org. We also hope to bring back our Headwaters Film Series soon, so feel free to submit ideas for films that would be good for our school community to view together and discuss!
Student Spotlights
Headwaters Film Department Presents 
Our very own Headwaters Film Department just debuted their latest film on social media. Check out this link to enjoy an homage to the “King Of The Hill” intro made by and featuring members of the senior film class. 

We’re excited to share more work from our students each month. Be sure to follow us on social media for more!
Community Shout-Outs
Trustee and Parent Allan Cole’s New Role at The University of Texas 
 
Trustee and Headwaters parent Allan Cole was recently named Deputy to the President for Societal Challenges and Opportunities at The University of Texas at Austin. 

Allan, who joined the Headwaters Board of Trustees last spring, has been working in higher education since he moved to Austin in 2003. Ever since starting his work with the University of Texas in 2014, he has been able to explore his research and teaching interests including chronic illness, health humanities, and mental health. He has also authored or edited eleven books; his latest being Counseling Persons with Parkinson’s Disease. 

We invite you to check out this article, “We Built this City. Now, Can UT Help Make Austin the Best Version of Itself?” from the University explaining his new role, including a really informative question-and-answer section. Congratulations, Allan!
Come Cheer On the Hawks at Spirit Night!
Basketball season is on for our middle and high school student athletes. We invite the community to come to a game anytime, but want to especially invite everyone to Basketball Spirit Night! Join us and cheer on the Hawks for three games on Friday, January 14, 2021 at the Austin Recreation Center starting at 5 p.m.

  • Middle School Girls vs. Founders Classical School at 5 p.m.
  • Middle School Boys vs. Founders Classical School at 6 p.m.
  • High School Boys vs. Waldorf at 7:15 p.m.

Check out the calendar for more games and detailed information.
Friends of the FUNd Events: Galentines
A big thank you to everyone who came out to our December event at Still Austin. We had a great time whiskey tasting and socializing!

Our next Friends of the FUNd event is Galentines on February 16, 2022. This will be a fun evening with mani/pedis at a local spot. Buy your tickets here. If you've already purchased a Friends of the FUNd membership, this event is included.
Headwaters School Store
Looking for the perfect gift for someone? Headwaters merch is a great way to represent the school everywhere you go! Celebrate the start of 2022 with some pieces from our school store or from Squadlocker. 

Visit today to see a special sale section of in-house merchandise. These are items that won’t be ordered again!
Save the Date for the Headwaters Community Picnic!
We invite everyone to save the date for our Community Picnic on Sunday, May 1, 2022. The picnic brings together families past and present, as well as Friends of Headwaters for a celebration of our community at the end of the school year. We'll be under the shady pecan trees at Shady Springs with plenty of outdoor fun, including swimming, volleyball, basketball, horseshoes, a playground, and more!

More details and tickets to come. Stay tuned!
River Campus Civil Rights Day
The River Campus is celebrating its annual Civil Rights Day in late January 2022. This year’s theme is Civil Rights in Austin, Texas.

As a school community dedicated to advocacy and peacemaking, we educate our students about the world around them and its history. Part of that learning comes from events and activities that reaffirm our commitment to peace education as can be seen in the school’s Purpose statement to "cultivate identity formation, foster empathy, and embrace diversity to bring more peace to the world." 

We are currently looking for community members who want to help with this event. Whether you want to speak on a topic, share a resource, or help in other ways, please reach out to Hillary Washington via email.
Name That Spot
Here is the latest visual trivia to familiarize you with new spots or share memorable places on our three campuses. Take a look and name where this spot appears—the answer will be in the next Current!

Do you have a picture you would like to be featured? Email it to communications@headwaters.org.
Last time, we featured the outdoor classroom space of an Early Elementary classroom on the Creek Campus.

Do you have a picture you would like to share? Email it to communications@headwaters.org.
Shop & Support
Shop at any of the places below and the companies will donate a portion of the sale to Headwaters! Need more details, click here.
Just search for Headwaters School in the charity list.
Randall's
Head to customer service to complete a Good Neighbor card. Headwater's ID is #12529
Office Depot
Mention the Back to Schools program and our ID# 70204864.
No need to clip! Use the app to scan your receipt.
Search and support by using Microsoft's Bing search engine.
We also recommend checking out the Headwaters School Community Business Directory to shop within our community. See businesses organized by category and even add your own! Click here to visit the directory.