Jane and Freud – Dr. Jane Goodall with Gombe chimpanzee Freud
Photo credit: Michael Neugebauer
This is perhaps Green School’s most special newsletter to date as we have some wonderful news to share. Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, will be Green School’s 2014 Keynote Graduation Speaker. Dr. Goodall will be spending 5 days with our children and community in June. We have some very special events planned. Read below for more about this incredibly exciting news.
In this issue:
Green School News
- Parent Information and Events Calendar
- Jane Goodall as Keynote Speaker on 2014 Graduation Ceremony
- From the Head of School
- New After School Activities Begin March 3
- Counsellor’s Note #2
- GS High School Introduces New Student Blog Magazine
Upcoming Events
- Join us at Our 3rd Annual High School Carnival
- Be a Miniature Explorer and Capture Your Adventure!
- Saraswati Ceremony Next Week
Ongoing Events
Also in the Green School Community
- From the Green School Shop: Bamboo Sheet Special Offer
- From the Green Camp: Yoga for Kids Teacher Training
- Slow Food Bali invitation for Green School Members
- Submitting Newsletter Items
Green School News
Parent Information and Events Calendar
Glitter and Gaia
Glitter watches her sister Gaia fish for termites at Gombe National Park
© the Jane Goodall Institute
March
March 8 : Saraswati ‐ required attendance for staff & students
March 10 : No School, Saraswati Day
March 27 : Green Ogoh-ogoh Parade
March 28 : No School, Parent‐teacher conference
March 29‐April 6: Mid‐semester break
March 31 : Nyepi – Balinese “Day of Silence”
April
April 11 : GS Family Days – Beach Weekend to Bukit
April 18 : Good Friday
April 25 : Parents Morning
Parent Reminders:
GS Family Day ‘Hike to Mount Batur’ on March 15 is cancelled, new event will be announced soon.
Parent Volunteers Needed!
Willie Wonka Props: We are looking for parents who would be interested in making props for the upcoming Willie Wonka play with our Middle School students. The students will start building props next week on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
Writing Mentors: High School bloggers working on Edgemakers, are looking for writers to mentor them through offering feedback and editing tips on their writing each week.
If you’re interested in either one of these roles, please contact sara.soulier@greenschool.org so she can coordinate with you.
Make sure to check our Lost and Found for missing hats, water bottles, etc..
An important link to our school calendars: http://www.greenschool.org/calendar/.
Jane Goodall as Keynote Speaker on 2014 Graduation Ceremony
Dear Green School Community,
Over the past few months we have worked very hard to find an inspirational person to speak at this year’s graduation ceremony on Tuesday June 17th. Last year we had Sam Cawthorne sharing his inspirational story and CNN 2011 Hero of the Year Ibu Robin LIm.
We are very humbled and happy to announce that Dr. Jane Goodall will be coming to Green School to spend 5 days with us and to be our keynote speaker for graduation. We cannot imagine a more influential speaker than Dr. Goodall.
Dr. Goodall, DBE is a world-renowned ethologist, UN Messenger of Peace and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute. She began the extensive research on the behaviour of chimpanzees in the 1960s, where her findings fundamentally altered scientific thinking about the relationship between humans and animals. Her work has then become the foundation of future primatological research.
In 1977, Dr. Jane Goodall founded the Jane Goodall Institute and there are now 27 Jane Goodall Institutes and Roots & Shoots programmes in more than 130 countries around the world. The Gombe research is still ongoing after more than 50 years and JGI leads the global effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. TACARE is JGI’s innovative, community-centred conservation and development program in Africa and involves projects such as micro-credit, reforestation, women’s health care and education. Jane Goodall Roots & Shoots program began in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 1991. Roots & Shoots has grown to involve young people of all ages in more than 130 countries around the world.
We will be holding a number of special events and community programs here at the school. We have some very special activities planned and Dr. Goodall will be meeting with all of our students and faculty. We will also be inviting the other school’s on the island to come to an open event with Dr. Goodall.
Green School is a place designed to create leaders to have a positive impact on the world. We are so delighted to have Dr. Goodall come and address our graduates and community. It reflects on the special place we have here at Green School and the remarkable people from around the world who want to come and share their experiences with us. We hope this will be a special time for all of us to share and learn from one of the truly remarkable people in the world.
Find out more about Dr. Goodall and the work of the Jane Goodall Institute by visiting www.janegoodall.org or www.rootsandshoots.org.
From the Head of School
“If you have a golf ball sized consciousness, when you read a book you’ll have a golf ball sized understanding, when you look out a golf ball sized awareness and when you wake up in the morning a golf ball sized wakefulness.
But if you could expand that consciousness then you would read the book with more understanding and when you look out more awareness and when you wake up more wakefulness – it’s consciousness.” – David Lynch
I often reconsider this quote – especially as an educator. It highlights an important element of learning: we need to deliver rich experiences so the contemplation of ideas is deeper. I believe it is vital we understand the beauty of being literate is to enrich our lives by contemplating concepts from the storehouse of history and the diversity of distance.
This is the power of print.
I like to contemplate the etymology of The Word. Have you ever seen the word alphabet? Now that’s a seemingly stupid question – we all have. We have learnt the word since pre-school. However, the issue is we have been educated to ‘see’ the word as a label, a label that groups together letters (classed as vowels and consonants). By being told what alphabet categorises we have become blind to the beauty – the AHA moment is missed. It is the AHA! moment all teachers should strive to attain from every student in every lesson.
Let me explain.. consider the magic of the definition when we remove our indoctrination – for instance, what DOES alphabet mean? It means alpha beta, the first two letters of the Greek alphabet.
Now contemplate the evolution of Alpha, how it started as a hieroglyph to represent an ox. It became a symbol as the shorthand representation made it easier to write as oxen – prized and powerful – were traded around the Mediterranean thousands of years ago.
Now we are conceptualizing in more depth. We are carried by the historical narrative. Our letters did come from hieroglyphs.
Question stems from quest – a fantastic search for a treasure trove of new ideas. We should encourage – give courage – to the pursuit, and see the journey as more than a day’s travel by horse.
Consider disaster – and we see astro, or star. We visualize ancient civilisations staring up into the heavens and fearing the falling star as a portent of doom.
Staring into the heavens – the sheer size of the heavens – we start to feel very alone. Alone was initially all one – and then morphed into a new word stem – lone – which created lonely. I wonder if people felt loneliness before this mutating word stem entered into our consciousness.
That’s the power of the word.
And it is very interesting to note that Logos is the Greek term for The Word. In the beginning was the word. I would expand on this to say we can only reflect and contemplate, consider and calculate, by using language. Language is it – we even think in words. We have an inner voice that we can ‘hear’. Consider this little exercise:
Read this sentence in your head, silently: “I am great.” Now read it in your head as if you are whispering. Now read it in your head as if you are shouting. Now read it in your head as if you are singing. You are listening to your inner voice. Your inner voice can speak kindly and negatively – and we carry this voice throughout our life. The role of mindfulness is to own this voice and direct it to be positive – even when things are not.
Language is the basis of all academic subjects. I would propose we should all be learning the vocabulary of Maths, Science, Design, Drama – perhaps this is where real ‘spelling’ lists need to be positioned: developing the definitions of subject-specific vocabulary. In so doing, we develop in our learners the lexicon of learning.
And the more words we have, the bigger our world becomes. As David Lynch (returning to the original quote) would say, we expand our consciousness.
I believe there is magic hidden in words – and it is by drawing our attention to the significance we engage our minds and make things more interesting.
These are the amazing ideas we can all nurture – and it starts with a love of learning, an eagerness to explore, the magical wonder of words.
Comprehension is everything. It is much more than a ‘test’. Ask your son or daughter what is “comprehension” – and their consciousness has distorted it to mean a passage of writing on which they have to answer questions, or fill in bubbles. For the vast majority of students, it has become a test.
Comprehension is so much more. How sad so many institutions educate to minimise thinking – or ignore the opportunities to contemplate so much more!
New After School Activities Begin March 3
Next Monday, March 3, we begin a new 6 week cycle of After School Activities. Unless otherwise specified after school activities run from 3:30-4:30. Here are the offerings:
Mondays
- Brazilian Soccer with Pak Edu. Primary only. There is a fee for this activity (70,000 Rupiah per class), please contact Pak Eduardo for more information: petta@agenciatie.com.br.
- Keyboarding with Pak Johnny. New sessions at 3:30-4:15 and 4:15-5.00, start March 3 and run through April 25. Contact Pak Johnny directly: johnny@greenschool.org. This is a for fee activity.
- Bali Circus Camp. For students age 6-10. 6 weeks of circus activities from March 17-April 28 (no session March 31 due to Nyepi). The fee for this activity is 800,000Rupiah for 6 sessions. Payable to the finance department prior to first session. Location: the Mepantigan. Email Pak Andy to confirm a space: andys@greenschool.org
Tuesdays
- Ukulele Revolutionaries with Ibu Jenny. Location: Grade 5 classroom, ukulele needed, please contact Ibu Jenny to find out where to get one: jenny@greenschool.org.
- Balinese Dance with Ibu Peni. Grades 1-5 only. Location: Grade 1 classroom.
- Kids Club MEI (Multi-species Education International). MEI is a kids club for Green School and local students. MEI is a local yayasan (non-profit) run by Grade 2 teacher Ibu Muria and her husband Yoga. The club offers activities relating to sustainability and students can work towards earning badges (and other fun rewards) as they complete each of the 12 topic areas including waste, animals, plants, energy, water, and clean air. Contact Muria for more information: muria@greenschool.org. Meet near front entrance of school.
- Keyboarding with Pak Johnny. New sessions at 3:30-4:15 and 4:15-5:00, start March 3 and run through April 25. Contact Pak Johnny directly: johnny@greenschool.org. This is a for fee activity.
- Electronic Music Production with Pak Johnny. Starts at 4:15-5:00. Contact Pak Johnny directly: johnny@greenschool.org. This is a for fee activity.
- French. Continues for students in Grades 2 to 4. Location: Grade 2 classroom (Ibu Muria and Ibu Pipit’s room).
Wednesdays
- Chess with Pak Joel. Location: Heart of School.
- World Dance (Journey Around Movement) with Ibu Nicole Barrote. Open to all students Grades 1-8, but we must get a minimum of 6 students to commit. The fee for this 6 week session is 600,000 Rupiah payable in advance at our finance department. Please email Pak Andy to confirm your space: andys@greenschool.org
World Dance is a journey around movement–students will travel to diverse continents immersed in music and authentic moves from African Dance, Argentine Tango, American Hip Hop and Country, Cuban Salsa, Brazilian Samba, and French Ballet. Check her Ibu Nicole’s profile at: http://LearnPure.com/. *There will be opportunities for students to perform in the community.
Thursdays
- Cabaret with Ibu Sarita. Continues until March 6
- Brazilian Soccer with Pak Edu. Primary only. There is a fee for this activity, please contact Pak Eduardo: petta@agenciatie.com.br
- Kids Club MEI. See above description. Meet near front entrance of school.
Friday
- Middle and High School Soccer with Pak Edu. There is a fee for this activity (70,000 Rupian per class), please contact Pak Eduardo: petta@agenciatie.com.br.
- Keyboarding with Pak Johnny. New sessions on 3:30-4:15 and 4:15-5:00, start March 3 and run through April 25. Contact Pak Johnny directly: johnny@greenschool.org. This is a for fee activity.
Additional on going activity:
Guitar lessons with Pak Paul. Multiple days. Contact Paul for more information: paul.davidson@greenschool.org. There is a fee for this activity.
Thank you,
Pak Andy
Counsellor’s Note #2
Over the past few months there has been a stream of information delivered to high school students surrounding the science of the development of the adolescent brain. I find this information fascinating and there is always some tidbit that gives me that “aha” moment when working with adolescents.
For example, the activities that your child engages in (or are exposed to) are significant in how their brain “trains” and eventually prunes. The neurons the brain uses remain connected as they are repeatedly used (or trained), and the ones that aren’t are lost (or pruned). There is evidence that suggests that brains can “retrain” and be “neuroplastic”, requiring dedication and a lot of work and practice. This helps me understand things like – Why it is so hard pick up a complex new skill at an older age? Or – Why it is so hard to change patterns of behavior in young adults? Emotional Maturity and Decision Making have been at the heart of lessons that aim to help our students have the same “aha” moments regarding their own behavior and how they can practice to make their behavior to be more desirable.
Here are some links to give you an idea of what science is saying, and also to help make sense of some of the behaviors and decision making we see in our children.
Teen Mental Health – The Teen Brain
http://teenmentalhealth.org/understanding-mental-health/the-teen-brain/
Raising Children Network – Your Teenager’s Developing Brain
http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/brain_development_teenagers.html/context/1152
Frontline – Inside the Teenage Brain
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/teenbrain/
The Teen Brain – The More Mature, The More Reckless
http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1919663,00.html
Neuroplasticity
https://www.stanford.edu/group/hopes/cgi-bin/wordpress/2010/06/neuroplasticity/
Neuroplasticity – You can teach an old brain new tricks
http://bigthink.com/think-tank/brain-exercise
Feel free to contact me anytime: jackiepye@greenschool.org
GS High School Introduces New Student Blog Magazine
In coordination with innovator and Green School friend, John Kao and his Edgemakers initiative of connecting young innovators worldwide, a group of High School students have been working on the creation of their new Student Blog Magazine.
Introducing: Tulisan: Musings From High School in the Jungle of Bali
The students’ goal is to share with those interested in learning about life as a student in Green School, as a teenager in Bali, and and a global citizen.
Working with Edgemaker mentor, Max Gerrone (on skype calls each Wednesday), Green School IT and video man Mauricio Camacho, and Ibu Sarita, students have formatted the blog and have begun to add rich content, exploring and refining their voices as internet reporters.
As we shift our class focus from blog creation and writing to promotion, Tulisan bloggers are now seeking writing mentors from this community. If you are interested in helping out, please contact sara.soulier@greenschool.org.
Please do explore and bookmark the new site. We hope you love reading it as much as we have loved creating it. Look out for Tulisan blog posts in social media as well and help us by reposting when you see fit.
Upcoming Events
Join us at Our 3rd Annual High School Carnival
We are just one week away from our annual High School Carnival! This year our theme is circus – Cirque de Paradiso (and the Flamboyant Vaudevillian Masquerade)! We would love all students to dress up, create a mask, wear a crazy hat, go wild and transform yourself! The carnival starts at 3:00pm on Friday, March 7th and will begin with a parade at the end of assembly with prizes for the best dressed. We will have an afternoon of carnival games, fantastic music from our talented High School students and teachers and great food.
As if a Circus Masquerade is not enough… please join us directly after the carnival for our 3rd Annual Green School Cabaret. This year’s show is jam packed with talent, surprises and delights. The performance begins at 6:30 pm in the Mepantigan. Tickets are 50.000 and all proceeds go to the Sacred Childhood Foundation.
Be a Miniature Explorer and Capture Your Adventure!
You are your own miniature explorer lost in a world full of giant leaves and treacherous beasts! Capture your adventure! Green School High School students Radha and India will have a stall for personalized mini human photographs at the upcoming carnival on March 7th!
Have your own personal picture of you and a friend miniaturized surrounded in a giant mystical land and have it printed! Check out examples below.
Prices
Photoshopped image emailed to you – RP 100,000
Additional people in photograph – RP 50,000 per person
Printing (Done outside of school) – RP 130,000 per print
See you there!
Saraswati Ceremony Next Week
Green School will hold The Saraswati Ceremony on Saturday, March 8 to honor Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge. Everyone is invited to come at 09.30am. This is mandatory for teachers, students, and staff to come. Parents who would like to attend, can RSVP to Ibu Novi at novi@greenschool.org at least 3 days before the ceremony. All students will receive explanation about Saraswati, making kwangen and gebogan for praying, and cleaning up the temple on Friday.
What to wear
- Women and girls: sarong, kebaya, and sash any colors (white and or yellow will be much preffered)
- Men and boys: sarong, udeng (traditional and ceremonial hat in Bali and should be white), and white shirt
Ceremony Rundown
09.30-10.00am: Students, parents, and teachers gather at Green School.
10.00-11.30am: Praying starts with Rejang dance performance.
11.30-12.05pm: Students put a Saraswati offering on the books in their own classes and there will be two Balinese dances performance in HoS.
12.05-01.00pm: Lunch, menu: Nasi Yasa.
01.00-01.30pm: Clean up Heart of School. Finish.
What is Saraswati
Knowledge is very important for Balinese. Every Saniscara, Umanis, Wuku Watugunung, they celebrate Saraswati Day, the knowledge day. It is based on the Pawukon (Balinese calendar) system and the Saniscara (seven day cycle).
The name Saraswati came from “Saras” meaning flow and “wati” meaning women. So, Saraswati is symbol of knowledge, its flow (or growth) is like a river and knowledge is very interesting, like a beautiful women.
Saraswati is the Goddess of Knowledge, symbolized by a beautiful woman with four hands, riding on a white swan among water lilies to tell humanity that science is like a beautiful woman. Her hands hold a palm leaf; a lontar, (a Balinese traditional book which is the source of science or knowledge); a chain (genitri with 108 pieces) symbolizing that knowledge is never ending and has an everlasting life cycle; and a musical instrument (guitar or wina) symbolizing that science develops through the growth of culture. The swans symbolize prudence, so that one’s knowledge may distinguish between good and evil and the water lilies (Lotus) are symbols of holiness. The Lotus flower is the holiest for Balinese.
In the afternoon of Saraswati day we are not permitted to read or write the book because all the books are being offered. In the evening, known as Malam Sastra, people read books (especially religious books) in their houses or in the temple.
- Pangredanan (the day before Saraswati which is Friday)
This is the day of preparation. All the books and lontar are collected together, cleaned and dusted. - Saraswati Day (Saturday)
Saraswati day itself is celebrated by the Balinese people bringing offerings to their holy books and scrolls in their houses, while students celebrate it at school, usually in the morning, and the office-workers in their office. The philosophy of Saraswati day is that the most important thing for human life is knowledge. - Banyu Pinaruh (a day after Saraswati, it’s Sunday)
The day after Saraswati Day is Banyu Pinaruh day. “Banyu” means water and “Pinaruh” means wisdom. On other words, we must have wisdom that flows like water and useful to humankind. We pray for Dewi Saraswati (manifestation of God) to give us cleverness and wisdom. People usually bathe in the sea or a lake or river and drink traditional medicine which is made from many various leaves which is very good for our health. The philosophy of Banyu Pinaruh day is that the second most important thing for human life is good health.
Ongoing Events
Weekly Sports Update
BSSA Basketball:
Well done to all our teams and especially our 9/10s for some great basketball this season so far!
Matches for Wednesday 5 March:
9/10s v AIS 1 and 2 at Green School (games start 2.30pm)
*All other teams have no games this week.
Matches for Wednesday 12 March:
9/10s v CCS at Green School
11/12 girls v CCS at Canggu School (bemo leaves 2pm)
11/12 boys v French School at SLK (bemo leaves 2pm)
13/14 girls v AIS and French and French School (bemo leaves 2pm)
Parents please inform coaches if you’ll be collecting your child from the match venue. A child automatically goes back to Green School with the coach on the bemo if a parent does not inform the coach of a pick up.
Please make sure the kids have green and white sports kit and proper shoes, and bring water bottles with them.
BSSA Swimming Carnival:
The annual swim carnival is taking place at Bali International School on Friday 14 March at 8.30am.
Parents please e-mail me at colin.kuit@greenschool.org if you’d like your child(ren) to participate!
Soccer clinic and Community soccer:
Mondays and Thursdays for juniors and Fridays for Seniors at 3.15-4.30pm on the field
Ultimate Frisbee:
Tuesdays 3.30-4.30pm on the field
PE/Sport Kit and proper shoes reminder:
- PE Kit, appropriate footwear (closed toe trainers/running shoes), hats and sunblock (for outdoor lessons) are compulsory for all PE lessons. Our PE kits represent the four houses at Green School: Fire (orange), Earth (maroon), Water (blue) and Air (yellow)
- Our Sports Kit is green and white and is worn when a student represents the school in the BSSA after school games. It can also be worn for PE classes.
- All kits can be purchased from Ibu Novi in the HOS 2nd floor.
Also in Green School Community
From the Green School Shop: Bamboo Sheet Special Offer
Green School Shop is offering a special price on bamboo sheets (20% off) to the Green School Community for 5 days only. Offer starts Monday 3rd to Friday 7th March. Bali’s own Bambooku bamboo sheets is natural, anti fungal, anti bacterial, more absorbent than cotton, requires no fabric softener and most importantly eco-friendly – as we all know bamboo is a more sustainable fibre to grow.
Bambooku sheet is available in 3 thread count variants from 250, 300 to 400 in all sizes – sample thread counts available at the store. Any orders not in stock will be ordered with deposit and available at discount price.
From the Green Camp: Yoga for Kids Teacher Training
95 hours Yoga For Kids Teacher Training
With Beta Lisboa
At Green School and GreenCamp
On March 29th to April 9th, 2014.
This Yoga Alliance registered training will help yoga teachers, educators and practicing yogi parents to skilfully teach children of all ages. Based on the “Multiple Intelligences” theory of Howard Gardner and Maria Montessori’s, “Learning by Doing”, you will experience the multiple unique ways that a child can learn in a fun and playful way.
You will understand the use of props, storytelling, music, art and age-appropriate themes. You will learn how to teach with confidence and creativity while cultivating patience and acceptance needed to support a fair and non-competitive environment. The teaching skills you learn throughout the course of the training are specific to teaching yoga to children and teenagers, they are tried and tested methods that will empower you to give the gift of yoga to the next generation of amazing light beings.
YOU WILL EXPERIENCE
- Understanding of playfulness and creativity
- How to use yoga to enhance your current educational program
- Meeting your own inner child and bringing them to life
- Deepening your understanding of child’s chakra developmental stages
- Supporting children’s learning through movement and art
More information at: http://yogaswahakids.com/traininginbali/kids-yoga-teacher-training-2014/
Slow Food Bali invitation for Green School Members
BEE WILD!: A Celebration of Wild Forest Honey Slow Food Bali, in association with the Indonesian Forest Honey Network (Jaringan Madu Hutan Indonesia) is pleased to invite you to this special event celebrating wild forest honey from Indonesia.
When : Thursday, March 6 2014 – 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Where : CIBO Ristorante Italiano (at Gaya Fusion Resort & Gaya Gelato) – Jalan Raya Sayan, Ubud, Bali
Full invitation to the event can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/BlRx34
Please visit www.slowfoodbali.com for more info.
Submitting Newsletter Items
We welcome you to submit your own news updates for our weekly newsletter. To submit, send your news update to communications@greenschool.org by 12 noon each Wednesday. Please follow the instructions below to make it easier for us to publish your news:
1. Please add “NEWSLETTER” in the title of your email.
2. Please write a concise (2 to 6 paragraphs, more or less) blurb describing your news.
3. Please attach a photo that illustrates or accompanies your news.
* We are open to publishing projects connected with Green School, however please be sure to include “Green School” in your title and or the paragraphs below.
** We cannot always guarantee that we will publish your submission and when we do, we may need to edit it a bit before publishing & sometime may need a week or two before we include your article.
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