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Welcome to the November 15, 2007 issue of Newsbreak. In this Issue
Upcoming Events 11/16 Parent Coffee Hosted by Grade 3/4 Parents 11/17 My Irish Soul Paul Sullivan, solo piano- CD release Party and Private Concert Breakwater Celebrates the Arts! 11/17 Many Stories: A Multicultural Book Fair for Families BWS Gym 11:00-1:00pm 11/21 Half Day Wednesday - NO AFTER CARE 11/22-11/25 Thanksgiving Break - No Vacation Care 11/28 February Event Meeting - Library - 8:30am 11/30 BWS Arts Committee - First Meeting 12/5 Half Day Wednesday 12/7 Toys for Tots 12/10-13 Multicultural Week 12/13 Coffee with the Head of School at 8am - All parents invited! 12/13 Early Childhood Family Potluck Dinner - 5pm-6pm in the Preschool for preschool and kindergarten families 12/13 Multicultural Week Music Performance - 6pm 12/19 Half Day Wednesday - NO AFTER CARE 12/19 Parent Coffee Hosted by Grade 1/2 Parents 12/20-1/1 Winter Break - No Vaction Care BWS Links
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HEADLINES...News from David Sullivan 
For this month I was intending to recommend the book Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect by David Orr, a preeminent scholar on the topic of earth-based education. Though written almost fifteen years ago, it remains a provocative and timely call for education that draws out innate affinity for life: “That affinity needs opportunities to grow and flourish, it needs to be validated, it needs to be instructed and disciplined, and it needs to be harnessed to the goal of building humane and sustainable societies.” I did enjoy Orr’s book, but just today finished reading Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder. I am recommending Louv’s book because it is a little more accessible and is rich with interesting anecdotes. With a saturation of evidence, stories, and observations, Louv makes a powerful case for the primacy of outdoor play and direct experience with nature for children. Children spend more time indoors, plugged into electronic gadgets, than ever before. The potential consequences, he believes, are disturbing and devastating. Get through the first few chapters, which paint a rather bleak picture, and you will be rewarded with an inspiring confirmation that movements are underway to offset these negative trends. For me, the most salient chapters are about education. The “natural schools” movement has been slow to take root in the US, but a growing number of schools have a commitment to environmental/nature education as a core part of their curriculum. Aside from the curricular focus, attention is given to all aspects of sustainability in school design. Schoolyard habitats that encourage learning through the direct interaction with a “green” landscape are the cutting edge of playground design. Though it is not explicitly stated, I have come to appreciate the tradition of nature-based learning that has been, and is, taking place here at Breakwater. I look forward to further programmatic initiatives that support this tradition, including a committee that was recently formed to plan the greening of the school grounds. Other Breakwater "green" initiatives include Earth Week, class visits to the Jessie Bullens-Crewe Nature Preserve, and the recently rejuventated Jessie Land curriculum committee. Breakwater is in a position to continue being a leader and innovator in this arena and I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of it. 
Have you ever wondered how Breakwater School got its name? Wanted to learn more about El Costa and her educational philosophy? Chris Trafford, Breakwater parent and Principal and Creative Director of Spark Creative, Inc., filmed a conversation between El and David Sullivan this past August. Chris has produced a wonderful piece featuring part of this "meeting of the minds." Visit the School's website to see our most recent video, "What is the Essence of Breakwater?" El Costa and her husband Frank founded Breakwater School in 1956. What began as a daycare transformed over the years into the school we all know. Through all these changes, El's most important goal was to provide children with a safe place to learn and grow. Mrs. Costa may have formally retired in 1985, but she still is an active member of the Breakwater community. She participates in numerous events throughout the year and stays in touch with faculty and staff, always eager to learn about the latest goings on at the school. She has been, and continues to be, a source of inspiration for us all. Watch the video, "What is the Essence of Breakwater?" here! 
We are pleased to announce that this year you can make twice the difference at Breakwater School! Two Grandparents have joined together to issue a challenge to the Breakwater community - they have agreed to match all gifts to the Annual Fund up to $50,000. Watch $50,000 double to $100,000! The Annual Fund is off to a great start with more than $30,000 given before this challenge. With that in mind, our Annual Fund goal this year is $130,000. With your help, we can make this goal a reality and more than double last year's Annual Fund! $30,000 (given to date) + $50,000 x2 = $130,000 Gifts to the Annual Fund support everything that happens at Breakwater every day. Specifically, the funds are used to support:
Think about what Breakwater means to your family and consider giving double what you gave last year. Please don't miss this rare opportunity to make your impact twice as powerful! Two times the gift...Two times the joy...Two times the impact! Double the Magic -- Make your gift now 
The halls were buzzing with conversation as children made their way back to classrooms after Friday Workshops last week. Here are some of the things we heard: “I played in my very first soccer game – it was fun!” “I made a dance!” “I didn’t know I could juggle.” “We went on a walk to the waterfall and we were going up a hill. I didn’t know what would be on the other side and I was a little nervous but we got to the top and it was fine.” “I really challenged myself on the rock wall. I didn’t know I could do that!” Last week Friday Workshops, part of our physical education program, met for the first time. Faculty and staff offered a menu of 10 workshops for students in Kindergarten through Seventh Grade. Children could choose from: "Juggling and Circus Arts" with David Sullivan and Michael Trautman As we circulated through the workshops we saw active, engaged, and enthusiastic students and workshop leaders who were laughing together, problem-solving, challenging themselves, and practicing new skills. During the next few weeks we’ll be asking students and teachers for feedback about this first session of Friday Workshops and for workshop ideas for our second session, which will begin after Winter Break. We’d love to hear from families too. Please email any thoughts, feedback, questions, or ideas to Cheryl Hart, "chart" at breakwaterschool.org This session of Friday Workshops will run through December 14th and our next session will begin on January 11th. To see more photos of Friday Workshops, click here! Calling all artists! Both performance and visual artists are invited to be a part of the first-ever BWS Arts Committee to support the arts of BWS and the Greater Portland area. No wool beret necessary, just bring your passion for art and fun! The first meeting will be held Friday, November 30th at 7:05pm at the home of Camilla Whitehead: 218 Pine Street, South Portland. Childcare will be provided. Any questions, email Camilla at: camilla@maine.rr.com. 
One of Breakwater's traditional community service projects has been to take part in the Toys for Tots campaign. Toys are gathered in November as part of a combined effort with Portland's METRO Bus and the Marine Corps and are donated to children in need every December. We have a table set up in the main hallway of the Brick Building where families can drop off new and unwrapped toys for children of all ages. Look for the "Toys for Tots" banner and for a flyer about the project coming home soon in lunchbox mail. The METRO Bus will be here to pick up toys on Friday, December 7th at 9am. Students will be with their Learning Buddies and will load the bus as an all-school effort. We appreciate your attention to this community effort. This project, our annual Learning Buddies Backpack Project for the Refugee Resettlement Program, our collection of food for the Preble Street Resource Center's food pantry, and a variety of classroom projects are part of Breakwater's commitment to community service and service-learning. Research on service-learning shows that participation in these activities can:
For young children (Preschool, Kindergarten, and Elementary level), service-learning often begins with discovering and experiencing small acts of kindness and with exploring the concept of kindness. Children's literature is filled with wonderful books about compassion and kindness. Next week our Library will feature a display of some of these books. We especially recommend: Ordinary Mary's Extraordinary Deed by Emily Pearson This Little Light of Mine by Earl B. Lewis Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney Because of You by B.G. Hennessy REMINDER: Breakwater Celebrates the Arts! - My Irish Soul, Paul Sullivan, solo piano - CD Release Party and Short Private Concert - Saturday, November 17th at the home of Kristin Schardt and Martin Lodish. Paul Sullivan is a Grammy Award-winning pianist and composer, and a good friend of David and Zoe Sullivan. If you are interested in a receiving an invitation to this special event, please email Kristin at kschardt@bridgtonacademy.org. Many Stories: A Multicultural Book Fair for Families will feature the latest children's books as well as familiar classics. The fair also will include hands-on craft and science projects based on books including Red Butterfly: How a Princess Smuggled the Secret of Silk Out of China. Take a silkworm home to see with your own eyes how it turns mulberry leaves into silk thread! The book fair is free and open to the public in the BWS Gym on Saturday, November 17th from 11am-1pm. Educators receive a 20% discount on all books. For more information, email Kim Gustafson at bamboo@maine.rr.com or visit www.cafamchineseschool.org. Coffee with the Head of School - Don't miss the next coffee with David Sullivan on December 13th! Parents of students currently enrolled and parents who are considering Breakwater School for their child are welcome to attend. Learn more about educational trends, innovative instructional approaches, and independent education while you enjoy coffee, tea and goodies! Coffee with The Head takes place the second Thursday of every month. Want to Lend a Helping Hand? Check out all the opportunities to volunteer at Breakwater here! Special Thanks to Susan and Takahiro Sato for providing tickets for the 5th grade to attend Portland Symphony Orchestra's Youth Concert The Chill of the Orchestra. Thanks to Kathleen and Neil Esposito for donating office furniture for our Head of School's office and the "BPA Executive office" in the main hall of the Brick Building. Thanks also to Rob and Robin Whitten and their son Denny for hosting a reception to introduce David and Zoe Sullivan to former trustees and friends of the School. El Costa, our school's founder, attended and many shared their fond memories and Breakwater stories. |
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