News from The Nantucket Lighthouse School · while nestled together reading a book. Just think of...

The

Nantucket

Lighthouse School January 2012!

Contact Us

1 Rugged RoadNantucket, Massachusetts 02554(508)228-0427

EXTENDED DAY-Winter Semester VisitingInstructor WORKSHOPS

Join Lindsey Toft forExtended Day after schoolfrom 2:30-5:10 with visitinginstructors on Tuesdays andThursdays:

1/3-126 MiniatureBuilding Workshopwith Tobias Glidden1/31- 2/23 Yoga forChildren with SusanLazarus

January 2012Tues. 3rd - Classes resume

Wed. 4th- NLS Board Meets

Th. 12th NLS and NLMS Open House*- 5 p.m.

Mon. 16th- M.L.K. Jr. Birthday- No School

Tues. 24th- Parent Administrative Eve -7-8:30

p.m.

Dear Lighthouse Parents,

Holiday season on Nantucket is like none other I'veever seen, replete with Stroll weekend, our Yuletide Fairand a thrilling assortment of other island festivitiesbringing families together. Lighthouse children bring ussuch joy during theholiday season as theyexcitedly take part infamily holiday eventsfrom Santa'sharbor-side arrival, toYuletide Fair craft

News from The Nantucket Lighthouse School http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=sb6cmpcab&v=001_...

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3/6-3/29 Ceramicswith Aaron Pszwaro

To learn more about theExtended Day Program or toregister, visit our web site. (Thanks to Georgen Charnesfor updating our Web sitewith this information!)

Grant News

The Nantucket LighthouseMiddle School is gratefulto the Nantucket LandCouncil for funding grantedto the middle schoolscience program. Thanks tothe NLC SupportedScience Grant, NLMSstudents will enjoy the use ofnew microscopes and relatedscience materials in theirongoing studies of pond andmicroscopic life. Lighthouse Schoolwelcomes a grant from theNantucket CommunityFoundation which willenable us to create anextracurricular theatreprogram for Nantucket'smiddle school aged children.We also thank NLS alum andcurrent CPS middle schoolerBlake Lazarus for inspiringthis initiative!

Open House

The Nantucket Lighthouse ishosting an Open HouseThursday, January 12, at5pm at both 1 Rugged Roadand the Middle School at St.Paul's Vestry. Pleaseencourage your friends withschool aged children to attendthis Open House to learnmore about the LighthouseSchool.

Enrollment Season

activities and thepresentation of theannual WinterCelebration. Ourstudents exude theanticipation of Christmas that I remember. The joy theyexperience from these holiday traditions bring smiles to ourfaces. On behalf of the school, I thank our extraordinary anddedicated parents and staff for their efforts to realize themonth's wonderful festivities. January serves as a "back to normal" month. With all ofthe time and energy that we expend during the holidays, weall feel a need to pause, exhale and get on with normal life.This makes January an excellent month to focus on familyand children in a more relaxed way when we can take theopportunity to focus on our children. It provides the idealtime for reflecting on our children's inner wonders andcelebrating their individual qualities. While greetingLighthouse School youngsters back to school, I noticed theyseemed especially animated and ready to share their holidayexperiences. For them, the holidayspirit carries on so why not capture their delight and share ittogether? One can do this on these cold, dark wintery nightswhile nestled together reading a book. Just think of theadditional joy we can reap from each and every child in thesemonths without the distractions and madness of holidaydeadlines if we make it a daily goal to listen to them and alltheir new found glory. Let's find time to be at one with our children. Iguarantee your child will provide all the necessary energy,entertainment and laughter to make January as spirited amonth as December was.

-Charlie Clark-Charlie Clark-Charlie Clark-Charlie Clark

Head of School

Hand and Heart at Work

After waking up early and opening all of his Christmaspresents, Eli sat near the tree and said, "I wish it wasdark out andI could openmy presentsagain." Iknew what hemeant. Thatsentiment wasechoed inconversationswith adultswho concurred


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January, February and Marchare busy months forenrollment, re-commitmentand financial aid for the2012-2013 school year. The series of deadlines inplace for re-commitment andnew applicants are essential toour ability to serve ourstudents. The deadlinesallow us to prioritizeclassroom space for alreadyenrolled families and to knowhow many students we canaccept. Once thesecommitments are in hand, theschool proceeds to makecritical and expensivedecisions about the facultyand resources that will bestserve the unique constellationof children filling eachclassroom. Important deadlines include: January:

2012-2013 Tuition setby the BoardOpen House January12, 5pm Interviews withprospective familiesand enrolled familieswith eligible siblingsFinancial AidInformationdistributed to enrolledand prospectivefamilies

February:

Re-commitmentpackets mailed toenrolled familiesFinancial Aid PersonalFinancial Statementsdue Feb. 10Financial Aid Letter ofNeed due Feb. 10

March:

with the idea that the best days were those leading up toChristmas rather than the day itself. The spirit of anticipation,which encompasses feelings of hope, excitement, andpurpose, is afire in the stringing of lights, baking ofgingerbread, and gathering up of tokens for others. In itsmost materialistic translation, and stripped of its religiousroots, Christmas can represent raw materialism for some.Without balance, children can lose its greater meaning. Onemight feel that it is all about the 'stuff.' However, the magic,generosity and abundance that Santa Claus personifies andthe spirit that Christmas elicits can feed the imaginative heartwhich believes in hope, goodness, and joy... and that there ismore to human experience than meets the eye or hand. Partof what children love about Christmas is that the workadayworld around them pauses for a moment, people take abreak from their pragmatic pursuits, and the festiveplayfulness and joy that they feel within is reflected, forhowever so briefly, without. It is at Christmas that the 'heart and hand' aspects ofour Lighthouse curriculum come to the fore as we seekto establish that balance, changing the focus from'getting' to giving. At Lighthouse School December is aflurry of felting, stitching, glitter and play practice. Weharness the bustling energy of the season in those few shortweeks leading up to the holiday, engaging children's hands inthe work of the heart in the creation of things for those welove. These projects, and many that comprise a Lighthousestudent's work the year round, often involve multi-stepprocesses and are executed over a series of days. Theyrepresent lessons in focus, patience, perseverance, andworking over time to achieve a goal. (See the article 'Craftinga New World' below!) Often we talk about keeping our giftsa surprise and waiting to give them until Christmas morning.Some children don't want to or can't wait. "I already gave itto my mom and she already opened it!" While it may seeminsignificant as to whether the gift is given and opened whenit comes home or is put away until the 'appointed' day, thewaiting until is part of the fun... and part of the lesson.

In the years preceding Lighthouse, I had my ownpre-school turned Kindergarten program- A SmallSchool. Returning from Christmas, one mother relayed oneof my favorite-ever stories. Her daughter awoke early onChristmas and ran down the stairs and stood gazing at all ofthe presents under the tree. "Wait!" she exclaimed and turnedright around to run upstairs and rummage under herbed. She came down bearing the handmade gifts she hadhidden the week before. "I forgot- your presents!"

This story illustrateswhat we are workingtowards- generosity ofspirit, a sense of


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Re-commitmentsdue March 5 Financial Aid Taxform 1040 and W-2due March 5Acceptancesannounced March 12 Financial Aid Awardsannounced March 23New FamilyCommitments dueMarch 30

If you have any questions orconcerns about Admissions,Re-Commitment or FinancialAid, please do not hesitate tocontact me to discuss byemail, phone: 508.228.0427 orby appointment. Cher yl EvansCher yl EvansCher yl EvansCher yl Evans

Lighthouse Tree!

Did you see it? Special thanksto Sharlene Rudd andYvonne Gorman for creatingthe most beautiful tree for theNHA Festival of Trees onbehalf of Lighthouse School.Another thank you- thebeautiful felt flowerdecorations were personalizedwith the names of eachstudent and then given tothem as a back to school gift!THANK YOU!!

meaningful purpose,the realization of agoal over time. Thewaiting and anticipationare significant and,interestingly butunsurprisingly, recentstudies underscore theimportance of thesecapacities. A study thatrenewed interest in thecapacity for 'delayed

gratification' was published recently in the Proceedings of theProceedings of theProceedings of theProceedings of theNational Academy of Science National Academy of Science National Academy of Science National Academy of Science and originated in one initiatedby Walter Mischel and fellow researchers at StanfordUniversity in the 1960's. A group of four-year-olds wereasked to delay eating a marshmallow given to them. If achild succeeded for 15 minutes he/she would receivedadditional marshmallows. Why the big deal aboutmarshmallow saving or eating? Well, they decided to trackthose pre-schoolers in later life and here is what they found

(following are excerpts from Sarah D. Sparks' article inEducation WeekEducation WeekEducation WeekEducation Week Magazine- link provided below):

The findings add to a growing body of researchsuggesting that a student's ability to delaygratification can be as important to academicsuccess as his or her intelligence.Numerous follow-up and variation studies have foundthat the preschoolers who managed to delaygratification were also more likely later on to dowell in school, avoid substance abuse, maintain ahealthy weight, and even perform better on theSAT than peers who couldn't resist temptation. The studies ...have helped change the way scholarsand educators think about why students succeedacademically. In a separate self-control study, AngelaL. Duckworth, an assistant psychology professor atthe University of Pennsylvania, even found thatself-control was a better predictor of a student'sacademic performance than an IQ test.

These are particularly pertinent findings when we havegrown accustomed to the speed and instantgratification that we expect in our increasinglytechnological times. Modern culture and our evolvinglifestyle are not cultivating the qualities our children mostneed to sustain them in life. As a result, parents and teachersneed to thoughtfully create and provide experiences whichdo. The art of being human is complex in its simplicity andwe have a responsibility to educate the whole person- head,heart, and hand. While it is heartening to see research thatspeaks to the work we do with children, we see the results of


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this work in the world. Last Christmas I ran into a Lighthouse alum, now ateenager, browsing the yarn selection at the knit shop.He was starting a project as a Christmas gift. This Christmas,one of his fellow graduates was found doing the same forsomeone special- and this was a boy who was not a fan ofknitting when at Lighthouse. "I know- I didn't like to thenbut I actually like it now ...and I'm good at it." Hurray.Happy New Year,

Lizbet Carroll FullerLizbet Carroll FullerLizbet Carroll FullerLizbet Carroll FullerDirector of Education/Co-FounderDirector of Education/Co-FounderDirector of Education/Co-FounderDirector of Education/Co-Founder Related articles worth taking a look at:Related articles worth taking a look at:Related articles worth taking a look at:Related articles worth taking a look at:Study Reveals Brain Biology Behind Self-Control by SarahD. Sparks/Education Week Don't! By Jonah Lehrer/The New Yorker

Crafting a New World- Excerpted from an Utne Magazine article bySuzanne Ramljack (See link below for entire article.) There is a craftsperson in everyone, according toRichard Sennett. But don't spendtoo much time plumbing yourpsyche for a latent woodworker,quilter, or metalsmith.Craftsmanship, according toSennett, a sociologist at New YorkUniversity and the London Schoolof Economics, both includes andeclipses the endeavors that might jump to mind. It is an"enduring, basic human impulse, the desire to do a job wellfor its own sake," he writes. It's also an impulse thatcontemporary culture, with its obsessive embrace ofefficiency, financial reward, and the bottom line, hasdevalued-to its own detriment. Since the 1990s, Sennett has worked to dissect andilluminate how capitalism affects us. His latest book,The Craftsman (Yale University Press), explores how"making is thinking," and what is lost in a society thatfails to recognize craftsmanship and what is learnedthrough using our hands.The author sees in craft and craftsmanship the developmentof critical thinking, imagination, the ability to play, a sourceof pride, even validation of our existence. And there may be


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no better time than now, as people are engaged in a broaddiscussion of "what next," to take heed of his ideas. Oneemerging theme of the post-financial-meltdown world is thatmany of us do not wish to return to the way work was.In this interview, reprinted from American Craft, Sennettspeaks with Suzanne Ramljak, a writer, art historian, andeditor of Metalsmith magazine. They discuss his work, hisdiagnosis of American culture, and a craft-based prescriptionfor change. -The Editors/Utne Magazine

For complete article, click on the link below:Crafting a New World/Utne Magazine/SuzanneRamljak

Spotlight on our Lighthouse Faculty:Middle Primary Teachers Kate Pelletier andCourtney Nemeth

Kate Pelletier Kate was born on Nantucket and returned to the islandin the summers to work, many times caring forchildren. She earned her B.A. at Lafayette College, majoringin English and Art History, Kate moved back toNantucket year-round after living in Brooklyn NY, where shewas painting and taking classes at Parsons School ofDesign. She worked for island architects and designers,commuted to Rhode Island School of Design to take classesin interior design, and fulfilledher goal of travelinginternationally before pursuingher interest in working withchildren. Kate felt right at homewalking into Lighthouse andsoon took over the positionof Primary Class TeachingAssistant mid-year before takingon her own Small School classthe next year. While moving onwith many of her Small Schoolstudents to teach Kinderclassand then Primary, Kate earned her M.Ed. from BridgewaterState University through a program with fellow islandeducators. Kate now teaches a Middle Primary class and, inher spare time, paints and plays (a.k.a. walks) with her dogNelson.

Courtney Nemeth


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Courtney grew up in theMid-West and landedon Nantucket afterstudying in London andsecuring an internshipwith Maria MitchellAssociation inenvironmental education.She then returned to Ohioto finish her B.A. in EarlyChildhood Education atOhio University and taughtfor a year while earning herM. Ed. in ReadingEducation and Diagnostics.

She searched for a school where she could share her love ofnature with children and fulfill her wish to educate the wholechild. She found and joined the Lighthouse School in 2010.Courtney tutors children privately, chairs the YouthCommittee for the Nantucket Triathlon Club, and co-ownsand runs Nantucket Bike Tours. She loves to run, read, bikeand cook.

December's Creations in the Middle School The creation of holiday gifts and projects occupied us through the few short weeks ofDecember- sewing, cross-stitch, and felting were some of the activities students worked onfor the Yuletide Fair. This work inspired quiet and collaborative conversations and teamwork asstudents focused on their handiwork. At the same time classes were working on theatrical projectsrelated to their history and language art studies which they performed at our Winter Celebration. The sixth grade Cultural Studies class wrote a script based on the Ancient Roman myth ofRomulus and Remus and painted scenery for their play. Having been introduced to thebeginnings of Rome through Virgil's epic tale of Aeneas, students learned about his wild

descendants who were raised by a She-Wolf. The classwas inspired by the story of the twin founders ofRome and took it upon themselves to write a play forWinter Celebration based on the tale. The eighth grade English class adapted scenes froma Shakespearean play they had read this fall, AAAAMid-Summer NiMid-Summer NiMid-Summer NiMid-Summer Night's Dreamght's Dreamght's Dreamght's Dream.With the expert help of Spanishteacher and actor BradfordGarrison, students brought parts

of Shakespeare's play and his use of iambic pentameter to life as theypracticed scenes with attention to meaning, expression, and voiceintonations. They painted scenery and designed and stitched their owncostumes. Art serves not only a means of creative expression, itencompasses an array of intellectual and social learning opportunities aswell. Working together to create a theatrical presentation takes thought,teamwork, and patience. It teaches us to transform 'mistakes' into


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learning experiences.

Gail ClarkGail ClarkGail ClarkGail ClarkNLMS Program Director

'Twas the Season... THANK YOU to all who worked so hard on behalf of Lighthouse School over the past weeks!The annual Wreath Sale successfully raised $4,500. Thank you to Denise Riseborough fororganizing the Wreath Sale and to the many families who supported this fundraiser and solicitedwreath orders within the community. This year, the Yuletide Committee, chaired by Liza Ottani and Nicole Bousquet, and outdid themselves by not only putting on awonderful Yuletide Fair but also a 'pop-up' YuletideShop for stroll! Lighthouse thanks Gerry White forso generously allowing us to use the open shopspace on the corner of Centre and Chestnut Streets.The shop proved to be a popular addition to StrollWeekend and expanded upon the success of theannual fair, held this year at the Great Harbor YachtClub. THANK YOU Liza, Nicole and Syd for yourincredible leadership, dedication and enthusiasm.Additionally, thank you to Sydney Fee Barsanti,Georgie Sharman for her crafting and leadership,Georgen Charnes for her beautiful graphics andassistance with advertising and PR, Yuletide Bake Shop Chairs Sheila Carroll and Mary Taaffe,Volunteer Organizer Mary Casey, Children's Activities Organizer Lisa Wisentaner, Carlos andJoelma Moreira and family for overseeing the Yuletide Café, Berta Scott for donating massages,and Cary Hazlegrove and Alix Houghton for festive holiday photos.Lighthouse thanks the AAN and artists who participated in the art show. Special thanks to AmyRoberts who energetically jumped into her first events as our new Events Manager. We had nearly 100% of the parent community participating in this event, resulting in thesuccess of the pop-up Stroll Store and the Yuletide Fair. Thanks to all who worked pricing,crafting, baking, basket making, posting flyers and signs, and volunteering in various capacitiesthroughout the set up and day of the event. Yuletide is truly a reflection of the dedication andsupport of every parent and family involved with Lighthouse School. As a result of the school'sefforts, the pop-up store and Yuletide Fait raised over $21,000!

The Yuletide Fair was departing Events CoordinatorLorraine Milstead's farewell performance for LighthouseSchool. We thank Lorraine for lending her capable and gracioushand to our fund-raising events over the last year and wish her thevery best in her new endeavors. Speaking of which, does Mrs. Santalook somehow familiar?


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