The Nantucket Lighthouse School
February Newsletter
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1 Rugged Road
Nantucket, Massachusetts 02554
nantucketlighthouseschool.org
February at Glance
Feb. 5: Lighthouse Shop Open
Feb. 6: Application Deadline; Faculty report writing day, NO SCHOOLFeb. 12: NLS Open House 11amFeb. 13: Financial Aid Forms dueFeb. 14: Maintenance Day, 9:00 a.m.Feb. 16: Presidents' Day, NO SCHOOLFeb. 20: Mid-winter reports sent homeFeb. 23 - 27: Winter Vacation, NO SCHOOL
Re-Commitment:
Re-Commitment contracts are in your mailboxes at school. Because we have a limited amount of openings and are always faced with more prospective student applications than we have the room to accommodate, we ask you to please fill out and return your contract by or before March 3. Once we know your plans, we know how many of our applicants we can accept.
The Nantucket Lighthouse School Board
of Trustees is committed to working with each and every Lighthouse School
family to help make a Lighthouse education possible - especially in these
difficult economic times. Please contact Joan Stockman, Lighthouse
School Treasurer, or Meghan Valero, Lighthouse
School parent and advisor
on Financial Aid applications, with any questions or concerns about applying
for aid. You can be assured that
financial information is kept in the strictest confidence. The
first deadline for the Financial Aid application is February 13, 2009.
PLEASE NOTE: Maintenance Day for February has been changed to Feb. 14.
Did you know ... that we now have a page on Facebook, thanks to Cary & Georgen. Check it out!
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Lighthouse Shop Open for Business:
The Lighthouse School Shop is open as of today and all of next week, featuring wonderful valentine treats for everyone on your list. Items include jewelry, heirloom quality toys, hand made valentine cards and hats. Next week the shop will include delicious baked goods prepared with Valentine's Day in mind. Browse the shop during school hours. Check out your goods with Stacy in the office.
Thanks to Liza Ottani for organizing and finding items for the shop, and to so many of our parents for lending their talents to the hand made goodies available in the shop.
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| Mid-Winter Narratives*
Lizbet Carroll Fuller
Director of Education For Lighthouse teachers, much of January and February is spent working on Mid-Winter narrative reports. This type of reporting is demanding as it requires a good deal of time, effort and reflection on the part of the teacher -- on top of what is already a very busy daily schedule. It is easy to surmise why most schools employ more generic systems of reporting, such as letter grades with brief or standardized comments -- if any. However, a traditional 'report card' cannot convey a comprehensive picture of a child.
Reporting mechanisms should be designed to reflect a school's curriculum. As such, they shed a light on what is going on in the classroom as well as what is valued. At Lighthouse, we are committed to the education of the 'whole child,' concerning ourselves equally with ethical and intellectual development. We find that narrative report writing offers us the best way in which to report on the 'whole child.' Lighthouse curriculum addresses not only the academic aspect of a child's learning but also his/her development as an individual and a social being. As such, when we evaluate a child's progress, we are concerned with assessing his/her academic work in addition to reflecting upon his/her inner and outer being. A child is considered in terms of who he/she is as an individual, as a social being, and as a student.
 Firstly, we look at what the child expresses as an individual. What constitutes his/her unique constellation of qualities, talents, strengths, and challenges? We then think about how this individual interacts with his/her world and the people in it. How does this child relate to others? How does he/she encounter what is unfamiliar? What is his/her relationship to 'authority' (i.e. to rules and responsibilities and to the adults in his/her life)? Next, we consider the child as a student. Finally, we report upon the child's academic work.
The academic section of the Upper School reports include a detailed list describing curricular goals. These are the "components of the curriculum that are shared" and, as such, this portion of the report is common to all. The academic section provides an assessment of your child's academic progress but it is also useful as an overview of the academic curriculum and the range of ability in any given class.
We write these reports mid-year rather than at the end of the school year. We do this because we find that the reflective and analytical process of writing a narrative report is an invaluable teaching tool.
Parents will receive the Mid-Winter reports at the end of February, just before Winter Break. We encourage you to share any resulting questions or comments you have with your child's teacher.
*Portions of this article originally appeared in our Winter 2007 Newsletter.
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Parent Administrative Night Recap
Thanks
to all who came out for our Parent Administrative Night, Tuesday, January 27. At the
meeting, Trustees announced tuition for the coming year, discussed financial aid,
and emphasized our commitment to making a Lighthouse education possible
in difficult economic times. Lighthouse School parents reviewed our
efforts thus far this year, including the Annual Appeal, the Wreath Sale, Yuletide Fair, and the Capital Campaign, which is on going.
Lighthouse School parents also discussed upcoming events including the
Flea Market Festival, 8 Painted Chairs, and the Garden Festival. We
talked about the launch of monthly
crafting sessions, and the Lighthouse School store. For more information about anything discussed at the Parent Administrative Night, contact the office.
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The Nantucket Lighthouse School Flea Market Festival, Saturday, March 28, 10am - 2pm
The weather is
dreary. The economy is in the dumps. We decided to organize a spring fundraiser to help you shake off
the winter doldrums, stretch your dollar and reduce your carbon
footprint. Join us as we prepare for the Nantucket Lighthouse School Flea Market Festival, featuring:
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Amazing bargains on gently used clothing, sportswear, furniture, antiques and white elephant items.
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Unique silent auction items put together with re-use and the economy in mind.
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Earth-friendly children's activities.
We are accepting donations for the flea market. If you are donating
clothing, please organize by size whenever possible. In addition to
clothing, we are accepting sporting equipment, house wares, books, CDs,
and various and sundry other items. Contact event chair Suzy Kraft with any questions.
If you have any ideas or donations for the silent auction, please contact Berta Scott, Deena Gilbey, Emily Nabors, and Laura Gallagher Byrne.
Laura Freedman is organizing children's activities for the big day. Contact her if you'd like to help in this area. Please save plastic lids from large yogurt or butter tubs, tin cans, cardboard and pipe cleaners for some of the fun crafts Lauran has planned. We'll set up a large cardboard box in the front hall to collect these items.
ATTENTION
ARTISTS: Would you like to sell your wares at the Flea Market? We
will be offering five booths at the Flea Market for artists to sell
their wares. We are giving our families right of first refusal. Booths for Lighthouse School families are $150, and $200 for
non-Lighthouse vendors. One booth is already spoken for so act quickly! Please see Stacy Fusaro for details and reserve your space. We will hold this offer for Lighthouse Parents through Friday, February 13 and then start spreading the word to other island vendors.
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Upper Primary Poetry Jam, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 5:00pm
"A Rock"
by Natty D.
I am a rock.
A smooth, gentle rock.
I can be soothing sometimes,
I can be rough sometimes,
But I am always calm,
calm and quiet.
I was once
part of a huge rock.
It was very grand.
One day it was moved
Some how, some way
Then I descended,
And fell,
And fell,
And then,
I was my own tiny rock.
The Upper Primary class will be inviting their families and friends to a Poetry Night on Tuesday, February 10, at 5:00 pm. They will be reading their own compositions and those of published poets. The children have been studying and writing poetry for the past month. They recently enjoyed a visit from Len Germinara, poet and co-host of the island's Poetry Slam, who came to talk with the class about the art of poetry. Len will also be coming to the Poetry Jam next Tuesday night.
Upper Primary teacher, Alisa Allegrini, said, "At this age (9-10), children become more fluent in their ability to write and are ready to learn how to use language consciously and creatively to express their ideas and feelings." Talking about how excited her students are to stage a reading of their work, Alisa added, "This is a great age for children to leap into performing because 9 - 10 year olds can now apply their reading skills and their conscious memory to read, memorize and recite material. They seem more confident and self-aware on the stage and radiate the pride of their accomplishments."
Included in this article are samples of a Personification Poem exercise, in which students reached blindly into a bag and pulled out an object. They then invented a poem from the perspective of that object. Join the class on Feb. 10 at 5:00pm to hear more of their work.
The Little Birthday Candle
by Blake L.
As I sit upon your cake
flickering, listening to a tune
heard so many times
but each time a new feeling.
As you bring your mouth close,
make a wish that only I can hear.
I grant your wish.
Then suddenly, WHOOSH!
You pick me up and tickle
me with your tongue.
Then you carry me to a place
where I sit and wait.
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