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Charter News, Staff and Family Commentary

December Good Tidings

Happy Holidays to everyone from the Charter 25 Independent. Study Program here at Mountain School! We have been happy to continue
on with the Mountain School community under our new San Lorenzo Valley sponsorship, and we have been having a wonderful time living and
learning together! We wish you all a happy and peaceful holiday season.
All the best!

Maria Anderson Fahrner

Staff and Family Commentary
BC Homeschool: Rhonda & Barbara

Now that our annual musical is over and the Science fair, too is over, our classroom activities have slowed down a bit. The year is winding down, but we still have had time for several great field trips and special activities. Here is a brief review of what we have done and what is still ahead for the remaining of the year.
San Francisco Symphony: Another great visit to listen to, and appreciate the wonderful S.F. Symphony. Many families stayed in the city and extended their fun.
Science Camp at the Quaker Center: What a fabulous three day event! The weather couldn’t have been better, the food and company could not have been surpassed. And it could not have been done without all the teamwork that was shared between teachers and parents. The students were divided into small, multi-age groups that then spent the majority of each day with a teacher; hiking, exploring, and learning more about the watershed in our local area. Each group also had a time at the art table with Stephanie. The older students spend the nights at the camp, and were able to go on a night hike one night, put on skits and sing around the campfire another night. Special thanks to the parents who spent the nights with us, preparing the meals, and working the clean-up patrol. We also received a good deal of help from our Middle School aids from Coast Redwood Homeschool. A good time for all
California Academy of Arts: Wow! Another great turn-out for another great field trip. This is one place that I could go back to again and again. We went to view the planetarium show as a group, and then were able to take our own pace through the many exhibits, the new aquarium, the 3-D bug show…and so much more. There were so many favorites shared in class as we came back together.
And to finish the year:

And next year?! Many old faces will be returning, and of course some new families will enrich the next activities that we will share as a community of homeschooling learners.

We did it! Another hugely successful year at Boulder Creek Homeschool thanks to amazing parents, wonderful kids, and happy teachers! Parents, we asked you to step forward in many challenging ways this year, but you did, and as a result, our events ran smoothly and the kids had so much fun! Thanks from both of us for being such a support in the month of May while Barbara recovered from surgery. It was your support and positive attitude that helped her recover so quickly!

BOULDER CREEK Parent Commentary:
When We Homeschool Our Own Children -by Mary Zehr
When we homeschool our children, we homeschool ourselves. This may seem a rather obvious point to many, but every time it is refreshed for me, I am at once humbled, curious, and hopeful. We, parents together, children and parents, teachers and families, we share our passions with each other. We spur on each other’s learning, and in so doing, my life is better than it could be.
During my 14 years and counting odyssey of homeschooling my kids, I have pulled (sometimes dragged) them into my latest quest to further my own homeschooling. And today, years since the beginning of the journey, is no different. Working together, we learn more. Learning together, we do and share more.

Anyone want to learn about financial literacy while we drive to Cabrillo? Quick, pop in the audio-CD. The narrator’s smooth tones take over, the protests stop, and we ponder over ideas as the miles quickly pass. Giving background, the author tells us that in school the concept of collaborating on a test is considered cheating. But in the business world, away from school, teamwork and the ability to communicate with others is more highly valued than grades. Cooperation is a better indicator of success. When I hear this, I am immediately transported in my mind to the countless times I have walked into Barbara and Rhonda’s classroom in time to witness children of many ages collaborating on projects. The children are encouraged to problem solve together, to reflect on their joint experiences and write about them with partners (such as visiting the symphony, or hikes during science camp), to have a special buddy to look out for, and to respect that there is often more than one right answer in the learning they do.

Back in the car, I pause the CD and we plunge into a great conversation. Questions and ideas are thrown out by my children, 9 and 16 years old. “Is he saying don’t go to college? But good grades are important, right?” “Wouldn’t everyone get smarter if they were allowed to help each other?” “So he wants us to be smart and then get even smarter in the real world?” The conversation is rich for all of us.
Back at home we turn off our financial lesson and decide to walk through the yard. The slugs are eating my lettuce! Quick, let’s research the most effective, least toxic methods for getting rid of them. Don’t forget the nightly fieldtrips with flashlights into the garden to seek and destroy. Can you spell reconnaissance, team? And we’re off to our next homeschooling experience; theirs and mine.

Coast Redwood Middle Homeschool: Staff Reflection
We have completed our first full year as the Coast Redwood Middle Home-school program. What a fabulous year it has been. Currently we are completely our first yearbook, full of wonderful photography taken from the students themselves. Thanks to Eva, Avery and Eva’s mom Cheryl for being the primary formatting and editing chiefs. I think the format we used will become a tradition! It really shows the true nature of our year together.

Photography: This is one theme that was enthusiastically carried on throughout the year. All of the students became quite good at their composition and lighting techniques. It has become second nature to many of them to pull out a camera and take pictures during our activities, with many spending free time editing their best on iPhoto. As a final project, each student burned a CD of their best photos to take home.

Classes: Our classes are coming to an end soon. Lisa has taught a lot of interesting activities in Physics this semester. And a special thanks to her friend Bill for coming and helping the students hear and learn from a professional physicist.
The parents continued to teach many interesting classes: Green Solutions, Art, Stomp, even Sushi Making!

Field Trips:
Photography: We have had two field trips focusing on building the students photography skills: one was to downtown Boulder Creek, for a focus on Buildings, and the creek-side park. The second was to the homeless Garden Project in Santa Cruz. We took a tour, learning about the project, then went to take pictures at the gardens, ending with lunch at the tide pools across the street.

California Academy of Arts: Wow! Another great turn out for another great field trip. This is one place that I could go back to again and again. We went to view the planetarium show as a group, and then were able to take our own pace through the many exhibits, the new aquarium, the 3-D bug show…and so much more.

Camping: We had a great two night camping trip to culminate our time together at New Brighton. It is a favorite of the students, with plenty of time to just be together. One thing they did do this trip, different from the beginning of the year was to work in small groups to plan a meal, buy the food, cook and do the clean-up for everyone camping. Each group made a terrific meal for our breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And of course I have to thank the wonderful parents who stayed to nights, and helped to make it a safe and fully pleasurable event.

Still to Come: We will end our year with a classroom party, honoring those who are moving, celebrating all who advanced through the year. We will share food, sign yearbooks, and get to view the videos that many of the students made in a special class they had this semester.
We will also have one last field trip to the junction for lunch and ice cream together.

And next year? I do believe we will continue to grow and perfect what we do best! Combining project learning & presentations, with social emotional earning activities, photography, and plenty of fun, camping, and field trips!

A big thank you to all the students and their parents who made this year so enjoyable for me to be a part of. Working and teaching for you has been a pleasure.

COAST REDWOOD
A Parent’s Reflection: by MariAnn Nuckles.
As the parent of a 'traditional' middle school child, I was a little nervous about what to expect when I transferred my son to Coast Redwood in January of last year. Would he make friends? Would he like the homeschool experience? Am I, personally, going to be enough assistance for him? I was pleasantly surprised that the transition from 'traditional' schooling to homeschooling went very smoothly. Not only did Tyler make friends easily, but we have found that his new classmates were very interested to hear what it was like to be in a 'traditional' school setting, and also to offer suggestions as to how to make his experience at Coast Redwood more fulfilling.

I have found our experience at Coast Redwood to be nothing but positive. The middle school years for kids seem to be the most difficult, yet in the setting of this classroom, there is nothing but positive reinforcement, not only from their teacher, but also from
their peers. This is a very close-knit group of kids, even though their schooling experiences and lifestyles vary greatly. From what I've seen, this is not something you will always get in the public school setting. Each child gets individualized attention and defines personal goals based on their abilities and interests. For us, this was the best decision we could have made.