Rocketkids 2019

TM

CODING WAVE

NEW CODING AND STEM CLASSES FOR KIDS

THE WHOLE CHILD

INTEGRATING SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING INTO OUR CLASSROOMS

COMMON SENSE PARENTING BEST-SELLING AUTHOR DR. ROSS W. GREENE

15 PERFECT KID SPOTS

TOUCH TANKS, MAGICAL DRAGONS AND FOSSILS

BUBBLE TEA BLISS

LOCAL CREATIONS FROM PUMPKIN SPICE TO WINTER MELON

AN SRQ MAGAZINE PUBLICATION WINTER 2019

SARASOTA | MANATEE FAMILIES, KIDS, EDUCATION AND INNOVATION

WINTER 2019 | A PUBLICATION OF SRQ MAGAZINE

15 FAMILY SPOTS A TROVE OF ARTSY AND NATURE-BASED EXPERIENCES 2

CODING WAVES WHICH SCHOOL BEST FITS YOUR FAMILY? 19

BRADENTON CHRISTIAN SCHOOL NEWGATE SCHOOL THE OUT-OF-DOOR ACADEMY ST. MARTHA CATHOLIC SCHOOL THE PINNACLE ACADEMY

THE VALUE OF CODING 4

BUBBLE TEA BLISS FAMILYFRIENDLY BOBA BUBBLE TEAS 6

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING INTEGRATING CONCEPTS INTO THE CLASSROOM 8

COMMON SENSE BEST-SELLING AUTHOR DR. ROSS W. GREENE 16

CULTIVATING SARASOTA | MANATEE FAMILIES, EDUCATION AND INNOVATION

Hidden Gems

With an activity for every proclivity, Sarasota–Manatee will keep the youngsters from yawning this season.

From winter to spring, there is a trove of artsy and nature-based local mirth for everyone, from toddlers to teens (so much fun even the tagalong grown-ups will be gung-ho to go). —A.Weingarten

15FamilySpots This page, left to right: Big Cat Habitat.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Opposite page, left to right: Sarasota Children’s Garden, The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature and Mote Marine Laboratory and Acquarium.

Marvel at a 100-year-old banyan tree and a

12-foot waterfall, and trek along the canopy walk and rope bridge at the Ann Goldstein Children’s Rainforest Garden. For tykes ages 2 to 5, there is the Little Sprouts Club—a monthly, educational drop-in program with crafts stations and hands-on activities—from November to May. Check out the temporary art exhibit “Salvador Dalí: Gardens of the Mind,” which highlights the famed artist’s use of botanical imagery. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, 811 S. Palm Ave., Sarasota, 941-366-5731, selby.org.

The David F. Bolger Playspace at The Ringling

museum lets kiddos romp in the fresh air on the 66-acre bayfront campus and is stocked with adventurous obstacles like a tower, slide, basket swing and hand-powered fountains. There are also free programs such as Family Saturdays, Stroller Tours and Museum of Art Mondays.

Inside the Circus Museum is a bevy of big-top wonderment, such as authentic costumes, posters and a 44,000-piece Howard Bros. Circus Model and The Greatest Show on Earth Mural. The Ringling, 5401 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota, 941-359-5700, ringling.org.

Pet stingrays, point at seahorses and jellyfish, and

then sail away with the Sarasota Bay Explorers (a group that provides boat eco-tours and nature safaris right from the Mote site). Save Our Seabirds, with its array of rescued Florida birds, is next door to the aquarium. And from February to May, catch a free Sarasota Ski-A-Rees water show on a Sunday afternoon at the nearby stadium. Try the virtual-reality cinema journey in the Exploration Gallery,

2

RocketKids | Winter 2019

P R O D U C E D

B Y

S R Q

which features nine experiences (from live-action swimming with humpback whales or computer-animated roller coaster rides). Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, 1600 Ken Thompson Pkwy., Sarasota, 941-388-4441, mote.org.

A wonderland on two acres, this secluded Sarasota

spot is tailor-made for the imaginative set. There are pirate ships and fairy gardens, all arranged in a landscape decorated with creatively recycled materials. Enroll kids in craft classes, arrange birthday parties in the Caterpillar Cottage and let the little ones play dress-up in the wildly designed wilderness. Sarasota Children’s Garden, 1670 10th Way, Sarasota, 941-330-1711, sarasotachildrensgarden.com.

Learn about the constellations in the all-digital, full-

dome planetarium theater (with a Digistar 5 dual-projection system) and visit the Parker Manatee Rehabilitation Habitat (where the sea cows feed and swim). The first Saturday of most months is family night, when there are special themed activities and admission is reduced after 3pm. The Mosaic Backyard Universe—a hands-on interactive exhibit designed for children ages 2 to 8—boasts a tree house platform, a fossil dig pit, scale models of the solar system, a freshwater pond filled with turtles and a science shed. The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton, 941-746-4131, bishopscience.org.

Go racing with “The Naskart Experience,” smash

around with friends in bumper cars in the “Spin Zone,” play Bazooka Ball (with glow-in-the-dark foam balls in a 3-D galactic battle arena) and earn tickets in the arcade.

M A G A Z I N E

Hidden Gems

Then snack on handcrafted pizza slices and fried cheesecake. Livingston’s Amusement Center, 5947 Clark Center Ave., Sarasota, 941-925-7665, livingstonsamusements.com.

The 1.5-mile Bradenton Riverwalk along the

Manatee River has it all: a 400-seat amphitheater, a Tidal Discovery Zone (with up-close observation of the ecosystem along the river’s edge), a fishing pier, a skate park, a family fun zone, a splash pad, actionpacked playgrounds and a beach volleyball court.

Bradenton Riverwalk, 452 Third Ave. W., Bradenton, 941-681-0708, realizebradenton.com.

Learn about pioneer history and Florida flora by

rey, primates, small mammals and alligators in habitats along the lush nature trails. The “Jungle Bird Show,” “Reptile Encounter” and “Wildlife Wonder” shows are all worth the sitting. Sarasota Jungle Gardens, 3701 Bay Shore Rd., Sarasota, 941-355-5305, sarasotajunglegardens.com.

This Bradenton locale is so much more than a fruit

farm; it is also a refuge for rehabilitated birds, animals and reptiles. Take a tour of the orchards or butterfly garden, and then let the kids explore the new Amazing Play Place (which includes a giant Jenga game, a cornhole and badminton setup, a volleyball area and space for water relay races). Mixon Fruit Farms, 2525 27th St. E., Bradenton, 941-748-5829, mixon.com.

visiting a blacksmith shop, a working sugar cane mill and a Children’s Discovery Path nature trail. A half-mile boardwalk winds through five Florida habitats, including the Maple Branch Swamp and the Tatum Sawgrass Marsh, and ends at a two-story observation tower overlooking the Myakka River.Crowley Museum & Nature Center, 16405 Myakka Rd., Sarasota, 941-322-1000, crowleyfl.org.

At this cheery circus-themed downtown Sarasota

Navigate 58 square miles of wetlands, woodlands and

this wild stretch of Lido Key, and have a picnic at a wooden table while the children savor the playground. There are guided eco-tours that launch from the park daily and head into Sarasota Bay (where manatees, dolphins and seabirds roam). Ted Sperling Park at South Lido Beach, 190 Taft Dr., Sarasota, 941-861-5000, tedsperlingpark.com.

prairies via a flat-bottomed boat tour around Upper Myakka Lake. Book a horseback-riding session or go mountain biking, camping, fishing, paddling, birding and wildlife viewing. Gather around a campfire circle or launch a canoe and kayak into marshy waters. Myakka River State Park, 13208 State Rd. 72, Sarasota, 941-361-6511, myakkariver.org.

Have a “Wild Animal Encounter” with a lion, tiger

or liger, and watch a “Reptile Review,” all while learning about creature care and preservation in this sanctuary for rescued animals. There are bears, primates and tortoises on-site, and a kid-friendly petting zoo with goats, llamas, emu and chickens. Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary, 7101 Palmer Blvd., Sarasota, 941-371-6377, bigcathabitat.org.

Hand-feed a free-roaming flamingo at this 10-acre

wildlife haven, which is home to more than 200 native and exotic animals. There are multicolored birds of

playground, toddlers can swing and slide while teens climb rock walls and do tricks at the skate park. Embark on a family bike ride along the park’s half-mile, tree-lined trail before heading to the Café in the Park for sandwiches and craft popsicles. Payne Park, 2050 Adams Ln., Sarasota, 941-263-6386, sarasotafl.gov.

Pull the canoe or kayak up close to the mangroves in

This “Greatest Little Show on Earth” hosts youth

productions by acrobatic students (on the flying trapeze, trampoline and aerial silks) who have studied with The Circus Arts Conservatory. See a performance, learn about Sarasota’s big-top history and appreciate the talents of the town’s daredevil youngsters. Students ages 8 to 18 can enroll in Sailor Circus Academy—an after-school educational program that teaches circus arts (international circus performers even teach workshops and hands-on training courses). Sailor Circus, 2075 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota, 941-355-9805, circussarasota.org.

P R O D U C E D

B Y

S R Q

M A G A Z I N E

RocketKids | Winter 2019

3

Hidden Gems

CodingWaves Specialized courses teach local students the value of coding, along with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) studies.

Suncoast Science Center/ Faulhaber Fab Lab 4452 Beneva Rd., Sarasota, 941-8404394, suncoastscience.org.

The Coder School 6293 Lake Osprey Dr., Lakewood Ranch sarasota@thecoderschool.com, sarasota. thecoderschool.com.

Other Resources Code.org, Khan Academy.org, Scratch.mit.edu, Nostarch.com/pythoncrashcourse2e, Codecademy.com.

For a kid with coding fascination, there is nothing quite like looking at a video game and confidently thinking, “I can make this.”

That’s exactly what Julia Kourelakos, a student instructor at Sarasota’s Suncoast Science Center/Faulhaber Fab Lab, has witnessed firsthand. She developed and currently teaches a 10-week “Coding and Game Design” course that allows middle school students with no programming background to master the basics of the Python coding language. “Kids want to learn how to code the next Fortnite and this is how they bring that dream to life,” Kourelakos says.

“And learning how to code opens up a new world within every career.” Classes like Kourelakos’ are becoming more prevalent in the area, as coding—along with general science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs—captivate Sarasota–Manatee’s young students.

The Coder School launched in Lakewood Ranch in November, and Suncoast Science Center is continually expanding its programs to include not only coding but also STEM Saturdays, robotics classes and engineering courses. All of these options are giving 4

RocketKids | Winter 2019

P R O D U C E D

B Y

students an opportunity to develop valuable skills in an ever-evolving, hightech world. “Oftentimes, students are not exposed to coding and computer science principles until high school, when it may be too late to learn,” says Jenn Sams, director of marketing and communications at Suncoast Science Center. “We plan to continue

“Kids want to learn how to code the next Fortnite and this is how they bring that dream to life.”

— Julia Kourelakos, Suncoast Science Center/Faulhaber Fab Lab

enhancing our programs and provide interactive classes to expose students to the limitless possibilities of coding and other STEM areas.”

So do Allyson and Pete Christinzio, the owner-operators of The Coder School (a local franchise of an institution that boasts Silicon Valley’s No. 1 kids’ coding program).

The Christinzios’ school has “the only yearS R Q

M A G A Z I N E

round, progressive, dynamic curriculum for learning software development in the entire area” for ages 7 to 18, they say.

“We wanted to help guide children toward a rewarding understanding of how to think like a coder and use programming languages to build gratifying creations,” the Christinzios say. “Our Code Coaches help coders take it to the next level, work through the difficult stuff and really discover the fun of creating something awesome.”

In addition to its regular curriculum, The Coder School offers Code Coaching, Code and Platform Classes, a Coder Fair and Code Camps. “For kids who have done the camps and read the books and played the coding games, there is nothing else available in our community for kids to continue the journey with. And a budding interest that may lead to a fabulous career withers on the vine, so we want to be there to offer that instruction,” the Christinzios say. “I think that we all can agree that the future will be highly technological, and there will be software (which is really just running code) involved in virtually every human enterprise.”

—A. Weingarten

Hidden Gems Four Sarasota locales offer family-friendly boba/bubble teas that are as flavorful as they are fun to drink.

Chi Chop & Kung Fu Tea Sarasota 8404 Lockwood Ridge Rd., Sarasota, 941-260-8768, chichopboba.com.

Elixir Tea House 1926 Hillview St., Sarasota, 941-373-1800, facebook.com/ elixirteahouse.

Kam’s Bubble Tea and Sushi 1813 Fruitville Rd., Sarasota, 941960-1610, kamsbubbleteasushi.com.

Teas Days 6517 Superior Ave., Sarasota, 941-312-5192 thebestboba.com.

BubbleTeaBliss Tapioca pearls at the bottom of a sugary sweet drink, slurped to the top through a wide straw—it’s a textural, taste-budwowing experience, sipping bubble tea.

“Bubble teas are not well-known in the area, but when people experience the drink for the first time, they question why they have never heard of it before,” says Charisma Davis, the owner of Teas Days in Sarasota’s Gulf Gate district.

Teas Days serves the Taiwanese teabased beverage in varieties like taro, Thai, matcha, mango, strawberry, lavender, honeydew, chocolate and pumpkin spice.

Each drink can be paired with a texture such as tapioca (the original boba),

6

RocketKids | Winter 2019

P R O D U C E D

bursting boba (popping with honey, strawberry, mango, passion fruit and yogurt flavors) or lychee (fruit). A pumpkin spice tea with tapioca is a seasonal must.

At Elixir Tea House in Sarasota’s Hillview area are 80-plus teas that can be enhanced with the signature crystal boba (much like tapioca but made of natural agar-agar—in plain, green tea and brown sugar) and the bursting bubbles (berry, honey, mango, green apple, cherry and strawberry). Try a decaf strawberry shortcake iced tea and add strawberry bursts to it. Exotic combinations abound at Kam’s Bubble Tea & Sushi in Sarasota’s Gillespie Park, such as green bubble tea with fresh fruit topping in avocado-

B Y

S R Q

M A G A Z I N E

Below:

Kam’s Bubble Tea and Sushi avocado coconut green bubble tea (far left) and taro coconut with bubble tea (far right). Teas Days’ taro teas with tapioca (center).

coconut and papaya-coconut styles.

Have a bubble tea smoothie in one of these blends: jackfruit with tapioca pearls or lychee honeydew with bubble tea.

Then experience Chi Chop & Kung Fu Tea Sarasota on Lockwood Ridge Road, where the tea comes in classic, milk, slush, punch and yogurt options and can be topped with bubbles, pudding, tapioca and jelly. Sample a fruity strawberry lemonade punch tea or a creamier winter melon milk green tea.

“Bubble tea is an experience of its own,” Davis says. “It allows you to pop the seal of the cup and enjoy a texture with every sip.” —A. Weingarten

Hidden Gems

SocialEmotional Learning

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is a big topic in today’s education world, and local schools are integrating its concepts into programs that are greatly enriching students’ lives.

Step Up Suncoast 6428 Parkland Dr., Sarasota, 941-7506667, stepupsuncoast.org .

Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading funded by The Patterson Foundation, 2 N. Tamiami Trl., Sarasota, 941952-1413, thepattersonfoundation.org/ suncoast-grade-level-reading.html.

The strategy was called “The Shark Fin”—an interactive classroom breathing exercise designed to help students focus and relieve stress. It was taught at Sarasota’s Brentwood Elementary School as part of the Inner Explorer program—a social-emotional learning (SEL) tool to enhance mindfulness. And it made more of an impact than John Weida, Brentwood’s principal, could ever have imagined. Its impact became obvious one day while Weida was visiting a Brentwood student with leukemia in the intensive care unit at All Children’s Hospital. Something remarkable happened right there in the room.

“The nurse was trying to talk him through taking pill after pill, and I had stepped aside to get out of the way.

When I turned around, I saw the child, lying in his hospital bed, doing The Shark Fin,” Weida recalls. “I asked, ‘What did he just do?’ His mom said, ‘He’s been doing that, has something to do with a fish, I don’t know, 8

RocketKids | Winter 2019

P R O D U C E D

B Y

S R Q

but it calms him down so he can take all of those meds.’” This is the magic of SEL—a movement that school districts across the country have widely adopted, including those throughout Sarasota and Manatee counties (especially in the past two years). Its aim is to empower students to manage their emotions, show empathy and make better decisions. By instilling problem-solving skills and self-discipline in students, and teaching them impulse control and emotion management through various exercises, SEL is drastically affecting young people’s minds. The learning transcends the classroom and spills into every aspect of life.

Programs like Vroom, Mind in the Making, The Civility Squad and Inner Explorer all have an SEL bent.

According to a meta-analysis by The Aspen Institute, nine out of 10 teachers believe SEL skills benefit students; four out of five teachers want more support to

M A G A Z I N E

Education Foundation of Sarasota County 1960 Landings Blvd., Ste. 120, Sarasota, 941927-0965, edfoundationsrq.org.

Gulf Coast Community Foundation 601 Tamiami Trl. S., Venice, 941-486-4600, gulfcoastcf.org.

Other SEl Resources Casel.org, Vroom.org, Mindinthemaking.org, Innerexplorer.org.

address students’ SEL development; supporting students’ SEL development produces an 11-percentage-point gain in grades and test scores; and eight in 10 employers say SEL skills are the most important to success and yet are also the hardest skills to find.

So local schools and organizations are helping students hone these skills, including Step Up Suncoast, an area nonprofit that is bringing more SEL programming into its work. “We serve over 700 children per day and constantly promote their social-emotional wellness,” says Roberta Blumenthal, inclusion specialist for Rise and Shine Early Learning at Step Up Suncoast.

“Have you ever seen classrooms do yoga to control their bodies and get in touch with their minds? In the past, we had children with an extreme lack of control become confident and calm after doing yoga poses.” The yoga program was launched about four years ago, serving children ages 3 and older, and Step Up Suncoast works alongside wellness consultant Stephen Boyes to provide many more opportunities like it.

“We empower children to do their best and be their best. Our approach to the social-emotional needs of children is to teach them how to cope with our changing world,” Blumenthal says. “Our classrooms have cozy corners that offer a child a breathing space they can go to and resettle themselves.

We have books that name emotions and, in these books, they show and explain about feelings. I think the real message is to teach a child about being resilient and mindful.”

Beth Duda, the director of the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, funded by The Patterson Foundation, is promoting programs that spread the same SEL message. The campaign is a four-county effort to help children from birth through third grade, especially in asset-limited families, by ensuring that these students can read on grade level.

The campaign uses Vroom and Mind in the Making— two proven initiatives that touch on executive function and SEL. “Vroom is a set of tools and resources from the Bezos Family Foundation designed to inspire families to turn everyday moments into ‘brain-building moments’ by layering activities that are essential to healthy brain development onto existing routines,” Duda says. “Parents and caregivers are given access to tools and tips, as well as the ‘Brainy Background’ for each tip. And Mind in the Making workshops offer a hands-on opportunity to share the science of children’s learning with families and professionals.” The Suncoast Campaign, through workshops, teaches the Seven Essential Life Skills: Focus and Self-Control, Perspective-Taking, Communicating, Making Connections, Critical Thinking, Taking on Challenges, and Self-Directed and Engaged Learning. There are more than 60 current facilitators, and about 1,000 individuals from the Suncoast region have completed the workshops.

Dr. Laura Kingsley, the assistant superintendent/chief academic officer for Sarasota County Schools, says SEL is also a major initiative of the school district this year.The district has implemented programming using “The Civility Squad” campaign (a content tool for the classroom) that was developed by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.

“The Civility Squad” involves a cast of characters that promotes positive and civil actions, such as respecting others, making a difference, listening and saying “Thank you.”

The principles of civility and the characters of The Civility Squad have been incorporated into schoolwide positive behavior intervention and support plans. “We have integrated The Civility Squad into every school, and we started this two years ago.

You’d think it would only apply to elementary school students, but the middle and high schools love it too. We also have a staff wellness plan that’s pretty detailed,” Kingsley says. “We are hoping that every teacher integrates strategies that support a child’s social and emotional support in every lesson. It’s about a teacher having a wonderful relationship with each child so that every child feels supported.”

There are deep breathing exercises, intention-setting routines for the day and restorative circles. Most importantly, there is a ton of positive reinforcement. “What does a great relationship with a student look like? A teacher who says, ‘This is really important what you’re about to learn,’ and follows it with ‘You can do it,’ and finally, ‘I’m not giving up on you,’” Kingsley says. “When kids know that their teachers feel that, you really have built socially and emotionally competent kids.”

Suzanne Burke, PhD, the senior director of college career and life readiness for the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, has watched competent kids emerge from SEL learning for years. The Education Foundation is now developing a kindergarten through 12th grade scope and sequence for college, career and life readiness (and SEL is a significant component of “life” readiness), she says.

Before joining the Education Foundation, Burke served as the associate superintendent of academics in a large urban school district in Texas, where she collaboratively led an SEL initiative from concept to district-wide implementation.

“With kids, seeing that they have similarities rather than differences is huge, and to help them see that, we use a strategy called Four Corners,” Burke says. “The instructor might throw out a controversial topic and then the kids decide if they agree, disagree, strongly disagree, etc., and they move to one corner of the classroom. They start having conversations, they make connections and they realize that they see this or that the same way. It enables kids to have powerful dialogues.”

Burke has seen SEL work wonders for students who take what they have learned into their homes and family environments. “Several years ago in Austin, there was horrific flooding.

Families were on their rooftops, and one little first grader came back to school after the school reopened. It was a big SEL school and teachers were spending time talking about their experiences with the flooding,” Burke recalls. “This little first grader told the classroom that, when his family was on the roof, he taught them a strategy of deep breathing to calm down and settle their emotions (for little guys, we call it ‘belly breathing’). So his family sat in a circle holding hands and he was teaching them to belly breathe (something he had learned in school). Can you believe that? Out of the mouths of babes. Wow.” —A. Weingarten P R O D U C E D

B Y

S R Q

M A G A Z I N E

RocketKids | Winter 2019

9

Hidden Gems Best-selling author Ross W. Greene was in Sarasota for the Forty Carrots Free Community Speaker Event this September.

We spoke with him about the necessity of allowing children to meet and conquer challenges on their own, as well as the social importance of teaching kids to solve problems with collaboration instead of power.

CommonSense good, right? Where life starts to get interesting is when kids don’t meet our expectations.

And that’s when a lot of caregivers move toward being unilateral with the justification that their expectations are important, and that it’s worth strong-arming the kid. By my way of thinking, the first step is being collaborative in solving the problem.

In your book you wrote about placing expectations on kids that may not match their innate capacities. You pointed to a quote in Proverbs from the Old Testament, “Educate a child according to his path.” Is this something we used to know, but have forgotten? Dr. Ross W. Green: What’s interesting is that a reaction I frequently get is, “Isn’t this just common sense?” For some people it is common sense and for some people these are some pretty foreign concepts, which is fascinating. But, you know, that’s human diversity for you. We think about lots of things differently, child raising included. We’ve been viewing kids as inferior.

We are worried that if we don’t strong-arm them, they will be incorrigible. I just don’t find that to be the case. The bottom line is this: Whether you strong-arm your kid or collaborate with your kid, you have expectations.

If you think homework is important for real life, then you’re going to have the expectation that your kid do his homework. If you think sharing toys is important for a kid’s life, then you’re going to have that expectation. And if a kid is meeting your expectations, then life is 16

RocketKids | Winter 2019

P R O D U C E D

B Y

What about challenging behaviors in schools? Special education law says that they’ve got to meet the student where he or she is at, so that’s a given. It’s also a given that there are many students who are struggling to get over the bar, and we keep raising the bar. We keep demanding more and more, earlier and earlier, of kids. The reality is the higher you raise the bar, the more kids are going to fall off the apple cart. That’s just developmental variability speaking there. That’s the reality of what’s walking into classrooms.

We also have to take a look at the demands that we’re placing on teachers. I’ve had a lot of classroom teachers comment to me, not just in Florida, that they feel like test-prep robots and that those types of policies have taken all of the humanity out of the job. We’ve always relied on classroom teachers to be socialization agents for our students, not just the well-behaved ones, but also those who are struggling behaviorally. When you add to that the fact that zero-tolerance policies became popularized after Columbine as an attempt to help us be safer, you’ve also transformed many classroom teachers and administrators in schools into behavior-management robots. We really need to ask ourselves if we’ve pushed things in the right direction over the last 20 or 30 years. It doesn’t appear that all those zero-tolerance policies made us safer: in fact, and from all appearances they seem to have made us less safe. Part of childhood is trying on new ideas for size and seeing where they take you. It’s taking risks and making mistakes. I find that the pressure and the expectations and the rigidity have just gotten completely out of whack.

S R Q

M A G A Z I N E

I see stories about how college kids are afraid of ideas, you know, they shut down speakers with whom they expect to disagree. How did we get to the point where college kids are afraid to hear ideas they don’t agree with? You know, in a divided society, you pay attention to the speakers who agree with you and the news media outlets that agree with your existing point of view. That’s very limiting because if you’re not exposed to new ideas, how do people grow? That’s what college he used to be about, exposure to new ideas and different people and different ways of thinking. If we’re closed to all of that, then we close ourselves off to growth and to new ideas and to open-mindedness.

That certainly seems to be the case these days for many people. All I know is that we’re not listening to each other. And if we’re not solving problems together, then we end up just being unilateral and using power, and that’s what causes conflict.

One of the ideas that really jumped out at me in your book was “struggling is what precedes growth.” If you don’t have challenges, you don’t learn how to deal with challenges. Challenges lead to more growth than success does.

Learning how to overcome challenges, learning how to solve problems and doing it with other people in a way that respects them. I wish our national leaders knew how to do that. Apparently, they weren’t raised the Raising Human Beings way because they’re doing it through power and posturing. I admire people who know how to work together to solve problems.

That’s who gets my admiration. Gridlock is what happens when people stop listening to each other and rely solely on power to get their concerns addressed. The same dynamic often exists between parents and educators and kids. It doesn’t have to be that way. We don’t want to use our politicians as role models for how to solve problems—it turns out they’re not all that good at it.—W. Roberts

School Guide FINDING THE SCHOOL THAT WILL GROW WITH YOUR FAMILY

FEATURING BRADENTON CHRISTIAN SCHOOL NEWGATE SCHOOL THE OUT-OF-DOOR ACADEMY ST. MARTHA CATHOLIC SCHOOL THE PINNACLE ACADEMY

EXPLORE THE SCHOOL THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU | SPECIAL MARKETING SECTION TO ROCKET KIDS MAGAZINE FALL 2019

BRADENTON CHRISTIAN SCHOOL

BRADENTON CHRISTIAN SCHOOL (BCS) Manatee

County’s oldest and largest Christian school, has been preparing the hearts and minds of God’s children since 1960. “By providing a solid academic foundation based on God’s word, BCS shapes young lives to be prepared to take on higher education,” Superintendent Dan Vande Pol says. “Students are poured into by caring Christian teachers while building lifelong friendships from PK3 through 12th grade.” The college preparatory institution (which includes a wealth of honors-level and advanced

placement classes including the AP Capstone Program) currently has 870 enrolled students. The campus rests on 24 acres with elementary, middle, and high school buildings, a gymnasium, the McClure Center of Fine Arts and Technology, and the Mary Jane Spencer Athletic Center. Interscholastic sports are offered at both the middle school and senior high levels (many championship-caliber teams have been produced over more than five decades), and there is an award-winning fine arts program on campus.

The Mission

BRADENTON CHRISTIAN SCHOOL 3304 43RD ST. WEST BRADENTON, FL 34209 941-792-5454 | BCSPANTHERS.ORG

PK-12TH GRADE

Bradenton Christian School is a Christ centered school with over 870 students PK3 to 12th grade. Students from different backgrounds, ethnicities, and cultures attend BCS for a rigorous academic program, which includes college prep, honors and AP courses, all taught from a Christian perspective. Opening its doors in 1960, BCS’s focus has always been on a strong Christian education for families in Manatee County and surrounding areas. The staff at BCS incorporates the Bible and Christian values into every one of the classes on campus. Operating for 59 years, Bradenton Christian School is currently the largest and oldest Covenantal, Christian private school in Manatee County. Their twenty-four acre campus which sits in the heart of Bradenton includes an elementary school building, a high tech middle school building, high school building, gymnasium, Fine Arts and Technology Building, and the Mary Jane Spencer Athletic Center. The newest building to be added on campus is a 60,000 square foot two story, state of the art sports complex currently under construction which will be completed in the fall of 2020.

EXPLORE THE SCHOOL THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU | SPECIAL MARKETING SECTION TO ROCKET KIDS MAGAZINE FALL 2019

THE NEWGATE SCHOOL THE LAB SCHOOL OF THE MONTESSORI FOUNDATION

NewGate School—Upper School in Lakewood Ranch for grades 7 to 12.

FOUNDED IN 1907 BY DR. MARIA MONTESSORI, the Montessori Method is considered the gold standard for early childhood education and is recognized for excellence in its programs up through high school.

The Montessori Foundation is based here in Sarasota and is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of Montessori education and school reform worldwide. It is a primary resource of assistance, encouragement, and support for the international Montessori community. It was established in 1992 by some of the top leaders in Montessori education, with offices originally in the nation’s capital. Today, The Montessori Foundation works with 5000 Montessori schools in 50 countries, regardless of affiliation, as well as parents, educators, schools, and school systems interested in the approach pioneered by Dr. Maria Montessori. In addition to working with public and charter schools across the United States, The Montessori Foundation also helps to establish schools and prepare Montessori teachers and leaders worldwide, including

the Middle East, Africa and Asia. It also works with Montessori schools, which implement an International Baccalaureate (IB) program at the diploma level for grades 11 and 12. “One of the reasons The Montessori Foundation is doing this work is to create an internationally replicable model of Montessori middle and high school programs that are a successful marriage of the two,” says President of The Montessori Foundation and Head of School Tim Seldin.

In 2002, The Montessori Foundation sought to relocate and considered many options. The Foundation chose Sarasota because it is a city which represents the very best of Montessori’s commitment to the arts, to intellectual life, to natural beauty and it is home to New College—the undergraduate honors college that is most aligned with Montessori’s core values. Since 1993, our community has looked to the NewGate school as an exemplary educational model in which there is a strong, supportive daily connection between teachers, children, and parents.

THE NEWGATE SCHOOL | NEWGATE.EDU

Highlight THE NEWGATE SCHOOL IN SARASOTA, which has been supported by The Montessori Foundation since the early 1990s, is an international universitypreparatory school with IB — Tim Seldin, Diploma Program designation.

Head of School Montessori students are taught to think independently, and we cultivate their curiosity, creativity, and imagination, while nurturing their unique gifts, self-confidence and self-discipline. “For years we have felt (IB) was an excellent match as an international school with approximately 40% of our student body coming to Sarasota from around the world. Our Montessori-IB program offers our students the option to attend university in the US or overseas. We believe education should be a journey, not a race,” says Seldin. “A great education stems from great students and teachers, not vast buildings and a sprawling campus. NewGate works with uniquely gifted students, nurturing their curiosity, creativity and imagination.”

Under the guidance of The Montessori Foundation, the NewGate lab school has grown to include an internationally-recognized high school at the upper school campus in Lakewood Ranch. NewGate is an established, triple-accredited school in a region that is becoming increasingly more international every year. It is also known as a school for entrepreneurs. Students at every age at NewGate are taught and encouraged to think independently and learn self-reliance. NewGate provides many different programs to help ignite the minds of their students and help them understand the world of professionalism at a very young age. Programs for older students at NewGate include annual internships, drama Immersion weeks, research trips, and an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. It is also one of the only schools to still teach cursive which begins at a very young age. NewGate School works with students as unique individuals to ensure they develop their full potential.

“We believe education should be a journey, not a race.”

What distinguishes NewGate’s Montessori IB program is its focus on a balanced middle and high school life. It encourages deep learning, building strong friendships among students and teachers. It does so in a relaxed, warm and supportive learning community. The Montessori IB program helps students become more culturally aware and also develops a second language. Students become globally invested which in turn provides high school graduates many more opportunities as they prepare for universities both in the United States and in other parts of the world. NewGate prepares their students at every level to graduate with tools for success and professionalism as they enter university and the workforce. Typically students are admitted to NewGate from other Montessori schools or may come from rigorous schools in which the student is no longer inspired to learn. Gifted students who feel burned out at large, highly-competitive and impersonal schools tend to find a community of thoughtful learners and brilliant teachers. NewGate, for most families and students, feels like a second home. This is an incredible statment that makes our school an extraordinary jewel in Sarasota and Manatee. The work of The Montessori Foundation inspires a revolutionary change in education that is based on decades of brain research and the time-tested, world-wide success of more than 22,000 Montessori schools. Supporting The Montessori Foundation allows them to continue their work with schools such as NewGate, and supporting The Angel Fund which works to provide this education to children who would not otherwise have the opportunity to flourish.

Stats

• ADMISSIONS Rolling, competitive • ACCREDITATIONS AdvancEd/SACS; International Montessori Council, Interna tional Baccalaureate Organization • LANGUAGES TAUGHT Spanish and German • KEY PROGRAMS Fully implemented

Montessori–we are an international university preparatory school— strong arts—IB Diploma grades 11 and 12 • TEACHING PHILOSOPHY Montessori • NUMBER OF FULL-TIME TEACHERS 22 • NUMBER OF STUDENTS 175

LOWER SCHOOL

ASHTON CAMPUS 5237 ASHTON ROAD, SARASOTA TODDLERS THROUGH 6TH GRADE

941-922-4949 UPPER SCHOOL

LAKEWOOD RANCH CAMPUS, 5481 COMMUNICATIONS PARKWAY NEWGATE.EDU

GRADES 7 TO 12

941-222-0763 TIMSELDIN@MONTESSORI.ORG TANYARYSKIND@MONTESSORI.ORG MONTESSORI.ORG

EXPLORE THE SCHOOL THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU | SPECIAL MARKETING SECTION TO ROCKET KIDS MAGAZINE FALL 2019

THE OUT-OF-DOOR ACADEMY

THE OUT-OF-DOOR ACADEMY Established in 1924,

The Out-of-Door Academy is home to 740 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The school offers an innovative program focused on educating the whole child in a caring, supportive community. Out-of-Door continually implements new programs and strategies to meet the emerging educational needs of the next generation.

Through its evolution, the School has honored the legacy of its visionary founders who established a school where important lessons would be learned “out-of-door,” or outside the classroom. Central to that vision was a LOWER SCHOOL HISTORIC SIESTA KEY CAMPUS 444 REID STREET, SARASOTA 941-554-3439 | PRE-K – GRADE 5

ODA.EDU

MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOLS UIHLEIN CAMPUS IN LAKEWOOD RANCH 5950 DEER DRIVE, SARASOTA 941-554-5950 | GRADES 6-8 GRADES 9-12

belief that education should integrate hands-on learning experiences, physical activity, and the arts. Two campuses boast space for visual and performing arts opportunities, as well as 12 interscholastic team sports. More than 50 student-run clubs and activities, including cultural, arts, and media organizations are offered.

As the school celebrates 95 years, Out-of-Door remains dedicated to its longstanding commitment to the development of self-confident, well-rounded graduates who become responsible, contributing members of the global society.

The Mission The Out-of-Door Academy is an independent, college preparatory school with campuses in Siesta Key and Lakewood Ranch.

Students in preschool - grade 12 achieve high academic goals and build character through a balanced program of academics, athletics, and the arts. Using a student-centered educational philosophy, ODA prepares students for college and for life.

EXPLORE THE SCHOOL THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU | SPECIAL MARKETING SECTION TO ROCKET KIDS MAGAZINE FALL 2019

ST. MARTHA CATHOLIC SCHOOL

ST. MARTHA CATHOLIC SCHOOL (SMCS) in Saraso-

ta offers a challenging, faith-based academic experience to students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

“In an effort to serve God and our community, students, staff and families work together to maintain high academic standards, develop Christ-centered relationships, and provide stewardship to Sarasota and the surrounding areas,” a spokesperson for SMCS says. “Students have consistently performed in the top 20 percent across the nation year after year.” The school follows a STREAM

curriculum (an interdisciplinary, standards-based model that integrates science, technology, religion, engineering, arts and mathematics). Teachers design units of study that challenge and empower students, creating an environment that encourages problem-solving, collaboration, student-led inquiry and hands-on projects. A science lab, vegetable and prayer gardens, open fields and the Zazarino Center serve as dynamic learning spaces. The Catholic faith is woven into all subjects and grade levels, promoting a culture of innovation and ethical action.

The School’s Mission

ST. MARTHA CATHOLIC SCHOOL 4380 FRUITVILLE ROAD, SARASOTA 941-953-4181 | STMARTHASCHOOL.NET INFO@STMARTHASCHOOL.NET

SERVES GRADES PRE-K-8

In partnership with Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Catholic Church, the mission of St. Martha Catholic School is to provide each student with diverse opportunities which develop strength in faith, and excellence in knowledge and learning. Students build character through their Christian service to the school, parish and world communities.

ADMISSION CONTACT: MRS. MARIA SMITH 941-552-3577 MSMITH@STMARTHASCHOOL.NET @StMarthaCatholicShool

@StMarthaCS

EXPLORE THE SCHOOL THAT’S RIGHT FOR YOU | SPECIAL MARKETING SECTION TO ROCKET KIDS MAGAZINE FALL 2019

PINNACLE ACADEMY

PINNACLE ACADEMY, a private school

in Lakewood Ranch, is dedicated to understanding and educating students who have language-based learning differences. The Academy provides a customized, fully accredited education for students in grades Pre-K through 12.

The campus offers small class sizes that foster personalized instruction where students can become stronger readers and more confident writers. Intensive reading intervention is offered daily to deliver evidence-based instruction including Orton-Gillingham, Wilson Reading ™, and LindaMood Bell ™. These “gold-standard” approaches to literacy demonstrate remarkable gains in students’ performance and confidence. It is confidence that is the

overarching goal of a Pinnacle education.

“When students first come to Pinnacle, they may lack confidence in their abilities. Over time, they transform into self-assured, engaged learners,” says Dr. Kirstina Ordetx, the Academy’s founder and CEO. “Our strength-based environment allows for them to discover their personal learning styles and become confident, capable learners.”

The Academy’s students are inquisitive and creative. In many cases, they are seeking the foundational skills, strategies and self-assuredness they need to reach their fullest potential.

“There is no denying that students who think and learn differently thrive in smaller classes, where instruction is highly

engaging, explicit, systematic and sequential,” Ordetx says. This philosophy continues into high school, where student engage in weekly advisory meetings to prepare for college and careers. Students in grades 9-12 are offered an array of courses that align with graduation requirements and personal career interests.

Through extensive, professional development, the faculty members have embraced a school-wide initiative to promote the development of executive function skills (through weekly themes, daily instruction and consistent modeling).

The Academy recognizes that a student’s ability to manage life outside of school is essential to learning and development. Across the grades, these skills

include self-control, mental flexibility, working memory, organization, planning, prioritizing, strategizing, and developing study skills and self-assessment. Daily schedules are designed to provide differentiated instruction for the gifted or remedial learning needs of each student.

The Pinnacle classrooms offer a rich, STEM education, which integrates science, technology, engineering, and math into a cohesive learning paradigm based on real world applications.

Students have opportunities to engage critical thinking skills, collaboration, and active learning in two dedicated Makerspace Labs and classes offering film production, robotics, digital imaging, environmental science, and more. STEM education involves hands-on, minds-on learning that requires creative thinking and provides an environment which is well-suited for students with ADHD. New to the Academy is a special program called the Accelerated Learning Living Lab (AL 3), which is currently enrolling qualified students in grades three to six. It is designed to support the twice exceptional (2E) learner by offering opportuni-

ties that foster creativity and maintenance of intrinsic motivation in the classroom.

“We recognize that the environment plays a large part in determining the student’s motivational orientation,” Ordetx says. “The AL 3 appreciates the unique social-emotional needs of high-ability learners, and promotes creative-productive giftedness by targeting their intense drive and capacity to engage in inquiry-based learning with perseverance to motivating tasks.”

The AL 3 is a “living lab,” rich with experiential opportunities and materials to help students explore and develop a deeper knowledge of biology, botany, robotics, coding, programming, zoology and engineering. It is just one of the reasons Pinnacle is a unique educational option.

“We are proud of our students and celebrate their individual strengths, talents and interests, which will guide them to succeed at a higher level of academic and personal accomplishment,” Ordetx says. “We believe that parents should feel a sense of family throughout our school’s campus.

And we believe that a student should look forward to coming to school every day.”

Pinnacle Academy in Lakewood Ranch, with its small classes and individualized instruction, is dedicated to educating students with language-based learning differences (from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade).

The Mission The Pinnacle Academy is dedicated to understanding and educating students who learn differently. However, it is their strengths, interests, and talents that are at the forefront of a Pinnacle education. We are opportunity-makers. Our Mission is to empower students with language-based learning differences to become independent and successful learners. We strive to provide a unique and incomparable education that delivers a blended model of multi-sensory, brain-based, and project-based learning approaches. Our students are provided a model program of excellence in the field of alternative, exceptional education and best-practice approaches to teaching at every grade.

PINNACLE ACADEMY 6215 LORRAINE ROAD LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL 34202 941-755-1400 | THEPINNACLEACADEMY.COM

SERVES GRADES K-12

It is the number of years Ringling College of Art and Design has been redefining art and design education and shaping the world’s most critical thinkers, doers, and leaders.

We have come up with 88 reasons why Ringling College, and creative education, matters. They are everywhere - from billboards to magazines and on your screens. How many can you find?

In 1931, the world was introduced to the Ringling School of Art, the first school dedicated to the study of visual arts in the area.

Ringling College was the first college in Florida to be certified to accept the G.I. Bill, a benefit for members of the armed forces that greatly increased access to higher education following WWII.

you places.

Ringling College has been accredited since 1984 at the regional and national levels, meaning that its students can be assured of the kind of quality instruction and skillsbuilding that employers trust.

Animation In 1993, Ringling College launched its Computer Animation program in recognition of industry trends away from traditional animation for filmmaking.

Artists push boundaries.

In 2008, Ringling College became the first art school to offer a business major - and minor - understanding that artists need to have the skills to interact with galleries, museums, and other areas of the business world.

It’s not about the tools, tech, or facilities. It’s about the worlds you can build with them. For the record, we have all of the above.

2018 may seem like a year of buildings, as Ringling College opened the Goldstein Library, the Studio Labs Soundstage and Post-production complex, and the Bridge Apartmentsand it was! However, the real story is what happens next - the visiting artists delivering master classes, the films shot and edited, and the ideas generated within.

Also in 2018, Ringling College launched the world’s first Virtual Reality degree program to bring the creative talents of our students to this future-changing technology. Virtual Reality has so much potential to make lives better, from enhancing patient care to providing entertainment. Impactful VR needs awesome environments - that’s where Ringling College comes in. Busy year!

Creativity is seeing what others don’t.

President Larry R. Thompson’s visionary leadership over the last 20 years advanced Ringling College of Art and Design from a very good art school to the top-tier art and design college it is today.

We’re opening the Sarasota Art Museum in December! This world-class contemporary art museum will enable visitors to engage with thought-provoking, boundary-pushing exhibitions, participate in educational programming, and take community courses with Ringling College instructors, all to invite dialogue through interaction with contemporary art.

www.ringling.edu #RinglingReasons