March/April 2023 Edition
Upcoming Events Calendar

See the entire calendar online at headwaters.org/calendar.
Welcome to Our New Families!
Today, many families are receiving their first edition of the Current, our bi-monthly newsletter that reports on the entire school community. This newsletter features a column from Head of School Ted Graf called “Ted Talks,” student spotlights, staff spotlights, upcoming events, and more! 

We welcome our newest families to enjoy this newsletter as a glimpse into life at Headwaters! Welcome!
Live Music Lineup for the Community Picnic
Check out this lineup for the Community Picnic! These incredible artists are all part of our community and cannot wait to perform for you on Sunday, May 7 from 2 to 5 p.m. Come on out and cheer them on!

Join us at our annual Community Picnic for food, live music, swimming, games, and more! We are at Shady Springs again this year and can’t wait to enjoy the day outside, under the shady oaks. Be sure to get your tickets today!

We also have lots of great volunteer opportunities for anyone in the community. Thank you in advance for helping us make this picnic a success!
Earth Day 2023: How to Talk to Your Child About Climate Change
In honor of Earth Day, all Headwaters parents and guardians are invited to join Patricia for a special Parent Ed event called “How to Talk To Your Child About Climate Change.” Patricia will be presenting via a special lunchtime Zoom this Friday, April 28 from 12-12:45 p.m. Register here. We hope parents can join in, listen, and participate virtually.


By Patricia Núñez, Sustainable International Development Specialist, Climate Advocate, and Headwaters Mom (Cardinals Classroom)

As I put my five-year-old to bed after reading Greta and the Giants together–nourishing his appreciation, respect, and love for nature–I wonder, again, if the Lorax quote on his wall was a bit much for a newborn’s bedroom decor:

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It's not.”

So much weight on such little shoulders, but that is the human I want to raise–brave, caring and empathetic. I also remind myself, with intention, that it is in his and future generations’ best interests and that they are the direct beneficiaries of their and OUR climate change knowledge and action.

I am a climate advocate and K-1 Cardinal Rodrigo’s mom, and my Earth Day gift to him and his generation is to talk to parents about climate change. My hope is that you will feel more comfortable talking to your kids about a changing planet in a way that is meaningful for your family and gives you agency. 

Click here to learn Patricia’s three objectives for this talk and why you should talk to your child about climate change.
Ted Talks: Guided By Our Strategic Priorities
By Ted Graf, Head of School

Friend of Headwaters and longtime school psychologist, Rob Evans, has taught us that schools, when faced with change, have more in common with religious congregations than they do with companies or other organizations. It’s demonstrated in our commitment to values, mission, and relationships, especially in the important and immeasurable areas of connection and community. All schools (and ours is no exception) do their best to adapt as conditions around us shift, but we always endeavor for our Purpose, Promise and PACT to inform and direct those changes. 

So, with five weeks remaining in the school year (and Field Days, High School Prom, final field trips, the Community Picnic, Senior Colloquium, IB Exams and several concerts on the horizon), we are very much focused on the present, AND we are preparing for next year and imagining what it needs to be and what it could be.  

Click here to read more on even if we don’t know exactly what next year will bring, how we will be guided by our five strategic priorities.
Student Spotlights
Upper Elementary Home Projects
Each year, our Upper Elementary students participate in Home Project presentations. This year, they started work in the late fall for presentation the first week of March. Each student prepared a five-minute presentation that was researched and prepared outside of school. Students went deep into the history of sewing, architecture, mushrooms and Ancient Rome, among many other fascinating topics. This is a great way to continue work on self-guided projects as students had deadlines and a project planner to accomplish this work. Well done, Upper Elementary students!
VASE 2023
By Avé Luke-Simpson, PhD, High School Director

My sincere congratulations to the Headwaters Photography students (Maya, Liza, Odessa, Della, Alex, Amaia, Mav, Vishwanathan, Jonah, and Ramsey) who participated in this year’s Visual Arts Scholastic Event! As you will see below, we have some incredibly talented students who, with the support, encouragement, and direction of the intrepid Ali McMillin, submitted work that I find compelling and, frankly, beautiful. As Ali shared, “Sixteen out of seventeen artworks earned a medal, with all participants earning at least one medal.” Please take a moment to see the work that Headwaters students have produced. Many thanks to Paula Pacotti for volunteering her Saturday to make sure that students arrived and returned safely from San Antonio, and for a crucial, early morning Buc-ee’s stop. Click here to see each student’s work!
Project Week 2023
Every year, each Headwaters middle and high school student invests in a personal project. Students pick their topics in January and develop their projects through early March. The actual Project Week happens directly before Spring Break, when all formal classes are suspended and full-time attention goes to the Project Week endeavor. Finally, every single student shares their presentation with the community in our Project Week Fair. Project Week encourages students to explore their passions. Many students use the opportunity to explore practical forms of learning and explore real-world careers. No matter the topic, the Project Week structure demands that students develop planning and organizational skills. These skills enhance over time, and each consecutive year gets more and more ambitious and exciting.
“What is Project Week?” A Film
By Natalie Daubert ‘25

In this film, 10th grade Natalie Daubert explores what Project Week actually is for her own Project Week. Check out clips from other middle and high school students' projects and enjoy this informational and fun video!
Pet Memorial Signs 
By Garnett Bryant ’29

6th grader Garnett Bryant leveraged his family’s fabrication and welding studio Odin Plasma to start his own unique business–pet memorial signs. And this business is fully functional! You can purchase a personalized metal sign for your yard or wall that Garnett designed. What a wonderful way to memorialize a beloved pet!

Follow along, learn more, and order your own sign via his Instagram or Facebook channels.
Recreation of Pip and Pop - Sculpture of Sugar, Tinsel, and Found Colorful Material
By Johanna Watters ‘25

“This project was inspired by my desire to create art I really feel expresses me. I thought of what I might want to create based on my personal interest along with what art I've seen and loved for a long time. I settled on the Australian artist Pip and Pop for my visual inspiration. I saw her work online a few years ago and never really forgot about how cool it was. I made a smaller version out of styrofoam and clay. I learned a lot about how I want to express myself through my art and I also experimented with sculpting which is something I haven't done much before. The goal was to learn about my own art style and improve on a new technique.”
Designing Building 9 
By August Floyd ‘27 and Harper Eye ‘27

8th graders August and Harper teamed up once again for Project Week! This year they took on a hypothetical project–if we had a Building 9, how would they design it?

Using Tinkercad, these students created an imaginary building floor plan that incorporated things they thought the school could use. This included a parking lot for carpoolers, a central courtyard, a bridge walkway, an indoor activity multi-purpose room, and lots of windows for natural light. 

Harper said, “It was fun, yet a new experience, like a big puzzle. We also had to learn how to balance design and aesthetics with what we could realistically accomplish.”
Camping at Gila National Park with ODL
Each spring, our High School Outdoor Leadership group goes on their big camping trip during Project Week. This is the cumulation of a year of preparation, including wilderness first aid and general camping. This year, the club members drove to Gila National Forest in New Mexico as part of their Project Week and stayed there for the entirety of the week. During the trip, they participated in multiple activities every day–hiking on various trails like Little Bear Canyon Trail and to various cliffs each day.
Staff Spotlight: Lauran Janes
Meet Lauran Janes, our Elementary Health and Fitness Guide on the Creek Campus. 

Lauran joined us this school year and has been having a blast with the elementary students, while bringing her mindfulness educational philosophy into every class. 

Lauran has been a mindfulness educator for over 20 years. She shared that she is “equal parts curious for and passionate about the intersection of movement and mental wellness.” Before coming to Headwaters, Lauran created and piloted two mindful-movement programs for both neurotypical and neurodivergent students in AISD.

Lauran’s classes are fun and encourage teamwork for our students. “Mindful movement helps children gain greater access to the part of the brain that supports creativity, curiosity, organization, coordination and connection.” Lauren continued, “Movement practices help build new neural pathways giving children greater access to their power…great access to their amazing-ness!” 

Read more about what brought Lauran to Headwaters and learn some fun facts about her!
Headwaters Defined
Check out this section for a featured term that we use at Headwaters and its definition.

Gates of Life noun
gāts əv ˈlīf
Definition
At the end of each school year, we have ceremonies and celebrations to acknowledge all who are moving on to a new class or school the following year for Springs and Creek. We have two physical gates that students walk through to recognize this milestone. We have also incorporated this important tradition into our 8th Grade Graduation and High School Commencement ceremonies.

"An ending is but another beginning. Rejoice all ye who pass through these gates..." This phrase is written on the gates and is recited by all.

Learn more Headwaters terms in our A-Z Glossary at this link.
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!
Last time, we shared a photo from the Springs Playground!

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.
Use the code Headwaters at sign up or checkout and Headwaters receives 5% back.
Randall's
Head to customer service to complete a Good Neighbor card. Headwater's ID is #12529
Before you checkout, be sure to click "Support a Fundraiser" and search Headwaters School.
Office Depot
Mention the Back to Schools program and our ID# 70204864 at check out.
No need to clip! Use the app to scan your receipt.
Search and support by using Microsoft's Bing search engine.
Headwaters Business Directory
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.
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