i n t h i s i s s u e : F I E L D D A Y D E TA I L S • A N N UA L F U N D U PDAT E • G R A N D O P E N I N G P H O T O S
The Weekly
VO LU M E X V I I I , N U M B E R 6 A weekly publication of The Post Oak School
F
POST Satu F I E L D DAY 2 012!
ield Day is here! Pack a picnic and bring the whole family to run around the Post Oak backyard, socialize with other Post Oak families, slide down inflatables, toss around the earthball, play instruments and musical games, and lots of other fun activities. Field Day festivities will have lots of old favorites from previous years along with some new features, including the Veggie Pals and fortune cookie baking with our High School students. Chairs Mary Vaeza-Lopez and Bernadette Verzosa have
rday
O C TO B E R 18 , 2 012 Available online at www.postoakschool.org
been working hard to bring everything together for this year’s event, along with the help of many parent volunteers. Thank you to everyone who has been involved, and to everyone who has signed up to volunteer at the event. Please join us for this Post Oak family-fun community event, and remember to purchase your raffle tickets for some great prizes in the three Mystery Box Raffles. This is a free event and the sale of raffle tickets covers the cost of Field Day. Look inside for parking information and other details. See you Saturday!
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O C TO B ER 5, 2012
Field Mind Day Healthy
Purchase raffle tickets on Field Day!
Healthy
The weather forecast is predicting mostly sunny skies for Field Day 2012: Healthy Mind, Healthy Body! Perfect for the one day out of each school year the whole Post Oak community gets a chance to picnic and play. You’ll want to arrive early for all the fun activities. In addition to the always popular Earthball games, cake walk, bounce houses, and dunk tanks, a deejay will be spinning family-friendly music to lead kids and parents in creative movement and dance, and Houston Symphony trombonist Allen Barnhill will play “name that tune” with songs from The Baby Elephant Walk to ones by Bach and Bacharach. Also, everyone will love the Instrument Petting Zoo and Veggie Pals, a troupe that puts the fun in learning about nutrition. This Field Day is especially significant with the presence of our first group of High School Students and their families. You’ll meet the high school students during the Mystery Box
Body
drawings – they will pick our raffle winners! We want to especially thank our many parent volunteers who dedicated their time and talents to making Field Day a wonderful day for all of us to enjoy! • Bernadette Verzosa & Mary Vaeza-Lopez, Field Day Co-Chairs
THE POST OAK SCHOOL
EPISCOPAL HIGH SCHOOL
FIELD DAY FAMILY PICNIC
GATE
FIELD DAY ENTRANCE
T.
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O
E NN
S BIS
ENTER
GORDON ELEMENTARY
PARKING MAP INDICATES EXTRA PARKING AT EHS
AVENUE B
Sat., Oct. 20 10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Your purchase goes towards funding this event. Thank you!
O C TOBER 5, 2012
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Field Day Details! WHEN Saturday, Oct. 20 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. WHERE Post Oak gym, field, and playground. Enter through the Post Oak field entrance off of the Episcopal High School driveway. WHO All Post Oak families (relatives and friends are welcome to attend, too!) WHAT There will be activities for children from Infant Community through High School… and parents have fun, too. MORE DETAILS Parking is available on the Post Oak lot, at Episcopal High School (see map), along Avenue B, and across Bissonnet at the park behind Gordon Elementary. PLEASE NOTE: parents must supervise their children on the playground. To ensure your child’s safety, signs will be posted to identify the age levels for the different playground sections. Please pay attention to the signs as they reflect ASTM playground safety standards for the different equipment. There are different areas for Infant Community, Primary, and the older children (Elementary–High School).
Extra T-shirts on sale at Field Day. Grab one while they last!
All costs for Field Day are defrayed by the raffle of class Mystery Boxes. Room parents (and other coordinators) have made an enticing array of creatively decorated boxes to be raffled off. There will be drawings at three different times: 11 a.m., noon, and 12:45 p.m. Remember, this event is strictly a fun raiser and not a fundraiser. However, we do want to cover the costs for the event, so please do your part and buy a raffle ticket or two.
◆◆ Bounce Houses & Slides ◆◆ Balloon Artists ◆◆ Cake walk with Moeller’s orange rolls and clementines ◆◆ Earthball games Catch with Parachute 10:30 High Jump 11:10 Hold It Up 11:40 Circle Time Trial 12:15
FOOD & WATER There will not be food for sale, so bring a picnic lunch and a blanket to spread out on the playing field.
SPECIAL INTERACTIVE PERFORMANCES Veggie Pals, 10:30 a.m. & 12:15 p.m.
We ask that you bring reusable water bottles to reduce plastic waste. Water will be available to refill your water bottles.
ACTIVITIES ◆◆ Houston Symphony Instrument Petting Zoo ◆◆ The Patch Obstacle Course ◆◆ Fortune Cookie Baking with High School Students ◆◆ Face Painting with Middle Schoolers ◆◆ Visor Craft Table ◆◆ Dunk Tank
◆◆ Raffle Drawings at 11, 12 and 12:50
Allen Barnhill, Houston Symphony principal trombonist, 11:20 a.m. NOTES OF GRATITUDE ◆◆ Thanks to EHS for additional parking. ◆◆ Thanks to room parents for organizing the Mystery Box raffle and to all parents for contributing to those boxes. ◆◆ Thanks to each of you for purchasing raffle tickets. ◆◆ And big thanks to our terrific Field Day chairs Mary Vaeza-Lopez and Bernadette Verzosa, the POPA Chairs Laura Citardi, Jessica Gregg, and Whitney Walsh, and all the volunteers for making this great family event happen.
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O C TO B ER 5, 2012
THANK YOU FOR YOUR EARLY PARTICIPATION! WE HAVE FOUR WEEKS TO GO! Three weeks into the campaign, the Annual Fund has been nothing short of extraordinary! A full sprint from the starting line has brought us past the halfway point of our $250,000 goal. Thanks to all employees, parents, trustees, and grandparents who have shown their early and generous support! We still have much to do! Together with everyone’s support we can reach our goal. With four weeks remaining, we hope to get all families involved and understanding why the Annual Fund is so important to our school. Talk to your class captains, read your brochure, learn more, and give to the Post Oak Fund!
2013
P O ST
OAK F UND
Toge
DRIVE
we cthaenr •
Ashley and Herbert Addison
Deepa and Rajesh Chelapurath
Tanya and Jerry Gee
Amy, Lloyd, and
Kirchner
Shonali and Rakesh Agrawal
Dinah Chetrit
Cathy and Tim Goff
Orly and Yoel Kluk
Irma Alarcon
Anthony Cisneros
Shekkola Gray
Daniel Anastacio
Laura and Martin Citardi
Janice and Barrett Green
Christina Kopanidis-Cantu and Jorge Cantu
Nazario Anastacio
Danielle Dalsey
Jeremy Grisbee
Vasanthi and Ramanan Krishnamoorti
Mirna Andrade-Salgado and José Salgado
Kelly and Garth Davis
Sowmini and Ravi Gudimetla
Marcel and Matthew Lake
Kelly and James Davis
Sophia Banu and Muzammil Hanif
Anonymous
Vivian and Kenneth Lee
Lissa Debes
Theresa and Travis Hanson
Frank Apollo
Susan and Timothy Leverenz
Sandra DeLeon
Vicki and Robert Harvey
Alma Armendariz
Renée and Michael Locklar
Maneesha and Manoj Devashish
Kristin and Joey Hayles
Stephanie and Phil Arnett
Deidre Lodrig
Elizabeth DiCesare
Debbie and Todd Henderson
Elenir and Rony Avritscher
Kathy and John Long
Andrea and Robert Dilger
Claudia and David Hertzog
Diana and Juan Balderas
Lupe Lopez
Victoria and Gislar Donnenberg
Jada Hickman
Jessica and Darrell Barger
Lucinda and Javier Loya
Anne Singleton and Jack Douglas
Kelly and Blake Hill
Tamara and William Basham
Michelle and Thomas Lu
Lauren and David Dressler
Anh and Doanh Hoang
Steve Beeman
Robin and Jeff Lunsford
Bob Duboise and Dale Duboise
Carol and John Howenstine
Mary Birk
Monica and Richard Lyn-Cook
Tina and John Duboise
Cynthia and Darren Hubbard
Vivian Blum
Sunila Madiman
Erica and Glenn Engle
JPMorgan Chase Foundation
Jessica and Ben Braun
Harold Malveaux
Kathleen and Richard Evans
Catherine and Andrew Kaldis
Jennifer and Christian Brenckmann
Jenny and André Marshall
Laurie and Leland Fondren
Komal and Vijay Kale
Courtney and Bill Bucy
John and Lori Martinez
Abbe and Adam Forman
Janet and Mario Kapusta
Erin and Brett Busby
Marcela Martinez
Asenet Garcia
Hallie and Eugene Kim
Kimberly and Michael Callahan
Elizabeth Matthews
Amy and Blair Garrou
Kinder Morgan
Ruth Cañas
Tanya Bennett and David McConkey
Karri and Alfredo Garth
Sara and Juan Pablo Cata
Alison and Blaine McElroy
Lilia Garza
Cynthia DeLaney and Stephan Kinsella
Millie Chavez
Eva and Enrique Gasca
Lili and Hans Kirchner
Kelly McNamara Muriel and Marcel Meicler
O C TOBER 5, 2012
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Michele Meicler
Christine Peterson
Nina Strane
Manuel Mejia
Lisa and Patrick Phelps
Erin and Tom Stus
Regina and Bert Mellinger
Jacqueline and Robert Phillpott
Anita Taj
Sara Jurney and Todd Mensing
Maya and Errol Pinto
Target
Paula and Mark Mey
Post Oak Dads’ Club
Diego Tax
Jessica and Philipp Meyer
Shelley and James Quillin
Aimee and Greg Taylor
Pat and Bill Mitchell
Laura and Thomas Rahlfs
Nandita Gupta and Vikas Mittal
Lisa and John Reed
Catherine Than and Hoang Quan Vu
Mary and John Moore
Elizabeth Reese
Nikayla and Aaron Thomas
Monica Moreno
Celia Rodriguez
Jeni and Matt Thompson
Sarah and James Moudry
Heidi and Bryan Rosenstrauch
Phylis Tomlinson
Diana Muñiz
Andrea and Anthony Russo
Jennifer and Sam Touchet
Kate and Lance Murphy
Safeway Inc.
Tamara and Robert Townsend
Kathryn Murphy
Mark Tucker
Kavitha and Sattva Neelapu
Alicia Kowalchuk and Benjamin Saldaña
Ryan Tucker
Debbie Nickerson
Jessica Samano
Irving Valencia
Corine and Joel Noronha
Suzan and Jeremy Samuels
Daniel Vicente
Susan Hardwick-Smith and Kevin O’Gorman
Daniela and Manolo Sanchez
Molly and Coert Voorhees
Farrell and Stuart Saunders
Whitney and Marc Walsh
Wendy and Meir O’Hanna
Kate and Greg Scheinman
Jamie Ward
Emily Hansen and Patrick O’Heron
Shonali Jacob and Jeff Schneider
Melanie Gray and Mark Wawro Debbie and Richard Williams
Heather and Brenden O’Neill
Sherri and Charles Schugart
Vallette and Russell Windham
Diana and Albert Onofre
Meara Schwartz
James Winslow
Patricia Onofre
Elaine Schweizer
Miriam Winton
Catherine and Robert Orr
Jacqualin and Jeff Seely
Janet Ott
Zeenath and Arjun Selvakumar
Constance and Jeffrey Woodman
Sharon Engelstein and Aaron Parazette
B.R. Simon
Terry and Karl Wygant
Beth Smith
Samantha and Charles Wykoff
Jaana Porra and Michael Parks
Mirani Smith
Kim and Chuck Yates
Julie Parraguirre
Hifa Sobhani
Phoebe Yeager
Stelli and Todd Parsapour
Valerie and Michael Sonsino
Anita and Alan Ying
Melissa Coleman and Robert Pascoe
Simran and Manish Sood
Carlie and Richard Yoo
Evy and Nickolas Spiliotis
Daniela Weil and Erik Zanker
Jenee and Nick Stefanakis
Jennifer and Fernando Zumbado
Norma Paulin Jenna Pel
Mary and Garland Stephens
If you have contributed and your name is not on this list, please accept our apologies and contact Christina Cantu in the Development Office.
2012 POST OAK FUND DRIVE TOGETHER WE CAN!
100% CONTRIBUTIONS AS OF 10/16/2012
PARENTS 94/247 GRANDPARENTS 4
TRUSTEES 86%
EMPLOYEES 100%
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O C TO B ER 5, 2012
THE 2013 POS T OAK GAL A
C ATCH A LIT TLE “FRIDAY NIGHT FE V ER” “HOT STUFF” NEEDED FOR SILENT AUCTION In addition to the classroom art projects in the Live Auction, the Gala also holds a very large silent auction offering an impressive selection of items donated primarily by our parent and faculty/staff communities.
“WANNA BE STARTIN’ SOMETHING” PICK UP A PACKET Pick up auction donation packets so that you’ll be prepared when asking for a donation! Packets are available for pick-up in the front office. If you have any questions about the auction, please contact Gala Chairs: Jian Short, Erin Stus,
“THINK IT OVER” UNDERWRITING We’ve already had a very good response to the underwriting packets that were sent a couple of weeks ago! Whether you decide to underwrite individually or to split a table, it all goes to support the school and this major fundraising event. Underwriting opportunities begin at $500 per couple and $1000+ underwriting levels are invited to an Underwriting Cocktail Reception in January. For your convenience, an Underwriting reply form is on back of this newsletter. Deadline to be listed as an underwriter in the invitation is Nov 9. So be a “Cool Cat” and become an underwriter today!
“GOOD TIMES” EXPERIENCES Some of the most sought-after events and experiences are donated by our very own community using their own professions, hobbies, and talents. Don’t limit yourself though! Most of us have friends, neighbors, family members who might have something to offer, they just need to be asked! ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■
Doctor for a Day Photography Class Behind the Scenes Guided canoe trip
MORE “HOT STUFF” Tickets, Travel, Dining, Gift Cards, and More Do you shop? Do you travel? Do you have season tickets? Do you eat out? We’re fairly confident that you answered “Yes” to one of those questions! Talk to the store, hotel, or restaurant manager. Requests from valued customers are much more likely to result in a donation than cold solicitations.
THE HOST WITH THE MOST! Do you like to entertain? The Gala is looking for people to host events. Events can be for adults, children, or family. Usually, these items are sold on a per-person basis with all proceeds going towards the Gala fundraising goal. Your donation will need to include location and cover the cost of the event. You set the number of attendees. ■■ Progressive Dinner – families partner to host a dinner party ■■ Indian or Asian Dinner ■■ Wine Tastings
O C TOBER 5, 2012
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Volunteer sign-up sheets will be at the front desk starting Monday, 10/22!
Join us for this fun-filled event for the entire family! You can purchase books for your child’s class, the school
THE POST OAK BOOK FAIR
library, and your friends and family. A percentage of all
THURSDAY, NOV. 1
purchases (books, music,
9 A.M.–9 P.M.
games, toys, DVDs, etc.) made that day go directly to our school. Shop all day at Barnes & Noble, but be
BARNES & NOBLE
there from 4–7 p.m. for
3003 W. HOLCOMBE BLVD.
activities featuring puppets,
BOOK FAIR CHAIRS: HILLERY HUGG & MARY STEPHENS
robots, readings, bookmarkmaking, and more!
Individual Student Pictures Are Next Week Mon.–Thurs., Oct. 22–25
MONDAY, OCT. 22 Middle School High School Emily Hansen Miriam Winton Orly Kluk
TUESDAY, OCT. 23 Errol Pinto Sarah Moudry Julie Parraguirre Danielle Dalsey Kathy Long
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 24 Maya Pinto Deidre Lodrig Tamara Townsend Tamara Basham Hifa Sobhani
THURSDAY, OCT. 25 Debbie Nickerson Phoebe Yeager Beth Smith Make-up pictures
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O C TO B ER 5, 2012
High School Grand Opening A hearty thank you to all those who braved the weather to come celebrate the Grand Opening of Post Oak High School this week. There was no dampening of spirits in this evening of smiles, festivity, and, mmmm, lots of grilled cheese goodness. A highlight of the evening’s brief program was a reading by High School student —the first to enroll through early admission—about her experience in choosing to attend Post Oak. “I am really glad that I chose Post Oak High School because it is so different and unique from any other high school and is truly the best high school that I could be so fortunate to attend.” Look for the full piece in the next Weekly Post. In closing, the high school students buried a time capsule containing videos, among other items. Thank you again for your support in the creation of a high school which fosters not only strong academics, but also creativity and innovation. Here’s to the successful and bright futures of our Post Oak High School students! •
O C TOBER 5, 2012
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O C TO B ER 5, 2012
Guests Bring Variety In an effort to bring variety and cultural enrichment to Expanded Year Contract Days, we will be hosting an assortment of guests throughout the school year. On October 12, a representative from the Fort Bend Museum visited the class. Claire Rogers, Museum Site Manager, led a program that delved into the history of the region. Students learned about items that nineteenth century pioneers brought with them while exploring Texas. The program also featured demonstrations of butter churning and wheel spinning, just as early settlers used to do. -Asenet Garcia & Jenna Pel
It’ll be nifty turning
50
REMINDER
DATE CHANGE Third grade standardized testing has moved from Dec. 3–7 to Nov. 12–16.
Still looking for Parent Volunteers for Post Oak’s 50th Anniversary Committee Sign up through the link on homepage or contact Kathryn Murphy at kathrynmurphy@postoakschool.org.
(2013–14 is our celebration year)
O C TOBER 5, 2012
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South American Sojourn for Two Post Oak Dads by Rakesh Agrawal and Sonny Harpavat, Post Oak parents This summer two Post Oak parents, Rakesh Agrawal and Dr. Sanjiv Harpavat, traveled to South America. First, Dr. Harpavat went with a group of other doctors and volunteers to a small town outside of Santa Cruz, Bolivia named Montero. There they worked in hospitals and clinics taking care of children. They treated different diseases including malnutrition, diarrhea, tuberculosis, spinal cord problems, and poor vision. The group also cared for 120 girls living in an orphanage. The girls do not have many of the things we have, but they have two of the most important things: spirit and enthusiasm. Catholic nuns run the orphanage and act like the girls’ parents. The children have many talents like weaving, playing basketball, and dancing. Some weaved and sold beautiful table cloths. On the last night they did a performance of dances from all around the world, including a Russian ballet and a Bollywood dance. Now the doctors’
group is trying to build a computer lab for the orphanage, and is also helping one young girl fulfill her dream of going to medical school to become a doctor. After Bolivia, Sanjiv traveled to Cuzco, Peru where he was joined by Rakesh and another friend. Cuzco was the center of the ancient Incan empire, which ended in the 1500s when the Spaniards came to the west side of South America. Before that the Incan empire was vast (3,000 miles long), rich (it had lots of gold), and very sophisticated. Rakesh and Sanjiv trekked 58 kilometers through the mountains to a maximum elevation of 15,000 feet to the lost Incan city of Machu Picchu. They saw a city with magnificent stone houses and temples. In the center was the Sun Temple, which made a perfect image with sun light only during the equinox. At the top was a quarry full of rocks. The Incas used it to make all of their buildings. This shows us that Incas were extremely talented and intelligent! Both Rakesh and Sanjiv came back with many pictures and stories to share. •
9:45 – 1
Monday or Tuesday November 24 or 25, 2008 9:00 a.m. to 11 a.m. See your grandchildren at work in their Montessori school. To allow the younger students (Infant and Primary)
PAGE 12
to maintain their workOcycle, we B request C TO ER 5,that 2012
1
you view them through the observation window. In the Elementary and Middle School levels,
C A L E N DA R
N OT I C E B OA R D
O C T O B E R 2 1–2 7
Grandparents’ Days invitations
you are welcome to interact with the students.
RSVP
Please email christinacantu@postoakschool.org with your name and address, the names of your
grandchildren, and which day you plan to visit. Or mail back the enclosed postcard.
7:00 p.m.
Thu 10/25
Infant Community Parent Education
Infant Community in session. Classes not in session: only students w/ expanded year contracts attend
O C TOBE R 2 8–NOV E M BE R 3 Tue 10/30
HS Halloween Party
Wed 10/31
Halloween
Thu–Fri 11/1–2
Vision and hearing screening
Thu 11/1
Fri 11/2
Gra
7:00 p.m.
Conference day Fri 10/26
ds
The Post Oak Middle School Experience (all parents welcome)
Infant Community Parent Education THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 7 P.M. in the common room
5:00–8:00 p.m.
Book Fair All Saints Day Montessori Journey
THE DIARY OF A TODDLER: A look at your child’s daily schedule at school
6:00–9:00 p.m. ($ & reg. required)
Sat 11/3
Montessori Journey
Sun 11/4
Daylight Saving Time ends
8:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Check out our calendar online or download a copy at www.postoakschool.org
N
So uth
s an nt
Tue 10/23
Individual school pictures
Frien d
Mon–Thu 10/22–25
Grandparents’ Days will soon be here! If you would like your child’s grandparents or Event schedule and directions are on the back. other relatives/friends to be invited to this year’s Grandparents’ Days (November 19 & 20), please visit www.postoakschool.org and submit their pare mailing information. Please include anyone you think nd would like to observe and/or interact with your children RULE! in their Montessori environment. Invitations will be mailed directly to those individuals in late October. •
The Po the 610 Bisson Park
A B O U T T H E W E E K LY P O S T The Weekly Post appears on most Fridays of the regular school year. You can receive a printed copy from your oldest child, or a PDF version online. Submit letters, articles, or photos in electronic form by 5:00 p.m. on the Tuesday before publication to Communications Coordinator Elaine Schweizer (elaineschweizer@postoakschool.org). If publication is on a Thursday due to school closure on Friday, then the deadline is 5:00 p.m. on the preceding Monday. All photos in The Weekly Post are by Elaine Schweizer unless otherwise noted. The Post Oak School was founded in 1963 and accredited by both the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) and the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS) 4600 Bissonnet, Bellaire, Texas 77401 • Telephone: 713-661-6688 • Fax: 713-661-4959 • www.postoakschool.org
The Po