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School Spirit 101

Can you believe it is already October?  The last few days have certainly put the SPIRIT into our “Community for the Heart, Mind, and Spirit.” School Spirit abounds:  Friday, we celebrated Orange Day in honor of our hometown SF Giants .  (Look for Mr. Sinclair, the lone Padres fan in the photo above.)  This morning was our Annual St. Francis’ Day Blessing of the Animals, and our front lawn was alive with children, dogs, parents, hamsters, a rogue guinea pig and even a stuffed Oregon duck!  Today, we also christened the new basketball hoops, supported in part by the DSPA and Scrip cash cards.  Finally, it’s Election Season in our Middle School too, and the halls are full of posters, stickers, and slogans.  These activities build community, making St. Matthew’s a fun place to learn and ensuring that students feel included and inspired. 

One month in, we pause for a breath – the root of the words inspire, spirit, and inspiration means to breathe – and we breathe in a spirit of surprise, satisfaction, and expectation.

Sports and our Mission

            On Sunday, I was out at the electronics store, and one of the salespeople commented that the place was empty due to the Sunday football games.  Certainly, sports command a central role in our broader culture.  In a different way and for different reasons than that salesmen at Best Buy may suspect, physical education and athletics play a vital role in our work at St. Matthew’s.  In students’ own words, here’s a glimpse into why:

It’s football season in our Middle School as well, and our flag football teams have had their first games.  Even with only 48 Middle School boys, we have two teams!  See the photos at right of last weekend’s games.  I asked the students for a report on their young season:

“Football is awesome.  We love playing with our friends.”  (from Chase and Javes, Grade 6)  The coach added, “Our teamwork and communication are improving each week.  On Saturday, we won our game against  Pinewood 25-12.” 

“This season we have shown potential and we continue to improve.  Our team was very productive against Crystal last week.  The special teams scored two of our three touchdowns, and our defense gave up no points.”  (from Wyatt and Elliot, Grade 8)

You can see so much here:  the growth from Sixth to Eighth Grade and the focus on learning, togetherness, and fun.

You can also see the end point of our Mission Statement, leadership:  we prepare students to become leaders of positive change.  The skills of heart, mind, and spirit –compassion and persistence, communication and strategy, teamwork and grace – are called upon and developed through our interscholastic athletics program. Experiences in sports prepare students for collaborative endeavors of all kinds, throughout life. 

As an expression of our mission, we are members of Positive Coaching Alliance, www.positivecoach.org, an organization whose goals are very consistent with our community.  Middle School parents received a taste of their program at Back to School Night; in my role as a Seventh Grade parent, I enjoyed the dialogue about the reasons we want our students to play sports:  to learn life lessons, to increase physical fitness, to have fun and learn to be part of a team. 

I look forward to seeing you on the sidelines.  Go Mustangs!

Community for the ‘Net, Mind, and Spirit

Fall Festival 2010 – Mustang Mania – was a terrific celebration of our community and our first three weeks of School.  Experiencing the event, I appreciated so many things:

• It was a reminder of how much our motivated volunteers can accomplish for the School.  Thanks and kudos to our co-chairs, Rachael Bruins and Christine Fitzpatrick, and to their legion of volunteers who made their vision a reality.
• It was impressive how many lives we touch in our School community, and how we care for each other.  I climbed to the top of the play structure to snap the photo at the right, and I marveled that all of these people – children, parents, families, friends, alumni and siblings – were connected to one another through St. Matthew’s. 
• It was clear once again, that FUN is a basic human need.  (The cornerstones of our Responsive Classroom  approach are belonging, significance, and fun.)  Our students’ delight and our friendship with one another make St. Matthew’s a better place for learning.

The fun and the connections at Fall Festival were a great start to our school year, and the memories of the evening will sustain us throughout the months to come.

A special thanks goes to new Kindergarten parent Michael B_, E_’s dad and our caricature artist, who stayed more than an hour past closing to draw our students, only stopping when the floodlights went out!  The joy of the evening is a reward for his generosity and dedication, and for all of the volunteers who made the event possible.

Go Mustangs!  St. Matthew’s Episcopal Day School’s own iPhone app is available!  The app is available in the iTunes App Store free of charge, and is fully integrated with our new school website.  Search the App Store for GoMustangs!  It uses the same username and password as www.stmatthewsday.org, and it contains fully updated Calendar information.  When we add or change an event on the school calendar, it will be reflected on the iPhone.  (There’s no word on apps for other smartphones.)  We hope this new feature makes busy parents’ lives a little easier and connects our community even more closely.

Community, Goals, and Fun

The DSPA’s Fall Festival marks the beginning of our year of events that build our community for the heart, mind, and spirit.  It is as true for parents as for students that FUN is a basic human need, and our Fall Festival promises fun for the whole family.   Building connections and having fun are valuable in themselves, but they also have a purpose – we serve children better, and we learn better, when we feel joyful and connected. Come join us to celebrate these first weeks of School.

The Eighth Grade spent last week at a retreat in Western Sonoma County, developing individual and class goals– and having fun together.  Working through group challenges on a “ropes course,” they were impressive – they were positive with one another, even when the work was hard.   We have been talking a great deal about goals for the year:  in chapel last week, I shared three of mine for the students, that they work hard, do their best, and be “real.”  (I borrowed this last one from the Eighth Grade and from one of my favorite books, The Velveteen Rabbit.)  Each Middle School grade worked on class goals on Friday, and all students have been setting individual goals, as have the teachers.   Spend some time talking with your child about this year’s goals; in Lower School, they will be part of the discussion at the upcoming Lower School conferences.

During transition, overcommunicate!

Last week was a week of “new”s – new backpack, new sneakers, new teachers, new friends – and of “firsts” – the first day, first Lower School chapel, first presentations, even the first homework.  Last week was a terrific first week of school, and I thank all of the students, parents, and teachers who made it so.  It is fun to see so many smiling faces, new and familiar.

The transition from summer back to school can be hard, at the same time as it is exciting and energizing.  After three days of school, I hope the three-day weekend has been restful.  We need to be patient with one another, and with ourselves, as we re-adjust.  And during transition, we benefit from ample communication with one another, to smooth the way.

I encourage you to come to Back to School Nights, Parent Coffees, and Fall Festival, and to log on to our new school website, to be part of our communications and set up a good school year.  Lower and Middle School Back to School Nights offer formal presentations from teachers and a chance to meet the specialists who work with your children.  Parent Coffees are a chance to meet informally with the Administration, to meet other parents in the class, and to hear grade-specific information.  And this year’s Fall Festival promises to be a fun community-building event.  It is a favorite tradition.

Our new website features a calendar and portal to help you organize your St Matthew’s life.  We hope it is helpful, enjoyable, and easy to use.

Enotes for June 7 2010

Each of this week’s events – from this morning’s Last Latte and Move Up Morning to Thursday’s Graduation – contains a celebration and a message.  It can be challenging in the press of all of the events this time of year, to take a moment to be present to the meaning, message, and memory of each event.  And yet it is what we are called to do, especially in School, where the children help us to remain grounded in the present.

Friday’s Middle School production of Twinderella provided another example of our very fine performing arts program.  It closed our dramatic season, made possible by our new schedule.  The students were simply amazing, and what’s more, every one of them was clearly having a great time.  The joy of performing, and of being in the moment, was not lost on them.  The show came to life with an appreciative audience.  Adults laughed at the jokes – also clearly having a good time – and encouraged the performers more and more.  Such moments are what we do for one another in a learning community.  Such achievements are what we celebrate this time of year.

I look forward to seeing you at Graduation, honoring a school year of challenge and success, for individuals and for the School.