Woven Winter Memories

Woven
Portland Village School Quarterly
In this issue:
Winter Memories
7th Grade
Volunteer Project
Chinese New Year
Interview with
Ms. Molter
St. Lucia Day
Winter 2014
Winter Memories
I always enjoyed it when my dad would help me with my paper route
on Christmas Day. Growing up in Ohio, the snow was usually piled
high on Christmas morning. It was hard to want to put my new
presents aside and bundle up to deliver newspapers in the cold. Instead of just telling me to go get it done, my dad would bundle up
with me and even carry the newspaper bag for me. We’d set out together, vividly imagining that we were on a rescue adventure to help
get the medicine to the good people of Nome, Alaska. The companionship of someone who cared made a not-so-fun job
into a really fun time with someone I loved. Before we knew it we
were back home, sipping hot chocolate. – Dorine Nafziger, PVS Parent
7th Grade Knits for Newborns
by Medessa Cheney
It started with an impossibly
small, orange, knitted cap.
PVS parent Kim Lehecka showed it to
seventh graders and shared her
experience as the mother of
a premature baby. Her
son Sam wore the
orange cap
in the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) years ago, and Kim remembered
being touched by the fact that a volunteer had handmade it.
When Kim asked the students if they would be interested in making and donating such hats themselves, nearly every hand in the room went up.
The project has grown to include both seventh grade classes and teacher Ryan
Harvey, who volunteered in spite of not knowing how to knit. Just a few
weeks into the project, handwork instructor Jessi Herbert has amassed a collection of tiny, brightly colored hats.
Impressed with their dedication and enthusiasm, Ms. Herbert allowed students to borrow needles for use outside of handwork class. Signs of their
industriousness are everywhere. “I have never seen so many kids randomly
knitting in the halls!” Development Director Emily Saxton observed recently.
Mr. Ryan is pleased with his decision to permit knitting in the classroom: “It
is quite a transition for me as a teacher to be leading a discussion, or teaching
a lesson, and to look out at my class and see little knitting needles wriggling,
but students are able to concentrate on learning and make progress on hats at
the same time, so we are feeling really productive!”
The project has grown to include both seventh grade
classes and teacher Ryan Harvey, who volunteered in
spite of not knowing how to knit.
Many students cited personal reasons for wanting to be involved. Some like
Emma Soles were preemies themselves: “I was born at 28 weeks and had a
small chance of surviving.” Nearly all know a friend or family member who
was born prematurely. For Cherai Bales, it is her mother, and for Sidney
Spencer-Mylet, her two younger sisters.
The students also spoke of wanting to bring warmth, color, and individuality to the babies. Kim Lehecka, whose own experience as a preemie parent
sparked this project, agreed that these bright, handmade objects are a welcome
contrast to the cold and sterile hospital environment. “As parents, we love
these hats!”
The hats will be donated to Emanuel Hospital later this winter.
7th graders
knitting hats
for premature
newborns
Winter Memories
My story is about cocoa. Scalded, burning hot cocoa with
an aroma that made me wrinkle my nose in disgust and
nausea. Growing up in New Jersey and New York, we
always had plenty of snow and cold weather in the winter.
So, out would come the cocoa. My father worked constantly, thus it was only on very special occasions when my
parents would pack us up and we’d head to upstate New
York or beyond for a wonderful day or weekend at a ski
resort. My mom would always, lovingly and insistently,
have the cocoa ready. It was something she took pride
in, managing the food and drink, since she did not ski.
Somehow, that cocoa was always scalded though, with an
unappetizing skin forming on top. My younger brother
and I would have the hardest time drinking it down. Our
wonderful father who seemed to take it in stride just drank
it effortlessly, I believe, to please his wife and to get on to
the main event of the day on the slopes!
They say that scents are a powerful influence on our
memories. I know this to be true. When I smell cocoa, I
often remember our mom pouring that scalding, burning
hot cocoa into cups for us, in the back seat of the car or
out in the parking lots near our rented cabin or the lodge.
We would beg to have SMALL cups! What it reminds me
of most though, is the sparkling winter snow and crisp,
clear days, waking up and seeing the deer who had been
peering in our cabin windows, the love my parents had for
each other and us, and the magic of those special, joyful
weekends with my father who we lost to an inoperable
brain tumor when I was ten.
– Heidi Vorst, Folk Dance Teacher
by
Doe Hatfield
On January 31st in
China and in communities around
the world, the noise of the Lion
Dance and pop of firecrackers will
welcome in the Year of the Horse.
At Portland Village School, students will host a Chinese New Year
assembly and prepare to exchange
Chinese for Spanish, or Spanish
for Chinese, as Lower and Upper
Schools move to the second chapter
of PVS’s dual language program.
“By offering two languages,” says
Principal Paul Berg, “we are really
stressing the importance of exposure. Learning not just another language, but another culture as well.
The Chinese culture is so different
than what most Westerners
grow-up with.”
“We make a bridge to understand
each other,” says Lucy Li, Portland
the Year of
the Horse
Village school’s Mandarin Instructor, as she pulls out a vibrant red
envelop from a large basket of
materials. “We celebrate the Chinese
New Year because it is important to
China, and because it is important
to me!”
Much more than just a day to mark
a new calendar year, Chinese New
Year is one of the most significant
holidays of the Chinese calendar.
Celebrations carry over two weeks,
honoring deities, calling in good
fortune, and sweeping away the disappointments of the previous year.
Many, many Chinese return home
to relatives to share a family meal.
The red envelopes, covered with
symbols and often used for giving
gifts of money, are a part of Lucy
Li’s thoughtfully crafted lessons this
month. She explains the symbolism of the fish that decorates the
envelope. “In Chinese, the sounds
for ‘fish’ is very close the Chinese
word for ‘abundance.’ We eat fish
for abundance in the new year. This
authentic material,” she says of the
envelope, “it goes in the children’s
‘storage.’ One day they are walking
with a parent in the Lan Su Chinese
Gardens or Fubonn Market and
they see this red envelope, and
they remember.”
This kind of experience is the goal
of the PVS language program. “Our
barometer,” says Mr. Berg, “is, are
the students exposed to the language
and culture? Are they interested in
pursing it further?”
Lucy Li shares this commitment.
“Chinese culture is not perfect,” she
says, “but there is so much there. I
like students to see what is authentic
Chinese, just like this red envelope.
You open a window, you open a
door where they can go in
and explore.”
Did You Know...
At the beginning of each school
year, the teachers “sage” all of
the classrooms.
A Conversation
with Ms. Molter
by Tanya Kaiteris
Each edition of Woven will feature an interview with
a different member of the PVS staff
Theresa Molter is the current 8th grade teacher at PVS.
She is considered a “founding faculty member,” as she
was hired the spring before the school opened. Theresa
worked with other faculty and PVS stakeholders to
establish the school’s mission and handbooks. It was
fun to sit down with Theresa and listen to her reflect
about her history with the school and what the
future holds!
Q: You’ve been with the school a long time. What are
the major changes you’ve noticed?
A: The growth has been insane. The school has tripled
in size since its inception, going from 140 to 400
kids. I feel like the teaching staff has turned over in
a positive way. The longer we’ve been around and
established ourselves, the more we have been able to
attract great teachers with clear vision and direction.
The administration also feels very grounded. It’s been
exciting to watch the middle school program grow.
Q: You’ve focused on middle school lately. What do
you enjoy about that level?
A: I love teaching middle schoolers. By eighth grade
the kids have gotten over their need to be “cool” and
they realize it’s their last year. There is a real sense that
they want to enjoy this “last year of childhood.” They
are so smart and ready to learn challenging material,
but they aren’t afraid to be silly and playful. A lot of the
drama and bullying gets downplayed here at PVS since
the kids know each other so well and understand each
other. They feel safe together and feel they can speak
up. They also know their teacher well and the teachers
are really always present - they just see a lot more.
And of course the parents know each other – and are
involved. It makes it a really nice model for this
age group.
Q: In your opinion, is PVS competitive with other
comprehensive middles schools in the area? For
example, do you feel students are well prepared for
high school?
A: The evidence is yes. There have only been two
groups thus far that have graduated. By and large the
kids seem to be successful, and they have gone off to
attend a wide variety of local high schools including
Roosevelt, Grant, Central Catholic, and St. Mary’s to
name a few. The longer we do this, the better we will
get at preparing them because we are learning exactly
what they need as they go forward. We do our best
to make our program rigorous but there is a shared
responsibility with the student taking on the work and
the parents supporting this at home. We continuously
“It is the
supreme art
of the teacher
to awaken
joy in
creative
expression
and
knowledge.”
– Albert Einstein
look forward as a staff at evolving the middle school
program. It continues to change to meet the needs of
our students.
Q: How is teaching at PVS different than in
other settings?
A: This is a very unique model. It is different than a
private Waldorf school in that it is free and potentially
more accessible. It is also freed from some of the dogma
that might be associated with private Waldorf schools.
And in that same idea it is freed from some of the
bureaucracy and perhaps over focus on assessment of
some neighborhood schools. Teachers have freedom to
teach what is developmentally appropriate, and they
are expected to integrate the arts and are given time for
artistic and creative projects. On the other hand, we are
held accountable to state standards and requirements, so
we are pushed to prepare our students well for
high school.
The St. Lucia
story is used to
teach students
about the
importance of
giving and the
idea of mercy
and kindness.
Q: What do you feel have been your greatest
accomplishments since coming to PVS?
A: Well taking a class from 3rd through 8th grade was an
accomplishment I’m pretty proud of! Also, two years ago
I went to Iceland to present at an international teaching
conference on teaching math through art and story. It was
an amazing experience.
Q: What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work?
A: I love to be outdoors. I like yoga, running, knitting,
hiking, skiing, and camping. I also play the fiddle
and sing.
Q: Thank you for your time, Theresa! The kids are
about to come back in… what is your lesson plan?
A: Well it’s the day before break and we’re studying
carbohydrates, so we are going to be doing some food
chemistry in class. We are making fudge – I think the
kids will enjoy it!
2nd graders sharing rolls on
St. Lucia Day with Mr. Harvey
Parent Education: Waldorf rituals explained
St. Lucia’s Day
by Tanya Kaiteris
If you visited Portland Village School
on December 13th, you would have
seen second grade students dressed in
white, walking down the hallways and
singing songs. You might have smelled
the scent of freshly baked bread and
seen seven-year-old children delivering small crescent rolls to each teacher.
These gifts of song and bread were part
of the celebration and deeper meaning
of St. Lucia’s Day.
Centuries ago, December 13th was
considered the longest night of the
year. People yearned for the return of
light, and this became personified in
St. Lucia – one who brings light
and food.
The story goes that Lucia was a very
wealthy girl who lived in Syracuse, Sicily in A.D. 304. She was keenly aware
of the poor and suffering people in her
village. When her family gifted her
with a great dowry, she did not use it
to get married as they were expecting
but rather donated it to the needy in
her village to ease their suffering.
Second grade teacher Erik Kolstad
stated that the story is used to teach
students about the importance of giving and the idea of mercy and kindness. They learn the story, and then
they are actually able to put giving
into action by delivering the bread and
singing songs to other classes. The
second graders definitely filled the halls
of PVS with light, hope, and charity
this December 13th!
6th graders playing ukeleles and flute at Winter Assembly
Winter Memories
Going to elementary school midway up the biggest hill
in town has its drawbacks. The only students who played
the cello were those who took the bus to school. Students who had seen their older siblings drop instruments
at the top of 17th street and watch them crumple under
the wheels of cars on 12th knew that violins were a more
manageable choice. I could distinguish neighbors’ cars
shifting from 3rd gear to 2nd as they chugged up Easton
Street, and an early lesson about the challenges of pedal
brakes made me an early believer in bike helmets.
For a few magical days every year, though, living on
South Hill was sheer delight. When snow started to fall
on Bellingham in the evening, it rarely stopped before
morning, leaving kids across town dizzy with anticipation of a snow day. Even before cancellations were
announced on the radio, my brother and I would be
in the garage pulling our sleds down from the rafters.
As the oldest, I was the rightful heir to my mom’s old
Flexible Flier, leaving Andy with the plastic toboggans
we bought at Fred Meyer in November and smashed up
by December break. There were so many kids, though,
Join Us!
If you would like to be involved in producing the next
issue of Woven, please contact Medessa Cheney or
Kathleen Courian-Sanchez at
[email protected]
Photography
Cover header: Lori Shikuma
Chinese New Year, Ms. Molter, St. Lucia,
& Winter Assembly: Krista Wheeler
7th grade newborn hats: Kathleen Sanchez
and so many sleds, that after a few rides down the hill,
endorphin rushes gave way to generosity and personal
property was more or less interchangeable. We’d go to the top of Taylor Street, wait for the kid
ahead of us to clear the intersection below, and push off,
gaining speed from the half-a-minute ride from 17th to
12th. Sensing danger, we were committed to our rules:
Wait in line, walk up the sidewalk and not up the tracks,
don’t go home with someone else’s sled. We poured
water to ice trails down the street, sparred for our turf
against the college kids who showed up mid-afternoon
with their filched cafeteria trays, and called the Callahan
boys’ mother when all three of them inevitably tried
spiraling downhill in the same “flying saucer.” Neighbors
took turns guarding the intersections, a responsibility I
can only hope to imitate with my afternoon traffic duty
at school. – Emily Saxton, Development Director
Did You Know...
These names were considered for PVS:
Rainbow Bridge Charter School
Two Rivers Charter School
Bridgetown Charter School
Share
your stories!
In honor of all the class plays slated for spring,
we’d like to hear about your school play memories!
Please submit true tales of your adventures in drama
(no more than one paragraph) to
[email protected] by
April 30. Responses will be featured in our May issue.