Currents

Watershed Happenings

Aug 3 National Night Out block party, 5:00-7:00 p.m., Watershed parking lot
Aug 7-8 WHS at Powderhorn Art Fair
Aug 9-12 Summer School

Aug 10 Open House, 7:00 p.m.
Aug 12 WHS Community Ed, 6-9 p.m.
Aug 14 Open House, 10:00 a.m.
Aug 16 Finance Committee, 3:45 p.m.
Aug 17 Open House, 7:00 p.m.
Aug 23 School Board, 3:45 p.m.
Aug 28 Open House, 10:00 a.m.

Sep 2 Back to School Night
Sep 6 Labor Day, NO SCHOOL
Sep 7 First Day of School

ADMIN NOTES
–Phil Grant, Administrative Director

Greetings and welcome to our many new families! Currents is Watershed’s official newsletter, available on our website and emailed regularly. (If you’d like a hard copy mailed to you, let the office know.) We’re on an every other week summer publication cycle, but we’ll go weekly as we approach the beginning of school September 7.

We have some great new staff coming on board in August. Destiny Sparks will be our new Academic Director. Aaron Berger is our new science teacher, and Jeff Schommer is our new social studies teacher. I know you’ll enjoy meeting them, and our students will benefit from their energy and expertise. Look for bios in future issues of Currents.

This coming Tuesday, Watershed again hosts our block neighbors for National Night Out, 5:00-7:00 p.m. in our parking lot. All Watershed community members are invited. It’s a great opportunity to meet our immediate neighbors. There will be food. Bring a dish to share if you can.

Summer Hours at Watershed
• July 26-August 6, limited hours.
• August 9-12, open for business and summer school, 9:00-2:00.
• Check here in Currents for calendar and hours updates throughout the summer.

Enrollment
We continue to accept students for the fall, though space varies by grade. Our next Open Houses are Tuesdays, August 10 and 20; and Saturdays, August 14 and 28, at 7:00 p.m. For more information, call Rachel, our enrollment coordinator, at 612-871-4363 x219, or email her at rkoniar (at) watershedhs.org.

Powderhorn and Uptown Art Fairs
Watershed will have an information table at the Powderhorn Art Fair, and possibly one also at the Uptown Art fair. Both of these events take place on the weekend of August 7th and 8th, and we will need parents, students and teachers to help run the tables at both events. Free Watershed tee shirts to all who volunteer. If you are available, and interested on a two- or three-hour shift, please email or call: Nell at nellmorningstar (at) yahoo.com or 612-871-4363, ext. 120.

SUMMER SCHOOL 2010
Mathematics, Linda Gavanda. A short, focused class that takes a mathematical look at Amusement Parks, using math skills from Algebra through Pre-Calc. This small class allows students to accelerate their math development.

- August 9–12, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., 1.5 credits

NOTE: Printmaking class has been canceled.

Improv Club on Wednesdays
Marc’s Improv Club is taking a break for the time being. Check back in Currents or with Marc directly to find out when it resumes.

Yearbooks & T-shirts
2009-2010 Watershed yearbooks are available for $20.00 in the school office. T-shirts are $10.00. Make checks out to Watershed High School or pay with cash.

Board Notes
The board last met July 26. The next meeting is August 23 at 3:45 p.m. The regularly scheduled meetings are the 4th Monday of each month. For more information, or for any questions about the board, email Leanne Mfaligundi, our board chair, mfali001 (at) umn.edu.

WATERSHED COMMUNITY ED
Watershed’s next community education evening is Thursday, August 12, from 6:00-9:00 p.m. There’ll be two rounds of about 90 minutes each, with a short break between. Many thanks to Marc Gutman for organizing this evening.

Only $5 for the evening. One night, two rounds! Mix and match as you wish. Come learn from people in your community. This evening features:

• Origami Design
A focus on creating your own designs.
Taught by Marc Gutman

• Elements of Performance Poetry
A focus on putting the emotion in your words. Taught by Cole Sarar

• Recycled Bookbinding
Make a simple journal or sketchbook out of recycled materials. Taught by Nell Morningstar Ubbelohde

• So I’ve Got This GREAT Idea for a Show . . .
Stage, big screen, perhaps even a book: you have this great idea, but you don’t know where to start. What’s a treatment? What’s a script x-ray? And for the love of everything that’s holy, how do you turn an idea into a coherent spec script? What are Hollywood producers really looking for? Will they eat me alive? In 90 minutes, a local screenwriter will walk you through the beginning of the process, with a healthy dose of humor. Bring your work if you have it handy. Taught by Marie-Helene B. Grzesiak

All classes held at Watershed High School, 4544 4th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55419. Call 612-871-4363 for more information.

Watershed Happenings

Jul 14, 21 Improv Club, 3-5 p.m.
Jul 16 WHS at Walker Art Center Open Field, 1-3 p.m.
Jul 19 Finance Committee, 3:45 p.m.
Jul 20 Open House, 7:00 p.m.
Jul 26 Board Meeting, 3:45 p.m.

Aug 3 National Night Out – WHS Block Party
Aug 7-8 WHS at Powderhorn Art Fair
Aug 9-12 Summer School

Aug 10 Open House, 7:00 p.m.
Aug 12 WHS Community Ed, 6-9 p.m.

Sep 7 First Day of School

ADMIN NOTES
–Phil Grant, Administrator

Even though it’s high summer, there’s still a lot going on at Watershed. See above for calendar items; see below for information about activities coming up this week, such as Open Field at the Walker. There’s also info about summer school and continuing events such as the Improv Club. Can you figure out how to get a free Watershed T-shirt? See below.

Summer Hours at Watershed
• July 12-July 15, open for business and for summer school 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
• July 19-22, open for business, 9:30 a.m.
– 2:00 p.m.
• July 26-August 6, limited hours, to be announced.
• August 9-12, open for business and summer school.
• Check here in Currents for calendar and hours updates throughout the summer.

Enrollment
We continue to accept students for the fall, though space varies by grade. Our next Open Houses are Tuesdays, July 20 and August 10, at 7:00 p.m. For more information, call Rachel, our enrollment coordinator, at 612-871-4363 x219, or email her at rkoniar (at) watershedhs.org.

Drawing with Natural Inks
Friday, July 16th from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, Watershed High School students and friends will be down at the Walker Art Center’s Open Field drawing and sketching with inks made from berries, plants and other natural sources. Please join us. Bring a sketch book and a dip pen if you have one, otherwise, come and try ours out. For questions or more information, call Nell at 612-251-9758 or 612-871-4363, ext. 120.

Powderhorn and Uptown Art Fairs
Watershed will have an information table at the Powderhorn Art Fair, and possibly one also at the Uptown Art fair. Both of these events take place on the weekend of August 7th and 8th, and we will need parents, students and teachers to help run the tables at both events. Free Watershed T-shirts to all who volunteer. If you are available, and interested in a 2 or 3 hour shift, please email or call: Nell at nellmorningstar (at) yahoo.com or 612-871-4363, ext. 120.

SUMMER SCHOOL 2010
Our July sessions end this Thursday. The next session is August 9-12 with these opportunities:

Mathematics, Linda Gavanda. A short, focused class that takes a mathematical look at Amusement Parks, using math skills from Algebra through Pre-Calc. This small class allows students to accelerate their math development.

- August 9–12, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., 1.5 credits

Printmaking, Rachel Koniar. Topics include printmaking techniques, reduction prints, blended rollers, multi color prints. Students will create three original projects, with multiple prints from each to bring home. 1.5 credits. Supply cost of $30.

- August 9-12, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30

If interested in registering for summer school classes, please call the school at 612-871-4363 for more information.

Improv Club on Wednesdays
Marc Gutman has begun an Improv Club every Wednesday from 3:00-5:00 p.m. If you’d like to develop your ability to improvise theatrically, come on by. This group is open to any Watershed students, alumni and friends. There is no charge.

Yearbooks & T-shirts
2009-2010 Watershed yearbooks are available for $20.00 in the school office. T-shirts are $10.00. Make checks out to Watershed High School or pay with cash.

Board Notes
The board last met July 12. The next meeting is July 26, at 3:45 p.m. Meeting minutes are available in the office. For more information, or for any questions about the board, contact chair, Leanne Mfaligundi: mfali001 (at) umn.edu.

Book Launch Party
Marianne Dietzel, parent of present (Soren ‘11) and former (Kevin ‘99) Watershed students, is holding a party to launch her book, Laughing in a Waterfall: A Mother’s Memoir. All are welcome to attend on Sunday, July 18, 3-6 PM at the Minnesota Waldorf School (MWS). Presentation is between 4:00 and 5:00; refreshments and book-signing before and after.

Minnesota Waldorf School
70 East County Road B
Maplewood, MN 55117
(Near Hwy. 36 & Rice Street)

Laughing in a Waterfall is a mother’s story of her daughter’s life and death and their continuing relationship. At age five, Nina met her friend Kirsten at the MWS. Thirteen years later, both girls were killed in a car accident. Nina’s foundation for life was formed by the five years her family spent living in Camphill Village Minnesota, a rural intentional community including adults with development disabilities, and by her education using the Waldorf approach. In letters exchanged with her friends, and in excerpts from her journal, Nina’s own words reveal her rich inner life and become a source of wonder for her parents.

After the accident in New York State, where Nina and Kirsten were attending a Waldorf high school, the support of the community in holding a home vigil for the girls gave Marianne courage to face her unfathomable loss. Back in Minnesota, with a teenager and young child still at home, and a dying mother 500 miles away, Marianne’s own spiritual resources came to her aid in transcending her grief.

This poignant memoir offers insights into how to create a new culture around the sacred threshold of death and keep a living connection to those on the other side.

For more information, please see www.mariannedietzel.com.