December 20, 2013 - The Post Oak School

i n t h i s i s s u e : B I G W O R K I N F O S E S S I O N S • A N N UA L F U N D C O N T R I B U T O R S • A L U M N I S P O T L I G H T
The
VO LU M E X V I V, N U M B E R 8
A bi-weekly publication of
The Post Oak School
POST
Celebrating 50 years of
The Post Oak School
D E C E M B E R 2 0 , 2 013
Available online at
www.postoakschool.org
J E DI M I N D CON T ROL
by John Long, Head of School
T
wo twelve year old girls gave me my
first lesson in Jedi mind control. By
concentrating on a ball in a clear plastic
tube, I was able to make it levitate; not
as well as either girl, but then, it was only my first
lesson. “Concentrate,” said the recorded voice of
Yoda. “Concentrate,” said the girls.
It was fun. They had a great time showing me this
training device (I don’t know whether to call it a
tool or a toy.), and I was fascinated to see them
demonstrate its use and to give it a try myself.
It seemed right that these Montessori students
would be fascinated by concentration.
continued on page 2
PAGE 2
Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos was
a Montessori student. A Business Week
feature story said, “As a preschooler,
Jeffrey P. Bezos displayed an unmatched
single-mindedness. By his mother’s
account, the young Bezos got so
engrossed in the details of activities at his
Montessori school that teachers had to
pick him up in his chair to move him to
new tasks.”
In Montessori: the Science Behind the
Genius, Dr. Angeline Lillard identifies
three factors in a Montessori classroom
that facilitate concentration: engaging
materials, a three-hour work cycle, and
actively minimizing forces that
interrupt concentration.
Late this afternoon I went looking for
students deep in concentration. The
day was winding down. Even I was
getting a bit squirrely. Even so, my eye
landed on two six year old boys in a lower
elementary class. They were working
together on a map of Africa, placing little
flags to name the countries and capitals.
Sitting on the floor near the center of
the classroom, there were five other
students clustered within six feet of them,
working on other projects. The boys were
going back and forth from an atlas to the
collection of unplaced labels, and then to
the map. As they stretched and reached
from one resource to another, they could
have been practicing yoga or playing a
game of Twister. Yet despite the physical
dance that was a part of the process, they
D E C E M B ER 20, 2013
were locked-in on the work of locating
and identifying the countries and capitals
of Africa. I stood there watching for 15
full minutes. They were fully engaged in
this work even before I stepped up to the
window, and they were still at it when
I left.
Is this a form of Jedi mind training?
Well, yes, and no. The work certainly
drew them into deep concentration.
The geography materials are engaging,
and the class structure and the schedule
of the day enable the children to work
without interruption. No bells send
them off to another activity after
45 minutes.
to concentrate—but to concentrate on
what? With the Jedi game, concentration
I cannot overstate the importance of this.
is the end result. With flow theory as in
In his book, Flow: the psychology of optimal
the Montessori classroom, concentration
experience, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
is the by-product of meaningful work.
(“Just call me Mike.”) describes the state
The key is to find work that you engage
of deep concentration experienced by
artists and scientists at work, a description in willingly, joyfully -- and not with a
that matches Dr. Montessori’s depiction sense of drudgery or dutiful obligation.
of children in her classrooms. As parents Do you remember school days when you
watched the clock until the end of the
and educators we have a sense that
day ticked around? You experienced
concentration contributes to learning.
You may be surprised to learn, however, boredom. How often in school did you
lose all sense of time passing, and look
that the first chapter of Flow is entitled
up from your work to exclaim, “I can’t
“Happiness Revisited.” In it Mike asks,
believe it’s 1:00 already!” When that
“When are we happiest?” His research
happens through engaging work, you
identifies flow – the state of deep
have achieved happiness through a
concentration – as the doorway
state of flow, as a result of deep
to happiness.
concentration. •
That brings us back to the Jedi mind
Reprinted from the December 4, 2009 issue
control game. Yes, it encourages the
of the Post.
player to quiet the mind, to focus and
DECE M BER 20, 2013
PAGE 3
Show your school pride with
spirit wear from Lands’ End.
Visit www.postoakschool.org/
postoak/Spirit_Sale.asp and
click on the Lands’ End logo.
alumni night
Upper
Elementary
Spelling Bee
Learn about the Post Oak experience
from those who have lived it!
Thursday, January 9, 2014
6:30 p.m.
Friday, January 10
Join us as we welcome back high school students, college
10–11:30 a.m. in the gym
students, and young professionals as they reflect on their
experiences at the Post Oak School. Parents of current
students, as well as prospective parents, are invited to attend.
AB
C
RSVP to Jessica Jackson, 713-661-6688, or
[email protected]
PAGE 4
D E C E M B ER 20, 2013
JACKSON & RYAN ARCHITECTS
CURRENT
In the New Year we will present a series of informational
sessions that will talk about all things related to the
Big Work campaign, including the fund raising and the
construction plans. These sessions will be beneficial for all
parents and community members to attend.
Join us to learn how Big Work will impact your family
and how you can lend your support to this growth and
enhancement of The Post Oak School.
Shop & Support Post Oak
There’s an easy way to help raise money for our school – when you
go shopping! Whether buying groceries at Randalls, back-toschool items at Target, or catching a great deal on MamaSource,
your purchases can benefit Post Oak! Grandparents, alumni, and
friends are all welcome to participate in the programs.
purchases made outside of Target. To link Post Oak to your card,
go to target.com/tcoe, enter the school’s ID (1510) or search by city
and state, and click on the Select This School to enter your card
information. You can also check the school’s progress any time.
For great deals on clothing, toys, magazines, courses, and much
more, shop with Mamasource by Mamapedia (deals.mamapedia.
com/). When making a purchase, select The Post Oak School
and they will send send 5% to us! Easy peasy!
When you shop at Randalls, Post Oak can receive 1% of total
purchases. Just link your Remarkable card to the school by visiting
www.randalls.com ▶ Community Caring (link at the bottom of
page under Company Info). From here select the Good Neighbor
We truly appreciate all your support! Happy shopping! •
Program link on the right and complete the short Good
Neighbor Charity Addition form at the bottom of the page. Be
sure to include Post Oak’s charity number 2531.
Have a Target REDcard or Target Visa Card? Through their Take
Charge of Education program, cardholders can designate Post
Oak to receive 1% of all Card purchases made at a Target store or
at target.com. Target also donates .5% of all Target Visa Credit Card
D ECE M BER 20, 2013
PAGE 5
F.I.S.H. Meeting: Reading, Research and the Joy of Reading
by Post Oak parent
On Friday, December 13, Post Oak librarian Jami Sweeney
spoke to Post Oak parents about children, reading and
research as part of our ongoing Families Integrating School
and Home (F.I.S.H.) curriculum. Jami led parents on a tour
of the library and of classrooms, infant through elementary,
focusing on classroom materials and activities that promote
reading. He discussed the progression of the child in the
classroom from development of pincer grasp in infant
community to constructing words with the moveable
alphabet in primary, to the eventual discovery of the joy
of reading a book and understanding its meaning
in elementary.
Resources
World Book Encyclopedia and ProQuest
(both available by logging in to the Parent Community from the
Post Oak website)
Jami discussed how children learn by modeling, so the
more parents read for themselves and to their children, the
more children learn to love reading. We all got another
inside tip as well - did you know that as a Post Oak parent,
you have access to Proquest and WorldBook (electronic
encyclopedias) through the Post Oak website?
Book Lists and Reviews
www.kirkusreviews.com/
bookpickings.brainpickings.org/tagged/children%27s-books
www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/overview.html
www.brazosbookstore.com/staff-picks
www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb
www.nea.org/grants/teachers-top-100-books-for-children.html
Thank you to Jami Sweeney for such an enlightening and
enjoyable presentation! •
www.amightygirl.com/books
childrensbooksguide.com/reviews/
www.lexile.com/fab/
eBooks (free)
www.mackin.com/eservices/ebooks.aspx
www.thedigitalshift.com/
creativecommons.org/
www.gutenberg.org/
www.openculture.com/free_ebooks
onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/lists.html
Books for Purchase
www.overdrive.com/
www.kobos.com
store.scholastic.com/microsite/storia/home
www.tumblebooks.com/library/asp/customer_login.asp
www.goodreads.com
PAGE 6
D E C E M B ER 20, 2013
Together
we can
2014 POST OAK FUND DRIVE
TOTAL FUNDS
AS OF DEC. 19
PARENTS
96%
EMPLOYEES
100%
TRUSTEES
100%
2 0 1 4 F U N D S A N D PAR T I C I PAT I O N T O DAT E
$306,000
THANKS TO THE ENTIRE COMMUNIT Y!
A special thank you to this year’s Annual Fund chairs,
and
and to all
class captains! Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far to this year’s Post Oak
Fund. If you have contributed and your name does not appear here, please accept our
apologies and contact the development office ([email protected]).
Ashley and Herbert Addison
Andrea and Omar Afra
Shonali and Rakesh Agrawal
Irma Alarcon
Sadia and Zuqair Ali
Nancy and John Almon
Nazario Anastacio
D. Kent & Linda C. Anderson
Foundation
Mirna Andrade-Salgado and
José Salgado
Frank Apollo
Alma Armendariz
Terri and Chris Armstrong
Fasiha and Yassir Ashraf
Tori Aumann
Elenir and Rony Avritscher
Teri and Thomas Bair
Diana and Juan Balderas
Bank of America
Jessica and Darrell Barger
Tamara and William Basham
Steve Beeman
Mario Beltran
Sarah Berggren
Ashley and David Besselman
Greg Binion and Bailey
Dalton-Binion
Mary Birk
Vivian Blum
Greg Borski and Phillip Bowden
Jessica and Ben Braun
Jennifer and Christian
Brenckmann
Elena and Alexander Brokhin
Jennifer and Walter Browning
Beth and Kirk Bruce
Courtney and Bill Bucy
Erin and Brett Busby
Reyes and Miguel Calatayud
Kimberly and Michael Callahan
Carla Campbell
Maurien Caron
Elizabeth and Walter Cassidy
Sara and Juan Pablo Cata
Payal and Manny Chana
Farrah and Steven Charnquist
Jennifer and Clifton Chavis
Belisa and Maninder Cheema
Deepa Poduval and
Rajesh Chelapurath
Gina Li and Leon Chen
Dinah Chetrit
Rachel Chetrit
Shirley and Yit Nee Chong
Anthony Cisneros
Laura and Martin Citardi
Heather and Ricardo Colmenter
Audra French and
Arnold Colunga
Kemah Crockett
Vareen and Dave Cunningham
Jodie and Laith Daik
Danielle Dalsey
Kelly and Garth Davis
Kelly and James Davis
Robyn Davis
Robert Debes
Sandra DeLeon
Mary and Rony Dev
Maneesha and Manoj
Devashish
Sangeeta Cheema and Karam
Dhillon
Elizabeth DiCesare
Carmen and Kiki Dikmen
Andrea and Robert Dilger
Betul Oran and Serdar Dinc
Victoria and Gislar Donnenberg
Zarafsheen and Imran Dossani
Anne Singleton and
Jack Douglas
Lisa and Stephen Douglas
DECE M BER 20, 2013
Tina Petersen and
John Duboise
Monica and Derek Dunaway
Rebecca Duran
Brandi Enard
Erica and Glenn Engle
Kathleen Padden and
Richard Evans
Analitza and Justin Factor
Saida Fagala
Gina and Charles Fertitta
Hebe and Gabriel Flores
Lori Ann and Michael
Foertsch
Laurie and Leland Fondren
Abbe and Adam Forman
Molly Ann and
Bruce Frankel
Rachel and Wayne Franklin
Christa Filak and
Martin Fraske
Seunghee and Christopher
Fuller
Asenet Garcia
Lauren Garcia
Amy and Blair Garrou
Kerri and Alfredo Garza
Lilia Garza
Eva and Enrique Gasca
Cari and Tyler Gill
Federica and Antonio
Giovannelli
Cathy and Tim Goff
Hannah and Leonard Golub
Elizabeth and Joel Gooch
Erin and Justin Goodman
Alicia and Garrett Gordy
Glenda and Russell Gordy
Cynthia and Ashok Gowda
Shekkola Gray
Janice and Barrett Green
Jessica and Vean Gregg
Windi and David Grimes
Amy and Jeremy Grisbee
Sowmini and Ravi
Gudimetla
Leashanne and James Guo
Sanjiv and Sandhya
Harpavat
Jennifer Harrison
Kim Harrison
Cherish and Chris Harvell
PAGE 7
Vicki and Robert Harvey
Debbie and Todd
Henderson
Rennae and Joseph Henry
Stephanie and Ben Hertzog
Rochelle Tafolla and
Richard Hess
Kelly and Blake Hill
Amelia Ng and Tam Ho
Anh and Doanh Hoang
Bhakti and Monsterville
Horton
Houston Endowment Inc.
Carol and John Howenstine
Cynthia and Darren
Hubbard
Muriel and Eric Jackson
Jessica Jackson
Dawn Thomas and
Bryan Janda
Kelly and Erich Janzen
Catherine and Andrew
Kaldis
Komal and Vijay Kale
Jane Greenberg and
Gregory Kaplan
Janet and Mario Kapusta
Shilpa Chunchu and
Douglas Karabasz
Kristen and Matthew Katz
Patricia and Keith Kilgore
Hallie and Eugene Kim
Kinder Morgan
Carol and Stephen King
Cynthia DeLaney and
Stephan Kinsella
Amy and Lloyd Kirchner
Orly and Yoel Kluk
Blanca and Jordan
Kopanidis
Christina Kopanidis-Cantu
and Jorge Cantu
Andrew Koval
Vasanthi Jayaraman and
Ramanan Krishnamoorti
Robin and Chris Krueger
Marcel and Matthew Lake
Ana and Javier Lamuno
Renee and Eric Lancelin
Tim Langenkamp
Beth and Matt Lavine
Andrea Lazar
Jamie and Andrew Lee
Katarzyna Leon-Lubowicz
and Alfonso Leon
Susan and Timothy
Leverenz
Patricia and James Lewis
Yan and Haiyang Li
Mary and Christopher
Livingstone
Renée and Michael Locklar
Deidre Lodrig
Nicole and Christopher
Lombardo
Kathy and John Long
Lisa and Julio Lopez
Lupe Lopez
Lucinda and Javier Loya
Michelle and Thomas Lu
Robin and Jeff Lunsford
Rosa Wong and Gary Luk
Monica Lundeen
Monica Lopez and
Richard Lyn-Cook
Sunila Madiman
Lumarie and Armeen
Mahvash
Winnie and Michel John
Maloof
Huma and Nabeel Manal
Jenny and André Marshall
Stacey and Mark Martin
John Martinez
Marcela Martinez
Elizabeth Matthews
Victoria Matthews
Emily Browning and
Adam May
Evelyn and William McCain
Tanya Bennett and David
McConkey
Alison Wong and
Blaine McElroy
Sarah Ellenzweig and
Scott McGill
Ami and Mit Mehta
Muriel and Marcel Meicler
Michele Meicler
Manuel Mejia
Regina and Bert Mellinger
Melanie and Nathaniel
Mendoza
Sara Jurney and
Todd Mensing
Paula and Mark Mey
Jessica and Philipp Meyer
Pamela Griffin-Minnich and
Gene Minnich
Jamie and Michael Miranda
Lindsay Mistretta
Pat and Bill Mitchell
Nandita Gupta and
Vikas Mittal
Shanell and Walker Moody
Quianta and Demango
Moore
Mary and John Moore
Jenny and Stanford Moore
Renee and Milton Morris
Monica Moreno
Sarah and James Moudry
Michelle and Mike Munn
Alana Kennedy-Nasser and
Dean Nasser
Tara and Alex Neblett
Kavitha and Sattva Neelapu
Debbie Nickerson
Mobeen and Khuram
Nizami
Corine and Joel Noronha
Andrea Novak
Alexis Offner
Susan Hardwick-Smith and
Kevin O’Gorman
Wendy and Meir O’Hanna
Emily Hansen and
Kyle O’Heron
Heather and Brenden
O’Neill
Diana and Albert Onofre
Patricia Onofre
Catherine and Robert Orr
Janet Ott
Erin and Mark Packwood
Avit and David Pactor
Tahia and Shoyab
Panchbhaya
Sharon Engelstein and
Aaron Parazette
Pragnya Patel and
Kaushik Parekh
Meredith and Mark Parenti
Jenny Mohr and
Matthew Parker
Renee Parker
Jaana Porra and
Michael Parks
Julie Parraguirre
Stelli and Todd Parsapour
Melissa Coleman and
Robert Pascoe
Mayuri and Dharmesh Patel
Norma Paulin
Jenna Pel
Paige Penchas
Carole Dickinson and
Arthur Perkins
Ashley and Sidney Perkins
Christine Peterson
Anh Nguyen and
Victor Phan
Lisa and Patrick Phelps
Jacqueline and Robert
Phillpott
Maya and Errol Pinto
Kelly and Anthony
Policastro
Lana Rigsby and
John Powell
Kimberly and Cristopher
Proler
Amy and Thomas Pugh
Elizabeth and Adam Pulaski
Shelley and James Quillin
Susie and Larry Rachleff
Laura and Thomas Rahlfs
Paula and Charlie Randall
Amber Luong and Terry Ray
Karen and Ken Redding
Shelly Leeds-Richter
Kristen and David Ridgway
Terri Rogers
Heidi and Bryan
Rosenstrauch
Jennifer Norton and
Mark Routbort
Andrea and Anthony Russo
Safeway Inc.
Alicia Kowalchuk and
Benjamin Saldaña
Cristina and Gabriel Salinas
Jessica Samano
The Samuels Family
Foundation
Suzan and Jeremy Samuels
Daniela and Manolo
Sanchez
Marisol and Jose Fernando
Santacruz
continued on page 4
PAGE 8
Farrell and Stuart Saunders
Elisa Schmidt
Shonali Jacob and
Jeff Schneider
Kate and Greg Scheinman
Sherri and Charles
Schugart
Meara Schwartz
Veronica and Riccardo
Scionti
Zeenath and Arjun
Selvakumar
Shell Oil Company Foundation Matching Gifts
Jian and Mike Short
Jennifer and Robert Shults
Holly and Michael Singletary
Janet and Mike Sisolak
Ariana and Raymond
Smetana
Beth Smith
Monica and Michael Smith
Mirani Smith
Valerie and Michael Sonsino
Asha and Gaurav Sood
Simran and Manish Sood
Anne and Alan Speed
Evy Pappas and
Nickolas Spiliotis
Jenee and Nick Stefanakis
Mary and Garland Stephens
Felicia and Rafael Stone
Nina Strane
Ellen and Dale Straub
Julie and Jeffrey Streich
Tish Stringer
Erin and Thomas Stus
Julie and Jason Styles
Beto Suarez
Sarah and Jami Sweeney
Anita Taj
Christina and Isaac Tapia
Diego Tax
Aimee and Greg Taylor
Nikayla and Aaron Thomas
Jamie Thompson
Jeni and Matt Thompson
Phylis Tomlinson
Jennifer and Sam Touchet
Tamara and Robert
Townsend
Brittney and Max Tribble
D E C E M B ER 20, 2013
Mark Tucker
Ryan Tucker
Natalia and Angel Urreta
Karen and Raul Valdez
Gena and Michael Vaughn
Aparajitha and Amit Verma
Claudia and Alex Villegas
Khanhuyen and Huy Vinh
Valerie and Jay Volpi
Molly and Coert Voorhees
Catherine Than and
Hoang Quan Vu
Shalini and Nicolaus
Wagner-Bartak
Kameese and Jeffrey
Walker
Whitney and Marc Walsh
Mary and Robert Warwick
Stephanie and Stanley
Watowich
Melanie Gray and
Mark Wawro
Jennifer Wheler
Debbie and Richard
Williams
Suzanne Chalet-Winfrey
and Bruce Winfrey
Lisa Gubbels and
Robert Wingo
James Winslow
Miriam Winton
Susan and Michael Wong
Constance and Jeffrey
Woodman
Terry Fisher and
Karl Wygant
Samantha and Charles
Wykoff
Kim and Chuck Yates
Phoebe Yeager
Anita and Alan Ying
Carlie and Richard Yoo
Daniela Weil and
Erik Zanker
Allison and Gustavo Zapata
Yingli and Hui Zhang
Shawn Zhou
Rocio Diaz and
Francisco Zorrilla
Jennifer and Fernando
Zumbado
•
Spring 2014 ASEP Registration is
now available on My BackPack!
Act now to get your child(ren)
enrolled in the class(es) of their
choice — Monday, January 6 will
be the last day to sign up.
DECE M BER 20, 2013
PAGE 9
a Post Oak alumna, came
addition of the Post Oak High School
back to see the school, where she says “it
and our movement towards obtaining
all started.” “Post Oak really prepared me
our IB certification. She explains how
for everything,”
states as she reflects her education at Post Oak undoubtedly
on the time she spent at Post Oak. She
prepared her for the rigorous IB program
particularly remembers the interesting
and IB subsequently prepared her for
projects she was able to engage in at such
college. Drawing from both her experience
an early age. Her favorite was as a second
as a Montessori and IB student,
thinks
year Lower Elementary student: a project
the two curriculums are a perfect match.
on weather that landed her and her partner “Both put a lot on you from an early age.
at the Channel 13 News Station. Laughing, More importantly, both teach you how to
recalls, “The teacher didn’t arrange
take on that responsibility.”
it, we did. We were only seven, and we
After high school,
was admitted into
just picked up the classroom phone and
Brown University, a school she describes as
called meteorologist Ed Brandon. It was
sharing the Montessori concept of letting
completely student driven, we wanted to
students take ownership of their education.
know about weather, and we thought he
earned a double major in International
could help.”
Relations and Education. She took part in
After Post Oak,
graduated from
multiple study abroad programs, allowing
Lamar High School with her IB Diploma.
her to work as a volunteer in Costa Rica,
was excited to learn about the
Nicaragua, and El Salvador. She is currently
teaching a College Counseling Course to
sophomores at YES Prep High School, and
is working to develop programs centered
on international education and literacy.
will be serving as a panelist for our
upcoming Alumni Night on January 9th.
Primary Parent Education Event:
The Importance of Sleep in Children
Thursday, January 16, 6:00 p.m.
Presented by Post Oak parent
, MD
Director, Houston Methodist Comprehensive Sleep Disorders Program
Director, Houston Methodist San Jacinto Sleep Lab
Methodist Neurological Institute, Department of Neurology
PAGE 10
D E C E M B ER 20, 2013
Parenting the Love and Logic Way®
-ins
Drop e
m
welcorop-ins
Parenting the Love
Logic Way®
presented and
by
presented
by LMFT, ATR-BC
Phylis R. Tomlinson,
LPC,
D
me Post Oak Counselor & Independent Facilitator of Parenting the Love and Logic Way® curriculum
welco
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
offersprogram
solutions
for families
of children
from
A parenting
designed
by Love
and Logic®.
Thisearly
series
childhood
to beyond
adolescence.
of courses
offers solutions
for families of children from early
childhood to beyond adolescence.
Previous participants are encouraged to return to share
Previousand
participants
encouraged
to returnand
to share
experiences
reinforceareskills.
Grandparents
other care
experiences
and
reinforce
skills.
Grandparents
and
other care
givers are also welcome. All classes are open to the public.
givers are also welcome. All classes are open to the public.
LEARN SOLUTIONS FOR:
LEARN SOLUTIONS FOR:
• How do I get them out of bed on time?
• How do I get them out of bed on time?
• How
can can
I stop
mymy
children
from
• How
I stop
children
frombickering
bickeringand
andfighting?
fighting?
• How
do Ido
getI get
mymy
children
to to
help
• How
children
helpwith
withthe
thechores
choreswithout
without
an argument?
an argument?
• Is •
there
a way
to discipline
mymy
toddler
Is there
a way
to discipline
toddlerininpublic
publicwithout
without
creating
a scene?
creating
a scene?
• How
teenage
daughtertotocome
comehome
homeat
at the
the
• How
can can
I getI get
mymy
teenage
daughter
agreed-upon
time?
agreed-upon time?
• How
to stop
spittingfood
foodororwhining
whiningat
at dinner?
dinner?
• How
do Ido
getI get
himhim
to stop
spitting
• And
many
other
day-to-day
parentingchallenges...
challenges...
• And
many
other
day-to-day
parenting
parenting
programis isdesigned
designedtotogive
give you
you
ThisThis
parenting
program
practical skills that can be used immediately!
practical skills that can be used immediately!
MORNING CLASSES
MORNING
CLASSES
Thurs.,
January
16, 23, 30,
Thurs.,
September
12, (6
19,weeks)
26,
February
6, 13, 20
October 3, 9:00–10:30
(Tues.) 8, 17 a.m.
(6 weeks)
a.m.
$109:00–10:30
for entire 6-week
series
$10 for entire 6-week series
includes workbook
includes
workbook
(a public
service
offered by Post Oak)
(a public service offered by Post Oak)
EVENING CLASSES
EVENING CLASSES
Wed.,
January11,
15,18,
22,25,29,
Wed.,
September
February
19weeks)
(6 weeks)
October
2, 5,
9, 12,
16 (6
6:30–8:00
6:30–8:00
p.m.p.m.
$245perper
couple,
$135
individual
$200
couple,
$135
individual
$35
drop-in
fee fee
$35
drop-in
Optional
workbook
$10$10
Optional
workbook
LOCATION
LOCATION
The
Post
Oak
School
The
Post
Oak
School
4600
Bissonnet
St.
at Ave.
B B
4600 Bissonnet St.
at Ave.
(Childcare not provided)
(Childcare not provided)
Facilitators of the Parenting the Love and Logic Way® curriculum are
Facilitators
of theand
Parenting
Love and
Way®
are
independent
are notthe
employees
of Logic
the Love
andcurriculum
Logic Institute.
independent and are not employees of the Love and Logic Institute.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
FORPhylis
MORE
INFORMATION
CONTACT:
Tomlinson,
Counselor
Phylis
Tomlinson, Counselor
[email protected]
Tel. 713-661-6688 x176 or 713-668-6558.
[email protected]
Tel. 713-661-6688
713-668-6558.
Class size limitedx176
to 30orpeople
for morning classes at Post Oak
Call to
or 30
email
in advance
to reserve
a spot!
ClassLocation.
size limited
people
for morning
classes
at Post Oak
• Registration
opensintoadvance
the publicto8/30/2013.
Location.
Call or email
reserve a spot!
•
• Parking available
Avenue1/10/2014.
B only.
Registration
opens toalong
the public
•
Parking
available
along Church
Avenue Bis only.
Class size
at St. Mark’s
not limited. Contact Phylis or
come to first class to register.
Class size at St. Mark’s Church is not limited. Please register with
Payment
at the first class. Make checks payable to Phylis Tomlinson.
Phylis
beforeis due
attending.
Payment is due at the first class. Make checks payable to Phylis Tomlinson.
MORNING CLASSES
MORNING
CLASSES
AT ST.
MARK’S CHURCH
AT ST.
MARK’S 18,
CHURCH
Wed.,
September
25,
Wed.,
January
15,
22,
29,
October 2, 9, 16, 23 (6 weeks)
February
5, 12, a.m.
19 (6 weeks)
9:00-10:30
$90 for entire
6-weeka.m.
series
9:00-10:30
Optional
workbook
$10series
$90 for entire
6-week
Optional
workbook $10
LOCATION
St. Mark’s Episcopal
Church
LOCATION
OfficeEpiscopal
Parlor Church
St. Mark’s
3816 Bellaire Blvd.
Office Parlor
Houston, TX 77025
3816 Bellaire
Blvd.
(Childcare
not provided)
Houston, TX 77025
(Childcare not provided)
DECE M BER 20, 2013
PAGE 11
Bearkats
Basketball
2013-2014 SCHEDULE
DECEMBER
Montessori Journey
January 24, 6–9 p.m.
January 25, 8 a.m.–2 p.m.
3 vs. Memorial Lutheran
4:30
4 vs. St. Stephen’s 4:30
6-7 Tournament @
Memorial Lutheran
9 @ St. Francis 5:00
10 @ Beren Academy 5:00
Registration for the Montessori Journey is available on our website. This two-day
(adults only) workshop is a powerful, hands-on approach to understanding how and
what your child is learning. We invite and encourage current Post Oak parents to
attend, whether for the first time or for those desiring a chance to take the journey
again. Space is limited, so sign up early to reserve a spot.
11 vs. St. Stephen’s 4:30
Cost: $30 per person.
16 @ Memorial Lutheran 4:30
What parents have said:
What was your most memorable experience of the day?
learning can be fun and
stepping out of your comfort zone can be so rewarding.”
JANUARY
14 vs. Beren Academy 5:00
15 vs. St. Stephen’s 4:30
22 vs. St. Francis 5:00
27 @ Emory Weiner 4:30
28 vs. St. Stephen’s
“The realization that
What value do you feel you have derived from this experience?
“A
greater understanding of the environment and
method behind Montessori and what my child’s day is like.”
FEBRUARY
5 vs. St. Stephen’s
11 @ Woods 4:00
12 vs. St. Stephen’s
t h e p o st oak s cho ol
PAGE 12
D E C E M B ER 20, 2013
Recycling: The Real Deal (1 of 2)
by Elisa Schmidt, Communications Coordinator
We all have the very best of intentions in recycling. We’ve heard
the phrase “Reduce, reuse, recycle” for more than 20 years and
internalized it to the point that recycling is now just a part of
our daily lives, which is an amazing thing! We want all of our
efforts and good intentions to be realized on the other side of
the curb, at the actual recycling center, which is why we need to
stay informed and current on our recycling know-how.
Here we will try to dispel some rumors about what happens
on the other side of the curb and give insight into how our
routines can help or hinder the process. This first article will
cover curbside recycling, and the second will focus more on
recycling centers.
Plastic can be very tricky... just because something is plastic
does not make it automatically recyclable! This is easily
determined - just check to make sure the item has a recycling
symbol/number on it before you throw it in the bin. Plastic
bags are not accepted by curbside pickup. They can be turned
in at many grocery stores, or at a recycling center. The problems
on the other side of the curb are that the wrong kind of plastic
can contaminate a batch of material when it is being processed,
resulting in the entire batch being sent to a landfill, and also
that very thin “film plastic” (such as bags and baggies) can easily
slip away and clog up the machinery.
Glass has its own set of mishaps, starting with household glass.
Household glass such as vases and serveware is not recyclable
via curbside pickup. These items must be taken to a recycling
center. The other major problem is broken glass, which is a
hazard to the people sorting the recycling on the other side of
the curb.
Following the rules for paper recycling is very important to
keep the paper batches clean and uncontaminated as well.
t h e p o s t oa k s c h o o l
My friends and I are always catching each other doing it wrong!
It all stems from our desire to do good, but too much of a
good thing can be bad in this case. Used pizza boxes are a huge
culprit in the contamination of paper recycling, because all of
the grease and crumbs gunk up the machinery and will send
an entire batch of otherwise completely recyclable paper to a
landfill. The presence of ANY food waste on paper makes it
unrecyclable. It is perfectly compostable, but unfortunately
not recyclable. Used household paper such as paper towels and
napkins are not recyclable either. Like I said, we want to include
these items because we hate to put them in the trash (we know
they are made from trees!), but the recycle bin is simply not
the right place for soiled paper. We are hoping for yard waste
pickup to one day grace the streets of Houston to take this
type of stuff away too!
On the subject of routines, all of us have our own little rituals
when we prepare our items for recycling, such as removing
paper labels from cans, removing tops from plastic bottles ,
and removing metal lids from glass jars. But what happens to
those items that we remove from the recycling during our prep
routines? In our research, we have found that all of those items
are also recyclable! So after removal, you can just pop them in
the bin along with everything else.
The most responsible thing we can do is use this knowledge
every time we are faced with even the smallest piece of waste
and ask ourselves, “Is this recyclable?”, and act accordingly!
Please join us for our next Green Team meeting, Wednesday, January 15 at 8:45 a.m.
DECE M BER 20, 2013
PAGE 13
Commun it y S e rvice
Opportunities
in the Mu seum D istr ict
Thank you to the
Post Oak Communit y!
ADMISSION
OPEN HOUSE
Braes Interfaith Ministries
On December 12, a group of Upper and Lower Elementary
students had the great pleasure of delivering the donations we
collected. It was our largest donation to Braes yet!
Thursday, January 16th – 7 p.m.
Wednesday, February 12th – 7 p.m.
Project: We see you
Tuesday, April 8th – 7 p.m.
ST OAK
e
PO
T
On December 15, a great group of Post Oak parents and
children helped to package all of the items we collected. The
outpouring of support from our community was amazing!
don’t forget to log your
communit y service on
the 50-for-50 page we are up to 37 entries!
O
O
On December 12, the Middle School’s fundraiser to benefit
the victims of Haiyan collected $838.15. Thanks to everyone
who donated!
L
middle school bake sale
HIG
H SC
H
1102 Autrey Street
Houston TX 77006
www.postoakhighschool.org
PAGE 14
D E C E M B ER 20, 2013
SCENES
from
The Post Oak School
1. Upper Elementary students work together
to determine the area of a set of triangles.
2. A Primary student works with the
multiplication bead bars.
3. Lower Elementary students check out the
goods at the Middle School bake sale.
4. An Upper Elementary student draws a
diagram of the eye, studying human biology.
5. Lower Elementary students explore verbs
with the grammar box.
6. A Primary student records a story he created
with the alphabet box .
7. Middle School students engage in a lesson
on mathematics.
8. Sharing snack in the Full Day Infant
Community.
9. Primary children learn to introduce
themselves in Spanish.
11. Students receive a lesson with the moveable
alphabet in a Primary classroom.
10. Upper Elementary students work together to
determine types of polygons.
4
1
2
3
5
DECE M BER 20, 2013
PAGE 15
6
7
9
8
10
11
PAGE 16
D E C E M B ER 20, 2013
C A L E N DA R
DE C E M B E R 2 2 - J A N UA RY 4
N OT I C E B OA R D
Are You on
?
Download 200,000+ brand logos in vector format for free
http://www.logoeps.com/
Winter Break
School Closed
J A N U A R Y 5 - 11
So is the the Post Oak School! We’d like to encourage all our families and friends
to head over and like us to stay up to date on the latest POS news and events. Our
Facebook pages (POS, High School, and Alumni) are updated regularly and we need
your participation to keep our online community vibrant! This year we are promoting
new features, like the 50-for-50 project, that you won’t want to miss!
www.facebook.com/PostOakSchool
Mon
1/6
Teacher in-service
School closed
Tue
1/7
High School J-Term begins
Wed
1/8
POPA Coffee/Work Day
Thur
1/9
Alumni Night
Fri
1/10
Upper EL Spelling Bee
8:45 a.m.–noon
6:30–8:30 p.m.
10–11:30 a.m.
Check out our calendar
online or download a copy
at www.postoakschool.org
HAVE A GREAT
winter
break!
Classes resume
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
ABOU T TH E POST
The Post appears every other Friday of the regular school year.
You can receive a printed copy from your oldest child, or a PDF version online.
Let’s Go
Bearkats!
Submit letters, articles, or photos in electronic form by 5:00 p.m. on the Tuesday before publication
to Communications Coordinator Elisa Schmidt ([email protected]). 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