As you may have noticed, our weekly newsletter has a new look!

While the design changes are visible, here are some of the new updates in functionality that you may want to take note of:

• Table of contents links in the side bar allow you to easily navigate to certain sections of the newsletter with just one click
• Social media links are now included in our contact info so you can easily navigate to our Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Vimeo pages
• “Media Spotlights” are now included in the left side bar, linking to recent Gillispie news coverage and new media highlights
• In the Calendar section, there are now “Click Here” links that allow you to view or print The Gillispie School Google calendar online, or sync the calendar with your personal iCal
• In terms of Hot Lunch, The Gillispie School Google calendar will now feature each day’s hot lunch menu items, and a link to hot lunch forms has been included in the left side bar

We appreciate the feedback you have given that led to these many meaningful updates.

If you have any questions, comments, or further suggestions, please feel free to contact Communications Lead Brittany Wiczek at bwiczek@gillispie.org.

The Gillispie SLS Team is so excited to host “Movies for a Cause” next Friday, March 15, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. We are pleased to announce that we have selected four great family-friendly movies to choose from, including Monsters, Inc., Wreck-It Ralph, Hotel Transylvania, and Disney’s Tower of Terror. Check-in will take place in the front lobby starting at 5:15 pm. Entrance to the event is $5.00 per person or you may choose to give an open donation for your entire family. At our snack bar, we will have pepperoni and cheese pizza donated by Leucadia Pizza, pasta donated by Come on In!, popcorn, baked goods, and drinks.

The funds raised will go directly toward the purchase of items for the Teen Lounge and teen patients at Rady Children’s Hospital (e.g., iTunes gift cards, DVDs, CDs, etc. to stock the hospital lounge). If you are unable to attend the event next Friday but would still like to make a donation, please contact Chelsey Watkins at cwatkins@gillispie.org.

Thank you for your support and we hope to see you next Friday!
Chelsey Watkins, SLS Advisor/Grade 2 Teacher
SLS Student Team

February 28, 2013

Recently, I heard highly-regarded psychologist and educator Dr. Madeline Levine. Many of her remarks were drawn from her new book Teach Your Children Well: Parenting for Authentic Success. The subtitle lets you in on her message: “Why Values and Coping Skills Matter More than Grades, Trophies, or ‘Fat Envelopes.’”

As a speaker she dynamically draws attention to those areas that make you think as a parent, “Man, did I really just say that to my child?” This link to the article “Raising Successful Children” (NYT, 8/4/12) gives you the flavor of her work.

As stated in the article, “The happiest, most successful children have parents who do not do for them what they are capable of doing, or almost capable of doing; and their parents do not do things for them that satisfy their own needs rather than the needs of the child.” What might this look like? Simple example: If your child can tie her own shoe, let her. It may take twice as long, but she will become faster only with practice. Stepping in too early stifles children’s development of independence and self-drive, and can be interpreted by children as your judgment that they’re too slow at the task or can’t do it the right way.

I appreciate Dr. Levine’s practical advice on how parents can help children take healthy risks to build self-confidence and resilience. “Mastery of the world is an expanding geography for our kids, for toddlers, it’s the backyard; for preteens, the neighborhood, for teens the wider world. But it is in the small daily risks—the taller slide, the bike ride around the block, the invitation extended to a new classmate—that growth takes place. In this gray area of just beyond the comfortable is where resilience is born.”

Also referenced in her book and the article is the term “successful failures,” which resonated with the audience during her talk. Dr. Levine defines these as “failures your child can live with and grow from.” She advises parents to think very carefully before bringing in forgotten sports equipment for after-school practice, “helping” children with math homework by correcting their mistakes for them, or “editing” the college application essays. These practices can slow down the learned abilities of self-advocating and self-directing, organization, and working through difficult, frustrating experiences.

Teach Your Children Well is a fabulous read!

Alison Fleming
Head of School

February 21, 2013

Anne Frank once said, “How wonderful it is that nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” This simple, yet powerful idea inspired the creation of a first-time enrichment class: Serve. Lead. Succeed (SLS) Team.

The purpose of the enrichment is to give a team of students the opportunity to work together to research, design, and implement a signature service project that would address a community need. The SLS Team is comprised of ten energetic and compassionate second and fifth graders who conducted a needs assessment by interviewing Lisa Tweed at Rady Children’s Hospital. They learned that in the new Rady’s Acute Care Center, there is a “Teen Lounge” specifically for patients between the ages of 12-17 years old. Keeping up with the latest video games, movies, books, and music to supply the Lounge is always a challenge . . . the SLS team had now discovered their task–raise funds to purchase items to supply the Lounge!

On Friday, March 15, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., the SLS Team will be hosting “Movies for a Cause” on the Gillispie campus by showing four movies appropriate for a variety of age groups. They also will be hosting a snack bar during the event. This will be a fun family night for parents and children, and admission is a suggested donation of $5.00 per person.

Chelsey Watkins
Grade 2 Teacher and SLS Team Advisor