Currents

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.

Watershed Happenings

Feb 3 Last day to reserve Medieval Feast tickets
Feb 5-6 Medieval Feast, 6:00 p.m.; Doors open at 5:00 p.m.
Feb 8 Teacher workday, NO SCHOOL
Feb 9 Begin Semester 2, Main Lesson 5
Feb 9 Info Night, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
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

Enrollment 2010-2011
Open spots are now on a first come, first serve basis. We have limited space in all grades. For more information, call Rachel, our enrollment coordinator, at 612-871-4363, or email her at rkoniar (at) watershedhs.org. Students are welcome to shadow by prior arrangement. Families are invited to any Info Night. Our next Info Nights are February 9 and March 16.

Medieval Feast 2010
The best reason to leave the house is only a couple of days away! It’s Watershed’s 14th Annual Medieval Feast! A popular Watershed tradition, the Medieval Feast is this Friday, February 5 and Saturday, February 6, at Calvary Baptist Church, 2608 Blaisdell Avenue South in Minneapolis. (This is the same location as last year’s Feast.) Time: Friday and Saturday evening at 6:00 p.m. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. This year’s play is A Night in Elsinore: A Parody of Hamlet, by Richard Nathan, directed by Kristin Aitchison.

Reservations are required. No Medieval Feast tickets are sold at the door. You can pay by PayPal on the school’s website through midnight tonight; use the Make a Donation button and indicate which performance. Or, bring your check to the performance.
Tickets must be reserved today: Adult $25, Student $15, Children 12 & under $10. Call 612-871-4363 x160 or mburgeson (at) usfamily.net to make your reservation.

2nd Semester - Tuesday, February 9th
Students and faculty will gather in the Commons on second floor at 9:00 a.m. to begin our second semester. All parents and guardians–especially if you’re new–are invited to attend. Stop in, have some coffee, meet other families and learn more about your school! No RSVP necessary. Following a brief all-school meeting, students will meet with class sponsors to establish their schedules for the second semester.

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. For more information, call WBSM 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.

Many thanks to all who helped with our most recent mailing: Sam W., Gerald A., Kevin G., Ashley D., Katie D., Ally S., and Steve A.

NEWS FROM THE FACULTY CHAIR
–Matt McElrath

Athletics
The Watershed Waves close their basketball season this week with games on Wednesday and Thursday. The Waves return to Groves Academy in St. Louis Park on Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. Thursday night, the team has a rematch with Minnetonka Christian Academy in Minnetonka at 5:00 p.m.

More Info on Second Semester
As a result of shifting enrollment and in an effort to best meet the needs of our students, while striving to serve the creative mission of the school, the Pedagogy Committee has been working steadfastly to develop an appropriate schedule for the second semester. We will schedule fewer Main Lesson and Track classes compared to the fall; however, we will have faculty teaching in a Resource Room and an Independent Study Lab during each hour of the day. Students will work with their sponsors to determine a personal schedule based on the student’s progress toward graduation, their interests and their academic needs. We encourage freshman and sophomores to pursue Main Lesson and Track classes, while suggesting that juniors and seniors pursue a variety of alternatives that include PSEO, service and volunteer learning, and independent study.

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 Farm Trip
–Maggie Rozycki

The J-Term Farm Trip students are having a wonderful time. They are bonding and building community. One student says he did not expect to have such a good time. He says he has widened his circle of friends. Other comments are, “Watershed will never be the same now that we all know each other so well!” “This is like the real world, not like MTV.” “We are all sitting around talking to each other, no tension in the room.” “It’s so quiet. There are no sirens or cars.”

We are staying at Lily Lake, the new Utne Retreat Center, making art and doing community service at Philadelphia Community Farm (PCF). We are the first group to stay at Lily Lake and they generously lowered their fee to make it possible for our group to be here. In exchange, we are doing extra cleaning, and clearing brush from a field for a garden plot or an animal pen.

PCF is a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) non-profit organization serving educational and civic groups as well as living and working alongside people with special needs. The farm is located on the St. Croix River in Osceola, WI. So far, we have worked in the greenhouse planting seeds, moved fire wood indoors, gathered eggs, met the cows and the burro, brushed and fed them and had discussions with staff. We discussed food politics featuring Monsanto and bio-dynamic farming. PCF generously waived their fee to make these staff-led experiences possible for us. Some students are interested in pursuing these practices in our own garden plots at Watershed. In the art-making workshop, we made power figures from sticks from the land, fabric, and sculpy. They represent each student’s fears and strengths. In addition to art making and community service, students prepare food, do dishes, clean, do daily journaling, hike on the numerous trails at Lily Lake, build bon fires, build outdoor furniture, and of course, enjoy s’mores around the campfire. Watch for photos to be posted to the school website.