What can bugs teach about aerodynamics?

What's more fun than catching flying bugs??  Tomorrow:  potential and kinetic energy, building parachutes, and Mentos and diet coke rocket explosions!

Summer smiles

There is a freedom at summer camp that everyone is enjoying.  Kids were out building a bird blind, having imaginative adventures in the woods and creek, racing around in water, enjoying a story and a snack in the shade.  The big culmination was the Peter Pan performance.  What an exuberant group  -  their smiles were a mile wide - and so were the smiles of their audience!

Jamie, our Planet Parker coordinator has set up a "Ning" for Planet Parker - It is like a themed Facebook page.  Here is the link planetparker.ning.com  - you can join, or just visit the link on occasion to see all the activities, photos, and action.

Fun at Planet Parker!

Summer camp has begun!

Alumni near and far

Our latest alumni!  This was a wonderful class - full of the deep desire to learn. Their group was sweet in nature, too, supporting each other and younger students and bringing a real sense of caring to the middle school.

Parker alumni are pretty awesome.  Here is a link to the totally incredible action video made by Curt Morgan, '96, and a link to his Jackson Hole company, Brain Farm.  Curt was a student who was allowed to stand at his desk at Parker, because he was not so great at sitting.  Susie Merrett remembers that he also started his skate boarding and snowboarding career at Parker. Obviously, motion is inherent to his nature!

Susie Merrett recently heard form Matt Martin, with news on some other Parker alumni:

 Hey Susie,

I don't want to embarrass Tom(my) Dollar, but I thought you might be interested to hear that he's working for fivethirtyeight.com, which many consider one of the best political blogs out there:

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/2010/06/whos-afraid-of-nancy-pelosi.html


Dan Sachs is also starting a new job at an exciting clean energy company in San Diego, Sapphire Energy (http://www.sapphireenergy.com/).

Hope all is well in North Greenbush!    ~  Matt

Some recent alumni visitors:  Marcus Haney and John LaRue (with Laura and Carol), and on graduation night, Kelsey, Rachel, Ben, Max and Jack (with Natalie.)

What they really need

There are so many sights and sounds from the final days of the school year, but Field Day sums it all up - Friends of all ages encouraging each other and laughing together in the Fun Run and all the crazy games.  The camaraderie of the students and teachers.  The smiles.

I'll need to do an email with links to some of the progress report narratives to show the richness of the curriculum, the challenges to higher level thinking, and the exciting ways Parker students are being prepared for 21st Century lives. 

Listening to the 8th graders practice their graduation speeches, I was struck by recurring themes:  the joy of being in a place where they can be themselves and be appreciated for who they are, and where friendship and adventure are valued.  This is what is important to the students at this moment in their lives - and beyond all else gives them the confidence and courage to step into the next stage of their lives. 

As the adults guiding them, we their teachers and parents, can feel proud of the educational excellence that we have so carefully crafted, and the kids can take great pleasure in remembering a place where they got what they needed - acceptance, encouragement, celebration, and space to grow!