You may be surprised to hear that I wasn’t an athletic kid. I didn’t play any sports and I never gave thought to exercising. I spent my time climbing trees, chasing cows, catching bees and playing with my dog Martha. I idolized Wonder Woman and frequented our neighborhood, decked out in Wonder Woman underoos, pretending to possess her super human strength and beauty. I was particularly shy and I needed those Wonder Woman underoos to help me find courage, because as a child I walked through life scared to make a mistake.
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Of all the advice that my father’s grandmother passed along to him, the one he chose to share routinely is still etched in my memory. Interestingly, what he shared had nothing to do with growing up in segregated Mississippi, admonitions about police brutality (although I am certain those were made too), or about future career choices. Instead it had to do with ironing. One day I watched my father iron a dress shirt for church and asked him how he learned to iron. He told me that his mother taught him when he was very young – she also taught him to cook, wash his clothes, and sew. She insisted that he learn because she said, “when you grow up and marry, I want you to do so out of love, not because you need someone to take care of you”. As an 8-year old, I was more concerned about Jim Palmer’s ERA than girls so the advice passed over my head. I am certain that he considered this advice an irreplaceable gift.
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by Rachel Sattinger, 1st Grade Faculty
As the bustle of the end of the year hustles its way into my classroom here at Gateway I find myself drawn even more to our mindfulness practice. I love to peek at the “almost second grader’s” calm faces as they are sitting with their breath each morning. I also find myself taking more time to greet each student at the beginning of the day, more time to savor our giggles together, as well as allowing a bit more time for sharing than I did earlier in the year. Perhaps the huge leaps and bounds of growth that happen in the spring have put me more at ease, so I feel that there’s just a bit more time in the day, even if it’s only taken one small moment, one small breath at a time.
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Head of School Percy Abram and Auction Co-chair Jessica Delgado presented a donation to Reyna Ruiz, director of Beach Flats Community Center (BFCC), our community partner for our 2012 Auction event. We thank all local business donors and our parent community and friends for supporting our auction this year!
5th graders spent the last 3 days on an overnight field trip to the Marin Headlands. At this outdoor education camp, students and their teachers are guided by outstanding naturalists on all-day hikes through the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and in team-building activities.
Several Gateway 7th graders visited the Santa Cruz Animal Shelter this week, as part of a 4 week program called “Kids Speak for Pets.” The program teaches middle school students about the shelter and how to write a biography for an adoptable pet. The students visited with dogs, cats, and bunnies and each student selected a pet to write about.
Dear Parents,
I hope that your family had a relaxing and restful spring break with friends and family. It’s hard to believe that we are entering the “home stretch” – only 8 short weeks left - of the school year. Coming off two very successful school-wide activities, Spring International Day and Friends and Family Ocean Day, our April and May calendars will keep us all busy with many exciting and informative events. These special occasions help to build our strong community and keep us informed about what is happening at school and what our future holds. I am hopeful that you will be able to make time to attend.
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by Rachel Sattinger, 1st Grade Faculty
We’re nearly through our first year as a mindful school. I have to say, incorporating mindfulness into our daily schedule has been an interesting journey. I’ve had to let go of what I think this practice should look like. I have tried to proceed with creativity, spontaneity, and trust in mindfulness as a process as my guides. I look back on what teachers in other classes have shared this year and feel that they too have been incredibly creative and open to incorporate the principles of the practice into their teaching, communication, and structure.
Here is some of what is going on around our school:
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One of the casualties of a culture that demands immediate feedback is the loss of time to pause, reflect, deliberate and respond thoughtfully. Most of us have fallen victim to the sensation of stopping a colleague, friend, or spouse as we pass in the hall and commenting, “I sent you an email about an hour ago…” While we will let this phrase hang in the air as if it were merely a declarative statement, we expect them to have read and responded. This expectation denies us the opportunity to be careful and measured in our responses and causes us to respond in a way we might not otherwise, and may not represent our most civil selves.
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As part of our faculty professional development system, I conduct a series of formal observations of teachers throughout the school year. These formal observations, and the informal drop-ins that accompany them, offer a window into our teachers’ work with your children, the preparation that goes into crafting an engaging lesson, and the high level of expertise and professionalism that our teachers bring to their work. At a K – 8 school, I am exposed to students’ working through various academic challenges, from early literacy skills to complex geometric proofs. At times one can forget how difficult it can be to acquire, process, synthesize, and incorporate new material.
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