Currents

Watershed Happenings

Feb 22 School Board, 3:45 p.m.

Mar 1 Finance Committee meeting, 3:45 p.m.
Mar 9 Charter School Day
Mar 16 Info Night, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Mar 29 – April 2 Spring Break

ADMIN NOTES
–Phil Grant, Administrator

Enrollment
For next year, 2010-2011, open spots are now on a first come, first serve basis. We have limited space in all grades 9-12.

For the remainder of the 2009-2010 school year, we have limited space in grades 9 and 11 only. There is a waiting list for grade 10.

For more information, call Rachel, our enrollment coordinator, at 612-871-4363 x219, or email her at rkoniar (at) watershedhs.org. Interested students are welcome to shadow by prior arrangement. Families are invited to our upcoming Info Nights. Our next Info Nights are March 16 and April 13.

Music at Watershed • New programs!
Our partnership with West Bank School of Music continues to grow. It looks like WBSM will be offering drums, voice and guitar lessons on Monday afternoon and evening, as well as the Composer-Performer Orchestra. Scholarship assistance is available; check directly with WBSM. Older students (juniors on up) may apply to volunteer during WBSM hours, in return for discounts on lessons. If interested, please call Phil at 612-871-4363 before contacting WBSM.

First Annual Garage Sale
We’re planning to make Watershed’s First Annual Garage Sale in May a major fundraiser for our school. That’s particularly needed in this difficult economy. To make the event a success, we need your help with donations and the event itself.
• Acceptance of Garage Sale items has begun and continues through mid-May. We are accepting toys, games, clothing, small appliances, household items, knick-knacks, furniture, tools, etc. Donations may be dropped off during school hours. Please see the front desk for a tax deductible donation receipt. Pick up for larger items can be arranged. Thanks to those who’ve already brought items in.
• The week before the sale, sorting of the donated items begins. Volunteers are needed to work morning, afternoon and evening shifts.
• Pricing will take place the Monday before the event. Much of the merchandise will be generically priced. Volunteers are needed for morning, afternoon and evening shifts.
• The day before the event, volunteers, students and faculty will place items into the appropriate classrooms during afternoon and evening shifts.
• The Garage Sale will be conducted on a Wednesday in late May, 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Volunteers are needed to work the floor with students and faculty, monitoring sale activity and straightening up as needed. Teams are also needed for check-out and bagging.
• A clean-up crew will begin packing up immediately after the sale. Any unsold items will be donated to a local thrift store.
Please email Ann Goehner at anngoehner (at) msn.com for more information, to volunteer or to arrange for pick up. Those of you who’ve worked other Watershed events know how enjoyable it is to meet other members of the community. Don’t miss this chance!

Special thanks. I want to recognize senior Terrance D. for his extra help after our recent Medieval Feast. He stayed to the absolute end of the unpacking late Saturday night. Great job and many, many thanks, Terrance!

Charter School Day is Tuesday, March 9. This is a day the Minnesota charter public school community, including Watershed, visits our legislators at the capitol. Call Phil at 612-871-4363 for more info.

NEWS FROM THE FACULTY CHAIR
–Matt McElrath

Athletics
The Waves eked out a nail-biting overtime victory against Groves Academy on Wednesday, February 3. The Waves were behind the entire game, but with a patient approach to their offense and an aggressive approach to defense they slowly recovered ground during the second quarter. With a couple minutes left in the game, the Waves took the lead for the first time in the game and almost held out, but Groves surged to a tie in the remaining seconds of regulation play. The Waves dominated the overtime period and came away with a victory. The Waves are looking to close their season with a scrimmage against Na-Way-Ee Center School next week. Athletes will likely be released early from school for the scrimmage to accommodate Center School’s available court time.

Schedule and Electives
We spent several days last week modifying schedules to ensure students are in both appropriate and engaging courses. Many students have elected to pursue independent study projects and service learning. These students should be bringing home the outline of their independent study for parents to review and sign. We also started our Friday elective offerings last week with the following options:

Two-Hour Electives
- Driver’s Ed with Silver Lake Driving School
- Watershed Beautification with Kristin
- Movies that Matter with Matt
- Cooking with Rachel
- Home Repair with Mark

3rd Hour Electives
- Algebra with Linda
- Japanese with Becky

4th Hour Electives
- Gardening with Emily and Rachel
- Art Studio and Costume Making with Maggie
- Locker Design with Linda

A Look Back at J Term
–Maggie Rozycki

My two favorite quotes from students who went to the Philadelphia Farm for J-term:

“We became a family.”

“I learned to appreciate dirt!”

We worked in the greenhouse at the farm sifting dirt. (It was mostly compost and manure.) As students ran their fingers through the dirt, many commented on the pleasure of the experience.

We discussed bio-dynamic farming with Roland. This form of sustainable farming was created by Rudolf Steiner, the Austrian philosopher responsible for the educational philosophy behind Waldorf education.

Due to student interest these gardening practices will be used on the Watershed garden this spring. Dennis Deitzel, a parent who practices biodynamic gardening, has agreed to volunteer some time and teach us how to do this.

“Taking students to the farm for J-term was a wonderful experience for me, too,” commented Maggie. “There is something about being out in the country surrounded by the beauty of land, trees, and space, being around animals and dirt, living together, and gathering around a fire in the evening instead of a TV, which is truly transformative.”

Watershed Happenings

Feb 15 Presidents’ Day, NO SCHOOL
Feb 22 School Board, 3:45 p.m.

Mar 9 Charter School Day
Mar 16 Info Night, 7:00-8:30 p.m.

ADMIN NOTES
–Phil Grant, Administrator

Congratulations!
What an excellent Medieval Feast we had last weekend! Congratulations to director Kristin Aitchison and her troupe for a marvelous production of A Night in Elsinore. I heard many, many compliments from parents and other members of the community. It was also great to see so many Watershed supporters in the audience.

Congratulations also to chief chef LeAnne Mfaligundi and her crew for a delicious meal—truly a feast! Thanks to them and all who made it another great Feast, especially lead volunteers Marsha Burgeson, Nell Ubbelohde and Ann Goehner, along with all the other parents, staff, students and alumni who helped.

Enrollment
For 2010-2011, open spots are now on a first come, first serve basis. We have limited space in all grades 9-12. Current students who have not yet reserved a spot risk losing it. They should return their signed enrollment form to Rachel as soon as possible.

For the remainder of 2009-2010, this school year, we have limited space in grades nine and eleven only. There is a waiting list for grade ten.

For more information, call Rachel, our enrollment coordinator, at 612-871-4363 ex. 219, or email her at rkoniar (at) watershedhs.org. Interested students are welcome to shadow by prior arrangement. Families are invited to any Info Night. Our next Info Nights are March 16 and April 13.

Music at Watershed • New program!
The Composer-Performer Orchestra (CPO) has begun rehearsing at Watershed. This is a program for musicians who are interested in writing and performing their own instrumental music, led by Stefan Kaz. The CPO is a program offered by the West Bank School of Music (WBSM), one of Watershed’s partners in the arts. There is a cost, but scholarships are available.

Coming soon: after school music lessons provided by West Bank instructors here at Watershed. While there is a cost, scholarships are available. There’s also a volunteer possibility on Monday evenings, working the Watershed front desk on behalf of West Bank. Ask Phil for details.

Donation wanted: portable keyboard with weighted action, to be used for music lessons and classes here.

For more information about WBSM, call them at (612) 333-6651 or visit their website at www.westbankmusic.org. For info on the CPO in particular, go to www.stefankac.com/WbsmCpo.html.

School Board News
The Watershed School Board has moved its regular monthly meeting to the 4th Monday in each month. The next meeting is Monday, February 22, at 3:45 p.m. All meetings are open to the public.

NEWS FROM THE FACULTY CHAIR
–Matt McElrath

Second Semester Begins
After gathering briefly Tuesday morning to recount J-Term stories and introduce new students, students met by class to discuss scheduling options for the second semester. Nearly all students were offered a full schedule of classes for the second semester. We’re also offering greater opportunities for Resource Room support and Independent study than in the past. Students may modify their schedules over the next two weeks as they develop proposals for independent study that fit their graduation requirements.

Additionally, students began sign-ups for their Friday Electives. We will begin Friday electives this week; however, we will have shortened classes as students plan and prepare for the semester. After two 30 minute elective classes this Friday, students will be released at 1:20 p.m. Driver’s Ed students, however, will be released at 2:20.

New Driver’s Ed Teacher
This semester, our driver’s ed course will be taught by Mr. Matt Maki of Silver Lake Driving School. Students complete 30 hours of classroom instruction, followed by six hours behind the wheel. Through a special arrangement with Silver Lake, the entire course will cost participating students only $150. (The school will contribute half of the total cost of $300. This is less than last year, so we’re sharing the savings with families.) Students must pay at least $50 to begin class this Friday. Make checks payable to Silver Lake Driving School. The balance may be paid over time.

For more info on Silver Lake, visit www.silverlakedrivingschool.com

Website Redesign Needs Your Input
–Miriam Block

We are redesigning Watershed’s website. We want your input to make the site a more valuable resource for parents of Watershed students and for providing information to prospective students. Please take a few minutes to answer the questions below and email your answers to miriam (at) blockinteractive.com.

Before enrolling your child(ren) at Watershed:
1. How did you hear about Watershed and find the website?
2. What were the top three pieces of information you wanted to know?
3. Was there anything on the website that convinced you that Watershed would be a good choice for your child(ren)?
4. What did you like/not like about the site?
5. Were there other school sites you saw that you thought were really great? Which ones?

After enrolling your child(ren) at Watershed:
1. Do you go to the website? If so, for what reasons? If not, why not?
2. What do you like/dislike about the current website?
3. If you could change one thing about the site, what would that be?
4. What types of information or interaction would be valuable to you on the site?
5. Please provide any other thoughts you have about the site or other sites
that you think work well.

J-Term Quilting
–Rachel Koniar
Rachel’s Quilting class learned the age old skill of creating something of beauty from old scraps. Students took cloth fragments, and old cloths and designed quilts using traditional and new patterns. Patterns included: around the world, pinwheel, four square, nine square, and star burst.