The Rookery

I know that you've been hearing a lot about the auction.  Deadlines for this, envelopes for that…it's easy to get bogged down and fatigued by the details.  (Donations are due now and RSVPs are due by the 14th)

But I wanted to take a moment to take a broader view and reflect on why I'm very glad I am able to teach at Prairie Creek and why I am grateful every day that my sons are able to be students here.  It's a special school.  For almost thirty years, we've held true to core values that have become increasingly rare.

Every day, my children (and I) get to work in classrooms in which memorable learning happens.  They are having experiences they will never forget.  One day is not the same as the next.  They have been given voices in their learning.  They see themselves as agents of change; they can make things happen.  Their creativity and their curiosity are nurtured.  They have become better friends and better leaders.  They are respected and treasured as unique individuals.

Looking over the newsletters their teachers have sent, I am filled with gratitude for the experiences they have had.  Learning at Prairie Creek is exciting and special.

I was chatting with a former student recently – he is a high school senior and getting ready to make the next steps in his life.  He began to reminisce about the pioneer fair we had been a part of together when he was a second grader in the Lindens – 10 years ago.  He not only remembered that we had had a fair, he remembered what he had been doing there.  Then he remembered the sod house that we had tried to build (using math based on 9" virgin prairie sod bricks vs. 2" commercial sod rolls – oops).  He also remembered the goats a parent had brought in.  He remembered trying to spin wool.  He remembered his two classmates who had studied medicine and convinced some fifth graders to rub stinging nettle on their arms so they could be cured.  He remembered everything.

Those experiences are special.  Sadly, they are not happening at every school – even though every kid deserves to be taught in memorable ways.

So thank you for everything you do to make our school work.  Families give countless hours of time supporting what we do in the classroom.  I am astounded by the talents that parents and community members share with us.  Families make sacrifices to support us financially, too.

In a perfect world, public education funding would be so generous that people would think the idea of fundraising was ridiculous.  Alas, our world is not perfect and as a charter school, we do not have the power to raise levies like other public schools.  Instead, any money we receive beyond the state funding comes from fundraising and grant writing.  We are careful stewards of the money we receive.  Fundraising does go toward our operating budget but it also ensures memorable learning by subsidising field trips, funding residencies, and making it possible to provision a dynamic curriculum.  (It's a lot cheaper to study the same thing year after year!)

When I set out to create our silk road curriculum I had the freedom to get everything I thought we needed to immerse the students in the experience.  Books, silk cocoons, pomegranates…the list of supplies was lengthy but the hands on role play made the Heron's learning come alive.  In fact, they were disappointed when they found out that the culminating event was, indeed, the culmination.  The point is that without the financial support of our community, we can't deliver the vibrant curriculum that leads to truly memorable learning.  

Your support and the support of families before you has ensured that Prairie Creek is a special place to learn and grow.  Thank you.