Short Week at NS
Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 2:12PM A REMINDER ABOUT SNOW DAYS: We will ALWAYS leave a new outgoing message on our answering machine and put it on our calendar if we need to cancel the day due to snow. PLEASE make sure to check in with either of these options if it has snowed. In general we follow the local schools lead, but not always.
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FREE DESKS: We have put two glass computer desks out on our porch - please take one if you need such a thing. If they are not gone by Monday we'll try something else. One of them has a keyboard tray.
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FROM SUSANNAH:
The atmosphere at North Star can be quite exuberant -- especially on a day like this Thursday when many of the members have not seen each other for a while due to a Monday holiday followed by a snow day -- and one of our visitors commented on how happy the teenagers were. But in addition to the exuberance that director Ken Danford affectionately calls "mayhem," a North Star day is also full of quietly stunning moments, and those are frequently the moments I get to experience upstairs in the meeting room where I spend much of my time.
This week it was the Read and Reflect discussion group with four teens who approached an adult-level essay, covering a rather intense subject, with thoughtfulness and nuanced observations, and then several one-on-one meetings in which teens talked with me about what's on their minds these days: what they're wondering, worrying about, confused about, trying for ... the complex process of growing up and figuring things out. I'm so glad that I get to accompany some of the teens on this kind of journey.
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PENNIES FOR NORTH STAR!
Thank you to parent Francesca Piantedosi for setting up a penny drive for us. A school in the news raised one million dollars from pennies in one year! So bring in your pennies and deposit them in the jug in the foyer. Let's see what we can get to by the end of the year.
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THANK YOU ALLIANCE FOR CLIMATE EDUCATION (ACE) for coming all the way out from Boston on Thursday to give an awesome and inspiring presentation. Some of the attendees are planning to continue to meet weekly as an environmental action team. First meeting will be held on Thursday at 10:30. Check out the awesome ACE website to learn about this exciting program and see how schools all over the nation are participating, or see them on FACEBOOK.
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VISIT THE STATE HOUSE on March 2nd. Current parent Marie McCourt is planning a trip and would be happy to bring others along. Contact her directly before next Wednesday if you'd like to go. marie215@comcast.net
