Learners need to move

By moving, children learn more.  Rae Pica in her article In Defense of Active Learning in The Huffington Post wonders why schools are organized around children sitting most of the day.  

Not so, Parker!  Watch children and their natural inclinations: running, swinging, jumping, climbing, and an ebb and flow of social interaction. Harnessing this energy into learning situations gives students a real edge.

Campers are learning this week about Survival, 3D design, and dinosaurs.  It's pretty active!

Curing what ails kids

Parenting can be so confusing - all that advice.  We're just trying to do a good job of it!  Here is an article from The Atlantic, How to Land Your Kid in Therapy, wondering if we are trying too hard to make things perfect for our children - because it can backfire!

Camp is a great place for kids to let loose and be kids.  Messy science experiments, playing in the woods, putting on a show, running around under a sprinkler, laughing 'til you fall over.  Maybe the perfect antidote.

Planet Parker!

Camp has started!  Everyone loves the new pavilion - the weather is great - and "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" premiers on Friday!

A beautiful Graduation

A few excerpts from 8th grade speeches:

Parker is an amazing place where people are allowed to grow and find themselves.

To all the teachers, you've helped me become a better person.  You have pushed me to do my best and helped me get into a great high school.  I'd like to thank you guys for not letting me fail middle school.  In 6th grade I never worked on ANYTHING and I never paid any attention to things that people say.  You've all helped me get to where I am now.

In my former school I only wrote 2-3 pages.  I guess I just had nothing to think about.  The interesting thing is that now I must have tons of things to think about because this year I wrote a 15 page long thesis.

Parker is a good place to grow up in.

Our speaker was current Albany High senior and Parker alumna, Abby.  Abby is a National Honor Society member and International Baccalaureate scholar who is heading off on a year-long exchange program in Turkey before enrolling at Haverford College in Pennsylvania.  She said: "The values I gained at Parker of community, respect, and trust have influenced who I have become today...I urge you to keep in mind that by embracing your values and experiences from Parker, you will succeed!"

Bees in the news

Check out this WNYT story about Jack and the bees!
http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S2145892.shtml?cat=10464

Field Day Fun!

Head-for-the-Day

Sophia was a great Head-for-the-Day (her parents were the highest bidders in the Live Auction on Saturday.)  She greeted students in the front hall, pulled the alarm for the fire drill, and decreed an extra recess with popsicles for all.  In a bold move, Sophia delineated a proactive Crisis Protocol in the event of 11-year-old, Freddy the Frog's death - she decided that one of the K-1's frogs, Lippy, Tiny, Spotty, or Skippy could be promoted to Top Frog, with attendant greeting (and eating) duties.   

Sophia and friend Marissa joined me for lunch at Alexis Diner - a perk of the job that comes once annually during Head-for-the-Day.  We had fun!

Parker's 20th Anniversary Celebration

What a glorious day we had on Saturday for Parker's 20th Anniversary!  Thank you to the many volunteers and to everyone who came to help celebrate this milestone!  Here are the photos:

Parker's 20th Anniversary Celebration and Reunion

In the news!

Parker's 20th Anniversary in the News!

Could this be cooler?

Here's what Katy, our science teacher wrote about this grade 6 and 7 project: :

Cup filler, plant waterer, confetti blower, fish feeder, iPod switch, cat feeder, chip pourer, and water pourer - the 6-7s were busy designing and building complex Rube Goldberg machines to do simple tasks. Each machine had to include three different types of simple machines, 10 energy transfers and 3 energy transformations. The ingenuity behind some of these is inspirational. Students incorporated their knowledge of force, mechanical advantage, and engineering as they blueprinted, built, tested, tested, tested, and retested their designs. They created Rube Goldberg display signs outlining their efforts and Rube Goldberg's life as well as wrote reflective pieces about the process. One seventh grader, Zoe, created a video of all the machines, check it out http://www.youtube.com/user/icheyennelove#p/u/7/Ak0wdp1O_0s