NEWSLETTER FOR P ARENTS, STU
DENTS, AL
UMNI FA
MILIES,
GRAND
PAREN T
S AND
FRIEN
Annual Report
20132014
Fall 2014 INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Field Trips & Hallmark Trips Campus Updates Annual Report 2013-2014
DS
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FALL 2014 CONTENTS
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2013-2014 ADVENTURES: REFLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD (TRIP)
3-4 Lower School Field Trips 5-6 Middle School Hallmark Trips
2013-2014 GIFTS IN ACTION
7 Professional Development by Barbara McGee 8 Fund-A-Wish Complete
NEWS AROUND CAMPUS
9 Meet the New Faculty & Staff 2014-2015 10 Eighth Grade Graduation 2014
2013-2014 ANNUAL REPORT
11-14 Annual Fund & Fund-A-Wish Donors, Annual Report
OPEN WINDOW SCHOOL | THE VIEW | FALL 2014 | PAGE 1
A LETTER FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Dear Friends of Open Window School, This Annual Report issue of The View highlights both the excellence of our educational program and the financial foundation that enables us to provide transformative opportunities for our students.
As you read through these pages, you will have a better sense of the off-campus experiences that are crucial to supporting the work we do in our classrooms. Whether it be a culminating eighth grade trip to Costa Rica, our fourth graders overnight experience at IslandWood, or kindergarteners visiting a local bakery, these experiences support both our students’ academic and social-emotional growth. Although we are now in the midst of the 2014-15 school year, please take a moment to look at the section on last year’s graduation. These 24 students made up the largest eighth grade graduating class in our school’s history. We are immensely proud of them and confident in their ability to seize all the opportunities that await them in high school. You can see the student graduation speeches on our school website, and they really highlight the exceptional impact that Open Window School has had on the lives of these young people. One of the things that all independent schools ask of their families is that they make their child’s school one of their top philanthropic priorities. As this issue chronicles, we are extremely fortunate that Open Window families have responded so generously to this expectation. Strong annual giving reduces pressure on tuition and supports financial aid, making it possible to offer the benefits of our school to children who could not otherwise afford to attend. Moreover, the solid financial position of the school gives us the ability to constantly respond to changing needs and improve our program. With the exception of general lighting, the upgrades to our gym that were made possible by last year’s record Auction Fund-A-Wish contributions are all installed and ready to benefit our students. The list of donors contained in this issue is wonderfully long. Please join me thanking each and every one of them for the opportunities that they make possible for our students. Sincerely,
Jeff Stroebel, Head of School
OPEN WINDOW SCHOOL | THE VIEW | FALL 2014 | PAGE 2
2013-2014 ADVENTURES: REFLECTIONS FROM THE FIELD (TRIP)
FROM THE
Field
Lower School Field Trips and Middle School Hallmark Trips 2013-2014 Every year, Open Window students venture out into the world to expand their knowledge and curiosities outside our campus boundaries.
In kindergarten, students learn how food gets from farm to table by visiting a local farm and bakery. A trip to Camp Long builds community and provides first grade scientists a larger-than-life lab in which to explore. Second graders learn about the past on a visit to the old Train Depot, while third graders travel to downtown Seattle to the International District. Pioneer Square is a great classroom for fourth graders learning about the history of Seattle. Fourth graders also prepare for a several night adventure to IslandWood in the spring. As the experiences build upon one another, students move into middle school ready for a more advanced version of the field trip, the Hallmark Trip. Hallmark Trips are the culminating experience of a middle school year at Open Window. Week-long overnight trips to locations in the Northwest and beyond, they serve to deepen relationships within each grade and provide enrichment to our curriculum, while building students’ confidence, empathy, and self-awareness. In 2013-2014, fifth graders went to the North Cascades Institute to study the Elwha Dam Removal Project. Sixth grade students visited the Olympic National Park to study environmental science. Seventh graders sailed on the Salish Sea, cooking their own meals and running marine experiments. Eighth graders built on all of the experiences and learning of the previous Hallmark Trips on a trip to Costa Rica. Students designed and conducted their own science experiment, went on adventurous excursions like zip lining, and stayed with local Costa Rican families, where they were encouraged to speak Spanish exclusively. These trips push students outside of their comfort zone, developing their self-esteem, leadership skills and teamwork, while teaching them about the Northwest and our greater global community. Hallmarks are extraordinarily valuable opportunities for personal growth – the benefits really are innumerable. On these pages you will see photos from many lower school field trips and photos and reflections by middle school students on Hallmark experiences, including: a poem written by two artistic contributors about the fifth grade North Cascades Institute trip, a sampling from sixth grade science journals, a sea shanty written by 2013-2014 seventh graders, and reflections by eighth graders on their Costa Rican adventure.
OPEN WINDOW SCHOOL | THE VIEW | FALL 2014 | PAGE 3
OPEN WINDOW SCHOOL | THE VIEW | FALL 2014 | PAGE 4
Eighth Grade Self-Reflections:
The NCI Argument BY SYDNEY AND SOFIA When fifth graders from NCI arrived at home that night, two of the thirty-five students suddenly started to fight Of whose descriptions of NCI were better suited they fought, for NCI was so much better than Islandwood, they thought.**
Costa Rica
Said one, look down, see emerald plants, Look up, see bright blue sky, Admire mountains, lakes, and bears, all while at NCI.
WHAT WAS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE EXPERIENCES FROM YOUR COSTA RICA ADVENTURE?
My favorite experience from the trip was the service project at the school. The town and our home-stay families gave us a lot and it was nice to be able to give something back. I enjoyed interacting with the kids there and they were adorable when they sang us songs. It was also a lot of fun to use power tools. –VIVIAN WHAT DID YOU FIND MOST AWE-INSPIRING?
The thing I found the most awe-inspiring was the amount of biodiversity. In Washington, you can mostly guarantee the species you’ll see, but in Costa Rica there were so many different types of plants and animals that you never knew what you could see from one day to the next. For example, when we heard the “Fried Egg” bird on Fresi’s farm, even Andres said he’d never seen it before, even though he’s lived in Costa Rica for quite a while. –CASSIE WHAT WAS THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU DID OR LEARNED IN THE SCIENCE PART OF THE TRIP?
The most interesting thing I learned in the science part of the trip was in La Salva while talking to Don Carlos. I learned about how global warming is affecting the forest. I always hear people talking about global warming, and how it is affecting many things, but it really struck home when we heard the statistics on how exactly the forest was being affected…I learned how the temperatures during the night slowly affects the size of the trees. As the nighttime temperatures have been slowly increasing, the sizes of the trees have been slowly decreasing. –REBECCA WHAT WAS THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU DID OR LEARNED IN THE HOME STAY PORTION OF THE TRIP?
Meeting new friends and talking to them in Spanish, which is something I did and I didn’t know I could do. I talked with one particular kid, Eduardo, as if he was one of my normal friends. It was very interesting how similar he was to me and the things he thinks are interesting I am interested in as well. –RYAN
Said the other, you forgot the basics, pancakes, cabins, and you also left out adjectives (like awesome and astonishing) too! No, you have to describe it as jam-packed with fun, stirred in with some learning and science by the ton. Well, you didn’t mix in waking up to a sunny, cloudless sky, and that is what happened, every day at NCI. But you forgot the science! We set up a plot, we used fun, new tools, we learned a whole lot, Well, you didn’t mention the deer, a mere twenty feet away, or the thundering waterfall of melted snow from glaciers when they thaw in May. You left out this: it takes 3 hours just to get to NCI, And you forgot to mention, that the time just flies by Right! Kids will board the bus sadly saying good-bye then come back from their trip screaming, “GO NCI!”
OPEN WINDOW SCHOOL | THE VIEW | FALL 2014 | PAGE 5
** Sorry, fourth-grade teachers, At IslandWood we had a great time, we only said NCI was better so that we could make it rhyme.
Sixth Grade Self-Reflections:
WHAT WAS ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE EXPERIENCES FROM OPI?
One of my favorite experiences from OPI was, when hiking in the woods with my group, I saw a woodpecker no more than a couple of meters away. Our instructor, Chris, said when pecking at trees, woodpeckers can move their heads more than 25 miles per hour! –AYUSH
Nature Bridge/OPI
WHAT ASPECT OF THE TRIP DID YOU FIND MOST CHALLENGING? WHY WAS IT DIFFICULT?
Collecting the Macros was difficult because the freezing water was really cold and rubbing rocks for 30 seconds was painful. My hand went numb the times that I did it. –THOR WHAT WAS THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU DID OR LEARNED IN THE SCIENCE PART OF THE TRIP?
I learned that the turbidity of Crescent Lake was 17 meters deep. I thought it would be murkier because it seemed very deep and dark, but it turned out to be pristinely clear. –KATIE
Sea Shanty, A Seventh Grade Reflection on their Time at Sea
CHORUS:
VERSES:
Haul away you rolling kings, Heave away, haul away! Haul away you’ll hear me sing We’re bound for Anacortes
From Open Window we did come, Heave away, haul away! Now we’re sad our trip is done We’re bound for Anacortes
We saw a giant herring ball, Heave away, haul away! Those seagulls nearly ate ‘em all We’re bound for Anacortes
We ate some mafi Lauren made, Heave away, haul away! We gave it an A plus grade We’re bound for Anacortes
It was fun to steer the boat, Heave away, haul away! I’m sure glad it stayed afloat We’re bound for Anacortes
We all learned to sail from Scott Heave away, haul away! Kayla taught the boulin knot We’re bound for Anacortes
Every night we came ashore, Heave away, haul away! We enjoyed some tasty s’mores We’re bound for Anacortes
We did belly biology, Heave away, haul away! Right here in the Salish Sea We’re bound for Anacortes
We all learned the way to tack, Heave away, haul away! Best make sure the jib is backed We’re bound for Anacortes
OPEN WINDOW SCHOOL | THE VIEW | FALL 2014 | PAGE 6
2013-2014 GIFTS IN ACTION
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT:
21
st
CENTURY SKILLS LEARNING INITIATIVE
BY BARBARA MCGEE, CURRICULUM DIRECTOR
Open Window School faculty worked with educational consultant Tracy Immel throughout the 2013-2014 school year to develop a shared understanding of 21st Century skills and how learning activities can provide opportunities to build these skills.
Immel, who is the Managing Director and Independent Consultant for Imagine Education, USA, guided teachers in exploring the connection between innovative teaching and student acquisition of 21st Century skills such as critical thinking, creativity, problem solving, collaboration, and risk taking. Teachers learned about 21st Century Learning Design and how this design bridges the gap between the theory of 21st Century skills and everyday teaching and learning of these skills. Teachers were given hands-on experience in the importance of educator collaboration in creating lessons based on this model. Group sessions involved much discussion around the rubric frameworks teachers were utilizing in their lesson designs, and how the integration of the pedagogical elements of teaching and technology is a must. Exploring the connection between innovative teaching and student acquisition of 21st Century skills, teachers considered the implications for their teaching and for their students. Teachers worked together in teams to arrange peer observations of their learning activities, and some accepted the opportunity offered by Open Window to pursue Innovative Teaching summer grants.
OPEN WINDOW SCHOOL | THE VIEW | FALL 2014 | PAGE 7
FUND-A-WISH
Projects Complete BY KATHLEEN ARENDS, MUSIC TEACHER AND MATTHEW SMITH, PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER
The new traverse wall expands students’ testing, training, and understanding of their bodies in literally a new dimension. It’s a vertical surface the kids are eager to conquer!
From the outside, the gym at Open Window appears very similar to last year. However, thanks to donors to last spring’s Fund-A-Wish, it is capable of much more.
For athletic events, new bench seats will welcome spectators to home competitions, while saving the floor from the wear and tear of chairs. A new scoreboard adds to the excitement and quantifies the efforts of student athletes. Students and other audiences are now treated to video and other media content on a large screen. Its rear-projection technology makes it much brighter, clearer, and easier to see than the former system. The screen is raised and lowered by the push of a button—removing a need for an often cumbersome set up with a stand-alone screen. Student voices can more easily be heard using the new sound system. It has one accessible set of controls for assembly-type events; including, projector and screen, audio, and microphone. For more complicated productions onstage, the system can be controlled from an iPad, the sound engineer hearing the sound balance from the same place as the audience. We can now have as many as eight microphones, with a monitor onstage where live singers’ voices can be heard over their accompaniment. Students will soon learn how to run the system. These improvements would not have been possible without the generosity of so many donors to Fund-A-Wish. We also would like to thank our Development Team for identifying the needs, and the Facilities Team for researching and coordinating installations. We look forward to a new year of physical education classes, athletic events, student performances, and assemblies!
See Fund-A-Wish donor list on page 11.
OPEN WINDOW SCHOOL | THE VIEW | FALL 2014 | PAGE 8
NEWS AROUND CAMPUS
MEET THE NEW FACULTY DANALYNN COULON SCIENCE TEACHER, GRADE 5 I graduated from Washington State University with two degrees: a B.S. in Biology and a B.A. in French. I have worked in education for nine years and am very excited to teach 5th grade science this year. In my free time, I love to travel—I’ve been to 26 countries so far! ELLEN CURTIS SPANISH TEACHER, GRADES 6, 7 & 8
AMBER MALMGREN SPANISH TEACHER, GRADES 4,5,7 & 8 I fell in love with the Spanish language while studying abroad in Spain. For the past 6 years I have taught in North Carolina. I am excited to be in Washington State and at Open Window. The Northwest is a great place for my family, which includes my husband and 2 dogs. We all love the outdoors and to be near the water.
I earned my master’s degree in Spanish from the University of North Texas. I also hold B.A. degrees in English and Spanish. I have lived, worked, studied, or traveled to several countries, including Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Spain, and Venezuela. I have taught Spanish at Bellevue College and in the Bellevue School District. In addition to my love of language and literature, I have worked in community outreach with youth and teens with the City of Bellevue. I’ve worked as a writer/editor and interpreter as well. JENNY NORTHRUP MIDDLE SCHOOL HUMANITIES TEACHER, GRADE 6 I come from a family of teachers, and I’ve always been interested in teaching−I think it’s in my blood! I went to Brown to get my Master’s in Teaching, and when I graduated I found a job teaching at an all girls’ school in Los Angeles. I taught Latin and Ancient History there for three years. Open Window has everything I’m looking for in a school: great students, rigorous curriculum, welcoming faculty, and its beautiful campus as a bonus. I’m so excited to be here!
AMY PARLO SCIENCE TEACHER, GRADES 7 & 8 I come to Open Window School from overseas where I served as the Instructional Systems Specialist for AP and Gifted Education for the Department of Defense Education Activity in Korea and Okinawa. Prior to that, I was an assistant professor of Science Education and the STEM K-12 Outreach Coordinator at Virginia Tech. I have over ten years of experience teaching science and I’m so excited to return to the classroom at Open Window School. An interesting fact about me is that I have a license to drive in three countries!
PACKs are something I’m especially excited about. I’m teaching a PACK about the etymology of words, and I’m thrilled to be able to share my passion for language with the students. An interesting fact about me is that I love to knit, and have been practicing knitting mittens. I didn’t need to wear them when I worked in LA, so I’m excited to finally get to use them up here.
MAGGIE VAN CISE TEACHER, GRADE 4 I have been in education for the past 6 years working primarily with grades 4 and 5. I am excited to be at Open Window as part of the 4th grade team this year. Something you may not know about me is that I was born in Iceland and went to school in England. I also love photography and kayaking.
OPEN WINDOW SCHOOL | THE VIEW | FALL 2014 | PAGE 9
2014 GRADUATION
ZHAO HUI GRUBB, ONE OF SEVERAL TEN YEAR VETERANS OF OPEN WINDOW SCHOOL, HAVING STARTED IN THE PRE-K PROGRAM AT AGE FOUR
“I couldn’t be luckier to have been here for elementary and middle school where outstanding teachers and my caring friends created such an accepting and lively community. The atmosphere here is what made me so ready for school every morning.”
On June 12th, the gym was beautifully decorated and filled with the kind of energy reserved for very special occasions. Our largest class of 24 graduates celebrated their time at Open Window, and prepared to step through the next “window.” (This is a reference from Serena Gilani’s speech, available on our website, openwindowschool.org.) Three students were selected to speak for the class and reflect upon their Open Window experiences.
ANDY BOHLIN, CAME IN AS A 7TH GRADER
“It took me so long to find a place where I could grow, but once I got to Open Window, I found out who I am.”
SERENA GILANI
“This is a place where we have learned to step out of our comfort zone and try new activities, test new theories, and share new feelings. A place where we have come to believe in ourselves and our potential. A place where we have learned to ask for help and help others. A place where we have established a community of love and acceptance.”
OPEN WINDOW SCHOOL | THE VIEW | FALL 2014 | PAGE 10
See the video of these graduation speeches on our website, openwindowschool.org.