Each of us is, all of us are, a part of a culture—or two—or three. Culture is the “set of practices and beliefs shared by members of a particular group that distinguish that group from other groups”.
Practices and beliefs that distinguish a group… Hopi Indians have a culture different from Lakota Indians. Lutherans have beliefs and practices different from Unitarians. Hispanic people in New Mexico have cultural differences from Hispanic people in Guatemala. Husker fans have a culture that differs from Iowa fans. How many cultures we part of?
Certainly each of us is a part of many cultures. From our Latvian church to our Czech celebrations to our Harley motorcycle clubs to our Husker nation, everyone is part of multiple cultures.
Randolph students, staff, and families are part of our school culture. What beliefs and practices are parts of our Randolph culture? We (teachers, staff, families, neighbors) hold expectations for traditionally high achieving students— in academic, behavioral, social, and emotional areas. We believe that everyone is welcome here, and that we all learn together and from one another. Our mission and beliefs are summarized below:
At Randolph School we are
…educating all children well.
“This means we work together to develop children who are:
effective consumers of information, educated for the future in a multicultural world.
lifelong learners skilled in reading, writing, problem solving, quantitative thinking, physical activity, arts, music, technology, and proactive social/emotional skills.
responsible citizens of the world, who are concerned for the quality of life.”
Cultures and how we learn with and from one another are the basis for a new tradition at Randolph School. On Friday, April 30, 2012 Randolph School will hold its first annual Multicultural Fair.
The Multicultural Fair Planning Committee met on October 6th to plan the event. Why are we doing this? We want, as a school community, to provide a way to share differences and similarities in cultures that are not related to skin color. We will provide opportunities for all students to proudly share the traditions and stories from their cultures. What do we want students and parents and families to leave knowing or being able to do? Everyone has culture. Culture is the set of practices and beliefs shared by members of a particular group that distinguish that group from other groups.
The main components of our Multicultural Fair on April 30th are:
a. Connections with and for students before, during, and after the fair. Classroom activities (Skype with a class from another culture… Learn about and make examples of art from other cultures… Explore our own school culture…)
b. Storytelling options throughout the fair.
c. Booths for community centers, organizations, and families to share artifacts and/or foods that share the story of their culture.
d. Technology integration: stations with flip cameras for families to record their stories.
The next meeting of the Multicultural Fair Planning Committee will be
Nov. 30 at 6:30 in our media center. We’re excited about the opportunities for everyone to tell their story while we celebrate the cultures of our school!
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To also put somewhere in the Relay:
Laps:
A few questions have come up about why our students start their lunch recess with laps. Here are some reasons:
•PE class for 50 minutes once every 4 days does not meet the standards for active movement minutes. Adding 5 minutes to each day’s recess activities makes 25 minutes more per week.
•Students can walk or run the laps—their choice. Some students purposely take the whole time to walk and talk with friends. As long as they are moving, it’s ok. The goal is more movement.
•We’re trying to promote healthy life style choices, and walking is a lifetime activity. Again, here is the goal of more movement.
•At other times, the recess supervisors mix it up. Sometimes they have a “one lap Wednesday” or a “free Friday” with no laps. Instead, there are races and games; relays and activities, or just free play.
With the district’s emphasis on wellness and healthy choices, we want movement, brain breaks, and physical activity to be integral parts of our children’s days.