e-Newsletter: December 2006

IN THIS ISSUE
Answers on Display
Scheduling Circus
Wittmann Cardinal Fund
December - Looking Ahead

ANSWERS ON DISPLAY
On Sunday November 19, PSCS held its first open house of the year. Interested community members and prospective families came to learn about the school and community. Since most people are more familiar with schools that implement traditional methods of education, they are often unaccustomed to PSCS’s innovative approach. This exposure naturally leads to very worthwhile questions: Why is this method better? How will I know if my child is receiving a good education? How will they demonstrate their progress? 

To answer these questions one has to look no further than this year’s senior class, five students who prove why schools should be founded on the principles of trust and mutual respect. Kaitlin, Megan, Melissa, Terra, and Thomas help to create and sustain an atmosphere where they simultaneously achieve their personal goals while inspiring younger students and the community at large.

In late April, the skills, progress, and passion of these five students will be presented to the community at the annual Student Showcase. Along with a number of other student activities on display, the year long graduation projects of the seniors, projects that are meant to challenge and further their capabilities, advance their personal passions, as well as give them practice in the skills necessary to make things happen, will be showcased.  This year’s lineup is computer animation (Kaitlin), oil painting (Megan), parkour (Melissa), sewing & photography (Terra), and wilderness survival (Thomas).

Here are five students as different in mind, body, interest, and goal as any cross-section of teenagers. They are working together in a community, celebrating life and being innovative at an age often stereotyped as being unmotivated and lackadaisical. These students epitomize the imagination, motivation, and sense of adventure PSCS instills in its students while continuing to serve as an example for the entire community.

SCHEDULING CIRCUS
PSCS holds tutorials, more commonly called classes, three days each week.  The way classes get scheduled is extremely unique and is a big part of the education at PSCS, something that provides the students the opportunity to learn how to be both cooperators and managers.  As intended here, a cooperator is someone who works with others to make a system run smoothly and effectively, while a manager is someone who is responsible for her/his time.

Three times this school year PSCS will hold what we call the “Scheduling Circus.” We held the first in September, with the second planned for the day we return from winter break, January 2.  The third is held after spring break.  It is at this event that the three days of classes for the subsequent “quarter” get established. It’s called a circus because it can be pretty crazy, fun, sometimes goofy & frustrating, but always exciting.  You know, like a circus.

The tables are cleared out of room 211 and the students & staff form a circle, along with any parents, volunteers and prospective volunteers who are available to join them.  Systematically, the students announce the activities and subjects they are interested in studying.  Those people who plan to offer classes (most often this is the staff and volunteers but can also include students) indicate those they are interested in facilitating.  All of this information gets written down, covering the chalkboards.  From that, things are eliminated, either because students aren’t interested in them or there is no one present comfortable facilitating them (not to worry – advisors duly record everything in which the students express interest for future reference).

Some time in there a break is taken for lunch.  In the afternoon the data on the chalkboards is molded to form a schedule.  This process requires the students and staff to take into account the times facilitators are available to offer classes with which students want to sign up. Volunteers, especially, are only able to lead classes at specific times.  Additionally, students learn how to advocate for themselves and each other so their top class requests don’t end up scheduled at the same time.

Ultimately, after this period of give and take regarding priorities, a schedule for the three class days emerges.  Staff member Anoo makes everything look pretty by writing down the class names, along with their locations, times and facilitators, on a piece of wet erase magnetic material.  These are placed in their appropriate places on our scheduling board and, for the time being, the tutorial schedule is set.  We say “for the time being” because the schedule is open for change at any time.  Some classes will end before the next circus and others, unknown at the most recent circus, will get added.  Like PSCS, it’s very flexible.

Cooperation and management skills, two important things to have experienced and mastered in this day and age.  We can’t think of a better way to help students practice them.

WITTMANN CARDINAL FUND
PSCS is pleased to announce that the Wittmann Cardinal Fund, representing a founding PSCS family, is challenging the PSCS community to donate funds to the school during the month of December. They will match, dollar for dollar, any donation made to PSCS in SPECIFIC RESPONSE to this challenge and in this timeframe up to a total of $1000.

This is the fifth year of this annual challenge, the fifth of a ten-year commitment.  PSCS supporters have met the challenge in each of the previous years and it is the sincere hope of the school that it can be done again. And remember, donations to PSCS are tax-deductible!

Send your checks to:
Puget Sound Community School
Wittmann Cardinal Fund Challenge
5031 University Way NE, #111
Seattle, WA 98105  

Thank you for your support!

DECEMBER– LOOKING AHEAD

MAKE-UP VISITATION DAY
Due to the snow day/school closure on 11/29, we will hold a make up visitation day on Wednesday, 12/6. It is difficult to understand PSCS without coming to school and observing our activities and student life. Seeing the school in action -- and even participating along with students and staff -- can make the difference between having a basic appreciation of our philosophy and the aha! of really "getting" how it works. For more information go to http://www.pscs.org/admission/visiting.htm.

INTENSIVE WEEK
During the last week of school before winter break, December 11-15, each member of the teaching staff and Andy will be facilitating a single week-long "intensive" class. This idea, designed to give students some concentrated exposure to an area they're curious about, is another example of PSCS exploring a style of teaching and learning outside of the box. Anoo will be leading a cooking intensive. Matt's will focus on stop-motion animation. Nic's intensive is film-making. And Andy's is a book intensive based on "The Little Prince."

NO SCHOOL - WINTER BREAK
There is no school on Monday, 12/18 through Monday, 1/1 for winter break.

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