i n this issue: SI X T H GR A DE W I L L I A M SBU RG T R I P • T H IR D GR A DE CA M P A L L E N T R IP • N EW S F ROM H IGH SCHOOL
The
VO LU M E X I X , N U M B E R 18 A bi-weekly publication of The Post Oak School
POST Celebrating 50 years of The Post Oak School
M AY 2 3 , 2 014 Available online at www.postoakschool.org
T H E PR E S E N T, PA S T A N D F U T U R E P O S T OA K by John Long, Head of School
THE PRESENT
“B
e here now,” school counselor Phylis Tomlinson says, challenging us to be fully present in the moment, fully attentive to the person or people we are with at the moment, fully open to the possibilities of the moment. It is an acknowledgement of what our teachers already know and do every day
in the classrooms at Post Oak as they work with our students. It is the ultimate act of respect that faculty pay those students, and coincidentally, it is the ultimate act of respect that they pay to themselves as professionals and as human beings, because “be here now” is another way of describing “flow,” the psychological state described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi when he studied scientists and continued on page 2
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artists at work. Our faculty are one part scientist and one part artist as they work in their classrooms, fully focused on the moment that they share with your children.
photographed wearing their 50th anniversary t-shirts in the many places they traveled with their families. You can find photos on our Facebook page. We also invited families and classes to commit to community service projects THE PAST throughout the year. “50 for 50” was the And then there are moments that invite theme, as we challenged the community us to shift our perspective, our scale, to participate in 50 different projects by much as Charles and Ray Eames did in year end. In typical Post Oak fashion, their short film, “Powers of Ten,” and 50 projects became 61: clear evidence step out of the present to look backward of personal engagement and generosity or forward. This year, the school’s golden of spirit. anniversary, has provided opportunities THE FUTURE to reframe annual events within an historical context, to celebrate the fifty Even as we look back over Post Oak’s year history of The Post Oak School, first fifty years, we look to the future. and to reflect upon the contributions The recent additions of the high school of former faculty, parents and children division and the Houston Montessori over those five decades and how they Institute teacher training center broaden prepared the ground for this present and deepen our programmatic scope moment. We stand on their shoulders. and our vision of who we are as a school. Now more than ever, Post Oak is a The year kicked off in grand fashion beacon, a model for Montessori schools with a Jubilee evening at the Houston around the world, and for every school Museum of Natural Science. Could focused on helping students develop there have been a better place to ‘21st Century skills.’ Post Oak is celebrate our history? It was a great unique in its aspirations and the scope gathering of current and past Post of its programs. The school offers an Oak parents, faculty, staff, trustees education grounded in the science and alumni. Speakers included AMI of human growth and development Executive Director Lynne Lawrence for infants, children and adolescents, who came from Amsterdam for the spanning the ages from birth to the event, and Post Oak alumnus Ben onset of adulthood. To support and Jawdat, a Ph.D. student in physics at the complement this work, the school University of Houston. houses a teacher training center and offers a rich variety of parenting courses The Jubilee was followed by Our Big and workshops. Bash Birthday Party, a special edition of the annual Field Day. Book Fair, Looking to the future, the board and too, added to the fiftieth festivities by administration are re-working the celebrating heroes in history. Over plan to create campus facilities that spring break, Post Oak students were will support and inspire our work
M AY 23, 2014
in the future, and accommodate the programmatic growth and enrollment growth of both the past decade and the decade before us. Speaking at the Jubilee last fall, Board Chair Lloyd Kirchner reflected on this work: “ So where will we be, and where will this school be, fifty years from now? It is up to us to decide that. We can either let life happen to us and to The Post Oak School, or we can make it happen, taking advantage of opportunities and creating strong, creative plans for the future. All of us are a part of it – every parent who brings their child to school each day, every child who learns something new and goes home excited about it, every teacher who sees each day as a new day and is creative in lesson presentations as well as in her responses to each and every child, every administrator who helps provide the structure and resources that support the magic that happens in the classroom, every donor who writes a check, every board member who struggles over things like the strategic plan and the budget, every person who digs deep to support Big Work, our capital campaign for The Post Oak School. We are all committed to providing an educational experience that will prepare our children to be citizens of the world, who will be ready, willing and able to embrace opportunities and address challenges.
It is an exciting thing to build a school, and that is what we are doing. We are building The Post Oak School for the next half century.” •
MAY 23, 2014
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Join Us for the Eighth Grade Moving Up Ceremony Don't miss the eighth grade Moving Up Ceremony on Friday, May 30 at 6:30 p.m. in the Post Oak gym. Come see the power of Post Oak education and celebrate with those students moving forward. Additional parking available on EHS drive. Eighth grade students at Blackwood Land Institute
The Problem for Sports Parents: Overspending Large amounts of money can transform parental support into pressure By Kevin Helliker, The Wall Street Journal (from May 12, 2014) “When sports psychologist Travis Dorsch set about studying the effect of parental spending on young athletes, he expected to find a positive correlation. After all, recent research suggests that young athletes benefit from parental support. But his study, just completed, found that greater parental spending is associated with lower levels of youngathlete enjoyment and motivation. “When parental sports spending goes up,
it increases the likelihood either that the child will feel pressure or that the parent will exert it,” says Dr. Dorsch, a Utah State University professor and former professional football player. The study adds to a small but growing body of research suggesting that parents ought to temper their investments in youth athletics. The problem, at root, isn’t financial: It is that big expenditures tend to elevate parental expectations. “The more parents do, the more they expect a return on their investment,”
possibly reducing their chances of a favorable outcome, says Daniel Gould, director of Michigan State University’s Institute for the Study of Youth Sports.” Read the full text here: http://online. wsj.com/news/articles/SB1000142405 270230385180457955810372337714 2?_cldee=cmR1cmhhbUBpc2Fzdy5vc mc%3d
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M AY 23, 2014
Sixth Grade Colonial Williamsburg Trip DAY 1 OF WILLIAMSBURG By
Today we had to wake up at 4:00 a.m. We had to be at the airport at 6:00 a.m. sharp. Our flight was to depart at 7:33 a.m. We had to go through security first. That was pretty hard since we were such a big group. We were a total of 26 sixth graders and seven adults.
When we got to Richmond we got off the plane and headed to baggage claim. We were planning to go to lunch after that, but an unexpected trouble with our rented vans occurred. The problem was that the people who we spoke with about the rented vans no longer had our reservation for our vans. So we ended up having to miss lunch and stay at the airport for about 1 to 2 hours because Mr. Pinto had to fill out all the forms for the vans all over again. Finally after everything was taken care of, we headed to an early dinner. DAY 1 OF WILLIAMSBURG By
This year’s sixth grade trip to Williamsburg was really fun. We got to do things like learn about the Powhatan Indians, take part in a witch trial, and step into a colonial soldiers shoes. The first day, people started arriving at the airport at 6:00 am sharp. We checked our bags, went through
security, got breakfast, and got on the plane to go to Washington D.C. Coincidentally, the Middle Schoolers were on the same plane as us, so Post Oak took up most of the plane. On our first flight, we read, played games, slept, and slept a little more (keep in mind that most of us had to wake up at 4:00 in the morning!) We got off the plane and said goodbye to the Middle Schoolers, then rushed to our connecting flight. On this flight we didn’t get a chance to do much, because it was only 45 minutes long. When we got off the plane, we went to baggage claim and got our luggage. Then some of the chaperones went to go sort out the rental car business. We waited a LONG time for the cars, but finally we got them. We drove to our hotel. We had finally arrived in Williamsburg! When we got there, we unpacked and settled in. I shared a room with For dinner on our first night, we ate at a restaurant called Kyoto. It was a hibachi restaurant. We saw our chef cook our meals on a stove right in front of us!
After dinner, we went to “Cry Witch”. “Cry Witch the Play” is a reenactment of a witch trial that actually happened in Virginia in 1707. We sat in the same seats the jury sat in over 300 years ago and heard the same things they heard years ago. In the end, we decided that the defendant, Grace Sherwood, was guilty of witchcraft. According to historians, Grace Sherwood was found guilty by the court, but nobody knows if she got a pardon or if she was executed. After the witch trials, we went back to the hotel, talked about our day, got ready for bed, and got some sleep to prepare us for the next big day ahead of us. DAY 1 OF WILLIAMSBURG By
On Monday May 5, 2014, the sixth grade class of The Post Oak School took a trip to Williamsburg to study the American Revolution. We flew in on United Airlines (Which probably wasn’t around in the time of the American Revolution) then took buses to get to the Witch Trial, called “Cry Witch.” It was a
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mock trial with a jury, the Royal Governor (almost a judge), the attorney (a lawyer appointed by the King of England), the defendant (Grace Sherwood who was being accused of being a witch), and the witnesses. If you are one of the first 22 people in line for the trial then you either get to be a member of the Governor’s Council who sits by the Governor, or the jury, who sit in a secluded box on the right side of the courtroom. I was lucky enough to be one of the members of the Royal Governor’s council. I got to sit in the front of the room and decide on the fate of the witch. The attorney was arguing that Grace Sherwood was a witch, and called up 3 witnesses. The first witness was a man named Jonah Hill and he claimed Grace Sherwood brought plague on his crops. Then his wife came up and claimed Grace killed her unborn son. And another claimed she flew out of water when subjected to a swimming test. She acted very guilty, and she cursed everyone in the room, so we decided to vote guilty. It was great fun, and we learned a lot about how courts in the time of the colonies worked.
Our flight was not directly to Williamsburg. Our first flight was to Washington, D.C. which took about two hours and thirty minutes to get there. On the flight most of us brought either books or games to entertain ourselves or some people just took really long naps. When we got off the plane in Washington, D.C. we immediately went to the gate. After we got to the gate some people went to Starbucks for a little snack because some people were hungry. After that we were boarding on the plane. One thing none of us realized until the last minute was that we were flying on a small plane. But thankfully it was only a twenty-five minute flight to Richmond, Virginia
MAY 23, 2014
DAY 1 OF WILLIAMSBURG By
On Monday I woke up really tired. Ugh! Today’s Monday. Wait–today is the day we go to Williamsburg! My mom and I rushed out the house after breakfast, to the airport. It took a little while but we met met up with everyone. I was so lost in conversation that I forgot to take my things on the plane. My mom and I said our goodbyes but it was hard. My mom and I are always together, but now I’ll be in a whole other state! We get through everything and I’m on the plane with and Monopoly failed so we entertained ourselves by watching previews and reading descriptions of TV shows on a tiny television on the backs of the seats in front of us. I fell asleep and woke up. We were almost about to land. I felt like I’ve missed a lot, but I’m not alone. has too. We are at our second destination. Mrs. Lu kindly got us a snack from Starbucks and before I knew it we’re back on the plane. It went faster than the one before, plus I fell asleep again. Before I knew it we were in Virginia. “This is all
going too fast,” I thought. We got our bags and drove to our hotel in our chaperone’s SUV. After we checked in, we got back into our SUVs and ate at a Benihana–like Japanese restaurant. It was very delicious. I ordered dumplings with fried rice and soy sauce. Later we went inside Colonial Williamsburg to a field with a few benches, next to a court. After waiting a good thirty minutes and playing on the field, we made it inside the court. We were part of a witch’s trial. It was kind of boring at first when a really large man started to say many words I could not comprehend even though he was speaking English. We watched a play performed by the Williamsburgians called “Cry Witch” and the witch, Grace Sherwood, was thrown in jail. We drove back to the hotel and the rest of the day is history. DAY 2 OF WILLIAMSBURG By
After all was said and done on Tuesday, we went to the “Play with Words” restaurant.” It was a delightful evening of chattering and playing card games with: and me. I ordered macaroni and cheese off the children’s menu. Believe it or not, it was delicious and filling. After our meal we went to a soldier training activity. We learned all the motions. The soldiers were scary, strict, and were a bit amusing. It was entertaining and fun. Later, we were treated to delicious treats from Baskin Robbins and were taken back to the hotel. We were tired but animated!
DAY 2 OF WILLIAMSBURG By
On the second day in Virginia we went to Jamestown and toured the sights of the town. When we arrived at Jamestown we went to see a replica of how the Native Americans lived. We got to interact with the people who were acting like Native Americans. They were very good actors. It made me feel like I was talking to real Native Americans. Next we went on ships that the settlers came on. We also got to see the rooms on the ships. We saw different knots that the settlers used on and for the ships. After that we went to the Jamestown museum and saw short films of how Jamestown came to be. Later we went to do our interactive night activity. Then we went to get ice cream because it was Jonathan and Conner’s birthday! Then we went back to the hotel. DAY 2 OF WILLIAMSBURG By
On Tuesday night in Williamsburg we did an army boot camp called “In Defense of Our Liberty”. We walked into the place with another school and got split up into two groups. The groups were called first and second platoon. All the sixth graders from Mr. Pinto’s class were in second platoon. Then after we had to get in two lines, elbow to elbow, and watched how the sergeants would shoot their guns, they said that a good soldier would be able to load their musket in 15 or less seconds. Then we learned
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M AY 23, 2014
DAY 4 OF WILLIAMSBURG By
what different commands meant, such as right face, left face, dress, and a few more. We then had to execute the commands. At first the sergeants laughed at us but then in the end I think they were a little impressed with how we caught on. DAY 3 OF WILLIAMSBURG By
On Wednesday May 7, 2014 the sixth grade went to dinner at a restaurant called Second St and it was amazing. There and I split lasagna and at the front counter they sold pints of this sea salt that made my hands feel soft. After we finished we went to the Williamsburg visitor center and we went to the gift shop before it closed. After we went there we took a 5 minute walk till we got to an in fenced area which had a sign on the front gate that said “closed on Wednesday.” Then we went to a little grassy area that was maybe 2 acres long and I got out my baseball that I got in the gift shop. We then played a little bit of monkey in the middle and then after 20 minutes a tour guide came and we walked in. He taught us a new word, “Edutainment,” which was what the tour was. He led us and another group from Memphis was in the activity too. This was called the African American Unit .We stood in a circle and we took turns dancing in front of a fire and Mr. Pinto was picked to dance and it was kind of funny
but, he is a great dancer. We then sung folk songs that the guides taught us. They were sung by the slaves while they worked on the plantations. Then we walked into a field and sang while pretending to plow the dirt. After that we walked back and it was very dark and the stars lit up the sky as if there was no tomorrow!!! We arrived at the entrance and we said “Thank you” and we left to go back to the hotel to sleep. DAY 3 OF WILLIAMSBURG By
On Wednesday, we woke up, ate breakfast and then went to Colonial Williamsburg. At 10:00 we experienced the storming of the palace. After that we went inside the palace and saw what the Governor’s life was like. Then we went inside a maze and played games. Then we went to listen to Thomas Jefferson speak. After we were done with that we went to go eat lunch at an amazing restaurant. Then we went to the public magazine, which is a place where they held the towns military supplies. Then we went to the public county court house where they would do minor trials like not paying a fine. Then we visited a shop on cabinet making. After that we went to see the jail and it was not a very comfortable place to stay! Then we went back to the visitor’s center in a bus.
On Thursday, May 8, 2014, we ate dinner at Christiana Cawpbell’s tavern and then we went to hear ghost stories. They were amazing! Especially the one at the governor’s mansion. It was about a family that had 3 boys and they were all killed in the army and a girl who was in love with the youngest one tried to find out what had happened. My favorite was the one about Lucy Paradise, and she told a story about how she was kept in a mental asylum and they put her in a chair that had straps for the arms and had a bucket in the middle so she could use the restroom. There was also a leather helmet that covered her face and her head. She told about the mental asylum and that she was left there for days, weeks, and months at a time. We also went to an act about a man that loved to gamble and then cursed himself by placing a bet and then he said “If I lose my eye balls will remain forever open and my body decay” and of course he lost. The actors were so amazing!!!!! Afterward, we walked a mile back to the vans and then we left. All of these stories were told in authentic 18th century English by actors who were fortunate to have experienced these stories as they were told in authentic cottages, which were built to show how people lived in the colonies in the late 1700’s . DAY 4 OF WILLIAMSBURG By
We all went to a little house with Mr. Pinto to get our tickets for the show. We met our tour guide there. We split up into 2 groups. Then our tour guide explained what we were going to do. We were going to listen to 3 ghost stories in 3 different houses. The first one was by far the scariest. As we were walking to the first house, a lady dressed in black with black make-up circled our group. She looked mentally insane. Our tour guide told us that the lady was called Lucy Paradise. Someone asked if it was the lady stalking us. She said yes. When we got into the house, I sat in the front row.
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Lucy yelled a lot and made wild gestures that helped tell her life story and her time in the mental asylum/ mental hospital. I was pretty scared. After we left everyone was shaking. My knees were shaking so hard I had to hold on to my friends so I wouldn’t fall. For the second story, though, I was smart enough to sit in the middle seat. This story was my favorite. That was the time I met Lucifer. He wasn’t as scary as Lucy Paradise and he didn’t scream. Instead he just smiled a big evil smile and kept on going with his story. The third and last story was held at the Governor’s Palace. I forgot her name but she was THE creepiest lady I have ever seen. And she stomped her foot, a lot. At the end, we were all sprinting to get away from her. Even though it was scary, I loved it. DAY 4 OF WILLIAMSBURG By
Today was probably the most interesting day for me! We went to Yorktown, and saw how the soldiers lived during the war years. They showed us what they would do if someone had a cavity, and what they would do if they had an illness. They taught us how their kitchens looked like, and what and how they cooked. Then we saw how soldiers loaded their canons. They also taught us how to load a musket, and how to shoot it. Later on we went to lunch in a restaurant that had a magnificent view of the Atlantic Ocean! We got 15 minutes to play in the ocean, we had so much fun! After we got some time to play in the sea, we headed back to Yorktown to watch a movie. We saw the movie, and went back to Williamsburg where we ate a delicious dinner (and ice cream) at Christina Campbell’s Tavern. Then we had some time to play while we waited for the fabulous ghost stories. While we were eating, Christina Campbell came out and gave us a brief history about her tavern, and about how The House of Burgesses would have secret meetings in her tavern because the governor had dissolved the group. She also told us that if you
ever went into her tavern you would never find any women because it was not proper for women to be out of their homes. Christina Campbell also taught the boys how to act like proper gentlemen, and that whenever we ladies needed to get up that they needed to take our chairs. I learned a lot and had lots of fun. It was a really great experience. DAY 5 OF WILLIAMSBURG By
On Thursday, our group stayed up till midnight. It wasn’t until we just got into bed that I realized, since it was passed midnight, it was my birthday! I started the day by singing at midnight, “Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear me, happy birthday to me.” By that time, the rest of the girls in my room realized that since it was past midnight, it was my birthday!!! I also woke up to people singing to me. The day started off well. We had a quick breakfast, then went to the visitor’s center to watch a movie called A Patriot is Born. It was about a man who was elected to be in the House of Burgesses. He had to make a decision on whether to be a free country or be part of England. After the movie, we went to the museum to see all the interesting items there, and also the biggest magnolia tree! The items that I remember the most in the museum were the replicas of different swords that we could hold the
handle of. We were all looking forward to our next activity, seeing the mental asylum. On Thursday, we heard ghost stories, and one of them was about a lady named Lucy Ludlum Paradise. She lived for some time in a mental asylum. Seeing the asylum was a little creepy after we heard that story. Luckily, we went to a more calming place after the asylum: the oldest functioning church in New England. It was a grand place, and we even got to see where Thomas Jefferson and other famous leaders sat. Next, we went to the candy shop! As we entered, the aroma of sugar reached our noses, our eyes didn’t know where to look first, and our hands (or at least my hands) were feeling the force. I managed to limit myself to three items: a chocolate frog from Harry Potter, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavored (jelly) Beans (When they say every flavored beans, they mean every flavored bean! I once got one that was soapflavored), and of course, salt water taffy. We reluctantly left the candy shop to go to a much less exciting place: the airport. The airport was like all the other times you go there, lots of food, rushing, waiting in line, and my least favorite, sitting. I was very glad when we landed. After I took my bag from the baggage claim, I waited anxiously for my family. I was just about to call them, when I saw them come out of the elevator to greet me. It was the best birthday present of the day. •
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MAY 23, 2014
Camp Allen Memories
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WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW!
Y
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My 5 favorite things I did at Camp Allen are:
My 5 favorite things I did at Camp Allen are:
1. Catching bugs and looking at them
1. Getting to know the other third graders so much better
2. Making up skits
2. Catching bugs
3. Going to the camp fire and roasting marshmallows
3. Making and eating s’mores
4. Playing the team game Cities
4. Making up skits
5. Playing volleyball in free time
5. Playing Cities
I wish I could go back!!
It was so much fun!
~
~
H SC
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Post Oak High School welcomes and as rising 9th graders from the 8th grade class of 2014. We are all excited to welcome the incoming class of 2018!
HIG
HI
POHS Student Appreciation Event
MOVING UP
T e POST
BE OU L HEONG R
AK
ST OAK
O
PO
SC
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MAGNA CARTA BLOG Four POHS students, who have dubbed themselves the “Magna Carta Clan,” attended docent training sessions for the new HMNS exhibit. Now that their training is complete, the students have been leading tours for multiple age groups and answering questions for those roaming around the exhibit. Read all about their experience at http://pohsmagnacartahmns.blogspot.com/ END-OF-YEAR RETREAT
NK THI IN. AGA
Post Oak High School students are excitedly anticipating next week’s end-of-year retreat at Camp Tejas. The retreat was organized by a committee of both students and faculty, and will include a number of outdoor activities including swimming, boating, and hiking.
E
HOOL
On Thursday, May 22, the high school students and rising 9th graders had a chance to get together and relax on the high school grounds. They sat on blankets, played football, enjoyed music, and ate grilled cheese sandwiches from a local food truck as they reminisced on the school year and the goals that they helped accomplish together.
the p ost oak scho ol
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M AY 23, 2014
A Letter from Our POPA Chairs Dear Post Oak Community, As the school year and our 50th anniversary celebration draw to a close, we thank the community for joining together to support the The Post Oak School. From the lively Jubilee to the fabulous Birthday Bash to a hero-ific Book Fair, everyone from our infants to our grandparents enjoyed our year-long celebration. Thank you to our POPA event chairs, room parents, monthly coffee volunteers, 50th anniversary committee, “Post” contributors and everyone who lent a hand this year inside the classroom and behind the scenes. The Post Oak Parent Association always delivers. The fun never stops around The Post Oak School and next year is no exception. The biennial gala chaired by Laura Citardi and Whitney Walsh will be an event not to be missed. The Parent Association is vital to making the gala a success - so please volunteer! If you were unable to attend the Volunteer Appreciation Event on May 14, we missed you. Don’t miss out - please stop by the Development Office and pick up your “thank you” baseball cap so you have a bit of Post Oak to carry with you on your summer vacation. It has been a pleasure working with you in support of our wonderful community at Post Oak. We look forward to seeing you next fall.
Treasured moments from the Volunteer Appreciation Event
Sincerely, Jessica Gregg and Suzan Samuels
MAY 23, 2014
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News from Post Oak’s Green Team
t h e p o s t oa k s c h o o l
Our visit from Jaime Gonzalez back in April has had a profound and lasting effect on the Green Team. We have found ourselves wildly combing the internet for more facts and
HOUSTON EXPRESS SOCCER CLUB HOUSTON’S PREMIER YOUTH SOCCER CLUB SINCE 1978
opportunities for us to assist in the “re-wilding” of Houston’s native areas. One of the dominant themes of Jaime’s presentation was the importance of feeding our native fauna their corresponding native flora. He posits that the plants we buy from big-box retailers, while beautiful, are veritable wastelands for our native butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees. Because these plants are engineered to be more hardy or more prolific, the engineering takes its toll on the pollen production of the plant. Often times these plants, because they have been treated with pesticides, can actually be killers to our local pollinators.
Planting from native sources may not be the first thing we think of when running to a big box is such the norm in Houston, but it certainly is easy to do. Buchanan’s Native Plants in the Heights is an amazing local resource for young and mature plants. If you get so involved that you want to plant from seed, or if you’re just a master UB . HOUSTON EXPRESS SOCCER CLUB . HOUSTON EXPRESS SOCCER CL gardener like that, Native American A . FÚTBOL . VOETBAL . CALCIO . SEPAK BOLA . KNATTSPYRNA . FÚTBOL . V Seed (www.seedsource.com) is the ALGPALL . FOTBAL . SOKA . FÚTBOL . NOGOMET . SACAR . JALGPALL . FO way to go. You can find photos and UB . HOUSTON EXPRESS SOCCER CLUB . HOUSTON EXPRESS SOCCER CL descriptions of plants native to our A . FÚTBOL . VOETBAL . CALCIO . SEPAK BOLA . KNATTSPYRNA . FÚTBOL . V here: http://prairiepartner. FO ALGPALL . FOTBAL . SOKA . FÚTBOL . NOGOMET . SACAR . JALGPALL .ecoregion org/page/coastal-prairiebasics. UB . HOUSTON EXPRESS SOCCER CLUB . HOUSTON EXPRESS SOCCER CL Choosing to plant native is so easily A . FÚTBOL . VOETBAL . CALCIO . SEPAK BOLA . KNATTSPYRNA . FÚTBOL . V . FÚTBOL . NOGOMET . SACAR . JALGPALL .done, FO we wonder why we didn’t make ALGPALL . FOTBAL . SOKA WWW.HOUSTONX.ORG | INFO@HOUSTONX.ORG the switch earlier!CL • UB . HOUSTON EXPRESS SOCCER CLUB . HOUSTON EXPRESS SOCCER
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M AY 23, 2014
MAY 23, 2014
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Pa r e n t E d u c at i o n O p p o r t u n i t i e s
-ins Drop e m welco
Parenting the Love and Logic Way® Summer Series presented by
Phylis R. Tomlinson, LPC, LMFT, ATR-BC Post Oak Counselor & Independent Facilitator of Parenting the Love and Logic Way® curriculum
A parenting program designed by Love and Logic®. This series of courses offers solutions for families of children from early childhood to beyond adolescence. Previous participants are encouraged to return to share experiences and reinforce skills. Grandparents and other care givers are also welcome. All classes are open to the public. LEARN THE PARENTING SKILLS TO:
• Gain respect and cooperation • Reduce arguing • Have a more peaceful household
SUMMER FULL COURSE AT THE POST OAK SCHOOL Wednesday, June 11, 18, 25, July 2 (4 weeks) 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Brown Bag Lunch: Bring lunch & drinks $80 for entire 4-week series Workbook fee $15 Drop-in fee $30 per session
Where Are They Headed? Post Oak Alumni College Acceptances 2010 graduates have been accepted to the following colleges: • Baylor University
• Stanford University*
• Boston University*
• Texas Christian University
• College of Charleston
• Trinity University
• Columbia University
• Tulane University
• Dartmouth College
• University of California Santa Barbara*
• Elon University • George Washington University
• University of California Santa Cruz
• Lafayette College
• University of Kansas
• Northeastern University
• University of Miami
• Pepperdine University
• University of North Carolina
TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE:
• Princeton University
• University of Richmond*
Send a check payable to:
• Rhodes College
• University of Tulsa
• Santa Clara University
• Vanderbilt University
• Have more family fun together • Prepare your children for success in school and the “real world”
This parenting program is designed to give you practical skills that can be used immediately!
Phylis R. Tomlinson 5215 Mimosa Drive Bellaire, TX 77401 phylistomlinson@gmail.com Tel. 713-668-6558 NEXT PLANNED 6-WEEK SERIES: SEPTEMBER 2014
Afternoon class begins Wednesday 9/10 Morning class begins Thursday 9/11
LOCATION
The Post Oak School 4600 Bissonnet St. at Ave. B (Classes will be held in the Multi-Purpose Room. Childcare not provided.)
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARENTING THE LOVE & LOGIC WAY ®
Some Parents... ...request individual “coaching”
• Southern Methodist University*
* Denotes school attending
...arrange a group of 6 to meet in Phylis’ office ...arrange a group in their home, church or synagogue.
Congratulations to our Post Oak alumni!
Post Oak Annual Fund Pledges Due May 30 Please contact Christina Cantu in the Development Office if you have any questions or would like to pay by credit card. Thank you.
Free DASH Women’s Soccer Tickets Post Oak Parents Tina Petersen and John Duboise are offering THREE free Dash tickets for the following games: Wed, Jun. 11, 8pm • Sat, Jun. 28, 8pm • Sat, Jul. 5, 8pm • Fri, Jul. 11, 8pm • Thu, Jul. 17, 8pm • Wed, Jul. 30, 8pm Please email johndubo@gmail.com to pick up these tickets.
YEARBOOKS will be distributed Wednesday, May 28!
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M AY 23, 2014
MAY 23, 2014
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SCENES
from The Post Oak School
1. One of our youngest students develops fine motor skills through working with scissors 2, 3. Scenes from Middle School’s volunteer service trip to the Chinese Community Center. 4. A Lower Elementary student returns the volume cubes to their storage case.
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5. A three year old Primary student builds words with the moveable alphabet. 6. Upper Elementary students test the physical requirements of establishing an electrical circuit 7. Working with hand-sewing materials in a Primary classroom. 8. A lighthearted moment in High School science discussions. 9. Upper Elementary students practice their lines for their class play. 10. An older Primary child works on multiplication (9’s) with the bead bars. 11. Exploring mathematics in Lower Elementary using the bead frame.
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M AY 23, 2014
C A L E N DA R M AY 25 - 31 Memorial Day
Mon 5/26
SCHOOL CLOSED High School Retreat
Wed-Thu 5/28-29
Found! lunch boxes, jackets, sweaters, and more . . .
Middle School to The Retreat at Artesian Lakes
Missing something? Have a look online:
Last Day of School Early Dismissal
www.postoakschool.org/postoak/
11:20 - Infant Community 11:30 - Primary 12:00 - Elementary and Middle School
Fri 5/30
N OT I C E B OA R D
High School Families Evergreen Pool Picnic Noon
Eighth Grade Moving Up Ceremony
Photos_Lost_and_Found_Gallery.asp
Please retrieve all items by Friday, May 30. Everything left over will be donated to charity. *If an item of clothing or lunch box has a name written on it, the item is placed in your child’s cubicle/locker. It’s a good idea to mark special items so they always find their way home!
6:30 p.m.
JUNE 1 - 7 Mon-Wed 6/2-6/4
Teacher In-Service Days
Thu-Fri 6/5-6/6
School Closed LOOK ING AHEAD
Mon 6/16
Houston Montessori Institute Summer cycle begins
Nanny Needed The Besselman family would like to hire a nanny 4 days a week, Monday through Thursday, from 7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., in the Braes Heights area. Ideal candidate is well-organized, proactive and engages in educational/ interactive play with children. Minimum 3 years experience caring for infant/toddler children and clean driving record required, experience with Montessori household a plus. Please contact Ashley at 713. 304.3046.
Summer School begins
Check out our calendar online or download a copy at www.postoakschool.org
Be sure to look for the special summer edition of The Post in mid-July!
ABOU T TH E POST The Post is distributed via email every other Friday of the regular school year. You can receive a printed copy from your oldest child, or view the PDF version online. Submit letters, articles, or photos in electronic form by 5:00 p.m. on the Tuesday before publication to Communications Coordinator Elisa Schmidt (elisaschmidt@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. 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