Prep School Negro

An interesting NYT article about why we need more characters of color in young adult books - part of a larger interesting collection on young adult fiction and the Hunger Games... resonant of our Books As Bridges Program and our upcoming event  The Prep School Negro. 

More Vacation Destinations

Also... http://friendsschoolofportland.org/sites/default/files/vacations_catalog.pdf for pictures!


1 Maine Camp adjoing Richard Wagner Petit Manan Wildlife Preserve

One (1) week in June @ a Maine Camp/ Cabin located on Pigeon Hill adjoining Petit Manan Wildlife Preserve in Steuben, ME. Gas stove, refrigerator & hot water. Gas lamps!
2 Week on Pleasant Lake Ken Spirer
Pleasant Lake is one of Maine's finest spring-fed lakes. Its crystal clear waters and gentle breezes make the 5 mile long lake a joy to be on and home to some of the best fishing in Maine. Sleeps 6 to 8 (two double beds, two twin beds, and a futon)
3 Week on Thomas Pond Liz & Jim Maier
Nathaniel Hawthorne spent some off his boyhood only a stones throw from Thomas Pond. In the summertime you can visit Hawthorne’s home on nearby Raymond Cape Road in South Casco.3 bedrooms, each w/ double bed. [before June 23rd]
4 Tidewater Motel Tidewater Motel
Two nights at the Tidewater Motel, Vinalhaven, ME
5 Camp on the Bagaduce David & Elise Wilson River
Camp sits on 10 wooded acres along the Bagaduce Rivers 4 miles from the village of Castine. Living room is centered around a stone fireplace. Dining room, spacious kitchen w/ dishwasher.4 bedrooms and 21⁄2 baths.One (1) Week in July or
September

6 Weekend at the James Grumbach Greenhouse,
Vinalhaven, ME
Former potting cottage for a saltwater farm greenhouse converted to a 4 bedroom home. Views of Penobscot Bay and Ilse au Haut. 1 mile from center of town.After Labor Day. Call owner for mutually convenient dates.
7 Weekend at The Villa Dana & Noel Webster
Enjoy a September Weekend stay at the Villa on Vinalhaven Island, ME
8 Grand Summit Hotel Ed Hinshaw @ Sunday River
Enjoy a week of early skiing or quiet and calm from November 23rd thru 30th at the Grand Summit Hotel @ Sunday River. Unit sleeps 4, has kitchen/ dining area. Access to heated outdoor pool, sauna rooms, exercise room and library.
9 Week Vacationon MeghanScribner Cushing Island
One week is available in the old Army Hospital, sleeps 18 comfortably, on Cushing's Island from July 27th thru August 3rd. Must be Friday to Friday check out @ Noon.
10 Maine Huts & Trails Maine Huts & Trails
One supporting family membership includes one free overnight stay for two people with dinner & breakfast

Ocean Cliff House Bahamas

Auction-goers... get ready to plan your next vacation! Up for bidding (1 week vacation, up to 6 people, date to be negotiated)

http://oceancliffhouse.com/

Clynk

FSP is #13 in the Clynk Contest for smaller schools (under 400 which still seems pretty big but the contest seems to be bags-per-student). . . if we somehow rallied for a bottle drive in our neighborhoods and workplaces, the grand prize is $2000! FWIW, you can also transfer money from your own Clynk Account to the school, online... not sure if that counts toward grand totals or not... We have until April 29th to get our Clynk Bags in!

So far, we've earned $53.90 -- get up to date stats here

FSP Outing Club earned an additional $112.35!

Bullying

The Bully Project has been getting a lot of press - There are not options for seeing it in Maine yet but it is opening in Boston in April... Perhaps we'll get to bring it to Portland as a P4P event in the future.  In the mean time, the web site has a lot of info - some heartbreaking stories and a clear call to action (see BDN's story on Maine's new anti-bullying law)

Carey also shared the link to NPR's review :  New Film Takes An Intimate Look At School Bullying

And from Facing History and Ourselves :

Out this month! Facing History Releases Official Guide for BULLY Facing History and Ourselves' official guide to the powerful film, BULLY, was released this week. The facilitator's guide helps students and adults confront the stories in this film and explore the meaning for their schools and communities.Download the guide here.

In the meantime, we are bringing Michael Thompson to Portland on May 2nd! 

Thompson has his own movie about bullying (here) but the emphasis of Best Friends / Worst Enemies is conflict that does not occur in a hostile or hateful way but that is part of normal relationships and development.  Thompson encourages us to give kids some space to recognize their own resilience, solve their own problems (with TLC at home but not hovering) and to allow relationships space to change and grow. 

 Kate and I are currently reading A Crooked Kind Of Perfect and I was reminded of Thompson's idea... the main character, Zoe, breaks up with her best friend.  Her parents are clueless about her social problems but her home is a loving one... over time she makes friends with unlikely characters and although we're only in the middle of the book I suspect it will be a good lesson about how it is ok to suffer bit through hard changes and come out the other side. 

I hope FSP parents will come hear Thompson on May 2nd and then have our own conversations, following up on the inclusion / exclusion discussion because it is in all our interests to reflect on our parenting, our teaching and our kids ability to engage and develop healthy relationships that will cary them into adulthood! 

Auction Delights - Pleasant Lake

The "Getting-Away" section of the auction is always one of the biggest draws... summer camps & summer vacations await!

I will post more of a full list later - with the recent 80degree spree, I thought these pictures of Pleasant Lake might tempt some into coming to bid on A WEEK AT A CAMP ON PLEASANT LAKE... Jen McNally has won it in the past (her kids on the dock) and might want it again... so get ready for some bidding fun (but also ask her about how great it is!)

(Bid High, Bid Often)!

A Visual Treat From Terry Davies

Class Gifts for the Auction

We have a sweet tradition of kids offering items and services to the auction.  Along with individual contributions, each classroom donates a group item... here's the 2012 list!

Preschool - Book Basket of wonderful picture books

K - Photographed portraits of the K-children... get proxy bids for grandparents, aunties and the like and start those bidding contests!

1/2 - Homemade pasta

3/4 - A Maple Themed Basket (thanks, Audra, for the update and YUM!)

5/6 -- Also pretty sure it has a gardening theme  (will someone let me know & I'll update)

7/8 -- Book basket of favorite books ... bringing us full circle!

(Check out this NYT piece on how reading fiction is just like interacting with humans in terms of brain development, except you can do it alone in your bathtub)

Hunger Games

The Hunger Games movie comes out today, and my daughter who used to totally balk at violent movies wants to see it...

Common Sense Media rated the books for "12 year olds" but we know kids much younger than that are reading them... their full movie review comes out on March 23rd.

The NYT has created a teaching & learning page for the books/film:

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/15/the-odds-ever-in-your-favor-ideas-and-resources-for-teaching-the-hunger-games/

Here's an interesting NYT piece about the marketing of the movie (thx Four) :

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/19/business/media/how-hunger-games-built-up-must-see-fever.html

Since I'm having climate change nightmares these days, I'm not sure I can handle this dystopia but I'm curious what draws our kids to exploring the possibilities of so much darkness- and resistance.  On the other hand, I hear the main character is a tad feminist and "a slayer" ...

What are others thoughts about the movie?

Look What Rob Did!

1)      $50 Gift certificate to Ribolita (restaurant)

2)      $100 in gift certificates to Collucci’s (corner store)

3)      $25 Gift certificate to East Ender (restaurant)

4)      Pair of sunglasses from Optical Expressions

5)      $25 Gift certificate to Two Fat Cats (bakery)

6)      Hand-sewn quilt from Christine Fletcher (Portland Friends Meeting)

7)      Goodie basket from Muriel Allen (Portland Friends Meeting)

8)      $25 Gift certificate to Nomads (outdoor gear/clothing store)

9)      16-item sampler from Dean’s Sweets

10)   Dinner for Two at Blue Spoon

11)   Three hours of babysitting from FSP Alumna Quinn Lavigne

12)   Declutter session from professional organizer

13)   Harvest sampler of canned goods from Sarah Cushman

14)   How to get around by bike family consultation from Cushman Transportation Consulting, LLC

15)   Myers-Briggs Personal Consultation by Chris Beach (Portland Friends Meeting)